Tuesday, September 13, 2016
When it comes to school funding, Ducey has spoken: No. New. Money. But the voters have spoken too, for the second time. They want: More. New. Money.
Immovable object, meet unstoppable force. Something, or someone, has got to give on the school funding front.
Back in 2015, a Morrison Institute poll found that 74 percent of Arizona voters wanted the state to spend more on K-12 education. It was Governor Ducey's fondest wish that he could throw the people a portion of the money the state owed to the schools via Prop 123, mainly using the state land trust fund instead of the state budget, the peasants would be satisfied and he could get back to the important business of giving tax cuts to his rich friends. Looks like it didn't quite work out that way.
The latest Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll found—drum roll, please—74 percent of voters still think we spend too little on K-12 education, just like they did in 2015. Even among Ducey's people, the Republicans, 63 percent say we're not spending enough. Among Democrats, the number is 88 percent. When Ducey told everyone Prop 123 was only the first step, implying, deceptively, that he thought the next step should be more money, the voters apparently agreed.
So what's next? Voters aren't actually an unstoppable force. Elected officials block the will of the people on a regular basis. And politicians aren't entirely immovable. Fear of losing an election has been known to move them a few feet in one direction or the other. So who's going to give, and how much?
Immovable object, meet unstoppable force. Something, or someone, has got to give on the school funding front.
Back in 2015, a Morrison Institute poll found that 74 percent of Arizona voters wanted the state to spend more on K-12 education. It was Governor Ducey's fondest wish that he could throw the people a portion of the money the state owed to the schools via Prop 123, mainly using the state land trust fund instead of the state budget, the peasants would be satisfied and he could get back to the important business of giving tax cuts to his rich friends. Looks like it didn't quite work out that way.
The latest Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll found—drum roll, please—74 percent of voters still think we spend too little on K-12 education, just like they did in 2015. Even among Ducey's people, the Republicans, 63 percent say we're not spending enough. Among Democrats, the number is 88 percent. When Ducey told everyone Prop 123 was only the first step, implying, deceptively, that he thought the next step should be more money, the voters apparently agreed.
So what's next? Voters aren't actually an unstoppable force. Elected officials block the will of the people on a regular basis. And politicians aren't entirely immovable. Fear of losing an election has been known to move them a few feet in one direction or the other. So who's going to give, and how much?
Tags: Doug Ducey , School funding , Prop 123 , Don Shooter
When I was younger my mother always told me, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Now, at that time, I don't think my mother was referring to a cellular device. But, as time has progressed, that definitely seems to be the only Apple people care about these days.
On Sept. 7 the heavily anticipated iPhone 7 was finally announced. But, like many high profile electronic releases it did not come without making some noise. Since the iPhone's release in 2007, the company has done nothing but take the world on a journey of innovation, whether good or bad is up to the eye of the beholder.
At this point the question can even be raised if Apple is solely innovating just to continuously innovate, and also if the consumer is actually cognizant of these changes being made.
Yes, everyone is aware of new things such as the water resistant capabilities, and the loss of the headphone jack, but other than that are people truly aware of all the differences?
Take these unsuspecting people on Jimmy Kimmel. They had absolutely no idea that the phone they received back was the exact same phone they had in their hands before. In the video they spoke about supposed innovations that in reality were not even true. They were even willing to pay $50 for the "new iPhone 7" just because of a name.
Over the years, Apple has built such a strong brand that even though people are aware that the changes are not noticeable or a necessity, they will still purchase a new device.
Are you guilty of falling victim to the Apple name game or do you think it has gone too far?
On Sept. 7 the heavily anticipated iPhone 7 was finally announced. But, like many high profile electronic releases it did not come without making some noise. Since the iPhone's release in 2007, the company has done nothing but take the world on a journey of innovation, whether good or bad is up to the eye of the beholder.
At this point the question can even be raised if Apple is solely innovating just to continuously innovate, and also if the consumer is actually cognizant of these changes being made.
