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).

Iskashitaa Refugee Network’s Food for Thought pot luck

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Iskashitaa

Iskashitaa Refugee Network is a grass roots organization that helps rebuild refugee lives through our partnerships with volunteers and local organizations.  Staff and volunteers unite refugees and the community through unique programs designed to empower the refugees.  Programs emphasize community connections, sharing, and English language practice to build community of refugees and volunteers.   Iskashitaa has also worked to build a networking community among Tucson area refugee volunteers and agencies.

Recently I attended a talk about this Iskashitaa Refugee Network. “Iskashitaa” is a Somali Bantu word for  “working cooperatively together”.   One of their core programs is harvesting nutritious food from people’s backyards & local farms, which are then redistributed to the refugee families and & other Tucson organizations helping families in need. Their motto: “No Fruit Left Behind.”

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Unscrewed Theater is definitely unscrewed (and funny too)

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Unscrewedtheaterstage

On January 31, 2014 I was supposed to attend the grand opening of the new digs of this Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed improv comedy group at 3244 E. Speedway (across from the Loft Cinema).  However, there were intervening circumstances since the Tucsoncitizen.com was suddenly shut down that day without any warning to us loyal bloggers. (My life that day got a bit “unscrewed” so I guess I can identify. I should have seen the humor in it).

Luckily I had been invited to attend their UT VIP preview opening, and finally last night was able to catch up with this lively group of comedians, who like to stand up (or sit) on their new stage and have lots of fun. And they had been entertaining folks around Tucson for 12 years in different locales, before building their own theater in midtown.  And it is their 12th anniversary celebration this weekend.

Info: http://www.unscrewedtheater.org/. Shows are every Friday & Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for only $5/person.  You can buy tickets online or at the door. There’s also an “uncensored” (adults only) show at 9:30 p.m. on the 4th Saturdays of the month, which is tonight. Also check out their FB page for updates, photos and contests to win tickets. They offer improv classes, are available for hire, and rent out that theater space as well.

And here’s a 5/15/14 link to an interview about this theater troupe on Az Illustrated Arts: https://originals.azpm.org/p/azill-arts/2014/5/15/35302-az-illustrated-arts-thursday-may-15-2014/

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“Wounded Tiger” about Commander Mitsuo Fuchida who led WWII attack on Pearl Harbor (book review)

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This book review was previously published by me on December 7, 2013 in the Tucsoncitizen.com (which was shut down on January 31, 2014 so that review is no longer online).

“Wounded Tiger” is a complex and compelling, first “non-fiction novel” by Tucsonan T. Martin Bennett, about the Japanese pilot Commander Mitsuo Fuchida who led the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and survived WWII. He is the “wounded tiger” of the title, being born in the Year of the Tiger (per Asian zodiac calendar) but is not wounded physically but spiritually from Japan’s defeat.

WoundedTigerbook

This well-written, gripping novel is about three separate but parallel true stories that take place during WWII, which finally intersect at the end, into a powerful message of love. The first true story is obviously about Fuchida’s rise to power as a pilot in Japan’s Imperial Navy.

The second true story is about an American husband/wife team of Baptist missionary teachers Jimmy & Charma Covell who live in Japan for 20 years, raising their 3 children Peggy, David, and Alice to appreciate Japanese culture. They flee to the Philippines before WWII begins, but are there on the island of Panay when Japan invades & occupies that country.

The third true story is about Jake DeShazer, a young man from Oregon who becomes a Sgt. and bombadier in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. Jake’s first mission is with Lt. Jimmy Doolittle’s B- 25 team (“Doolittle’s Raiders”) which flies to Japan and bombs Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagoya in April, 1942. Eight of them are captured by the Japanese and Jake spends the rest of the war as a P.O.W. being tortured and almost dies in captivity.

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A Hero’s Salute

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Herossalute2014

MEMORIAL DAY: MONDAY, May 26, 2014

3:00 pm

U of A Crowder Hall

1017 N. Olive Rd., Tucson

A HERO’S SALUTE 2014
Join us as Arts Express honors the brave men and women from Southern Arizona who have served, as well as those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This uplifting and inspirational Memorial Day tribute will recognize our military,first responders, public servants, and all those who have placed themselves before others.

The program will feature the Arts Express Choir and Brass with special soloists, conducted by Dr. David Ashcraft, Co-Artistic Director of Arts Express.

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