During Senator Joe McCarthy's communist witch hunts in the 1950s, he decided to go after the U.S. Army. The army hired Joseph Welch as its lawyer to make its case during what is known as the Army-McCarthy hearings. When McCarthy claimed one of Welch's attorneys was connected to a Communist group, Welch responded, "Have you no sense of decency?"

Welch's question could be asked just as appropriately of Donald Trump. His recent attacks on Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Gold Star parents whose son, Army Captain Humayun Khan, died in Iraq, contain a ghostly echo of McCarthy's attacks on the military. The echo grows louder when we hear more of what Welch said to McCarthy.

"Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. . . . Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

Change "Senator" to "Trump," change "this lad" to "the Khan family," and the words fit Trump like a glove.

Another possible echo: Welch's statement marked the beginning of the end of Joe McCarthy's popularity and his power. We're at a moment when the same thing may be happening to Donald Trump.

Actually, I wouldn't bother asking Trump, "Have you no sense of decency?" No point. He'd just blather on about how he's probably the most decent man you've ever met, how his decency built buildings and hired workers and helped make America great.

What's the future of the 3 a.m. phone call? The Simpsons wagers we're choosing between Bill and Hillary Clinton fighting over calls to the Situation Room or Donald Trump struggling to mold a dog into a toupee before it's "too late."

The choice is yours! Don't forget to register to vote before Oct. 10. 

A couple of great actresses make a fair script movie-worthy in this apocalyptic thriller from writer-director Patricia Rozema.

Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood star as Nell and Eva, two sisters living with their dad (Callum Rennie) in their home deep in the forest. One routine evening, they are enjoying the luxuries of modern civilization when, for some unknown reason, all of the power goes out. They react as people usually do to a power outage at first, busting out the flashlights and planning a trip for supplies. A mishap involving a car battery delays their trip, and when they finally make it into town, they discover the city has been swept of food and gasoline, with no end to the power outage in sight. Situations develop that lead to the girls living on their own, learning how to hunt for their own food, and fending for themselves.

Page and Wood, two actresses who haven’t gotten many roles to match their talents lately, rip into this movie with everything they’ve got. Their work here is a major triumph, even though the movie feels a little routine at times.

(Available for download and rent on iTunes and Amazon.com during a limited theatrical run)

Put kitty litter and a box of dog treats on your grocery list because you're getting a new pet. 

This Saturday, Aug. 6, Hermitage No Kill Cat Shelter, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Pima Paws for Life, and Pima Animal Care Center are participating in an Adopt, Don't Shop event.

The date of the adoption event matches up with the date SB 1248 takes effect. An "Adopt, Don't Shop" press release says: 

“Adopt, Don’t Shop” day also marks the effective date of Arizona’s harmful pro-puppy mill law, SB 1248. The law will prohibit cities, towns and counties from enacting ordinances banning the sale of commercially raised dogs and cats in pet stores and will void ordinances in Phoenix and Tempe. Due to the law, a draft pet store ordinance in Tucson that was pending the outcome of a lawsuit against the City of Phoenix will no longer take effect.

The public can avoid supporting cruel puppy mills by never buying a puppy in a pet store. Most pet store puppies come from commercial breeding facilities that force animals to spend their entire breeding lives in cramped wire cages, to have minimal food and water, to be exposed to extreme temperatures for prolonged periods of time, and to be given only minimal veterinary, dental care and grooming. Other pet stores who sell dogs and cats sourced locally are likely paying unlicensed “back-yard” breeders to produce popular breeds so that they have stock year round. These puppies and kittens leave the stores unaltered, unlike shelter-sourced animals, which must be altered before leaving. This practice contributes to the homeless pet issue and the costs to taxpayers and rescues.

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally has weighed in on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's ongoing feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan Kahn, the parents of heroic Muslim-American soldier Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan killed in Iraq in 2004.

"Our fallen heroes, and their families, deserve nothing but our highest respect," McSally said via email. "This is not a gray area, and there is no justification ever for attacking the family of someone who gave his or her life for this country."

In case you've somehow missed out on this episode, Trump in recent days has suggested that Ghazala Kahn was forbidden to speak—because of some weird Islamic Sharia Law thing!—during her husband's lambasting of Trump at the Democratic National Convention; he's said the Kahns had "no right" to speak out against him; he's compared the Kahn's loss of their son in the Iraq war to his own "sacrifice" in creating jobs; and he's told a TV station that Kahn was "most upset" by the idea that Trump would prevent terrorists from entering the country. His surrogates has suggested that Trump has sacrificed his first two marriages in all his job-creating stress and the Khizr Kahn is a secret agent of the Muslim Brotherhood. Oh, and during a rally with GOP vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence, a crowd booed the mother of a soldier serving overseas because she asked Pence about the Kahn family and Trump's general disrespect toward the military. 

