Monday, October 8, 2018
The organizers of the festival had no choice but to choose a new location. The city informed them that it would not be able to issue them a permit to host the event at El Presidio Park this year because of the parking garage underneath the park. The concern is that, with Tucson Meet Yourself attendance growing every year, the park would literally not be able to hold the weight that will accompany the festival.
So if you were aware that the event moved and maybe upset because it has been hosted at El Presidio Park since 1974, keep in mind the organizers and city have your best interests in mind: they don't want you to fall through the ground!
On top of that, the new location will provide much more space for vendors, performers, and the public.
The new location is on North Stone and Church Avenues, between Congress and Alameda, and on Pennington Ave.
Tags: Tucson Meet Yourself , Festival , Downtown Tucson , Image
Tags: comics , cartoons , politics , political cartoon , Image
SeeHearSmellTouchTaste. Go beyond the traditional theater experience with this art installation where you can engage all of your senses in this presentation “spanning virtual reality and animatronics, urban agriculture and arid lands.” Hosted by UA Librarians, this event features members of the School of Art, the Cooperative Extension and Tucson Village Farm, and Arid Lands Resource Sciences. Three experts from different disciplines share their latest ideas at this interactive evening event at Playground Tucson Downtown. Hosted by Playground Bar & Lounge and the UA Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8. 278 E. Congress St. Details here.
Burger Madness Monday From 11 to 5 p.m. Melissa and steve from Nevada Smith Salloon will be serving “crystal burgers” after the burger party is over, wing madness Mondays begin with a dozen wings for just $4. The offer goes until 8 p.m. Every day of the week they offer different special. A great place to save some dimes but get a lot of food. 1175 Miracle Mile. Details here.
Tags: things to do , Tucson events , fun , shows , entertainment , Image
Friday, October 5, 2018
On the latest edition of Zona Politics: Arizona Daily Star reporter Hank Stephenson and Tucson Weekly Associate Editor Danyelle Khmara talk about the latest in Congressional Districts 1 and 2, the U.S. Senate, state Rep. Todd Clodfelter's recent Ashley Madison scandal, the battle over the voucher-expanding Prop 305 and more. Catch it at 6:30 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. Sundays on the Creative Tucson Network, Cox Channel 20 and Comcast/Xfinity Channel 74, listen at 5 p.m. Sundays on KXCI, 91.3 FM or watch online above.
Tags: Zona Politics , congressional district 2 , congressional district 1 , Lea Marquez Peterson , Ann Kirkpatrick , Martha McSally , Sinema , Tom O'Halleran , Wendy Rogers , Tucson news , Arizona news , Prop 305
That’s the trek you have to tackle if you walk from Cananea to the town of Magdalena de Kino, both located in Sonora, Mexico. But Daniel Alejandro Martinez Miranda isn’t deterred by days of walking beneath the sun, or by the seemingly permanent blisters that speckle his feet. After all, he’s been doing this for years.
Martinez Miranda is one of thousands who flock to Magdalena each autumn to honor the city’s patron St. Francis Xavier. Each year, as October 4th approaches, the narrow streets fill with peregrinos — pilgrims, and families camp out in tents in the shade of the city’s plaza. Vendors line the streets, selling rosaries, sweet blocks of quince paste, and, oddly enough, a variety football memorabilia.
Some have traveled even farther than Martinez Miranda — from Guaymas, Nogales, and the San Xavier reservation just south of Tucson. And the usually-sleepy town of Magdalena pulsates with life.
Check out these photos from the trek this year:
Tags: slideshow , Cananea , Madgalena de Kino , pilgrimage , trek , Slideshow , Image
Here are two overlapping stories. First, Tucsonan John Brakey, head of AUDIT-USA and longtime election integrity watchdog, recently received a cease-and-desist order from Election Systems & Software, one of the big three election machine companies. Second, a lengthy article in this week's New York Times magazine details the very problems Brakey is concerned about: ways voting machines can malfunction or be hacked which can change election results, turning winners into losers and losers into winners.
Brakey put instruction manuals for ES&S voting machines on his AUDIT-USA website. They look like the typical, detailed user manuals we get when we buy software packages, but ES&S doesn't want them in public view. The company wrote Brakey a cease-and-desist letter demanding he take the material down. If not, the company threatens to take him to court for copyright violation.
