City Week

Slumber Party? Radical!

Dry River Anniversary Party
5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3, through Midnight, Sunday, Nov. 4
Dry River Radical Resource Center, 740 N. Main Ave.
dryriver.org

To celebrate its second anniversary, the Dry River Radical Resource Center will be hosting a slumber party, featuring a variety of musical acts, documentaries and a potluck-style breakfast and dinner.

The two-day extravaganza kicks off with dinner at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and the fête won't end until the wee hours of Sunday night. Local and nonlocal bands will be performing, and two documentaries will be highlighted.

One of those is the premiere of Radical Resources, about the history of Dry River. Steev Hise is the film's producer and a member of the collective.

"It's about time that we make a video to explain what we're all about," Hise said.

The 30-minute film will showcase bands playing, film screenings and footage of the member meetings, all of which Hise has been shooting since the resource center opened, though the group began meeting years before.

"It started with a group of activists in 2003 which deals with a radical political take on things," Hise said. "At Skrappy's, we had a couple of shelves with radical literature, and that was the extent."

Today, the center is open Monday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons and offers self-defense, Spanish and Yoga classes; film screenings; and musical performances, mostly by local punk-rock bands.

"A common misconception is that it's just a place for teenagers to come see punk bands," Hise said. "We're inviting everyone to come check out Dry River. Hang out all night; sleep, wake up and join us for breakfast."

Like all other events at Dry River, the event is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. --D.P.


Protect Your Good Name

Identity Theft Lecture
6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 5
Wilmot Public Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road
791-4627

They shoulder-surf, watching as you punch in your pin number at the gas station, listening as you give your credit card or Social Security number over the phone.

They Dumpster-dive, sifting through your old checks, credit card and bank statements, looking for useful information. And, of course, they're right there when you leave your wallet at the restaurant.

They're identity thieves, and they're everywhere.

The Murphy-Wilmot Library Branch will host a free lecture on how you can prevent one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States from happening to you at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

Jerad Estus works for Kroll, which claims to be the only company in the nation which protects people from all five areas of identity theft. He will be speaking at the event.

"I know what type of devastation people go through with their families," Estus said. "Arizona is No. 1 in identity theft--it has surpassed everything."

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 9 million people have their identities stolen every year. In extreme cases, people lose job opportunities; loans for housing and education are denied; some have even been arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Though this doesn't happen to all identity-theft victims, being hassled by debt collectors is never fun, especially when said debt isn't even yours.

Financial fraud occurs most often, accounting for 23 percent of identity theft, but there are many different forms of this crime.

"There's also Social Security, medical, character and driver's license fraud," Estus said. "Educating people on how they can protect themselves is the most important thing." --D.P.


Help Cure the Incurable

Ara Parseghian Foundation Fundraiser
2:30 to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3
Dance Infusion, 3154 N. First Ave.
792-3688

Holly Bell coaches all genres of dance at her privately owned studio, Dance Infusion. More than a decade ago, Bell received news that one of her students, Michael Parseghian, 7, had been diagnosed with neurological disease Niemann-Pick Type-C. His body began to deteriorate; he could no longer metabolize cholesterol.

Following Michael's diagnosis, two of Michael's siblings, who were also Bell's dance students--Marcia, 6, and Christa, 3--were also diagnosed with the same disease. It not only ripped away their ability to dance independently, but it eventually took each of their lives.

The foundation is named after their grandfather, Ara Parseghian, a well-known Notre Dame football coach, and the siblings' eldest brother, Ara, who fortunately has never gotten the disease.

Bell, who coached the three siblings from a young age until weeks before they passed, will be holding an international food festival in their memory. Proceeds will help expand medical research for the incurable disease. "Ninety-five percent of the money will go toward the research," said Bell.

There will be a variety of foods to sample, which can be purchased with tickets. "Each ticket will cost 50 cents. For example, lasagna will be around $1.50; you can buy three tickets and eat lasagna," said Bell.

"There will be a band playing a mix of country and rock outside, and a jumping castle for the kids. Different people and companies will be donating gifts for the silent auction--everything from massages to gift certificates. The UA basketball team signed a basketball which we will auction off. This is always a big hit," said Bell. --J.W.


Movies Through Native Eyes

Native Eyes Film Showcase
7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7, and Thursday, Nov. 8
Crossroads 6 Grand Cinemas, 4811 E. Grant Road
327-7067; Showcase Web site

The Arizona State Museum and the Hanson Film institute, in collaboration with the film and video center of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, will celebrate Native American creativity with Tucson's fourth Native Eyes Film Showcase.

"This is an opportunity for Native American filmmakers to voice different perspectives. We try to look for what is new and merge filmmakers," said Lisa Falk, director of education at Arizona State Museum.

"This year's festival will have one night focusing on the Navajo culture and one night concentrating on the Mohawk tribe, but both will be looking at women and identity," said Falk.

Tracey Deer, director of the documentary Mohawk Girls, will answer questions about her 2005 film, one of three that's part of the program starting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7. For two years, Deer documented three girls from the Mohawk tribe.

"It's a coming-of-age story on issues like life choices, identity, self-esteem and peer pressure, as well as all the other issues teenagers deal with--but from a Native American point of view," said Deer.

Director Nanobah Becker will represent the Navajo tribe with her eight-minute production Conversion, inspired by a story her Native American mother told her two years ago.

"This is about a little girl's conversion to Christianity in the early 1950s. Missionaries somehow got a medicine man to destroy his medicine bundle, and he was dead by the next day," said Becker. Conversion is part of the program screening at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 8.

All screenings are free. For a complete list of films, visit the Showcase Web site. --J.W.