Cover Story
Your Tax Dollars at Work
The morning of April 15 broke warm and clear, as steady traffic cruised South Sixth Avenue, humming past the flower shop and the auto shop and the bustling McDonald’s, where groggy commuters idled in a long drive-through line for orange juice and Egg McMuffins. Further south, Nati’s Beauty Salon was silent, its chairs empty in…
Hamsters Unite!
Meet the the R2B2 designed “to reduce private electric waste production.” I’m thinking someone finally found jobs for all those homeless hamsters.
Jim Gentile: “The Key To Jobs in America Has Been, and Remains, Science and Technology”
Jim Gentile of the Tucson-based Research Corporation offers a prescription for job growth in the HuffPo: The key to jobs in America has been, and remains, science and technology. In the second half of the 20th century, scientific and technological advances are estimated to have been responsible for well over 40 percent of U.S. prosperity.…
Repairs to Takamatsu Continue Despite Thieves and Other Setbacks
Between massive damage from a fire earlier this year and the demolition work required to fix it, the owners of Takamatsu restaurant at 5532 E. Speedway Blvd. thought anything of value had been incinerated or disposed of. But then the thieves started breaking in, and they realized they were very, very wrong. “We’ve had issues…
DREAM Act 101
Dispelling DREAM Act myths, courtesy of the Immigration Policy Center: Myth: The DREAM Act uses taxpayer dollars for scholarships and grants to undocumented students. Fact: The DREAM Act states that undocumented youth adjusting to lawful permanent resident status are only eligible for federal student loans (which must be paid back), and federal work-study programs, where…
Nuclear Games: Why Is Kyl Opposed to the New START Treaty?
Slate’s Fred Kaplan dismantles New START critics: Clearly, their article is nothing more than a call for indefinite delay and therefore defeat. They are not serious about amending the treaty or tightening some conditions. They just want to kill the thing; they want to deal Obama a defeat. Above all, they want to quash the…
Community Service Fashion a la Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton performs her required community service with the Hollywood Beautification Team in Los Angeles wearing stilettos. Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
‘Alice’s Restaurant’ at the Fox to Benefit Food Bank
The Fox Tucson Theatre will be screening the 1969 film Alice’s Restaurant in conjunction with a benefit for the Community Food Bank on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is canned goods or a donation to the Food Bank. Movie Synopsis (from Fandango): Intrigued by the counterculture tale of Arlo Guthrie’s epic 1968 talking-blues…
Decline of Western Civilization, Continued: The TurBaconEpic
If you’re a vegetarian, don’t press play. Seriously. A group of degenerate Canadians called Epic Meal Time decided to combine far too much meat into one absurdly self-destructive meal. I don’t approve of their choices, but I applaud their decision to share their stupidity on YouTube.
Kyl: It’s Not an Earmark If You Don’t Call It an Earmark
The Associated Press reports: Senate Republicans’ ban on earmarks—money included in a bill by a lawmaker to benefit a home-state project or interest—was short-lived. Only three days after GOP senators and senators-elect renounced earmarks, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the No. 2 Senate Republican, got himself a whopping $200 million to settle an Arizona Indian tribe’s…
Your Tuesday Live Music Preview
This week is a little strange as far as live music goes, since there’s something happening on Thursday that seems to have pre-empted any concerts in town (possibly the 7:30 p.m. performance of Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria?), but there’s at least one highlight tonight. If you value your sanity, skip wildly misogynist rap/dance act 3OH3!…
Congratulations, Lori Davenport: You’re What’s Wrong With America!
