Every human being with a computer enjoys animated GIFs (there's a report out there somewhere, I swear), but at the Tucson Weekly, we don't think we've seen enough of these simple online animations that are Tucson themed...whether that's some sort of evocative capture of a Tucson sunset or a frantic animation of someone falling down drunk on Fourth Avenue. More Tucson GIFs, we say!

So, we're doing something to remedy this terrible situation. We coughing up a stack of gift certificates to Tucson restaurants (good ones, even) to the person who creates the most Tucson of GIFs. You have until the 21st to create and submit a GIF to our convenient contest entry page, then we'll select some of the best, put those online for you to vote on, then combine those results with the scores of our expert panel of judges and pick a winner, who will eat for free for a few weeks on us. You get gift certificates, we get more Tucson-themed GIFs. What a delightful and mutually beneficial exchange!

So, get to work making our dream come true. The world (or at least this area code) awaits your animated work of art.

You may be too old to write letters to Santa and it's far too early to have started the Christmas letters. So put your penmanship to good use to thank a soldier or veteran from around these parts.

US Rep. Ron Barber's offices in Tucson and Sierra Vista will be collecting holiday cards for troops deployed overseas from or at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca. Some well-wishes could make their way to the Southern Arizona VA Medical center, according to a release sent out by Barber's office.

“I ask Southern Arizonans to join me in sending a holiday message to each of these men and women to let them know that our thoughts and good wishes are with them," said Barber in a press release.

They office asks that each card, no envelope needed, includes a few words of gratitude. If you want to include an envelope, make sure it's blank and unsealed. The deadline for dropping off cards at either location is Friday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.

Barber's Tucson office is at 3945 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 211 at the northeast corner of East Fort Lowell Road and North Alvernon Way.

In Sierra Vista, drop your notes at 77 Calle Portal, Suite B-160.

Grab your favorite pen and festive stationary— you can even make it a family activity! If you're writing as part of a school group, leave a return address and a teacher's name in case the recipient wants to respond.

Today at Tucson's best movie theater: a free screening of The Graduate. It's part of the Loft's Essential Cinema series. From the Loft's website:

“You’re trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson ... Aren’t you?” Glamorous, funny, sexy (coo, coo ca-choo, indeed) and sad, The Graduate is an emotional touchstone for an entire generation, not to mention a crowd-pleasing late-‘60s harbinger of the “New Hollywood” studio films that would storm the movie industry in the early ‘70s. Here we have cleverly-crafted student unrest in bourgeois clothing, as young Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin Braddock, adrift after college, is craftily seduced by a woman of his parents’ generation: the fabulous Anne Bancroft’s icily-assured friend-of-the-family Mrs. Robinson (actually only six years Hoffman’s senior). So it’s understandable that Ben’s dream girl Katharine Ross is a bit startled to learn that he’s been sleeping with ... her mother! Arguably, no other movie of the ‘60s — not even Bonnie and Clyde or Easy Rider — more successfully turned counterculture angst into popular culture. The biggest box office surprise of the decade, an Oscar-winner for second-time director Mike Nichols, and a revved-up vehicle for Hoffman’s star-making breakout role, The Graduate darkly and humorously captured the restlessness and ennui of the era. Bouyed by a razor sharp screenplay from Calder Willingham and Buck Henry (who also nails a hilarious cameo as a hotel desk clerk) and a legendarily evocative score by pop duo Simon & Garfunkel, this remains one of the most beloved classics of the American screen, filled with so many instantly-iconic moments (“Plastics!”), it’s almost like a cinematic greatest hits compilation of the counterculture generation.

If you can't make it to today's 11 a.m. screening, you can see it on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Join other animal-lovers for a very special night to benefit Tucson’s Hope Animal Shelter.

A Celebration of Music, Art and HOPE happens from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 1 at the Steinway Piano Gallery, 3001 East Skyline Drive at Campbell, in Gallery Row. The evening will feature a holiday piano performance by Mike Manning, a silent and live art auction including works by Joanne Kerrihard and Tom Philabaum, and hors d’oeuvres by Acacia Real Food and Cocktails.

Reservations are required. Tickets are $75, and available by calling 888-325-9797.

If you missed the debut of Tucson writer and filmmaker Daniel Buckley's Tucson’s Heart and Soul: El Casino Ballroom, thank the Tucson gawds you've been given a chance to redeem yourself.

