• Michael McGowan
• WP Indifference

Remember when winter break meant spending time with the relatives, watching the same old movies and eating too much? These days, kids have a more exciting option, and it's just up I-10 at Skydive Arizona. But if your college days are behind you, spectators are welcome. Read on for more details:

College Students to Spend Winter Break Leaping from Airplanes at 2011 National Collegiate Parachuting Championships!

WHO:
Nearly 100 collegiate skydivers from colleges and universities across the country will compete in multiple skydiving disciplines, bringing their youthful energy and thirst for adventure to the exhilarating, high-flying sport of skydiving! These are skydiving’s ultimate collegiate aerial athletes, competing for gold, silver and bronze medals in both freefall and parachute landing events.

WHAT:
The 2011 U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) National Collegiate Parachuting Championships — skydiving’s most youthful, friendly competition — hosted by Skydive Arizona, one of the world’s largest skydiving facilities, located midway between Phoenix and Tucson.

The championships are FREE and open to the public. Spectators are invited for an up-close view to catch the adrenaline-pumping action happening thousands of feet above the drop zone on video monitors, as well as view hundreds of colorful canopies filling the sky and thousands of dramatic landings as competitors swoop swiftly, gracefully back to earth. The drop zone also offers a restaurant and bar for lunch and relaxation.

WHEN:
December 28, 2011 to January 2, 2012
*Sunrise to sunset each day*

WHERE:
Skydive Arizona, 4900 N. Taylor St., Eloy, AZ 85131
(located midway between Phoenix and Tucson)
Map/driving directions: here.

The owner of the new restaurant Jalopy’s Grillville at 4230 N. Oracle Road says he’s shooting for a grand opening over New Year’s weekend. It’s a pizza and burger sort of place that will eventually serve and deliver its own beer.

Regarding that beer: So far the line-up includes cream ale, brown ale, an “aggressively hopped” IPA with "a citrusy nose that you can smell across the room,” according to the restaurant’s website. Seasonal beers are also expected before long.

Hey, Cynthia's back and Eric let her pick the comic! Justice League Dark is apparently the Hot Topic version of the the normal JLA, so that certain appeals to someone.

Local author Paula Frighetti recently published 2012: Transition and Transformation. (88 pages, $12.95)
For more information, click here.

Book summary:

A recent Internet search for 'December 21, 2012', produced over a hundred million hits. In addition to the sites on the Internet, there are thousands of books on it as well. It is clear that learning the story of 2012 is a daunting task. Obviously, the first ones to ask would be the Mayans. They were the ones who created the Long Count calendar that brought December 21, 2012 to the world’s attention. This book summarizes their message and provides information from astronomy, archeology, astrology, religions and ancient stories that support their message. It is also a handbook for those who have been able sense the changes that are occurring. 2012: Transition and Transformation, is a basic guide to the ancient stories and science that binds all life together and the prophecies that foretell the possibilities of the journey that is before us.

[Web producer's note: Chris Patyk was, until somewhat recently, the co-host of the morning show on 92.9 FM back when it was called the Mountain and not a station rocking a Lady Gaga song every 20 minutes. He's quite the pop culture savant, so I asked him if he'd like to reflect back on the past twelve months.]

2011 was a year for the present participle.

A year of (in no particular order of importance) 'occupying,' 'planking,' and 'Tebowing.' And no list of 2011's present participles wouldn't be complete without, 'Winning!' On the other hand, let's throw that out with my novelty vial of tiger's blood I bought from eBay user 'SheenMachine.'

Let us reflect on a few choice 'participles':

'Sexting': When New York Representative Anthony Weiner tweeted a lewd picture of himself to a college student it was one of the great political scandals of the summer. Sadly, he didn't help the public's view of Congress. First he denied it was his wiener, then he admitted it was and stepped down from public office. On the bright side, he launched many of the greatest penis jokes since the Bobbitt incident of 1993. And for proof true love knows no bounds of human decency, we had proof of Weiner's worth as he and his wife welcomed a baby boy last week. Mazeltov!

