Cover Story
Rez Ball
Indian reservations in this country deal with a duality in that they are sovereign nations inside another nation (or, in the case of the Tohono O’odham, straddling two other nations). For a long time, that duality worked against them, but after the turbulent 1960s and ’70s, and with the help of some justifiably favorable court…
Cornel West Coming to Centennial Hall
From a UA Bookstores press release: Dr. Cornel West, one of America’s most provocative public intellectuals, will be speaking at the University of Arizona. His talk, “Borders to Democracy,” will critically examine diversity issues, offering Dr. West’s unique “bluesman” assessment of the broader implications surrounding race and immigration in the United States. Speaking as part…
Remembering Gabe Zimmerman
The Hill remembers Gabe Zimmerman: The nation would come to know Gabe Zimmerman as the congressional aide who was shot and killed during a “Congress on Your Corner” event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) at a Safeway on Tucson’s northwest side. Two months after the shootings, Ross Zimmerman is as determined as ever that…
So-Called “Freedom to Breathe Act” Advances
Tara Alatorre of Cronkite News Service tells us about Sen. Sylvia Allen’s “Freedom to Breathe Act.” A key point: Colleen McKaughan, associate director of EPA’s San Francisco-based regional air division, said a law attempting to remove her agency’s oversight of air pollution would cost Arizona millions of dollars in federal highway funding. “It tries to…
Not What I Expected the National Video for “Conversation 16” to Be Like
Starring John Slattery, Kristen Schaal, James Urbaniak, and making essentially no sense whatsoever. Still, this was my favorite song from last year, so any excuse to post this track is a good one. The National – Music – More Music Videos
Did Jon Kyl Put a Hold on Whistleblower Protection?
The WNYC program On the Media wanted to find out which senator anonymously blocked the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, a popular bipartisan act which protects public workers who expose corruption, waste, etc., so they crowdsourced a project to contact each senator and get a straight answer about whether they were the one. So, it’s down…
A Very Sincere Preview of the Richard Marx Show Tonight
Richard Marx does not eat red meat. In a recent interview, chatting about his upcoming “tour” (I’ll explain the quotations later) and playing the Rialto this week, I told the multi-platinum selling pop music icon that he has to try a Sonoran hot dog during his stay in Tucson. “I haven’t had red meat in…
Today Show Explores Aftermath of Tucson’s Shooting Rampage
Today Show reporter Mike Taibbi follows up with some of the victims of the Tucson shooting, including Ron Barber and Pam Simon, as well as the effects of the expanded indictments. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy The Today Show catches up with victims of the Jan. 8 shooting…
Can Giffords Travel for Endeavor’s Launch?
CBS News reports: Two months after being shot in the head by a would-be assassin, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has recovered to the point where family, friends and doctors are seriously entertaining the hope that she will be able to attend her husband’s space shuttle launch in April. Mark Kelly will be commanding space shuttle Endeavor’s…
RIP, Dean Armstrong
The Star posted a nice tribute to Dean Armstrong, a man as closely tied to Tucson’s musical history as anyone, who died on Sunday at the age of 87: Every night between sets, Dean Armstrong strolled the dining room at Li’l Abner’s Steak House. He would shake hands with longtime fans and introduce himself to…
Terra Cotta’s Tortilla Soup Lives Again!
