Local volunteers with Words of Peace Global and the Loft Cinema present a free screening of "Peacemakers: Jeremy Gilley in Conversation with Prem Rawat" at 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 21. The Loft Cinema is located at 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. 

In addition, The Culture of Peace Alliance presents several events to mark United Nations International Day of Peace on Sunday, Sept. 21. cultureofpeacealliance.org

Sat., 9/20 & Sun, 9/21 - Multi-Generational Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence

9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at City High School, 48 E Pennington Street

The Youth Team of the Nonviolence Legacy Project takes the lead in presenting this two-day introduction to the principles and practices of Kingian Nonviolence. Learn ways to deal with anger, reduce violence, resolve conflicts, and bring about positive change in your life and community. Donations are accepted.



Sunday, 9/21 - United Nation’s International Day of Peace

11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Creating a Culture of Peace at the Ronstadt Bus Station

We will discuss building Peace into your life and our community. At noon, we will hold a moment of silence for peace that is being held all over the world. Participants will be invited to attend afternoon workshops at the the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, organized by Martha Dominguez. Free and open to the public.



1 to 4 p.m, Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Avenue

A series of free 50-min workshops led by peace builders from around the Tucson community. Workshops presented:

1 p.m.-1:50 p.m.— Awakening the Dreamer, by Amity Foundation Pachamama Community, Janilyn Shuman; Happiness is an Inside Job, Sheena Brown; 2-2:50 p.m.— Talking about Tough Topics , Catherine Tombom; Break Through Communication Barriers: an Introduction to Compassionate Communication, Scott Lewis; 3-3:50 p.m.— Creating a Culture of Peace , Martha Dominguez; The Courage for Peace- Stories from Community Conversations, Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa.

On Monday, Sept. 22, Pima County Department of Environmental Quality and Pima Association of Governments’ Sun Rideshare Program present Car Free Tucson Day. Participants can register for an opportunity to win a Kindle or $100 gift card. Details below:

If trying public transit, including the Sun Link streetcar, for a car-free day, information and trip planning is available at www.suntran.com. The Pima County Department of Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Program has free bike maps, safety classes and information on bike routes throughout the region at webcms.pima.gov/government/transportation/.

To locate a carpool or to qualify for the Car-Free Tucson prize drawing, participants can log their car-free trips in the Sun Rideshare Travel Calendar at www.sunrideshare.org/ridepro. Prizes include a Kindle Fire, one of two $100 gift cards, and more. Only one car-free trip is needed on September 22 to be eligible to win, and participants must have the trip logged in by 8:00 a.m. September 23. For a guaranteed ride home in case of an emergency, registration is required at the Sun Rideshare website.  

If you've been on YouTube since October of last year, you've almost certainly seen and heard Puddles of Puddles Pity Party. He's the giant white-faced clown who sang Lorde's "Royals" with the Postmodern Jukebox and racked up over 8 million views in the process. And, outside of the uniqueness of his appearance, Puddles' Tom Jones-like dramatic singing voice is interesting enough outside of the spectacle.

Well, if you'd like to see the clown sing covers of "Dancing Queen," "Hallelujah," and "I Started a Joke" in person, Puddles will be at 191 Toole for a special seated-show on Saturday, October 11. Tickets ($25) are on sale now.

If you're into movies, whether that's emotional dramas, thrillers, comedies, documentaries or anything on a screen, if you take a few minutes to look through the schedule for the Arizona Underground Film Festival (opening Friday and running through Saturday, Sept. 27), you're bound to be impressed by the selections this year at the newly revamped Screening Room. No joke, there's some amazing work here, whether that's the dark Indonesian thriller Killers or the heartbreaking documentary Who Took Johnny?

