Monday, August 17, 2015
The UA is now just about a year away from the launch of OSIRIS-REx, the plucky space robot that will travel to the near-earth asteroid Bennu, orbit around it while taking photos and other measurements, and then swoop in to grab a sample and send it back to earth.
Last week, the OSIRIS REx team at the UA Lunar and Planetary Labs showed off the ICAMS, a suite of cameras that will serve as the spacecraft's eyes. The cameras were built here in Tucson and are shipping off to Denver's Lookheed Martin facility, where the spacecraft is being built.
OSIRIS-REx instrument scientist Bashar Rikz explains what the cameras do:
One of our most important assets is a trio of cameras called the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite, or OCAMS, under construction at the University of Arizona. The design of OCAMS allows us to image Bennu over 9 orders-of-magnitude in distance, from an initial distance of 1-million kilometers (over 620,000 miles) down to 2 meters (6.5 feet). The camera suite is similar to a lookout nestled in the crow’s-nest of a tall ship. This scout must observe Bennu as we approach, survey, and recon the asteroid, and tell the ship’s navigator where to go.To let Tucsonans know more about this way-cool space mission, the OSIRIS-REx team is putting on a party on Saturday, Sept. 12, at downtown's Fox Theatre. Bennuval will feature OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Dante Lauretta of the UA's Lunar and Planetary Lab, as well as Geoff Notkin, star of Science Channel’s Meteorite Men; the comedic Tucson Improv Movement; fiery stunt team Flam Chen, and the ChamberLab music project. Tickets are just
You can learn more about the OSIRIS-REx mission here and here.
Here are the details on Bennuval, sent over by Zona Politics associate Jennifer Powers, who is organizing the space-age shindig:
Outer space takes the stage when Dante Lauretta, University of Arizona Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry and Principal Investigator on NASA’s OSIRIS REx Mission, is joined by Geoff Notkin, star of Science Channel’s Meteorite Men, to present Bennuval! An Evening of Space, Art and Music. This live variety show features performances by some of Tucson’s most innovative entertainers, including comedic troupe Tucson Improv Movement, daredevil acrobats Flam Chen, and avant-garde music project, ChamberLab. The Art of Planetary Science will exhibit works created from and inspired by the solar system and the scientific data with which we explore it. Meteorites will also be on display, completing the otherworldly atmosphere of this unique event.
Bennuval! takes its name from the asteroid Bennu, destination of OSIRIS-REx. Bennuval! celebrates the University of Arizona’s accomplishments in space as part of the vibrant creative culture that thrives in Tucson by bringing together art and outer space in an entertaining setting. Both imaginative and informative, Bennuval! establishes Tucson’s reputation as a space age city.
The presenting sponsor of Bennuval! is the University of Arizona College of Science & Galileo Circle. Other sponsors include Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, TEP, Godat Design, BRINKmedia, Bill Westcott, Paragon Space Development, Strategic Space Development, Kinetx Aerospace, Indigo Information Services and Volvo of Tucson.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the show begins at 7:00 p.m.
Tags: OSIRIS-REx , NASA , University of Arizona , Arizona news , Tucson news , space mission , asteroids , Dante Lauretta , Bennuval , fox theater
Thursday, August 13, 2015
The present U.S.-Mexico borderlands bring documentary filmmaker and author Kathryn Ferguson tremendous melancholy.
A Tucsonan by birth, Ferguson remembers the days when she and her family would drive down to Nogales for even the simplest craves, such as a cup of coffee. There were no walls or armed men in uniform patrolling the frontier; people didn't die as often while trying to cross the desert into the United States; and the cultural exchange wasn't as problematic.
"It was a different world, it is a darker world now," she says. "When I was a girl I would never use the word 'raid,' the word 'deportation.' You would think, raids at 3 a.m., when people are taken out of the homes and put in prison, you would think that was another country you were talking about, not the United States."
But things have also changed in Mexico. For years, she'd travel alone to as far south as Michoacán and Guerrero. And, as a documentary maker, she extensively explored the Sierra Madre in the state of Chihuahua. Michoacán and Guerrero are now two of the most dangerous states in Mexico. "(They are) not very good places. I would think twice about going...and I love Mexico," she says.
Witnessing all those changes throughout her life was what inspired Ferguson to write The Haunting of the Mexican Border, a collection of anecdotes about her and friends on both sides of the border.
The book is split in two: the introduction is on Ferguson's travels through the Sierra Madre, while she worked on a documentary, and the second part takes place once Ferguson returns to Tucson, while also traveling to Mexico back-and-forth. She describes her experience collaborating with a group called the Tucson Samaritans, volunteers who bring water to the desert for migrants to drink. "This is a personal book," she says. "Seeing things that happened to friends, to me, the desert...as a result of politics."
