Allan Benton lives in Tennessee and makes ham, bacon and other pork products that chefs in New York City go crazy for. University of Mississippi Media Documentary Projects made a film about the craftsman who became a star and it's an interesting look into what can happen when someone dedicated their live to creating something of quality. Plus, it makes me really want some ham.

[HT: Eater]

While the Pima County Democratic Party might not have a face, it certainly has a voice. I am writing of course of Jeff Rogers, the twice-elected Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party.

The duties of Chair are as follows:

The County Chair shall preside at all meetings; make appointments to committees; make temporary appointments to offices which have been vacated… and generally do all and everything necessary to aid in the election of Democratic candidates, and to promote successful organization and operation of the Pima County Democratic Committee.

In sum, the Chair is to administrate the Party, raise money and groom potential candidates. The Chair is also a member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is allowed and authorized to express policy position on issues of local, state, and national import. Nowhere, however, in the bylaws, is the Chair authorized to decide who is, and who is not, Democrat enough for the Party’s taste. Nowhere in the bylaws do the words “Chair” and “duly appointed demagogue” appear within the same sentence.

The word "raw" doesn't even begin to describe the musical style of Clarence Greenwood, aka Citizen Cope.

Though he has been compared to artists like Neil Young and Van Morrison, Cope's music has that "different" but brilliant style—the kind you don't hear every day. And while his music is often classified as blues or soft rock, it doesn't seem to mimic anything in particular. It's a mixed-genre of its own.

Cope plays songs that you can't help but bob your head and tap your foot to. He writes lyrics that someone would purposely choose to listen to because they sound real and emotional.

Don't miss his stop in Tucson on Saturday at 8 p.m. For ticket info, visit the Rialto Theatre website.

These Food Truck Round-Up events are growing at an exponential rate. The first one had like a half-dozen trucks and the one this Sunday, Jan. 29, has nearly 20. The organizers are also looking to hold more events near the University of Arizona, Marana and other locations, so be on the lookout for those in the coming weeks.

I must say that Tucson's food-truck fleet has really come into its own. It seems like just yesterday when we were talking about how cool it would be to have a regular mobile-food festival and now they have become a reality. The trucks get more and more interesting with every passing month, too.

Also: Keep checking back here for more Food Truck Diaries entries in the coming weeks. We've got some good ones on the way.

Untitled from Dr Danger Stunts on Vimeo.

(My wife and I are the people in this video who are holding hands while on fire. Such activities come highly recommended.)

I met Dr. Danger last Friday on the night of my wedding. I’d just picked up my old friend Terry Trash, the front man for local band Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks, and needed another person to witness the marriage at the courthouse. Trash said there was a stuntman staying in a trailer outside of his house who would help. We picked up Dr. Danger ten minutes later and headed downtown.

It was clear the good doctor was a hospitable and helpful man. He spoke with a tremendous honesty that’s rare these days and was prone to statements like, “This is all really a quest for peace and respect.” I liked him immediately. So did my fiancé and the judge who married us a half-hour later.

As we headed downtown after the ceremony Dr. Danger spoke of his life. He’d traveled hundreds of thousands of miles from one demolition derby or monster-truck show to the next, blowing up cars and lighting roller derby girls and other things on fire along the way. He'd been on CBS, in National Geographic and at Evil Kneivel's funeral. I'd never met a real daredevil before and I couldn't help wondering how a life of blowing things up, launching cars through burning heaps of wreckage and other asundry madness had created a man so gentle and intelligent. It was intriguing.

“If you guys aren’t doing anything this weekend, I’d love to light you on fire,” he said. “We’d be honored,” we said. He showed up two days later with several gallons of gas, a bus-load of gear and enough fire extinguishers to let everybody know he meant business. He also found an interfaith minister who was happy to stand inside a ring of fire and a small film crew willing to get to work on a Sunday afternoon with no more than a few hours notice.

