The Occupy Wall Street protest shows no signs of slowing down, and the spark that started the protest is spreading across the country with other Occupy events, including Phoenix. Some Baja Arizona folks are planning a trip up on Oct. 15 to occupy the Cesar Chavez Plaza, 201 West Washington Street.

Organizers have a spot on Twitter @occupyphoenix so you can keep up with their plans and they have a Facebook event page at #OccupyPhoenix.

While some still have a hard time putting their arms around what's taking place in New York City right now, I'm starting to think that this is the beginning of something more. However, isn't an occupation of Phoenix long overdue?

If you need two good reasons to go up there — now, I'm not thinking about Wall Street, I'm thinking of our own home-brewed idiocracy that needs your attention — here are two stories you need to follow:

On Tuesday, Capitol Media's Howard Fischer reported that a federal judge is blocking state lawmakers from imposing new restrictions on payroll deductions from the paychecks of unionized employees:

Tune in tonight for another edition of the Arizona Illustrated Political Roundtable, featuring Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel, Arizona Public Media reporter Andrea Kelly, Republican strategist Jonathan Paton and Democratic strategist Rodd McLeod. Tonight, we talk about Rick Perry's problems with Arizona Republicans, Richard Carmona's potential U.S. Senate run and the Independent Redistricting Commission. And you won't want to miss a heated exchange on the Fast and Furious gun scandal.

The show airs at 6:30 p.m. tonight on Channel 6.

We tried contacting the owners of the Apple Farm Bakery Restaurant in Benson to get some more information on this restaurant, but never got a response. That restaurant is known for homemade American food done country-style, and seems to be a hit with most people who've tried it.

If anybody's eaten at this new restaurant, feel free to let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Jonathan Rothschild has an ad available on YouTube promoting his candidacy for mayor, and I guess it's fine. It doesn't really say anything other than pitch the idea that he's a nice guy who loves Tucson and would appreciate it if you voted for him. You'd almost think there's an iMovie setting for banal campaign videos that pulls photos from your computer, throws in some fades between the images, adds some subtle piano work in the background and waits for your narration.

Nothing wrong with that — and in our weak mayor form of city government, it's arguable whether the mayor can do all that much one way or the other — but not terribly inspiring either.

In my case, my wife is having a terrible time trying to find a job, and we're hoping that some new leadership might make it so we can stay in Tucson in the long term. Unless the "family business" Rothschild mentions is hiring someone with a degree in family and human development, I feel about the same about the future after watching the video as I did thirty seconds earlier.

However, YouTube was nice enough to recommend other videos related to Jonathan Rothschild when the ad faded to black, with my animated recap of meeting Mr. Rothchild up top. Thanks, YouTube!

Following up on the tracks from yesterday, here are five songs hand-selected by our music writers for your enjoyment, including tracks by Zombi, Wooden Shjips, Roy Head, Timber Timbre, and Wilco.

Former State Representative Tom Prezelski started a new righteous Facebook open group page today, Tucson Should be Represented By Tucsonans, and included an equally righteous comment by Prezelski on the latest maps issued by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission this week:

I stopped at the casino for other business this week and found An putting finishing touches on the store. The place will sell frozen margaritas, daquiris and other drinks, too. Can you imagine the potential of a frozen-yogurt shop with a liquor license? The possibilities are endless. The store's slogan, "Creations and Libations," is pretty sweet, too.

While dining at the casino I was suddenly surprised by Mr. An arriving with a plate that was on fire. That Mr. An sure is a character. It was all so surreal: Sitting in a casino for the first time in decades, thinking about frozen drinks and staring at flaming sushi rolls. Hot and cold. He'd also changed from a sky blue shirt to a black one. It was like two versions of the same An. So strange.

If you’re an online poker player, odds are you’ve been a little short on cash since April 15, when a federal indictment against the world’s three largest poker sites shut down access to players’ bankrolls.

Most of PokerStars’ players have gotten their money back, but those who had a ton of dough stored on Full Tilt Poker haven’t been so lucky.

Maybe things are about to change, though. The web site PokerStrategy.com, which of late has seemed to be the leading source of information on Full Tilt’s financial woes, this morning posted a press release from FTP saying it is going to be acquired by a French investment group known for rescuing bankrupt companies.

For those people completely clueless about what I’m talking about, in April the U.S. Department of Justice seized the domain names of Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker, alleging the sites had violated federal laws dealing with bank fraud and money laundering.

