An annual study by Trojan—yes, the condom manufacturer (and not the terrible USC mascot)—and Sperling's BestPlaces says the University of Arizona is near the top when it comes to sexual health.

The Trojan Sexual Health Report Card study considers criteri such a as the availability of free or at-cost condoms and contraceptives, student opinions about the campus health center, sexual-health-awareness programs, and HIV testing availability, among other things.

This year, the UA came in at No. 15 out of 141 schools surveyed. That's up from No. 34 last year.

And Arizona State University? The Sun Devils came in at No. 83.

Columbia University earned the top spot for the second year in a row, while DePaul University came in dead-last—just ahead of Brigham Young University and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Read more here. (Note the terrible joke in the headline.)

Ladies and gentlemen, the Wiggles featuring Joey Fatone.

[Zooglobble]

This week, for your listening pleasure, we have tracks by TSOL, Crystal Antlers, Tom Waits, and Ennio Morricone.

TUSD Mexican-American studies supporters plan to be at the Loft tonight to greet Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

Huppenthal is in town for a screening of a documentary that, according to the supporters' Facebook event page, "exemplifies the curriculum at a school in Phoenix." Huppenthal will be on a panel, and there will be a TQ&A.

Be there at 5:30 p.m. The TQ&A starts at 7:30 p.m.

In a story published last night on AlterNet, Tucson son and writer Jeff Biggers wrote about the screening tonight, but he also asks where's the outrage—and where is that apology that Huppenthal still owes us for comparing Mexican American Studies to a Hitler military program:

How much farther do extremist Arizona politicians and their Tea Party supporters have to go in their witch hunt of the Ethnic Studies Program before someone will demand that the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice be summoned for an investigation?

Or at least hold Huppenthal accountable for his offensive remarks against Mexican Americans—which would never be tolerated for any other ethnic community in the state.

In an inexcusable affront to Mexican American veterans and their families at a Republican meeting last month, Huppenthal compared the Mexican American Studies program to paramilitary Hitler Jugend training, despite the fact his own commissioned audit of the acclaimed program conclusively determined that the Mexican American Program did not violate the state’s bizarre Ethnic Studies ban, and: “No observable evidence exists that instruction within Mexican American Studies Department promotes resentment toward a race or class of people. The auditors observed the opposite, as students are taught to be accepting of multiple ethnicities of people.”

“Huppenthal owes not only the Mexican American Studies (MAS) students, their parents, their teachers, and all of us who support MAS an apology for his abject “Hitler Youth” libel,” said long-time Tucson educator Salomon Baldenegro, Sr., “he needs to get himself a dictionary and go to the letter “H” and look up “hypocrite”; Huppenthal is in bed with state senate president Russell Pearce, and as is well known, there is video footage of Pearce embracing J.T. Ready, a known Neo-Nazi (who marches under the Nazi Swastika flag!) and white supremacists on the grounds of the State Capitol! If Huppenthal wants to go after REAL Nazi fellow travelers, why the hell is he not out campaigning to Recall Russell Pearce instead of libeling school kids?”

Huppenthal, in fact, joined a who’s-who’s lineup of Tea Party extremists and right-wing hardliners last weekend at a disastrous rally for Russell Pearce’s lagging recall effort, and praised the state senate president’s draconian cuts in education.

There's a kitchen at Occupy Tucson.

Well, OK, it's not a real kitchen, but it's the place that seems to host the real heart and soul of this occupation, like a kitchen does in almost every home.

That's food for you. If you have a protest or march, everyone comes together, holds signs, shouts and goes home. But when you hold an occupation, you need to feed people. Under a set of trees that seem to provide the most perfect shade sit the food/donations working group — folks responsible for running the food area and procuring donations and food.

I went there to specifically talk to Mike Bartlett, a retiree and veteran I'd seen running around all day in his jeans and UA Wildcats baseball cap. During the afternoon general assembly, there was a bit of commotion over at the kitchen that offered a bit of excitement and a minor distraction during the long consensus-driven general meeting.

A group of people drove up and walked over with several blue plastic tubs filled with brown bags. Bartlett immediately walked over, and then the Rev. Tom Hill and his wife showed up behind these volunteers. Soon, Bartlett was at the general assembly wanting to make an announcement.

A group of homeless people had donated their bag lunches to Occupy Tucson.

