• Image courtesy of Shutterstock

In honor of International Mother Tongue Day coming up on February 21st—and I’m not making that up; the Day is recognized by the United Nations—today’s Word Odyssey is going to give you the history of the English language. No time to tarry….

After shutting down 8 floor amendments from the Democrats, the Republicans passed SB 1062 through the Senate today.

The bill would provide protection for business owners if they refuse a customer because serving him or her would violate their religion.

Republicans insist that the bill is simply intended to protect the first amendment rights of Arizona citizens, but Democrats claim that the bill will just enable businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community.

“The one thing that no one can stand up and dispute is that fact that the heart of this bill would invite discrimination against gays and lesbians, bottom line.” Sen. Steve Gallardo (D-Phoenix) said.

The Democrats called for a head count when Gallardo’s amendment that would prevent discrimination against people for their gender, gender identity or sexual orientation was struck down verbally and lost 16-12.

Sen. Ed Ableser (D-Tempe) attempted a no holds barred attack to change the language of the bill—more as a way to point out the flaws in the language than to actually get anything passed.

The first of the 6 amendments he proposed attempted to change the definition of person to “A bipedal primate to which modern humans belong characterized by the brain capacity averaging 85 cubic inches and the dependency on language and the creations and use of complex tools” because he opposed Sen. Steve Yarbrough’s (R-Chandler) loose definition of “person” in the bill.

“I think we can all agree to that, that’s it not bricks and mortar that makes a person, it’s actually brain activity and opposable thumbs,” Ableser said.

Last night my newsfeed on Facebook was riddled with videos of my friends chugging a beer and nominating two or three other friends to respond with a video chug of their own within 24 hours. As these chug nominations continue to spread like a bad case of herpes all over Facebook, there is a growing concern about the dangers of this trend, which has already claimed lives of participants across the globe.

These chug nominations, better known throughout social media as NekNominations, appears to have originated in Australia as a new drinking game encouraging friends to out do their nominator by excessive drinking or committing other heinous actions. The name of the game comes from the Australian term "necking," which in America translates to chugging your drink to the finish.

According to CNN, what started as a fun drinking game turned fatal for at least five men under 30 years old.

As this trend spreads to the University of Arizona, many are worried that this game will escalate past chugging one beer and lead to more alcohol related deaths.

Ryan Cummins, 22, and John Byrne, 19, are believed to have died this weekend in Ireland as a direct result of the Neknomination craze.

Cummins was found unconscious in his Dublin home before he later died in the hospital. Reports suspect that he was drinking spirits, better known as liquor is the US and Canada, until passing out. Byrne jumped into the river at Milford Bridge in County Carlow and drowned in his attempts to fulfill his nomination.

One beer may be an innocent way to call out your friends but what happens when nominations turn into chugging a whole fifth of liquor and performing a stunt that is already dangerous before incorporating excessive amounts of alcohol?

This game is so popular a Facebook user created a page to archive these videos called "Neknominate Videos," where you can share your own ridiculous video and view other nominations from all over the world.

Submissions range from entry level one beer chugs in dorm rooms to ridiculous combinations of liquor varying in size from a pint to a whole beer bong of booze. Some people take it to the extreme by drinking out of toilet bowls and pouring cocktails with dead mice, live animals and insects, motor oil, battery acid and even dog food.

Andrew Calder, 24, downed a pint sized glass of vodka and lemonade that included his goldfish named Soldier in the UK.

Nikki Hunter, the mother of 19 year old Keiren, posted pictures of her son covered in vomit and unconscious on their sofa after completing a nomination where he drank a combination of vodka, whiskey, Southern Comfort and Bacardi.

Other videos include costumes like Ronald McDonald or Batman but all videos follow a consistent theme: recklessly drink alcohol in the most obscene fashion possible.

It can be hard out there as a single person. You made it through the overly sentimental bullshit of Valentine's Day, so that's a plus and maybe you're the kind of person who's fine dancing on your own, but if you're looking for the comforting feel of companionship, the Pima Animal Care Center has a deal for you: a singles-only dog-walk/cat-cuddle event on Sunday, February 23.

Here's the deal...the shelter is closed for deep cleaning that day, so they need to get the animals out for some socialization and fresh air. Animals need love and attention and so do you, so why not make it all happen at once? Meet up in front of the adoption center at 4000 N. Silverbell for some "light refreshments" and let the bonding over a shared interest in animals begin!

