Today is the U.S. District Court deadline for all Tucson Unified School District desegregation case parties to file briefs in response to objections filed by the different parties involved: TUSD, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund representing the Mendoza Plaintiffs, Ruben Salter representing the Fisher plaintiffs, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

In response to the objection filed by TUSD attorneys in November against cultural relevant curriculum being returned to TUSD as core classes for history and literature, MALDEF attorneys filed a 24-page response today with five exhibits in support.

You care read them below, but before you get started, here's a bit of MALDEF brilliance from their preliminary statement:

"It is unfortunate that the District elected to commence its memorandum to the Court with assertions that it neither "acknowledge(s) nor admit(s) that vetigages of the segregated system remain in the District" and "does not acknowledge or agree that the obligations it is undertaking pursuant to the ... USP are necessary or required to achieve unitary status."

Yeah, it is unfortunate.

Doc_1413_Mendoza_Plaintiffs__Response_Concerning_the_Proposed_Unitary_Status_Plan_Dated_December_10__2012.pdf

Doc_1413-1_Exhibit_1_Curriculum_Audit_of_the_MASD_TUSD_5.02.11.pdf

Doc_1413-2_Exhibit_2_Sinajini_v_San_Juan_Sch_Dist..pdf

Doc_1413-3_Exhibit_3_Meyers_and_US_v_San_Juan.pdf

Doc_1413-4_Exhibit_4_Garland.pdf

Doc_1413-5_HSCatalong.pdf

Ready for Las Adelitas Arizona's holiday tradition? The Latina progressive political organization's posada is tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. in the courtyard at 326 S. Convent Ave. (Best place to park is on the street on South Convent Avenue.)

Tickets are $20 at the door, and this year the project benefits Scholarships A-Z.

Scholarships A-Z was started in 2009 to provide college scholarships to all students regardless of immigration status.

Also, if you're feeling extra mensch-y this holiday season, organizers of the posada are looking for a tent to help keep everyone dry and toasty in case it continues raining. Have a large event-style tent? Message Diana Uribe at [email protected].

News out of Connecticut this morning indicates that a shooting has taken place at Newtown, Conn.'s Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Details are sketchy, as they so often tend to be in the early period after such incidents, but many reports have indicated at least one confirmed death, that of the shooter, whose identity has yet to be confirmed.

CNN and the Hartford Courant have reported that there have been multiple deaths, including those of children. Local police will be holding a press conference at 1:00 p.m. EST.

We'll keep things updated on this page.

UPDATE, 10:51 a.m.: A CBS Connecticut affiliate is reporting that there have been at least 27 deaths, including 14 children.

UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: The shooter is suspected to be Adam Lanza, a 20 year old resident of Newtown, according to the Associated Press. His mother, Nancy Lanza, was found dead in her home. She was a teacher at Sandy Hook. Reports say that Ryan Lanza, the 24-year-old brother of Adam and original suspected shooter, has been questioned by area police.

The Tucson Police Department has announced that, beginning this afternoon, they plan to have an "enhanced presence" at Tucson-area schools.

A release from TPD states that, though there has been no indication that there is a threat similar to the shooting today at Sandy Hook Elementary, in Newtown, Conn., they will be increasing presence at schools in and near Tucson for an "undetermined amount of time."

From the release:

Chief Roberto Villasenor directed the enhanced presence at or near schools as a precautionary response here in Tucson. Beginning this afternoon, citizens can expect to see the increase in police presence, especially as the children are released from school for the day. Patrol officers as well as Solo Motor Traffic officers have received specific direction to maintain an increased presence around as many schools as possible in their assigned areas throughout the remainder of the day. Again, there are no indications at this time of any threats to any Tucson schools, and this increased presence is merely precautionary in nature.

...

We want to remind our community to live your normal lives, without apprehension but remain vigilant. Keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings, and please do not hesitate to report any suspicious activity to police immediately.

In the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Conn., there's been anger, sensationalism, backlash against said sensationalism and plain ol' stupidity.

This has none of that.

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." ~Mother Teresa

— Ben's Bells (@BensBells) December 14, 2012

Thanks, Ben's Bells.

The Range has just obtained this press release sent from Rep. Ron Barber's office, regarding the shooting in Newtown, Conn. at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Reports claim that there have been 27 deaths, including 18 children.

Today’s tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. is a devastating loss for the families, the people of that community and for all Americans. It is especially painful because it took place in classrooms where children should feel safe as they grow and learn.

As those of us in Tucson know, senseless acts such as these tear at the very fabric of a community. In times like this, we come together to support each other. To the people of Newtown, we are with you today and in the days, weeks and months ahead.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those who were killed or injured today as well as to the first responders, law enforcement personnel and medical teams who are treating the victims.

All of Tucson and Southern Arizona as well as the entire nation stand with the people of Newtown.

It's not often around these parts when significant University of Arizona football and basketball events bleed into each other's territory. Heck, most years by early October the inevitable "when does basketball season start?" queries begin.

