East Africa

Bill Montgomery's Victims Rot in Jail, While Arizona Republic Praises His Hypocrisy on Immigration Reform

Now, a news flash from inside the stultifying atmosphere of the Arizona Republic's editorial bubble: Hypocrisy is a good thing. Particularly as practiced by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. See also: -Joe Arpaio, Bill Montgomery Lose Again: Undocumented Worker Found "Not Guilty" -Bill M ... More >>

Babeu's "Elite" Staff Overcomes Bad Behavior with Loyalty

Arizona's Murs Bridges Hip-Hop's Divide

Joe Arpaio Lies, Insults His Deputies, Promises School-Posses with "Automatic and Semi-Automatic" Weapons

Arpaio, howlin' at the moon in his appearance on the Thom Hartmann radio show: The fun begins about 16:18 in Hat tip to Phoenix videographer Dennis Gilman for letting me know about Sheriff Joe Arpaio's appearance Thursday on the uber-lefty Thom Hartmann show, where he howled at the moon, boasted ab ... More >>

Chow Bella's Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth ... or in this ca ... More >>

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony in Phoenix: A Different Kind of After Dinner Drink

For most of us the ceremony of drinking coffee means brewing a pot of joe in the morning and sipping it over the daily news, or more likely as we run out the door on our way to work. But in Ethiopia a coffee ceremony is one of the most integral parts of community life. The hours-long process takes ... More >>

John McCain Meets Neo-Nazi and Onetime J.T. Ready-Sidekick Harry Hughes

Neo-Nazi Harry Hughes is like the National Socialist Movement's version of the traveling gnome in those Travelocity.com commercials. See also: -Why Authorities Could've Prevented J.T. Ready's Murder Spree The Maricopa, Arizona-based swastika-lover's been photographed next to Pinal County Sheriff P ... More >>

Join the Slow Food Movement and Celebrate Terra Madre Day on Dec. 10

If you haven't made it to the Biltmore Fashion Park's latest addition UNION -- a mix of 18 small, distinctive boutiques run by local vendors -- mark your calendars to visit on Monday, December 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. for Terra Madre Day. This international event is a celebration of slow food and eating ... More >>

Gojo Ethiopian Restaurant: Another Great Choice for Ethiopian Food in Phoenix

When a new spot opens in town, we can't wait to check it out -- and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened, sampling a few item ... More >>

Ethiopian Famous Restaurant & Coffee Moves Out of Convenience Mart and Into Its Own Digs

See also: Ethiopian Famous Restaurant & Coffee's Oddball Location Belies the Treats Inside Abebech Ejersa was beaming when I popped in her new place at 4111 East McDowell Road in Phoenix on Sunday. "I couldn't have done it without all the wonderful people who came to visit me," she said. Ejersa, ... More >>

Chow Bella's Top Phoenix Food Stories of the Week

Every week, there's a cornucopia of new Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. It's kind of like those burgers at Old Town Whiskey; it just won't all fit in your mouth . . . or in t ... More >>

April Restaurant Openings and Closings

Apparently, April is a good month to open a restaurant in the Valley. Everything from Somali food to a reopened classic threw a hat into the Phoenix culinary ring last month.

New African Restaurant Opens in Phoenix

Warsan, a new African restaurant and coffee shop first-time owner Loyan Hassan Abdi tells me means good news in the Somali language, has opened in the strip mall at 2935 East McDowell Road (McDowell and 29th Street.) The casual, bare-bones restaurant, opened for about a week, is still sparse on dec ... More >>

African Refugees Apparently Didn't Try to Sneak a Fake Bomb Through Sky Harbor Airport

​Charges have been dropped against three African refugees who were arrested in August after one of them was accused of trying tried to pass through security at Sky Harbor International Airport with a fake bomb.Court documents suggested they were attempting to test the "effectiveness of screening p ... More >>

Punjabi Spices at The Dhaba

Trying to follow spices in an Indian kitchen can get complicated real fast, and it gets even more difficult when breaking apart the vast regional differences. We're breaking it down at The Dhaba with Punjabi flavors from North India.

