Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina

Rules of Etiquette, Decency and Fairness Should Apply Across the Boardnew

It was a quiet Thursday afternoon when a co-worker strolled into my office, sat in a chair and asked me a seemingly innocent—but loaded—question. "Why did you write about that?" His facial expression and tone were telling—it wasn't something he wanted to read about. To each his own, but what concerned me was the idea that writing about this topic was somehow wrong.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 03-17-2010 | Media

Tags: integrity, trolling, media, commenting

Sex-Worker Advocates Strive For Safety and Human Rightsnew

Marsha Powell, an inmate at Perryville prison, spent the last hours of her life not in an indoor cell, but in an outdoor wire cage. Powell waited four hours in the 107-degree heat to be transferred between wards. She collapsed from heat exposure and died the next day. Powell was serving time for prostitution.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 02-24-2010 | Sex

Tags: Prostitution, prisons, human rights, sex workers

Sweat Lodges Are Usually Sacred Places of Purification, Not Profiteeringnew

Google the words "sweat lodge," and the third result is a CNN report about the Sedona sweat-lodge deaths at James Arthur Ray's $9,695 Spiritual Warrior retreat in October.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 01-13-2010 | Religion

Tags: Ann Marie Clock, James Arthur Ray, Spiritual Warrior, sweat lodge

Jessica Cox is Just Like Any Other Licensed Pilot -- Except She Has No Armsnew

At a small airport northeast of Tucson, Cox is the only pilot preparing for a flight this morning. She removes the chains that hold the 1946 Ercoupe 415-C in place, unscrews the fuel cap to assess the gas level and begins checking the plane over. She performs all of these tasks with her feet.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 08-28-2009 | Culture

Tags: Jessica Cox, disabilities, pilots

Act to Save Papersnew

Hey, readers: The future of newspapers is in your hands.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 04-08-2009 | Commentary

Tags: newspaper industry

Preservation Push Off of Mexico's Coastnew

Off the coast of Mexico, government agencies and citizens fight to save an endangered porpoise.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 01-15-2009 | Environment

Tags: Mexico, environment, animal issues, endangered species, porpoise

Remember to Appreciate the Soldier Even if You Disagree with the Missionnew

Sadly, some of us still need to learn to treat our vets with respect and common decency. Agree or disagree with the reasons behind the war, but appreciate the fact that our military personnel -- on Veterans Day and all year -- decide to walk a difficult road in service to the rest of us.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 11-06-2008 | War

Tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, soldiers, war & peace, Veteran's Day

Living Forever?new

Can technology and science add to our human existence? Transhumanists think so.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 08-15-2008 | Science

Tags: Health & Science

Deanne Stillman Explains What Happened to the West's Horsesnew

Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West provides a detailed history of the horse and our treatment of the animal -- from its evolution on the North American continent to its scant existence today.

Tucson Weekly | Irene Messina | 06-11-2008 | Author Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Horses, the West, Deanne Stillman, Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West