Join a legion of brainy medicos—and learn mind-boggling ways to deal with this chronic disease—at "Taking Control of Your Diabetes" on Saturday, February 23 at the Tucson Convention Center.

Think this ain't your way of enjoying the weekend? Think again. "Taking Control" will feature a slew of workshops, and talks with Dr. Steven Edelman, founder of the program and a true Big Kahuna in the world of diabetes research.

Edelman received his own wrenching diagnosis at age 15. "I was told that blindness, kidney failure and amputations were likely to occur after several years and that my life expectancy wouldn’t exceed 20 years," he writes. "That was not a prediction I was willing to settle for, so I went into medicine to learn how to conquer this condition and help others afflicted with it. I’m 57 now and although I do have some complications, I am living well with diabetes and I have dedicated my medical career to educating and empowering others with this disease that they, too, can live long and healthy lives with diabetes."

You can too. To find out more, go to http://tcoyd.org/national-conferences/tucson-az-2013.html

If you're a long-time or native Tucsonan like me, you may have memories of Hector Vector Star Projector like I do from my first school field trip in second grade: An awe-inspiring, state-of-the-art projector rising majestically from beneath the planetarium floor, delivering full-dome images that transported me to Mars and other worlds.

While Hector still cuts a majestic and imposing figure for school groups and adults, he has sadly fallen behind the times - what with the miniaturization and high-definition quality of modern digital projectors.

If you want to get a glimpse of what the future of the Flandrau Planetarium could be, you have your chance for this weekend only. While the laser projector that treats fans to Pink Floyd and other music shows is out for repair, Flandrau will be showing demos of some new dome shows using a SkyScan digital projector, one of the best on the market.

All shows are free this weekend only, and are first-come, first-serve. The featured show is "Life: A Cosmic Story," which takes you on an immersive journey through cells and into galaxies, and is narrated by Jodie Foster:

There's also a cool kid's show, as well as "Voices in the Dark," an awesome music and animation show:

Full disclosure: I used to be in charge of marketing and digital for Flandrau (I helped bring back the Pink Floyd laser show - you're welcome). But if Tucson wants to ever get some cool new gear to get kids excited about science and blow their parents' minds with awesome shows, folks need to come out and show their support.

Show times are available at Flandrau's website.

Janice Nargi started There is No Hero in Heroin, a foundation that provides community education and support to families dealing with addiction, with a Black Monday event last year calling attention to loved ones lost to addiction and those who've overcome addiction.

Tomorrow, Nargi and her organization do it again with its second Black Monday event in front of Tucson City Hall, 25W. Alameda St., 5:30 p.m. Balloons will be released — "black for those currently in addiction, red for loved ones lost from addiction (OD) and white for those who overcame."

Need help right now? Nargi hosts a support group on Sundays, today, 4 p.m. at 4653 E. Pima St. For more information, you can call 219-7974. There's also a help line for immediate assistance: 329-3098. Also, for more on Nargi's foundation, visit tinhihfoundation-com.webs.com/

Take a break from the frost today and get cozy at Casa Libre, 228 N. 4th Ave., with a show from Chicago-based singer-songwriter Edie Carey. Doors open at 3:30 p.m., show starts at 4 p.m. $10 admission, all ages.

Tucson musician Courtey Robbins told the Range:

"Edie Carey is a really great singer/songwriter, and she hasn't been in Tucson since October of 2010 when she played at Congress for a benefit for Camp Wildcat with Coyote Grace, Leila Lopez, and Seashell Radio," Robbins wrote.

Here's Carey's bio from event organizers:

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Edie Carey is known for her unmistakable soulful voice, her intelligent, heart-grabbing songs, but perhaps most especially for her warm, engaging presence on - and off - stage. As much a part of her show as the music itself, Edie's wry and often self-mocking humor makes audiences feel as though they have just spent an evening with a very close friend.

Carey has been performing at festivals, colleges, and listening rooms across the US, Canada and the UK since 1999. Her soon-to-be-released seventh album, "Bring The Sea," as well as her last two records, was funded entirely by her loyal and steadily growing legion of fans. Her new CD, produced by Evan Brubaker, features appearances by Shawn Mullins, Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket), multi-instrumentalist Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls), and violist Eyvind Kang (Bill Frisell, Laurie Anderson).

Looking for something fun and active to do next weekend? Look no further.

CityScape Adventures, the exciting race that gets you outdoors to experience your community, is coming to Tucson on Feb. 16.

The race begins at 11:00 a.m. at Gentle Ben's. Participants compete for great prizes while completing 12 different challenges.

Participants compete in teams of two and costs $50 per person, $100 per team. Lucky for the readers of Tucson Weekly, though, Race Director Tony Ghigo was kind enough to set up a discount for you all for 50 percent off!!

So if you would like to sign up for the race next Saturday, head over to the event register page by clicking here. When checking out, use the coupon code "tucsonweekly" to receive 50 percent off. Registrations can be made until the day of the event.

For more information on the race itself, click here.

A queer multimedia project and booze sound like a good mix for a Wednesday night.

February's Show & Tell at Playground Bar & Lounge, on Wednesday, Feb. 13, will feature a multimedia project that tells the story of Christine Jorgensen who became a celebrity after getting a sex change in 1952.

Dr. Susan Stryker, associate professor of Gender and Women's Studies and director of the Institute for LGBT Studies, will present excerpts from her newest film, Christine in the Cutting Room. It’s about the remarkable life of Christine Jorgensen, who underwent a sex change in 1952, and became an international celebrity, actress and filmmaker. No ordinary documentary, it’s a multi-media project with electronica club music and video wallpaper.

Here's the trailer to the project:

The UA ConfluenCenter for Creative Inquiry has been hosting lectures at Playground Bar & Lounge the second Wednesday of every month since September. Rather than having a wasted Wednesday, consider enjoying some casual drinking and intellectual thinking with them.