Here's what's showing this weekend:

Friday, Sept. 19:

8 p.m.
Killers (Arizona premiere); 137 minutes

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Of course there’s plenty of (realistic) gore and torture here but what really fascinates is the cat-and-mouse game of sorts that develops between the two men, as their unusual online relationship, conducted in English, makes it possible for these two killers to externalize something of their attitudes toward their darkest secrets. The plot thickens considerably as the film winds its way toward a necessarily bloody yet also extremely well-plotted conclusion (the film was written by Tjahjanto in collaboration with producer Takuji Ushiyama), and along the way, even audiences might come to question whether perhaps there are good and bad uses of murder, especially after the separated Bayu’s young daughter (Ersya Aurelia) falls into the wrong hands. Remarkably, there’s not a single mention of religion, making the choice to kill or not to kill a purely moral and ethical one.

BEOGA with Tir Conaill Dancers perform on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m.
Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd.

Beoga is one of Ireland's top traditional bands and returns after releasing their 10th anniversary CD Live at 10. They have five members and two are keyboardists or accordion players, giving the band a unique sound, in some cases a true honky-tonk sound, different than many Irish bands. Beoga means "lively" in Irish. They play traditional instruments on both traditional and original material, and have a lead vocalist, the woman Niamh Dunne who sings both modern and traditional songs. The other band members are Damian McKee on button accordion, Sean Og Graham on guitars, button accordion, mandolin, bouzouki and bass, Eamon Murray on bodhran and other percussion, Liam Bradley on piano, keys and backing vocals. Naimh Dunne is also the band's fiddler.

All reserved: Advance tickets $22; $20 seniors and TFTM members. in advance on line, www.inconcerttucson.com, or at 1-800-595-4849. Tickets also available at Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave., and the Folk Shop, 2525 N. Campbell Blvd. On line fee is $3 ticket. Door tickets $3 more: $25, $23 seniors and TFTM members.

Presented by In Concert!,Tucson. For disability seats or more information, call Don Gest at 981-1475.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents
Riley, reference no. 788874, 11 Months Old,  Pit Bull Mix, Male


It’s hard to imagine a dog more darling than Riley. And this outgoing youngster has a precious personality to match! Riley is full of charm and would be delighted to fill your life with a little more joy and spontaneity. Riley was found by a very kind lady who took him in and tried for several days to track down his family. Surprisingly, no one stepped forward to claim this extraordinary pup. During his stay, Riley was the perfect guest. He got along with the neighborhood cats, household dog and was respectful of everyone’s belongings. Riley’s hero described him as a very loving and polite companion. Although she couldn't keep him, Riley’s finder wanted to offer him the best chance at finding a loving family and brought him to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. She checks in on him from time to time and can’t wait for the day Riley finds his perfect person. Could it be you? HSSA is located at 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd. 

Shakespeare returns to the park tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 19 with "King Lear."

OK, here's part for the CliffsNotes summary on the story of another one of those quirky British kings:

King Lear opens with a conversation between the earls of Kent and Gloucester, in which the audience learns that Gloucester has two sons: Edgar, who is his legitimate heir, and Edmund, his younger illegitimate son. This information will provide the secondary or subplot. Next, King Lear enters to state that he intends to remove himself from life's duties and concerns. Pointing at a map, Lear tells those in attendance that he has divided his kingdom into three shares, to be parceled out to his three daughters, as determined by their protestations of love. The two elder daughters, Goneril and Regan, exaggerate their love by telling their father that their affection for him exceeds all reasonable expectations. The youngest daughter, Cordelia, tells Lear that she loves him, but only as a daughter should love a father. Lear, angry and disappointed at what he deems a lack of devotion on Cordelia's part, divides his kingdom equally between Goneril and Regan, and banishes Cordelia. Later, France agrees to marry the now dowerless and banished Cordelia. When Kent attempts to defend Cordelia, Lear banishes him as well. Meanwhile, Goneril and Regan decide that if Lear becomes too much of a nuisance, they will have to decide what disciplinary actions to take.

