Last month, more than 300 people were killed and 3000 more injured in a series of earthquakes in the mountains of Western Iran, affecting Iranians as well as people within Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Tonight, Iransara Tucson is holding a fundraiser in conjunction with St. Mark's Presbyterian Church of Tucson to raise money to assist in relief efforts for those affected by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake and its aftershocks.

The tax-deductible event begins at 6 p.m. this evening at St. Mark's, 3809 E. 3rd Street. The suggested minimum donation is $10.

See the press release after the jump.

For more on Iransara Tucson, visit their website.

Yeah, this definitely blows "free smoothie" punch cards out of the water.

A Malaysian car wash recently got in trouble for its interesting customer loyalty cross-promotion — apparently, someone got the bright idea to offer free sexytimes at a local brothel to repeat customers who got their repeat customer cards punched ten times.

From The Truth About Cars:

“To get the extra ‘offer’, customers must send their cars for washing nine times within a certain period. The tenth car wash will entitle them to free sex,” Emmi Shah Fadhil, officer-in-charge of the local Crime Prevention Division told the Malay Mail.

Car-less customers, or those who did not want to wait for nine car washes for free sex could pay between 130 and 180 Malaysian ringgit ($42 and $58) for immediate gratification.

A raid of the premises led to the arrest of four men, none of them customers, and “nine Vietnamese women, believed to be prostitutes and [guest relations officers], aged between 18 and 28,” says the paper. A report by the Malaysia Chronicle says that the raid netted evidence in form of “several condoms stashed inside a microwave.”

...

The car wash connection was only revealed after loyalty cards were found on several customers (who were not arrested.)

This puts a new spin on the phrase "wax job," I guess. I'll just have to file this under "business ideas to take to Nevada should journalism not pan out."

For more on this story, check out The Truth About Cars.

Tonight on Arizona Public Media's Political Roundtable: Republican National Committeeman Bruce Ash, Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers and Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik talk about the latest in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Jeff Flake and Democrat Richard Carmona; the state of the congressional race between Republican Jonathan Paton and Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick; the Tucson City Council's vote to ban steroid injections for racing greyhounds in city limits; downtown student housing and the state of downtown revitalization; the scandals in the city's transportation department; and whatever else we have time to get to. It airs at 6:30 p.m. on KUAT-TV, Channel 6, so why don't you tune in?

Officers from the multi-agency Counter Narcotics Alliance swept into five Shop 420 certification centers, arresting 10 people, confiscating 14 pounds of the sticky and generally making a huge show of force right next door to Che's Lounge and at three other Tucson addresses and one in Casa Grande, according to a Tucson Police news release.

After a month-long investigation, the officers descended on Shop 420 and charged the evil doers with planning and plotting and possessing (but not selling) marijuana. The 10 MMJ workers were also charged with money laundering, and the alliance officers confiscated some fake MMJ cards and equipment to make them. Shop 420 representatives were unavailable for comment two days after the raids.

The closed shops were at 5151 South 12th Ave., 3408 East Grant Road, 8250 East Broadway Boulevard, and 408 East 7th Street in Tucson and 1145 East Florence Boulevard in Casa Grande. The raids follow similar ones earlier this year at Tucson's Green Halo Caregiver Collective and Tucson Arizona Collective.

Is this really necessary? I think not.

The short-lived Three and a Half Brothers Cafe at 2530 N. First Ave. has closed, but it looks like another restaurant is already readying to set up shop in the building.

A liquor license application was filed last week for that location under the name Wild Garlic Grill. We've dug around for more information, including try to locate Maria De Jesus Martin-Gourdin, whose name is on the application. My efforts however, have been fruitless thus far.

So, hey, if you read this Ms. Martin-Gourdin, drop me a line. I'm dying to know what you're planning for the place.

Tucson Unified School District students now have a healthy way to spend their fall break this November. Hint: it involves bikes. Check it out.

A Tucson resident goes to Burning Man and comes back with some photos of amazing bikes.

For the second year bikes and art collide in the VelociPrint show. Check out what it is and how to get some great art.

• Reid Park Zoo

The Internet is inundated by adorable animal photos, but Reid Park's newest additions can compete with the cutest of them. Reid Park Zoo welcomed a newborn Grevy's zebra on August 31. He went on display for the first time September 12 and is looking for a name!

Mom and baby spent several days behind-the-scenes under careful observation. The young zebra had a low birth weight, but he is now nursing, gaining weight, and ready to explore the larger habitat. Zoo staff and Veterinarian will continue to keep a close eye on this first time mom and her offspring for the next several critical months as he gains strength.

He will be on exhibit this morning for an undetermined length of time, and may return to his behind-the-scenes area in the afternoon, or whenever Zoo Keepers feel he needs additional rest.

The Grevy's zebra, Equus grevyi, is an endangered species with as few as 2,500 remaining in the wild. Reid Park Zoo is an active participant in the Species Survival Plan, which works to protect this species through captive breeding and education programs. Over 35 US zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) participate in the joint conservation efforts of the Species Survival Plan.

For more information, visit the zoo's website at tucsonzoo.org, or call 791-4022. For more pics check out their Facebook page here.

An already tense, sorrowful situation in North Africa has turned, well, a bit awkward.

From Bloomberg BusinessWeek:

The Muslim Brotherhood’s official English-language Twitter account @Ikwanweb reposted a message from the group’s deputy head, Khairat El-Shater, saying he was “relieved none of @USembassycairo staff was hurt” and expressing his desire that relations withstand the “turbulence” of events.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo wrote back: “Thanks. By the way, have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too,” referring to the contradiction between the Brotherhood’s Arabic and English postings.

The Brotherhood’s Arabic feed included messages that praised the protests, such as “Egyptians revolt for the Prophet’s victory in front of U.S. embassy.”

...

The Brotherhood replied: ‘’We understand you’re under a lot of stress, but it will be more helpful if you point out exactly the Arabic feed of concern.’’

Yep, awkward. Not exactly the best time for any leadership in Egypt to play coy. The Egyptian president's lack of condemnation over the volatile protests, combined with President Obama's quote that Egypt is being considered neither an enemy nor an ally just adds to the tension.

Visit Bloomberg Businessweek for the rest of the story.

Pima Community College has been without a chancellor since June 30, when Roy Flores stepped down from his position as a result of health concerns. Interm Chancellor Suzanne Miles has taken over in his absence, though she withdrew herself from permanent consideration; that happened not long after a Board of Governors meeting in which it was decided that PCC would opt for a national search over simply appointing Miles to fill the position permanently.

Today, PCC released a list of the 31 members of the Search Advisory Committee, who will be searching for the college's next chancellor.

From the PCC press release:

“We have broad representation across the community, we have included representatives of both the public sector and the private sector, and we have included our critics as well,” Board Chairman Scott Stewart said.

Mr. Stewart noted that a majority of the committee comes from outside PCC. “The people of Pima County help fund the College with their tax dollars,” he said. “It is crucial that their voices be heard loudly and clearly as we select an individual who’ll set the College’s direction for years to come.”

To see the press release for yourself, head over to pima.edu.

The list of the committee members can be found below the jump.

We mentioned yesterday that Congressman Ron Barber was airing his first TV ad of the 2012 general elecion season.

Today, his Republican challenger, Martha McSally, has debuted her first ad. It's a positive spot that focuses on her experience in the Air Force as a combat pilot and her promise to provide leadership and bring people together.

McSally has also earned "Young Gun" status with the National Republican Congressional Committee, which could lead to more campaign dollars flowing in her direction.