On tonight's Political Roundtable: Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, state Sen. Frank Antenori, state Rep. Bruce Wheeler and Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries look ahead to the upcoming session of Arizona Legislature, including whether lawmakers will expand health-care coverage to 130 percent of the federal poverty level or introduce more immigration legislation. I also talked with Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild about the passage of the road bonds, downtown revitalization and the modern streetcar.

Hey folks, if you're looking to celebrate a good cause this weekend, consider heading to Donn R. Liggons Recreation Center to join PCC students in celebrating the holidays with children and staff from the Devereux and Vision Quest group homes.

From the event's press release:

The Social Services Students in the Community Organization & Development Class at Pima Community College have invited 50 youth in foster care to a “Holiday Celebration” event at Donna R. Liggins Recreation Center, 2160 N. 6th Avenue on Saturday, December 8, 2012 from 12:00 pm — 3:00 pm. The program will include a festive holiday meal, individual gifts, Christmas music, carnival games, prizes, guest speakers and exhibitors from various social services organizations that include: Pima Community College, Luz Social Services, Marana Health Care, General Dentistry for Kids, Job Corp and the U. S. Handball Association.

For three weeks, the PCC Social Services Students have been working very hard to secure resources and donations from local businesses and community members such as: Tucson Parks and Recreation, Walmart, Target, Albertsons, Bookman’s, Cinemark Movie Theatres, Baskin Robbins, Safeway, Starbucks, Game Works, and many others. They have invited 50 children and 6 staff from the Devereux and Vision Quest group homes to be their special guests.

City Council members, Karin Uhlich, Richard Fimbres, and County Supervisor Richard Elias have confirmed their attendance to the event.

For more, check out the event's Facebook page.

The excellent (and occasionally quite silly) local webseries Hopped Up has been featured here before, taking a look at Best of Tucson staff pick Empire Pizza & Pub, but the gentlemen behind the show have moved their focus to one of Tucson's many stellar microbreweries, Dragoon Brewing Co. Take a look as they chat with the good folks at Dragoon, and also wear silly masks.

Bitcoins, if you're not familiar, are a digital currency that have been established by those on the internet become, in some circles, the currency of the internet, due in part to its largely untraceable nature—and the fact that they're not backed by a government whose economy is unstable is a plus (we're looking at you, European Union).

Truth be told, I hardly understand bitcoins and bitcoin economics. They're an interesting concept as an alternative to government- or corporation-backed systems, but they still confuse me—thus, I stay away from them and continue to take my pay in good ol' American money.

But, interestingly enough, it appears that there will soon be a central Bitcoin bank established in France, of all places. From Paymium, via Geekosystem:

We're announcing today that Bitcoin-Central.net is getting, through a partnership with Aqoba and the Credit Mutuel, allowed to operate as a bank, (or more precisely a PSP which is basically the same as a bank, just without the debt-money issuing part).

Some people might argue that regulation is a bad thing. We respect this opinion, but we'll have to agree to disagree.

But this is not only some regulatory detail, it has dramatic implications for us, our users, and... our competition

Let's go over a couple of them:
Our user's funds will actually be held at the Credit Mutuel under the user's name, they will be separate from Paymium's funds (on the other hand, all of other exchanges funds for example sit in the same account, and are considered by their bank to be their corporate property)
Our user's accounts will be protected by the "Garantie des dépôts" which is the French equivalent of the American FDIC (the insurance cap applies to each account individually, and not to the sum of all user balances, so unless your EUR balance exceeds 100kEUR your fiat is 100% insured by the French taxpayer)
Each account will in a few months get its very own IBAN number, users will be able to use it as any other bank account, have their salaries and pensions sent there and have them automatically converted to Bitcoin if they so wish)
Each user will soon be able to order its own debit card that will use their EUR and BTC balance to honor purchases and cash withdrawals
We'll have direct access to the banking networks which will let us 100% automate all incoming and outgoing transfers
Corporations will have an actual financial institution talking with them if they wish to start accepting Bitcoin and be safe from a regulatory point of view
Paymium will have a much better legal standing and a much higher attractivity for second and third-round investors
Paymium will be in a much better position to make its vision become true : make all our transactions, be they denominated in crypto or fiat currency, flow through the pipes of the Bitcoin network

We may very well be looking at the currency of the future here, folks. And it's only hardly more made-up than most currencies! Hooray!