Has Brakey violated copyright law by posting the ES&S manuals? I won't venture a lay person's opinion, though I've talked with people who say, as with many copyright cases, there's not a clear answer. But another question has a clear answer for me. Should a company whose products are used to count votes in elections be allowed to work in secret, out of public view? My answer is no. When one of the foundations of our democracy, free and fair elections, is at stake, machines and software created by a private, for-profit vendor should not collect and tally votes under cover of darkness. If bad actors can change election results at will, it's game over for our democratic system.
Brakey's reaction to the cease-and-desist letter? If a company which works so hard to guard its secrecy wants to take him to court, that's fine with him.
The New York Times magazine article is titled, The Crisis of Election Security. The shoddy programming described in the article, the gaping security holes, the ease with which the machines can be hacked and votes altered, were serious problems when the voting systems were first put into common use. Today, when we know Russian hackers have their tendrils in our election systems, the possibility that election results can be changed by a foreign power is all the more frightening.
Tags: Election integrity , John Brakey , AUDIT-USA , Election Systems & Software , Image
In Arizona, 92,000 children have young adult parents (ages 18-24), and seven out of 10 of those children are in low-income families, according to a recent policy report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The Children's Action Alliance, which works to improve children's health, education and security, says the Arizona legislature has left nearly $56 million in child care funds unused and state budget cuts have lowered funding for initiatives that help young and low-income families.
The report, called "Opening Doors for Young Parent" also recommends ways that young parents can receive help in work and higher education, so they may find other ways to provide for their children.
“It’s time for candidates and elected leaders to make families a top priority,”said Dana Wolfe Naimark, President and CEO of Children's Action Alliance.
Tags: healthy families , childcare , education , Image
The event will be held, at Joel D, Valdez Main Library. Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. While the fun run starts at 7:30 a.m. The walk starts at 9:00 a.m. The Quilt Ceremony will be at 10:00 a.m.
The Quilt Ceremony is an event that honors those who have lost their lives to AIDS. During the ceremony a quilt will be displayed with the names of people who have lost the battle to AIDS. SAAF will also provide free HIV testing at TMY.
Early registration is from Oct. 10-Oct 12, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Walkers are able to fundraise for the AIDSWALK and depending on how much they make can receive incentives.
There are three levels of rewards. Level one, for those who raise $500+ will receive a AIDSWALK pennant and T-shirt. Level two is for those who raise $750+ and they will receive the level one rewards as well as an AIDSWALK30 towel. Finally, level 3 is for those who have raised $1000+ and will receive the AIDSWALK pennant, T-shirt, beach towel, and a duffle bag. The walker who raised the highest amount of money will also receive a surprise.
Funds raised for the walk go to care services, prevention programs, and LQBTQ initiatives of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, according to a TMY press release.
For more information go to the SAAF AIDSWALK Tucson Website.
Tags: tucson events , AIDSWALK , AIDS Prevention , LGBTQ , Active , TMY , Image
Tucson Pride envisions a community of diverse, empowered and accepted individuals to live full and authentic lives, with the love and support of an understanding community.Tucson Pride Festival celebrates that mission by filling a safe space with all of the diverse and supporting LGBTQA+ members of our Southern Arizona Community. There were live performances and dance parties in addition to the food and vendors and oh so many rainbows!
This year raised over $60,000 by the end of it, nearly doubling that of last years $37,000 in proceeds from the event.
Tags: Pride , Tucson Pride , slideshow , photos , Slideshow , Image
Is it really a party if there isn’t an AFTER party? Haven’t had enough of meeting yourself at the Tucson Meet Yourself?
TMY is stepping up its game this year. In addition to a new location and new vendors, there is now an avenue to keep the party going after the event has ended on Sunday evening.
Just down the street from the main event, EXO Roast Co. will be hosting “Taconazo” which is sure to be a heel tapping good time. A lineup of intimate performances from TMY artists “that both reflect the rhythmic and vibrant art of zapateado, or the tapping of tacones, heels.”
Featured artists include:
- Son Jarocho Collective and Flamenco Tucsonense
- Hector Vega (Hermosillo)
- Misael Barraza (Hermosillo)
- Olivia Rojas (El Paso)
- Fabian & Katrina Sisneros (Albuquerque)
Exo is located at
403 N. Sixth Ave.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m and the event runs until 9:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $10.
Tags: Tucson Meet Yourself , Tucson Meet Yourself Afterhours , TMY , EXO , Taconazo , Image