Here’s the thing about getting lit on fire: It’s way more fun than you could ever imagine. You have to wedge your body into layers of wet coveralls and fireproof head coverings, and it’s hard to tell if it’s water, accelerant or sweat that’s running down your back. You also get to smear pudding all over your body so the flames don’t evaporate your skin. And when the good doctor says “run,” you better run. The fire is very real and you’ve got precious little time before it tears through fabric and into tender flesh.

Dr. Danger has pitched this idea to a reality-show production company as “Extreme Weddings With Dr. Danger.” The company has sent him paperwork to start moving forward with that. I'm not certain, but he might even light your wedding on fire if you ask him nicely. I wish him the best of luck in everything he does. He’s a great guy, and a lot of fun to hang out with.

State Senator Frank Antenori launched his campaign for Congressional District 8 today in Green Valley, making him the first candidate to officially get into the special election to fill Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ vacant seat.

Antenori gave the mandatory Obama-bashing, record-toting, base-riling campaign speech to a packed house of Green Valley Republicans, saying the election would be decided by economic issues, and he’s got a record of balancing budgets in tough times.

“We have got to do at a federal level what we did here in Arizona: We got to get the adults back in charge, cut up the credit cards that they’ve been running wild with, and get the country back on the same sound financial footing that we have here in Arizona.”

The special primary election will be held in April, and Antenori is looking at a probable run against Republicans Jesse Kelly, who narrowly lost a general election to Giffords in 2010, and local radio broadcaster Dave Sitton. The winners from both parties’ primaries will advance to the general election in June.

Antenori also said he is “110 percent” in the race for the newly-drawn CD2 in the regular November election.

“It’s going to be a long haul,” he said. “This is a unprecedented situation: Running for two congressional seats at the same time. We’re going to have four election in less than a year. It’s going to be tiring, it’s going to be tough, but I’m there, and I’m going to fight.”

Antenori said he will hold on to his Senate seat at least until the state budget is settled.

Betsy Scarinzi, singer-songwriter of alt-country band Silverbell, brings together raw vocals, acoustic guitar and a group of talented musicians at Club Congress at 8 p.m. this Friday for free concert to celebrate the release of a new album, Whitewashed Heart.

Gene Armstrong notes in this week's TW:

Singer-songwriter Betsy Scarinzi has the rare and preternatural ability to use melody to wring poetry from common language and weighty emotions. This is well displayed in her Americana-tinged rock-band Silverbell, which have just released their debut album.

Scarinzi says she does not have a secret formula for making up songs. "There's no thought process or breaking it down like that. If I have something on my mind, I guess I start singing about it."

Republican Bob Westerman, the former chairman of the Pima County Republican Party, is considering a run for the Arizona House of Representatives in the new Legislative District 11.

LD11, which includes Oro Valley, SaddleBrooke, the town of Maricopa and part of Casa Grande, is safe GOP territory; the GOP holds an 11-point voter-registration advantage over Democrats.

As we've reported earlier, LD 26 Sen. Al Melvin of SaddleBrooke and Sen. Steve Smith of Maricopa both got drawn into the district. Melvin has said he won't step down to the House and we've yet to see whether Smith will challenge Atomic Al for the Senate seat or run for the House seat. Republican Adam Kwasman, who managed Jesse Kelly's unsuccessful 2010 congressional campaign, is running for one of those House seats.

Westerman's press release after the jump:

Two bills benefiting cyclists are moving through the State Legislature. See what the bills would do and what challenges lay ahead.

A national report released this week ranks Tucson in biking and walking. See how Tucson ranked in safety, biles lanes per square mile, overall rates and more. Check it out here.

Check out the sights and sound of the UA Criterium.

A helpful reminder: if you want to vote in the Arizona Presidential Preference Election set to be held on February 28, you'll need to be registered to vote aligned with either the Republican or Green parties by midnight on January 30. It's wildly simple to change your party affliation (if that's the sort of thing you're interested in) or to register for the first time. As long as you have an Arizona driver's license or state issued identification card that was issued after October 1st, 1996, you can complete the process entirely online. Democracy awaits!