The Grand Canyon

Arguably one of America's most magnificent national parks is the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. The Advanced Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured this 3-D view on July 14, 2011, created by draping the ASTER image over a Digital Elevation Model produced from ASTER stereo data. In this perspective view looking to the northeast, the buildings and roads in the center foreground are Grand Canyon Village. The Bright Angel Trail can be seen descending 3,000 feet (914 meters) to Indian Garden, before continuing to the Colorado River far below. Completing the 25-mile (40-kilometer) rim-to-rim hike takes the hiker to the North Rim and the North Rim Lodge. The ASTER image is located near 36 degrees north latitude, 112.1 degrees west longitude.

The Advanced Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft provided this spacebird's-eye view of the eastern part of Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona in this image, acquired July 14, 2011. In this perspective view looking to the west, the tourist facilities of Grand Canyon Village are visible in the upper left. The higher-elevation North Rim is seen on the right. The canyon is up to 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) wide and 5,600 feet (1,707 meters) deep, attesting to the power of moving water to carve Earth's surface. This 3-D view was created by draping the ASTER image over a Digital Elevation Model produced from ASTER stereo data .The ASTER image is located near 36 degrees north latitude, 112.1 degrees west longitude.

Photo credit (above): NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team; photo credit (below): NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Four Corners

There is only one place in the United States where four states come together: the four corners area in the western United States. At a barren, desert location, the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico share a common point. Due to surveying inaccuracies in 1875, the coordinates of the junction are 36.999 degrees north latitude and 109.045 degrees west longitude. The image covers an area of 16.3 by 17.6 kilometers, and was acquired on June 11, 2001.

Note: Although I lived in Arizona for 20 years, I have never visited the Four Corners Monument. However, with the help of Wikipedia and Google Maps, I can give some information about the above picture and the exact location of the four corners. First, the river that flows through this picture is the San Juan River, which flows from the southeast to the northwest (north is up in this photo). The long thin line that runs from the south toward the northeast is US 160. South of the river, there is a very fine black line (a road) that extends toward the northwest from US 160; the end terminus of that line is the Four Corners Monument. Colorado, of course, is to the northeast, New Mexico to the southeast, Utah to the northwest and Arizona to the southwest.

Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

SP Crater and Lava Flow

SP Crater, a volcanic cone and flow in Arizona, is visible in this image obtained by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. Instrument scientists designated radiation of 0.81 microns red, 0.66 microns green, and 0.56 microns blue. Vegetation is red in that combination. The image was obtained around 2001.

Although I lived in Arizona for 20 years, I was not familiar with this particular volcano or its unusual name. (Other volcanos, such as Sunset Crater and the San Francisco Peaks are much better known in the area north of Flagstaff.) Curious about a volcano I thought I should have known about, I looked up the Wikipedia page for SP Crater and found this amusing section about how the volcano got its name:

The naming of the mountain is a bit of lore from the Old West. S P Crater can be climbed, and the lava flow can be viewed from the crater rim. C. J. Babbit, an 1880s rancher and early landowner of the mountain, expressed his opinion that the mountain resembled a pot of excrement (Shit Pot), and this became the accepted local name. When viewed from certain angles on the ground, the combination of the smooth round shape of the cone, the dark lava spatter on the rim, and the long dark lava flow extruding from the base do indeed resemble a toilet catastrophe. Mapmakers refused to spell out the full name, and the mountain has been shown on maps and other literature with the abbreviated name.

Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

On Global Cities

The following appeared in ShanghaiDaily.com. Read the article first; I have some comments down below.

Is there anything negative about a global city?

Sassen: Global cities are two-edged swords. They bring economic dynamics - and that means jobs, life on the streets at night, vibrant restaurants, and so on.

But they do create 20 percent of the population which is extremely prosperous and a risk that they will take over key areas of the city with luxury office buildings, luxury housing and consumption spaces. This displaces smaller shopkeepers, the old modest middle classes. They lose.

My research suggests that ultimately cities are better off being dynamic (and hence global cities) but they do need political and civic leadership to balance out the extreme outcomes that markets left to themselves can produce.

European cities are much better than US cities. New York, the ultimate market town, has the highest share of very rich people and very powerful firms in the US and the highest share (over 20 percent) of officially counted poor ... and, according to the most recent count, over 100,000 homeless. That shows something about matters left to markets.


Will a global city lose its historic identity?

Chen: There is a tendency for cities to lose their historical identities and cultural traditions as economic forces push them to become more important centers in the global arena.

Cities like Mumbai and Dubai are doing what Shanghai is doing. They are all in the same race, running in the same direction, and trying to get to the same destination.

In doing so, these cities tend to lose their distinctive features and identities as they tear down traditional neighborhoods to build modern skyscrapers.

Shanghai has already gone far down this road. But global cities don't have to lose their historical and cultural identities.

In fact, some of Shanghai's traditional features are resilient enough to survive and even thrive in the face of penetrating global economic and cultural forces.

Some of the research I and a Fudan University collaborator have done has demonstrated a mixed local consumer lifestyle that reflects an interesting blend of being conscious of global brands and traditional motives. This will be shown in my work ''Shanghai Rising'' which will be published in Spring 2009.

