Editor’s note: Night online editor Judy Carlock wraps up the week for the final time.

“Another socialist university,” harrumphed a reader, in response to coverage of President Obama’s commencement speech Wednesday at Sun Devil Stadium.

Well, yeah. Public education is socialism. Knee-jerk responses to the s-word miss the point that collective financing works for some things. Just not everything.

The president’s pep talk urged grads to make the most of what they’ve got – the very soul of capitalism, to my mind.

He also gave a nod to late launchers: older adults driven to new success relatively late in life.

With the end of the Citizen on Saturday, staff members are learning what a luxury it was to be themselves and dodge most bureaucratic busywork. In keeping with Obama’s ethos, I consider skills learned here an investment.

They’ve been part of my compensation. I still want the check, though.

Redefine success, Obama tells ASU grads

MONEY TALKS: Why, I wonder, do some people complain of being “forced” to learn a second language? That came up in comments about the billion-dollar boost Mexican shoppers bring to Tucson’s retail and hospitality industries.

It’s just a skill. You don’t have to develop it. But if other people do, they have a right to leverage that skill however they can.

Wednesday’s story about Mexican spending here spurred comments from readers apparently hostile to the whole idea of . . . Mexicans.

The shoppers are not here illegally, and they’re not immigrants . . . so naturally, the story brought out reader reaction to illegal immigration.

Get over it. We’re an hour from the border.

Mexican shoppers add $1B to Tucson economy

OPEN BEATING LAW: It’s illegal for a quorum of a public body to meet in private. I didn’t know until this week it was also illegal to try to seek consensus by polling your colleagues in twosies. Apparently that’s so, according to the state Open Meeting Law.

The issue came up Tuesday in relation to Councilwoman Nina Trasoff’s efforts to find a fix for Tucson’s budget.

Late local pol E.S. “Bud” Walker defended secrecy succinctly: “When the press finds out, they blow the whole program.’”

He put his faith in smoke-filled rooms, and provided the Pall Malls.

Now they’d be breaking the law by lighting up.

City budget talks derailed by open meetings law tiff

Our Opinion: Council’s talks likely violated Arizona Open Meetings Law

PACKING: How do you balance the right to bear arms with a property owner’s right to have no guns on the premises? A state House vote Wednesday favored fans of firearms.

It seems reasonable that if you have the right to carry a gun, you have the right to keep it in your car. But – is it carrying concealed to stash it under the seat? And if it’s in plain view, could that incite theft?

Then there’s the Arizona heat. What would it do to ammo?

Cigarette lighters can explode in hot cars. One took the windshield out of my VW wagon.

I’m not packing – except for cleaning out my desk.

House OKs bill to allow guns in parked vehicles

DefensiveCarry.com discussion on car heat

SPEED KILLS: Dang! Now there are 10 more places I can’t speed.

Caught on candid camera at Oracle and River a few months back, I started slowing at the yellow light, scared of getting another ticket.

I haven’t. Big Brother modified my behavior.

Pima County gets in on the act this weekend, with a warning period to start Monday.

Traffic enforcement saves lives. OK by me. One question about my neighborhood, at La Cholla and River:

Why does River have two left-turn lanes onto a street with one southbound lane?

Speed camera test starts Friday; warning period will be Monday through Saturday

PHOTO SHOOT: Some folks think President Obama is posturing in his attempt to keep photos of abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan under wraps.

He explained his turnaround by saying earlier photos led to “appropriate actions” against “a small number of individuals.”

“Appropriate.” The new fascism.

Arizona’s John McCain twittered approval of Obama’s stance.

The fear: That the images would fuel anti-American actions in the Middle East.

I figure the people who would hate us already do.

No matter how stupid the soldiers who did the deeds or made those pictures, Arabs and Afghans know how much worse it could be. This is not My Lai.

Release them. We don’t have to post them on the Net.

Al-Jazeera will take care of that.

Obama will try to block release of abuse photos

Dear Boomer,

I have a huge crush on this guy at school. I know he doesn’t like me, and I’ve even told him that I like him. (But) he won’t give in. What should I do?

Sincerely, Z.B.

Dear Z. B.,

Reality check! Even though you’re head over heels for this fella, it’s not gonna change how he feels about you. I know this is a big-time disappointment, but you really need to take a step back and pursue your other interests.

Friends always, Boomer Bear

Dear Boomer,

I’ve dreamed about going to Sea World and Disneyland. I can see myself riding on the back of a giant whale or dolphin. That would be so exciting! I’ve heard so much about the Mickey Mouse Club. Meeting Donald Duck or Goofy would make my day.

B.T.

Dear B.T.,

You’ve got a great imagination and could probably make a heckuva commercial for southern California’s tourism office! After school lets out for summer, lots of families head for San Diego (Sea World) or Anaheim (Disneyland) to escape the Arizona heat.

If your family doesn’t have the money or time for such a big trip, there are lots of cool places nearby like Mount Lemmon. I think my family is driving up to the White Mountains for our vacation. Good luck with the rest of the school year!

Your buddy, Boomer

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ASK BOOMER

He’s wise, he’s cool and he’s ready to respond. Write a letter to Boomer Bear of Bear Essential News for Kids!

Bear Essential News for Kids

1037 S. Alvernon Way, No. 150

Tucson, AZ 85711

boomer@bearessentialnews.com

Older adults waiting for $250 stimulus checks from Uncle Sam this month are warned about scammers lurking on the Internet and on the other end of telephone line.

Perpetrators of fraud and theft of the stimulus checks have been reported by federal agencies, and all eligible older consumers should be vigilant.

Unlike last year, when all consumers had to file a federal income tax return to receive stimulus checks, recipients this year get their money automatically.

About $13 billion in payments to nearly 55 million eligible people on Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, railroad retirement or veterans disability began going out May 7 and should continue through the end of the month.

The money will be delivered the same way as current benefits, such as through direct deposit to a checking account or via debit card or paper check.

Crooks have been sending official-looking e-mails asking for bank account numbers, trying to persuade people the information is needed so that stimulus checks can be directly deposited into bank accounts.

Instead, the scammers drain the accounts and disappear, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Other bogus e-mails purporting to be from government agencies ask for personal information to “verify” that the recipient qualifies for a payment.

In another variation, e-mails provide links to Web sites on the premise that people can find out if they qualify for the money.

But by clicking on the links, consumers download malicious software or spyware that steals personal information used for identity theft, the FTC said.

Scammers also have been working the phones, trying to snag bank account numbers or personal information by claiming it is needed for direct deposit of stimulus checks or to verify future entitlement to Social Security benefits, according to the Social Security Administration.

Callers sometimes get hostile or call repeatedly if individuals refuse to divulge the information, the agency said.

In another ploy, Web sites also have been claiming that for a small fee they can help consumers apply for money from the stimulus fund.

Be suspicious of anyone who tries to collect a fee for filing a claim for stimulus money, the FTC said.

Remember, eligible recipients do not need to sign up anywhere or do anything to get the money.

And the Social Security Administration does not have to contact anyone for information.

Working seniors aren’t eligible for the $250 because they are getting stimulus money through reduced paycheck withholding throughout the year.

People who have not received their $250 by June 4 should contact the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213.

The payments are not taxable as income and will be sent separately from current Social Security benefits.

To report suspected fraud, contact the FTC at 877-382-4357 or use the online complaint assistant at ftc.gov.

For the Social Security Administration’s fraud hot line, call 800-269-0271 or visit socialsecurity.gov/oig/hotline.

Today’s information is provided by Adina Wingate, PCOA’s public relations director, using approved information from the Federal Trade Commission and Social Security Administration information about fraud. Visit online at www.pcoa.org

Insulation can settle as it ages, leaving gaps in the protection it provides against summer's sweltering heat.

The new economic stimulus tax credit for energy-efficient home improvements includes insulation, and chances are you need new insulation. Most homes, especially if they’re more than 10 years old, don’t have enough.

If your house is too warm and your energy bills are too high, the insulation in your attic is a good place to start your investigation when your home starts feeling uncomfortable this summer.

Insulation protects your home’s “envelope” – the attic, walls, ceiling and floors – from the sweltering summer air that can sneak inside through tiny holes and crevices.

Every home has some leaks, usually around windows and doors, at the point where plumbing, cables and electrical wires enter the house and in the attic or crawl space. Builders typically use insulation to create a barrier that prevents air from entering the home through those leaks.

But insulation doesn’t last forever. It will settle over time, reducing its efficiency. A 15-year-old home might have enough insulation to comply with the building code of that time, but not with today’s stricter code, which calls for thicker insulation. And a 50-year-old home might not have any at all if the builder relied on shading and wall ventilation rather than insulation to keep it cool.

Plus, not every builder installs insulation correctly. Insulation that is stuffed into cavities in a home’s framing, hung near a leak or simply draped over one won’t perform properly. Instead, the insulation should touch the surface it’s meant to protect. If it doesn’t, it will filter the hot air as it comes into the house, but it won’t keep it out. And insulation with gaps in it will let heat in between those gaps.

This common problem is fairly inexpensive to remedy – and now you can take a federal tax credit on 30 percent of the cost of the materials – minus labor – up to $1,500.

Plus, once your home’s insulation is working as it should, you might find that your home feels more comfortable and your energy bills are lower.

Then you’ll be able to fairly assess whether you need to replace your aging air conditioner and kitchen appliances with more efficient models. Then you can think about trading those old, drafty windows with double- or triple-pane varieties designed to keep the heat out of the house. Those new windows might also qualify for a tax credit.

Insulating your home’s envelope first will save your energy-efficient new air conditioner and windows from having to compete with unsealed leaks that let hot air into the home.

Think strategically about energy efficiency. Before you guess at the solution to high energy bills and rooms that are too warm, find out what’s causing the problem. Poorly installed insulation or aged insulation that has settled could be a significantly contributing factor.

Rosie Romero has a radio program from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays on KNST-AM (790). For more do-it-yourself tips and for Arizona’s most-trusted contractor referral network, go to rosieonthehouse.com or call 888-ROSIE-4-U during the show. The Rosie on the House column appears every Friday.

When I began advising people about potentially suitable plants for their landscapes some 30 years ago, a large tree meant one that could become a statuesque 60 or 80 feet tall over time.

Today’s smaller lots have shrunken what is considered to be a large tree, or a medium or small tree for that matter, to the point of miniature proportions.

Most trees needed to define, shade or add dimension to patios in the smaller landscapes constantly challenge us to find plants that have been overlooked and put them to use in new ways.

Two plants I have always thought to be totally underused are acacias from our own desert. The biggest reason that these plants have been overlooked is that all of our desert plants are armed with thorns. On these two, the thorns are fairly small, and not a bit unreasonable to work with.

The two plants I am talking about are Acacia greggii, or catclaw acacia, and Acacia constricta, or whitethorn acacia. Both are on virtually every homeowners association’s list of acceptable plants, and I truly think their underuse has a lot to do with the fact that people have a difficult time thinking what these will become as they mature.

Catclaw acacia (its common name is derived from the shape of the thorns) is the larger of the two. Though it is slow-growing, one will find that growth rate almost a necessity for a plant small in mature stature, because plants don’t grow rapidly to a mature size and stop – it is an ongoing process.

The fragrance of these plants’ flowers alone is enough to recommend them. As soon as we hit our first 100-degree day, they seem to burst into bloom. And while the blooms are cream-colored and not particularly showy, the perfume they emit is the Sonoran desert’s crowning glory of fragrance – light, but incredibly sweet; heady and lingering; profuse both day and night.

The plant itself can be gorgeous. It is best when gently trained into a multitrunk tree and its natural form easily leads to that. As it ages, it becomes gnarly and ancient-looking. Use this small tree in a place where you want lacy shade in the summer and the warmth of the sun in winter. It can be kept easily at 8 feet or developed beautifully to 18 feet and it is hardy to zero degrees.

Whitethorn acacia is slightly smaller and blooms emerge two or three weeks later in the early summer. While out of leaf, the branches have a reddish glow that is attractive in its own right. When it leafs out, it is bright green.

Already many of the other plants’ leaves are looking dull and dusty, and here comes the whitethorn acacia, fresh with its bright new leaves. This is followed by its flower show: bright golden balls in profusion, fragrant, though not so much as the catclaw cousin. A bit smaller, it still has a twisting, gorgeous multi-trunk potential of from 6 to 12 feet and is hardy to 5 or 10 degrees.

Cathy Bishop, co-owner of Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery, has more than 30 years of gardening experience. E-mail her at familyplus@tucsoncitizen.com.

Tucson is in for an incredible treat – Justin Kredible is coming to town!

Kredible is a wonderful magician and comedian, and I recently met him. Kredible got started as a magician/comedian at age 12 and got his first job at 16. He grew up always knowing he wanted to follow in the footsteps of legendary magicians David Copperfield and Lance Burton. Before he started to travel and perform, he went to college at Emerson University in Boston and got a degree in journalism. Kredible’s mom told him that he needed a backup plan – if he couldn’t be a magician, he’d be a journalist.

Kredible’s first show was at the Brotherhood of Magicians in Norfolk, Va. He won the competition! The largest place he has performed had a crowd of 2,500 people. His favorite place to perform is Tucson’s Gaslight Theatre because his grandparents live here. They love his show and enjoy watching it.

He’s been on Rachael Ray’s TV show several times. When the show got started, the producer wanted a young, up-and-coming star, and that was Kredible! He performs for all age groups, from little kids to adults. Kredible changes his jokes for the audiences but does the same brilliant tricks.

He’s has won the College Campus Activities Magazine entertainer of the year for the third year in a row and will be on an episode of “Suite Life On Deck” in August or September.

Shows are June 29 at 7 p.m. and July 1 at noon. Tickets are $16 for adults, $10 for children (12 and under) on June 29; $12 for adults, $10 for children on July 1. For tickets, call the theater at 886-9428.

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PROMOTING LITERACY THROUGH JOURNALISM

The Tucson Citizen is in partnership with Bear Essential News, Domino’s Pizza and KVOA to promote literacy through journalism.

Softball is 1st-class sport, but NCAA treatment is not

UA senior first baseman Sam Banister practices at Hillenbrand Stadium. She was named to the All-Pac-10 second team on Wednesday. Stacie Chambers, Brittany Lastrapes and Jenae Leles received first-team honors. Story, 1C

When coach Mike Candrea began taking Arizona to the Women’s College World Series 21 years ago, the event was held in an out-of-the-way place in northern California.

Not San Francisco. Not even San Jose. Nearby Sunnyvale.

The venue for the event? If you’ve ever been to the Sports Park on the Northwest Side, you have the right image in your head.

“A four-field setup. Very basic,” Candrea remembered.

The infields in Sunnyvale had such a crown – designed to promote rain runoff into foul territory – that Candrea, standing in the third-base coaching box, had a hard time seeing plays at first base over the rise of the field.

“You couldn’t see the feet of the first baseman,” he said.

Let’s just say that two decades ago, college softball was just a half step up from the summer youth leagues.

Not exactly first class.

Since then – and Tucson can certainly attest to this – college softball has become one of the most visible women’s sports in the NCAA.

If the Wildcats navigate through the 2009 postseason – which begins at 1 p.m. Tucson time Friday in Louisville – they will end up in a world-class facility in Oklahoma City, in a game on ESPN, probably playing a team from the SEC.

That right there – the venue, the blanket coverage from the worldwide leader in sports and the rise of a powerful conference – are three reasons why softball has gone relatively mainstream in recent years.

Which makes it so frustrating when the NCAA continues to nickel and dime the sport.

“That will always be the case for this sport, no matter what,” Candrea said.

The local sports outrage of the moment is Arizona being sent to Louisville for a four-team regional. Nobody would appreciate having postseason home games more than Arizona fans.

The Wildcats have led the nation in attendance nine of the past 16 seasons. The school averaged a school-record average of 2,458 fans this year.

But the NCAA has 64 spots to fill in the softball postseason, including automatic qualifying spots to smaller Eastern conferences, whose teams have as much shot of winning the World Series as Harvard does the BCS football championship.

The NCAA is a slave to geography in arranging the regional sites, preferring to send one Western team east, rather than send three Eastern teams west. Save a few bucks on air fare.

Softball deserves better.

“From a coaching standpoint . . . I don’t worry about it,” Candrea said. “I just worry about getting the team prepared and going wherever you’re going. Like I tell the kids, at least you’re playing.”

Football and basketball have to pay the freight for everything else, but you would think there would be some loose change in the NCAA’s couch cushions from its TV megadeals.

The NCAA is in the midst of an 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS to televise the men’s basketball tournament. The NCAA and ESPN reached an agreement in the fall on a four-year, $500 million deal for the rights to televise four of the five BCS bowl games, including the title game.

But, apparently, it is too much to ask for the NCAA to send Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State a little farther to Tucson rather than have them play in a regional at Arizona State.

The Sun Devils are seeded one spot below ninth-seeded Arizona and finished 3 1/2 games behind the Wildcats in the Pac-10 standings.

But ASU, not Arizona, gets the home regional because of geography.

Nickels and dimes.

Candrea shrugs.

“I’m too old to fight the battle anyway,” he said.

Someone asked me the other day about my favorite memories across two decades or so of being a sports reporter/columnist in Tucson. My answer was that there were too many to mention, but that, without question, I would rather cover softball than anything else.

Part of that is because the sport is charmingly small. You rarely find oversize egos. You find athletes appreciative of their opportunities.

There are chances to tell untold stories. But the sport isn’t as small as the NCAA makes it out to be this time of year.

It’s a shame there is no college softball at Hillenbrand Stadium this weekend.

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail: agimino@tucsoncitizen.com

Candrea

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RADIO, ONLINE COVERAGE

UA’s games in the Louisville Regional won’t be on TV, but will be on 1290 AM. Go to www.tucsoncitizen.com/ua_softball for updates.

Friday – Game 1: ARIZONA (41-14) vs. Tennessee-Martin (38-22), 1 p.m. Game 2: Louisville (47-9) vs. Purdue (29-18), 3 p.m.

Saturday – Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 a.m. Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m. Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, noon

Sunday – Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m. Game 7: Repeat, if needed, 1 p.m.

Misinformation serves as placebo rather than actually curing our health care system

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday on overhauling the heath care system. Among those testifying was Steven Wojcik (left), vice president of public policy for National Business Group Health.

The country is about to have a very frustrating debate over health care, characterized more by misdirection than an honest discussion of the alternatives.

A good illustration was provided by the Monday confab at the White House, in which health care executives committed to reduce expenditures by $2 trillion over the next decade.

Or did they?

President Obama, in his remarks, said that they did: “They are pledging to cut the rate of growth of national health care spending by 1.5 percentage points each year – an amount that’s equal to over $2 trillion.”

The actual letter signed by the executives, however, says something importantly different:

“We will do our part to achieve your administration’s goal of decreasing by 1.5 percentage points the annual health care spending growth rate – saving $2 trillion or more.”

“Our part” is much different, and far more ambiguous, than “we will do the whole thing.”

This is best seen as collusion by the health care industry and the Obama administration to misdirect the American people.

In the first place, what health care expenditures will be over the next 10 years is unknowable. So, the “pledge” is written on water.

More importantly, the commitment was made by trade associations that don’t actually deliver health care. What happens on the ground with health care costs is unaffected by press events held by politicians and lobbyists.

Most important, what happens on the ground already provides incentives for true economies. There are serious distortions in the health care marketplace, but market share can still be gained by reducing costs and prices.

The real significance of the press event wasn’t the phony pledge of cost savings. The event signaled the political capitulation of the health care industry. They will now accept whatever role in the health care system the politicians assign them.

The more substantive event that happened that day was the release of an “options” paper for health care reform by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley.

But, again, “options” is a misnomer. This paper doesn’t really spell out fundamentally different approaches. Instead, the choices are all a variation on a single theme: a government-managed system of private health insurance.

Existing plans would be grandfathered in. But all future health insurance would have to be purchased through a government exchange.

The government would decide the benefit options insurers could offer, and insurers would have to offer all options. Pricing would be strictly circumscribed. Medical underwriting would be prohibited.

The fight over whether there would be a “public option,” a health plan actually administered by the government, is misplaced. If government controls the benefits and pricing of private plans, politicians and bureaucrats are in charge irrespective of whether there is a formal public plan.

The political need for action is driven by the uncertainty over coverage in the American system. The gaps in coverage are hugely worrisome even for those who currently have good insurance.

This uncertainty, however, is easily eliminated at no cost to the taxpayers. There already is a national health care plan, Medicaid for the low income. Universal access could be provided simply by allowing any legal resident to buy into Medicaid at the government’s cost.

The system as a whole, however, makes no sense. Obtaining health insurance through your employer is an artifact of World War II wage and price controls.

Some Republicans want to eliminate this dependence and stimulate a market for individual health insurance. That makes more sense, but the public is unlikely to be comfortable with such a radical restructuring without a government backstop, such as the ability to buy into Medicaid.

This debate will be sad and frustrating.

And the end result will probably be neither fish nor fowl – a system that provides neither the certainty and security of a European-style national health care system, nor the choice and freedom of a vigorous individual health insurance market.

Robert Robb, an Arizona Republic columnist, writes about public policy and politics in Arizona. E-mail: robert.robb@arizonarepublic.com

I value my life and am counting on workers whose hands I put it in to take their jobs very seriously. People such as train conductors, pilots, bus drivers and others who operate machinery or tools that require their full attention. Unfortunately, as demonstrated again recently, the temptation to do otherwise is too great for some.

The latest poor judgment call that turned into multitasking-gone-terribly-wrong took place in Boston. A trolley operator ran a red light while text-messaging his girlfriend and crashed into another trolley injuring 49 people. What was he thinking?

Psychotherapist Charles Lawrence calls this behavior “faulty estimation.” Someone overestimates their ability to do two things at once or underestimates the importance of paying attention to the task at hand. Or “They are trying to fulfill what they believe is an important desire and have concluded that it is more important than the situation they are in.”

What could be so important that looking away from your job – even for two seconds – puts lives in peril? The sudden thought that you left the door unlocked, which causes you to text your roommate to go home and check? This, says Lawrence, is a desire to avoid something painful.

Or it could be your desire to win control or power. An example is the frustration you feel about your girlfriend’s family always getting in your business that ends up being an argument via text. Or it could be your desire for physical or emotional gratification. Example: You’re supposed to be focusing on the machine in front of you when you get a text from someone you’ve been longing to hear from.

You make a choice that that text message or conversation “has to happen now to get an important desire fulfilled,” says Lawrence. You get distracted and look down. Then it’s too late.

This compulsion to respond to a ringing cell phone or text message no matter what, stems from various interrelated issues, says clinical hypnotherapist John McGrail. Distraction is one. Since work routines are “often viewed as boring, single-minded mundane activities, the ‘illicit’ communication provides a distraction,” he says.

Isolation is another. Living in a competitive society that has evolved into “an ethos of isolation,” getting a call or text “creates a feeling of connection and intimacy that we all subconsciously crave.”

Then there’s multitasking – which despite how talented you think you are – is simply not possible. Your brain is designed to focus on one task at a time, McGrail says.

Even with your brain’s 100 billion neurons processing information at a rate of up to a thousand times per second you simply cannot effectively do two tasks at the same time, say Vanderbilt University neuroscientists Paul E. Dux and Rene Marois.

Just as one generation hates to let a phone ring, the Net generation hates to let a text go unanswered, offers Marcia Reynolds author of “Outsmart Your Brain.” “So they think they can do two things at once. The truth is, while you are texting, you are giving 100 percent to your text and none to your job.”

Until this train accident, Boston transit employees were prohibited from talking or texting on cell phones while working. Now the chief of the transit authority is banning train, bus and trolley operators from even carrying cell phones and other personal electronic devices while on duty.

I’ve seen job descriptions that list and resumes that brag about the ability to multitask. Trying to do two things at once is not only unproductive, it’s not humanly possible. For some jobs, it can be deadly. And that’s a fact worth giving your full attention.

Andrea Kay is the author of “Work’s a Bitch and Then You Make It Work: 6 Steps to Go From Pissed Off to Powerful.” Send questions to her at 2692 Madison Rd., (POUND)133, Cincinnati, OH 45208; www.andreakay.com or www.lifesabitchchangecareers.com. She can be e-mailed at: andrea@andreakay.com.

Tucson's Fine Stream Gamelan, an Indonesian folk orchestra that is the brainchild of local composer Matt Finstrom, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Last Friday a small piece of Tucson history was made as the Fine Stream Gamelan delivered its 20th anniversary concert.

The gamelan is an Indonesian folk orchestra, consisting mainly of percussion instruments forged from metal and wood. Tucson’s Fine Stream Gamelan is the brainchild of local composer/percussionist/bamboo expert Matt Finstrom. Over the years, Finstrom has convinced dozens of people to join in pursuit of a local expression for Javanese and Balinese traditional music, as well as new works for those unique and dreamy sounding instruments.

Finstrom’s gamelan dreams have roughly coincided with my own time at the Citizen. I recall going to a party at Finstrom’s house roughly a year after I started with the paper, celebrating his forging of the group’s original great gong. After that he set about creating by hand the numerous kettle and metalophones that would make up early configurations of the gamelan. At the same time he was enlisting recruits to join the group and training them to read the numeric code that serves as a score to the interlocking musical parts.

I had numerous friends in the group over the years, and made many more. Their dedication to the music and Finstrom was serious, and the result was simply amazing, concert after concert. To Finstrom it’s all grown organically and in the right way – like a family. You could see that in the current crop of Fine Stream Gamelan players Friday night, not only in the cooperative spirit in which they bring this music to life but also in a more literal sense as the children of Finstrom and David Dettman have joined the group’s ranks. And out in the audience, almost the same number of former players as were onstage watched the current generation put its stamp on the music, joined by a contingent of about 100 gamelan fans.

The show was a major milestone, underscoring how far this group has progressed in two decades. Along with Finstrom’s handmade Balinese-style instruments there were a number of instruments purchased in Indonesia for the group. Likewise the costuming of the players was closer to traditional garb. And the playing has clearly progressed, with more challenging repertoire becoming the norm. Not that Finstrom ever cut his players any slack in that department.

Musically, the concert was a mix of traditional Indonesian fare and music written by Finstrom over the years, working from traditional styles. Among Finstrom’s contributions were the original composition commissioned from him for the group’s initial appearance 20 years ago, a piece he composed in imitation of shadow puppet music, a piece that won him the 1991 Arizona Composers Forum award, a work blending Javanese and Balinese drumming styles, and the piece FSG played at the 2008 All Souls Procession finale. The latter work was dedicated to the late Rofl Jordahl – an artist and art restoration expert who was a former member of FGS and a beloved member of Tucson’s visual arts community.

Finstrom’s “Swara Manis” (Sweet Sound) is online in its entirety, attached to this column at www.tucsoncitizen.com. There is no substitute for seeing and hearing this music made, so I highly recommend going online to see it.

Watching the show, so many memories came back to me. I recall crowding into the tiny rehearsal space in Finstrom’s house where the players sat packed as close as atoms in a hunk of lead, painstakingly hammering metal bars with one hand while damping the previous bar with the other to keep its tone from clashing with the new sound. I recall when Finstrom’s wife, Holly, was pregnant with their daughter Ariel, now a beautiful 12-year-old who plays with the group. I remember most vividly the night that the father of the gamelan in America – classical composer Lou Harrison – and his partner, Bill Colvig, came out to Finstrom’s house during one of the rehearsals and jammed with them on traditional tunes all knew. Harrison was very impressed, both with the group and the instruments Finstrom created.

I’ve known Finstrom for about 25 years. We met when he was playing a variety of world percussion instruments and jamming with one of my former teachers, Larry Solomon. Over the years I’ve watched Finstrom take on more and more complex chunks of the global sound, through FSG and Sruti – Finstrom’s ensemble for the performance of East Indian music. Always an adept and highly informed player, Finstrom has organically grown as a composer and group leader, creating beautiful works and empowering community members to learn how to play this special music. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see him nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Lumie Award. He deserved to be so recognized for the powerful contribution he’s made to this community.

It was nice to see his troupe honor him with its first “Gammy” award after the show and acknowledge the patience and perseverance he’s shown over the years. And even better to bask again in the beautiful sounds his labors have produced.

Congratulations, Matt, and many more decades to follow.

Matt Finstrom

Political pundits are always fond of saying, “We get the government we deserve.”

Now the pop culture pundits can chime in with “We get the movies we deserve.”

If thousands of teens buy tickets to see thrill-ride action pics, and only a few thoughtful adults stop by the multiplex to enjoy an intellectually stimulating film, guess which genre gets all the attention from high-rolling studio execs with personal income equal to the national budgets of a smaller Third World country.

Hollywood has now reached the point where studios can turn out 100 special effects extravaganzas for every drama of substance aimed directly at getting an Academy Award nomination.

So write this date down in your movie diary and remember it: April 17, 2009.

That is the day Russell Crowe’s $60 million “State of Play,” a serious film of ethical consequences, opened against “17 Again,” a sophomoric comedy with an infinitely smaller budget, starring youthful Flavor-of-the-Month Zac Efron. Of course Efron’s box office returns stomped all over Crowe’s turnstile earnings.

It’s just like how guys will buy a hefty pickup truck instead of some wimpy little car that’s good for the ecology.

Duhhhh.

So what happens to the true cineast? Where is the art part? Surely our educated citizenry with all that disposable income can’t spend all its time hunched over a laptop on Wi-Fi. Wouldn’t these intellectually curious folks take a little time out to read a book or wonder what’s playing this weekend at the Loft Cinema?

For years, we’ve been saying all the interesting films are smaller budget, independent films. In recent years, a number of famous and bankable actors have gone a little dilettante on us – such as Heath Ledger doing “Brokeback Mountain” – putting out pictures that nobody sees on the big screen but that become little treasures as video rentals.

Sure we all know about that, but here’s the big twist. After the major studios bought up all the little, so-called boutique studios to make the arty movies, audiences still didn’t show up in very large numbers. The extremely excellent “Frost/Nixon,” with one of the most unappreciated performances of all time by Frank Langella as Nixon, couldn’t even reach $19 million in ticket sales.

It is especially cruel that what we remember most about “Frost/Nixon” is its weak performance at sucking money out of people’s pockets. Instead, people should remember that Langella’s profound portrait of Nixon as a world leader in decline is worthy of Shakespearian tragedy.

Believe it or not, with the free-market forces having no hesitation stuffing art up the fireplace, those of us who love moving pictures as an art form are turning to television!

Once you’ve seen each week’s movies at the Loft, there is plenty of week left but no where else to turn. Believe it or not, in the byzantine bazaar of cable TV there are nooks and crannies that resemble the unappreciated FM radio stations of the 1960s.

Remember how the boomer version of rock ‘n’ roll was midwifed by FM radio? Once the kids who were janitors sweeping out the FM radio stations at night could pick the records those stations played in the daytime, rock ‘n’ roll filled the air.

Of those fabled 500 channels of TV, only 400 (more or less) are dedicated to reality reruns. The other cable channels are opening up when low budget but idealistic filmmakers come knocking.

What this means, fellow cineasts, is that we can’t snub television any longer. Too many of the indie flicks are cramming themselves onto those little screens. True, it will be like watching art displayed through a knothole, but we’ll just have to squint a little more and like it.

– CLICK HERE to view team-by-team schedules –

As the state’s all-time winningest high school football coach, Amphi’s Vern Friedli has plenty of victories he can look back on fondly.

To be precise, he has 309.

“But there isn’t a sweeter feeling we ever had than those bus rides down Oracle Road after upsetting CDO,” said Friedli, whose Panthers beat Canyon del Oro 22 times in Friedli’s 33 seasons of coaching at Amphi.

CDO has won the last five games between the two schools, including the past three in lopsided fashion, but it was still one of Tucson’s longest standing football rivalries.

That ended Tuesday when the 2009 football schedule was released. For the first time since 1968, Amphi and CDO won’t play football against each other.

“It’s a shame,” Friedli said.

While Amphi’s enrollment, and in turn student participation in football, has plummeted since Ironwood Ridge High opened earlier this decade, CDO has developed into one of the state’s top Class 4A programs.

“It was pretty heated my first couple years and Amphi just completely dominated the rivalry,” said former CDO coach Pat Nugent, who now coaches Pima Community College.

“I know that Ironwood Ridge opening really hurt Amphi and the fact of the matter is it just hasn’t been that much of a rivalry recently.”

Friedli acknowledges his program’s drop in numbers in recent years has hurt the program, pointing out there were eight starters on either Ironwood Ridge or CDO who attended middle school within Amphi High’s boundaries. That was before open enrollment allowed students to go to any one of the three schools in the Amphi district.

“You give us back eight starters last year and we’re a hell of a lot more competitive,” said Friedli, whose team went 6-5 and qualified for the 4A Division II playoffs. “But that’s not how it is anymore. Now, like we’ve always done, we’ll play the hand we’re dealt.”

Amphi returned to the playoffs in 2008, but its less-than-typical record in previous years began hurting CDO’s power ranking points, the system used to seed the state tournament that rewards teams for playing tough opponents.

The more wins your opponents have, the higher your power ranking.

In place of the annual CDO/Amphi game, CDO will play Ironwood Ridge. The two teams have only played three times, but it is one of the area’s best budding rivalries.

“Getting them to open things up, I can tell you the kids are already excited about that game,” CDO first-year coach Dustin Peace said.

While CDO/Amphi is no more for the season, that doesn’t mean there will be a shortage of strong matchups for the 2009 season among Tucson-area teams.

Here is a look at 15 games with intriguing storylines this fall:

Sabino at Sahuaro (Aug. 27)

Scott McKee’s first game as Sahuaro head coach will be tough. He faces a powerful Sabino team he starred for in the 1990s. Of course, that was long before Sabino beat Sahuaro by a combined 143-19 the past three seasons.

Ironwood Ridge at CDO (Aug. 28)

Ironwood Ridge and CDO are two of the best teams in Tucson and will be breaking in new head coaches in the season opener with Matt Johnson (Ironwood Ridge) and Dustin Peace (CDO). The teams have only played three times, but it’s hard not to call this one of the area’s best rivalries and the Dorados are still looking for payback for the Nighthawks beating them twice in 2006, including in the state playoffs.

CDO at Santa Rita (Sept. 4)

Two of Tucson’s best teams over the past two years go at it. Santa Rita coach Jeff Scurran coached at CDO from 1984-86.

Santa Rita at Sabino (Sept. 11)

Scurran returns as opposing coach at Sabino, where he was one of the state’s most dominant coaches in the 1990s, winning three state championships.

Salpointe at Ironwood Ridge (Sept. 25)

Salpointe took a perfect record into the Ironwood Ridge game in 2008 before the Nighthawks thumped the Lancers 41-14.

Scottsdale Saguaro at CDO (Oct. 2)

A rematch of the 2007 4A-I state title thriller. Saguaro has been as dominant as anyone in Arizona for three years, going 41-1 with three state titles. In its current 33-game win streak, nobody put a scare into Saguaro quite like CDO did at University of Phoenix Stadium in 2007, when Saguaro hit a game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining.

Salpointe at Chandler Hamilton (Oct. 9)

Salpointe trades in a series with one 5A-I powerhouse, Phoenix Brophy, for one with Chandler Hamilton, the state’s top college recruiting factory.

Amphi at Santa Rita (Oct. 16)

Anytime Friedli and Scurran go at it, it’s fun to watch. Amphi put one heck of a scare into the Eagles in 2008 and, short of a win, it’s hard to imagine anything that makes Friedli more happy than making Scurran sweat.

Cholla at Rio Rico (Oct. 16)

Both teams struggled through 0-10 seasons in 2008. While I don’t think it will happen again, it’s nice to know winless seasons for both won’t happen again in 2009.

Ironwood Ridge at Sunnyside (Oct. 23)

The two teams have played four times the past two seasons, splitting 2-2 and not having a game determined by more than a touchdown in the span. Sunnyside ended the Nighthawks’ season in the 2007 5A-II playoffs. Ironwood Ridge returned the favor in 2008.

Flowing Wells at Catalina Foothills (Oct. 23)

First-year Flowing Wells coach Mark Brunenkant returns to Foothills, where he coached the Falcons for nine of the program’s 15 seasons.

Sunnyside at Salpointe (Nov. 6)

With Salpointe slapped with a postseason ban next year because of recruiting violations, this will be the Lancers’ final game of the season, but it isn’t as if added motivation is needed.

Cienega at Sahuaro (Nov. 6)

Former Sahuaro coaches Nemer Hassey, the head coach at Cienega, and Chuck McCollum, an offensive line coach at Cienega, return to play the Cougars.

Palo Verde at Santa Rita (Nov. 6)

This game has determined the 4A Gila Region title the past two seasons. Even without Adam Hall at Palo Verde, it could be a big test for Santa Rita.

Sabino at CDO (Nov. 6)

In its first year in the 4A Sonoran Region, the Sabercats could be playing CDO for the region title. Aside from the region implications, sought-after college recruits Sabino’s Keanu Nelson and CDO’s Josh Robbins will be winding down their senior seasons.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Magazine names tight end 2nd-team All-American

Arizona's Rob Gronkowski signs posters of the team for fans before the start of the annual Spring Game at Arizona Stadium last month. Gronkowski was named a second-team preseason All-American by Lindy's magazine, due out soon.

Spring football is all wrapped up, so the next thing in the college football calendar is the preview magazine season.

They’ll be coming soon – in some cases, later this month – to newsstands near you.

I’ve been doing my part, thoroughly immersed with production on Lindy’s six college football editions in the past couple of weeks, which means I know at least one thing: I absolutely can’t wait for the season to begin.

Here are 25 things – local, regional and national – to whet your appetite for the 2009 season . . . or at least until the magazines come out.

1. Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes took a trip in the offseason to visit with the staff of the Dallas Cowboys. The purpose: To study how it used tight end Jason Witten.

Dykes came back to Tucson with new ideas on how to involve junior tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“We took some of the stuff we saw with the Cowboys,” Dykes said. “We are trying to put it in our packages.”

2. Gronkowski is a Lindy’s second-team preseason All-American behind Oklahoma’s Jermaine Gresham, who surprisingly came back for his senior season.

3. I normally wouldn’t divulge Lindy’s No. 1 team, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out this season. It’s Florida.

Question is, who is No. 2 . . . Texas or Oklahoma? Or should that be Oklahoma or Texas?

4. Lindy’s picks the best of the decade in this year’s editions, and the question about the 2009 Gators is if they can become the team of the decade.

The champ in the clubhouse is 2001 Miami, which went undefeated, outscored opponents 512-117 and produced 15 first-round picks in the next three drafts.

5. I can’t wait to see how Salpointe Catholic graduate and former Arizona assistant Rich Ellerson does at Army. Ellerson made one of the most fascinating moves of the spring, switching starting left tackle Ali Villanueva (6 feet 10 inches, 283 pounds) to wide receiver.

Villanueva is expected to be a red-zone threat and serve as a heck of a blocker on screen passes.

6. Sure looks like a down year for the Pac-10, with eight of the teams having some sort of quarterback battle in the spring.

The only ones that didn’t were Oregon (Jeremiah Masoli) and Washington (Jake Locker, coming back from a thumb injury).

7. It figures: East Carolina junior Dustin Lineback is a . . . linebacker.

8. It doesn’t figure: Defensive back Miami Thomas plays for Illinois, running back Princeton McCarty plays for Idaho, Bob Toledo coaches Tulane, and the University of Washington doesn’t have anyone named Washington, although it does have a player named Houston, which is something Houston doesn’t have.

Running back Darius Marshall got it right. He plays for – you guessed it – Marshall.

9. Looking for a reason why the Big Ten flops in big games? It’s not because of speed at the skill positions; it’s because of speed and athleticism at defensive tackle.

Consider this: NFL teams have drafted 16 defensive tackles in the first round since 2004. None has been from the Big Ten.

10. The SEC, not deep in quarterbacks this season after Florida’s Tim Tebow and Mississippi’s Jevan Snead, is nonetheless the conference of elite quarterbacks. Five of the past 12 No. 1 overall draft picks have been SEC quarterbacks.

11. Salpointe Catholic graduate Kris O’Dowd, a junior at USC, is Lindy’s first-team preseason All-America center.

12. The middle of the Pac-10 is a jumbled mess. The top three are USC, Cal and Oregon. The bottom two are Washington and Washington State. Flip a coin for the teams in between, although Lindy’s picked Arizona fifth.

Lindy’s went with Oregon State at No. 4, because at least the Beavers have two quarterbacks they can win with – rehabbing Lyle Moevao (shoulder) and Sean Canfield. The rest of the Pac-10 middle has big questions at QB.

13. The ACC is 2-9 in BCS bowl games and has barely sniffed the national title since expansion. Blame a lack of skill: Of the past 29 first-round picks from the league, only four have been a quarterback, receiver or running back.

14. This year’s BCS buster: TCU.

15. Then again, if Boise State beats visiting Oregon on Sept. 3, who is going to stop the Broncos?

16. Arizona opens against Central Michigan on Sept. 5. The Chippewas are the pick to win the Mid-American Conference, and good-looking pro prospect Dan LeFevour is rated the eighth-best quarterback in the country, higher than anyone from the Pac-10.

