Of the several clubs and organizations college students can involve themselves in, going Greek is definitely one of the top contenders. At the University of Arizona, for example, 13 percent of the student body is involved in Greek Life.

Finding the right sorority or fraternity to rush for is important because not only are you looking for where you fit in, but they are looking for how you’d contribute to their organization. It’s not just about the social aspect of going Greek. Joining one of these organizations has a key professional culture that compares to a job interview.

But imagine if you could pay for someone to coach you into getting past recruitment and part of that brother/sisterhood? Well, the Wall Street is offering image consultants to help girls with hopes of being in a sorority to get through rush in the best way possible, according to The Huffington Post.

Young girls and their parents in the South are paying $8,000 to have a consultant teach them proper etiquette, wardrobe and personal image tips and how to carry on a conversation to help them stand out during the rush process. Talk about crazy. Who knew creating consultants for something like sorority rush, which is now becoming something to be taken seriously, could be such an investment? Not me, that's for sure.

There's no doubt that the folks at Batucaxe know how to throw a party, so their Monsoon Mania Summer Dance Jam sounds like a sure thing as far as fun and entertainment go this Saturday night. Tickets are $10, but basically that money allows the group to do all the great stuff they do all year long, including teaching kids and such. What else do you have going on, right?

The press release:

JOIN US for our 4th Annual MONSOON MANIA PARTY and FUNDRAISER!!!

For the fourth year in a row, Batucaxe, nominated by Critics and Readers in the World Music category for the 2012 Annual Tucson Weekly Tucson Area Music Awards (TAMMIES), will serve up some incredible family friendly summer fun at their MONSOON MANIA Summer Dance Jam! Each year the crowd has enjoyed dancing the evening away between Batucaxe performance sets, DJ sets by Batucaxe's co-director Cliff Berrien, and movement lead by dance director, Yarrow King!

When: Saturday, July 28, 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Where: Rhythm Industry Performance Factory, 1013 S. Tyndall Avenue (map)
Admission: **Only $10!**
What: Awesome MUSIC and DANCE sets by BATUCAXE! A rocking COMMUNITY DRUM JAM! Fabulous DJ SETS!

FANTASTIC FOOD available for sale! Get your Ayurvedic delights with Dish for Dosha (www.dishfordosha.com), and enjoy refreshing Mint Lemonade or cooling Cucumber Basil Juice along with Raw Summer Pad Thai bowl! We will welcome one of the Tucson Food Trucks, Foodie Fleet Mobile Eatery, for something completely different such as delicious pressed sandwiches, waffles, and fries (www.foodiefleet.com). And a steamy hot summer dance jam would be incomplete with Tucson's very own Eegee's! They will park the Eegee's truck serving up just those famous frozen delights unavailable anywhere else on the planet but Tucson!

We will also have raffle tickets available for a chance to win a TWO NIGHT fully upgraded stay at LOEW'S VENTANA CANYON RESORT, a full ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP to BATUCAXE, and MORE! Raffle tickets will be $5 each and will be available at the door and throughout the evening.

I have no idea why this live stream of bears hunting for sockeye salmon in Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska is so enthralling, but I really could watch these bears hanging out in the water all day. I might actually. Cancel my one o'clock, imaginary person who handles my schedule!

John Enright has dropped out of the race for Pinal County Supervisor, which isn't terribly fascinating news, but the reason he removed himself from contention is a bit odd:

A Pinal County supervisor candidate has withdrawn from the race in the wake of voter-fraud allegations involving a former companion who, records show, has continued to vote by absentee ballot in the five years since her death.

John Enright, 66, had been seeking the Republican nomination for county supervisor of District 5, an area that includes Apache Junction and Gold Canyon.

He withdrew from the race Wednesday in a letter to Pinal County Elections Director Steve Kizer. In a written statement issued hours later through his attorney, Enright said he entered the race "wanting to bring a voice to Pinal County government" but was leaving it "for several reasons, including an almost year-long battle with cancer."

His statement made no mention of the scandal unleashed in an anonymous, undated letter sent several weeks ago to the Pinal County Recorder's Office. As recently as this year, the letter alleged, someone had been filling out and mailing in absentee ballots addressed to a woman who died on Feb. 3, 2007. The woman, Sheila Nassar, and Enright lived together at the time of her death.

Nassar was 60 years old at her passing. Enright described her as his "former life companion" and high-school sweetheart in a YouTube video posted Saturday in response to the allegations. They were in "constant contact" in the years that followed, Enright said, and he moved to Arizona in 1996 to care for Nassar, who had multiple sclerosis. They built a handicapped-accessible home in Gold Canyon, he said — a residence he shares today with a wife....

Pinal County Recorder Laura Dean-Lytle said her staff took the allegations seriously and turned over evidence to the Pinal County Attorney's Office. A spokesman there said he could "neither confirm nor deny an investigation into such a case."

[...]

She would not enumerate how many ballots issued to Nassar had been filled out and returned since her death. Records showed Nassar continued to be on the active voter rolls until officials received the anonymous note. She has since been removed.

• Courtesy of Raul Gonzalez

Tucson Freedom Summer, in collaboration with Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery and Workshop presents HUITZILOPOCHLI “the will to act, on Saturday, July 28, from 5 to 9 p.m. at 218 E. 6th St.

The fundraising event brings together performers and artists, and includes the work of Tucson artists David Tineo, Tanya Alvarez, Paco Velez, and others. Expect raffles, food, music and interactive art-making for the whole family, including a buffet courtesy of Las Cazuelitas. The event benefits the Save Ethnic Studies Raza Defense Fund.

