As The Range noted yesterday, congressional candidates will be announcing their first-quarter fundraising hauls over the next week ahead of the April 15 filing deadline. Today, Congressional District 1 incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick announced she had raised nearly $325,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31 and had had mroe than $1 million on hand. Kirkpatrick will face the winner of the three-way GOP primary between House Speaker Andy Tobin, state Rep. Adam Kwasman and rancher/oilman/hotelier Gary Kiehne.

The press release from Team Kirkpatrick:

The Kirkpatrick For Arizona campaign today announced a major milestone for the 2014 cycle with more than $1 million cash on hand. The congresswoman has raised more than $1.5 million since being reelected in 2012, and hauled in nearly $325,000 during the most recent quarter.

“Ann’s achievements since returning to office have made a difference in the lives of Arizonans,” said Kirkpatrick For Arizona Campaign Manager Nettie Silleck. “That’s why she has a strong base of supporters. Whether they are veterans, seniors, small-business owners or tribal communities, these folks share her vision for building diversified, stable economies across our district. While her opponents campaign on far-right rhetoric and ideology, Ann offers common-sense solutions. Her campaign’s strong support is proof that putting constituents first is what matters most to voters.”

These funds will enable Kirkpatrick’s campaign to push back against the more than $1 million already spent against her in negative advertising by dark money groups funded by out-of-state billionaires, the Koch brothers.

Had a rough week and you just want to dance? DJs E_Rupt & DanH are hosting a "dance rock/rock dance party" starting at 9 p.m. at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Live performances covering LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, The Juan Maclean and Holy Ghost by some talented local musicians. Tickets are only $5 at the door.

Added bonus: I hear that there will be a 90s dance off with the 1998 Spring Off Dance champion Joshua Levine.

AIMS testing is a requirement for every child in grades 3 though 8. Parents can't opt their children out of the tests, except through one maneuver which jeopardizes their children's education. But some local parents, fed up with the high stakes testing regimen and upset with their lack of choice in the matter, are joining the national Opt Out movement.

In a segment of this month's Access Tucson show, "Education: The Rest of the Story," Ann-Eve Pedersen and I go over the statewide AIMS mandate and the portions of the Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S) that the Dept. of Ed. and the Attorney General use to defend the policy. In my un-legally-trained reading of the passages, their interpretation is a bit of a stretch.

The Tucson Weekly is working on a larger piece on the national and local Opt Out movement. Meanwhile, this video gives you the basics. And in case you want to read the relevant passages of the statute, here are links to A.R.S. 15-741 and A.R.S. 15-102.

Batman turned 75 years old this month. We have seen The Cape Crusader transform into various beasts, but there's that underlying element that makes him immortal. In honor of the Dark Knight's 75th anniversary, Bruce Timm and Warner Bros. created this two-minute period piece that was influenced by Bob Kane's original incarnation of the Batman. It's a mix of the character from the 1940s comics and Timm's Batman: The Animated Series that was created after Tim Burton's 1989 classic.

Here's to another 75 years.

I don’t think I’ve ever been able to watch The Muppets after creator Jim Henson died in 1990. Besides being 12 years old and more interested in horror movies and boobs on Cinemax, I couldn’t get past Kermit the Frog’s weird new voice. If you’re like me, you’ll be happy knowing The Loft Cinema is presenting 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. The Great Muppet Caper stars all your favorite Muppets (the whole gang’s here), plus Diana Rigg (currently playing Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones) as the victim of a jewel heist, the eternally monotone Charles Grodin as a sleazy thief, and great cameos by John Cleese, Peter Falk, and Jack Warden. The film plays at 10 p.m. each night, plus a 11 a.m. screening on Saturday morning for the kiddos. Admission is $6 and $5 for Loft members.

The Loft's April film series, Much Ado About Shakespeare: A 450th Birthday Celebration, continues this week with Kenneth Branagh’s enjoyable take on one of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, Much Ado About Nothing. The 1993 adaptation, about a young woman wrongly accused of being unchaste and the resulting comedic fallout, has a stellar cast (Branagh, Emma Thompson, Robert Sean Leonard, Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington, scene-stealing Michael Keaton and whoa, Keanu Reeves) and Branagh was at his peak here. The film plays on Wednesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are regular admission. For more information, visit loftcinema.com or call 795-0844.

On Saturday, April 12, Exploded View , along with the U of A German Studies Department, presents Michael Klier’s Der Riese (The Giant), a film that uniquely consists of footage from surveillance cameras. Add along ominous music by Mahler and Wagner and you got yourself one chilling look at the surveillance state. It starts at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $5. Also at Exploded View this week is LA UNDERGROUND #2- BURNING BUNGALOWS: Experimental Film & Animation on the Road From LA. This is the second part in a series that looks at experimental media coming from the City of Angels. According to EV’s website, “the films tend toward an ethereal conjuring of spirits with a dystopian punk attitude.” Several filmmakers will be in attendance to present their works. Check it out on Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5, and more info can be found at explodedviewgallery.org or call 366-1573.

With federal campaign-finance reports for the first quarter of 2014 due on April 15, you can expect to see a lot of campaigns releasing their totals over the next few days. The first one that we've seen comes from Republican Martha McSally, who had a titanic haul that fell just short of $450,000. McSally is aiming for a rematch against Democratic Congressman Ron Barber, whom she narrowly lost to in 2012.