If you’ve been pining for a bowl of chef Donna Nordin’s tortilla soup since Terra Cotta closed more than two years ago, here’s your chance: Good News for Terra Cotta Groupies! Tucson, Ariz—-When Terra Cotta, one of Tucson’s most beloved restaurants closed two years ago, fans were sad to see the Garlic Custard, Jennifer’s Tortilla…
Spiders Invade Mazdas, Food Terrorism by Mice and More: Rynski Radio at Party934
Update with playlist and download at bottom of post. A Pennsylvania pizzeria owner bred a terrorist plot that involved setting mice loose in his competitors’ pizza shops. Photo Ryn Gargulinski Pizza surprise. Steer clear of any pies with miniature black olive-like toppings. That story and more are up this week on Rynski’s Shattered Reality radio…
Sign Up for CPR Training in Honor of Gabrielle Giffords
From the Red Cross of Southern Arizona: TUCSON, March 2, 2011 — The American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter will offer free CPR and first aid training on Saturday, March 19, as part of Gabrielle Giffords Honorary Save-a-Life Saturday. Red Cross chapters across the country will hold classes at more than 100 locations across the…
Don’t Forget: Guerrilla Girls Tonight at UA
Don’t forget, the Guerrilla Girls will be at the UA tonight, for a discussion and performance from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gallagher Theater in the Student Union: The Guerrilla Girls are feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman. They use facts, humor and outrageous…
Southern Border Communities Coalition Launched Today
A press release today from the Border Action Network regarding the formation of the Southern Border Communities Coalition (for full list of signatories go here): As the government continues to pour more and more resources into border enforcement without providing appropriate accountability and oversight, border communities have borne the brunt of these policies, which have…
GOP Budget Cuts: Good for the Goose…
One of the strangest attack lines that came from the GOP last year involved the claim that Democrats had cut $500 billion from Medicare. Republican Jesse Kelly used it often against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords because Giffords voted in favor of the Democratic health-care plan, which tried to rein in future spending on Medicare. One big…
‘Today You, Tomorrow Me’
Friday’s New York Times Magazine ran an essay, “The Tire Iron and the Tamale,” by Justin Horner, about his three experiences waiting for help on the side of the road dealing with a variety of car issues from a blowout to runnning out of gas. Each time dozens of tow trucks would drive by and…
Chicago Video Dispatches From a Wisconsin Lawmaker/Fugitive
Word is the 14 Wisconsin state legislators, dubbed the Wisconsin 14, plan to leave their Illinois hideouts soon and return home to the business of dealing to Gov. Walker. However, before they go home, I’m hoping for a few more video dispatches from Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach. From Chicago, the Democratic lawmaker has produced…
Remembering Christina-Taylor
Inter-State Studio As the Diamondbacks and White Sox took the field at Kino Stadium yesterday, a giant No. 12 was hanging from the left-center field wall to honor Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old second baseman who was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and killed while waiting in line with a neighbor to meet her congresswoman on…
Here’s What You’ll See on Fox News All Week
You probably remember James O’Keefe from his famous ACORN hidden camera videos, his attempt to bug the phones of Sen. Mary Landrieu, or possibly his odd involvement in an attempt to “seduce” CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau on a boat, but he’s back with a new sting operation, this time on NPR. This time, two of…
Bundgaard Skates: GOP Lawmakers Stand Behind Senate Majority Leader
AP reports that GOP lawmakers did not remove Sen. Scott Bundgaard from his leadership position during a caucus meeting today: Scott Bundgaard remains majority leader of the Arizona Senate after a closed caucus of Republicans met amid controversy over his involvement in an alleged domestic violence incident. Bundgaard and most other senators leaving the room…
Santa Cruz County Wants To Join Baja Arizona
Hank Stephenson of the Nogales International notes that Santa Cruz County officials like the idea of seceding from the rest of the state: Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said he is ready to join the movement, called “Start our State.” Estrada said his support is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, noting that the best way to express…
Enter Your Adorable Pet in Our Pet Idol Contest
Photo by Pet Idol entrant “ghoulie” If you feel like you have the cutest pet in Tucson, enter our Pet Idol contest, running now through the end of the month. The winner will be featured in the pages of the Tucson Weekly as the official Tucson Pet Idol, which is among the highest accolades available…
Skeletons Rattling in Bundgaard’s Closet
As Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Bundgaard struggles to hold onto his leadership position, The Arizona Republic digs into his disastrous marriage: Embattled Senate Majority Leader Scott Bundgaard, who faces calls to step down because of an altercation with his ex-girlfriend, had a brief and tumultuous marriage five years ago to a woman who left…
A Dan Zanes’ Kiddie Show With Our Salvador Duran
It’s been a while since the Rialto hosted a good kiddie show. The last one I went to with my own kid was almost three years ago, when we went to the music palace in the middle of the day to see Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players. It was a great…
Artistic Range: Borealis Arts
Courtesy of Nathan Saxton, Borealis Arts “Wrapped” by Jason John “Wrapped” by Jason John, is on display in the show, Unbelievably Believable, running through March 16 at Borealis Arts, 6530 E. Tanque Verde Road, No. 160. The show “contains imaginative photorealism in pen, pencil, and paint,” according to Nathan Saxton of Borealis Arts.
