The Arizona Native Plant Society 

GARDENING INSIGHTS
Landscape Design and Sculpture
http://gardeninginsights.com/
“Greg came to me highly recommended by Tucson plant and design experts so I was confident we were making good decisions on our landscape design and installation. Greg’s work met my expectations and then some. I learned a great deal about Sonoran Desert flora during the process and intend to maintain a working relationship with him.” Henry W./Tucson

GREEN FIRE ORGANIC SOLUTIONS
Our business philosophy is based on the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path.
http://www.greenfireaz.com/
Having a truly “green” healthy and thriving landscape requires a different understanding of what plants to purchase and install, how to care for them, how to encourage wildlife into your landscape, proper irrigation practices, proper rainwater harvesting practices and what products to use in your yard and around your home.

SONORAN GARDENING
Water Efficient Landscapes – Tucson, Arizona
http://www.sonorangardensinc.com/
Sonoran Gardens will transform your outdoor living spaces from dirt to your new paradise! We specialize in adding features that match your lifestyle, personality and your home’s surroundings. The list is endless: Xeriscaping, lawns, outdoor kitchens, fountains, waterfalls, ponds, brick patios, ramadas, fire pits, custom designed patio walls, custom lighting, gates, retaining walls and whatever you can imagine!

TOHONO CHUL PARK
Nature.Art.Culture
http://www.tohonochulpark.org/wordpress/
The mission of Tohono Chul Park is to enrich people’s lives by connecting them with the wonders of nature, art and culture in the Sonoran Desert region and inspiring wise stewardship of the natural world.

TURNER DESIGN, LLC
http://www.turner-design.com/

Your landscape designer is an artist, who will bring a sense of vision to your landscape project. Your landscape designer is also a construction expert, who understands that budget and time frame are central to the project’s success.

WHEAT SCHARF ASSOCIATES
http://wheatscharf.com/
Wheat Scharf Associates works in partnership with our clients and consultants to balance environmental, social and economic aspects of transportation, parks and institutional/urban design projects.

WATER HARVESTING

Harvesting Rainwater

Sin Agua Garden
http://www.tohonochulpark.org/sinaguagarden.html
This garden will demonstrate how to re-vegetate areas of land with cacti and other native plants that need no extra watering or attention once established.

Southern Arizona Native Plant List for Rain Gardens
http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/tucson-az-plant-lists/southern-arizona-native-plant-list-for-rain-gardens/
Download the spreadsheet for this Native Plant List for Southern Arizona Rain Gardens researched and compiled by Russ Buhrow. It is my hope that it will spark additional regional rain garden plant lists, and that this list will grow. Think of it as a template to build upon.

Right here in Tucson you can savor the flavors of India, Mexico, China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Greece & the Mediterranean, Spain, Thailand, Italy, Europe, France, Peru, Jamaica, England, and Vietnam — when you buy the 2012 Tucson CHOW CARD.

For only $20, the Tucson CHOW CARD gives you two meals for the price of one at over 20 locally owned and operated authentically ethnic and culturally diverse restaurants! The CHOW CARD is valid at participating Southern Arizona restaurants through October 31, 2012, for savings of up to $300!

In partnership with TUCSON WEEKLY, proceeds from the sale of the 2012 Tucson CHOW CARD will go directly to support the efforts of local nonprofits, the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance and the Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival.

You do not want to miss this incredible opportunity to support small ethnic restaurants and taste delicious food!

THERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO PURCHASE THE CARD, for $20 each:

• ONLINE: Order your card via PAYPAL 

• Via traditional mail: Download the 2012 CHOW CARD order form HERE.
  
• By phone: (520) 797-3959 Ext 9.

(Proceeds support Tucson Meet Yourself.) Click to see participating restaurants.

Without a meter that appears above the candidates’ heads when they speak, with an arrow moving from LIE to TRUTH and back, what are we to do? (I do wish, instead of debates, we could hook them up to lie detectors and ask them questions about their motives and plans. Wouldn’t that be great? The candidates alone in quiet rooms, attached to lie detectors, with cameras and microphones for us to see and hear, as we phone in our questions?) Oh–I’ve digressed.

1)      One thing we can do is use our common sense. When candidates say they will do A or B if elected, it’s a misrepresentation. Alone they are powerless; there must be consensus to forward bills to the President’s and Governors’ desks. Everything depends on the party in control of the legislatures. We are all familiar with, and sick of, the deadlocks in state houses and in Washington, D.C.

2)      Why the deadlocks? While we may never know what’s really going on in lawmakers’ high-powered meetings, we can at the very least, whether we want to or not, stay informed. The internet makes research much easier now than it was in years past.