"Nobody really knows what goes on in the border, even though it is on all the headlines," she says. "Everybody is crossing all the borders of the world, and we need to take a look at why that is happening."
Ferguson is having a book party Saturday, Aug. 15 from 5 p.m.to 7 p.m. at the Temple of Music and Art lounge, where she will read excerpts of her work. John Fife, local human rights activist, retired Presbyterian minister, as well as co-founder of the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s, will be the guest speaker.
Tags: kathryn ferguson , the haunting of the mexican border , temple of music and art , tucson , borderlands
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
As a city we have received some big time press lately from the likes of the New York Times heralding Tucson as a hip place to live. From our vintage neon signs to rapidly growing Downtown, to our fine food and local beer establishments, we have gotten some pretty cool accolades. We were named fourth biggest city of book lovers and received numerous praises for our biking/cycling friendly community.
But, to be clear, there are some lists we don’t want to rank in the top five. Or even in the top 100 for that matter. We can all wipe a bead of anxious sweat off our brows because we did not rank as one of the Top 100 Most Sexually Diseased Cities in the United States. The data, released by rentapplication.com, compiled the latest STD statistics, in 2013, in the states by the Center of Disease Control and created a list of the towns that have the highest number of STDs.
Show Low was the only Arizona city to make it onto the list, coming in at number 49 with a rate of 1,036 reported STDs per 100,000 people.
While we might not have received the dubious honor, it’s not time to start making it with our neighbors sans rubbers. Show Low is the only city in good old’ AZ that has a higher STD rating then Tucson. We even far beat out Phoenix in our instances of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
It was reported that our rate of STDs per 100,000 people was 608. That includes 5,192 cases of Chlamydia, 795 cases of gonorrhea and 53 cases of syphilis. Our grand total for 2013? 6040. That’s quite a number of uncomfortable diseases that can all be treated if dealt with promptly.
Thankfully, for those of us who want to get tested, or perhaps just students in Arizona, which does not require sexual education be taught at elementary, middle and high schools, there are options available.
Tags: STDs , Tucson , Sex Ed , Sexual Health
Friday, August 7, 2015
There's quite a bit going on off Hoff Avenue these days. You might have thought of the small side street just east of Fourth Avenue as an alley, but with the recent openings of both Ermanos and Public Brewhouse, the tucked back street is starting to take shape as something more.
To celebrate, the new beer-centric spots will be joining forces to put on Two Nights of Entertainment at the Tophoy on August 14 and 15. Combining bikes, bands, beer, food and more, the two day event will pay homage both to what the space was and what it has become.
According to Ermanos owner Mark Erman, the Tophoy building, which now houses Ermanos, Saywell Designs, the Bookstop and more, was built in 1926 and was home to many different businesses including Frozen Pure Ice Cream and Schneider's Grocery. After Stephen Paul of Arroyo Designs and Hamilton Distillers moved his distilling operation to a larger space, Ermanos and Public moved into the newly vacant spaces. Although both buildings were built out for their new businesses, original wood and brick were preserved and repurposed to keep the history of the space in tact.
With all of that in mind, Two Nights of Entertainment at the Tophoy will offer a pop up bike tune up shop, yard games (giant jenga, cornhole, etc.) courtesy of Bookmans, the Seis and You Sly Dog food trucks, and bike raffles from of New Belgium Brewery (cruiser) and Ordinary Bike Shop (fixie). A pop-up cocktail bar put on by Burger Brothers' Parker Arriaga will be serving up specialty cocktails including:
- Hemingway: Arizona distilling company desert dry gin, cucumber, mint, lime, soda, simple syrup
- Eegeerita: 3 amigos blanco tequila, lemon eegees, rimmed with Mexican candy
- Not for Nothing: High West double rye, mint, peach, bitters, lemon, ginger
- Earl's Long Island Iced TeaEarl Grey black tea infused vodka (Sun Liquor UNXLD), peach/lemon simple syrup, soda, lemonade.
Best of all, while there's no cover fee, a quarter of every dollar spent will go to benefit the Living Streets Alliance in their efforts to make Tucson a more bike friendly place to live. Access to the event will be via Hoff Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets.
Tags: two nights , tophoy , tucson , events , music , food trucks , local , craft beer , cocktails , living streets alliance , bicycle , ordinary bike shop , pee wee's big adventure , movie , free , logan & lucille , billy sedlmayr , hey bucko , dj , raffle
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Tucson's 240th birthday is approaching, and you should head to this new exhibit with historic photos, maps and memorabilia of the Old Pueblo to celebrate it.
The University of Arizona Libraries' Special Collections Gallery is hosting "Tucson: Growth, Change and Memories" starting Aug. 18—two day's before Tucson's b-day on Aug. 20—through January of next year, with the purpose of showcasing the city's history and growth as an urban community. It's also about reflecting on the many Tucson gems that have been lost as a result of this urbanization (remember the Tucson Convention Center shit show?).