You Can’t Keep Track of Republican Presidental Candidates Without a Scorecard
While it’s always a challenge to take on an incumbent president, the 2012 election is taking a little longer to shake out potential Republican candidates than usual. There’s certainly a number of Republicans testing the water, however, so the Economist makes it easy to remember which one is which with this helpful chart: [The Economist]
Arizona House OKs Drug Testing Law to Prep for Medical MJ
Be warned, even if you have a prescription for medical marijuana, if your boss thinks you’re high at work you could still get in trouble. Arizona House passed a drug-testing bill today: PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona House has passed a drug testing bill proposed as a response to Arizona voters’ legalization of medical marijuana.…
Utah May Not Be Immigration Utopia
The Immigration Policy Center’s blog, Immigration Impact, has an interesting post today on Utah’s new immigration bills, and while unique and on the surface not as scary as Arizona’s legislation, if a guest worker program doesn’t happen, the end result could be just as nasty as SB 1070: Late Friday night, the Utah Legislature passed…
Arizona Theatre Company Announces Their 2011/2012 Season
The season includes a production of Red, which won the 2010 Tony for Best Play, God of Carnage, which won the same award in 2009, the world premiere of a Sherlock Holmes adaptation, and Daddy Long Legs, a heartwarming musical about a young woman’s “journey into womanhood”. The list of plays, complete with sales-pitch-like summaries…
How Would You Like the Worst Internship Ever?
Charlie Sheen is hiring this summer: Do you have #TigerBlood? Are you all about #Winning? Can you #PlanBetter than anyone else? If so, we want you on #TeamSheen as our social media #TigerBloodIntern! This unique internship opportunity will allow a hard-working, self-motivated, creative, resourceful and social media savvy individual to work closely with Charlie Sheen…
Republic: Loughner’s Lawyer Wants a 2013 Trial
From the Arizona Republic: The judge in the case against accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner has suggested a September trial date, but Loughner’s defense attorney wants to push the trial back to January 2013, citing the need to gather mitigating evidence to save Loughner from a potential death penalty. Loughner, 22, is charged with 49…
Calling for Bundgaard’s Head
The heat is growing under Bundgaard. AP reports: Two Republican senators say Peoria Republican Scott Bundgaard should step down as majority leader of the Arizona Senate because of an alleged domestic violence incident. Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City says Bundgaard’s behavior was unbecoming as a senator and Sen. Rich Crandall of Mesa says…
This Weekend’s Desert Cup in Photos
While I’m not entirely sure I believe the report that there were over ten thousand people in the stands (my guess was around 8,500 based on what I know about the occupancy of Hi Corbett, but I could definitely be wrong), the first edition of the Desert Cup at Hi Corbett Field seemed like a…
Dear Loft Cinema, Please Bring the Replacements Documentary to Tucson
Dear whoever decides what movies show at the Loft, Color Me Impressed, a full length documentary about the Replacements, doesn’t open in Minneapolis until May, but I assume it takes a little lead time to set these things up, so Loft Cinema, you need to get on bringing this movie to town. The music documentary…
This is Bad. You Shouldn’t Do This.
From the AP: “Police say an angry customer at a suburban New York liquor store swept her arm through a shelf of high-priced booze, smashing $1,600 worth onto the floor.”
Sierra Club: Not Thrilled With This Legislative Session
Sandy Bahr of the Sierra Club fills us in on the latest assaults on the environment at the Arizona Legislature: Hello all! There are three important events to attend early next week. I hope you can join us for all three. First of all, please attend a public meeting on protecting about one million acres…
Science Cafe: The Future of the Colorado River
The UA Science gang presents an informal talk on the future of the Colorado River on at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, at downtown’s Cushing Street Bar. Warning: The water that Tucson depends on is drying up. Press release after the jump: Flandrau is holding its next “Science Café” at Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant…
Writer’s Block: Lisa Espich
Local author Lisa Espich’s new book, Soaring Above Co-Addiction, has been published by Twin Feather Publishing ($14.95, 176 pages). Book Summary: In Soaring Above Co-Addiction, the author shares her own experience of overcoming codependency by utilizing tools such as affirmations and visualization. In this memoir-style self-help book, the reader learns all of the traditional methods…
A Look at the People Behind the Wisconsin Protests
One thing I really like about the democratization of video online: a guy with a camera goes to Madison, talks to protesters, and lets them tell their stories. Not people yelling WISCONSIN from @pawlmadethis on Vimeo. [Pawlmadethis]
In Case You Missed It: Giant “Angry Birds” on Conan
As part of his tribute to Finland last week, Conan played a giant game of “Angry Birds” (a game developed by Finns) destroying furniture from IKEA (based in Sweden, Finland’s neighbor and biggest rival):
For Christina-Taylor: D’Backs vs. White Sox in Tucson Today