The center requests likely attendees email [email protected] to RSVP.

• Photo by Henry Barajas
• Lock your doors because Eric M. Esquivel is coming for your daughters and long boxes.

Eric M. Esquivel is one of those guys that has "it," but you don't really know what "it" is until you read his comics.

Full disclosure: Esquivel and I have known each other for years. I knew this guy back when he used to be a manager at Hot Topic, barista at (the sorely missed) Safehouse and forced to cover his gnarly nerdy tattoos while he dealt comics at Heroes and Villains to make ends meet. I remember buying his first funny books and ashcans that were stained with his tears and blood at comic book signings and conventions. After every purchase, I have noticed that his writing and ideas were getting better over time. The more "Tucson famous" Esquivel got, the more artists wanted to work with him. We both started various (failed) podcasts where we over shared our personal lives to desperately relate to anyone from a distance. We always threaten to start one up again, but his new Hollywood lifestyle demands a lot of his time.

If you haven't already, please read his Smell Ya Later (a slice-of-life comic that is 100% true, btw) so you can truly appreciate how far Esquivel has come. I feel like proud brother whenever I read his latest accomplishments cluttering up news feeds. I couldn't help but reach out to him and catch up (and argue) so we can talk about his new comic book: Loki: Ragnarok and Roll.

Henry Barajas: You moved from the Old Pueblo to the City of Angels, and you look happier. Was this a good move for you?

Eric M. Esquivel: I've never been happier.

I was a novelty in Tucson. People treated me like a space alien...and there's power in that (I managed to leverage my weirdness into a handful of decent jobs, relationships, and life experiences)... but this is the first time I've ever felt like I fit in anywhere.

Tucson is a lot of fun, because if you've got a brain in your head you can shoot to the top pretty quickly in whatever field you're passionate about — but then you plateau. I like L.A. because there's no ceiling.

Barajas: Why do you think BOOM! Studios picked up your new book?

Esquivel: Loki: Ragnarok and Roll is actually something that Ross Richie (BOOM! Studios' founder and CEO) asked me to put together earlier this year, when we were hanging out at San Diego Comic Con.

BOOM! initially hired me because they enjoyed the two one-shots that I produced at Moonstone Blackest Terror (a book whose premise is essentially "what if Malcolm X were Batman?") and Thor: Unkillable Thunder Christ (which is a big, loud mediation on the nature of faith and violence).

What Ross asked me to do, post-Freelancers, was to combine the "scrappy underdog, railing against the system" feel of B.T. with the surreality and larger-than-life set pieces of Thunder Christ.

Barajas: Speaking of RAGNAROK AND ROLL, what can you tell me about this ambitious new series? I'll kill you if you copy and paste your answers from the Multiversity interview.

Esquivel: Loki: Ragnarok and Roll is about Loki, The Norse God of Language, being banished to Earth for embarrassing his father at a summit of The Allied Pantheons (A United-Nations-Like assemblage of the various deities of myth)—and discovering that he actually prefers it to Heaven.

Asgard, where Loki's from, is a place where physical strength is valued above all else. It's a culture of "Might Makes Right", and there's no better example of that than Thor, Loki's idiot half-brother, who is idolized for his ability to bludgeon people to death with a greasy hammer.

Earth (specifically: Los Angeles, California) is a much better fit for Loki, because it's a place where people are obsessed with communication. In a world wherein people feel uncomfortable driving two blocks without their radio turned on and their iPhone in their lap, a guy who's supernaturally proficient with words can really have an impact...

March Radness is not terribly far off (March 8! Get your tickets now! They're going to get more expensive!), so we're going to give you a taste of what to expect from the stellar lineup of bands here on The Range between now and then.

If you have fond memories of shoegazer acts like Slowdive and Lush, you'll be super-into Stargazer Lilies, one of the acts on coolster label Graveface Records. The duo of John Cep and Kim Field, formerly of Soundpool, add a double-drummer attack during their live show, which you'll be able to let wash over you in its breathy etherealness on March 8.

Special bonus tangential connection to Tucson: Stargazer Lilies' new album, "We Are The Dreamers," was produced by Tobacco from Black Moth Super Rainbow, who worked with former Tucsonan Zackey Force Funk on the acclaimed Demon Queen project.