The play, brought to you by El Rio Theater Project, is the group’s 8th year bringing theater to the park’s outdoor amphitheater at 1000 N. Tucson Blvd. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. $5 suggested donation.

The play runs two weeks, Friday Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 21 and Friday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.

Congratulations, Arizona Public Media, on the recent announcement that our local PBS station received a record 23 Emmy nominations—the most in the nonprofit category's history from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Rocky Mountain chapter. And big congratulatory hugs to former Tucson Weekly intern Mariana Dale, who worked on an Emmy-nominated segment.

From AZPM's announcement:

"I am extremely pleased to report that AZPM staff were again recognized with more Emmy nominations than any other station in Tucson and more than any other public broadcaster in the region," AZPM General Manager Jack Gibson said. "With 23 program/story nominations, and with 36 staff members nominated, this is the best performance in AZPM's history."

The nominees include three current or former UA students. On average, AZPM employs 16 UA students on its production team, where they learn hands-on about all facets of television production.

Mariana Dale, who graduated from the UA in May with a bachelor's degree in journalism, worked on the Emmy-nominated segment "Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Band" while a student employee at AZPM.

"It's always great to be recognized for the work you do, especially when you know you put a lot of hard work into something," Dale said.

"Working at AZPM was immensely helpful," added Dale, who now works as a reporter at The Arizona Republic. "Their storytellers are just wonderful. They really push you to think about how you can produce for radio, TV and print. It stretches you to figure out different ways how to tell a story."

Arizona Public Media is a part of the UA's University Relations division.

University Relations, Communications, also is nominated for an Emmy in the Arts/Entertainment — News Single Story/Series/Feature category for the UANews video "Artists Draw from Life, Nature, Science on Tumamoc Hill," produced by Carina Johnson.

Each year, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognizes outstanding work in 90 television, production and creative communications categories. The winners will be announced at the Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards on Oct. 18 in Scottsdale.

This headline in Education Week kinda caught my eye: School Police in Los Angeles Will Give Up Grenade Launchers. That's nice, I thought, the school district giving up its grenade launchers. Not much call for those in schools.

Then the article continues:

But school police there plan to keep other supplies received from the federal agency—61 rifles and a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (or MRAP) vehicle, the paper reported:

"L.A. Unified says that the M-16 automatic rifles, which were modified to semiautomatic since they were acquired in 2001, are 'essential life-saving items' and will continue to be available to trained officers. The armored vehicle will be used only under extraordinary circumstances, officials said."

When the issue is surplus military equipment like Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles for police forces, at least there's an argument to be made, though I disagree with it. But schools?

This Guns R Us defense department giveaway is going on in school districts around the country, at the K-12 and college level. Here's a list of goodies given to Arizona colleges:

A review of state-level data on the Department of Defense Excess Property Program showed 70 M-16s going to ASU and nine M-16s going to Arizona Western College in Yuma. Pima Community College received nine M-14s that a school official said are used by an honor guard.

All this excess firepower lying around, not doing anyone any good. Maybe someone should propose an initiative to beat some of it into plowshares, or John Deere tractors, or iPads or something.

So this morning, the weather people came clean ... On KVOA New 4 Tucson's Facebook page, Jeff Beamish tried to explain it all away with science:

Meteorologist Jeff Beamish here. Yep, we were wrong Tucson & we're not afraid to admit it. For transparency's sake, here's an explanation of what happened...

Odile's remnants took an unexpected 70 mile shift southeast, putting the 2-5" rainfall amounts over Santa Cruz & Cochise Counties.

All those very important Pima County public information media alerts and planning, and those sandbags. Frankly, I think the county lucked out so it wouldn't have to explain drainage and infrastructure issues not far from Tucson's own potholes and river streets.

But seriously, Beamish. Science?

If Tucson really wants to examine what happened to our rain-loving city, maybe we need to collectively ask ourselves, "What would Pat Robertson say?"

God didn't want Tucson to have all that rain because it's that liberal lower half?

OK, science wins.