South Africa

Black Activist Jarrett Maupin: Jeff Flake's "Half-Assed" Apology for Son's Racism Not Enough

Phoenix African-American activist Revered Jarrett Maupin II wants Senator Jeff Flake to do more than issue a "half-assed" apology for his teenage son's racist comments on the Internet.As you can imagine, Maupin was not at all pleased to hear that Flake's son used the handle "N1ggerKiller" in an onli ... More >>

Margaret Thatcher Protest Songs Came in Every Genre (Hi, Public Enemy)

Monday's news of former English prime minister Margaret Thatcher's death elicited mixed responses. Some sites praised the Iron Lady's leadership tactics, while others celebrated her death. Pushing to get "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" in the Top 40 charts hours after Thatcher's death is pretty tacky ... More >>

Robatayaki Dinner at Roka Akor in Scottsdale: Surf, Turf, and a Charcoal Grill

It's not impossible to find good seafood in the Valley but there are certainly times that we feel the inconvenience of being in the middle of the desert. The distance from the coast, however, hasn't stopped many an adventurous restaurateur or chef from setting up shop around here. It also hasn't s ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows This Weekend in Phoenix

When people ask what kind of music I like, I'm tempted to say "Good music." I understand the need for musical terminology, but there's really too much good stuff to limit what you listen to. It's a lesson Zero Zero teaches well. Nicole Laurenne and Michael Johnny Walker have the garage rock thing lo ... More >>

Rodriguez Show Moves From the Orpheum Theatre to Mesa Amphitheatre

Atención, long-lost singer/songwriter types: If you're looking to make a big comeback, having a mythical backstory, two stone-cold classic LPs in the can, and a blockbuster documentary goes a long way. Such is the case with Sixto Rodriguez, whose rise from dusty-fingered crate digger obscurity to ... More >>

Republic Monetary Exchange Putting Some Precious Metals Buyers at Risk, Says IRA Document Preparer

Republic Monetary Exchange, a precious metals firm founded by two ex-cons that's the subject of a New Times' feature article this week, is putting some customers at risk, says a Phoenix document preparer. Tim Schubert of Blue Diamond Documents says he's helped people prepare Individual Retirement A ... More >>

Henry Rollins Won't Tell You Who to Vote For (But He Really Thinks You Should Vote)

See also: OFF!'s Dimitri Coats Talks Phoenix Oil Theft Charges See also:Henry Rollins on Occupants, the Occupy Movement, and the RadioYesterday, 458 episodes of legendary maverick pirate/BBC radio broadcaster John Peel's radio program were mysteriously uploaded to SoundCloud. For fans of radio that ... More >>

Five Ways Not to Buy Wine

Vine Geek Brian Reeder co-owns AZ Wine Merchants in Scottsdale. Wine is subjective. Every wine is different. It all depends on your taste. Price doesn't equal quality. It's all the same anyway. Just drink what you like. Blah. Blah. Blah. We've all heard the nomenclatures. The bullshit lines that e ... More >>

Premium Olive Oil Shop Now Open at Biltmore Fashion Park

Calling itself, "the premium olive oil experience," Oliv, a new boutique and tasting room featuring over sixty flavors of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, is now open at the Biltmore Fashion Park. Open since late December and founded by Awie and Isabeau du Toit, who own a olive farm in South Afri ... More >>

Laura Hahnefeld Looks at the Year of the Food Truck

Saffron Kitchen Says Goodbye to Phoenix

​A bit of bad news popped up on our Facebook feed this past weekend. It was a post from Saffron Kitchen (who brought their savoy pies to Valley farmer's markets each week) which read... "Here's the news we have been holding off on sharing for as long as possible. We are relocating to the Bay ... More >>

Lil Wayne Releases Green Bay Packers Anthem

Lil Wayne's not shy about rooting for green and yellow in the Super Bowl this year.​Lil Wayne will be rooting for the Green Bay Packers in this year's Super Bowl, according to SPIN.Weezy's all about reppin' the green and yellow, stating in his newly released Wiz Khalifa rip-off "Green and Y ... More >>

Fiona Pardington's "Ahua: A Beautiful Hesitation" Pulls Gorgeous Imagery From the Pseudo-Science of Phrenology