Have you heard of a man named Grover Norquist?  He’s the president of Americans for Tax Reform and created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in 1986. I recently saw him on 60 Minutes. He said he influences our elected Republican officials in this way: He approaches candidates and tells them if they really mean ‘No New Taxes,’ they need to take an oath and sign his pledge. If they do, ‘big money’ comes their way and they are certain to be elected (because of the influence on us of advertisements). If representatives renege on their pledge, ‘big money’ assures they are not re-elected.

From Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform: “On the state level, 13 governors and 1249 state legislators have taken the pledge.”

From The Fiscal Times: “To date, 238 House members, 41 Senators, and about 1300 state legislators have signed the pledge to never, ever raise taxes. The fact that a whopping 95 percent of all Republican congressmen have signed it – plus all four of the existing GOP presidential candidates – is a point of pride for him.”

The bottom line is, with Grover Norquist overriding Republicans in state and federal legislatures, there can be no consensus, no cooperation, no true governing, no taxes to reduce the deficit (never, apparently, on the wealthy or corporations, who pay a far smaller percentage of their income in taxes than do middle-income-Americans).

The wealthy are in charge of us and they are protecting themselves. From the Tax Policy Center, read about Mitt Romney’s Tax Plan.

And, did you know the National Defense Authorization Act became effective in 2012? Its focus is anti-terrorism, but according to Forbes some of the provisions could apply to Americans. Forbes says the act could be used to detain Americans without being charged or given a trial. Shouldn’t we be aware of these things?

3)      We must register to vote before the deadline passes and then we must vote to remove from office those who will not cooperate with the whole on behalf of all of us. We’re still the Americans—they’re still our employees. We must call or write to our representatives, insisting on cooperation and common sense solutions to straighten out the messes we Americans have allowed. Apathy is the worst thing that has happened to us because we’re no longer a democracy; we’re an oligarchy–rule by the wealthy. Let’s join the Occupy Movement and peacefully protest before our travel is restricted and curfews are put in place. Don’t think so? Read this: ‘Big brother’ lamp posts can hear, see and bark ‘Obey!’ at you

Professor Gar Alperovitz is insightful in: America Beyond Capitalism.

A new Public Citizen report details how deregulating the financial derivatives market contributed to the financial crash and warns lawmakers – who are considering deregulating the derivatives market again – about the consequences of doing so: https://www.freespeech.org/text/ignoring-historys-lessons-yet-again

The future may seem hopeless, but it’s not. It’s not! The future is up to us.

Have you noticed that in disasters, people don’t ask what your political party is before they pull you out of a burning car, or if you’re a Christian before they stand for hours in front of your home adding sandbags to a wall trying to push back an overflowing river?

None of those things matter in emergencies, because we’re down to bare-bones: I give my energy to your energy to help save your life, your child, your home, whatever—I’m here. Somehow, when things go really bad, we move to another level of consciousness, or communication. The situation is CLEAR and so are we: We know what needs to be done. The worst disasters bring out the best in us. Isn’t that amazing?

It shouldn’t be so hard to take the next step in our evolution, should it? Imagine this: “I respect you as a fellow human being. I respect that you may have views different from mine, and that they’re valid to you. I haven’t walked in your shoes, so I’m allowing there are reasons you feel the way you do. I also acknowledge that I don’t know everything, and that I have much to learn. Let’s see what we can work out together.”

What a change that would be, eh?

If your kids aren’t attending a camp or a summer-activities program, check out the fun, low-cost (or no cost) things to do at http://www.mysavvysavings.com. Operated by Stephanie Ashcraft, she highlights deals at local movie theaters, swim/movie ‘dive ins’ at the cool Marana Pool, summer reading programs taking place at the Pima County Libraries (May 24-July 21), Barnes and Noble and Bookmans, and how ‘Kids Bowl Free’ at five Tucson bowling alleys.

At http://www.grandparents.com, you can print out coloring pages and find great online games.

Sabino Canyon Desert Oasis coloring books and crossword puzzles:  http://sabinocanyon.org/kids.htm.

The Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum, Summer Show and Swap Meet, June 1 and 2, 2012, kids under 13 free with adult.

Summer Safari Friday Nights at the Reid Park Zoo, May 18-July 6, view animals, play games, enjoy crafts and face painting.

Arizona State Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Southwest Indian pottery. $5, free for age 17 and younger.

Funtasticks 5 Buck Friday; any attraction ticket for only $5.00, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Center for Creative Photography houses 80,ooo prints and is free.

Tucson Children’s Museum–$2 for everyone on the first Sunday of the month; interactive museum offers thrilling, hands-on exhibits, including an art studio, Ocean Discovery Center and Dinosaur World, patrolled by three life-size, robotic-animated dinosaurs.  200 S. Sixth Ave. 520-792-9985.

For an extensive list of summer camps, go to Kids520.com http://kids520.com/camps.php

The childcare center of the Erik Hite Foundation, which serves the children of law enforcement and emergency services personnel

The Erik Hite Foundation Child Care Center is currently serving 20 children of law enforcement and emergency services personnel fulltime; and 13 children on a drop-in/as-needed basis, when temporary changes in childcare arrangements occur. They have opened at 5:30 am and closed at 11 pm on many days to accommodate the needs of their families. They have been open every single Saturday for those families who have needed it.

The EHF Childcare Center has a waiting list of ten babies, three who are not yet born. Though the foundation received donations to establish itself, they are currently raising $20,000 to expand their infant and toddlers’ rooms to accommodate more families. They are also improving their playground to make it more safe and fun for the children. The Tucson SWAT Team and one of the Eagle Scout Projects have offered to help with construction. The center would also like to add more security equipment to the facility, including additional cameras and another coded pad for the front door. If you can help, click the DONATE button at: http://www.erikhitefoundation.org/index.php/donate. All donations, no matter the amount, help the foundation forward its purposes.

For more information regarding:

• Donating to the Foundation
• Volunteering with the Foundation
• Or registering your child with the Child Care Center,

please e-mail: contact@erikhitefoundation.org or phone: 520-495-0430. The mailing address of the Erik Hite Foundation is: 9420 E. Golf Links Rd. #265, Tucson, Arizona 85730.

The Erik Hite Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in memory of slain Police Officer Erik Hite, to provide a childcare center and family outreach programs for the children of law enforcement and emergency services personnel. The program serves both commissioned and non-commissioned personnel from agencies such as the Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Department, DPS, US Border Patrol, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fire Department, and Active Duty Military personnel. We want to serve and care for their families of these men and women who serve and protect our community.

CREDIT: NASA/JPL, Jane Houston Jones

The link below explains the ‘ring of fire’ appearance of the solar eclipse on May 20, 2012 and gives safe viewing options. Enjoy!

http://www.space.com/15657-annular-solar-eclipse-occurs-may20.html

Would you like to do something meaningful for your community this summer? Then meet other young people who feel the same way and join in on a fun-filled and educational service and learning experience over the summer. If you are between the ages of 11 and 18 and would like to serve your community, the Youth Volunteer Corp (of Volunteer Southern Arizona) has the perfect opportunity for you.

Starting May 29, 2012, there will be eight full weeks of service projects beginning on Monday and going through Thursday. Most days will commence at 9:00 AM and end at 3:00 PM. There are a total of 17 volunteer opportunities to choose from and they are positive you will find the perfect one for you.

To register for this community service opportunity, go to: Youth Volunteer Corps Summer of Service Registration.

For more information, you can also visit Volunteer Southern Arizona at 3130 N. Dodge from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, or call (520) 881-3300.

Through the Youth Summer Bike Camp program your child’s confidence, knowledge, and skills increase in a safe, fun and peer-led environment. Activities focus on developing safe-riding skills, mechanical knowledge, and bike handling for each skill level, as well as exposure to health and wellness, environmental stewardship, air quality issues, and recycled art through a series of hands-on experiences.

Each week long camp session costs $150. A limited number of scholarships are made possible through funding from Specialized (www.specialized.com) and University of Arizona Health Network (http://www.azumc.com/ ). Scholarships are based upon need. Email to request an application. info@elgrupocycling.org

Campers begin and end each day at Technicians for Sustainability Warehouse located at 612 N. 7th Ave, near 6th Street and 6th Ave, just north of downtown. Campers begin the day at 8am and end at 12:30pm.

Camp is designed for youth aged 8-13 years old. Perfect for Middle School aged youth!

The 2012 weekly Youth Bike Camp Schedule is as follows:

• Session 1: June 11-15
• Session 2: July 23-27
• Session 3: October 1-5 (during TUSD Fall Break)

Contact Daniela at (520) 329-BIKE or (520) 329-2453 or info@elgrupocycling.org to register or for more information. Or go to the event website at http://summerbikecamp.eventbrite.com/

Tee Off for Homelessness at the Golf Club at Vistoso on Saturday, May 19, shotgun at 7:30 a.m., $100 per player, $350 for foursome; includes green and cart fees, and range balls. Proceeds to benefit homeless women and children in Tucson and Southern Arizona. For more information, call 520-406-6345 or email them at: info@wingsforwomentucson.org.

At the heart of Wings for Women’s mission and vision is empowering women in areas of basic needs, life skills development, case management, education, job training, housing search and any obstacles preventing them from leading productive lives.  This small, but mighty program, is inspired by women and run by women with the belief that in times of need women need women.

http://wingsforwomentucson.org/