Apologies to anyone camping out in front of a store and skipping Thankgiving at home to buy something at a discount … but doing so is a terrible idea. Then again, Lori Davenport isn’t sleeping outside a St. Petersburg Best Buy to get anything in particular, she’s doing it for the feeling of “firstness.” For…
Rattlesnake Video Ruins Arizona Garages for Everyone
I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before, but the massive number of foreclosed homes in Arizona gives the rattlesnake community a perfect place to hide, multiply and eventually rise up and retake the state for themselves. This guy caught a few of them, but clearly, it’s only a matter of time. I, for…
Win a Bunch of Skiing Stuff From Warren Miller and the Tucson Weekly
The newest film from Warren Miller Entertainment, Wintervention, hits the Fox Tucson Theatre Saturday, Dec. 4, but if you’re a skiing aficionado, you can win a stack of snow-related stuff from the makers of the film and the Tucson Weekly. The prizes are: One (1) Grand prize winner will receive: 4 ticket vouchers for Warren…
The Filmography of Bill Murray in Animated GIF Form
Courtesy of Derek Eads, find yourself transfixed by the vortex of awesomeness:
FYI, the (Supposed) Best Album in Eight Years Is Out Today
People like to complain about online music tastemaker Pitchfork—and partially for good reason. The grades they assign to albums often seem determined more by some arbitrary indie coolness guide than the actual songs, but the site’s influence is significant, creating a one-stop source for hipster music cool. Since they rank albums on a scale from…
Out-of-Area Woman Can’t Stop Not Retiring in Tucson
Tucson real-estate agents beware: Sharon Lin is not going to buy a house in Tucson. The retired schoolteacher has made it clear, in a series of comments on Tucson Weekly stories that date back eight months, that she won’t be retiring to Tucson. Lin’s most recent comment came in respose to the reelection of Congresswoman…
RIP, Libertarian Party Founder/Senate Candidate David F. Nolan
David F. Nolan, the Tucsonan generally recognized as the principal founder of the Libertarian Party and recently that party’s candidate for the 8th Congressional District in 2006 and for the Senate this year, has died at the age of 66. He was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked in the publishing and…
Countdown Covers AZ Transplant Story
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Keith Olbermann covered the stories of sick Arizonans who need organ transplants to survive. Earlier this year, Gov. Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature cut roughly $5 million in funding for transplants, which resulted in the loss of an estimated $15 million in…
New York Times Covers Story of Target, the Afghanistan War Canine Hero Who Was Mistakenly Put Down
The New York Times puts one of Arizona’s saddest stories of the year on the front page: When a suicide bomber entered an American military barracks in Afghanistan in February, it was not American soldiers but Afghan stray dogs that confronted him. Target and two other dogs snarled, barked and snapped at the man, who…
This Weekend’s TV Highlight: The Strange World of “Lucky Break”
Hopefully, you have something better to do Saturday night than to sit at home at watch a dubiously produced local singing competition at 10:30 p.m., but I totally don’t, so I’ll be watching Desert Diamond Casino’s Lucky Break on KOLD. From KIIM’s description of the event: KiiM-FM wants to know … can you sing? I…
Physical Violence Is Wrong, but Politicans Hitting Each Other Is Funny
I probably shouldn’t laugh out loud at a video of Argentinian legislator Graciela Camano slapping fellow lawmaker Carlos Kunkel in the face. I shouldn’t, but I’m assuming for now that mild politician-on-politician assault is going to still humor me for awhile.
Finally, Someone’s Getting the Pulse of the Near-Convict Community
The virtual remains of the Tucson Citizen is a strange place in general these days, but one article yesterday by Ryn Gargulinski actually brought up some interesting questions about an unsolved murder outside local strip club the Candy Store a little more than a year ago, while also looking at the effects of violent crime…
Writer’s Block: C. Michael Bennis
Local author C. Michael Bennis’ new book, Rules of Engagement, has been published by Book Surge Publishing ($18.99, 258 pages). Book summary (from publisher): Unrestrained passions and exotic locales are key elements of Rules of Engagement, a savvy debut by C. Michael Bennis. With a pitch perfect prose and unforgettably naughty characters, new romance author…
‘To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before’
Scientists at CERN have created and stabilized 38 atoms of antimatter for a tenth of a second. Some believe this is the first step toward starships: Today in news that should please Patrick Stewart, scientists have made big advancements in creating and containing antimatter, the substance needed to power a theoretical starship. Researchers at CERN,…
Tina Fey Censored
Tina Fey was awarded the Mark Twain Prize recently. The show aired on PBS, and the network said that because of time, it edited out part of Fey’s acceptance speech—and it just so happens the edit got rid of some pointed comments she made on Sarah Palin. The edits feel more like censorship:
Bacon-Fat Infused Whiskey? Secrets of Tucson Bartenders Debuts!
Dan Gibson introduces us to Jonas Black of Jasper Food and Mixology in the debut episode of Secrets of Tucson Bartenders.