The documentary on the life, times, destruction and rebuilding of Tucson iconic performance and celebration venue first premiered to a full-house at the Fox Tucson Theatre in August. While Buckley was a bit disappointed the documentary was still a work-in-progress when it screened as a part of the Cine Plaza series, this time its done and the "redebut" takes place appropriately at El Casino Ballroom during Fiesta El Casino, Saturday, Dec. 8, 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. so you can get your El Casino on.

The Ballroom, and I shouldn't have to tell you this, but I have to, is located at 436 E. 26th St. $5 admission at the door goes to the El Casino Restoration Fund.

From Buckley's press release:

• From the Sexy Lady Bookworms Facebook page

Apologies for the late notice, but you have another three hours or so (as of this post's publication) to head to Heroes & Villains Comics for their Sexy Lady Bookworms events. The group's mission is simple, raise money for literacy causes by taking sexy photos of all varieties of women in local bookstores, compiling the photos in a deck of playing cards and a calendar, which are both on sale tonight at H&V. Plus, several of the models will be in-store to sign your purchase and provide what will certainly be a delightfully awkward conversation to remember. For more information, check out the event's page on Facebook or the Sexy Lady Bookworms' page.

The Downtown Parade of Lights is one of my favorite Tucson events, largely because it's equally strange and sincere in its execution. Local "celebrities" rolling down the street in classic cars accessorized with a few strands of lights? Sure! Star Wars enthusiasts in costume? Absolutely! A church-sponsored float asking that Christ be put back in Christmas followed by a vintage Budweiser delivery truck? More, please!

If you want the opportunity to win prizes (best entry wins $500 in what I assume is actual money and not gift certificates) and be part of this annual event, time is running out to get in on the illuminated action. Applications and entry fees (ranging from $150 for "National Commercial Entries" to a freebie for marching bands) are due this Friday, the 30th. The PDF sign-up form is here.

THE OUTLET- Cafe and Innovation Centre Crowd-Funding Video from Daniel Kirk on Vimeo.

In Tucson, we're pretty good at giving each other a hand. We promote local businesses, we encourage people to invest in local products, we're proud of local artists, we're into EVERYTHING local.

Well, here's your chance to live up to that and lend a hand to these 20-something, up-and-coming local entrepreneurs. Danny Kirk and Victor Alvarado are looking to open up a café and innovation centre by the name of The Outlet. But, much like everything in life, they need some cash. Here's what they have in mind for the place...

Mission
We will provide a 24/7 café + innovation centre to branch the gap between coffee shop ideation and collaborative implementation. Our café will offer high quality coffee and espresso drinks, beer + wine and a limited food menu and will have a light-hearted atmosphere. Our innovation center will offer all the resources needed to collaborate and implement ideas and projects.

Description
The Outlet will be, the first of its kind, cafe and innovation centre. We will be ending the search for the ultimate workspace by providing all the great aspects of a coffee shop, co-working space and your home, all in one. This space will be 24/7, centrally located to downtown and UofA and will aim to foster a more innovative and entrepreneurial Tucson.

So cash, that's where everyone else comes in. They've released a Kickstarter drive to plead everyone to invest in The Outlet, even if it's a couple of dollars. They've got a little something for everyone who decides to help out, from T-shirts to an exclusive work space at The Outlet. Check out their Propel Arizona site for more info on that.

This is an opportunity to support a local business since its beginning stages.

Mexican-American studies youth from CLASS (Chicano Literature After School Studies), MEChA from Tucson Magnet High School and the UA, and UNIDOS have organized a community forum to discuss the recently released Tucson Unified School District desegregation proposal.

The forum is Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Chicanos Por La Causa, 250 N. Silverbell Road at 6:30 p.m.

The Indigenous Alliance Without Borders' Youth Gathering will commemorate Native American Heritage Month, bringing together youth and elders for a day of history, culture, music, and poetry tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 17, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. 6th Ave. South Tucson. For more info, call Jose Matus at 979-2125 or email [email protected].

Tohono O’Odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui, Akilmel O’Odham and Chicano youth, along with elders will participate in a teach-in on indigenous ways, beliefs and traditions. This purpose is to empower and motivate youth to stand up for Indigenous rights and human rights.

Other activities include poetry Slam, storytelling, music, live graffiti and performances by Shinning Soul, DJ ALias with Progreso, The MEZ, TOP NAX and immigrant rights activist and poet Raul Alcaraz.