While social media campaigns didn't capture Kony or bring back the girls of the Chibok boarding school, at least Facebook Nation can claim one victory, convincing a giant corporation to sell a soda you probably forgot about in a very limited manner:

Coca-Cola Co. newest social-media campaign reaches back to a time when even MySpace didn’t exist.

Surge, a citrus-flavored Mountain Dew knockoff that was discontinued by Coke about 12 years ago, has reappeared in limited supply today. The only place to get it: Amazon.com.

Billed as the company’s first ever e-commerce reintroduction, the news was announced by the Facebook Fan site “Surge Movement,” whose 128,000 members lobbied for its return and paid for a billboard in Atlanta. Coke gave the drink a Twitter account, too, so loyalists can “follow the brand’s journey.”

“Surge is back,” the Facebook page’s organizers said, urging readers to buy and spread the word. “The Movement does not end here!”

If you're interested, Amazon is selling 12 16-ounce cans for $14, but it appears they're out already, which makes me worry about humanity a bit.

Personally, I'd be far more excited to get my hands on some OK Soda, which reflected the ironic ennui of my 90's experience more than the aggro Dew-like aesthetic of Surge, but hey, I might be a Facebook group and 127,999 like-minded nostalgists away from making my retro-dreams come true.

If you're down by Fourth Avenue on Saturday (and if you're going to the football game, you'll be close enough), stop by the Fourth Avenue Deli and grab a sandwich. A friend of the restaurant, Justin Hughes, is battling cancer, so the deli is donating 10% of sales to help the guy out.

As the Deli's Facebook post about the event says: "If you met him, you would like him, guaranteed!" That plus a delicious sandwich sounds likes a solid deal.

The proud purveyors of poutine at US Fries (which we took a look at back in May) are set to open their doors this Saturday, and you, Tucson, are going to reap the benefits of the Canadian frozen north.

Earlier today, the local architecture gurus at FORS dropped this happy bit of knowledge via Facebook:

Intrigued, we at The Range reached out to US Fries owner Thomas Jones (no, not this one), who kindly confirmed to us that they are, indeed, opening their doors on Saturday—and moreover, they're going to be offering free food for all of those who are unfamiliar with the joys of poutine, Canada's unofficial national food. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., US Fries is going to be serving up meals from their opening day menu free to their customers.

Jones says that traditional poutine (fries, cheese curds and gravy), as well as Ham & Pineapple- and Beef Brisket-topped options, will be available to customers this weekend, with plans to roll out a larger menu in the coming weeks.

The marketing blitz doesn't stop there, either: According to Jones, US Fries is also going to be rolling around University, Fourth Avenue and Congress Street in the tricked out limo seen below until Saturday. (While we can assume that it doesn't run on gravy, let's pretend it does anyway, for whimsy's sake.)

The Fourth Avenue location, which will be open until 3 a.m. to take care of Tucson's late-night crowds, looks to be the flagship for a potential US Fries empire that Jones hopes to expand to "every college town in the country" — and for the sake of this poutine-starved nation of ours, we hope the former Calgarian can make it happen.

Considering that the coffee shop seems to be a haven for the liberal arts major (and literally anyone else who wants to make a living by writing, eroding their souls a bit more with every keystroke), it's no surprise that the writerly class tends to gravitate toward the place where they've spent so much of their time and money, searching for a new gig (likely to recoup their earnings).

But when you're making just above minimum wage, hoping against hope that you'll be able pay off your debts and earn enough cash to eat something more than spaghetti and peanut butter, it's not surprising that you might take..."liberties" with your customers.

Enter the Starbucks Barista (portrayed, this time, by comedian Paul Gale):

So remember, they're just trying to psych you out. Take the power back: mispronounce your own name in such a way that they've got no choice to but guess.

Works for Sean ("Seen") McLaughlin up in Phoenix.