McSally has said she won't endorse Trump, but she may vote for him.

Pearson Education, part of Pearson PLC, one of the world's largest education companies, bet big on Common Core testing as well as textbooks and other materials tailored to boost scores on Common Core tests. Right now, the British company is in a bit of trouble.

The stock price for Pearson PLC, the world’s largest education business, dropped precipitously Friday after its announcement of a 7 percent decline in underlying sales to about $2.5 billion for the first half of 2016.

Reuters reported that the company’s shares were the biggest losers on Britain’s Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 for the day. Analysts were disappointed that the decline was 2 percent larger than had been anticipated.

Another article hints at the reason for the company's revenue loss.

Political and economic problems have combined to derail the group's plans to sell text books and mark exams in the United States, and the group blamed a drop in revenue from exam marking in the U.S. and Britain, its top two markets, for its disappointing first-half performance.

I don't know much about the situation in Britain, but it's pretty clear what's happened on this side of the pond. With education funding just beginning to recover from the 2009 downturn, it's harder to get schools to buy stuff. More important, Pearson was supposed to be one of the major beneficiaries of Common Core spending. It expected to dominate the market with its high stakes tests, along with educational materials schools would purchase by the truckload to help students boost their scores. But it got pummeled by the double-whammy uproar over Common Core from the right and the left. States have pulled out of what was supposed to be a nationwide common set of standards, and many of them decided to go with other tests from other sources. It looked like a sure thing, but it's looking more and more like Pearson bet on the wrong pony.

There's a new exhibit opening at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (2021 N. Kinney Road) this Friday: Stingray Touch. 

What do you think of when you visualize the desert? Cacti? Breathtaking sunsets? Elusive Gila monsters?

At the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, you can experience those things, as well as the touch of a stingray. Although the Sonoran Desert may be known for its dry climate, the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) and the stingrays that flow through it are critically important and the primary reason the Sonoran Desert has been named the “lushest desert on earth.”

The museum's stingray pool will feature cownose rays that are regularly debarbed—a process the museum says is comparable to giving them a stingray fingernail trim. 

If you're at the exhibit at the right time you might be able to help out at mealtime—but make sure you arrive early because the museum will be keeping a close eye on how much food the stingrays get.

Admission to the exhibit is $3 ($2 for members), and one portion of stingray food is the same price. Get a look at the exhibit hours and feeding times on the Desert Museum's website. 

While Pokémon Go hasn't even been out a month yet, the franchise has been around for years, together both the new app and the original games and movies have a large fan base. Tucson is no exception. 

It's hard to go almost anywhere without seeing someone with their head buried in their phone trying to find the nearest Pokémon. 

Tucson businesses have picked up on this offering specials for those playing or simply using their many poke stops and a few lures to their advantage. 

While you can go to parks round Tucson or even attend Reid Park Zoo's Pokémon Go Safari Nights every Saturday to hunt, you can also party with other Pokémon trainers at the Loft. 

On Wednesday, Aug. 3 the Loft Cinema (3233 E. Speedway Blvd.) is hosting a Pokémon party for all those with Pokémon fever. 

Serving as both a PokéStop and a gym, the Loft is hosting a Pokémon-themed Cosplay costume on stage and showing the classic 2002 Pokémon theatrical release, Pokémon Heroes: The Movie!

Regular admission prices apply. Tickets and more information can be found on the Loft website.

Hi again! Remember me? I'm Beth!

I'm a sweet 2-year-old girl and I need a home! I keep getting looking over at the shelter while I'm in my kennel, probably because I like nap for most of the day!

I'm a very sweet and smart dog and would do great in a home where I can get some exercise time and a lot of love! I will make a very loyal pet to the right family.

I've been in the shelter for long enough so if your'e considering adopting a dog please think about coming to meet me!

Contact the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Main Campus at 520-327-6088 ext. 173 to check on my availability and exact location!

Lots of love,
Beth (822604)

National Night Out, an annual day dedicated to trying to strengthen community-police partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie is this Tuesday, Aug. 2.  The community building campaign aims to make neighborhoods safer and overall better places to live. 

The national campaign, which has been celebrated for 33 years, believes the safety of a community depends on knowing your neighbors, surroundings and local law enforcement. 

Midvale Park Neighborhood is hoping to take the opportunity to bring police and neighbors together with an event from 5 to 8 p.m. at Grijalva Park, 5775 S. Oaktree Drive. 

Providing a fun filled night full of food, safety demos and community, the group has received support from tons of neighborhood organizations and businesses such as the Tucson Police Department, Pima Count Sheriffs Department and O.K. Corral. 

Event organizers are asking anyone interested in volunteering at the event to reach out via Facebook.