And then there is 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green. Christina was an A student, a dancer, a gymnast, and a swimmer. She often proclaimed that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her. She showed an…
The New Pork Slogan Doesn’t Make Me Want Pork
The Associated Press is reporting that the National Pork Board is changing their slogan from the classic “The Other White Meat” to the decidedly uninspiring “Pork: Be Inspired”: Gail Carter, a partner at Schafer Condon Carter, the Chicago-based ad agency that helped develop the new campaign, said “Pork: The Other White Meat” succeeded in creating…
More on Borderlands Brewing Company
Trivia alert! Michael Mallozzi, one of guys opening the new Borderlands Brewing Company downtown, also happens to be one of the nation’s leading experts on anthrax. Seriously. The medical student opening the brewery with him told me so. “Mike also knows everything about yeast. … And yeast is critical to brewing beer,” said Myles Stone,…
END:CIV at Dry River Collective
END:CIV, an independent film that points out the environmental destruction of civilization, will be screening at Dry River Collective, 740 N. Main St., on Wednesday, March 9, at 8 p.m. The director, Franklin Lopez, will be present during and after the film to answer questions. To learn more about the film, check out the END:CIV…
Photographer Q&A: A Showcase of Form and Movement
ALLISON MULLALLY Ilana Jonas, center, in ‘Seven Eves’, choreographed by Claire Hancock for Artifact Dance Project at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre on May 9, 2009 In 2008, Canadian transplant Allison Mullally picked up a camera and found a new passion in photography and photojournalism. Three years later, Mullally has accumulated one of the more…
Writer’s Block: Teresa Graham Brett
Local author Terese Graham Brett’s new book, Parenting for Social Change, has been published by Social Change Press ($18.95, 147 pages). Book Synopsis: Parenting for Social Change is a powerful parenting book that is not about children, but about the harmful cultural messages adults perpetuate in their relationships with children. In this compelling call for…
Idiot Boksen – The Coming Pig-pocalypse
flickr One of my biggest influences in writing “Idiot Boksen” is Wm. Steven Humphrey’s “I Love Television” column in the Portland Mercury, which I read often in my early 20s. Now, I read it every Wednesday to see if anything out of the ordinary is airing in the coming week. That’s how I knew Pig…
AZ Walk to Silence Tinnitus
On the morning of Saturday, March 5, the Walk to Silence Tinnitus will be taking off in Scottsdale. Tinnitus, commonly referred to as “ringing in the ears,” affects 50 million Americans, and of those, up to 16 million seek medical attention for this sometimes chronic condition. Additionally, tinnitus has been the No. 1 service‐connected disability…
I Wish I Could Be This Excited About Anything
The Memphis Tigers won the collegiate hip hop dance championships (which I wasn’t aware was a thing that could be won) and they’re excited. Maybe a bit too excited. Their winning routine, in case you were wondering what world class hip hop team dancing looks like: [Quickish]
Out to Topple Grijalva
Hank Stephenson of the Nogales International gauges Republican Gabby Saucedo Mercer’s chances against Congressman Raul Grijalva in 2012: Kate Kenski, a longtime pollster and University of Arizona assistant professor of communications, agrees that Latinos might give Saucedo Mercer a shot if she can connect with those who also take a strong stance against illegal immigration.…
Where Beer and Art Collide: Borderlands Brewing Company Opening Downtown
A new microbrewery named Borderlands Brewing Company is going in at 119 E. Toole Ave. It will have a tasting room, but will not dabble in the bar business like the other local microbreweries. What’s especially fascinating is the video below where David Aguirre, executive director of Dinnerware Artspace, and Myles Stone, co-founder of the…
Strange Euro-American Family Band Sings Anti-Bed Wetting Track
Until a friend of mine posted the first video below on Facebook today, I had never heard of the Kelly Family. Now that my life has been ruined by being drawn into the strange world of the group that sold 20 million albums worldwide while—according to the always reliable Wikipedia—presenting “a unique gypsy image and…
Arizona Bill Allowing Guns at Public Events Passes
… and Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Tucson, is upset about it: “Has this body no shame, no compassion, no respect?” said Lopez, a good friend of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. “Six people died, and 13 were injured in Tucson . . . and we are further loosening gun control in this state.” The State Column has…
You Should Go to Plush Saturday Night
Two great local bands, one promising extremely likable touring act? Only five bucks? You can’t really lose. I think we all know how great Silver Thread Trio and Seashell Radio are at this point, so you’ve probably already made plans to go, but if you were somewhat on the fence, watch a few Birds &…
Grand Jury Indicts Loughner on 49 Counts in Connection with Tucson Shooting Rampage
Jared Lee Loughner A federal grand jury has returned a 49-count indictment against Jared Lee Loughner in connection to the Tucson shooting rampage on Jan. 8 that left six dead and 13 wounded. Loughner was previously charged with attempting to assassinate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and two members of her staff, as well as killing federal…
Did You Read Steve Kozachik in Our Hippie Outhouse Socialist Rag?
