We heard good things about the debut of Saturnalia last month, with certified sommelier/magician Kenny Stewart providing the wine and DJ Carl Hanni providing "a mix of Latin groove jazz, exotica, downtempo electronica and sexy sounds from around the planet".

This month's installment is at Club Congress, this Wednesday at 9 pm. No cover, and the wine tasting is just five bucks.

I know that every time I've been in a funeral home I've thought: "This place is such a design drag." Thankfully, a funeral home in Spain is bringing high concept design (an entirely white chapel with benches!) to the mortuary game.

From Co. Design:

The Funeral Home and Garden in Pinoso, by COR architects, is audaciously modern, a low-slung boxy thing tucked into a hillside, with a shiny black edifice that’d look terribly morose if not broken up by courtyards and generous stretches of glass.

Indoors, the funeral home is bright white and sparsely decorated with the sort of furniture you might find in the cafe of a modern-art museum. Even the chapel — the nerve center for mourners — manages to look light and airy with an all-white paint job and lots of clerestories.

A chic funeral parlor may seem a bit... misguided. After all, who thinks about architecture after losing a loved one? But that’s precisely what makes this design great: You don’t think about it. It’s so minimal and non-oppressive, it takes a back seat to your bereavement, at least that's the idea.

[HT: Fast Company]

When CNN runs a headline that starts with "Even by Juarez standards...", no good news can possible follow:

Fifty-three people were killed in a 72-hour span in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, making it one of the deadliest three-day periods in recent memory, state attorney general's office spokesman Arturo Sandoval told CNN Sunday.

Among the dead were four police officers from three different agencies, Sandoval said.

"This is the worst violence we've seen this year," he said, referring to the three days from Thursday through Saturday.

The bloodshed started on Thursday with 14 people killed, including a municipal police officer.

Friday was the most violent day, leaving 20 people dead. A municipal police officer was killed by an assassin who belonged to a band of carjackers. Hours later, a state police investigator was executed on his drive home.

On Saturday, a highway police officer was killed by a driver who confronted the patrolman after the officer gave him a ticket. The officer was shot 10 times at close range in the middle of the afternoon. In all, 19 people were killed that day in separate shootings throughout the city.

Despite rewinding a few times, there are several occasions during these clips from KPNX's Sunday Square Off, hosted by Brahm Resnik, where I have absolutely no idea what on earth Governor Brewer is talking about. Hey, people in the health services industry will likely lose their jobs and thousands of people will be without healthcare, but at very least we have "enjoy the beautiful state that Arizona has always enjoyed", right?

Part 1:

Part 2:

• Photo Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Federal officials began reintroducing the Mexican gray wolf to Arizona in 1998.

A group GOP lawmakers wants to send a postcard of sorts urging Congress to remove the endangered species designation for the gray wolf, including a subspecies reintroduced in Arizona in 1998.

Pointing to complaints that gray wolves in Montana and other states have decimated moose and elk herds, a memorial authored by Rep. Jerry Weiers, R-Glendale, says Arizona would benefit from having complete oversight of recovery efforts for the Mexican gray wolf.

The House Committee on Energy and Natural Resources endorsed the measure Monday on a 7-2 vote, with Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, and Rep. Bruce Wheeler, D-Tucson, dissenting.

Facing extinction, the gray wolf became protected under the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s. It was reintroduced to the northern Rockies and parts of the Southwest, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had great success restoring wolves in the Rockies, with a population of 1,700 at last count well beyond the goal of 300.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has proposed de-listing the northern Rockies population of wolves, but that’s been blocked by court rulings. A candidate for U.S. Senate in Montana has proposed having Congress de-list all gray wolves, including the subspecies in Arizona.

Weiers’ memorial, which has more than 40 GOP primary and co-sponsors, calls the reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona a failure because litigation by wildlife advocates has blocked federal officials from removing wolves that prey on livestock.

• The classic crossover returns after a decade-long hiatus.

After over 10 years of waiting, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is finally here, bringing us updated chaotic three on three battles with a revamped look and refined controls. The core experience is just as over-the-top and chaotic as ever, but is that enough to enthrall gamers after a decade of waiting?

The New York Times reports that in the wake of the Jan. 8 shooting, the UA is setting up the National Institute for Civil Discourse:

The University of Arizona — whose Tucson campus President Obama used for his nationwide address on civility after the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords last month — will announce on Monday that it is establishing an institute to promote compromise among opposing political parties and views, the organization’s director said on Sunday.

The honorary chairmen of the foundation, to be called the National Institute for Civil Discourse, will be President Bill Clinton and President George H. W. Bush, said the director, Brint Milward, who also leads the university’s School of Government and Public Policy.

Dr. Milward said the institute would focus on political disagreements “from the grass roots all the way to the top.”

“In a great democracy, it’s important for people to hold fast to principles, but at the same time to understand where they might be able to compromise,” he said.

We imagine it's only a matter of time before GOP state lawmakers find a way to defund it or pass a law forcing it to disband.

Republican Mike Jenkins quits his bid for the Tucson City Council seat now held by Democrat Shirley Scott. His statement:

It is with regret that I must inform you that due to personal issues I will withdraw from the ward 4 city council race.

I thank all of you for everything that you have done. Thank you for the time that you gave to the campaign. Thank you for your hard earned dollars contributed.

Believe me when I say that this decision did not come lightly. I do not like to start something and then quit. I consider this a time to fall back and regroup.

I needed to make this decision early enough to allow someone else to take up the mantle and decide to help Tucson. Should someone decide to be a leader and take up the cause, I stand ready to help in any way that I can.

• Nintz
• Winner, winner, chicken dinner: Railbirds watch as the horses thunder down the stretch

It's the last day of the racing season out at Rillito Park. Go box a trifecta. Details here.

• Nintz
• Turkey/pesto lavosh and side salad

We're delighted to let you know that Tucson's Pita Jungle has finally opened at Broadway and Craycroft. I don't know what Borowitz would call it, but I'm going with Neo-Mediterranean meets California hippie goodness. Lots of great salads, wraps, hummus, pitas, smoothies, seafood and so much more.

Menu and more here.