Talking about the TCC, the exhibit will show rare photos of the buildings that existed there, before they were demolished to build the TCC, as well as photographs of other landmarks that are now gone like the Santa Rita Hotel and the El Conquistador Hotel, and other unique materials on loan from the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation.
The show is co-curated by UA librarian, Bob Diaz and Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation board member Andie Zelnio.
The opening event on Aug. 18 will feature guest speaker Thomas E. Sheridan, an anthropologist of the UA's Southwest Center, and author of the book "Los Tucsonenses: The Mexican Community in Tucson, 1854-1914, and other works about the history of the region.
There will also be a second event on Sept. 17 featuring a panel discussion with former city councilwoman Molly McKasson and Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias.
Both events are at at 6 p.m. at the UA's Libraries' Special Collections Gallery, 1510 E. University Blvd.
Tags: tucson growth change and memories , university of arizona , tucson historic preservation foundation , Bob Diaz , andie zelnio , thomas e sheridan , southwest center
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
In case you still didn't know, Tucson's Museum of Contemporary Art is housing some really cool repurposed dumpster pools in its Great Hall this summer. As interim director Samuel Ireland said in a previous interview with the Tucson Weekly, the mobile pools at MOCA are more than just a place to swim.
“It’s great to get into the pools but the goal is more than that,” Ireland says. “We want to showcase to locals that MOCA provides a place to gather and share ideas for artists.”On Friday, August 7, the mission to bring together and showcase local talent will coalesce into a special pop-up pool party event. With food, live music, video games, on-site screen printing and more, the event will make for a great opportunity to rub elbows with other art-types in town in a super casual setting.
The event, which is presented by local designer Patrick Foley, will also mark the end of Foley's Carne and Queso line with one last release, while celebrating the launch of his new brand Error 404. The new brand will be showcasing a small collection alongside limited run clothes from Vista Skate Co. and Raw Dog Clothing. Live performances from Headlock and Get a Grip will provide a thrashy, shreddy backdrop for the event, and crispy, crunchy fresh arepas from the Ricuras de Venezuela truck will keep crowds fed.
While the party itself is free for all to attend, the pools are, as always, for MOCA members only. Memberships to the museum are as low as $4 per month for individuals (for an annual membership) and come with perks ranging from access to new exhibits to the use of those awesome converted dumpster pools. You can learn how to become a member by visiting the MOCA website.
For more on the formation of the mobile pool concept itself, check out MOCA curator Jocko Weyland's interview with Vice regarding his new book Danny's Lot.
Tags: moca , mobile , pools , dumpster , repurpose , tucson , art , museum , party , carne and queso , error 404 , patrick foley , get a grip , headlock , ricuras de venezuela , food truck , samuel ireland , jocko weyland
Monday, August 3, 2015
Ever feel as though your future is truly written in the stars? Not in the sense of destiny or fate, but rather that the stars are actually your future? For those seeking real life experience in the field of astronomy or any nature related career, the Kit Pitt Observatory is offering a worthwhile volunteer experience.
The observatory is currently recruiting volunteers for their docent training class, starting this October. The class will prep volunteers for hosting guided tours and serving guests of the observatory. Docents play an important role in the observatory’s educational goals are will share their knowledge with guests. Facilitating hands-on demonstrations, creating informative exhibits and hosting school groups are just a few things volunteers will be responsible for.
This opportunity is open to all and no prior astronomy experience is required. Applicants will need to meet their basic physical requirements and be able to work on their feet for long periods of time at a heightened elevation of 7,000 feet.
While this is an unpaid volunteer opportunity, transportation to the observatory and lunch will be provided for free. Other perks include a 15 percent discount at the gift store, free admittance to the Nightly Observing Program and access to guest speakers. Official vests and hats will be available at cost to those who complete the training program.
The training program will last seven weeks and will require participants to meet two to three times each week. This is a long term commitment and volunteers will be required to work at least three days a month for two years after the training course.
Each volunteer shift will last six hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will be able to select which days they would like to work up on the mountain but are asked to have some flexibility in their schedule.
Volunteers must be Kitt Pitt members or become members after their training to retain an active status.
The observatory is located on Kitt Peak, which is 56 miles southwest of central Tucson, and has no street address. If using GPS, you can enter in "intersection of Arizona State Route 86 and Arizona State Route 386.” Directions are available on their website.
If you see you stars aligning through sharing astronomy with others, engaging with the community and gaining valuable education in the astronomy field, registration is open now.
To apply, visit www.noao.edu/kpvc/Volunteer and download their application. For more information, email Robert Martino, Program Coordinator at [email protected].
