It's possible you've already noticed, but a few days ago, we flipped the switch on the 2.0 version of our mobile website and I'm personally really happy with the results. The whole thing just looks a lot cleaner and works better in general, but there are also a ton of enhancements, all of which are intended to help you not just read what we have in the print edition and on The Range, but also help you find somewhere to eat or drink, something to do, or a movie to see.

There are still more enhancements to come (including the ability to see and search the menus of local restaurants), but for now, if you have any comments or suggestions, let me know via email (dgibson AT tucsonweekly DOT com).

It's coming up on April and May, two months that generally mean that allergens will be declaring war on my skull and if you happen to cross my path/germ cloud, you'll likely see me sneeze a few times per minute. Thankfully, for people suffering through the same manifestation of God's curse on humanity that I do, the Wall Street Journal has provided a helpful guide to being less sonically obtrusive with your sneezing. One thing you should absolutely not do ever is plug your nose to keep the horrible sound from escaping:

Never, ever do this. It closes the airway, creating internal pressure. Medical journals have recorded incidents of larynx fractures, voice changes, ruptured eardrums, damage to soft tissue in the neck, bulging eyeballs, bladder incontinence and more.

The Arizona Capitol Road Show makes a stop in Tucson at the Arizona Daily Star's half-empty compound offices on Friday, offering an opportunity to learn about Arizona's legislative process from political figures, lobbyists, consultants, and journalists. Should be an interesting morning of events, it's free, and you'll get the priceless opportunity to snicker and roll your eyes in person at the opinions of two Tucson Weekly contributors (Hank Stephenson, whose work regularly appears in our paper and online, and some guy who works on the internet or something).

For more information, or to sign up, go to the event's website.

Let it be said that I am an enormous fan of Monsoon Kitchen. The three ladies who run the outfit are doing some truly innovative and superb events that occur beneath the radar of most Tucson foodies, which makes what they're up to all the more compelling.

Every couple of months news surfaces of some interesting event the group has put on. The event in this video happened a couple months ago, but I'm sure Monsoon Kitchen is already planning their next underground culinary wonder. Keep up with what they do over here.

Yann Tiersen, who you are most likely to remember from his soundtrack for Amelie, is scheduled to play the Rialto Theatre on May 15th, so if you'd like to get a sense of what the French composer has been doing recently, check out his live performance recorded for the Yellow Bird Project above. The YBP teams up with musicians to create limited edition t-shirts, with the proceeds going to charity...in Tiersen's case, Médecins Sans Frontières, which is one of the few charities doing humanitarian work in Libya.

I guess we can be thankful that Rep. Jack Harper of Surprise isn't running for re-election this year (although he told supporters in an email that he wanted to be Arizona Secretary of State or an ambassador appointment), but he's focused on disgracing whatever dignity might be left in the office on his way out, sending emails out calling a person who cared enough to email legislators a "baby-killer" and suggesting they move to China. Rep. Harper has since apologized for his "abrasiveness".

Deborah,

The only “laughing stock” in Arizona is the Democratic Party that has lost seats in the state legislature for five consecutive election cycles. Maybe you should change your baby-killer message. Why don’t you move back to China where your “party” controls the message by force.

Jack

State Representative Jack Harper
602-926-4178
[email protected]

More from the email exchange below the cut, but does it really take that much restraint to just send a banal dismissal back to people you disagree with, even with an issue as contentious as this one? Jack Harper isn't exactly known for his decorum, but I guess we get what we pay for with our representatives these days.

I understand tainted food will enter our food system from time to time, but could you at least tell us where the poison beef was headed so we can plan ahead for the bloody diarrhea and seizures? From the Seattle Times:

Sysco's Seattle branch bought the beef from New Food Classics, the Ontario-based processor at the center of a recall that now extends to more than 135 meat products across Canada. Sysco, in turn, sold the beef to a single customer, which operates restaurants in Washington, Colorado, Arizona and Texas.

Wilson would not identify the restaurants. He said Sunday that Sysco is working with its customer to identify and destroy the potentially tainted beef. Wilson added that he isn't sure whether any of the meat made it onto menus before the recall was initiated.

Oh, and this gem:

The Canadian recalls were launched mid-February, after a person in Alberta fell ill from E. coli O157:H7, the potentially fatal bacteria behind many high-profile food-poisoning outbreaks.

Victims can experience abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea, with severe cases causing seizures, kidney failure and even death. Children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable.

Ack!

If you care much about the astronomy industry in Arizona, you should give Gov. Jan Brewer a call and urge her to veto a bill allowing electronic billboards with glowing lights along Arizona highways.

And you should care about the astronomy industry, because space and planetary research is worth $250 million a year to the state. Plus, it's way cool to be part of the space program.

And if there's a big threat to the industry, it's light pollution, which is why astronomers spend a lot of time fighting to reduce or mitigate outdoor lighting.

House Bill 2757, which is a gigantic giveaway to the billboard lobby, would allow billboards to flash electronic messages into our dark skies. It passed the Senate on a 20-8 vote last week and is headed for Brewer’s desk.

Let’s not let this one go through without a fight. Dial the governor, toll-free, at 1-800-253-0883, and tell her to veto HB 2757.

Last night, Phoenix's Channel 12 News talked to Daniel Patterson's ex-wife, Jeneiene Schaffer, to try to make sense of the latest developments in this month-long fiasco, following Georgette Escobar's statement retracting her previous accusations.

Slideshow

fun. at the Rialto Theatre, March 23, 2012

Click to View 10 slides

Relive the memories from Friday night's sold out fun. show at the Rialto Theatre. Unless you weren't there, in which case, you can see a little of what you missed, visually.