(Remember, baristas in Tucson's own coffee houses don't pull this power play with you. Keep your coffee consumption local; it'll make everyone happier.)

[H/T: Sploid]

Thanks to the fine folks at Eater, we were made aware of Taco Text, an app by Austin developers XOXCO that does exactly what you'd expect: helps you text an image of a taco (regular, breakfast [it's made by Austinites, after all], fish and mystery) to your friends, co-workers and family. It's free, thankfully, so cross a taco texting app off your list of get-rich-quick internet schemes.

Our courageous editor Dan Gibson braved the elements on Saturday, Aug. 16 to participate as a judge in the Salsa and Tequila Challenge. He reported back to the office many delicious tequila cocktails, as well as unique paleta and food offerings. He was pretty happy, and it wasn't just the tequila that was making that happen.

Funds from the event went to the Southern Arizona's Art and Cultural Alliance Creative Arts Therapy Program, Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation scholarship fund.

Salsa Challenge Winners:

Best Traditional - JW Marriott Star Pass Resort & Spa

Chef Danny Perez for Salsa Helada

Best Hot - Armitage Wine Lounge

Chef Jorge Moreno for Habanero Mango Salsa

Best Mild - Hotel Congress

Chef Karl De La Ossa for Sweet Tomatillo Salsa

Best Alternative - Wilko

Chef Ian Sugarman for Kimchi by the Sea

Judges 1st Place Winner - Armitage Wine Lounge

Chef Jorge Moreno for Habanero Mango Salsa

Judges 2nd Place Winner - Hotel Congress

Chef Karl De La Ossa for Sweet Tomatillo Salsa

Judges 3rd Place Winner - Prep & Pastry

Chef Liz Delgado for Blueberry Jalapeño

People's Choice 1st Place Winner - Mouth of the South Salsas Co., LLC

Chef Andrea B. McGowan for INSANE

People's Choice 2nd Place Winner - Pima Community College, Culinary Arts

Chefs Linda Tandjung, Chelsie LaRochelle and Jesse Huggins for Drunken Pineapple

People's Choice 3rd Place Winner - Marriott University Park

Chef Adrian Castillo for Smokeless Fire

In case Linda Ronstadt didn't upset your regional pride enough yesterday, here's a blog post over at our Portland alt-weekly cousin, the Willamette Week, which starts (sorta) as an attempt to find a distinctive food from Arizona to eat in Oregon and turns into an extending troll of our state. Full disclosure: I'm friends with (and a former co-worker of) the post's author, Martin Cizmar, who has a lot of practice upsetting large groups of people. Also, he has frequently told me that he thinks Tucson sucks, so prepare yourself for this argument that the non-Coconino County portions of Arizona be removed from the United States/given their "freedom":

The state’s return to sovereignty seems like the best solution for everyone involved. The United States should acknowledge the claims of small town Arizona Republicans who say the terms of the state’s admission to the union were improper, and grant the people their freedom. President Brewer could do then whatever she wants with any illegal immigrants found there. Including you or I—if we wanted to travel to Arizona we’d need the proper papers. No visa? Tough luck us.

The rest of the U.S. could then use the money currently earmarked for the state of Arizona—far more money than most states get from the Feds—to help those poor migrant kids.

However, I would also propose the other 49 states extend Coconino County, Arizona’s gorgeous northernmost county—where the Grand Canyon sits and which supported Obama over Romney—the right to re-join the union if it wishes. It would then get the same rights and privileges as old Arizona. Including, of course, water rights not claimed by any part of our country that's downriver. As is the current situation in Sonora, Mexico, the SRP would be welcome to any water from Coconino/New Arizona that flows into its territory. Arizona is free! And, with the consent of residents, the U.S. of A will keep Coconino County as our own. The newly sovereign lands south of the Mogollon Rim get control of all formerly federal land and no longer have to pay federal taxes.

Everyone’s happy, right? Let’s do this.

