notable folks, heroes
Pink doesn’t stink when it comes to Komen breast cancer race for the cure
Don’t hate them because they’re pink. The “they” in this case are breast cancer sufferers, survivors, supporters and organizations like the Southern Arizona affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, all of whom are linked to pink whether they like it or not.
Komen’s 15th annual Southern Arizona Race for the Cure kicks off March 17 at the University of Arizona Mall, which means the route won’t even clog up most city traffic (unless, of course, you plan to careen through campus in your Hummer). You’ll even get an Olympic silver medalist as the honorary race chairwoman. High jumper Brigetta Barrett doubles as a UA undergrad and her mom is a breast cancer survivor.
Despite the hard hits Susan G. Komen for the Cure has taken of late, our local branch does some pretty amazing things.
Those things don’t include paying administrative salaries at some Komen corporate office out in Dallas, either, but things that help women right here in Tucson and its environs.
“Komen Southern Arizona is the only local breast cancer foundation to turn donations into treatment dollars,” says Gillian Drummond, Komen SAZ’s communications consultant. “Many of the others are helping diagnosis and screening only. Our grants include programs for chemo and radiation and mastectomies.” [Read more…] about Pink doesn’t stink when it comes to Komen breast cancer race for the cure
Grooving music video illustrates – and solves – America’s biggest problem
Grooving music with a hard-hitting beat that leaves you startled yet oozing with peace. Such is the summary of the “Together as One” video produced by Santa Fe Music Videos.
The startling parts of the video come from shocking facts, figures and images – although anyone living in America of late should not be too shocked by statistics the video reveals. One in 45 children is homeless in the U.S. An estimated 643, 067 people are homeless across the nation on any given night. More than 50 percent of Americans live below the poverty line. The video adds to the shock with crisp images of begging children and hungry families. Protestors tout signs like, “Dear Wall Street, Learn to share. Thank you.”
Contrast that with a naked woman lounging in currency and you have a sickening juxtaposition. [Read more…] about Grooving music video illustrates – and solves – America’s biggest problem
Olé to the chimichanga as Arizona’s Official State Food
Arizona may seem to be falling apart at the seams, but we can bring it back together with the chimichanga.
Tucson’s El Charro Café and Phoenix’s Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen have blended their efforts to produce a petition to get the chimichanga named as Arizona’s official state food. The petition, available for signing at checkyesforchimi.com, is timed to fall in line with Arizona upcoming 100th birthday.
El Charro and Macayo both lay claim to the origins of the chimichanga with stories of accidentally knocking a burrito (pictured) into a deep fryer some years back. One tale says the cook began to utter a Spanish swear word beginning with “chimi-” when she saw the burrito bobbing merrily in hot oil then quickly switched her word to “chimichanga.” The closest English translation is “thingamajig.”
Eureka, the chimichanga was born.
Before we delve any deeper into this culinary wonder, we do have to present the ugly, artery-hardening facts. Calories in a single chimichanga range anywhere from about 365 to more than 1,500, depending on the size and what you pack inside. The USDA National Nutrient Database puts a 180-gram beef, cheese and red chili pepper chimichanga at 1,521 calories, with about 15 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrates and nearly 18 grams fat.
[Read more…] about Olé to the chimichanga as Arizona’s Official State Food
Once a bully, not always a bully: Marana man receives amends from former tormentor
It’s tough not to remember a bully. Memories of pennies shoved in our lockers, sand shoved in our faces, and our faces shoved in a toilet in that wholesome maneuver known as a “swirly” are things that will stay with us forever.
But what we might not realize is that our bullies, too, might remember us. They might even feel bad about how they acted—bad enough to do something about it.
Such was the case for Marana’s John Coppin, who recently received a letter of apology from a former tormentor.Coppin was bullied by a kid named Ed Christin back in 1969 when both were eighth-graders at St. John the Evangelist School in Green Bay, Wis.
“I was shy back then, and (bullies) could use that as a weapon to torment me,” recalls Coppin, who has come a long way since his shy days and now makes a living as a magician, clown and performer.
While Coppin did not get into the gory details about the bullying, he did say it was not physical in nature and promised that it did not involve a swirly. But mental anguish can be just as damaging.
“If you put the bullying into today’s genre, he probably would have been a user of Internet bullying,” Coppin explains. “Ed was more of a go-along-with-the-crowd type of bully. He just never let you have a peaceful time at recess — or ever.”
RIP Gracie: When ugly things happen to beautiful Tucsonans (and their dog)
Crawling away to hide is not an option – at least not for Tucsonan Rodney F. White. He refuses to give up even though his house burned down and he lost much of what he owned. Even though the fire killed his best friend Gracie.
Gracie was a dog, but no ordinary pooch. She was one of those special animals filled with enough spirit and love to even make a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s become playful and lucid when Gracie came to visit.
White, a lifelong photographer and longtime Mesquite Valley Growers employee, got the phone call Sunday morning while he was at work. He was told the cozy home he’s been renting for the past 11 years was on fire with a heat so intense that it blew out all the windows. “It’s bad,” the property manager told him over the phone.
“What about Gracie?” Rodney asked.
“It’s bad,” the manager repeated.
When he rushed back to the midtown abode, the place was still smoldering. Gracie’s body was wrapped in one of his work shirts and placed beneath a mesquite tree. Rodney pulled out the camera he had on him and began to take photos of the fiery wreckage.
“People are looking at me with my camera,” he said. “I told them it was my house and this is what I do.” He’s been hooked on photography since he received a camera for Christmas when he was about 9. The new camera he just bought was destroyed in the fire, as was the original camera that kicked off his passion some 50 years hence.
All of his electronics melted from the heat, but he’s hoping he can salvage his computer’s hard drive to retrieve the photos he recently took for a friend’s wedding. And the hundreds of photos of Gracie.
[Read more…] about RIP Gracie: When ugly things happen to beautiful Tucsonans (and their dog)
