If you’re looking for a new sound to add to your iTunes library (or your preferred digital equivalent), take a listen to Purity Ring. Their debut, Shrines, is streaming online following a series of buzzed about singles and the band's sub-bass heavy electronic pop combined somewhat disconcertingly creepy female vocals are somewhat reminiscent of Swedish weirdos, The Knife, but more chillwave influenced..

The album comes out on July 24th, bu you can listen to their full album here and read along with NPR's take on the Canadian band of the moment.

If you got to be part of the Disney cast at Disneyland, who do you think you could pass as? I've always thought maybe I could get away with Jasmine from Aladdin, but who knows? At the Huffington Post, however, a slideshow was compiled of politicians who happen to have some serious similarities to Disney characters. Some include Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Woody from Toy Story and more.

There are some where maybe if you squint your eyes and tilt your head a little there'd be a resemblance and others that are spot on. Take a look HERE.

Bing's Boba Tea at 2040 W. Orange Grove Road is throwing a summer celebration this Saturday with samples of boba tea, real tea and a chance to play Go, a board game that originated in ancient China.

What? You haven't been to Bing's Boba Tea yet? The little store next to Lee Lee Oriental Supermart serves what I think might be the largest selection of boba-related drinks in town, and the people who run it are super nice. They even have cool things like candy and coffee-jelly to add to your otherwise tapioca-pearl-laden beverages.

If you're on Facebook you can pop over here for more information. If not, just show up between 3 and 8 p.m., Saturday, July 21. Admission is free.

(As a side note to Tucson's boba-tea-producing community: Has anyone added a drink called the Boba Fett to their menu yet? The nerd appeal of such a product boggles the mind. That is all.)

If you had "Comedienne Sarah Silverman Offers Casino Billionaire Non-Penetrative Sexual Gratification" on your bingo card today, congratulations!

If you have a job, you might not want to watch this video at it. Just a warning.

[ShortFormBlog]

In the new Congressional District 2, Congressman Ron Barber has outraised Democratic challenger Matt Heinz nearly 10-to-1, according to the most recent campaign-finance reports.

Barber raised 332,828 in the five-and-a-half weeks between May 24 and July 2. (His reporting period is different from the rest of the candidates because he was embroiled in the special election to complete Gabrielle Giffords’ term.)

To win that race, Barber spent a total nearly $1.3 million and finished the reporting period with just under $195,000 in the bank.

Barber spokeswoman Jessica Schultz said that the fundraising report shows that “people continue to be excited about Ron’s plans to rebuild the middle class, protect Social Security and look out for veterans.”

Heinz raised just $33,755 and spent $68,527 over the second quarter of 2012, leaving him with $42,263 in the bank as of June 30.

Heinz says he has raised many of his campaign dollars since Barber won the June 12 special election and the fundraising report shows “the growing strength of my campaign.”

He adds that he believes he can run a low-budget effort that focuses on grassroots organization and telephone town halls rather than expensive TV commercials.

“We are finding a lot of really amazing ways to do a campaign,” Heinz says. “There’s a misperception that campaigns have to be these million-dollar things.”

On the other side of the aisle, Republican CD2 candidate Martha McSally raised $246,401 over the three-month reporting period and loaned her campaign another $22,000. She had just under $135,000 on hand as of June 30.

McSally is facing token resistance from Mark Koskiniemi in the GOP primary, but the FEC has not posted any finance reports from him. (If you want to see both GOP candidates in action, they’ll be appearing together on Arizona Illustrated at 6:30 p.m., Monday, July 23, on Channel 6, KUAT-TV.)

I realize now what a colossal waste of time this was, but I spent a somewhat significant amount of time this week fretting about the episode of HBO's The Newsroom that aired on Sunday, largely because I was bracing myself for the show's Sorkian retro-vision view of the shooting here on January 8th, 2011. At least I wasn't alone, since the Star wrote a remarkably imprecise preview of the episode on July 7th.