10 Most Bizarre Videos of the Year (So Far)

​Floating heads shooting lasers, machete wielding mad men, exploding gingers and Lady Gaga.You're probably asking yourself what all of these things have in common. If you said, 'things you see while dropping acid,' you aren't that far off. Actually, those scenes are just some of the oddball image ... More >>

Phil Mickelson Already Out Of Contention At British Open

americansportsblog.com Phil Mickelson​Yesterday we wrote about the scenarios in which Phil Mickelson could overtake Tiger Woods for the top spot in golf. Well, less than 24 hours later, we can throw all of that out the window. After battling heavy wind and chilly temperatures for two days, ... More >>

Soccer City West

Last chance to hear the vuvuzela concerto

Morning Glory

Wake up, y’all. The Americans are on the tube.

Cat Cora: Part 2 of Our Interview With the Iron Chef

​Yesterday, we gave you an appetizer for next week's main dish: a Chow Bella- and Changing Hands-hosted booksigning with Iron Chef and cookbook dynamo Cat Cora, who's currently touring the country to promote Cat Cora's Classics With a Twist. She'll be at the bookstore at 7 p.m. on June 23, a ... More >>

Scouting Slovenia: Check Out the Country's "Hottest Star" a Musician Named "Magnifico"

​Since Slovenia is the United States' next opponent in that sporting event we're all pretending to care about because we're bored the very exciting 2010 World Cup in beautiful South Africa, I paid special attention to a press release I received this morning about Magnifico, purportedly the country ... More >>

Robbie Findley Unimpressive, United States Just Plain Lucky Against England

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/95049?cc=5901&ver=us​ As we mentioned last week, Phoenix's own Robbie Findley is on the United States' team playing in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Findley, who starred at Shadow Mountain High School almost a decade ago, actually got the ... More >>

A Reason To Watch the U.S. in the World Cup: Phoenix Product Robbie Findley

lasoccernews.com​The pageantry, spirit and global fascination should be enough to get even casual soccer fans to plop down and watch a game or two of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But if it somehow isn't, there is a local connection between Valley residents and the iconic tournament being played ... More >>

Maal Culture

West African rock-and-blues fusion jams in Scottsdale

The Phoenician’s Partnership with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s J&G Steakhouse is a Perfect Pairing

Al Sharpton, Mary Rose Wilcox, ACORN's Bertha Lewis, and Others Blast Joe Arpaio on Media Conference Call

photo by Juda EngelmayerRev. Al's got his eye on Sheriff Joe...As I promised in a previous blog post, I participated in a national conference call this morning, which featured the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, ... More >>

Last House on the Left Has Rape, Revenge and Yawning

Henry Rollins Is Begging You to Vote

O Henry

Outspoken punk icon speaks out

Brew Review: The Carling iPint

Protect the Legacy

Demme follows Carter's controversial book tour

Ordinary Rendition

Not torture, but as conventional as they come. We're (water) bored. (Sorry.)

Thugs and Kisses

A South African street fighter finds redemption

New releases available this week

Without Reservations

Native Americans shoot hoops at AWA

Long, Strange Trips

Dispatches from the world of travel writing

The Royal Treatment

Regal fantasy becomes upturned reality in Her Majesty

Studio Visit: Heidi Hesse

Artist makes sense of America through art

Sauvignon Blank

I'd be better off stopping at Safeway and grabbing a bottle ofwine and a deli tray

Spurs of the Moment

Art exhibit highlights best of the West

Out of Africa

A show of works by William Kentridge

Letters

Poli-Psyche

Will a long-distance analysis of McCain tell us anything new?

Sex for Less

Second Helpings

Pop Stops the Traffic

U2 still hasn't found what it's looking for--but has it given up trying?

Grand Prix-Fixe

DEATH OF AN AXMAN

SCREED

CHUY'S REBORN, AND SO IS PATCH THE PIRATE

SCREED

CARIB NEBULA

DESPERATELY SEEKING SASQUATCHTHESE SCIENTISTS SPEND THEIR LIVES CHASING ANIMALS THEY ONLY THINK EXIST

POP GOES THE REVOLUTIONARYTHOMAS MAPFUMO PREPS FOR AN INVASION OF THE WEST