Yes, everyone is aware of new things such as the water resistant capabilities, and the loss of the headphone jack, but other than that are people truly aware of all the differences?
Take these unsuspecting people on Jimmy Kimmel. They had absolutely no idea that the phone they received back was the exact same phone they had in their hands before. In the video they spoke about supposed innovations that in reality were not even true. They were even willing to pay $50 for the "new iPhone 7" just because of a name.
Over the years, Apple has built such a strong brand that even though people are aware that the changes are not noticeable or a necessity, they will still purchase a new device.
Are you guilty of falling victim to the Apple name game or do you think it has gone too far?
Tags: iPhone , iPhone 7 , Apple , technology , innovation , Video
Talking Points Memo catches up with Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who has been one of the few Republicans willing to condemn GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump:
Flake talks about how his Mormon faith has influenced his thoughts on Trump:
But, in a candid, Capitol Hill interview with TPM, Flake offered what he has all campaign season, honesty and insight into what it is like to be one of the few elected Republicans in Washington willing to call out his own party's nominee for president.
"I am in a position to do it," Flake said. "I'm not up for re-election. ... I'm the first to wonder if I would do the same thing if I were up for re-election. I'd like to think I would, but I don't know."
In a campaign cycle when the Republican Party has bent, flipped and tied itself into knots to validate their support for Trump, the typically congenial and restrained Flake has emerged on Capitol Hill as kind of GOP conscience, warning his party that their blind allegiance to Trump may cost the party in the future. While Flake's colleagues briskly bypass the Capitol press corps, Flake has sometimes reluctantly, but consistently been willing to call Trump what he is: a liability.
"When he made the kind of statements he's made regarding minorities, women, POWs, others, somebody has to stand up and call him out," Flake said. "Republican have a tough time building a coalition that can win general elections. We've lost the last two. We cannot afford to go out of our way to offend groups that should be part of our coalition."
Flake talks about how his Mormon faith has influenced his thoughts on Trump:
So where is the race between five-term U.S. Sen. John McCain and his Democratic challenger, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick?
Two recently released polls tell very different stories: An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll showed McCain with a huge 19-point lead over Kirkpatrick. The survey of 946 registered voters, taken between Sept. 6 and Sept. 8, showed that 57 percent were supporting McCain, while 38 percent were supporting Kirkpatrick.
But a Public Policy Polling survey of 837 likely voters, taken between Aug. 26-28, showed McCain and Kirkpatrick knotted up at 43 percent apiece.
Clearly they can’t both be right—but they could both be wrong. The NBC poll used live callers, while PPP used robocall technology, so the edge goes to NBC in that respect. But a 19-point lead much higher than other polls that have surveyed the race and given McCain, on average, a 13.7-point edge over Kirkpatrick, according to Real Clear Politics averaging of surveys. That’s in line with a 13-point edge that a CNN poll gave McCain in a mid-August survey.
Team McCain has generally been dismissive of PPP surveys, with spokesperson Lorna Romero discounting the firm as a left-leaning operation used by Democrats that produces “fake” and “bogus” polls.
Team Kirkpatrick, meanwhile, was critical of the NBC poll.
"This poll is a complete outlier, and its sample is in no way representative of the likely voters in this race,” Kirkpatrick spokesman D.B. Mitchell said via email. “Laughably, it has John McCain with a 5-point lead among Latino voters—despite McCain trailing that demographic by double digits. … In reality, McCain's support among Latino voters is cratering because of his unwavering support for Donald Trump and his brazen attempts to portray his immigration position differently in English and Spanish. Arizona voters want a new, principled voice in the U.S. Senate not a consummate Washington politician, and that's why McCain’s Washington backers and his Super PAC have been forced to spend millions of dollars to prop him up in a desperate attempt to save McCain’s political career.”
Team McCain swung back with a response from Romero via email saying that although Kirkpatrick "has spent her three unremarkable terms in Congress siding with her party bosses at every opportunity, Arizonans either don’t know her or don’t support her record of serving as a rubber stamp for the liberal establishment."