This may not shock you, but the man responsible for this video lives in Portland. I know, right?

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" comes out next week, and my expectations for who will be at the midnight showings have now skyrocketed.

Well the opening has been pushed back till Wednesday, December 12th for Wild Garlic Grill, which was talked about here. I’ve been told it is due to a delay in a delivery of some necessary kitchen equipment. I guess you need such things to run a restaurant, or so I’ve been told. Just think, it gives everyone more time to get that extra tin of mints.

In case you hadn't noticed — and since no one is as attentive toward such minutiae as I, you hadn't — a small facet of a road sign replacement project on Interstate 19 has actually slightly altered the speeds at which you can legally travel.

Since May the Arizona Department of Transportation has been using a $1.6 million federal allocation to replace slightly older upgrade "regulatory, warning, speed limit and some guidance signs" along north- and southbound I-19, according to ADOT spokeswoman Linda Ritter.

While no changes are being made in regards to the long-discussed-but-currently-dead-in-the-water plan to shift the signage from kilometers to miles, placement of some of the new signs has in effect lengthened some stretches where drivers can go 75 mph before having rapidly decelerate to 65 mph.

Previously the "speed break" between the Papago exit to nowhere and the exit for San Xavier Road on northbound I-10 was just north of Papago. Now the first indication you're going too fast and need to quickly cut down to 65 mph comes just before the bridge over the Santa Cruz River. Or, in other terms, a lot closer to where a DPS cruiser could be sitting up near San Xavier.

The same scenario now exists between Canoa Ranch Road and Continental Road on the south end of Green Valley. No such "speed break" changes happened going southbound, so your attempts to flee the country haven't legally become quicker.

So, to sum up: while you can technically go a little faster for a little longer heading up from Nogales, when you do approach these slow-down areas you're more likely to run into some law enforcement heat sooner into your deceleration.

Okay, now back to focusing on things that really matter in life. Like which Happy Hour to go to this evening.

Sal Baldenegro Jr. has put together a coalition of community leaders, parents and elected officials for a press conference today at 12:30 p.m. at Joaquin Murrieta Park, 1400 N. Silverbell Road.

From the press release:

Tucson, AZ — There is a press conference scheduled for Friday, Dec. 7th, 12:30pm, at Joaquin Murrieta Park, to address the westside Tucson community’s serious concerns surrounding TUSD’s possible closure of three westside schools. The TUSD Governing Board has voted to potentially close three westside elementary schools: Manzo, Menlo Park, and Brichta. All three of these schools have a majority Mexican-American student population, and the TUSD Governing Board has acted without considering the devastating consequences that closing these schools will have on westside children.

Community leaders, concerned parents, and elected officials will speak at the press conference. For more information, contact Sal Baldenegro, at 520.445.5904 or [email protected]

Ever wonder what cyclocross is? Watch the video above and check out the photos from the race.

One of the middle schools with the biggest bicycling investment is on TUSD's closure list. Check out what the school has been up to.

Once again the BICAS Art Auction was a huge success. Check out how much was raised and see photos of the art.

Come check out Winterhaven with a bunch of bicycling friends. Get all the details here.

Now there are even more ways to follow Tucson's bicycling news. Find out how.

Yesterday on We Got Cactus, Dan posted what he considered to be the worst Christmas/Holiday-related video.

Well, the WWE has that John Travolta-related abortion beat.

I'd apologize for what you're about to watch, but let's face it: if you click play, you've brought it upon yourself. May God (or whatever entity you choose to share your despair with) have mercy upon you.