I don't think I want to hear political news without a bubbling dance beat in the background from now on. Otherwise, it's mostly just dudes talking, right?

One nine year old has been asking the Republican candidates for president what super-hero they would be. In other news, Republican candidates for president give boring answers to kids asking super-hero questions. Well, sure, who wouldn't want to be Superman? At very least, it seems like Captain America should be the default dull answer for the modern patriot.

How about Iceman? We could probably use ice, plus I think he took some accounting classes, which would probably help out in the White House.

[Atlantic]

Surprising no one, it was a strange occasion with a lot of weeping involved. If you ever wanted to see Orwell's vision for 1984 in real life (and I'm not sure why you would), this is remarkably close.

[ShortFormBlog]

Meet Fritz, a Tucson Dachshund that won the local qualifying race for Wienerschnitzel's 2011 Annual Wiener National Finals back in March. Right now (!!!) in San Diego, Fritz is running his tiny little dog heart out to try to win the quite prestigious title, $1,000 and the opportunity to ride on Wienerschnitzel's float in the Big Bay Balloon Parade. There are other dogs in the race from towns in California, Texas and New Mexico, but as Arizona's only representative, this is surely an opportunity for our state to repair its damaged national reputation with a victory in this hotly-contested race.

Good luck, Fritz. Arizona is counting on you.

State Administrative Law Judge Lewis D. Kowal's ruling today that Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies classes violate the state's anti-ethnic studies law comes at an interesting time. But hey, this is Arizona, so is there ever a good time for our state's convoluted laws?

The TUSD governing board remains without a fifth member. On Thursday, Dec. 29, the Pima County Schools' selection committee meets for a round of second interviews with TUSD governing board candidates. How the selection process goes from there depends on Superintendent Linda Arzoumanian; although her office's Chief Financial Officer Ricardo Hernandez has always made it clear to the Range that any final decision remains with his boss.

According to the TUSD website, the next governing board meeting is a special meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3. If the TUSD board is going to vote on whether it should or should not appeal Kowal's/Huppenthal's decision — a next step that would take the school district and the state's Department of Education to Superior Court — it could happen at that meeting.

Of course, that depends on state Superintendent John Huppenthal's final decision, which he gets to make now that Kowal has ruled. If Huppenthal decides to certify Kowal's ruling tomorrow, TUSD has five business days to decide on an appeal. That's Jan. 3.

The Range talked to TUSD board member Adelita Grijalva tonight about what could happen next. She says the timing is frustrating and it's also impossible to assume how a final vote will look like. She also made it clear she will vote to appeal.

Part of that depends on who ends up as the fifth member and if they take office by Jan. 3. If they support ethnic studies and want to appeal, Grijalva says she can't assume that means the district will begin an appeal process. In the end the board needs three votes, and Grijalva says she wonders if it will resemble past votes when she and the late Judy Burns seemed to be the only ones in support of Mexican American Studies.

The only remaining hope that could stop Huppenthal from moving forward in punishing the district by withholding up to 10 percent in state funding — that is if TUSD's governing board and its Superintendent John Pedicone want to keep the program as it is — is an injunction filed in U.S. District Court by Tucson attorney Richard Martinez.

"That's one of the things I am going to ask is if we can wait to make a decision until the Federal Court ruling, but we have no idea how long that will be," Grijalva says.

Last week, U.S. District Judge A. Wallace Tashima questioned Martinez regarding his request for an injunction depending on Kowal's ruling and Huppenthal's final decision in order to protect the program and keep Huppenthal from withholding state funding.

Tashima asked why an injunction was needed now, rather then wait for Huppenthal's final decision. Martinez made it clear during the hearing that based on Huppenthal's past findings, and the fact that he ran his superintendent campaign on "ending la raza," it is clear he will not favor Mexican American Studies.

The federal judge has to rule on the state's motion to dismiss, argued by the state Attorney General's office and Martinez' request for an injunction, filed on behalf of 11 ethnic studies teachers and two students. Tashima stated he'd rule "as expeditiously as possible," a ruling that may not arrive fast enough — but, of course, that depends on how Tashima rules.