“In English and Spanish, John McCain has consistently championed the need for a secure border and immigration reform," Romero continued. "John McCaIn is honored to have the support of so many in Arizona’s Hispanic community, and he’s always worked to advance the priorities of growing Arizona’s economy, supporting small businesses, ensuring all children have access to a quality education, protecting our nation from terror threats, and reforming our broken immigration system.”
Whatever the numbers are, both McCain and Kirkpatrick are running full steam. In the wake of his big win the primary, McCain has adopted the narrative that he would stand as a check against President Hillary Clinton—which suggests that he isn’t counting on Donald Trump winning in November. (McCain seems increasingly irritated by questions about his endorsement of Trump; in a recent exchange with reporters, he said he hadn’t been paying attention to Trump’s weird embrace of Putin, whom McCain dismissed as a “murderer and a thug.”) He’s also hammering away at Kirkpatrick for her support of Obamacare and the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran.
Two recently released polls tell very different stories: An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll showed McCain with a huge 19-point lead over Kirkpatrick. The survey of 946 registered voters, taken between Sept. 6 and Sept. 8, showed that 57 percent were supporting McCain, while 38 percent were supporting Kirkpatrick.
But a Public Policy Polling survey of 837 likely voters, taken between Aug. 26-28, showed McCain and Kirkpatrick knotted up at 43 percent apiece.
Clearly they can’t both be right—but they could both be wrong. The NBC poll used live callers, while PPP used robocall technology, so the edge goes to NBC in that respect. But a 19-point lead much higher than other polls that have surveyed the race and given McCain, on average, a 13.7-point edge over Kirkpatrick, according to Real Clear Politics averaging of surveys. That’s in line with a 13-point edge that a CNN poll gave McCain in a mid-August survey.
Team McCain has generally been dismissive of PPP surveys, with spokesperson Lorna Romero discounting the firm as a left-leaning operation used by Democrats that produces “fake” and “bogus” polls.
Team Kirkpatrick, meanwhile, was critical of the NBC poll.
"This poll is a complete outlier, and its sample is in no way representative of the likely voters in this race,” Kirkpatrick spokesman D.B. Mitchell said via email. “Laughably, it has John McCain with a 5-point lead among Latino voters—despite McCain trailing that demographic by double digits. … In reality, McCain's support among Latino voters is cratering because of his unwavering support for Donald Trump and his brazen attempts to portray his immigration position differently in English and Spanish. Arizona voters want a new, principled voice in the U.S. Senate not a consummate Washington politician, and that's why McCain’s Washington backers and his Super PAC have been forced to spend millions of dollars to prop him up in a desperate attempt to save McCain’s political career.”
Team McCain swung back with a response from Romero via email saying that although Kirkpatrick "has spent her three unremarkable terms in Congress siding with her party bosses at every opportunity, Arizonans either don’t know her or don’t support her record of serving as a rubber stamp for the liberal establishment."
“In English and Spanish, John McCain has consistently championed the need for a secure border and immigration reform," Romero continued. "John McCaIn is honored to have the support of so many in Arizona’s Hispanic community, and he’s always worked to advance the priorities of growing Arizona’s economy, supporting small businesses, ensuring all children have access to a quality education, protecting our nation from terror threats, and reforming our broken immigration system.”
Whatever the numbers are, both McCain and Kirkpatrick are running full steam. In the wake of his big win the primary, McCain has adopted the narrative that he would stand as a check against President Hillary Clinton—which suggests that he isn’t counting on Donald Trump winning in November. (McCain seems increasingly irritated by questions about his endorsement of Trump; in a recent exchange with reporters, he said he hadn’t been paying attention to Trump’s weird embrace of Putin, whom McCain dismissed as a “murderer and a thug.”) He’s also hammering away at Kirkpatrick for her support of Obamacare and the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran.
