… years ago, I was walking the course and got this shot of a coyote basking in the morning light … another one that was temporarily lost, but now has been found. Again getting caught up on projects so devoting spare time to the perpetual task of finding gems and discarding the others. It’s getting easier 🙂 Below are a pair of Harris’s Hawks with the female leaving the branch first … these amazing creatures unlike most raptors are very social and frequently hunt together in pairs. The female is much larger than the male of the species. Kicking the trip to the lake…
Author: Tommy
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Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “A Nice Indian Boy” showing April 4-10 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkbyxebDrjA When Naveen (Karan Soni, Deadpool) brings his fiancé Jay (multiple Tony-award winner Jonathan Groff) home to meet his traditional Indian family, they must contend with accepting his white-orphan-artist boyfriend and helping them plan the Indian wedding of their dreams. With a starry cast, “A Nice Indian Boy” is a charming, lovely, heartwarming film that makes audiences smile. And smiling is good! “It is a remarkably sweet film, the kind…
Arizona News – No, the Arizona Department of Transportation isn’t texting you about overdue tolls. Here are just some of the clues that a text going around mentioning “AZDOT” and demanding money for tolls is a scam: The state highway system doesn’t have toll roads. The phone number associated with this text is from another country. The website address listed includes azdot.gov but continues into another domain that screams “scam.” We go by ADOT, not AZDOT, in second reference. And we tend to avoid broken English such as “Now Payment.” This use of alleged toll fees yet another incarnation of what…
Sedona, AZ — Sedona’s red rocks are a visual masterpiece, but their true magic? It’s in the music. Enter Patrick Ki, a guitar virtuoso and ukulele maestro who doesn’t just play—he channels Sedona’s soul into every note. His melodies aren’t just sounds; they’re experiences, wrapping around the golden glow of sunset, the hush of the desert breeze, and the deep serenity of Sedona itself. His style is a hypnotic fusion—Hawaiian slack key’s gentle sway, flamenco’s fiery passion, and the rhythmic pulse of Latin jazz—all woven into a soundscape that’s both soothing and electrifying. Whether he’s setting the mood for a…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “White With Fear” showing April 4-10 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYku-XfKCYY Emmy Award-winning director Andrew Goldberg’s “White With Fear” sheds light on the decades-long strategy of politicians and media outlets to amplify racial divisions and white victimization narratives for power and profit. Described by critics as “riveting,” “masterful” and “absolutely required viewing,” and in the tradition of past classic documentary exposes such as “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “Inside Job”, “White With Fear” uncovers the real-world consequences of manipulative…
Arizona News – With more people getting outdoors to take advantage of the state’s warm spring weather, it’s important to keep in mind that 13 species of rattlesnakes also call Arizona home and become active as temperatures rise. Depending on location, the species that are encountered most often are the Western diamondback, sidewinder, Mojave, and black-tailed rattlesnakes. “Arizona has more rattlesnake species than any other state, and we can all celebrate that amazing biodiversity,” said Thomas Jones, amphibians and reptiles program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. In warm desert areas, rattlesnakes are most active from March through…
Verde Valley News – Yavapai College gained national recognition for its positive, community-based culture when USA Today named it one of the ‘Top Workplaces of 2025’ at USA Today’s Celebration Summit in Las Vegas last week. The ‘Top Workplaces’ award recognizes more than 1,500 organizations with 150 or more employees that have created exceptional, people-first cultures. About 40,000 organizations were invited to participate. Winners are recognized for their commitment to fostering a workplace environment that values employee listening and engagement. Yavapai College, with six campuses and learning centers across Yavapai County, was cited as an outstanding workplace among institutions, with…
Sedona News – The University Women of Sedona will host their next informational meeting on Monday, April 7 at 9:30 a.m. when Nikki Check will speak about the inception of Yavapai College’s Southwest Wine Center viticulture and enology program, and its growth. Check is the founding director of the Southwest Wine Center. She is a second-generation Arizonan born and raised in Yavapai County. After studying agriculture at both Yavapai College and Prescott College, she launched her career in the Verde Valley wine industry, where she started as a field laborer and moved into a vineyard manager role. Soon after she…
Sedona News – The Sedona Heritage Museum is set to once more host the M Bar Lazy B Chuck Wagon for the popular Chuck Wagon Dinner and a Movie program, on Saturday, April 12. Gates open at 4:30 pm, and dinner will be served at 5 pm. John Wayne’s Angel and the Badman will be screened during dinner. The meal will be prepared by award winning chuck wagon cook Bill Cowan and his crack team in cast iron prepared over open flames. The menu is yet to be set, but attendees can be sure it will be delicious! Guests who arrive at…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Sedona premiere of “Being Maria” showing April 4-10 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Maria Schneider (Anamaria Vartolomei) is a promising young French actress. When she gets the lead in a feature film directed by an acclaimed Italian filmmaker and starring one of America’s most beloved actors, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFmaJiuF1KI Her collaborators, director Bernardo Bertolucci and star Marlon Brando (Matt Dillon) seem to be bringing out the best in Maria, sharing a warm rapport and mentorship with the 19-year old girl.…
Sedona, AZ — On this week’s episode of Tech Talk Tuesday, Allen Elfman dives into a fascinating and timely topic: Artificial Intelligence Using Diplomacy — how machines are learning the art of negotiation, conflict resolution, and international relations. “AI isn’t just about robots and algorithms anymore,” says Elfman. “We’re watching it evolve into a tool for global peacekeeping, business mediation, and even courtroom strategy. It’s wild—and it’s real.” Here are a few key areas where AI is showing diplomatic skills: 1. Conflict Resolution Platforms AI is being used to mediate disputes in online platforms, including workplace issues and small claims…
… you can shoot the same subject over and over, year after year and all of a sudden there is your same subject that has transformed into something special … a work of art with that feeling of forever. The shot above of a Great Blue Heron is such a photograph with literally nothing done to it, save some simple adjustments. One of my favs and soon to be on a glass print for my desk … I am out of wall space 🙁 Download it for sure! Below is a shot that recorded the events of a day about…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Sedona premiere of “Prisoners of Fire” showing April 4-10 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jii3PsRv4Q June 26,1990, the Dude Fire rages across Zane Gray country in the towering ponderosa forests below the Mogollon Rim in Central Arizona, killing five prison crew members and a female supervisor on her first fire. Follow along with the survivors and firefighters as they share their experience as inmate firefighters and their harrowing story of courage, loss and redemption. “Prisoners of Fire” — by filmmaker Scott Briggs — is a tribute to…
By Tommy Acosta One of my favorite mind games, as many of you know by now, is imagining what I would do if I was someone else, in this case President Trump, and, my ambition is to become dictator for life. I’m not saying this is Trump’s plan. I’m just musing what I would do if I was him and had that intention. The first thing I would do is create a cabinet of sycophants who would trample even each other to gain my favor. The next is issue barrages of executive orders that would destroy every regulation, plan, and…
Sedona, AZ — The Gallery of Modern Masters invites art and literature enthusiasts to a special evening of storytelling and visual artistry at our First Friday Art Walk & Book Signing on April 4th from 4:00-7:00 PM. This exciting event will feature Guillermo Márquez-Sterling, who will be signing copies of his compelling new book, Killing the Butterfly: A Cuban Memoir of Democracy’s Demise, alongside a stunning exhibition of internationally acclaimed glass artist William Dexter’s exquisite Octa Bowls. Guillermo Márquez-Sterling, who arrived in Sedona six months ago as the pastor of Church of the Red Rocks, brings a rich heritage shaped by his Cuban roots. The youngest son of immigrants who fled…