Tuesday, June 21, 2016
An event triggers a memory of family in her little brain, and she sets off on a journey to find her mom and dad (voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy). Pals Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) join Dory on her quest, which culminates in an aquarium amusement park graced with voice announcements by the actual Sigourney Weaver. Dory winds up in a touch pond, in a bucket of dead fish, and swimming around in a lot of dark pipe work. In some ways, this is to Finding Nemo what The Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars. It’s a darker, slightly scarier chapter, but it still delivers on the heartwarming elements, and contains some good laughs, many of them provided by Ed O’Neil voicing a conniving octopus. We also find out the origins of Dory’s ability to speak whale as she reconvenes with an old friend, Destiny the Whale Shark (Kaitlin Olson).
Overall, it’s not as good as the first one, but it’s still good, and DeGeneres still rules as the voice of Dory. Her voicing of this character definitely goes into the Animation Voices Hall of Fame. MAKE SURE TO STAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CREDITS FOR A RATHER LENGTHY FINAL SCENE.
In an effort to suppress ongoing Border Patrol abuse and corruption, the federal immigration agency has a new boss: Mark Morgan, a senior FBI official who leads the bureau's training division. It will be the first time in 92 years that an "outsider" heads the troubled Border Patrol, according to an article on the Los Angeles Times.
As the article says, Morgan is inheriting an agency accused of not doing much to fight corruption by drug cartels and human smugglers, as well as downplaying fatal shootings of unarmed people, including 16-year-old boy José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, who was killed in October 2012 in a crossborder shooting in Ambos Nogales, where Border Patrol agent Lonnie Ray Swartz shot José Antonio 10 times through the border fence. José Antonio collapsed on a sidewalk in Calle Internacional in Nogales, Sonora. He died of fatal wounds to the head, lungs and arteries. Swartz's trial for second-degree murder begins Nov. 7. Border agents allege José Antonio was throwing rocks in their direction.
There have also been several lawsuits against Border Patrol over racially profiling people of color driving through checkpoints.
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection R. Gil Kerlikowske, who appointed Morgan to lead Border Patrol, said in a statement that Morgan has "strong law enforcement and leadership credentials," according to the LA Times article.
The Border Patrol union wasn't as happy, saying Kerlikowske ignored viable candidates within the agency, such as Ronald D. Vitiello, a Border Patrol veteran who has served as acting chief, the LA Times article reports.
"How can someone who has never made an immigration arrest in his career expect to lead an agency whose primary duty is to make immigration arrests? said Joshua Wilson, a spokesman for the Border Patrol union's chapter in San Diego, according to the LA Times article.
Good luck, Morgan.
Tags: mark morgan , border patrol , us customs and border protection , r gil kerlikowske , jose antonio elena rodriguez , los angeles time , racially profiling , impunity , nogales
Monday, June 20, 2016
The Downtown Food Truck Rally is Tuesday, June 21 from 10:30 am to 1:30 p.m at Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave.
Tucson's best food trucks will be lined up tomorrow along Pennington Street in front of the library.
Don't worry if you're going to be out of the office or out of town, the City of Tucson and food truck Meatball Madness (who partnered to bring you the delicious array culinary options) will also be hosting a Food Truck Rally on Tuesday, June 28 as well.
If the food trucks don't quite fill you up and you're in the mood for some non-locals eats, head on over to Chili's, 5975 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive for their Give Back Day for Orlando, where 10 percent of your check will go towards the OneOrlando fund if you mention the flyer to them.
For more information on the rally of food trucks click here, and for more details on how to eat and donate to Orlando victims and their families click here.
Tags: Food , rally , Food trucks , Orlando , downtown Tucson , delicious
That bears repeating. The "school funding proposals" are a zero sum game. They're either manipulating education funding in the current budget, or the budget plus Prop 301 funding if that makes it through the court challenges. I have no doubt the governor will try to sell the proposals coming out of this meeting as the next step he was talking about. And actually, that will be accurate, in the sense that his plan for a next step has always been to step away from the issue of adding any more money to our near-bottom-of-the-barrel per student funding. Call this Ducey's "Face it, you're not gonna get any more money from the general fund, so get over it" next step.
After Prop 301 passed on May 17, education and business interests submitted funding proposals to the Classrooms First Initiative Council. Basically, they're all asking that their favorite pieces of the funding pie be saved or increased. Virtual/online schools want to make sure their funding isn't cut. Urban schools are asking that the poverty level of students be figured into the financing formula. Rural schools want their extra costs be considered. And so on.
Here are a few things you can be reasonably sure will come out of the June 21 meeting—unless it delays its decisions as it has in the past.
Tags: Doug Ducey , Classrooms First Initiative Council , Prop 301 , Lisa Graham Keegan , Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Although the forced migration crisis seems a world away on Mediterranean shores, our borderland home is just as crucial an area for refugee and migrant rights. Having seen just a piece of the international crisis in the Middle East this past month, it is apparent that the scope of this problem is constantly evolving and has many faces, many of which are slowly losing the eye of global concern. According to a representative from UNICEF in Beirut, 44,000 Syrian women give birth every year, steadily increasing the population of vulnerable youth that wander the streets and valleys of Lebanon, just a fraction of the 12.5 million Syrians now displaced from their homes.
On our own border, according to the Pew Research Center, apprehensions of unaccompanied minors and families shot up to 78 percent this year. Mirroring our own surge, the number of unaccompanied minors crossing into Europe reached 96,000 in 2015, a number that accounts for almost half of the total number of minors crossing since 2008.