When in Doubt, Take Pictures of Cowboys and Cacti
A few days after a scolding from the Pima County Board of Supervisors, the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau rolled out a new promotional campaign. Coincidence? I can’t say, but as a special preview to their Facebook fans, they unveiled three ads today that focus on a relatively tired view of town. Congratulations, Visitors…
A Free Song From New Dead Western Plains
Friday night, Fort Lowell Records celebrates the release of their fourth 7-inch vinyl single this year at Plush, this time featuring local band Dead Western Plains. It’s really easy to like what Fort Lowell is doing, releasing great music in interesting packaging, pricing it fairly (only $5 for a handnumbered limited edition single) and promoting…
Add Another Team to the Tucson Pro Sports Scrapheap
It was a nice idea while it lasted, but Tucson won’t be getting indoor football next year, according to KVOA: The Tucson Thunderkats, a local indoor football club, is suspending operations indefinitely. Mario Wiggins, chairman and owner of the team, estimates that he has lost over $100,000 during the startup of the franchise. Head coach…
Pullen Announces He’s Done As State Party Chairman
Republican Party State Chairman Randy Pullen has tweeted that he won’t seek another term after losing his bid for a state committeeman slot last night: I will not seek reelection as AZGOP Chairman on January 22nd. It has been an honor to serve these past four years as Chairman . God bless. Pullen wasn’t necessarily…
NYT: Kyl’s Objections to New Start Treaty Are “Absurd”
The New York Times calls on Sen. Jon Kyl on the START treaty that he refuses to back: The world’s nuclear wannabes, starting with Iran, should send a thank you note to Senator Jon Kyl. After months of negotiations with the White House, he has decided to try to block the lame-duck Senate from ratifying…
See the Thermals Tonight! They Don’t Hate Arizona!
Based on my slightly unhinged post yesterday, it’s probably clear that the idea of bands boycotting Arizona is a sensitive one to me. Thankfully, Portland, Ore., act The Thermals (who are playing Club Congress tonight) brightened my day today and extended hope that bands might overlook the easy way out of a boycott. The Thermals…
Pullen Done As GOP State Chairman?
It’s a bit of inside baseball, but Republican Party operatives are chattering this morning about a blow to Randy Pullen, the state chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. It’s no secret that Pullen doesn’t play well with U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl. There’s been so much friction that the senators have declined to…
Santa’s Book List
It was another great year for books, especially small-press and independent titles. Kindle, Nooks and Kobos are cool, sure, but nothing beats the wonderful sensation of solid analog lit being stuffed into your stocking. Here’s a diverse, indie-centric literary gift guide for the entire range of readers among your friends and family. For the pierced,…
Joy on CD and Vinyl
Could it be that the number of special music packages for gift-giving has decreased this year? Maybe the dilemma about how to sell music—CDs, MP3 downloads, online merchandising, LPs?—has the record industry running scared. It’s possible, too, that all of us discerning music consumers simply needed a breather. No matter. There are still lots of…
The Beast Is Back
You’ve probably seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast—as a hit film in 1991, which spawned a Broadway production, which spawned several touring versions, which even spawned high school-play versions. Well, the national touring version of Beauty and the Beast is back—but producers promise that you have not seen this version before. The original creators of…
City Week
Vegetarian Taxidermy; Tucson Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky and Friends; Tucson Roller Derby and the Arizona State Conference; Every Woman
T Q&A
Dave Greene
Flawed but Fun
I hope I don’t sound like a bad person when I say that children are easier to love in general than they are in specifics. They’re cute, and loving, and tomorrow’s leaders and all that, but it takes a little voluntary amnesia to get past the tantrums, selfishness and destructive tendencies. Well, two children-themed shows…
The Voters Have Spoken … and They’re Schizophrenic
It appears that we finally have all of the election results in (save the results of an automatic recount of a statewide proposition that few people care all that much about). What can we make of it all? One thing is clear: Voters don’t know what in the hell to think. This became apparent, at…
Dancing for Dancing’s Sake
When Sean Patrick Mahoney was a kid in Philadelphia’s northern suburbs, he couldn’t do much that was fun. “I was diagnosed with asthma,” said Mahoney, a dancer with Paul Taylor Dance Company, which performs at Centennial Hall Saturday night. “I couldn’t have a paper route or cut the lawn. I tried baseball and soccer and…
Danehy
Refusing to live in, on or even near the Internet, I still get all of my real news from traditional sources—newspapers, magazines, TV and occasionally radio. (It’s kind of a fudge, but if a newspaper appears online, it counts as a newspaper. That allows me to do those really hard math problems in The New…
Fill in the Blanks