There is one obvious question, however: Why did I set time from my Sunday evening to watch a show that I was fully convinced would drive me temporarily insane? I have no idea, but when I heard the fourth episode would contain a reference to the shooting, I felt like I should give the show that much time. I generally like Aaron Sorkin's work, I have the general self-absorption to think shows involving my own profession are inherently interesting, and there isn't all that much to watch on TV in the summer (I had already watched this week's Burn Notice, anyhow).

So, how did the show deal with the story? By jamming it into the very end of an episode dominated by stuff about dating and one character's obsession with Bigfoot (including actions that might have gotten him fired in some newsrooms). Oh, and a soundtrack by Coldplay, like nearly every other emotional TV moment over the last few years.

Yes, Sorkin takes the opportunity to make his fictional newsroom a place of honor and integrity that refused to give in to the pressure to repeat NPR's erroneous report on Giffords' condition, but he also creates a highly-unlikely scenario where the entire show's staff happens to be in the office on a Saturday to make calls, putting everything together in mere seconds of TV time. I didn't find the last seven minutes or so of the show offensive, just blandly unreal. I hope I never have another news day like that and I never saw any of my co-workers that day, but I doubt I would have exchanged smiles in the midst of trying to process the flood of information coming in that day, like the show's star-crossed, yet inevitable couple Maggie and Jim did. I recognize that the fictional construct of the show means the truth gets bent to create drama, but somehow they managed to remove the core of what was interesting/tragic/heartbreaking/unforgettable about working in the news that day. Maybe it's different on the national level. Maybe Sorkin just plain got it wrong.

Well, Dan Rather liked it, so what do I know?

It's been 11 years since their last studio album, but No Doubt is back. Their new single, "Settle Down," is a taste of the record Push and Shove that is scheduled to drop in September.

The track has hints of the ska sound that made the California-based group a success more than a decade ago, and Gwen Stefani's voice is as polished yet punk-rock as ever. "Settle Down" is definitely reggae-inspired, but it sounds like the No Doubt fans know and love.

It's summertime and were reaching the middle of July where you might ask yourself, "what should I do today on my day off?" or "What should I do this weekend?" Well, I think this event would be able to take care of your boredom and would be a lot of fun, especially if you are a dog lover.

Do you love taking pictures with your dogs? Bookmans on Grant Road will be celebrating the Dog Days of Summer on July 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome to stop by with their dog and take some photos in their free photo booth!

For more information about the event visit bookmans.com or e-mail [email protected] or call 325-5767.

Looking to go green—with your food, that is?

Tucsonan Jay Wesley Anderson has written Street Smart Vegan: A Simple Guide to Going Vegan. (148 pages, $9.99 ebook, $12.95 paperback, available at Lovin' Spoonfuls Vegan Restaurant, Amazon and iBookstore)

The book covers vegan dos and don'ts; easy vegan recipes; consuming cruelty-free, cholesterol-free foods; how to lose weight with plant-based whole foods; and minimizing your eco-footprint.

Anderson advises that a person doesn't have to make a vegan transition over night and that it should be guilt-free and fun. His own transition took a few years. He also advises vegans to take a vitamin B-12 supplement.

Anderson says it's good to have a few standby vegan recipes when you are on the go. One example: a sandwich with hummus, spinach, avocado, cucumber, sunflower sprouts and tomato. Sounds tasty.

Author bio (by author):

Vegan author Jay Wesley Anderson helps new vegans go vegan and vegetarians become totally vegan. He writes to eliminate the guesswork, uncertainty, and misinformation about the vegan lifestyle. He holds a degree in Environmental Policy with a minor in Anthropology and began his gradual vegan lifestyle detour in 2005.

Just think how wimpy this triple-digit heat will be after you take on Brushfire BBQ Co.'s Inferno Hot Wing Challenge. Being lit on fire from the inside is much more horrific than being slowly baked to death by wet monsoon heat, and if you can complete it you get a special bib that allows you to jump to the front of the line at the restaurant every time you wear it.

Be warned: You have to eat six hot wings basted in hell itself and then sit there for 20 minutes without taking a drink. Only a handful of people have completed it. You could be the next.

Go forth and suffer. There's more on the restaurant here.