See them and a bunch of bands (Sir Mix-A-Lot! Pinback! Murs!) on March 8 at March Radness, presented by the Tucson Weekly!

The Rialto Theatre went all out yesterday with the concert announcements, with tickets going on sale this Friday for Foster the People (show on April 16), Los Lobos (April 25) and Neon Trees (June 4). Those shows are certainly exciting, but, at least for me, the big news is that mean guy/wildly offensive comedian Anthony Jeselnik is scheduled to be here on May 3. If you are easily offended or have a soul, Jeselnick might not be your thing, but he's definitely one of the hottest stand-up comics right now, so that he's performing here is kind of a big deal.

Sadly, Jeselnik's recent series on Comedy Central, The Jeselnik Offensive, didn't work out, but we'll always have our memories of Latino Voices:

If there was ever a night to tear away from the laptop that sits comfortably on your lap that's cover with warm comforter, it's this Thursday night. Television bing-watching-beer enthusiasts should rejoice at the Geeks Who Drink 'Community' Trivia Event Thursday, Feb. 20, at Canyon's Crown, 6958 E. Tanque Verde Road.

From the Geeks Who Drink site:

Greetings, Human Beings! I have a few quest-DEANS for you…

Are you skilled at building blanket forts? Are your dreams rendered in stop-motion animation? Do you own your own paintball rifle? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be eligible for course credit (and a big cash prize) from Greendale Community College!

On Thursday, February 20th, Geeks Who Drink will commemorate the triumphant fifth season of NBC’s only intentionally funny show* with Six Seasons and a Pub Quiz: A ‘Community’ Trivia Event. You and the smartest members of your study group will have the chance to win a Blu-ray DVD player Priority Registration cash prize (usually in the hundreds of dollars)!

So if you’ve got friends who worship at the altar of Dan Harmon, Jeff Winger or Annie’s Boobs, grab them and start binge-watching seasons and whip yourselves into a lean, DEAN, quizzing machine! Don’t Britta your chance to make some quick cash. Start studying now!

* - OK, so Parks and Recreation is pretty great, too.

This is only going on in selected cities and Tucson is one of them. So, yay for us?

It's $5 per person. So, pick your team wisely. The quiz starts at 8 p.m.

Click here for more information.

Some of you have asked where the infamous "Nine Questions" column has been. We are trying new things and waiting for a response from the readers. Honestly, we have had a couple complaints and I suspect all of them are from Josh Levine. So, I decided to try to breath some new life back in to this dormant section and mix things up.

• Photo courtesy of Lydia Fong.
• 12th Planet

12th Planet, Los Angeles based dubstep and drum and bass producer and DJ, took some time from his busy touring schedule to answer nine questions. You can win tickets to see 12th Planet and the rest of the crew this Friday, feb. 21, at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E Congress St. Click here to find out how to win.

What was the first concert you attended?

A. Michael Jackson - Bad Tour.

What are you listening to these days?

A. A lot of Dubstep and a lot of Hip Hop.

What was the first album you owned?

A. Michael Jackson - Bad.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?

A. none

The Arizona Library Association shared good news on Valentine's Day/Statehood Day—the defeat of HB 2379:

Dear AzLA Members,

Due to the overwhelming response from library districts and counties and really great meetings with our rural House members, Representative Olson will be striking his language off of HB 2379 and will instead be running language that requires a public notice and majority vote of the county board of supervisors before increasing a levy in a library district (as well as jail and public health services districts). His bill will no longer seek to limit the amount library districts can levy. This is great news for our library districts. It's not a complete ideal situation and we will continue to work with the County Supervisors Association closely on this bill, but removing the levy limit language is a huge win for us.

Here is a link to the new strike everything amendment; http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/51leg/2r/proposed/h.2379jo.pdf, that will be offered in House Ways & Means on Monday. The committee is going to re-hear the bill with this new language. Take a look and let me know if there are any major concerns or points you think I should be aware of.

The LAPR electronic repository bill may be moving to the floor in the Senate next week, it is scheduled for Rules and caucus next week. We will continue to weigh in with Senate members asking for their support of SB 1238.

Hooray! Thank you to EVERYONE who helped spread the word! If Arizonans love their libraries, then their libraries love them even more!