The press release from McSally:

Retired Air Force Colonel Martha McSally announced today another exceptional fundraising quarter, raising more than $449,000 in the three month period that ended March 31 and proving strong enthusiasm in her campaign to oust incumbent Ron Barber. McSally has raised over $1.1 million since last July when she filed her candidacy for this race that is seen as a top competitive race in the nation this year.

"I am honored to announce that our rematch campaign continues to build extraordinary momentum and so many people are willing to invest in my call to duty to serve Southern Arizona in Congress," McSally said. "Southern Arizonans want leadership in Congress and know that we aren't getting it now. I am humbled that our campaign has earned this level of substantial support, and more than ever, I am confident we will have the resources and momentum to replace Congressman Barber in November."

This is the third consecutive successful quarter for McSally, and her largest to date for the 2014 cycle.

The world's largest online retailer has purchased Comixology for an undisclosed amount. Comixology is a cloud-based digital comics app that offers 40,000+ titles on smart devices and the Internet . All the major and independent comic book publishers use ComiXology to digitally distribute their comics and graphic novels. The comic book app officially launched in 2007 and surpassed 200 million downloads in 2013.

Here is the official press word from ComiXology:

SEATTLE—April 10, 2014—(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon.com today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire comiXology, the company that revolutionized the digital comics reading experience with their immersive Guided View technology and makes discovering, buying, and reading comic books and graphic novels easier and more fun than ever before.

“ComiXology’s mission is to spread the love of comics and graphic novels in all forms,” said David Steinberger, co-founder and CEO of comiXology. “There is no better home for comiXology than Amazon to see this vision through. Working together, we look to accelerate a new age for comic books and graphic novels.”

“Amazon and comiXology share a passion for reinventing reading in a digital world,” said David Naggar, Amazon Vice President, Content Acquisition and Independent Publishing. “We’ve long admired the passion comiXology brings to changing the way we buy and read comics and graphic novels. We look forward to investing in the business, growing the team, and together, bringing comics and graphic novels to even more readers.”

Founded in 2007, comiXology offers a broad library of digital comic book content from over 75 of the top publishers as well as top independent creators. Following the acquisition, comiXology’s headquarters will remain in New York.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Subject to various closing conditions, the acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2014.

I grew up in a community located in the South Tucson —Kino and 29th St. to be exact—that is referred to as the Vistas. I'll never forget leaving my house to go to Cavett Elementary or Utterback Middle School and noticing various structures, walls and fences tagged by the residential gang members that referred to themselves as the Vista Bloods. Our family didn't have to sit on the floor to avoid stray bullets zipping past our windows, but gunshots and police sirens were common. Relatives on both sides of the family are riddled with gang bangers and found some sense of community and comradery by wearing a uniform defined by a primary color.

So, I never saw the appeal or had the desired to emulate the rappers and family members with "Brown Pride." I did have an extensive Homies figure collection on my desk during my days slaving away at a call center, but that's about it. Alright, I do have an affinity for 60s R&B/slow jams and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

This type of fashion and lifestyle is starting to take off internationally. Coconuts Bangkok and Fusion Live have reported this trend of Thai men dressing up like Mexican gangsters after obsessively watching Youtube videos and becoming enamored with what they saw. Thankfully, these Thai vato locos are merely appreciating the tattoos, jewelry, clothing, music, cars, and avoiding the violence and rituals that is commonly associated with real gangs.

From Coconuts:

Perhaps what most separates the Thais from the Mexicans they imitate is that almost all of them hold innocuous 9-5s as teachers, policemen and bureaucrats. Many are family men, and some admitted to consulting their wives before getting certain tattoos. Needless to say, the Thai gangs don’t fight amongst themselves or deal in illicit drugs, both of which are hallmarks of real Latino gangs. In a nutshell, this is a brotherhood of style-conscious men who bond over baggy white shirts and gothic-baroque tattoos

Today at 4 p.m. (Thursday, April 10), the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) will hold a rally in front of the Tucson Police Department headquarters, 270 S. Stone, "to demand justice and show support for Monica Jones, a student in the ASU School of Social Work who currently awaits trial after being profiled and falsely arrested through a prostitution diversion program called Project Rose."

From SWOP:

Arizona has some of the most severe prostitution laws in the country. These laws rely heavily on the criminalization of vague activities like waving at cars, talking to passers-by, inquiring if someone is a police officer, and regularly violate the human and civil rights of those targeted. Thursday’s action is part of a nation-wide effort to raise awareness of the disproportionate impact of police action on our most vulnerable communities, including transgender people, women of color, poor people, and immigrants.

Since refusing to plead guilty to the charges she is innocent of, Ms. Jones has been targeted four additional times by police officers while walking around her neighborhood and carrying out everyday activities such as bringing groceries home or heading to her local bar. Every encounter with the police includes insults, transphobic language, and threats of arrest. Across Arizona and throughout the U.S., transgender people of color are routinely targeted for harassment and hate-motivated violence by police and the public, and are frequently profiled as sex workers by law enforcement. Incarcerated transgender people also receive the harshest and most violent treatment by other inmates and prison guards.

STAND WITH MONICA will dispel stigmatizing myths about sex workers, expose the devastating impact of diversion programs like Project Rose, and provide more information about how to support Monica Jones as she continues her fight for justice.