October 2, 2013
Issue 1497
Vast majority of Americans support ENDA
A plane flies through a Google Maps Arizona ranks No. 5 satellite image -- becomes fabulous! in rate of women murdered by men
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Arizona ranked fifth in the nation in the rate of women murdered by men, with a rate of 1.84 per 100,000, according to the new Violence Policy Center report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicide Data.
See page 14
Foot cream found to kill HIV cells in Petri dishes See page 4
Reflections on 37 years of the‘Observer’
Letter from the Editor page 3 Credit for this gay-friendly pic goes to David Biello and Mark Hogan for bringing this self-explanatory image from Google Maps of Hyde Park in Chicago to the attention of ‘The Atlantic.’
This annual report is released to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The study covers homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender, and uses data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report. This year’s report applies to 2011, the most Continued on page 3
Government shuts down and fight continues
Queer kickball goes nocturnal
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Tucson Gay Historical Society embraces new technology and plans for future generations Page 16
By Billy House NATIONAL JOURNAL
The first shutdown of government agencies in almost two decades became a reality late Monday night as the House and Senate were unable to pass a stopgap funding measure by the start of the new fiscal year Tuesday. As hard-line House Republicans demanded that any funding bill contain anti-Obamacare provisions, the Senate
steadfastly refused to go along, despite a flurry of legislative maneuvers on Monday. The result was that the outcome leaders in both parties said they wanted to avoid was announced in a memo from the administration to agencies shortly before midnight, directing them to shut down parts of the federal government. The absence of a spending plan
means as many as 800,000 nonessential federal workers could be furloughed; hundreds of thousands of others could be asked to work without pay (though President Obama signed a measure to ensure military personnel will be paid in a shutdown); federal offices and parks will be closed; and government services will be scaled back or halted for veterans, seniors, and others. Medicare, Social Security, military work, and public-safety functions will continue.
Tons of hands-on Austin Head plans run for Arizona House of Representatives in District 24 fun at DIY Day OBSERVER STAFF
The Arizona House of Representatives has a new contender for the District 24 seat which represents an area mostly comprised of central Phoenix. Legendary DJ-turned-politician Austin Head II recently ran for Phoenix City Council garnering national attention for his cleverly punned “I [heart] Head” campaign signs. Head is at it again, climbing back onto the campaign wagon in the name of change and justice. The Observer Weekly asked Head for an exclusive interview to get the skinny on Head’s politics.
OW: Why do you feel your unique experiences and life story make you the right candidate for the job? Head: As part of the Millennial Generation, our issues (employment {economic development}, transportation, and health care) are not being addressed by a legislature that is consumed by immigration, marriage rights and abortion politics. I will bring a vision of modern urbanization to the Arizona House of Representatives. OW: If elected, how might you work with the Continued on page 5
Phoenix’s Herberger answers the question ‘What’s wrong with Arizona?’ Commentary By R.D. Smith OBSERVER STAFF
making fun of the Tea Party or any of the other things we might expect to get censored.
License plates really ought to start saying “The Grand Canyon Doofus State.”
In this case, the model in one of the works has the word “sodomite” written across his forehead. That seems to be the major offender among a handful of Mike Ford works that gave someone at the Herberger Theatre Center a big case of the vapors.
Just when it seemed that several other states were determined to snatch away Arizona’s dunce cap, a taxpayer-owned Phoenix performing arts center canceled an exhibit at the last minute -- and apparently the censorship isn’t for depictions of nudity or sex or
Unfortunately for freedom of expression, and the Phoenix art community, and the U.S. Constitution, and a few other minor things, the person with the vapors had the power to decide what other people get to see. Continued on page 4
OK, folks, it’s time to modify Arizona’s car tags.
Pima County Public Library’s first DIY Day is a huge hit
OBSERVER STAFF What happens when you mix a carnival of crafters, a bushel of bike enthusiasts and a legion of lecturers together in one spot? You get the Joel D. Valdez Main Library’s DIY Day — an all-day event, open to the public and hosted by the Pima County Public Library. Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. visitors to the library could select from dozens of one-hour workshops on anything from making friendship bracelets to learning how to change a flat tire on your car. There was so much going on at the DIY Day that climbing up and down the four flights of stairs to try capturing it all sent two Observer staff members home worn out and sweaty. Many of the fun DIY workshops we visited left us abuzz with ideas and inspiration. Take the fun gals of the Tucson Hand Weavers and Spinner Guild for instance. Wendy Webster and Elaine Ross set up their Continued on page 11