But on rare occasions, us Wildcat fans get a little of both. And on the same day. Leaving us with the stressful-but-a-good-problem-to-have situation presenting itself on Saturday.

The UA football team is playing in the New Mexico Bowl (!) at 11 a.m. in Albuquerque, while the unbeaten and eighth-ranked basketball team hosts No. 5 Florida at 8 p.m.

For most of us, this is just going to be an issue of planning our weekend activities around the time parked on the couch in front of the TV, or which sports bar to view the games at, and whether we should go home and sleep off the football buzz before tying another one on for the hoops showdown. Or, in my case, trying to keep the kids distracted during the New Mexico Bowl and then figuring out a way to watch the basketball game while attending a Christmas party at a home that doesn't (!!!) have ESPN.

Then there are the truly dedicated and, in many cases, well-off financially—the ones who intend to attend both contests. If you think it's impossible, think again, as both Southwest and (if you're really desperate) US Airways have flights that leave Albuquerque at 3:40 p.m. and get to Tucson in plenty of time to take a cab over to McKale Center for the nightcap.

Of course, if you're really well-heeled, you're probably on the flight register for one of the private jets that's undoubtedly shuttling top UA sports boosters from one contest to the other. If that's you, can I hide in your carry on?

If you don't have any positive feelings toward "A Charlie Brown Christmas," I'm relatively certain that your heart is made out of wood—or you don't celebrate Christmas. Either or.

The fact that it has been as successful as it's been over the past 57 years wasn't a slam-dunk, however. Even the men responsible for it, Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson, were afraid that it was going to be a complete failure after its first screening. In fact, according to Mendelson, it seemed like the entire room watching that screening felt the same way.

Except for one animator.

What the roomful of executives saw upon the first screening was a shock—a slow and quiet semireligious, jazz-filled 25 minutes, voiced by a cast of inexperienced children, and, perhaps most unforgivably, without a laugh track. “They said, ‘We’ll play it once and that will be all. Good try,’ ” remembers Mendelson. “Bill and I thought we had ruined Charlie Brown forever when it was done. We kind of agreed with the network. One of the animators stood up in the back of the room—he had had a couple of drinks—and he said, ‘It’s going to run for a hundred years,’ and then fell down. We all thought he was crazy, but he was more right than we were.”

PopMatters has a spectacular article on the history of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," written all the way back in 2006, but like the movie that is its focus, it's near timeless. Give it a read at PopMatters.

For years, I've managed to avoid blogging. It just seemed like a whole lot of people, shouting to be heard. I guess it's better than leading one's life in quiet desperation and going to your grave with the song still in your heart, but even the word "blog" sounds like the noise one makes when removing his shoe from the pile of crap he just stepped in. I have softened my stance over the years. For example, I read Charles S. Pierce's wonderful Politics Blog in Esquire. And, in the coming New Year, I might try reading somebody's else's, as well.

I wanted to write a semi-regular column about television for The Weekly but there's no room. I figure we could get rid of the Mexican guy, but that's an executive decision.

There's an old saying that one's IQ is in inverse proportion to the amount of TV one watches. If that were true, I would be whatever's below an imbecile. Although, in recent years, I find myself watching less and less. I'm not sure why; I certainly hope that it's not a sign of maturity. That would screw me up big time.

I'm going to try this TV blog thing for a while and see how it goes. If it's not right for me, I'll just go back to getting rich off writing my column. (That's an inside joke. See, I write for an alternative publication in a really bad economy, one in which the internet is sucking the life and all of the profits out of newspapers around the world.)

I'll just watch the stuff and let you know what I think. I'll try not to waste your time with dreck, which means most of what falls under the category of "reality TV." I pretty much hate almost all of that stuff, partly because it's not real and also because I wouldn't want to stand in the same line at Walmart with those people. Why would I want to sit in my living room and waste a half-hour watching them do staged stupid stuff for the cameras?

There is a growing sentiment that some of what's on television has zoomed past much of what's in the movie theaters, in terms of quality. I'm not making that statement, mostly because I hardly ever to go a movie any more. I simply can't stand the knuckleheads who can't go 15 seconds—let alone two hours—without checking their phones. People are jackasses. However, I can say that there is a lot of good stuff on TV, and even a handful of shows that are great.

I'll let you know.

I've noticed that the number of entrants in our GIF contest is quite low. In order to better entice you, the creative and attractive reader that you are, I've decided that you need to see the bounty that you may receive.

• Seriously. A stack.

In the pile, in case you can't see it as clearly as you may like, we have offerings from Caruso's, Sher-E-Punjab, Hub, Playground, Enoteca, Don Pedro's, Canyon's Crown, Tucson Tamale Company and a whole mess of gift cards from the folks at El Charro and Sir Veza's. Most all are valued at $25.

You've seen your bounty. Get to work, Tucson. We'll provide some examples for you soon.