Although arguably everyday should be a reminder of the many displaced lives in our international community, today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. As such, it is particularly important to remember our shared responsibility to remain committed to the struggles of forced migrants on our own border and beyond.
Today, pay a visit to Iskashitaa and learn about their volunteer opportunities, drop off clothes to the Islamic Center of Tucson, or call WorldCare about sustained donations. If anything, read a few more stories about the plights of refugees today. If enough concerned news consumers continue to keep the conversation going on the epidemic of displacement, then we might not need an international refugee day to remind us of the crises at our own backdoors.
Tags: refugees , crisis , international , volunteer
Summer is the most concerning time for immigration rights and humanitarian groups like Humane Borders and No Más Muertes/No More Deaths. The latter leaves gallons of water (all with messages of encouragement), canned food and medicine in desert areas migrants are likely to walk through. Humane Borders volunteers fill up water tanks that hold 30+ gallons, also in areas where they notice a pattern of high migrant activity. If volunteers come across migrants who need medical attention, they're prepared to help. Then, there are also times when they have to get Border Patrol involved to save people's lives.
On Thursday, I went on a 12-hour water run to the western part of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument with Joel Smith of Humane Borders. The organization also has water tanks in other portions of Organ Pipe, as well as in the desert of Altar Valley in Sasabe, and in Ironwood Forest National Monument, near Marana.
This water saves humans. The issue of humanitarian aid shouldn't be up for discussion, even as politics continuously dehumanize migrants.
I'm eternally grateful to people like Joel, who volunteer entire days to try to save as many valuable lives as possible.
Tags: joel smith , humane borders , no more deaths , no mas muertes , organ pipe cactus national monument , immigration , tucson , arizona
It's more than 100 degrees outside, making it officially too hot to turn on the oven—but you can still have pizza at home.
Grandma Tony's Pizza & Wings new Oro Valley location (13005 N. Oracle Road) has gifted us a few certificates for carry out pizzas. Want one? Enter here:
I recently wrote about a Menlo Park Neighborhood Association meeting I attended a couple of weeks ago, where Menlo residents and Rio Nuevo Board representatives discussed mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar's regional headquarter's upcoming move to West Side Tucson.
Much of the city is celebrating the fact that Caterpillar chose the Old Pueblo over others like Phoenix and Denver to bring what could mean $600 million in economic impact and 600 well-paying jobs—many of which will already be taken by existing Caterpillar employees, who will begin relocating to Tucson this summer.
My focus of the article revolved around a handful of residents who are concerned about what this will mean to the historic Menlo Park: everything from hikes in property tax and rent costs that will push old-time residents out to environmental and gentrification concerns. (Is this part of the trend to kill as much of Tucson's Native American and Mexican American cultural heritage as possible?)
Abby Okrent with the Jewish Voice for Peace-Tucson pointed out another huge issue of much global scale regarding Caterpillar and whether or not a city like Tucson should be rejoicing over their move here: there is a global campaign against Caterpillar for "its complicity in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
Tags: caterpillar , menlo park neighborhood association , west bank , gaza srip , israel , palestine , jewish voice for peace tucson , tucson
Hi, I'm P.D.!
I've been living at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona since February and I'm so ready to find my forever home! I've gotten along well my kennel mates, enjoy play time and love going out for my walks!
I'm 1.5 years old and am completely house broken, plus I know how to sit and stay for treats!
If you're looking for a good dog to join your home I might be the perfect fit for your family! If you're interested in meeting me contact HSSA Main Campus at 327-6088 ext. 173!
Lots of love,
P.D. (820765)
Tags: tucson dogs , tucson pet adoptions , adopt don't shop , tucson pets , PD the pup , what will "PD" stand for if you adopt this dog?
Looking out on the Tucson streets, it may feel a bit like the city has become a dead zone. While pedestrians have taken shelter from the heat inside, now is actually a very interesting time in the region agriculturally, as some of the most unique native plants are now ready to harvest. Pre-monsoon harvests include the bahidaj (or saguaro fruit) that is pivotal in the Tohono O’odham new year season and can be harvested and made into syrup, candy or a wine-like fermented ceremonial drink. Unless you have a saguaro in your yard, though, you’ll want to be sure you’re allowed to harvest the fruit, as many saguaros, including those in the eponymous national park, are protected.
That doesn’t mean you’ll be out of the desert harvest all together, though. Just look around at all of the mesquite pods ready for the picking. If you missed last week’s Desert Harvesters guided tours of foragable pods and beans growing on trees around town, you can still learn plenty at the 14th annual Mesquite Milling and Wild Foods and Drink Fiesta. There, the local nonprofit will be set up at Mercado San Agustin (100 S. Ave. del Convento) during the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market. From 4 until 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, on-site mesquite pod milling will transform all of your plucked pods into sweet, nutty flour for $3 per gallon of whole pods milled with a $10 minimum.
This special event, which goes to benefit Desert Harvesters in their mission to promote native foods and water security in the region, will also feature mesquite pod tasting, aflatoxin testing (to ensure the flour you’ve milled is safe), craft beer made with wild ingredients from Iron Johns and mesquite and chiltepin flavored cold brew from Exo Roast Co. A variety of other native and wild foods products will be for sale, such as date vinegar, cholla buds, desert lavender tea, carob powder and chiltepines. The Pima County Public Library’s seed library will be there to offer up instruction on hands-on bean tree propagation with a giveaway of food-producing native trees, as well.
More information on harvesting and milling mesquite, as well as this event, can be found on the Desert Harvesters website.
Tags: desert harvesters , mesquite , pod , milling , mercado san agustin , farmers market , wild food , harvesting , native
