World Laughter Day takes place on Sunday, May 1. The international event began in 1998, and was created by Dr. Madan Kataria.

From www.worldlaughterday.org:

The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. Its popularity has grown exponentially with that of the Laughter Yoga movement now counting over 6000 Laughter Clubs in more than 65 countries.

To celebrate locally, gather at the UA Mall, in front of the north side of the McKale Center, on Sunday, May 1, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The event is free.

Contact www.laughteryogawithgita.com or 777-7544 for more info.

• Photo by John Loo, Flickr

I'm not entirely sure how one drives into a giant canyon accidentally, but I haven't been for awhile. Maybe there's a bridge that's supposed to go over it, but hasn't been finished and has a sign that "Out Of Order" that he accidentally drove through:

A man who survived after apparently driving his car off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon hit a tree just feet before another long drop-off, an official said Wednesday.

The driver was treated at Flagstaff Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries, said Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge. She declined to release the 21-year-old's identity or hometown until park rangers have finished their investigation.

Park rangers located the man's car some 200 feet below the rim, lodged against a tree, Oltrogge said. There was another precipice about 10 feet beyond the tree.

A park visitor reported finding the injured man in the roadway at about 7:45 p.m. Monday. The man told the visitor he had accidently driven his vehicle over the South Rim.

He told responding park rangers that he had extricated himself from the crashed vehicle and climbed up to the rim to seek help.

The crash happened about 6 miles east of the Grand Canyon Village near a spot known as Twin Overlooks.

[NY Times]

Tonight's marks the end of the Michael Scott era on the American Office, and while the show has driven me nuts on occasion, the last few episodes with Michael and Holly's romance and the rest of the cast saying goodbye has been remarkably touching for a sitcom. Somehow The Office over time has become the fourth best show on Thursday nights, but I'll miss Steve Carell's character.

I was eating fried lamb testicles at a dinner party a few weeks back when a tall man at the end of the table raised a bottle overhead and roared: "AHHHH! Bacanora! It tastes like the deserts of Meh-he-co!" The bottle then made its way around the table, eliciting both grimaces and nods of approval.

I had to drive back to my hermitage out of town, so I did not partake. But it’s been nagging me since: What is this bacanora, and why do men drop forkfuls of lamb testicles to sing its praises?

The answer came today when I read up on Hotel Congress’ third-annual AgaveFest, which takes place from 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, May 5. It will include tastes of more than 40 different tequilas, mezcals and sotols and a cocktail competition, among all sorts of other revelry.

And bacanora will also be available for tasting. It is apparently an "agave-derived liquor made in Sonora that was illegal to distill until 1992," according to the Hotel Congress website. Sounds pretty interesting, and well worth checking out this Cinco de Mayo.

Tickets to the event are $25, and that includes tastes of 12 different liquors. There’s more information over here.

While the MSNBC version of the Fox News trademarked shoutfest doesn't do much for actual discourse, Lawrence O'Donnell gives Orly Taitz the definitively dismissive treatment that her relentless paranoia deserves.

• Samantha Sais

As we note in this week's feature story, the T-Pads start a four-game homestand today at Kino Stadium. Tonight is Thirsty Thursday, co-sponsored by your friends at the Tucson Weekly, and we're real excited about Saturday's Turn Back The Clock Night, which will take the Padres over to Hi Corbett Field. If you have fond memories of the Tucson Toros, you'll want to be there. Details on the homestand here.

Another Padres tidbit: San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer talks about Tucson Padres slugger Anthony Rizzo:

Hoyer and his team have talked about all their options in the minor leagues. With Anthony Rizzo, "there is development left." Rizzo is "undercooked", they want him to be ready. "I think he's going to be a very good Padre, but that time isn't today." Money isn't an issue, the focus is on development. "Big Leagues can humble you in a hurry." The goal is to bring him up for good, not bring him up and have to send him back to the minors. Freddie Freeman is a very comparable to Anthony Rizzo, but he had 500 plate appearances int he minor leagues before being brought up the Braves.

A reminder from the good folks at Tucson Values Teachers:

‘Teacher Day at UA,' will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, April 30 on the University of Arizona campus. Teachers and three of their family members will receive free admission to attractions including UA Science: Flandrau, Arizona State Museum, and the Museum of Art. The Center for Creative Photography, UA Bookstores and UA College of Education will also be open for visitors at no cost.

In addition to an educational expo and Tucson business expo at the College of Education and the Arizona State Museum, performances, music, and activities will be available across the Mall. Additionally, the UofA Poetry Center will be hosting the Young @ Art Festival featuring performances and activities celebrating youth writing and art with special offers for teachers.

Where: The University of Arizona
When: Saturday, April 30, 2011
Free: Parking and admission to museums, galleries and science centers
Sign-In: UA Science: Flandrau, on the UofA campus; 1601 E. University Blvd.

Follow Tucson Values Teachers on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TucsonValuesTeachers) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/Tweet4Teachers) learn more details about Teacher Day at UA on a daily basis.

Today's xkcd comic makes me want to grab a blanket and cry myself to sleep under my desk. Terminator 2 was twenty years ago? Just super.

While the world focusing on one British wedding this weekend, let's take a moment to think of those who aren't quite so lucky in love, including Misery Bear.

As a helpful service to the readers of the Arizona Daily Star (and to the Star itself, so they don't have to waste the column space), occasionally we will provide a space on The Range to cover corrections that need to be made to one of their stories. No judgment, we all make mistakes in this crazy business. We just want to get the correct information out there. The first installment isn't a correction, per se, but a bit of clarification.

First up, Josh Brodesky's column on Sunday complaining about how expensive eight artsy shelters for the forthcoming downtown streetcar project will be. Brodesky, always thinking of the little guy, was upset because Tucson "can't afford to put bus shelters on the streets for people who actually need public transit" and "lets young mothers bake in the sun, and elderly riders soak in the rain."

While as a bus rider, I am sympathetic to the plight of my fellow passengers, Brodesky aptly mentioned that these shelters are part of a city requirement to spend 1% of capital projects on public art from the project's budget. It makes sense that Brodesky might be upset by the very nature of the stipulation passed in 2006, but that's a separate issue from the streetcar project that would need to be revisited by a vote of the City Council. You're going to need shelters, and the city is require to get some art of the deal, so why not make the shelters art? Put a bird on it, as it were.

Also, while Brodesky was concerned by the city spending "$590,000 for eight shelter stops that have yet to be designed", as Councilman Steve Kozachik's newsletter today mentions, there will be an extensive vetting process to ensure that none of the art pieces will be "chosen sight unseen." Plus, while there will be more than eight stops on the route, and not enough artsy stations to cover all seventeen stops, even that came from a logical place that Brodesky seemingly wasn't aware of. As Councilman Kozachik put it, the decision was made "because the stops are located very close to one another and the decision was made to enhance those locations anticipated to have the heaviest traffic." Can't just put fancy stops everywhere, makes more sense to spread them out, right?

To summarize, we get it. After the Rio Nuevo debacle, any seemingly absurdist city spending sends us into a fit of outrage too, but it's important when you're writing articles for the front page of a newspaper to make sure you're getting mad over the right things, or even that which can actually be changed.