Join other animal-lovers for a very special night to benefit Tucson’s Hope Animal Shelter.

A Celebration of Music, Art and HOPE happens from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 1 at the Steinway Piano Gallery, 3001 East Skyline Drive at Campbell, in Gallery Row. The evening will feature a holiday piano performance by Mike Manning, a silent and live art auction including works by Joanne Kerrihard and Tom Philabaum, and hors d’oeuvres by Acacia Real Food and Cocktails.

Reservations are required. Tickets are $75, and available by calling 888-325-9797.

If you missed the debut of Tucson writer and filmmaker Daniel Buckley's Tucson’s Heart and Soul: El Casino Ballroom, thank the Tucson gawds you've been given a chance to redeem yourself.

The documentary on the life, times, destruction and rebuilding of Tucson iconic performance and celebration venue first premiered to a full-house at the Fox Tucson Theatre in August. While Buckley was a bit disappointed the documentary was still a work-in-progress when it screened as a part of the Cine Plaza series, this time its done and the "redebut" takes place appropriately at El Casino Ballroom during Fiesta El Casino, Saturday, Dec. 8, 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. so you can get your El Casino on.

The Ballroom, and I shouldn't have to tell you this, but I have to, is located at 436 E. 26th St. $5 admission at the door goes to the El Casino Restoration Fund.

From Buckley's press release:

• From the Sexy Lady Bookworms Facebook page

Apologies for the late notice, but you have another three hours or so (as of this post's publication) to head to Heroes & Villains Comics for their Sexy Lady Bookworms events. The group's mission is simple, raise money for literacy causes by taking sexy photos of all varieties of women in local bookstores, compiling the photos in a deck of playing cards and a calendar, which are both on sale tonight at H&V. Plus, several of the models will be in-store to sign your purchase and provide what will certainly be a delightfully awkward conversation to remember. For more information, check out the event's page on Facebook or the Sexy Lady Bookworms' page.

Recently Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance presented Sweet Charity, a dessert-based fundraiser for the arts on Friday, Nov. 16.

Drooling over the list of sweets they had on hand from awesome local restaurants (more than 20 different ones, including Feast, RA Sushi and Busy B's Bakery who were among the winners), and signature dessert cocktails, I’m totally bummed that my invitation was apparently lost in the mail. More than 400 people came together to enjoy great desserts, support arts education and take in a a wonderful Arizona night. I guess I will forgive the SAACA folks this time…still jealous though.

Take a look below the cut to see the list of the winners, including the top prize, which went to Wildflower American Cuisine.

During the Tucson Unified School District's first desegregation forum on Monday, Nov. 26, at Tucson Magnet High School, there were three speakers, all women, who stood out to the Range: Tanya Alvarez, Kim Dominguez and TUSD governing board member Adelita Grijalva. Above and below are clips of their testimony to U.S. District Court-appointed desegregation special master Willis Hawley.

Hawley was appointed by U.S. District Court Judge David Bury last summer to bring together all parties involved in Tucson Unified School District's 30-plus year-old desegregation legal case in order to create a new Unitary Status Plan proposal to present to Bury next month. The parties involved include the Mexican American Legal and Education Defense Fund representing the Latino plaintiffs, Tucson attorney Ruben Salter representing the African-American plaintiffs, a representative from TUSD law firm (DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy), and representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The plan is being made available for public review at each TUSD school and online at tucsonusp.com. The final forum before the special master is tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 28, at Palo Verde High School. The public comment period closes today. A revised plan with any changes will be filed with the court by Hawley on Dec. 10, and all parties involved in the negotiations have until Dec. 14 to file any objections to the changes.

During an appearance on CNBC yesterday, Congressman Raul Grijalva said he'd rather go over the dreaded "fiscal cliff" than make a deal that dramatically cuts back on Medicare and Social Security benefits, which led to one of the most absurd questions The Range has ever heard from a professional TV journalist.

Host Michelle Caruso-Cabrera informed Grijalva that "as we’re talking the market is selling off once again. Every time members of Congress come on, and I’ve got to tell you sir, I think you’re contributing to the fears that we’re going off the fiscal cliff because it doesn’t sound like there’s any compromise in what you’re saying. Do you care that markets are selling off dramatically when it looks like you guys can’t come to a deal?"