He does allow for the idea that Tucson might not deserve to cast off with Phoenix, but nope, since "that would just be weird" we're off to join a sovereign super-screwed up new political entity.

Good news for Portland, however, since the impending re-organization of the nation's borders will end up working out ok for northern Oregon's dining needs:

But, if we implement a plan to to grant Arizona the freedom it so richly deserves, that could change. After all, Mexicans would likely flee Phoenix for the United States, leaving people there without the annoyances that come from living near people who are different from themselves, and giving places like Portland the little booster shot of culture we need on this front.

An idea: Let's just let Portland become it's own nation, floating on a cloud of its wild self-importance above the rest of the country. Then all the people who left Arizona (or every other inferior-to-Portland place in the other lower 47) behind to bucket-drum, write their memoirs, start food trucks or breweries, or whatever-the-hell-it-is-that-people-do-there can fully no longer be bothered with our state and its complicated, but hopefully evolving, politics. Seems like a win/win for everyone.

I hope you're hungry for locally sourced food and booze. Kevin Fink and Edible Baja Arizona are hosting the second annual Seed & Sow dinner this Wednesday, Aug. 13 and Thursday, Aug. 14 at Zona 78, 7301 E. Tanque Verde Road. 

Paul Leathers, Zona 78 Manager of the Tanque Verde location, says he and the staff have been preparing for this event all year. All the ingredients have been locally-sourced from farm-to-table for this two-day dining event. "For the past couple of years, we have been becoming more conscientiousness about ordering locally," Leathers said. 

Leathers said Zona 78's menu contains more locally sourced food thanks to popular demand and the always increasing farmers market boom.

With ingredients from Five Sons Farm, Walking J Farm, Sleeping Frog Farms, Hayden Flour Mills, Fiore di Capra, Ten Fifty-Five Brewing, Whiskey Del Bac by Hamilton Distillers, Iron John's Brewing Company, E & R Pork, and more.

Entreés run from $10 to $28. There's a five course dinner for $60. The dinner starts at 5 and ends at 10 p.m. Click here to see the entire menu, and call 296-7878 to schedule your reservations. Go here to RSVP on Facebook.

The Weekly clearly has pizza on its mind (no joke, I could really go for a slice right now), but regardless, it's worth noting that food mega-blog Eater ran an interview with Chris Bianco yesterday in honor of his two weeks-ish of being open here in Tucson. He talks quite a bit about what it's like here for him and his new place:

Congratulations on the Tucson location. I know you're just a few days in on that, but how is it all going?

It's really special. As you get older, the hope is that the next thing you do is the best thing you've ever done. The opportunity for this project in Tucson was to keep it as close to the original as I could. But what would I do differently? [Opening in Tucson was] just getting to really take inventory of where you are.

Pizza, like every dish on the planet, is only as good as the ingredients.
I opened in 1988. I know I'm a better restaurant now because pizza, like every dish on the planet, is only as good as the ingredients. Technique will always be [important], but it'll never be more important than sourcing great flour varietals, and the great artisan cheeses that are available today that weren't there before. I mean, shit, back in the day, I begged somebody to grow arugula for me. All the things that are so commonplace now were really a challenge to get at the highest level. Now we have so many great farmers and suppliers. It makes it special.

The entire interview's worth reading, if only to understand what makes the guy such a great chef.

Special Eater Bonus Link: Last year, the site took an in-depth look into Bianco's pistacho-topped pie, the Rosa. Be forewarned, if you read that post, you'll want to head downtown and get in line for one right now.

Tucson loves pizza. I think there's more pizza establishments than Walgreens and Circle K gas stations combined. Pionic Pizza and Pasta has offered an insane deal on their Facebook page. You can print a coupon that will grant you a free pizza with unlimited toppings when you like their page. Don't wait because offer is good while supplies last.

Pionic will be open until 10 p.m. The new restaurant is located at 2643 N. Campbell Ave. Click here for more information.