There are some people you just can’t make happy, and apparently James Kelley, author of political blog The Cholla Jumps, is one of them. Kelley is a active member of the Republican community here in Tucson, serving as a precinct and state committee person, so you’d think he’d be psyched that fellow conservative Steve Kozachik…
Republicans Move to Squash Unions—Except for Cops & Firefighters
David Safier at Blog for Arizona flags an interesting amendment to a bill designed to hamstring unions in Arizona by preventing automatic deductions from paychecks for dues: In the original version, all unions were created equal — equally unable to make the deductions — that is, until a little noticed change was slipped into the…
Jane Lynch, Former Fictional Blockbuster Customer
In case you were wondering what Jane Lynch did before Best in Show, Party Down and Glee, she was dominating the video cassette upsell promo video circuit.
State Lawmakers Target Judges
Lawmakers have been going after the federal government, the city governments, the county governments and the unions. Did you really think they’d leave the judiciary alone? Channing Turner of Cronkite News Service has the details: PHOENIX — Several bills introduced by a conservative lawmaker would transform the way Maricopa and Pima counties select and retain…
Local Teacher a Finalist in National Geographic Photo Contest
Jamara Knight, a local preschool teacher and photographer, currently has a photo in second place in the National Geographic Photo Contest. Read the full press release by Carol Bradsen: UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE FINALIST IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO CONTEST TUCSON — A University of Arizona employee is one of six finalists in a National Geographic photography contest.…
Finally, We’re Teaching Our Children the Value of Music
Someone is teaching the children of Watville Primary School in Birmingham, England the value of culture, as they perform Iron Maiden’s “Flight of Icarus”. I think at my kid’s school, he’s getting occasional recorder lessons. What’s the best outcome there? Jethro Tull cover band? Get with it, TUSD.
Picture This: Scenes From the Wildcats-Beavers Game
Photograph by Josh Morgan Jesse Perry stands next to a group of Oregon State Beavers players. Photograph by Josh Morgan Kyle Fogg of the Arizona Wildcats sets up for a pass. Photograph by Josh Morgan “Ooh Ahh” man Joe Cavaleri riles up the crowd. <img src="https://media1.fdncms.com/tucsonweekly/imager/wilbur-the-wildcat-takes-a-moment-to-entertain-the-crowd-by-playing-with-hi/u/original/2583999/1299226758-wilbur2tw.jpg" alt="Wilbur the Wildcat takes a moment to entertain the…
Top Three Things to Give Up for Lent to Make Tucson—and Your Soul—a Better Place
Lent is lurking around the corner, kicking off Wednesday, March 9, and lasting for what usually seems like an eternity. This 46-day stretch is a time to give up things you like that you are not supposed to like, such as chocolate, swearing and teasing your kid brother. Illustration Ryn Gargulinski Giving up driving for…
That New Restaurant Going in at the Old Acacia Spot
I have been hounding the people handling press for the new restaurant going in at the old Acacia spot at St. Philip’s Plaza, and I think it might be just about to pay off. It sounds like something might be released in the not-too-distant future. So for the time being, these tidbits will have to…
Bikers and Burgers: The Kitchen at Branding Iron North Is Open
The best way to enjoy a burger at Branding Iron North is to sit facing the big screen television tuned to the remake of the Dukes of Hazzard, which might make you glad you had your cable turned off years ago. The sound will be turned off, and Guns N’ Roses music will be everywhere,…
Tonight: Parents With Inquiring Minds
In the Tucson area, there are about 1,000 kids who are affected by war and have a parent who is deployed. These kids, who are often dealing with the stress of not having both parents in their life, sometimes have a hard time dealing with school. To help combat this stress, the Department of Defense…
Orange County Tea Partiers Show the World What Intolerance Looks Like
I can’t pretend to know anything about the Islamic Circle of North America, the group that was holding a fundraiser at the Yorba Linda Community Center in Orange County, California on February 13th, but I’m relatively sure holding a protest and chanting “Go back home” isn’t helping dispel anti-American sentiment anywhere, especially since the event…
Sound Strike, the Boycott’s Not Working as Well as You Think
Listen Sound Strike people: I get it. The immigration bills are terrible. Our state has a lot of problems. But maybe it’s time to stop patting yourself on the back on how great the boycott is going and help us out a bit instead. Martin Cizmar from the Phoenix New Times has a post up…
Are You Ready to Have a New Group of Young People to Dislike?
