Eventually, people will stop falling for this, right?

From the BBC:

Seven groups said there were instances of people being told by faith leaders they had been "healed" through prayer - and then pressured to stop taking antiretroviral medication, according to the charity African Health Policy Network (AHPN).

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Prayer is not a substitute for HIV treatment and we would be very concerned if people are not taking their medication on the advice of faith leaders."

AHPN said the cases reported to it by community groups showed:

- Most respondents were aware of more than one case of faith healing claims and pressure to stop taking medication. One member was aware of five cases
- Many followers believed the testimony of pastors who claimed they could heal them
- The majority of cases reported involved Evangelical or Pentecostal Christian pastors
- In some cases treatment has been restarted, in others the health and mental health of clients has declined.

I understand having faith, and I understand the concept that "doctors treat; God heals" addressed later in the article by one of the groups accused of pressuring people to stop taking meds. But this? This just leads to tragedies.

Today in news I wasn't expecting to see, from Jalopnik:

Polling amongst NASCAR fans isn't looking good for Mitt Romney, who is behind Barack Obama by seven percentage points — 41% to 48%.

The poll, conducted by polling pollsters Zogby, showed that NASCAR's loyal fan base are actually in Barack Obama's corner, so to speak. The crosstabs show a small sampling, but those who identify as NASCAR fans prefer the president.

Romney had been on the straight and narrow working to appeal to the traditionally conservative NASCAR base and has already spent time campaigning in North Carolina around NASCAR shops. There is even a Romney/Ryan 2012 NASCAR in existence.

Sure, it's only a poll, and sure it's a small sample size, but the fact that Obama is beating Romney in these demographics at all is incredibly surprising — especially when one considers how many NASCAR drivers have turned down invitations to the White House.

But hey, I guess that stock car racers aren't the only ones who keep turning left, eh?

[Jalopnik - Poll Shows Barack Obama Leads Mitt Romney Among NASCAR Fans]

I give you the copper helmet:

Arizona announced today it was unveiling these doohickies for Saturday's game against Oregon State, adding yet another layer to the Wildcats' ever-increasing uniform combinations. This goes with white and blue helmets along with red, white and blue tops and pants. Rumors exist of a red helmet, though it's not confirmed to be in the 'rotation' for this season.

And if you think the UA athletic department wasn't going to try and market the hell out of this new lid, then you haven't been to their Web page today.

The term "la bestia" or "the beast" refers to the freight trains traveling from Southern Mexico to different cities in Northern Mexico. Many Central American migrants aboard la bestia to avoid traveling the immensity of Mexico by foot. Ultimately, their goal is to come to the U.S. driven by the hope to have a better life.

Those who haven't started their journey hear about the atrocities other migrants encounter on la bestia — by "on la bestia," I mean they, literally, sit on the top part of the freight trains, stand in between the train cars or try to hang below them, hoping to God they don't fall off — but they are so eager to come to the U.S. that they disregard these warnings or they, simply, have no other choice but to disregard them because the only option they see in front of them to escape the extreme poverty in their native countries is to come here and work.

For Central American migrants, crossing the Guatemalan-Mexican border is like entering the gates of hell. They not only have to worry about falling off the train but also defending themselves from Mexican gangs that are like crows, waiting for the best opportunity to come on the trains with machetes and rob the migrants; female migrants add rape to that list of concerns.

Living in Arizona, sometimes, we only hear about the dangers migrants face in the desert. But what about migrants who come from as far as Guatemala and Nicaragua?

La Bestia has been the saddest documentary I've watched so far. It features a bunch of interviews with them, so you will learn about why they decided to leave their native countries and hear about their experience on la bestia.

21 years ago today, Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released, changing the face of modern rock music, and brinigng rise to hundreds, if not thousands, of grunge rock bands.

The interview below is from Rolling Stone's January 27, 1994 interview with Kurt Cobain, where he reflects on his success, his influences, and (in an eerie exchange) his considerations of suicide, which he claimed to have moved past. Of course, Cobain killed himself little more than three months after that interview's publication (though numerous theories claim that he was killed by his wife, there's nothing substantial to prove that's the case).

From Rolling Stone:

"It was so fast and explosive," he says in a sleepy, gravelly voice of his first crisis of confidence following the ballistic success of Nevermind. "I didn't know how to deal with it. If there was a Rock Star 101 course, I would have liked to take it. It might have helped me."

"I still see stuff, descriptions of rock stars in some magazine — 'Sting, the environmental guy,' and 'Kurt Cobain, the whiny, complaining, neurotic, bitchy guy who hates everything, hates rock stardom, hates his life.' And I've never been happier in my life. Especially within the last week, because the shows have been going so well — except for tonight. I'm a much happier guy than a lot of people think I am."

. . .

Last year, Cobain also made a clean breast of his long-rumored heroin addiction, claiming he'd used the drug — at least in part — to opiate severe, chronic stomach pain. Or as he puts it in this interview, "to medicate myself." He's now off the junk, and thanks to new medication and a better diet, his digestive tract, he says, is on the road to recovery.

It's a fascinating look at someone who changed the face of popular music, and worth a few minutes of your day.

[Kurt Cobain: The Rolling Stone Interview]

• The Contained Gardener
• Finishing Up a New Garden with Fernando

Potted Gardens 101 in the Desert
Learn about getting started with a potted garden in the desert the right way so that your efforts do not end up in the compost heap!

DATE: Saturday, September 29; 10-11 am
Call 579.9411 to register
Pre-registration is required due to seating limitations. Cost: FREE!