Where to start with this one? First, Caruso-Cabrera perhaps overestimates her influence if she believes that traders are basing their decisions on her interviews. If she were pavement, would she assume that every time she got wet, she made it rain?

More importantly: She is doing a terrible job of actually explaining what the fiscal cliff really is to viewers. While "fiscal cliff" sounds really super-scary, it really means that tax rates will return to Clinton-era rates, while some drastic cuts will occur in the federal budget. On the bright side, that will actually go a long way toward resolving the deficit that is the greatest threat to our liberty and freedom ever, according to certain GOP politicians who now seemed terrified that spending cuts and tax hikes will bring revenues in line with expenditures if the fiscal cliff is not averted.

On the not-so-bright side, those tax hikes and spending cuts would eventually lead to a serious reduction in government services and a contraction in the economy, which would probably plunge the country back into a recession Nobody wants that entire package, no matter what their rhetoric is.

But the important thing to realize is that those spending cuts and tax increases wouldn't have immediate impact, unless dopes like Caruso-Cabrera manage to panic the public and the markets. Jonathan Chait over at New York Magazine sums it up here:

Going over the fiscal cliff and then doing nothing for another year would mean a huge tax hike and spending cut. But waiting until January would mean extremely gradual tax increases and spending cuts, ones that would not even begin to take place immediately, because Obama has the ability to delay their implementation. And even after they're implemented, the effect would be gradual, and could subsequently be canceled out. It’s like saying if you go three weeks without food you’ll die so if dinner isn’t on the table at 6 o'clock sharp terrible consequences will follow.

The reason many liberals want to wait until January is that it would make a deal much easier to strike, and ensure that the result is on more liberal terms. Once the entire Bush tax cuts have expired, President Obama would no longer have to pry revenue out of tax-hating Republicans. He’ll have all the revenue he wants and more. He could offer them a tax cut. He’ll likewise have huge defense cuts to bargain away.

Slate's Matthew Yglesias made a similar point earlier this month:

Written by Drew McCullough/Scicats

When you eat salmon or carp or tilapia, you might imagine that the fish had once been swimming free in the wild. In recent years, however, more and more of the world’s seafood have grown up on a farm.

In fact, seafood is the most common source of protein worldwide, and more than half of it is farm raised, according to Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons. Tilapia is the fourth most widely consumed seafood in the United States, and virtually all these fish came from a farm.

Farm-raised fish will soon surpass wild fish as a food source. “In a few years,” Fitzsimmons said, “people will look back at television shows like ‘Deadliest Catch’ and say, ‘How quaint. They used to go fishing out there in the ocean for food.’ All seafood will come from farmed operations, and it’s going to happen in the near future.”

Fitzsimmons is one of the world’s leading experts in tilapia production techniques. A research scientist in Soil, Water and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona, he was elected president of the World Aquaculture Society in 2004.

He recently developed an integrated aquaculture irrigation system that is the most efficient way today to raise tilapia while protecting the environment and using as few natural resources as possible. He presented his findings at the World Ocean Forum in Busan, Korea. The proceedings were published this year.

• Wiki Verbix
• Map of Romance Languages in Europe

Story by Brandon T. Bishop/Scicats

An international group of researchers used a new statistical approach to try to solve a long-disputed mystery—the birthplace of the Indo-European language family.

For many years, most linguists and archaeologists supported an area in the Eurasian steppe north of the Black Sea. A minority of scholars, however, favored an origin in central Anatolia in what is now modern Turkey.

English, Spanish, Russian, Hindi and many other languages in Europe and South Asia all share a common ancestor once spoken near the Black Sea. These languages, which belong to the Indo-European family, are now spoken on every continent. In fact, almost one of every two people on Earth speaks one of these languages.

Heroes and Villains' two best looking employees review the year's most anticipated release: My Little Pony #1!

Guaranteed ratings gold.

Writer : Katie Cook
Artist : Andy Price
Publisher : IDW Publishing

Chef Ramiro and the guys at Pasco Kitchen and Lounge have pulled a few strings and have wrangled a visit from old St. Nick. On Saturday, December 1, Santa will be enjoying breakfast, and the whole family can join him! Bring your gift wishes and make sure you don’t do anything to be on the Naughty List. Breakfast at Pasco begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The menu and reservation info is here.