Let the New York Times introduce you to the Native Society: On a frigid Friday night in February, about 150 preppy young men and women, mostly friends from the Upper East Side, turned out at the Plaza Hotel for a fund-raiser. Foppish scions in their 20s ascended the grand marble staircase, and sipped champagne in…
Well Worth the Brain Freeze: The City Yogurt
Pictured here are some of the things you can put on your frozen yogurt at The City Yogurt at 1217 W. Irvington Road, Suite 141. We suggest putting some of it on top of a big cup of vanilla malt frozen yogurt before eating yourself into near-death brain freeze, whenever you get a few spare…
Pearce Calls Bundgaard a “Victim”
Senate President Russell Pearce tells the Arizona Republic that Sen. Scott Bundgaard is a “victim” after Bundgaard got in a fight with his girlfriend and then used “legislative immunity” to avoid arrest while police carted the woman off to jail: The incident grabbed national headlines, resulting in outrage from local residents who have expressed concern…
Today in Vintage Video Games/Breathalyzers
Nostalgia makes the classic Nintendo gaming system fun for people in their thirties and forties, but developing a breathalyzer controller for a homemade NES game is pure genius: Drunken NES – Nintendo Breathalyzer from EM Dash on Vimeo. [Laughing Squid]
Finally, Another Excuse to Look at My Phone and Ignore My Friends
If you always wanted to chat to people you don’t know from the city you happen to be in (and not chat like some creepy AOL thing where anyone can get in, but a chat of only people with iPhones, who are of course, the only people who actually matter), Yobongo is for you: Yobongo,…
The Whole Wisconsin Thing Makes More Sense Now
From last night’s episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:
Our Kitten Contest Winner Talks About the Show
In case you were wondering how the Young the Giant/Kitten show was last night, the winner of our ticket contest, Kevin Chess, emailed in a report this morning: I don’t know if you were there, but the opening band, Kitten, was fronted by a woman that was like a crazed, over-developed kindergartner who’d been locked…
Bundgaard Police Report: How Big a Creep Is the Senate Majority Leader?
Feathered Bastard looks over the police report from Senate Majority Leader Scott Bundgaard’s fight with his former girlfriend, Aubry Ballard: Perhaps the most contentious issue it addresses is Bundgaard’s insistence to the media that he did not ask for the legislative immunity granted by the Arizona Constitution, even though the PPD cut him loose while…
Weekly Wide Web
Worthy goals; The week on The Range; Comment of the week; Best of WWW; and more!
Noshing Around
New: The Tasteful Kitchen; Mother Hubbard’s Cafe; Mardi Gras Grub; The Great Irish Cook-Off
Lives in the Balance
Ron Barber doesn’t want to be stuck in a recliner in his living room, keeping his damaged leg elevated. “I really want to get back to work,” says Barber, the 65-year-old director of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ Tucson office. Barber was shot twice on Jan. 8 when a gunman opened fire on the crowd that had…
Moody and Sweet
Part of what makes traditional music relevant in this day and age is the content,” says singer-songwriter Gwyneth Moreland, half of the indie-folk duo Gwyneth and Monko. “This stuff still applies to our lives today, for the most part. What I love about American Appalachian music is that you can listen to it now, and…
Soundbites
Change of venue; Good shows, great causes; A Powhaus finale, of sorts; Monk on Monk; On the bandwagon
Mexican Masterpieces
The group behind Tucson Cine Mexico hopes to build on the momentum from last year’s festival, which included one film that packed a Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18 theater to capacity—with 200 more people lined up at the door. It took three different incarnations to get the festival into its current state, and today, the annual…
Doing Something Good
Jackson Browne has lent his voice to Tucson in the past, using music to heal and inspire. The Sanctuary Movement drew Browne to Tucson in 1985. In 1998, he performed a benefit concert for the Center for Biological Diversity. Now Browne is returning to Tucson for another benefit, this time in support of the Fund…
City Week
Jewish-Muslim PeaceWalk Tucson; 18th Annual Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival; Arizona Between Nosotros: Artists From Mexico Respond in Performance and Video; A Conversation With Edith Head
Top Ten in Music
The 17th Street Guitar and World Music Store’s top sales for the week ending Feb. 25, 2011