Roy Gullane, founder and guitarist of the Tannahill Weavers, a Scottish trad band, was rolling down the high
way from Estes Park, Colorado, when he phoned into the Tucson Weekly Monday. Spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains were flying by the windows as the band van sped south.
“Beautiful,” he declared, praising the American peaks in the thick accent of Glasgow, his hometown. The Tannahill Weavers, a much-honored band now in the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, had just left a weekend Scottish music festival, their first gig in a multi-week American tour.
After a few stops in New Mexico this week, they’ll hit Tucson Friday night, Sept. 16, for a double bill of Celtic music at the Berger Performing Arts Center. The Outside Track, a young band that played Tucson two years ago, will contribute mostly Irish tunes, and Tannahill Weavers will do the Scottish honors. Each band gets about an hour of stage time.
The Scottish mountains, by coincidence, have a lot to do with the music that the Tannahill Weavers play.
“Celtic and Anglo came together” in traditional Scottish music, Gullane said. The Gaelic speakers in the Highlands had their own music, he explained, and the English and Scots speakers in the Lowlands had theirs. When the highlanders were forced out of their mountain lands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the two cultures meshed and merged.
Many of the beloved Scottish songs that the band sings, from “Wild Mountain Tyme” to “When the Kye Come Home,” have their origins in this fertile culture clash. The band also writes new songs in the traditional vein. They don’t sing any Gaelic tunes but they do perform many in Scots, a dialect that some call a separate language.
“It’s a variant of English,” Gullane said, “with some German and Scandinavian. It’s a mishmash. The Vikings had something to do with it.”
“Beautiful,” he declared, praising the American peaks in the thick accent of Glasgow, his hometown. The Tannahill Weavers, a much-honored band now in the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, had just left a weekend Scottish music festival, their first gig in a multi-week American tour.
After a few stops in New Mexico this week, they’ll hit Tucson Friday night, Sept. 16, for a double bill of Celtic music at the Berger Performing Arts Center. The Outside Track, a young band that played Tucson two years ago, will contribute mostly Irish tunes, and Tannahill Weavers will do the Scottish honors. Each band gets about an hour of stage time.
The Scottish mountains, by coincidence, have a lot to do with the music that the Tannahill Weavers play.
“Celtic and Anglo came together” in traditional Scottish music, Gullane said. The Gaelic speakers in the Highlands had their own music, he explained, and the English and Scots speakers in the Lowlands had theirs. When the highlanders were forced out of their mountain lands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the two cultures meshed and merged.
Many of the beloved Scottish songs that the band sings, from “Wild Mountain Tyme” to “When the Kye Come Home,” have their origins in this fertile culture clash. The band also writes new songs in the traditional vein. They don’t sing any Gaelic tunes but they do perform many in Scots, a dialect that some call a separate language.
“It’s a variant of English,” Gullane said, “with some German and Scandinavian. It’s a mishmash. The Vikings had something to do with it.”
Tags: Tannahill Weavers , Scottish trad band , The Outside Track of Ireland and Scotland
One would expect great things form a film featuring Rachel Weisz and Michael Shannon, but the end result is just sort of weird.
Weisz plays Alice, a woman who has been reinventing herself for the past 15 years, assuming new identities and occupations all over the world. She winds up at a dinner party where Tom (Shannon) has some major suspicions about her.
Director Joshua Martin’s movie feels like it’s meandering a bit too much all too often, and the performers feel a little listless and lost. Shannon and Weisz have a couple of very good scenes together, but it’s all for naught because the characterizations never feel complete. Alice would seem to be a chance for Weisz to really cut loose, but the character is written with no real charms or intelligence. She’s just a boring, uncreative liar, and any statement the film is trying to make about the meaning of one’s identity falls flat. Shannon is good here, but Shannon is always good. He, too, is never really allowed to do much with his time in the film.
There are some walk-ons by some fairly well known actors and actresses late in the film, and that provides an interesting jolt, but not enough to pump any real life into the movie.
Tags: Rachel Weisz , Michael Shannon , Joshua Martin , Video
Monday, September 12, 2016
Hi, I'm Lola!
