Just guess how many bands from Tucson are on Paste Magazine's list of "10 Arizona Bands You Should Listen to Now." One, Run Boy Run.

It's not that the bands on Adam Vitcavage's list aren't worth listening to (I really like Roar and Gospel Claws, for example), but why would you ask a writer from Atlanta to act as an expert on a state all the way across the country? [Update: Turns out Vitcavage went to ASU and moved to Atlanta less than a year ago. Still, should have been more Tucson stuff, regardless.] Certainly, the title of the post doesn't pretend to be exclusive, that these are the best bands in Arizona, but wouldn't it be a better service to the reader to have someone who has seen these bands live, who can say something more intelligent about our state's musical scene than that the "vast amount of bands coming from the state are migrating towards Phoenix and the suburban sprawl it produced in the Valley of the Sun"?

I get that this sort of thing is content filler for a music site like Paste, but come on, it would be worth the effort to try a little bit harder over there.

Slideshow

Willie Nelson at the Desert Diamond Casino, Mar. 6, 2012

Click to View 11 slides

Willie Nelson's show at Desert Diamond Casino on Tuesday night was a family affair, with his son Lukas opening the show.

A handy new Twitter feed: @Translating_Al, which helps you better understand what's really going on in the mind of Sen. Al Melvin.

The editors at the conservative National Review don't think much of Sheriff Joe's "investigation" into Obama's birth certificate:

Republicans who have chosen to associate with the birthers have done their party and their country a disservice. And as Sheriff Arpaio settles comfortably into that political mental ward, the same must be said of those Republicans who choose to associate themselves with him more broadly. Those who cannot distinguish between the birthers’ flim-flam and the critical questions that face our nation in 2012 will not win and do not deserve to.

Meanwhile, Nick R. Martin at Talking Points Memo reports that one of Sheriff Joe's "investigators" is trying make a buck by peddling this nonsense:

Michael Zullo, the investigator who took center stage at Arpaio’s news conference last week, has already co-authored an e-book about his investigation and is selling it for $9.99 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The book gives Zullo a financial motive to continue stoking the flames of a conspiracy theory that has been debunked numerous times by an array of independent investigations.

Yesterday, Invisible Children's thirty minute video profiling the evil of Joseph Kony was all over Facebook, and while he's definitely a terrible guy, Foreign Policy has a thoughtful and thorough blog post up today that discusses some of the issues with the campaign. First of all, Kony's not actually in Uganda these days. Second, "Nodding disease" is a far more troubling issue facing Ugandan children these days. Third, there are serious questions about Invisible Children's finances. Also, it's unclear what buying a bracelet from Invisible Children will do, exactly:

What worries me more is that it's unclear what exactly Invisible Children wants to do, other than raise a lot of money and attention. Here's Russell in the video (21:40):

"We know what to do. Here it is, ready? In order for Kony to be arrested this year, the Ugandan military has to find him. In order to find him, they need the technology and training to track him in the vast jungle. That's where the American advisors come in. But in order for the American advisors to be there, the American government has to deploy them. They've done that, but if the government doesn't believe the people care about Kony, the mission will be cancelled. In order for the people to care, they have to know. And they will only know if Kony's name is everywhere."

So the goal is to make sure that President Obama doesn't withdraw the advisors he deployed until Kony is captured or killed. That seems noble enough, except that there has been no mention by the government of withdrawing those forces — at least any I can find. Does anyone else have any evidence about this urgent threat of cancellation? One that justifies such a massive production campaign and surely lucrative donation drive?

Also, worth reading: Justice in Conflict's discussion of the Kony issue, which questions whether the Ugandan government are really the "good guys" in this conflict, and whether we're missing the point on what the terms "peace" and "justice" actually mean for the region.

Invisible Children has a site up responding to some of the criticisms, which is helpful and admirable, but it's clear that the issues facing Uganda are more complicated than what can be solved by through slogans, t-shirts, and bracelets.

Yesterday, the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies and 26 education and civil rights organizations filed a "friend of the court" brief in U.S. District Court in Tucson in an effort to declare Arizona's ban on Mexican American Studies unconstitutional.

“We support the Mexican American Studies Program in the Tucson Unified School District and are united in opposition to academic discrimination against Mexican American and Ethnic Studies. This respected field of study has been unjustly targeted and demonized by Arizona authorities, which is strangling the pursuit of a comprehensive education and silencing the perspective of Mexican Americans and their cultural background," said NACCS past chair Devon Peña in a press release sent out yesterday.

"This law has resulted in censorship of important books and eliminated a program with proven academic success for traditionally neglected students.”

