Carolyn Classen

Carolyn Sugiyama Classen, a life long Democrat, was born & raised in the State of Hawaii, was a Legislative Aide for U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye on Capitol Hill, and practiced law for a while. In Tucson she worked as a tribal staff attorney for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and later was the Interim Executive Director of the now defunct Domestic Violence Commission. In 2008 she became a “My Tucson” guest columnist for the Tucson Citizen newspaper, then continued blogging for Tucsoncitizen.com for over four and a half years. Her blogsite was entitled “Carolyn’s Community” about community events and some political news, until Gannett Publishing shut down the site on January 31, 2014. She started with Blog for Arizona on Feb. 11, 2014. Part time she sat as a Hearing Officer in Pima County Consolidated Justice Courts Small Claims Division since April, 2005 for 15 years. She is married to University of Arizona Distinguished Professor Albrecht Classen, a native of Germany. They have one son, who lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and daughter. She is also the Editor of the Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition website, www.southernazjapan.org (since Jan. 2013).

Paint Pima Purple on Oct. 17

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As part of the Paint Pima Purple campaign, Pima County employees, friends and residents are encouraged on Friday, Oct. 17 to wear purple clothing,  and to help Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse to “Stuff the Bus” with donations to help victims of domestic abuse.

From PaintPimaPurple.org and Emerge! Center against Domestic Abuse:

Domestic abuse does not discriminate. It affects families of every background, people of every sexual orientation and gender identity, and people from every socio-economic class. It is widely considered one of the most under-reported crimes in the United States.

If someone told you they were being abused, would you know what to do? Hearing about someone’s abusive situation is scary, especially if they are looking to you for help and you have no idea what to do. Knowing how to respond can help you save a life.

Call the experts: Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse’s 24-hour hotline is available to people in abusive situations and for those who want to learn how to help a friend or loved one. Local: 520-795-4266 Toll-free: 888-428-0101. If you are in a dangerous or life-threatening situation, always call 911.

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Loft Film Fest 2014

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Thursday, October 16 – Sunday, October 19, at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Tucson Presented by Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment and Cox Communications Experience hand-selected festival favorites from the wrold’s best film festivals and meet internationally-renowned artists from the world of independent cinema. This year’s guests include Larry McMurtry, Bruce Dern, Stacy … Read more

Downtown lectures series on FOOD

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5 lectures coming up on October 15 to November 12 at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St., 6:30 p.m. each night. Free to all food lovers. Tickets available at 4 p.m. at the Fox’s box office each day of the lecture. Sounds yummy to listen to talks about food, and to learn about food sustainability.

www.downtownlectures.arizona.edu

CHANGING GEOGRAPHIES OF FOOD
Diana Liverman
Wednesday, October 15, 2014 – 6:30pm
We are living in a new planetary epoch – the Anthropocene – in which humans are changing the environment at a global scale. Dr. Liverman leads us on an exploration of how our everyday food choices contribute to these changes and are in turn affected by them in an increasingly connected world. How can we ensure food security for all in a world where agriculture competes for land and water with cities, industry, and ecosystems; where climatic or economic upheaval in one corner of the world triggers food price rises in another; and where billions are hungry while others are overfed? This lecture will assess the state and geographies of our food system, tracing trends in environment, food production, trade and consumption, and identifying choices that can promote a more sustainable future for food around the world.

TUCSON: CITY OF GASTRONOMY, HUB FOR FOOD DIVERSITY
Gary Nabhan
Wednesday, October 22, 2014 – 6:30pm
This presentation will highlight why Tucson has been nominated to become the first UNESCO-recognized Global City of Gastronomy in North America, and why it has become a nursery grounds for rediversifying the American diet as means to provide farmers with better livelihoods, celebrate our multi-cultural food heritage, and combat obesity and diabetes. The antiquity of agriculture and diversity of desert food traditions in the Tucson Basin is unparalleled within any metro area in the entire United States, but many of Tucson’s current inhabitants remain vulnerable to hunger, food insecurity and nutrition-related diseases. We will suggest how this collaboration among the city, county, university and local non-profits and food micro enterprises can be used as a means to leverage positive change to enhance food security and alleviate poverty in the eight USDA- designated food deserts within Metro Tucson. It will also discuss how enhancing the diversity of food choices available to our community and others relates to issues of food justice and food democracy.

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UA Humanites Week: Trailblazers & Hellraisers

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Free events at UA Poetry Center (unless otherwise noted), Dorothy Rubel Room, Helen S. Schaefer Bldg. 1508 E. Helen Street (north of Speedway Blvd., west of Cherry Ave.) See www.hw.arizona.edu.

Monday , October 13, 2014
4:00 p.m.
Maggie Camp, East Asian Studies

Monday , October 13, 2014
5:00 p.m.
Reception catered by Tazzina di Gelato
5:30 p.m.
Fabian Alfie, Italian

Monday , October 13, 2014
7:00 p.m.
Bonnie Wasserman, Africana Studies

Tuesday, October 14, 2014
5:00 p.m.
Karen Seat, Religious Studies

Tuesday, October 14, 2014
6:30 p.m.
Caleb Simmons, Religious Studies

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Newspaper endorsements in TUSD Governing Board race

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Our Tucson daily newspaper Arizona Daily Star has endorsed community activist Betts Putnam-Hidalgo (who ran unsuccessfully for a TUSD seat in 2012) and political newcomer Jen Darland  in the upcoming Tucson Unified School District Governing Board non-partisan race for 2 candidates.
Candidate Jen Darland
Candidate Jen Darland
Candidate Betts Putnam-Hidalgo
Candidate Betts Putnam-Hidalgo

From the Star editorial about Jen:

Jen Darland is running for the first time after years of involvement at her children’s school and co-founding the advocacy group Arizona Education Network.

She participated in two state efforts to increase education funding, including the successful Proposition 100 in 2010, which provided a temporary 1-cent sales tax for public education and other services.

The Star says this about Betts:

Putnam-Hidalgo ran for the board two years ago, as did three other 2014 candidates. Despite her loss, she still kept up her regular attendance at board meetings. She’s also been actively involved in school site councils, served as a community representative and taught English as a second language to parents.

She speaks with enthusiasm of participating in parent leadership training through Voices for Education as a starting point for her advocacy. She describes herself as a “bulldog” when it comes the education.

Betts is a community activist and P/T teacher (“parent, volunteer and advocate for public schools”),  and  Darland calls herself a “volunteer parent education advocate” at TUSD.  Both candidates have children attending TUSD schools.

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