Arizona: Assistant House

by David Safier
Poets usually get invited to the White House to show off the current occupant's class and cul-cha. But a poetry slam? That's a whole 'nother matter.

And our own Assistant House Democratic Leader Kyrsten Sinema is one of the 100 people nationwide invited -- to watch, not to slam.

Do you think the audience will be grading the poets? Isn't a slam supposed to have a winner?

Here are the participants: James Earl Jones; Mayda Del Valle- Slam poet; Michael Chabon; ELEW (Jazz pianist); Esperanza Spalding (Jazz Bass player); Lin-Manuel Miranda- In The Heights playwright and star; and Ayelet Waldeman.

I take it, it's not open mic night.

QUESTION: Dr. Word wants to know, why is it "mic" and not "mike"? "Mic" should rhyme with "pick," right? Not with "pike"? Anyone know the origins of that odd spelling? I'm sure there's a very good, very hip reason.

by David Safier
A news release from the Democratic Caucus in the state house says the funding to deal with health crises like the swine flu was wiped out by the 2009 budget cuts:

A state law requiring a Health Crisis Fund specifically created to combat emergency epidemics like the Swine Flu, was eliminated in the legislature’s 2009 budget, House Democrats said Wednesday at a press conference.
 
Officials identified on Wednesday the first case of Swine Flu in Arizona.
 
House Democrats also are asking Gov. Jan Brewer to use flexible federal stimulus dollars to re-establish the Health Crisis Fund and hope to work together with both the legislature and the governor in a bipartisan way to combat this statewide health emergency.