Tucson attorney Vince Rabago is the lawyer representing the organizations said the state is arguing that states rights trump the constitution and allow "them to restrict curriculum in a discriminatory manner against Mexican Americans. This is comparable to the days after desegregation where states tried to restrict efforts to reach equality. These organizations from across the country support the bedrock principles of Equal Protection and the First Amendment in an academic context."

The brief was filed in Acosta v. Huppenthal, CV-10-623-TUC- AWT, a case in which students, represented by Tucson attorney Richard Martinez, are challenging the law. Read the brief here. Go here to read the press release, and list of NACCS members who support MAS.

In this week’s Skinny, Georgette Escobar, who has accused state Rep. Daniel Patterson of abusing her during a messy breakup in recent weeks, said that Tucson had seen the last of her because she was going into hiding.

Escobar said she had to vanish because Patterson had revealed that she was living in Tucson under a new name following legal troubles she had while in a different abusive relationship in California.

Well, it appears we haven’t yet heard the last of Escobar. Herreras reports that Escobar is now in La Paz County Jail following an arrest on drug charges.

We don’t have all the details yet, but La Paz County officials confirm that Escobar is in custody. Her bail has been set at $5,000 and she’s facing a March 16 court hearing on charges related to “dangerous drugs.”

“It’s not marijuana,” said our La Paz Sheriff’s Department source.

More to come.

Over the past two years, 475 Arizona prisoners collected $1.1 million in unemployment benefits while sitting in their cells.

On Feb. 8, the state Department of Economic Security found the 475 individuals by cross-matching lists of their beneficiaries and people incarcerated with the state Department of Corrections, said Tasya Peterson, communications director with DES.

On Feb. 22, DES began trying to recapture the $1.1 million in overpayments from January 2010 to January 2012.

DES presently cannot not report how much money they’ve collected and from who, but they are seeking collection in a number of ways including offsetting future benefits, seizing federal and state tax returns, and working with the Attorney General’s office to prosecute those who have collected enough benefits to constitute criminal unemployment fraud, Peterson said.

“In cases of fraud where the amount of the overpayment is significant enough to reach criminal prosecution level, we will get a court order for restitution,” Peterson said.

DES is now in the process of checking its unemployment benefit holders against those in county jails, “to receive similar information,” said Kevan Kaighn, another media spokesman with DES.

Following this discovery, various state agencies are scrambling to prosecute fraudulent collections and prevent future abuse.

The Tucson Taco Festival is coming in April.

I know this is a bit early notice, but I think this will be a big hit, so you may want to your tickets soon.

Modeled after the Arizona Taco Festival, the event should prove to be tons of fun — not to mention all that good food to sample. There will be tacos for sale for a mere $2.00, plus salsa, guacamole and more. Cooking demos, Luche Libre wrestling, kooky cooking contests, a Kid Zone and live music are also part of the mix.

The main event is the “Grand Champion Taco” contest, where 30 professional and amateur taco teams will vie for a grand prize of $5,000. Forty judges from the National Taco Association will be sequestered to ensure fairness and professionalism. Tacos can be made using beef, pork, chicken or seafood. Stay tuned for the list of contestants.

At the Tequila Expo another, more potent contest will take place at the same venue that day: The Margarita Challenge Mix-Off.

Here celebrity judges will choose the best tequila cocktail from those created by ten local bartenders. Fair goers can get in on the fun as more than 100 tequilas by thirty makers will be poured.

This fun foodie event was created by David Tyde and Rick Phillips of Affordable Food Festivals, LLC. And indeed this is a most affordable event. It’s only $10.00 to get in the gate. Kids under 12 are free. (FYI, there will also be a VIP tent with catered food and a $100 entry fee.) Buy your tickets on-line at www.TucsonTacoFestival.com

The Tucson Taco Festival will take place on Saturday April 28th from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 pm, at Rillito Downs (1st Avenue at River Road.)

NBC affiliate KVOA announced to staff the hiring of two news anchors, both with ties to Tucson. Allison Alexander has been nabbed as the station's noon and 4 pm news anchor, replacing Martha Vazquez, who resigned following a shoplifting incident. Alexander worked for KGUN from 2002 to 2004 and more recently as fill-in morning anchor for KTVK in Phoenix. Alexander also boasts anchor stints with WLNE in Providence and WOIO in Cleveland. Her first day at KVOA is March 19.

Rebecca Taylor has accepted the weekend news anchor position. Taylor worked in that slot before, and also had stints in Phoenix and KMSB FOX 11. Taylor left Tucson in 2010 to move to Nashville. Her first day back at KVOA will be March 21.