Jerry Mayer knows how to write a compact, witty, lighthearted script. Mayer, who wrote 2 Across, currently onstage at the Invisible Theatre, developed his skills working for years as a writer of TV sitcoms. His impressive credits include teleplays for M*A*S*H, All in the Family and Mary Tyler Moore. Now he’s focused on writing for…
Soundbites
Help the needy; enjoy great music; Fists vs. plains; Get the hanky ready
Mailbag
Mainstream Media Give Short Shrift to Palestinian Abuses; The Last Election Proved the ‘Weekly,’ Its Readers Are Out of Touch; Comments From Readers at TucsonWeekly.com; Corrections
Preaching to the Choir
It can’t be easy to keep alive the flame of reading Westerns in a world illuminated by computer and TV screens, and stimulated by virtual shoot-’em-ups. That would be the job of the Western Writers of America, and this anthology is an effort to fan it. Founded in the 1950s—the heyday of the Western in…
Top Ten in Music
The 17th St. Guitar and World Music Store’s top sales for the week ending Nov. 12, 2010
Messina
Woken up in the middle of the night by two people fighting outside of her home, Lori LeChien, 23, took action to restore the peace: She grabbed her guitar, went out on her porch and began to sing a freedom song. The violent pair was caught off guard; they stopped fighting and turned to watch…
Top Ten in Books
Antigone Books’ best-sellers for the week ending Nov. 12, 2010
Nine Questions
Bianca Mendoza
Media Watch
Jameson resigns as Tucson Newspapers CEO; Lee profits increase, largely on basis of cuts; Cable and satellite numbers also on the decline; Germs, germs, everywhere germs!
Boring Nonsense
The Swedish Millennium Trilogy got off to a gripping, stylish start with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The second film, The Girl Who Played With Fire, was a little ridiculous, but still moderately entertaining. The trilogy crashes headlong into the side of a mountain in a massive ball of noxious flames with The Girl…
Live
Freelance Whales, Miniature Tigers, Bear Hands: Club Congress, Sunday, Nov. 14
Trouble at Home
Vietnam veteran George Dellitt says Comin’ Home saved him—and now he’s trying to help save the organization. Dellitt, a former Comin’ Home client, is now a resident shift supervisor at the veteran-support organization’s apartment/duplex complex on Palo Verde Road, north of Grant Road. “Comin’ Home has absolutely changed my life, and it’s because of the…
Top Ten in Movies
Casa Video top rentals for the week ending Nov. 14, 2010
Suuns: Zeroes QC (Secretly Canadian)
Just so you know, Montreal-based band Suuns is managed by a friend of mine. That disclosed, we can get to the brilliance of Zeroes QC, the band’s first full-length, an homage to their former name. With drums, bass guitar and minimal electronic effects, Suuns create an energizing monotone universe. Rarely has one repeated note sounded…
The Skinny
Arizonans will soon have a right to their medical marijuana … Giffords and Grijalva split on the deficit commission’s draft report … How about more public dollars for political campaigns? … and more!
Don’t Look
Piercing blue lights are the first sign of trouble. Within minutes of their arrival in Los Angeles, the lights have hypnotized thousands, leading them to their deaths; the ones who are lucky enough to dodge the power of the shimmering lights get the rough stuff. Two lifelong friends, along with their significant others and a…
Nobunny: First Blood (Goner)
Rock ‘n’ roll will remain dangerous for a while longer in the hands of a masked man known as Nobunny. His latest album, First Blood, does not contain the same hodgepodge of drum-machine tracks, strange vocal effects and purposely out-of-tune guitars that constitute his debut full-length, Love Visions. Dissenters may argue that without the skronks…
Check, Please
For years, Pima County has violated a law requiring health inspections of restaurants every six months. The program administrator says the county has fallen short primarily because of staffing problems, but two former employees blame administrative issues. Information provided by the county covering the period of April through September 2010 shows that more than 200…
Now Showing at Home
Modern Times (Blu-ray); The Six Million Dollar Man: The Complete Collection; The Sound of Music: 45th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Swans: My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky (Young God)
“No Words/No Thoughts,” the first track on the first Swans album in 14 years, begins with the pealing of church bells but soon moves into four minutes of guitar and bass bludgeoning that will rattle your bones. Then, singer-songwriter and bandleader Michael Gira’s voice rises from the noise to intone minimalist lyrics about the sin…
Police Dispatch
At warp speed; Guilty, butt not as charged
Neighborhood Joint
Friends on the eastside bend my ear about the dearth of good restaurants in that part of town; they complain that there are numerous chain joints, but not a lot of local joints. Well, eastsiders, listen up! There’s now a small, cozy spot on the eastside that offers good food in a comfy atmosphere—and it’s…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I’m thinking of moving to Mexico. I’m a first-generation mexicano. My parents are absolutely against it, insisting that it’s violent and that I should be proud of being an American. I’m not looking to lose my American-ness, but I just want to add some more mexicano to it. Is there a movement of…
Weekly Wide Web
Thanks, ‘Warlight,’ for Ruining My Life; The week on The Range; Comment of the week; Best of WWW; and more!
