Tonight's general assembly, 7 p.m. at the Occupy Tucson camp could be the most important since the Occupy Movement took root in Tucson on Oct. 15.

On Occupy Tucson's Facebook page it was posted today that Peacekeeper Alex Maldonado had to disband the peacekeepers today "due to lack of personnel and unable to ensure the safety of those in the movement. In solidarity with the movement, Alex Maldonado."

Although unsure right now how Maldonado will remain involved in the local movement, to lose him and his fellow Peacekeepers is a huge blow to the camp at Veinte de Agosto Park in downtown Tucson. Maldonado is an upright activist with a big heart.

Borderlands Brewing Company is holding a grand opening at 6 p.m., this Saturday, Dec. 10. The brewery has already hosted a few private and special events, but this will be the first chance the general public gets to check the place out.

People who love beer have been talking about this place nonstop. A chef friend who knows a thing or two about fermented beverages tried the vanilla porter and said it had a sweet essence reminiscent of root beer. Another friend got a taste test of a few beers as well and gave similar glowing reviews.

Meanwhile, I've been too busy to get down there, but I'll be there Saturday with pint in hand. Hooray!

There's more on the brewery here and here.

I haven't really noticed this supposed "war on religion" that Obama is apparently the commander-in-chief of, but if Rick Perry's going to put an end to it, I suppose he gets my vote for president. It's not really enough that I can go to church any Sunday I want without the fear of imprisonment or death (unlike some countries on earth where that isn't the case), I think I'd prefer to be provided a number of benefits for my belief in Christianity at the expense of those who don't believe in the most awesome American religion of all time. Isn't that what freedom actually means?

Former state lawmaker Amanda Aguirre of Yuma confirmed this week that she's considering a challenge to Congressman Raul Grijalva in next year's Democratic primary. Grijalva, who doesn't much care for fundraising or campaigning, narrowly escaped losing his heavily Democratic district to a GOP newcomer last year after he made the political blunder of calling for a boycott of his own state, so it's hardly surprising that he might face a Democratic challenger.

News of the challenge triggered this shocking revelation in a fundraising letter from Howard Dean:

Raul Grijalva is the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Under his leadership, progressives in Congress have never been more unified, on message, or a greater force to reckon with than now.

Raul has made sure that we don't just stay on defense fighting Eric Cantor and John Boehner. It's our job to be on offense and offer alternatives. So when the Republicans offered a disastrous budget plan, the CPC offered "the People's Budget."

When Republicans ran from town hall meetings afraid of being attacked by seniors for trying to end Medicare, Raul traveled around the country supporting the "Good Jobs Now" tour by meeting with out of work Americans face to face and fighting to restore the American Dream.

Now, Arizona Republicans are looking for a power grab. They've redrawn the boundaries of his district to remove Democrats and replace them with conservative voters. At least one conservative Democrat has already announced intentions to run against Raul in a primary. And after a tough fight last election, you can bet Republicans have no intention of sitting this election out.

Holy cow: Republicans have redrawn the boundaries of Grijalva's district to remove Democrats? OK, we know there are many angles to this whole redistricting battle, but it's still shocking to learn that the Independent Redistricting Commission is following the Republican Party's orders and disenfranchising Grijalva. Last time we looked at the draft maps, it looked like Yuma would be split so that conservative voters have been shifted into a Republican district that now captures most of the rural areas of western Arizona. Who knew those folks were Grijalva's secret weapon?

Meet Bat Cat, masked defender of tuna flakes and snuggle time.

Bat Cat can’t get enough of your love. This dignified and confident gentleman is always happy to follow you around the house just to enjoy your company. The perfect sidekick, Bat Cat craves attention from his human friends and doesn't seem to mind other pets. Sadly, this terrific boy lost his loving home due to a human medical issue. Now he needs a cat-savvy person and a lifetime supply of hugs to make his heart whole again. As a Hidden Gem at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Bat Cat spends his time in staff offices but would love to meet you upon request. Please allow him to melt your heart today!

Bat Cat is currently living at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd. The Humane Society is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Their phone number is 327-6088.

Experian Simmons (a division of the jerkface company that keeps track of things I "forget" to pay for some reason) conducts an annual survey to find out which TV shows are most and least popular among those of liberal and conservative political ideologies. While many of the results aren't particularly surprising - liberals like The Daily Show and Colbert, conservatives don't! - I didn't know people felt so strongly about the show Swamp Loggers on Discovery, which is the most liked show for conservatives (beating out Top Shot, which is great if you enjoy slow motion shots of stuff exploding in HD) and the least for liberals. They're just guys trying to fight beavers for logs. I'm not sure why that's so polarizing.

Also, it turns out that liberals dislike The Price Is Right, possibly because most of them delegate everyday shopping to their staff and can't be bothered to think about whether the yodeler makes it through the Cliff Hangers game alive.

The most popular shows for liberals and conservatives, from Entertainment Weekly, are below the cut:

It definitely can be a challenge trying to sneak in some holiday shopping with your pesky children hanging on you demanding attention, food, and such, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm willing to let someone with some spelling issues advertising on Craigslist help me with that problem:

i can take care of your kids while you make you holyday shopping

if you need someone to take car of your kids while you make your holyday shoppings am here for you

there is nothing more hard than to go shopping with your kids on those days when alll the stores are packed with pople
email me and ill help you with this

There seems to be somewhat of a logical gap here, believing that providing an alcohol incentive for giving blood with inevitably lead to liver disease and death, but I suppose people are intended to give blood only for a cookie and self-satisfaction:

A spokesman for NHS Blood and Transplant said: "Donating blood is a completely altruistic act and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) does not welcome or condone this sort of promotional activity in association with the generous act of donation."

The Cumbrian-based Turbo Drinks company has been plugging its drink on Twitter with the message: "No more messy mixing it yourself....but you still have a messy night out!"

Last night, company spokesman Nigel Tarn admitted the promotion had been a huge error of judgement.

He said: "We employ numerous freelance staff and require them to create their own promotions.

"One of them naively thought that by doing the promotion they would be highlighting the shortage of blood and ensuring new donors.

"We now recognise this to have been in poor taste and have terminated the campaign."

I suppose if your husband is the head of Rovio, the company behind Angry Birds, and you're invited to a formal dinner celebrating Finland's birthday, it only makes sense to wear an dress themed to the game. After all, the game is a legitimate phenomenon and probably the biggest Finnish cultural export in recent memory other than a stream of high quality metal band. Still, it's a little weird to have a giant eye on your clothing. It makes it hard to know where to look.

[MTV Finland]

As part of my weekly appearance on the KFMA morning show with Fook, I'm discussing some unusual Christmas songs of the new rock vein. If you wanted to hear more of the songs we talked about, here they are, starting with Family Force 5's "Carol of the Bells" above. Three more tracks in YouTube form are below the cut: