A student-operated project by University High School students opened downtown last night to coincide with the grand opening of Ben’s Bells 2nd studio at 40 W. Broadway (between Church Ave. and Stone Ave.)

The idea to collect used books and re-sell them at a used bookstore was spearheaded by UHS Legacy Club President Nicole Urman, assisted by Vice President Yurika Isoe. Nicole informed us last night that “Tucson’s literacy rate is at an astonishing 20%”, and this was the high school “students’ way to give back to the community”.

Several hundred books are now for sale in categories of adult, teen, children, non-fiction, plus magazines.

Store hours are on weekends — Saturdays & Sundays, 9 to 5 p.m. Drop by and check out their selections and talk with the student volunteers. All profits go to Literacy Volunteers of Tucson.

More information on UHS which is a top ranked school in the nation (click here). UHS Legacy Club email is uhslegacy@gmail.com.

This bookstore (and Ben’s Bells) is in the 1868 Charles O. Brown House, one of the oldest buildings left in downtown Tucson. Mr. Brown was apparently the proprietor of the Congress Hall Saloon, a popular meeting hall for territorial legislators. The UHS students have a B/W portrait of Brown on the mantle of the fireplace in their bookstore.

The only other used bookstore downtown is located in the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, which I wrote about previously (click here), only open weekdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

U.S. Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, son of legendary Congressman Mo Udall spoke passionately tonight at the Pima County Democratic Party’s headquarters to elect Democrats in Arizona, his former home. Mark Udall, who graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, spoke of his initial shyness in campaigning for U.S. House, but then spoke of a recent “historic moment” in the U.S. Senate when he got to vote to appoint Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. Senator Mark Udall

He also asked the hundreds of loyal Democrats in the room to “carry on for my dad Mo”. He spoke of how the previous Bush Administration had “driven the bus into the ditch” economically, and that it was not time to “give them back the keys” to the bus, but to get the bus out of the ditch & put the bus into “D” for drive (and Democrat), not “R” for reverse (and Republican).

Also speaking tonight were Rep. Chris Deschene, candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (CD 8 U.S. House), and finally Attorney General Terry Goddard, running for Governor. Goddard joked that something was “wrong with our immigration policy” to allow the Udalls (Mark and Tom) to leave the State of Arizona. Tom Udall is former U.S. Rep. Stewart Udall’s son and now U.S. Senator of New Mexico. Mark and Tom’s fathers Mo and Stewart Udall were brothers, and both represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Goddard said there was “no gap of enthusiasm in Southern Arizona”, and that there was “no bigger push than now” to take back the state and bring the “prosperity train” back to Arizona. (Incidentally, Goddard is a graduate of Rincon High School while Giffords is a graduate of University High School, which shares the same campus in Tucson.)

Also attending tonight ‘s rally were Rep. Daniel Patterson (LD 29 House candidate), Bruce Wheeler (candidate in LD 28 House), Dr. Macario Saldate (candidate in LD 27 House), Vince Rabago (former AG candidate), and Tim Sultan (former candidate in LD 28 House). Congressman Raul Grijalva (CD 7) was initially scheduled to attend tonight, but was unable to due to a scheduling conflict.

Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party Jeff Rogers also spoke of the tremendous activity in the four Democratic headquarters in Southern Arizona . He emphasized that this was a “pivotal time” in Democratic politics in Arizona, due to the necessity of electing Terry Goddard to Governor, in order for him to veto bills coming from the Republican Arizona legislature.

Pima County Democratic Party headquarters in Tucson is located at 4639 E. 1st. Street, phone 520-326-3716. Website is www.pimadems.org.

I just found out that German is the 4th most spoken language in Arizona, following English (official), Spanish, and Navajo. It is taught at the University of Arizona (bachelor’s and master’s levels, with a Ph.D. in Transcultural German), and at Pima Community College (bachelor’s degree) at three campuses: Downtown, West, and Northwest.

The German language is also taught at least at eight high schools in Tucson: Amphi, Canyon del Oro, Cholla, Empire, Flowing Wells, Mountain View, Rincon, and University High.

On the elementary school level, I believe the only offering in bilingual German/English is at the private, well renowned International School of Tucson, at 1730 N. First Ave. Ages taught at that school are 3 to 11.

German Americans were some of the earliest immigrants to America, and now comprise 17% (2000 census) of the U.S. population, over 51 million people. But that probably doesn’t account for inter-marriage, prevalant nowadays.

German is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, parts of America, and a little in Luxembourg, Alsace and Lorraine (both in France), a little in Denmark, a solid group in Romania and Russia, and in southern Brazil, Peru, and Argentina.

I myself am married to a Native German professor and it has opened up my world to an appreciation of the German language and culture. I’ve audited German 101 and 102 at the University of Arizona (German Studies Dept.), and have studied German informally as well.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ja, ein bisschen.
(Do you speak German? Yes, a little).