PHXations—Wednesday, May 26
A blogger who calls himself “AZ Writing Coach” offers a critique of a recent Arizona Republic story here.
I don’t agree with everything he says, but I like the granular analysis.
Apropos of nothing, PHXated would like to note that Marcellino, the Italian restaurant on Northern and 12th Street, has moved to downtown Scottsdale, in the Southbridge development in the space once occupied by Digestif.
PHXated is no dining expert, but based on three visits to the Northern location, twice with New Yorkers who know a bit about the field, feels that it’s probably the most under-appreciated great restaurant in town, and wishes proprietors Marcellino and Sima Verzino well.
The news restaurant is at 7114 E. Stetson Dr. in Scottsdale. A short piece on the re-opening from the New Times' Chow Bella blog here.
4:14 PM
J.D. Hayworth gets smacked by McCain—and then E.J Montini
We like J.D. Hayworth.
Not personally, but we’d like to see him knock John McCain out of the race in the GOP primary and be easier pickings for a Democrat in November.
Not so much because we favor Democrats as that we think Arizona needs a higher quality of elected representative and we think McCain is a bad person and a bad senator.
Anyway, J.D., who is, let’s face it, a buffoon of the first order, managed to turn himself into a joke recently by declaiming for some reason or another that the U.S. didn’t declare war on Germany during the Second World War.
(We assume it had something to do with arguing that it’s OK that America has been fighting wars for decades now without formally declaring it. This is of course inconsistent with the right-wing mantra that the constitution should be interpreted strictly.)
That made Hayworth a staple of the news shows for a day, and the Mccain campaign capitalized on it immediately, putting together a video mocking Hayworth you can see below.
Anyway, Hayworth smacked back at McCain today with a press release. Unfortunately, they sent it to E.J. Montini, who noticed the release misspelled McCain’s name in the hedline—and had a dropped word besides.
Sigh.
1:26 PM
Anna Deavere Smith doesn't waste words
Nationally acclaimed actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith wrote an op-ed for the NYT entitled “One Border, Many Sides” a few days ago. It consists of a number of monologues about the border by notable and sundry AZ folk—Sheriff Joe, Phil Gordon, a border crosser, a member of the Minutemen, among others.
In her intro Smith recounts:
Two years ago, before the last presidential election, I interviewed people living and working in Phoenix and at the Arizona-Mexico border, and much of what I heard then echoes strongly in the debate over the Arizona law. Even then, as I sat at office desks, or in living rooms, or outside at picnic tables, the words were dramatic. The impassioned, rhythmic cadences suggested a social movement. I suspect the speakers were rehearsing the language that we are now hearing nationally.
Now maybe I’m way off-base, but I too suspect the language has been rehearsed. “The Arizona Project” was commisioned by F.A.R @ASU two years ago.Their website described the one-woman play:
“Award-winning playwright and performer Anna Deavere Smith…presents several interwoven monologues in this one-woman performance, drawing verbatim from a series of interviews she conducted over the course of three weeks in 2008…The Arizona Project presents the stories of Justice O’Connor, as well as those of more than 30 women with relationships to the American judicial system, including prison system employees, incarcerated women, female lawyers, activists and others.”
No mention of this on her NYT piece, which, consisting of mostly male voices, is a sort of bookend to the Arizona performance. Guess ASU didn’t have the rights to the out-takes.
4:04 PM
Tania Katan's Biennale Finale
More news about playwight-performers.
I’ve been following the travel art blog of Tania Katan, author/playwright/topless marathon runner and all-around good time who has been reporting from the Biennale of Sydney the last few weeks.
Tania’s last post just went online. Here’s a few bits:
Right now I’m reporting live from Tasmania, or as everyone in Australia calls it Tassie (pronounces Tazzy). Not to be confused with the euphemism Map of Tasmania, which really means, um, a lady’s down under, which is another euphemism for, well, the pubic hair area. Why can’t we just call it what it is instead of beating around the bush, which then becomes another euphemistic statement when all I really want to say is that the landscape of Tasmania is extraordinarily beautiful! And so is the map, but that’s another story, so let’s stick to the literal, ok kids? In order for me to sum up my Biennale of Sydney journey, you need to really understand Sydney as a city, and because I spent 14 days and 4 hours there, I’m kind of an expert, so here’s all you need to know about Sydney: everything is gorgeous and casual. Seriously. In fact, if the NSW Bureau of Tourism is reading this, here is a totally free tagline for Sydney:
Come to Sydney, where you’re gorgeous and we’re casual!