LOCATION for all classes: Pottery Blowout, 3840 E Grant (just west of Alvernon)

Sponsored by The Contained Gardener from Sonoran Gardens, Inc, Landscape Design and Construction

If you are unable to come, email Marylee to receive the schedule for upcoming classes.

Sign up for our Potted E-News today. Receive monthly potted garden information as well as SW Arizona freeze alerts, heat and wind advisories.

• A Tucson Winter Garden

RAW: Tucson provides an eclectic mix of artists with a place to showcase their unique talents and originality—and to be noticed by a larger audience.

The next RAW event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 27, at Plush. Each event includes a short independent film, a musical performance, a fashion show, an art gallery, performance art, a hairstylist and a makeup artist. These artists all come together on one night to exhibit a wide variety of creativity.

“At every showcase, we book a new group of amazing local artists that are hand-selected,” said Laura Fischer, the event director for RAW. She helps pick the artists who participate by searching online, going to local events and looking through the submissions that RAW receives via its website.

This month's event will feature a variety of gifted independent artists. One will be a unique and interesting fashion designer, called Bling-Cycle, who uses all recycled materials to make original, distinct pieces for the fashion-show component.

“I know that two of the bands featured in the next showcase, The Outlaw Rebels and Karma Breakdown, are a lot of fun” says Fischer, “but they are all really amazing artists, so it's hard to pick and choose.”

There are always artists and photographers selling their original pieces, and attendees will find some accessory designers selling their wares as well.

Come support local artists and get inspired by the array of talents that will be presented at Plush on Thursday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. The tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.

Visit the Raw website for more information.

Saturday morning is getting off to a dangerous start, according to Tucson police, who have blocked off Oracle Road between Miracle Mile and Fort Lowell because of an 'ongoing high priority shooting incident.' They've also closed access to the cemetery in the area while the situation is being handled.

From the Tucson Police Department's Facebook page:

Traffic Alert: Due to an on-going high priority shooting incident, North Oracle Road between West Miracle Mile and West Fort Lowell will be closed in both directions for the next several hours. In addition, access to Evergreen Cemetery is restricted due to safety concerns. Police are investigating a shooting incident that occurred in the neighborhood to the east and across the street from the cemetery. The suspect is believed to be armed with weaponry capable of reaching the cemetery if fired. Additional information willbe released as it becomes available. Please avoid the area if possible. The road closures and activity is expected to continue for the next several hours while TPD personnel address the situation.

Update: It appears the incident ended around 11 a.m. when the suspect walked out of an apartment in the area and surrendered without conflict. Police are saying this began about 4 a.m. when someone reported being shot while sitting in their car.

On Arizona Public Media's Political Roundtable last night: Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries, Pima County Democratic Party chairman Jeff Rogers and former state lawmaker Pete Hershberger discuss Mitt Romney's commentary about the 47 percent; the latest in the race between Congressman Ron Barber and GOP challenger Martha McSally; the TV ads in the Flake-Carmona Senate contest; civility on the Roundtable set; the race between Republican Ally Miller and Democrat Nancy Young Wright for the seat of retiring Pima County Supervisor Ann Day; and the untimely passing of Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever.

Although Drinking Liberally, hosted at the Shanty off Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street, has hosted several Tucson Unified School District board candidates to present their views and candidacy to that particularly Dem-friendly crowd, the first technical forum for the race took place Monday, Sept. 17 at the New Spirit Lutheran Church and hosted by the Saguaro Eastside Democrats.

If you missed this forum, uneventful mostly due to the time constraints, there are plenty of opportunities to get a better understanding of what the candidates are all about — with 12 candidates, including three incumbents, it's quite a task.

The next forum is hosted by Drinking Liberally on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at the Shanty, from 6 to 8 p.m., 401 E. 9th Street, followed by another forum on Monday, Oct. 1, at the YWCA Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave. (south of St. Mary's Avenue and west of I-10). This forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Voices for Education and the Metropolitan Education Commission, is 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Save TUSD's Neighborhood Schools will host a forum at El Casino Ballroom, 437 East 26th St., Thursday, Oct. 4, from 6:00-8:30 pm. And the last one planned, so far, is hosted by the Tucson Estates Community, 5900 W. Western Way Circle, Wednesday, October 10, from 6-8:30 pm.

At the first candidates forum, 11 of the candidates lined the table. Missing was Debe Campos-Fleenor. In our cover story this week, "The District Dozen," we weren't able to meet with the candidate or interview her by phone due to her recuperating from foot surgery.

When Campos-Fleenor will be available to answer questions and present her platform is unclear, but the Range was forwarded a response the candidate made to an e-mail request sent to all candidates by organizers of the Save TUSD's Neighborhood Schools' forum.

The e-mail invite:

We would like to invite you to a TUSD Board Candidate Forum and celebration of the 90th anniversary of both Ochoa and Mission View Schools in South Tucson.

This will take place on Thursday, October 4, from 6 to 7:30 pm at the El Casino Ballroom (437 East 26th St).

We plan to have at least 500 people attend.

We want to ask how you would vote on Superintendent Pedicone's plan to close schools and how you would fill the $17 million hole in the next budget.

Our group includes many students, parents, teachers, Casa Maria, many social agencies and political officials that live in and around the City of south Tucson.

Please respond as soon as possible by calling Brian Flag at (520) 624-0312 or [email protected]

Thank You

The candidate's response:

Plan on me coming provided I receive a doctor's release. Thank you