Ethiopian Famous Restaurant & Coffee's Oddball Location Belies the Treats Inside

Ethiopian Famous Restaurant & Coffee's Oddball Location Belies the Treats Inside

Oddball location? You could say that. But don't be dissuaded. For those looking for tasty Ethiopian fare in Central Phoenix, this new restaurant, located behind a curtain in the back of a convenience store, holds a host of enticing dishes. It is, in a sense, a sort of Ethiopian speakeasy (minus the ... More >>

New Ethiopian Restaurant in Phoenix Is in Back of a Convenience Store Behind a Curtain (Stay With Me on This One, Folks)

Do This: Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony​When a new spot opens in town, we can't wait to check it out -- and let you know our initial impressions. Share a few photos, some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just o ... More >>

Sade at US Airways Center, 9-2-11

Maria Vassett​Sade and John Legend U.S. Airways Center Friday, September 2, 2011 REVIEW BY DAN GIBSON Sade (the woman, not the band) doesn't seem like she has to work very hard live. If there's ever an audience willing to plunk down $149 for the good seats, load up on $25 glossy programs, poster ... More >>

Why Did Three African Refugees Try to Sneak a Fake Bomb Past Security at Sky Harbor International Airport?

www.advertise.comWell...fake boom.​While bringing a bomb to an airport is one of the stupider things a person can do. Bringing a fake bomb to an airport might be one of the stupidest -- but it certainly raises the question: why would someone do it?Three African refugees were arrested after one of ... More >>

Ramadan After Sunset: Breaking Fast in the Valley

Kholood Eid It's custom for many Muslims to break their fast with dates.​ Last week, we blogged advice on how to deal with fasting during the summer for Muslims in the Valley. This week, we spoke with a few locals, asking for their tips on where the best places to break fast are--and what s ... More >>

DJentrification on The Palace, World Music, and Phoenix's Hidden Culture

Photo by Gatsby​ Sometimes the word "eclectic" just doesn't do a dude justice. Djentrification is one of the most "eclectic" DJs in town, and the term barely serves to scratch the surface when it comes to his unique musical approach.He's not a typical DJ, finding kindred spirits in guys like legen ... More >>

How to Use Tamarind

wikimedia​ This week we answer the question: I saw tamarind concentrate and tamarind paste at the Indian market. What's the difference? How do I use them? Don't think you've tasted tamarind? Check out the list of ingredients on the label of your bottle of Worcestershire sauce and you may be ... More >>

Kofi O. Okyere

SUV With Pop-Up Machine Gun, Made by Phoenix Company, Protects Middle-Eastern Clients

The machine-gun equipped "Raptor" vehicle, made by a Phoenix company, seems like the perfect answer to road rage ​To hell with your "road rage." Anybody gives us attitude, we're gonna have our kid pop out the top of our new Saracen International Raptor and pulverize their ass. Don't confus ... More >>

Nas and Damian Marley's Reggae-Rap Project Explores Their Roots

The Expendables: Sly and the Family Stallone Get Nostalgic for Their Legacy of Brutality

Abnormal Ales: 10 Beers with Weird Ingredients

More than 500 years ago, German Beer Purity Law decreed that the world's favorite fermented beverage was to be made with only four ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast. In recent years, however, the definition of a permissible beer ingredient has expanded somewhat, and brewers worldwide have br ... More >>

Sam Crump Goes Mano a Mano with Dennis Gilman on Terrorists Crossing Southern Border

Gilman and Crump go at it in Gilman's latestIn this latest video from Dennis Gilman, the feisty videographer goes at it with GOP candidate for Congress Sam Crump. Crump asserts that there have been documented cases of terrorists attempting to cross the Arizona-Mexico border, and Gilman confronts him ... More >>

"In the Mood" Brings World War II-Era Fashions to Phoenix Art Museum

Ohio Radio Station Holds Contest to Send Listeners to Phoenix to "Chase Aliens"

​A radio station in Columbus, Ohio, held a contest this week where the grand prize was a weekend getaway to Phoenix where the winner could spend their time "chasing aliens" -- presumably of the illegal variety.See? Not everyone's boycotting Arizona.However, if you were thinking "I bet Rush Limbaug ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, April 1, 2010

On Being Proud of Your Cultural Heritage and Narcos

Accidental Tourists

Doc treats Sudanese lost boys as feel-good fodder, ignoring their plight and their history

Somali Sublime

They've got your goat

Watt's Good for You

Chandler gets an Ethiopian restaurant

Watt's for Dinner

Out of Africa come the flavors you'll find at Tempe's Blue Nile Cafe

Step Class

The Carpetbag Brigade, a Prescott-based physical theater group, performs Tragedy Magnate Ha-Ha

Opiate for the Mrs.

When laws are broken, somebody's got to be punished. In the case of Cindy McCain, that somebody is Tom Gosinski

THE NOBLE HUNTERSAFARI GUIDE MARK SULLIVAN BELIEVES THAT TO PRESERVE THE EARTH'S GREATEST BEASTS, SOME OF THEM MUST DIE