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I am a mocha-skinned woman with long, curly hair and dark-brown eyes. Puerto Ricans always ask if I am Puerto Rican; Dominicans just come and start speaking Spanish; Cubans ask if my abuelita made good arroz con leche; but Mexicans know I’m black. What gives? La Morena Dear Negrita: The countries you mentioned…
TQ&A
Skye Siegel
Nine Questions
Leah Stauber moved to Tucson in 1999 to study anthropology. While finishing her dissertation on Chicano-youth activism, Leah teaches at Tucson Yoga by night and helps keep local coffee shops running via her patronage by day. Mother to a 2-year-old, Leah has recently enjoyed the renewed concept of “a social life,” becoming a groupie to…
Domestic Dysfunction
Why is it that contemporary theater, film and television are so full of dysfunctional families? Is there no drama to be found in a functional family? Or do we see in these messed-up families glimpses of our own flawed upbringings? Well, I sincerely hope that no one identifies with the specifics of two familial horror…
Live
Anyone who has watched a terrible movie knows that video-production inexperience rears its head unmercifully when cameras are rolling. This phenomenon is apparent in the rash of instructional videos, home movies, exercise videos and other ill-advised ideas that evolved when videotape made production more affordable. Many of these tapes were forgotten and discarded after the…
Poetic Production
Playwright Harold Pinter can be puzzling. Indeed, he often seems to delight in being puzzling. In a production that opened last weekend, the Rogue Theatre has embraced Pinter’s Old Times with intelligence and spirit. It’s not the kind of piece that will appeal to those who like more traditional theater. But for those who can…
Bright Eyes: The People’s Key (Saddle Creek)
The intriguing if uneven The People’s Key may or may not be the final Bright Eyes release—Conor Oberst seems uncertain himself—but it nicely charts Oberst’s trajectory: Specifically, it displays Oberst’s shunning of his characteristic solipsism. Oberst’s squeamish, personal and primal lyrics have given way to more universal concerns, which is admirable, but his approach—a kind…
Hibernian Happenings
In Ireland, every day of the week, two pages of The Book of Kells are on public view in the library of Trinity College Dublin. Copied by Irish monks in the eighth century, the lavishly illustrated volume is a collection of the gospels of the four Evangelists. You can go all the way to Dublin…
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake (Vagrant)
It still pains me to listen to 1995’s To Bring You My Love, PJ Harvey’s breakout album. I stopped listening to her for years because of it. Watching Harvey transform from the smirking blues-punk girl on Rid of Me’s cover into a gonzo lounge queen slinking around in a red satin slip dress and fake…
Mailbag
Police Dispatch shouldn’t cover people with mental illness; Hoffman’s iron-clad logic; El Encanto has a long history of fighting and losing; What if John Kromko had …; TUSD board couldn’t realistically respond to ethnic-studies letter
In-Between
The title of this collection of linked essays—about a smart, sensitive white boy growing up in the Navajo Nation in the 1980s and ’90s—is a partial answer to a question that the young author is asked whenever someone learns about his unique childhood: Are you an Indian? As Jim Kristofic explains in his charming new…
Amy Rude and Heartbeast: Can You Hear Me Crying Through the Walls? (Self-Released)
Tucson-via-Portland, Ore.’s Amy Rude and her killer band, Heartbeast, are back with her most ambitious and fully realized CD to date. Can You Hear … is a significant step forward for Rude in almost all respects: songwriting, vocals, arrangements, accompaniment and overall artistic maturity. Her previous records were superb, but she notably takes it up…
Legislative Landslide
Senate President Russell Pearce, who ignited a national controversy with SB 1070 last year, unveiled his new immigration bill last week. The bill does just about everything that Pearce could dream up to make the lives of undocumented workers and their families a living hell. Police would throw illegal immigrants who drive cars in jail.…
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books’ best-sellers for the week ending Feb. 25, 2011
A Logic Game
The eighth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq is coming up later this month. To mark this occasion, let’s play a logic game. Back in 2003, when the Tucson Weekly opposed the war (while fully supporting the brave men and women who were sent to fight it), a lot of critics claimed…
The Skinny
More on Mayor Bob calling it quits … Updates on the Jan. 8 aftermath … and more!