17. Notre Dame isn’t in the preseason Top 25, but the Irish could get there because of an easy schedule and an offense that has a chance to be all grown up. Their receiving corps is a national top 10 group.

18. Florida’s defense is this good: The Gators have the nation’s top-rated defensive line, the second-rated linebackers and the top secondary.

19. And that Tebow guy is Lindy’s favorite to win the Heisman.

20. Alabama launched its 12-0 regular season in 2008 with a season-opening blasting of ACC favorite Clemson in Atlanta.

The Tide’s path is the same, a season opener in Atlanta vs. ACC favorite Virginia Tech.

21. Would it kill the Pac-10 to hold a coaches’ teleconference with the media in the spring like other major conferences?

22. Oklahoma State: Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

The Cowboys have the nation’s best trio of quarterback, receiver and running back. The defense hasn’t finished better than 74th nationally since 2001. Is that the right combination to challenge Oklahoma and Texas?

We might know after opening week. Georgia plays at Oklahoma State.

23. Steve Spurrier is still hoping Stephen Garcia is his long-awaited answer at quarterback for South Carolina.

But an SEC coach, speaking to Lindy’s on condition of anonymity, said this of the Gamecocks: “I don’t see them being a very good football team. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he (Spurrier) called it quits after this season.”

24. The Pac-10 has four players rated the best at their positions: O’Dowd, USC safety Taylor Mays, Cal running back Jahvid Best and UCLA kicker Kai Forbath.

25. A year from now, Tennessee, Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan could be back in the preseason Top 25. But not this summer.

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail:

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail: agimino@tucsoncitizen.com

Each evening, my 4-year-old daughter tells me, “I want lunch for dinner.” Translation: I want a grilled cheese or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And, in my bloated, still working full-time, eight-month pregnant state, oftentimes that’s exactly what we have.

It doesn’t help that my sister-in-law is like the Terminator of menu planning and shopping. Each Friday she plans a menu for the following week and each Saturday morning at 7 a.m. she goes grocery shopping for that menu.

So while her kids are happily eating their vegetables each night at a civilized family table, I’m lucky if my kids aren’t camped out in front of the TV, eating whatever we could scrounge up in 15 minutes or less.

I figure there has to be an easier way and I know I need to find it quick because Baby No. 3 is set to debut in less than a month. It’s not like things are going to get easier. And I know if I plan my menus in advance, we can save money each week on our grocery bill.

To me, easier means something involving my computer and the Internet. So I went in search of software that would help me kill the proverbial two birds with one stone: plan a decent, easy-to-make menu while also preparing a shopping list for me.

I checked out all the usual suspects – CookingLight.com, MarthaStewart.com and BettyCrocker.com.

While each had really great recipes, none had that magic combination I needed – menu planning with a tailored, not generic, grocery list.

Though it’s not interactive, the Martha Stewart site comes pretty close. It offers specific menus along with corresponding “grocery bags.” The problem is Martha’s recipes aren’t generally what one would call “easy.” Plus, many of her recipes aren’t budget – or kid – friendly. While my husband will love tuna steaks, I’d still be making PB&J for my kids.

The Betty Crocker site has a cool feature that lets you input the ingredients you have on hand as well as what type of meal you’re trying to prepare. It will return several recipes that meet your criteria. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t help you plan ahead and it assumes I would be able to get on the computer while two hungry children fight for space in my lap.

After striking out with the free online options, I checked out paid software options.

At $79.95, Dvo.com has exactly what I was looking for. As a bonus, you can purchase “plug-in” software, including Cook’n with Betty Crocker, to give you even more recipes to choose from. (You can also enter your own recipes.) It even has an on-board calculator to help you adjust for the number of people you’re serving as well as detailed nutritional information.

Menus4moms.com also has menu planning software and, at just $7.95 per month, it’s friendlier from a budget perspective. It has many of the same features as Cook’n, but the recipes are more limited.

Romi Carrell Wittman is a writer and the communication services director for Trico Electric Cooperative. E-mail: romi.wittman@comcast.net.

The Microriver 1GB iSecure Biometric USB Flash Drive is one option for grads. It sells for about $34 online.

Family, friends and loved ones of soon-to-be high school and college graduates want to give them gifts that will aid them in the next chapter of their lives.

For some that chapter will include furthering their education. For others it will entail entering the job market. Regardless of the road ahead for these graduates, there are many affordable tech gifts to make that road a little smoother.

Whether on campus or in the corporate jungle, USB flash drives seem to be commonplace. A particular flavor of USB flash drives that don’t seem to be everywhere are biometric or fingerprint scanning USB flash drives.

These drives have been around for a few years, but haven’t really caught on in mass numbers. But the fact remains that these are among the best USB drives to own. Biometric USB flash drives allow access to the drive only after a user has been authenticated by running a fingerprint over a biometric scanner embedded on the drive.

The benefits of biometric USB drives are numerous, but among the top reasons for considering them as a gift for graduates is their security features. The information stored on them is not only secure, but the fact that the information cannot be accessed acts as a theft deterrent and may even serve to increase the odds of the drive being returned if it where lost. Biometric USB drives are more expensive than regular USB drives of equal storage capacity, but there are plenty of lower capacity biometric drives priced below $50.

If your graduate is heading into the work force, you may want to consider paying for a professional subscription as a gift. Careerstrides.com is one of many Web sites that offer a professional résumé service to people new to the job market. Popular employment Web sites such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com offer upgraded résumé posting, a feature that is supposed to give placement preference so employers will view them before the non-upgraded résumés. This, too, could help recent grads looking to test the job market. In the current employment environment, every advantage helps.

For those who are leaving the high school campus for the larger and much greener college campus, the Digimemo may be ideal. The Digimemo is a digital tablet that allows users to write notes, draw or doodle and save it all to the device. Having a device that can save 999 individual pages of notes without the need for special paper that some other devices require will lighten the backpack of any college student. At a cost of $99, it won’t lighten the gift giver’s wallet too much, either.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.