The New York Review of Books' blog has a short, but quite moving piece about the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in Italy, mostly focusing on the sociology of what people do when everything goes wrong:

Captain Schettino’s decision to ignore the cruise’s prescribed route and steer his floating behemoth close to shore was only the beginning of the tragedy of the Concordia; the charges pending against him include refusal to acknowledge the extent of the disaster or give the order to evacuate (so that his crew’s decision to launch the lifeboats was technically mutinous). Furthermore, the captain left the ship long before the last passenger, whereas subordinates like chief purser Manrico Giampedroni stayed aboard. Giampedroni, indeed, rescued passengers until a flying refrigerator broke his leg, and then waited thirty-six hours for his own rescue. Other rescuers included a Filipino cook who, like all the low-level employees of the Costa Concordia, lost his job in the shipwreck and received a small tip from the company for his humanitarian efforts. To be fair, Chief Purser Giampedroni, the tireless rescuers, and the citizens of the island of Giglio, who took in four thousand unexpected guests, also hewed to a recognizable Italian type, people who experience duty not as dour compulsion but as a beacon of inspiration.

It is increasingly clear, however, that Captain Schettino provides a convenient scapegoat for what may be villainy of an entirely different order: the ruthless capitalist calculus of the cruise industry. It now seems perfectly plausible that the decision to delay the evacuation order originated in the Genoese offices of Costa Cruises, and it is now clear that the daredevil maneuver that ended on the rocks of Giglio has been more of a tradition among these massive luxury ships than any cruise operator would like to admit. And how about those Russians in their lifeboats? Does anyone really imagine that evacuation of the Concordia was any less laced with class—or at least monetary—distinctions than the evacuation of the Titanic?

It is hard to know who we might really turn out to be when the time comes: one of the passengers who snatched other people’s life vests, stepped on little kids, and escaped early, or one of those who turned back to save one more person more helpless than they and never escaped at all, like the missing musician, age 25, who let a woman with a baby take his place on a lifeboat.

We're hearing that the Tucson location of the Chocolate Fox Chocolatier is expected to open in early February. You can read more about the place over here.

The Tucson location is currently under construction in a small spot right next to the new bar and lounge Playground on the corner of Congress and Fifth.

Speaking of which, if you haven't been down to Playground you might consider checking it out. It's fun, very affordable and one of the swankiest new spots in town. Its menu of snack foods is especially clever, and they serve a drink made with Pop Rocks and a bag lunch complete with a Capri Sun juice pouch.

"Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album..."

I imagine Ian Curtis was probably a big fan of jovial American cartoons, even if he happened to be the suicidal frontman of one of the most depressing bands of all time. Why wouldn't he have been?

• Jim Nintzel

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords visits the new family assistance center named in her honor at Tucson's Community Food Bank in her final public appearance in Congressional District 8. Giffords announced on Sunday, Jan. 22, that she would be resigning from Congress later this week to concentrate on her recovery from being shot in the head on Jan. 8, 2011.

Congressman Raul Grijalva discussed Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' decision to step down on MSNBC this morning:

The decision that Gabby made is to fully recover, and it’s a good decision. For her family and the people that love her, it’s the right decision. . . Her presence will continue to serve as a beacon of how politics should be and how they shouldn’t be. That is a lasting legacy, but I don’t consider this the end of a career for Gabby. She’s going to recover. I consider it a pause.

While dealing with the TSA at the airport can certainly be a hassle, and there are a number of legitimate complaints to be made about the process, it doesn't really help the cause when a senator gets fussy about a hourly employee doing what they're supposed to? Yes, "detain" can mean to "hold back from proceeding", but nearly everyone is going to assume the other main definition, "to keep someone in custody", which isn't what happened to Sen. Paul today:

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was blocked from boarding a flight Monday by the Transportation Security Administration in Nashville, Tenn., after refusing a full body pat-down, POLITICO has confirmed.

“I spoke with him five minutes ago and he was being detained indefinitely,” Paul spokesperson Moira Bagley said. “The image scan went off; he refused patdown.”

[...]

The TSA disputed this characterization of the incident.

The Kentucky senator triggered an alarm during routine airport screening and declined to finish the process, said a TSA official, but was “not detained at any point.” A targeted pat-down is usually used to address the alarm.

“Passengers, as in this case, who refuse to comply with security procedures are denied access to the secure gate area. He was escorted out of the screening area by local law enforcement,” the official said.

Shortly before noon, the TSA said Paul had been re-booked on another flight and went through the screening process again without incident.

Sen. Antenori just wants to eat his Egg McMuffin in peace while sitting in the cab of his giant truck, gun in his lap. Is that so wrong, Food Police and other straw men created for the sake of argument?

I guess Rep. Eddie Farnsworth would just prefer one of Arizona's universities or community colleges deal with a measles outbreak, so that the individual liberties of a group of people with very little medical evidence on their side are preserved. Welcome to the new session of the Arizona Legislature!

From HB 2383:

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 14, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-1826, to read:

15-1826. Immunizations as a condition of admission or enrollment; prohibition

The Arizona board of regents and the community college districts in this state shall not require immunizations as a condition of admission to or enrollment in a university or community college or as a condition of admission to or enrollment in any program of study offered by a university or community college.

[HT: Craig McDermott]

From Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Facebook page, an photo from her Congress on Your Corner event today with those who came to see her on January 8th, 2011.

State Sen. Frank Antenori, who has been weighing a congressional run in the Southern Arizona district now represented by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was surprised by her announcement today that she would resign later this week.

Antenori, who had been anticipating that Giffords would announce that she was not seeking reelection but would finish out her term, said he “taken off balance by her stepping down.”

Antenori said he is meeting with his campaign team this evening to determine if he should run in the special election to replace Giffords. The primary for the special election will be sometime in April and the general special election will be sometime in June. Then candidates who want to keep the seat next year will have to win a primary election in the new Congressional District 2 in August and a general election in November.

“I’m looking at it,” said Antenori. "It changes the political calculus."

Antenori did not anticipate making any announcement about plans to run for office for at least a few days, while Giffords is finishing her final days in office.

“She took a bullet for her country, just like many other people that I know, and she’s to be commended for that,” said Antenori, who served in the Army Special Forces. “Whether it’s a veteran or a congresswoman, they’re to be respected for that degree of sacrifice. We may disagree on politics, but the respect for being wounded is exclusive of political affiliation.”

John Ellinwood, who served as the campaign spokesman for Jesse Kelly, the Republican candidate who came within a few thousand votes of unseating Giffords in 2010, said that Kelly did not know if he would run in the special election.

Kelly has been working in Texas in recent months for his father’s construction company, Don Kelly Construction, but he still owns a home in Arizona.

“He is busy with work and family and only God knows what his future will hold,” Ellinwood said.

Sports broadcaster Dave Sitton, who has established an exploratory campaign for the congressional seat, could not be reached for comment.