Arizona Hops & Vines is débuting their newest creation, Drag Queen, Saturday Feb. 9. This is a hops-infused, carbonated wine in a beer bottle. Festivities include an actual Drag Queen race, a Live DJ, beers from Dragoon Brewing Co., and wine from Burning Tree Cellars as well as their own wines for tasting. I have been told that many professional Queens will be there for your entertainment. No T, no shade gurl!

Anyone can run, so just show up by 1 p.m. in drag, ready to run, for a free glass and tasting of this new wine. A portion of precedes go to Precious Life Shelter for expecting moms. $20 for 10 drink tickets plus a Hops & Vines souvenir glass. Arizona Hops & Vines is located at 3450 Highway 82 in Sonoita. Party starts an 12 p.m. till 6-ish. You can find all the detail at their website here.

My Valentine's Day plans are all set up. Have been so for quite some time, thanks to my obsession with details and planning ahead.

Then Casino del Sol's latest email hit my inbox, and now it's time to re-evaluate my priorities. And those of my wife.

The far superior of Tucson's two tribal gaming outfits — hey, Desert Diamond, got any more visits from the Dazz Band coming up? — has a pair of uniquely attractive events for next week that are likely to draw vastly different audiences.

First up is 'Hunks, The Show,' which apparently is an all-male revue of some sort that is going to be in Del Sol's Events Center on Tuesday night. The free-for-all-Club-Sol-members (note: joining this club is free, so if you're not already, do so!) event that is described as a "live high-energy production that showcases creative choreography and extravagant costumes guaranteed to captivate women of all ages!"

I'm sure men are allowed to be captivated, too. And not just by the choreography and costumes. Check out this clip to see if Hunks is up your alley:

Two nights later, on V-Day, Del Sol's poker room has spiced up its weekly $100 deep stack tournament by having 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg Raymer set to participate. The oversized professional known as 'Fossilman' for his penchant for using fossils as card protectors while at a poker table — and who also enjoys slipping on some freaky snake-eyes glasses before staring you down when in a hand with him — will have a $500 bounty on his head that whoever knocks him out would collect.

Here's Fossilman in action from 2004, when the former patent attorney from North Carolina became a (poker) household name and won $5 million:

Now, to figure out a way to be allowed to go to the latter without having to also attend the former...

The UA College of Science's spring lecture series on genomics continues tonight with Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor Michael Worobey talking about "The Genesis of the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic." The teaser from the College of Science:

The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 was the most intense outbreak of disease in human history. It killed upwards of 50 million people (most in a six-week period) casting a long shadow of fear and mystery: nearly a century later, scientists have been unable to explain why, unlike all other influenza outbreaks, it killed young adults in huge numbers. I will describe how analyses of large numbers of influenza virus genomes are revealing the pathway traveled by the genes of this virus before it exploded in 1918. What emerges is a surprising tale with many players and plot lines, in which echoes of prior pandemics, imprinted in the immune responses of those alive in 1918, set the stage for the catastrophe. I will also discuss how resolving the mysteries of 1918 could help to prevent future pandemics and to control seasonal influenza, which quietly kills millions more every decade.

The free lecture at UA Centennial Hall starts at 7 p.m., but get there early—your fellow brainy Tucsonans typically fill every seat in the house. More details on the series here.

The U of A will be hosting a two-day Hip-Hop symposium this week to teach the community about the many faces of the culture in attempt to get rid of common stereotypes that are attributed to Hip-Hop.

Organizers argue that Hip-Hop goes beyond these stereotypes and should be discussed in an academic institution:

Thus, as researchers and educators, our view of hip-hop culture goes beyond the stereotypical gangster and drug cultures to incorporate this expressive medium's relationships and presences across different academic disciplines such as art, music, dance, language/poetry, religion, gender, culture, history, politics, marketing, fashion, sociology, management as well as film, radio, television and performance studies. Besides its commercial clout, hip-hop's role in challenging stereotypes, destabilizing and unsettling the meaning of blackness and bridging cultural divides in the USA and abroad, merits a place in serious academic discussions of how contemporary societies function.

Hats off to the event planners for reaching out to the community and trying to set the record straight about a culture that has been ignored or considered demeaning in the past.

Hip-Hop music, videos and movies that go mainstream are often those that display violence, drugs and sex, making it difficult to take the culture seriously. Its roots, which reflect a history of black oppression, have been buried and, at the surface, most only see negative connotations of what Hip-Hop is.

Not only have songs and movies tying Hip-Hop to violence, gangs and drugs allowed people to ignore the truth about the culture, they have also allowed these people to separate themselves from it. Such stereotypes allow people to see the struggles that Hip-Hop reflects as a struggle among blacks instead of one which we are all responsible for.

Hip-Hop is not just a negative, violent or demeaning culture. It is a cry for help. It is an expression of a way of life that surrounds us all. It is an artistic and talented culture that should not be ignored. All things in life balance good and bad aspects. In recent years main stream society hasn't seen this balance between the two when it comes to the Hip-Hop culture.

As far as the negative connotations, I think it's time we stop pointing fingers or ignoring the violence, drugs and gangs and instead ask ourselves why Hip-Hop has such a reputation. How can we change it? It's obviously a pattern, and it's obviously political. Society as a whole in the U.S. just needs to care enough to address the problems instead of isolating them. Of course, it's always easier to point fingers.

Embracing the positive, addressing the negative and bridging cultural gaps is what the Hip-Hop culture needs and it looks like the U of A is moving in the right direction.

"The Poetics & Politics of Hip-Hop Cultures" will take place Feb. 7 and 8 at the U of A Student Union Memorial Center and Poetry Center and is free and open to public.