My family is Roman Catholic and (used to) attended mass at the Santa Rosa Mission off of Grant and i-10. The Priest never really talked about gay marriage or abortions, but he always preached against alcoholism and infidelity. It's not really safe, but drive around "OP" during the Fariseos and see why these are topics of discussion. My family is mostly comprised of bigots, continue to have more kids they can't afford, and proudly claim they are religious people and believe they are going to heaven. My cousins and family members my age aren't as racist as our elders, but I'm much more hopeful for their kids.

Hopefully Pope Francis' words in today's New York Times interview helps inspire a better crop of open-minded devout catholics for the future. Pope Frankie should take a trip to Washington and perform an exorcism and vanquish the gay hating, anti-women's rights demons and this banal mindset.

In my home, Jesse Martin is not the dude from Law and Order, but Tom Collins from the original stage (and movie) production of the musical Rent. Due out on April 1, 2014 (which would have been Marvin Gaye's 74th birthday), is the Gaye biopic Sexual Healing. Martin replaced Lenny Kravitz as Gaye. We can't think of anyone better to play the soul legend.

Maybe if you sing this particular song around the house on a regular basis, you understand:

Hawaii's break-out reggae band The Green is performing at the Rialto Theatre Wednesday Oct. 23.

• Courtesy of The Green.

The Green debuted Hawai'i '13 with Easy Star Records late last month. The album hit #1 on the Billboard Reggae charts, but the success was short lived because Snoop Lion's Reincarnated knocked them down to the number two spot. At least The Green's reggae career is doing much better than Eddie Murphy's. Murphy is being accused of stealing from lesser known talent and the album isn't even finished. Now that I think about it, Red Light does sound like a Ziggy Marley tune from an Adam Sandler movie.

Special guests include fellow Hawaii native Kimie. I think more talent needs to rise up from Hawaii because it's a crime that Dog The Bounty Hunter and Bruno Mars are some of the faces of Hawaii. Another opening act is Shwayze; apparently, Shwayze has produced five albums since 2008.

You should preview Hawai'i '13 before you buy your ticket and rasta cap.

It's not your fault that your kid shouts on planes, chains up sexually abused woman to radiators, and likes to make up bible quotes.

I will blame Mr. L. Jackson if the Robocop remake sucks.

Cronkite News reports that border crosser deaths are up this year from 2012:

As of Sept. 11, 146 bodies had been found, up from 125 through that date in 2012, Dr. Gregory Hess said.

His office reported 29 deaths in June and 36 in July, though he said deaths decreased during cooler weather in August.

"The summertime is the busiest for us in terms of undocumented border crosser deaths in the desert," he said.

Hess said he can't pinpoint the reasons for this year's increase, but he noted that June was particularly hot. He noted that in many cases his office can't prove that dehydration or heat was the cause of death, though they may be suspected.

"It's the absence of a logical explanation and a story that essentially fits with that environmental exposure," he said.

Since 2000, the most deaths of border crossers in a calendar year in Pima County was 225 in 2010.

Hess said that aside from the weather, a person's physical condition prior to crossing the border contributes to what he or she is able to endure.

According to the National Foundation for American Policy, even though the number of those crossing the border illegally has diminished the number of deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border increased by 27 percent in fiscal 2012.

Tighter enforcement in other sectors has pushed many border crossers to the rugged desert near Tucson, driving up deaths in Pima County in recent years.

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The Al Jazeera America documentary, Cross Border Killings, which recently aired on new channel's Fault Lines series, is now available for a limited time on YouTube:

Fault Lines travels to the border town of Nogales - currently the nexus for this increasingly lawless law enforcement - to meet the Mexican families who have lost their young sons at the hands of US agents who many accuse of being immune from the law.

The early nineties were a strange time for us all, but while I was trying to be cool, checking out indie rock and punk bands at the DPC, there was an entire rave scene that I was aware of, but blissfully unexposed to. Thankfully, two U of A students at the time had the wisdom to document the happenings, and someone else was kind enough to put it on YouTube now.

If you don't end up watching all 8 1/2 minutes, be sure to at least check out the wisdom of the guy at the 4:36 mark when he answers the question "What do you think rave and techno is?":

"It's a wave of the future, and you can't be a wimp when you're riding the future. When you're surfing the edge of the future, you can't be a wimp. You can't stand back."

Also, there are many whistles. Far too many whistles.

The second annual Born & Brewed Tucson Beer Cup is happening this Friday at Hotel Congress, from 7-10 p.m. Part beer festival, part competition, it's a great excuse to get out and try some of the best local brews. The hotel also offers special packages that include a room for the night in case you "sample" too much. Some of the featured breweries are: Dragoon, Barrio, Nimbus, Borderlands, Thunder Canyon, 1702, Ten 55, Sentinel Peak, along with some special guest breweries.

What's beer without food and music you ask? They will have that covered as well. This event sold out last year and a good number of folks were turned down at the door, so get your tickets quick!

You can purchase them here : http://hotelcongress.com/music/2nd-annual-born-brewed-tucsons-beer-cup/

Happy Drinking Tucson!

• C. Elliott
• Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Rialto Theatre, Sept. 16

Following a seven-year hiatus, Montreal mystics Godspeed You! Black Emperor rediscovered their tribe as curators of the 2010 All Tomorrow’s Parties in the UK. They visited Tucson at the Rialto Monday night, Sept. 16, on tour in support of their first release of new music in a decade, Alleluja! Don't Bend! Ascend. See Casey Dewey's excellent preview for the Sept. 12 Tucson Weekly. TW rock photographer C. Elliott captured some of the magic from show.

Arizona lawmakers. Just stop. Stop holding your breath waiting for Arizona lawmakers to adequately fund education or make job development a priority. Laugh. Maybe that's it. Maybe they realize that what's better than a job or education is a good belly laugh and having the rest of the country laugh at, er, with us because they continue to do things like this:

A law officially forbidding ferrets from being brought into the Arizona restaurants has taken effect.

Friday, the 90th day since this year's legislative session was adjourned, marked the day 256 new laws took effect in the state, including the ferret ban, which stems from efforts to narrow the number of species considered "service animals," Capital Media Services reported Monday.

Laws previously allowed several types of animals to be claimed as "service animals" and brought into restaurants and other facilities by people with disabilities, but the new law restricts the designation to dogs and miniature horses.

Miniature horses were left on the list due to their ability to be trained, greater physical strength than dogs and their longevity.

This doesn't bode well for ferret and miniature horse relations. You'd think the least elected officials could do is bring us together.

[Odd News: UPI.com]