Gross Gags
Hall Pass continues a string of relatively funny—if not altogether sidesplitting—films from the Farrelly brothers. Seventeen years removed from their debut (Dumb and Dumber), Peter and Bobby continue to get cheap laughs out of gross sight gags. You will groan, and you will fidget at times, but if you are among those who laughed heartily…
Danehy
Being a liberal shouldn’t mean being a chump. Yet that’s how many on the right choose to paint liberals, and infinitely worse, that’s how some latter-day liberals choose to lead their lives. I’ve been a liberal a loooong time. In my lifetime, I’ve stood (and worked) for, among other things, civil rights, union’s rights, women’s…
No Power to the People
When former New Mexico state Sen. Tom Wray spoke in front of the Arizona State Senate’s Committee on Commerce and Energy on Feb. 16, the politician turned energy executive was ironically the first to point out why some folks are nervous about a new bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Al Melvin. “At one time in…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video’s top rentals for the week ending Feb. 27, 2011
Downing
My husband, Ed, recently had an angioplasty at Tucson Medical Center. It was during Valentine’s week, which was also Grammy Awards week and the week after Mubarak stepped down. Locally speaking, it was the week when every mesquite, responding to a run of daily highs near 80, dropped the stems that bore last year’s leaves…
Media Watch
NBC’s rugby coverage good news for Sitton; Journal pegs Holly as new operations manager; KIIM’s Jackson cracks program-director top 20
Karma Chameleon
Daliesque dream sequences, existential conversations between an armadillo and a lizard, and hat-tips to Hunter S. Thompson are not staples of the Western genre, and yet here is Rango, an animated Western-themed comedy that is more in love with Sergio Leone than Walt Disney. Of course, there have been treatments of the Western that aren’t…
Guest Commentary
A. Any agency final rule that has an impact on the private sector in this state is repealed from and after December 31, 2012. B. Notwithstanding any other law, an agency shall not adopt a rule that has an impact on the private sector. Any agency rule that has an impact on the private sector,…
New Options
Proposed new zoning regulations could have significant long-term implications for downtown’s historic Warehouse District. In the short-term, meanwhile, local artists’ attitudes about the area remain generally—but not universally—positive. Employed by the city of Tucson, Corky Poster’s consulting firm recently released a draft of alternative zoning plans for much of the land adjacent to the planned…
Now Showing at Home
A Film Unfinished; Hatchet II (Blu-ray); Bambi: Diamond Edition (Blu-ray+DVD); Memento: 10th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Police Dispatch
No points for the bike; Stupid pen trick
Way South of the Border
The southside is a sea of Mexican-food restaurants, both good and bad—and the recent addition of a true transplant from Mexico is adding a little South American flavor to the mix. Don Pedro’s Peruvian Bistro, recently relocated from its original home in Rocky Point to a shopping center at Sixth Avenue and 44th Street, is…
Lindy’s at Redline Sports Grill Opens Tomorrow (Thursday, March 3)
Lindy’s at Redline Sports Grill will hold its official opening tomorrow, with 80 cent draft beers and a 1980s-themed party. The restaurant is located in the old Pearl nightclub location on the corner of Oracle and Wetmore roads, and it looks like the entire place has been overhauled. It’s done in an automotive theme, sort…
Today I Find Myself Agreeing With Justice Alito, Surprisingly
From today’s minority opinion in Snyder v. Phelps et al. in which a 8-1 decision allows the shall-not-be-named Topeka based hate group to continue to picket funerals: “In order to have a society in which public issues can be openly and vigorously debated,” he wrote, “it is not necessary to allow the brutalization of innocent…
Vintage Beer Sweaters, Where Have You Been All My Life?
I had no idea there was such a thing as a beer sweater (not a sweater for your beer, which is also a pretty good idea, but a sweater knit with the logo of a “classic” beer brand), but now it’s all I can think about. So cruel, life. So cruel. [AJ Fosik’s Beer Sweaters…
Liam Gallagher: Still the Best Musician to Interview
While Oasis is apparently over and Liam Gallagher – of the famous fighting Gallagher brothers – has moved on to Beady Eye, he still makes for a great interview, as the people from The Quietus found out. Liam’s unedited thoughts on the new Radiohead album: We just like what we do. I heard that fucking…
Getting Stuck in an Elevator in the Twitter Age
Not exactly 127 Hours material, but apparently a series of caps locked tweets is the new distress call (in reverse chronological order): [Tyler Coates via The Awl]
Bundgaard’s Wreckage
Arizona Senate Majority Leader Scott Bungaard is finding it hard to spin his way out avoiding arrest by claiming “legislative immunity” in the wake of a fight with his girlfriend on the side of a Phoenix highway. E.J. Montini interviews the woman who went to jail while Bundgaard went home here: Aubry Ballard is a…
Breast Milk Ice Cream, Goat Heads on Porches and More: Rynski Radio on Party934
Update with playlist and download at bottom of post.A London ice cream parlor’s new ice cream—that contained a creamy mixture of vanilla pods, lemon zest and human breast milk—was yanked off the menu nearly as quickly as it was introduced. Photo Ryn Gargulinski Let’s hope he’s not eating London ice cream. We don’t really wonder…
The Food Truck Diaries, Volume Nine: Taco Fish
The gorda taco at the Taco Fish food trailer is as portly as its name implies. It comes soundly stacked with mounds of fish, yellow peppers and a fat deep-fried shrimp balanced up top. There are a half-dozen hot sauces to heat it up, coleslaw to cool it down, and a squeeze bottle of avocado…