Tags: Kitt Peak , Volunteer Opportunities , Astronomy , Space the Final Frontier
Thursday, July 23, 2015
The book, titled "Thoughts and Poetry for the Soul and out of Boredom," was released on Amazon a couple of weeks ago. "I really have no words to express my feelings right now," Engel Indo says in an email.
The book is a compilation of thoughts and poems Indo has posted on Facebook over the past five years. Some are in English and some are in his native language, Spanish. "It is 188 pages of personal experiences in love, in hate, in hope or the lack thereof," he says.
I featured Indo, who is also a veteran, on the Tucson Weekly's "Local Heroes" issue from 2012.
Many people know Indo through the Latin rock band A Son y Sol that used to play gigs on the streets of Fourth Avenue and at La Indita Mexican Restaurant. But his aspirations have always gone beyond performing. In the past couple of years, Indo has created various projects that benefit Tucson and communities south of the border, all the way to his hometown of Callao, Peru.
In 2010, Indo created De La Perla a Las Estrellas (From La Perla to the Stars), a program that used music to teach English to children growing up in Callao's La Perla district. It's one of the poorest districts in Peru, and where Indo grew up.
Tags: engel indo , pay it forward tucson , Thoughts and Poetry for the Soul and out of Boredom , amazon , veterans
Last week, we talked about something called the "Summer Passport," a scavenger hunt of sorts, dreamed up by our advertorial team. This week, they handed me the prize list. You can read your way through the whole thing below but it's, uh, a lot.
Here's the deal:
Pick up a Weekly and flip through until you see a bingo-style page. For the issue that comes out today, it's on Page 15. Start visiting the businesses, the first of which will give you a yellow stamp sheet likes the ones pictures below. Each business has a task you have to complete (ie, take a selfie, eat a quesadilla, sing on stage—basically, things you would want to be doing with your day anyway) in order to get their square marked off. Once you've stopped by all 24 locations, come by the newsroom (7725 N. Mona Lisa Road, #125. We're open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and turn in your game card. You have until Friday, Sept. 4 at noon to enter.
We're giving away three ridiculously sizable packs of prizes. Basically, winning means we've got your entertainment and gift-giving budget covered for quite a while.
So hit the streets, check out some local businesses and do some good luck rituals, because these prizes are pretty damn hefty. But first, get a look at this prize list:
Thursday, July 16, 2015
As cumbia and other Afro-Latin American, transglobal genres inspire a new sense of infatuation in the U.S., both bands knew this was the right time to get sucked into the Southwest. Being friendly with El Tambó creator, Logan “Dirtyverbs” Phillips, sparked talks to make their Old Pueblo debut at this special session of El Tambó presents...
Phillips will be spinning his usual goodness, too, of course.
I chatted with Alex Chavez, guitarist and singer of Dos Santos, and Ryan Acquaotta, Karikatura’s vocalist and percussionist, about what they’re going to be bringing to the Hotel Congress patio the evening of Wednesday, July 22. Music starts at 8 p.m. and admission is free.
DOS SANTOS
Alex Chavez is really enjoying living through what he calls the curious return of cumbia. These days, bands and DJs in every corner of the country are headed that direction, but the OG golden age of cumbia happened in the 1950s and '60s. "Before salsa became salsa in the 70s, the one kind of Latin American style that you saw take hold in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina...was cumbia," he says. "It was the backbone of Latin America."
In their respective home towns, the guys grew up listening to different versions of cumbia, and other Afro-Latin genres, so when Chavez and fellow band mates (Irekani Ferreyra, guitar and vocals; Peter "Maestro" Vale, congas and bongos; Daniel Villarreal-Carillo, drums; and Jaime Garza, bass) picked up their instruments and started making noise, adopting a cumbia-esque sound organically came to be.
Here's a taste of Dos Santos' background: Puerto Rico, Mexico, Panamá, the borderlands of Texas. Their Afro-Carribean, pan-Latin cumbia style filled a void in the Chicago live music world.
"Chicago is home to one of the largest populations of Latinos...the second largest of Mexicanos outside of East LA, but there wasn't this scene for live music similar to what we were playing, which I found interesting," he says. "There was Latin alternative stuff, a lot of Mexican roots, Puerto Rican, so a light bulb went off and we said 'let's follow this.'"
He describes Dos Santos music as the summoning of cumbia legends like Rigo Tovar and Xavier Passos. "In Mexico, you have everything from regional Monterrey to cumbia rebajada. In the '60s and '70s, along the border, people like Tovar and Passos playing this very working-class, blue collard cumbia...we draw inspiration from that," he says. In fact, in many countries, cumbia is known as "the music of the people" because of its origin in humble neighborhoods.
Tags: el tambo , dos santos , karikatura , logan phillips , dj dirtyverbs , hotel congress , cumbia , Video