The Hills run WORKship, at the Z Mansion, 288 North Church Ave., which they also own. Hill made it clear to The Range that no one went hungry, but that "the people wanted to help Occupy Tucson. They wanted to be part of this and help in some way."

"That was something special," Bartlett said.

Bartlett and four other volunteers were getting ready for their work group meeting when I asked if I could sit down and specially ask them why they are volunteering and participating in Occupy Tucson. Bartlett explained that he wasn't hurting — he's retired and has benefits — but he's been feeling more and more frustrated and concerned that his vote no longer matters in this country.

Right now, the country is fractured. Bartlett said there are Tea Party members participating in the occupation, because they share the same concerns. Maybe, he agrees, this new movement is one way to bring everyone back together.

"The Tea Party was co-opted by the Koch brothers," Bartlett said, "and it became a radical extremist movement."

The occupy movement is about calling attention to the growing economic disparities in this country and unjust decisions, like Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission. One year ago, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that found that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited and unreported amounts of money to influence the outcome of elections.

The truck takes its name from Caborca, a Mexican municipality located in northern Sonora, and the food takes its cues from the culinary traditions of that area. The salsa bar is decent; the blaring Mexican pop music drowns out the growl of downtown perfectly; and prices top out at $5.50.

If upon your arrival there is a paper sign taped to the truck offering “Really Good Dirty Tacos,” you would do well to order that. Grilled sirloin steak, bacon, chorizo, chiles, onion, tomato and cilantro are piled high on a tortilla and handed over for $1.50. They are best when topped with the jalapeno-heavy salsa, and three make a very fine and affordable lunch.

KBORK parks outside of the Joel D. Valdez Main Library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays.

100-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh broke the record for world's oldest marathon runner after completing the Toronto Marathon in eight hours, 25 minutes and 18 seconds.

The Indian-born London resident has earned himself the name "Turbaned Tornado" and already is a world record holder for his age group.

Singh now hopes to participate in the 2012 London Games torch relay.

There's something of a perfect storm happening for a number of well-known Mexican restaurants across Tucson.

Inside Tucson Business reported Tuesday that El Parador Restaurant at 2744 E. Broadway and La Fuente Restaurant at 1790 N. Oracle Road will be sold at auction in January. And this morning there's news that Casa Molina at 6225 E. Speedway Blvd. is facing foreclosure as well.

All three of the restaurants have operated in some capacity for about 50 years. Talk about a harsh week for longtime Tucson Mexican restaurants.

LGBT community members and activists Kate and Carol Bradsen, John Peck (a former Tucson Weekly contributor), Amelia Kramer and Dante Celeiro will be honored at the Jewish Inclusion Project's Rainbow Keshet Awards on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road.

Tickets cost $36, and include a reception, concert from Israeli performer Uri Banai and "Oy Gay," LGBT Jewish coming-out stories presented by Odyssey Storytelling.

Info on the Keshet Award recipients:

-Carol & Kate Bradsen for their hospitality work with asylum seekers and migrant workers,

-Dante Celeiro for his work as a Transgender Activist , founder of Boys R Us & Fluxx Studios

-Amelia Kramer, Chief Deputy Attorney for Pima County & Former Managing Attorney for the Western office of Lambda Legal

-John Peck, Freelance Editor & Retired Senior Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona

For tickets or info, e-mail [email protected] or call 577-9393, ext. 121.

It would appear that Rick Perry has to do something to get back in the race for the Republican nomination, and while a flat tax is generally popular among Tea Party types, it would seem that there would be a number of people with issues with the idea (the poor, who likely would end up losing the benefits of some level of minimum non-taxable income, and the rich, who generally enjoy the benefits of loopholes and exemptions). But then again, who needs details or for the idea to actually makes sense?

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas said Wednesday that he would propose a flat tax next week as part of a tax overhaul program, signaling a new effort to separate himself from Mitt Romney and the rest of the Republican field.

Mr. Perry signaled his intent in a speech to Republicans on Wednesday morning after Tuesday night’s brawl of a Republican debate. He has in the past suggested support for some form of a flat tax, but has backed off from endorsing one. Mr. Perry recently recruited as an adviser Steve Forbes, who ran for president in 1996 on a pledge of implementing a single flat tax on income, without any deductions.

Mr. Perry did not offer details of how his plan would work. He said he wanted to scrap “the three million words of the current tax code and start with something simple: a flat tax.”

“I want to make the tax code so simple that even Timothy Geithner can file his taxes on time,” the governor said.