With the primary election underway, Democrat Richard Carmona is launching his first sortie in what's sure to be a lengthy air war with Republican Congressman Jeff Flake. This first ad is a bio piece emphasizing Carmona's service in Viet Nam,

It was years ago when Aaron DeFeo first told me he meant to make Tucson a contender in the national cocktail scene. Back then, he was running the cocktail program at Hotel Congress, and modern cocktailing was just starting to gain a little steam here in the Old Pueblo.

Fast forward four years or so and his dream is beginning to materialize. DeFeo founded a Tucson chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild and then went on to hold professional networking events for anyone who wanted to join. He also walked away from Hotel Congress and into a new gig at Casino del Sol, where he's been working up a mean cocktail program.

And now the Tony Abou-Ganim Southwest Spirit Summit has been announced. It's the largest cocktail/spirits event I've ever seen around these parts, and seeing that its taking place at Casino del Sol, it sounds like DeFeo is moving foward with that plan of his. From the press release:

Tucson, Ariz—-To those who have attended the Tucson Culinary Festival for the past 5 years, the legendary "Modern Mixologist" Tony Abou Ganim is a familiar face. Others will know him from his appearances on Food Network's Iron Chef America, paired with such notable Chefs as Mario Batali and most recently with east coast star Chef Jose Garces - both winning challenges.

In 2010, Abou-Ganim was hired as a consultant at Tucson's Pasqua Yacqui enterprise, Casino del Sol, to design a world class beverage program there similar to the one he created for the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

With his strong ties to the southwest, it's no surprise that he has agreed to host his very first professional event in Tucson this November 16 -18. Sponsored by Casino Del Sol Resort. The Tony Abou-Ganim Southwest Spirit Summit is planned to be a three day celebration of sprits that will bring together leading talents, brand representatives, and well-known chefs in an exciting three day adventure in mixology, cuisine and fun. Members of the food and beverage trade and the public are invited to attend the weekend which will include seminars, action-packed competitions, tasting events, cocktail dinners and more.

Beneficiaries are The Helen David Memorial Fund For Breast Cancer which provides support for families of bartenders whose relative has been affected with the disease, the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans and Speed Rack - the exciting national women's bartending challenge that raises funds to benefit Breast Cancer research.

The schedule is after the jump. If you like to drink, this might be a good time to ask for some time off in November.

Personally, I love Kickstarter—it and its crowdfunding brethren (IndieGoGo, RocketShare, GoFundMe, et. al.) are a fantastic way for worthwhile projects (such as those featured on The Range) to get off the ground while allowing for donors/backers/investors to feel as if they're part of the company's growth without mortgaging their lives.

But this story from Ben Kuchera at the Penny Arcade Report, a video gaming-centric blog, reveals a more cynical side to crowdfunding.

Eli Hodapp is the editor in chief of Touch Arcade, and he expressed skepticism of the viability of the Republique Kickstarter. This turned into a Twitter conversation with some heated arguments on both sides, and some rather snide comments from everyone involved, which led to a thread being opened on the NeoGAF gaming forum. Soon, things began to get ugly.

. . .

He claimed his personal information was shared on the site, and the harassment began in earnest. He said that his parents would come home to threatening messages on their voice mail. “Just calling to let you know your son is a fucking faggot,” one particularly pleasant message stated. There was an organized attempt to have him fired from TouchArcade.

“This guy better watch himself - he is starting to piss some people off that actually post here & enjoy NeoGaf whom are a part of the development community - myself included,” one poster stated. “That is not a professional way to demonstrate your thoughts on a project and dismiss readers publicly on twitter of the website. Might want to watch out for some people here that know who really control Touch Arcade’s fate and advertising revenue…"

For more, including the author's story on being offered what he felt was a bribe in exchange for media coverage, click on through to the Penny Arcade Report.

The latest medical marijuana application report from the state Department of Health Services shows that the number of patients and caregivers continues to creep upward.

As of Au/ 13, there were 31,084 people with MMJ cards. Of those, 25,097 were new applications; 4,080 were renewed cards; and 1,217 were changed information, such as addresses. Just more than 700 either added, replaced or removed caregivers. So far, the largest age group is 18-30, which comprises almost 27 percent of patients. The next largest age group is their parents, ages 51-60. Hehe. There were 20 patients under 18 and 92 age 81 or older, and 73 percent are men, according to DHS.

Chronic pain was the ailment most-commonly used to get MMJ cards at 90 percent of patients. The next most common ailment is muscle spasms (13 percent), followed by nausea (9 percent) and hepatitis and cancer (4 percent).

Read all about it here.