The complaint was recently amended to allege Full Tilt was in effect a global Ponzi scheme, where the owners of the site — including well-known professional poker players Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson — were pulling out millions of player funds for their own use. It is alleged that the site had far less money available in comparison to what players’ collective account balances were, meaning that most people wouldn’t have been able to cash out if they wanted to.

The agreement to purchase Full Tilt Poker, as well as to refund the balances of all the players — my balance is under $70, for the record; but I know friends who have more than $10,000 stuck on there — is contingent on the feds agreeing to the whole thing.

Group controller Laurent Tapie told a French gaming media outlet that "there's a long way to go" before everything is worked out, but he has the money to pay everyone back and wouldn't have agreed to buy the site if he couldn't do so.

Even if the site gets sold and everyone gets their money back, though, it will still be a long time before online poker of any substance returns to the U.S. A handful of congressmen have talked about wanting to legalize and regulate (read: tax the crap out of) online poker, but all signs point to that not happening for quite a while. At least until after the 2012 elections, when notorious anti-poker senator Jon Kyl leaves office.

Last year, we brought up the use of the term "illegal immigrant" on the Range and it's been a discussion, albeit short and sweet, during Weekly World Central staff meetings.

While typically when it comes to newspaper style we refer to the AP Stylebook, but like almost every other newspaper on the planet, sometimes we don't and for different reasons we choose our own style for a few words here and there. It's not science and you have to be flexible because, for example, maybe you've worked for 10 papers and every paper had a different preference for douchebag — one word, two words, hyphenated, publisher too conservative so no go.

The AP Stylebook, the reporter's journalism bible, when referring to undocumented workers or undocumented immigrants, says use illegal immigrant. Last year, according to the Society of Professional Journalists' blog we mentioned, the argument was brought up that reporters needed to end using illegal and for good reason:

For those news writers who insist on using the phrase “illegal immigrant” (or perhaps because it is a required, company policy); add the modifying adjective “suspected,” as “pro” journalists do when writing about arrestees or police suspects.

A fundamental legal principle in our American constitutional law is that everyone (including non-citizens) is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Consistent with that basic doctrine of law, journalists are urged to use the phrase “undocumented immigrant,” and avoid the denigrative phrases “illegal immigrant” or “illegal alien.”

This week, at a SPJ meeting, the organization decided to formally recommend to newsrooms to stop using the terms "illegal immigrant" or "illegal alien":

The Society of Professional Journalists, hearing an emotional plea from Rebecca Aguilar, a member of SPJ and of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, voted Tuesday to recommend that newsrooms discontinue using the terms "illegal alien" and "illegal immigrant." The resolution from the 7,800-member organization says only courts can decide when a person has committed an illegal act.

Aguilar argued that using those words insulted Latinos and all those who are or had once been in the United States illegally. She used the example of her mother, who became a "proud American" in 1980. Her mother felt insulted "every time she heard that word," Aguilar said of the phrase "illegal alien."

"She turned the tide," the new president-elect, Sonny Albarado, projects editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, said of Aguilar. "She delivered the statement with such passion. After that, there was just a great overwhelming outpouring of support." Aguilar, a freelance broadcaster in Dallas, is a board member of NAHJ and of the Fort Worth SPJ chapter, was an SPJ "diversity fellow," and is a new member of SPJ's Diversity Committee.

Here's another perspective on the debate published recently on AlterNet you can look at here.

At Weekly World Central what words we use to describe people who are in this country illegally or without papers remains split. Some writers are allowed to use illegal alien and some writers are allowed to use undocumented immigrant and personally chose to stay away from illegal or alien. This is Arizona after all, so rather than referring to the Stylebook, you have to remain flexible and once in a while have a friendly discussion during staff meetings and then ... get back to work.

The Regional Transportation Authority stepped in to prevent the county from spending RTA funds on a project it wasn't originally approved for. Learn more about what the county wanted to use the money for.

• Michael McKisson/TucsonVelo.com
• Signs along the roadway alert motorists to expect both bicycles and pedestrians in the crossing.

Hundreds of cyclists turned out for a climate change ride last weekend. See more photos from the event.

TriSports.com, a local bicycle business, is in the running for Arizona's Greenest Business Award. See why they are green and how you can help them win.

BICAS won a $2,500 grant from GOOD Magazine and CLIF Bar. Find out what they are going to do with the money.