I'm a pretty 5-year-old girl and I need a home! I really love people and snuggles and I can't wait to move into a home where I feel safe and happy.
I like to take a lot of naps underneath my blanket so if you stop by the shelter please ask an adoption counselor to move my little house so you can meet me!
If you're looking for an affectionate cat to join your home I might be the perfect fit. Contact the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Main Campus at 327-6088 ext. 173 to check on my availability and exact location!
Lots of love,
Lola (722095)
Tags: adoptable pets , pets for adoption , tucson cats
Tucson is full of outdoor attractions that go unseen and under appreciated. With its beautiful saguaro forests, incredible mountain ranges surrounding the city and unforgettable sunsets, it is most definitely an alluring destination.
Here are 3 places any Tucson local or tourist should visit if they are searching for a new adventure and want to learn more about the history of this beautiful city.
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
Saguaro National Park is a must see destination if you are new to the area, or want to understand Tucson's history on a new level. This large park is separated by the city with the Rincon Mountain District to the East and the Tucson Mountain Ranges to the West. Both places offer a variety of hiking and biking trails along with horseback riding and breathtaking desert views. The Rincon district is the most visited area of the two, and offers visitors the opportunity to experience both desert and country forest in the same day. The Tucson district, on the other hand, has more historical meaning behind it. Visitors can see hundreds of petroglyphs left by ancient Native tribes, which can be seen from the Signal Hill picnic area or from neighboring hiking trails!
Address:
- Rincon Mountain District (East), 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail
- Tucson Mountain District (West), 2700 N. Kinney Road
Here are 3 places any Tucson local or tourist should visit if they are searching for a new adventure and want to learn more about the history of this beautiful city.
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
Saguaro National Park is a must see destination if you are new to the area, or want to understand Tucson's history on a new level. This large park is separated by the city with the Rincon Mountain District to the East and the Tucson Mountain Ranges to the West. Both places offer a variety of hiking and biking trails along with horseback riding and breathtaking desert views. The Rincon district is the most visited area of the two, and offers visitors the opportunity to experience both desert and country forest in the same day. The Tucson district, on the other hand, has more historical meaning behind it. Visitors can see hundreds of petroglyphs left by ancient Native tribes, which can be seen from the Signal Hill picnic area or from neighboring hiking trails!
Address:
- Rincon Mountain District (East), 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail
- Tucson Mountain District (West), 2700 N. Kinney Road
Sports fans! It feels like it has been a little while since we've done this.
We're giving away two pairs of tickets to see the Diamondbacks play the Rockies on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 6:40 p.m. at Chase Field (401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix). We'll get in touch with the winner midday on Tuesday, Sept. 13 so be by your phone!
We're giving away two pairs of tickets to see the Diamondbacks play the Rockies on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 6:40 p.m. at Chase Field (401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix). We'll get in touch with the winner midday on Tuesday, Sept. 13 so be by your phone!
Fill out my online form.
Tags: go see a sports game
If you are a fan of directors like David Cronenberg and Dario Argento, then you might be able to make it through this rather unpleasant horror-comedy.
A party girl (Natasha Lyonne) blacks out at a rambunctious gathering and finds herself going through pregnancy symptoms shortly thereafter. Those symptoms go from standard nausea to skin peeling off and teeth falling out, and she eventually discovers there’s something well beyond standard procreating at play.
Chloe Sevigny costars as a fellow, low class party girl for director Danny Perez, whose film gets progressively gross up until the really, really gross birthing scene.
Argento and early Cronenberg were never my cup of tea; I just don’t get down with most body horror scenarios. That said, this film will certainly have an appeal to those who like their horror hardcore when it comes to the gore quotient. As for the story, it’s a muddled affair involving drug addicts, space aliens and Rosemary’s Baby-like setups.
Don’t watch this if you hated movies like The Human Centipede, Rabid and Deep Red. If that sort of extreme horror isn’t to your liking, this is liable to put you in a really bad mood.
