Seeing those tile portraits yesterday at Tucson’s Birthday celebration at the NW section of the newly opened 4th Avenue Underpass, I’m just passing on information on how to locate your photo.

Log onto www.tucsonportraitproject.com, find the link for “explore panels” and type in your first name. Voila, several portraits will appear of those with the same first name and you have to recognize yourself or loved ones. Then the website will show you what quadrant your portrait will appear, NW (already there, with some redoes necessary), or NE, SW 1, SW 2.

The fun part is that once you locate your photo, watch the website zoom to your face amongst the thousands of other tile portraits.

The website has a map showing where the other 3 panels will be located, but also has a disclaimer for misinformation due to the huge task of taking over 7,000 portraits of Tucson/Pima County residents (and some pets as well).

I got this website from Michael Carson, information officer with City of Tucson.

Looking forward to seeing myself, my husband, and friends’ tile portraits up there someday.

Six chapters of Drinking Liberally exist in Arizona– in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Tempe and Tucson. Drop by the Tucson one, every Thursday at 7 p.m. at The Shanty, 401 E. 9th Street (at 4th Avenue), to join in with this group which advertises itself as “promoting democracy one pint at a time.”

Drinking Liberally is (paraphrased from their websites):”An informal, inclusive progressive social group” of “like-minded, left-leaning individuals” who need a place to discuss political issues. They encourage all to “just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it’s not taboo to talk politics.” They also believe that “the idea of an American Republic was born in the taverns of the American colonies. The dreams that shape tomorrow’s America will also be born in our taverns, among everyday folks.” Hence, the locales, in taverns across America.

This week’s topic is focusing on your opinions on local, state and national issues. Sometimes they have guest speakers, mostly politicians or community leaders. Although the group does meet in a bar/restaurant, they do not encourage drunk driving by any means.

Drinking Liberally is a project of Living Liberally, “an organization which builds progressive communities through social networks and events. Living Liberally also runs Laughing Liberally, the political comedy project; Screening Liberally, a series of socially-conscious films; Eating Liberally, events with good gab and great grub; and Reading Liberally, book tours for progressive authors. (Living Liberally is a New York-based LLC, led by a team in NYC and fueled by the energy of hundreds of volunteers and partners around the country.)”

Whew, that’s a lot of liberals and progressives isn’t it? Check out the website for this community of liberal thinkers: www.livingliberally.org.

Whatever your political bias may be, consider a visit with these folks who do welcome all viewpoints. I’ve dropped by on occasion to drink my cranberry juice and talk politics, being as I used to be a legislative aide to a powerful U.S. Senator on Capitol Hill in my younger days. Remind me to tell you about the time in D.C.when I spoke with actor John Denver on the phone….
but not sure how liberal he was.

Last year I saw a “Renaissance”  movie about the Dalai Lama and the interviewer asked him what people can do to promote world peace and nonviolence. He reflected a moment and said “Have more festivals.”

I was shocked at the response and so was my friend viewing the movie as well. Of course we assumed he would say “practice nonviolent behavior, join a peace group and demonstrate, write to the world leaders”, etc. But no, he said he thought people needed to spend more joyful time together at festivals, parties, fiestas, etc.

Spreading this sense of community and togetherness on a local scale is somehow about world peace. Because if you are enjoying each other’s company at an event, then you likely won’t be fighting and causing trouble and pain. I guess that’s what his Holiness meant.

This is why I want to focus on community events in Tucson, on people and organizations that are bringing people together in cooperation and fun, not in conflict.

I spent years practicing law where all I saw was conflict: warring litigants, frustrated judges, angry enforcement people, separated families. I still see that now somewhat as a Hearing Officer in Small Claims Court (the people’s court).

But building and maintaining community is the focus of my blogsite, and what I hope to focus on for this new online version of the Tucson Citizen.