Everywhere you go in Sydney there are signs, posters, and pamphlets advertising Casual. “Casual server needed,” “Casual guitar lessons offered,” “Looking for Casual housekeeper.” I assumed this meant that they were looking for relaxed individuals, professional underachievers, like someone who may take your food order or may decide that smoking in the kitchen would be more fun; someone who could teach you a few finger positions on the guitar or just as well drink a cup of tea as you muddle through Smoke On The Water alone; someone who will do some light dusting but eats all of your food during their 4-hour lunch break and watches as you clean the rest of your shitty little apartment. As per usual, my perception compared to the reality of the situation is a little off. Casual really means not permanent and no vacations. But I’ll hang on to the idea of shop owners excited to employ desultory people.
Ok, here’s the BIG BIENNALE FINALE! Can you handle it? It involves dirty limericks, homemade lamingtons, Jessica Watson washing ashore in her pink Barbie boat, and PechaKucha!
You asked for it. Here it is! Starting with a photomontage of Artistic Director, David Elliott and I engaging in a dirty limerick duel to the end!
That’s not the half of it. Read the entire story here.
4:00 PM
Another cancelled convention due to SB 1070
The Republic reports that another group has cancelled an upcoming convention in the city:
A minority suppliers group that would have brought 7,000 convention attendees to Phoenix this fall has moved the meeting to Florida because of Arizona’s new immigration law.
The National Minority Suppliers Development Council, Inc. released a statement, which Phoenix officials received today.
The story doesn’t explicitly say so, but the group was apparently set for the convention center.
The story notes that convention center cancellations hit the city twice; first because of the last money that would otherwise have been spent in the city, and then second because the city operates the convention center and owns the nearby Sheraton Hotel.
The Republic has a list of cancelled conventions and announced boycots here. The list is confusing and not particularly well put together—the National Urban League is listed twice, doing two different and contradictory things, for example.
Read carefully, however, and it looks as if the minority suppliers is only the fifth officially pulled convention.
6:20 PM
The Justice Dept. preparing a legal attack on SB 1070
So reports the Republic this afternoon, citing “sources”:
Top Justice Department officials have drafted a legal challenge that could be filed in federal court in Arizona asserting that the state’s new immigration law is unconstitutional because it impinges on the federal government’s inherent authority to police the nation’s Southwest border with Mexico, sources said Wednesday.
At the same time, the government officials said, the department’s civil rights division is considering possible legal action against the law on the basis that it amounts to racial profiling of Latinos who are legally in Arizona but conceivably could be asked to provide documents proving their citizenship.
The story says U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder met with ten police chiefs who oppose the law—the story doesn’t say whether any were from Arizona—and says he told them his department would take action “soon.”
9:44 PM
U.S. Attn. Gen Holder meets with police chiefs of five states
In deciding to deploy up to 1,200 National Guard troops to bolster security at the Mexican border, President Obama has stepped into one of the thorniest issues facing American presidents — illegal immigration — and has confounded allies who say he is squandering his chance to address it in a comprehensive way.
The article examines the perceived pros and cons of militarizing the border, and the effects of SB 1070 on the ability of law enforcement to do its job. Not all police departments support the bill.
On Wednesday, Mr. Obama’s attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., heard from police chiefs who oppose the Arizona law. The chiefs, representing cities including Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia and Minneapolis, told Mr. Holder that the law would increase crime, not decrease it, as backers claim.
10:30 PM
Gratehouse: Addressing border issues at the border—Imagine that!
(A cross post from Democratic Diva.)
Terry Goddard press release today:
Goddard Beefs Up Security with Border Crime Prosecution Team
PHOENIX — Attorney General Terry Goddard announced today a new Border Crime Prosecution Team, based in Tucson, which will investigate and prosecute the smuggling of weapons, humans, drugs and money across the border by the Mexican cartels.
Funding for this prosecutorial team will come from the $94 million money laundering settlement that Goddard secured from Western Union in February.
“We’re doing our part in Arizona to beef up the prosecution of border crime,” said Attorney General Goddard. “However, we can’t do it alone. It is time for the Federal government to step up more aggressively and do their part.”
Goddard has led the fight against border crime committed by drug- and human-smuggling cartels. His groundbreaking work in this area has included:
Targeting wire transfers of cartel profits
Seizure of tens of millions in cartel assets
Major prosecutions of human and drug smuggling rings
Training of over 400 Mexican prosecutors in an effort to help them be more successful in putting cartel members behind bars in Mexico.
Creation of the Southwest Border Alliance to better coordinate efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement throughout the entire Southwest border in attacking the criminal cartels.
Today’s announcement is the latest major step in the Attorney General’s ongoing fight against border crime.
Going after drug cartel money and drug and human and weapons smugglers too??
Say, that looks like competence! A welcome contrast to what we’ve seeing on the news lately.
We now return you to the Jan Brewer/Russell Pearce immigration political-posture-a-thon currently in progress…
10:33 PM