In this second of four parts, UA School of Journalism student Joshua Morgan takes us into the back shop of JJ Bicycles and gives us a look at a work day in the shop with owner Jose Villegas.

Source: Gizmodo.com

Frank Brun, a UA School of Journalism student, follows Kate McHugh at Ordinary Bicycle Shop to give you an idea of what goes on behind-the-scenes at one of Tucson's popular bike stops.

This project is the first part of a four-part mini-series on local bike shops around Tucson.

UA School of Journalism alumnus Andrew Bess takes us to the art and community of tattoo enthusiasts.

A story in honor of Autism Awareness Month:

I spent three days visiting the Grand Canyon this week with about 40 elementary school kids from Miles Exploratory Learning Center, a K-8 TUSD school on Broadway Boulevard. I've been back for two days, and I'm tired and now sick—my immune system is not used to being exposed to all those kiddy germs at one time.

Despite the aftermath, the experience was so fun learning alongside my son, his friends and classmates.

It was a fun school-trip adventure, but also a test for my son, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism at age 5. He's 8 now, and in the third-grade. Since our move to Tucson almost three years ago he's been through so much in finding the right school district and school. There were a couple of absolute disasters, but that proved to be a test for us—his parents—in how to be better advocates for him. We did everything that had been recommended to us—occupational therapy for sensory issues and behavioral therapy—and all along, we kept expecting teachers and school staff to understand how to work successfully with this willful perfectionist/smart kid.

We discovered it doesn't work that way, and we figured out that the only persons who really understood how to work with our kid were us—his parents. Last year, we asked TUSD to transfer our son to Miles; our gut told us that it would better for him if he went to school closer to our house and would have more success in a K-8 setting. Every week now, my husband and I say to ourselves how lucky we are that TUSD miraculously approved our request.

Then we had an interesting summer—a disastrous beginning in a program made for kids with emotional and physical disabilities. Our only choices at that point were mostly programs for typical kids. and we were honest with our son that these were his only choices, and he had to start making better choices regarding his behavior. He promised us he could do it, because he didn't want to go back to what he described as a "self-contained" camp.

The audio slideshows are a fun watch for anyone who enjoys taking a walk onto any outdoorsy landscape.

(Photographs by John deDios)

This week in his column in Inside Tucson Business (which shares office space, a coffee machine and ownership with the Weekly), David Hatfield asks why the city is building a streetcar system when a monorail system is much cooler and safer.

But as Tucson nears cashing in that giant federal check, I can't help but wonder: Is any transit project still worth it since the Rio Nuevo museum district has been put on indefinite hold?

In any case, I'm sure the decision to continue the streetcar project looked something like this:

Dear Mr. Santa Claus, Sir,

We're one week out from C-Day, so I'm writing to officially inform you of my Christmas gift request.

This year, I simply desire "Crud." Crud, as I'm sure you are aware—what with your extensive history in product handling and all—retails in a green bucket with red lettering.

Although Crud is advertised as "better than crap," I don't need to tell you that it rates at a consumer satisfaction level only nominally above crap. Further, while Crud's "old" claim is better than "mold," it's not exactly better than "cold." After my extravagant, libertine wish-list of last year, you may be wondering: Why the change?

In short: I've been naughty this year. Quite naughty, really. I'd rather not go into the details, though I suppose you know them anyway - what with your alleged clairvoyance and all. I'd say I was worse than a trespassing reindeer, but better than a felonious elf.

Which brings me to this disturbing point: I feel that the decadent gifts you brought me last year were partly responsible for my naughty behavior. In fact, my lawyer informs me that many of the gifts - such as the Survivor Series Backstabbing Knives, and the Johnny Justice Megaphone & Handcuff Set - were directly responsible for much of my naughtiness. Nevertheless ...

Yours in the Season,

A Concerned Customer

When you read our election endorsements in this week's paper, and you're left scratching your head, why not alleviate any possible who-do-I-vote-for headache by playing a round of Pornstar or Potato? Not a bad time suck, but it would be even better if it was Pornstar, Potato or Politician?

Play it right here.

A Wildcat basketball news brief you won't see anywhere besides The Onion:

TUCSON, AZ—In an effort to impress his new University of Arizona teammates, Wildcats freshman point guard Lamont Jones was already referring to the school as "Zona" after his very first practice, sources reported Tuesday. "I waited until I was halfway through junior year to start calling the school Zona," senior guard Nic Wise told reporters. "For Lamont to come in here and start saying 'Zona this' and 'Zona that' like it's no big deal—that's just spitting in the face of everyone who came before him. Zona is a privilege, not a right." Wildcats sources later confirmed that, while dining in the student union, Jones twice referred to the team as the "Sun Devils."