Noshing Around
Sahuarita Pecan Festival; Skrambles Café: The Eggsperts; Colombian Chow; Farmers’ Market Grand Opening; Le Delice Bakery and Café Is Back
Shop by Personality Type
Yeah, everybody hates to be labeled, but face it: Most people fit a type. If you’ll excuse a quick Fight Club quote: “You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.” And neither is your brother, sister, mother, father, daughter, son, friend, co-worker, significant other or anyone else you might possibly be shopping for during this…
Taggers vs. Tech
David Caceres, the assistant manager of the city’s go-to graffiti cleaning company, Graffiti Protective Coatings, starts his day at the same location at least once a week. The big, white back wall of an abandoned building just north of downtown’s Sixth Avenue underpass is a favorite for taggers. Even before a citizen can photograph and…
Got Gear?
In his workshop, Tucson electronics experimenter Dave Wright can resemble a mad scientist or an absent-minded professor, leaning over his bench and fiddling happily with transistors and microchips. All around him are electronic musical instruments that he’s designed and built, a mixing board, various other jerry-rigged electronic devices and a few old organs he scavenges…
Dancing Bristol Palin Drives Man Insane
According to a CBS news report: Brandy broke down in tears. Dancer Derek Hough was slackjawed. Judge Bruno Tonioli leapt to his feet and urged audience members to vote. But the most violent reaction of all to Tuesday night’s “Dancing With the Stars” results show came from a 67-year-old Wisconsin man, so enraged over Bristol…
Thanksgiving Tamales, Cocktail Class, Copper Kettle Popcorn Closes, Macaroni-and-Cheese Pizza, Colombian Food and More
The Tucson Tamale Company is making Thanksgiving tamales again. Turkey, potatoes, stuffing and veggies wrapped in sage masa make for very tasty bundles of turkey-day joy. More information here. Speaking of holiday eats, Govinda’s is holding its meatless Thanksgiving feast from noon to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 25. If you’ve never been, the food is…
FOOSBALL: The Movie
Local theater actor Brian Taraz (The Rogue Theatre and Beowulf Alley) will be presenting the world premiere of what he calls “a horrifyingly whacky independent film starring himself” called FOOSBALL: The Movie. It screens at 7 p.m., tonight, Thursday, Nov. 17, at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. Tickets are $5. Rick Smith Brian…
The Dream Is Over: Four Loko Takes Out the Energy
Well, that didn’t last long. Phusion, the maker of Four Loko, announced late yesterday that they’re only producing non-caffeinated (and -guaranad and -taurined) versions of their beverages from now on: We have repeatedly contended — and still believe, as do many people throughout the country — that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe.…
Today in Livestock-Themed Activities
Cow crap is endless fun. Kids use it for everything from Frisbees to baseball bases on the cow farms in my home state of Wisconsin, where no childhood is complete without chucking at least one cow patty at a sibling. Funny, I don’t remember there being much hand sanitizer around either. So it was absolutely…
Thanks for Nothing (I Promise), My Chemical Romance
New Jersey emo/goth/punk rock act My Chemical Romance, who now feature former Tucsonan Mike Pedicone on drums, have a new album coming out, so naturally, they’ve started announcing tour dates across the country. The bad news for Arizona fans of the band is that they’ve announced their allegiance to The Sound Strike, a anti-SB 1070…