School has started; it's hot as hell; and you don't think you can break away from the office. But if you're up for a pirate-themed way to help take care of local businesses (and if you've paid attention to the rate with which places are closing up shop, you should be) give this a shot:

As part of our commitment to local businesses and the community, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange is a member of Local First Arizona. Their ShiftAZ campaign encouraging shopping at local businesses has inspired us to use our noggins, crank up our creativity and find a fun way to support other companies while bringing you added value via our Bookmans Treasure Hunt: The Search for Local Business Booty in Tucson.

All aboard me mateys because we have set sail for adventure and prizes that even a scallywag wouldn't hawk. You won't be using the stars or a map to find your way to the hidden treasure; you'll use the clues from @BookmansTucson via Twitter. This month's treasure trove consists of a B.O.B coupon, a $40 gift certificate to Main Gate Square (can only be used at participating stores), a cinch pack and a special goodie from a local business. We have hidden this booty at an undisclosed location. There is a limit of one prize package per group and only five to be discovered. The three clues will be twittered on Tuesday, Aug. 28 and you will have until Friday, Aug. 31 to use your wits and locate the hidden treasure.

I don't think there are bonus points for being in pirate-themed garb, but if you're able to procure a prize pack while sporting privateer pantaloons, you'll earn a special place in my heart for the next day or so.

The third episode of Hopped Up, a series created by local beer enthusiasts for local beer enthusiasts, takes viewers to what I honestly believe is among the city's best pizza places: downtown's Empire Pizza and Pub.

This 21 minute video features a beer summit with Empire general manager Scott Lynch, a drop-in from local hip-hop group The Natives Are Restless, and a short Star Wars riff.

Tomorrow is Primary Election Day, so we're finally going to find out the roster for the November general here in Arizona.

If you still have your early ballot. you'll want to drop it off at a polling place because it's way too late to mail it in.

If you're trying to figure out where your polling place is, you can find out here. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28.

And if you're still trying to figure out who to vote for, here's our round-up of the most competitive primaries, complete with links to longer articles about the races.

Questions? Feel free to ask ’em in the comments section and we'll do our best to answer ’em. And visit The Range tomorrow night for results and reaction.

Apparently, Pat Robertson thought he was getting too many Christmas cards from the Jolie/Pitt household when he said that he didn't necessarily think people should be adopting foreign children.

Relevant "weird" quote from Mr. Robertson for those who can't YouTube at work:

I've got a dear friend who adopted some little kid from an old fishing town in Colombia. Child had brain damage and grew up, uh, weird. You just never know what been done to a child before you get that child, what kind of sexual abuse, what kind of cruelty, what kind of food deprivation, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

At least he showed remarkable self-awareness of the potential rabble he just roused, closing his rambling with, "OK, let's get the next question, I'm in trouble."

The Range is saddened to report the passing of Mary Schuh, a longtime local government watchdog with the Pima Association of Taxpayers who stepped up to run for the Amphi School Board at a time when the board needed a big change.

• Mary Schuh

Wright, a former state lawmaker who served alongside Schuh on the Amphi School Board, remembers that Schuh was “fearless.”

“She was dogged and determined and smart and funny,” says Wright, who is now seeking a seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors. “I’m really going to miss her.”

Wright remembers that Schuh was skilled at piercing the often arcane details of budgets and other government actions through humor.

“She never really quit,” says Wright, who recalls that last year, Schuh was going after Pima Community College for open-meeting law violations.

The late Chris Limberis profiled Schuh in 2000 during her run for the Amphi School Board:

Monetarily, that is.

According to this report from CNN, Tampa-area strip clubs are expecting a boom in business during the four-day-long conservative pep rally that is the Republican National Convention—and they should, considering how many conventioneers tend to go wild when in a strange city with their peers.

From CNN.com:

A strip club with a spaceship on the roof seems an odd place to expect Republicans. At first blush, one might not equate lap dances with the political party that wraps itself in buttoned-down family values.

But at convention time, even upstanding men seem to seek out undressed women. When the Christian group Promise Keepers held a convention in Tampa a couple of years ago, attendees flooded the 2001 Odyssey, co-owner Jim Kleinhans recalls. They had such a good time that "they kept their promise to come back the next night."

Many male convention-goers, regardless of political stripe, are drawn to the sexual underground, according to a study conducted by Baylor University business professor Scott Cunningham. He examined sex ads placed online around the time of the 2008 conventions in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Denver. Ads for prostitutes and escorts jumped 25% to 40%. Cunningham offers a range of possible explanations — chief among them anonymity, or what he calls "the reduced likelihood of future shaming."

As someone who has experienced new levels of confusion as a result of attending industry conventions, I can both sympathize and understand. Here's to hoping that GOPers who make it down to Tampa's flesh palaces take care of those young ladies—because according to that story, they're working for both tips and new hips.