From the press release:

On January 10th 2012, the Tucson Unified School District governing board voted to suspend the Mexican American Studies (MAS) department and classes. This was the culmination of a series of attacks by the state legislature dating back to 2006. As a response to this anti-intellectual, repressive act, a federal lawsuit has been filed. Nationally, a group of artists, activists, educators and scholars have converged in Tucson to support the local efforts to demand the reinstatement of MAS. This effort has been named Tucson Freedom Summer.

This convergence has been sparked by the national acknowledgement of the far reaching implications of this attack. Tucson Freedom Summer has manifested itself in a series of events to both educate the community and raise funds for the legal costs associated with the lawsuit. Events include community forums, educational “Encuentros”, Sunday Freedom School, demonstrations, political canvassing, poetry, and many artistic expressions of support. On July 28th, Tucson Freedom Summer, in collaboration with Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery and Workshop, will be hosting an event that will highlight the epic historic struggle for Chicano civil rights in Tucson.

It's no secret that many teachers in the U.S. are severely underpaid. So it's a shame when they have to spend money out of pocket to pay for supplies for their classrooms.

However, Tucson Supplies Teachers, is striving to alleviate some of the financial burden for Southern Arizona teachers. The program is spearheaded by Tucson Values Teachers, who work in conjunction with Walgreens stores in Pima County, Sierra Vista and Nogales.

From July 30 to August 13, you can drop off school supplies at your nearby Walgreens and give teachers some of the resources they need to educate Southern Arizona's students.

The goal is to collect $110,000 in supplies that will be donated to all public, private and charter schools in the Southern Arizona region. For a complete list of the participating Walgreens, visit the Tucson Values Teachers website.

The new tea shop The Scented Leaf is open in the spot formerly occupied by Red Velvet Cupcakery at 943 E. University Blvd., Suite 165, near the corner of Park and University.

The place is owned by the people who ran the nearby Scented Leaf Fine Tea and Fragrances, which they closed earlier this year to undertake this new venture. Their former business was all about perfume and tea. This new place is more of a tea house that serves high-quality tea both by the cup and in bulk.

From The Scented Leaf Facebook page:

While enjoying a casual sightseeing walk we were drawn to a small shop by a wonderful aroma. We were unaware at the time that the assortment of bushels on display were filled with loose tea.

The shop owner explained how tea begins in this loose form, but through commercialization, it ends up being finely chopped and mangled into tiny leaves, often called 'fannings' or tea dust. This fanning is what most of us know to be the tea that we consume. Sadly, this process destroys many of the essential oils that make tea a healthy, subtle, tasty drink.

We became passionate about sharing loose tea - tea with great tastes and nutrients - the way tea was meant to be enjoyed.

There's a small selection of croissants, pies and soups available right now, but when college is back in session the owners plan to add a bunch of baked pasta, sandwiches and other items to the menu.

Call 624-2930 for more information.

We can tell you a little more about Arizonans for a Brighter Future, a new mysterious non-profit that is getting involved in county politics.

We reported on Arizonans for a Brighter Future in "Whose Bright Idea," which appeared in last week’s print edition. The story explained that the non-profit’s backers were unwilling to reveal their identities.

The story also noted that the group’s Fact Sheet did not appear to be all that factual.

As we reported, Arizonans for a Brighter Future was incorporated in Delaware. We now have those incorporation documents and they reveal that the local guy who is signing papers on the group’s behalf is named Michael R. Farley, who is the owner of Kolb Road Development.

We don’t know too much about Farley, but he returned our call yesterday afternoon and said he’d meet with us to tell us more about what he’s up to on Friday afternoon.

Another tidbit from the documents: The group’s sole incorporator is Melissa Laurenza, an attorney with the high-powered Washington, D.C., law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld.

Because the group is registered as a 501(c)(6) non-profit, it does not have to disclose any of its donors until March, 2013. So unless Arizonans for a Brighter Future decides to share the information with the community, the group has found a way to circumvent Arizona’s campaign-finance disclosure laws.

We have more on Arizonans for a Brighter Future in this week's Skinny column, including details about how Republican Board of Supervisors candidate Ally Miller has vowed that she's done her last interview with us in the wake of the story.

• The people at Plaza Liquors say this is one of their finest "sour" beers.

Sour beers aren't actually sour, but I understand why they're known as such. The beer has a tart flavor like a cider, but it's different. It's almost like the human tongue can't figure out what to do so it files it under the sour category so you don't go crazy over analyzing the situation.

I like trying new and different beer, which often means trying different ales, stouts, porters or strange brews with different hops or other additives. But this sour thing is like a whole new species of beer, and according to some it's rapidly becoming rather popular.

Today I stopped in at Plaza Liquors at 2642 N. Campbell Road to see which sour beers they had in stock. One of the ladies working said sour beers are her favorites, adding that they are quickly becoming popular with local beer connoisseurs They had a half-dozen or so in stock, each featuring different flavors, brewing techniques and origins.

Another beer expert at Plaza Liquors says the beer is imparted with the unique sour flavor through the use of a special wild yeast that, if used improperly, can wreak havoc on the fermentation process. He rattled off the scientific name of the yeast strain and a bunch of other facts, further cementing my opinion that Plaza Liquors is the best place to buy beer in Tucson.

1702 also has several sour beers on tap right now, specifically Tart Lychee, Monk's Cafe and Duchesse.

Tucson is full of fashionable-quirky people. Here are a few we spotted this week as well as a few tips to boot.

Speaking of boots...find out how to take them with you on a trip out of town.

Not into boots and don't want to wear (Tucson's traditional summer footwear) sandals? Then wear some basic tennis shoes...just make sure your socks aren't peeking out.

Ever wonder what a woman with a style she describes as "Cowboy/hippy with lots of polka-dots" looks like? Find out.

Patricia tells us using umbrellas to protects one's skin is common in her native China. She certainly makes it look stylish with her polka-dot umbrella and bright romper. See for yourself.