Saskia Sassen is the Lynd Professor of Sociology and member of The Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University. Chen Xiangming is director of the Center for Urban and Global Studies and professor of Sociology and International Studies at Trinity College, Connecticut.

For most of my life I've lived in large cities (Phoenix, Arizona; Busan, South Korea, and Singapore) although, of the three, I think only Singapore classifies as a "global city." Both Phoenix and Busan try hard to be global cities, but neither succeeds, IMO, especially when compared to their larger neighbors, Los Angeles and Seoul, respectively.

Given the trade-off between vibrancy vs. pollution, I'd go with vibrancy any day. A town or city that cannot provide for its inhabitants economically is not worth living in. Pollution can be a problem, although, ironically, the cities I've lived in didn't have pollution problems so much of their own making, but due to either natural causes or from someone else's making (the winter temperature inversion in Phoenix and the "yellow dust" in Busan, blown in from the Gobi desert; the "haze" in Singapore that blows in from the Sumatran forest fires, where the Indonesians continue to practice slash-and-burn farming; likewise, in Hong Kong, the air pollution that blows in from the Chinese factories in the Pearl River delta).

The problem of the homeless seems to be more of a problem due to high costs of living. Granted, I haven't been to a whole lot of countries, but those countries that I've been to with the worst homeless problems were Japan and the US, both of which have very high costs of living. In Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, where the costs of living are lower, homelessness isn't much of a problem. When Dr. Sassen said, "That shows something about matters left to markets," from my own observations, the problem of homelessness is primarily due to the markets. The markets have priced people out of homes. People aren't able to cope with the high demands made on them by the markets, and they fall by the wayside. Those who think that the markets are the end all and be all, the panacea for every economic problem a society faces, are naive.

As for losing historic identities, I don't think this is much of a problem if local governments keep on top of the issue. Archaeology magazine had a recent article about how people in Beijing have been working to save the residential neighborhoods known as hutongs ("alleyways" flanked by courtyard houses). However, in my three cities, maintaining historic identities hasn't been a problem. The business districts weren't expanding to the point where they threatened older neighborhoods (as in the case of Beijing). However, I do think communities need to balance between creating the best business, industrial and residential facilities available, preserving one's past as best one can, and maintaining the heartlands (as we call the residential neighborhoods here in S'pore) so that all can live affordably.

HT: Economist's View

What a freakin' crybaby!

Can't beat your in-state rival? Lose recruits to your in-state rival? Do you suck it up and try harder? No. You call your in-state rival names. Yeah, that'll solve your problems, coach! Pussy! :) From the Arizona Republic:

The smoldering Arizona-Arizona State football rivalry grew hotter on Wednesday when Wildcats coach Mike Stoops said ASU has "turned into a J.C."

Speaking at a football signing day news conference in Tucson, Stoops said some recruits had told him that it was easier to earn acceptance at ASU.

"Each school has to recruit to that school and what type of academic requirements there are," Stoops said. "Obviously, Arizona State has turned into a J.C. and we are a four-year college. According to all the players, they say it is easier to go to school there, easier to get in. I thought we had the same requirements. It is news to me."

It was also news to ASU coach Dennis Erickson, who had little to say about Stoops' remarks.

"He can say what he wants," Erickson said. "We're all the same. There is no difference.

"The bottom line with recruiting, and all that talking back and forth and all the stuff, is who's going to win games and who isn't right now," said Erickson, who defeated Stoops and Arizona 20-17 on Dec. 1 in Tempe. "What we've done with our group academically, as far as helping our guys be successful, that's what it's all about.

...

Tensions between the football programs, located 90 miles apart, grew last month when highly touted tailback Ryan Bass of Corona, Calif., backed out of an oral commitment to Arizona and said he would attend ASU. Bass was among the 27 signees announced by the Sun Devils on Wednesday.

Arizona signed only two players from the state - seven fewer than Arizona State. The disparity could be a byproduct of ASU's three-game win streak in the Territorial Cup series. Stoops is 1-3 against Arizona State.

ASU Triumphant (Yet Again)

My university, Arizona State, has won the Territorial Cup for the third straight year over my other university, the University of Arizona. (I attended the U of A for two years, but got my two degrees from ASU; I consider myself a Sun Devil.) What was great was that the game was shown live here in S'pore, and I caught all but the first eight minutes or so of the first quarter, when ESPN switched coverage to the game. Amazing, huh? This was the first game I've caught on TV of the Sun Devils since I left the US in 2001.

Anyway, a very good season has concluded (overall: 10-2; Pac-10: 7-2), and now it's on to a bowl game (the Fiesta Bowl, insha'allah). (The above photo is of ASU's junior running back Keegan Herring, after scoring a touchdown; credit: The Arizona Republic.)

Update: Twelth-ranked ASU (11th-ranked in the BCS) will be playing #17 Texas in the Holiday Bowl on December 27th. This will be ASU's third Holiday Bowl appearance (where they're 0-2), and their first game ever against Texas. It should be an interesting game. BTW, speaking of rivalries, my high school's football team beat our cross-town rivals, EFA, 41-13, for the third time in four years. Good job, Green Hornets!

I Didn't Vote for Bush Either

I'd been meaning to write about this since last week, but hadn't had the chance. Last Wednesday, the New York Times published an article about the American representatives at the World Bridge Championships who held up a small sign at the awards dinner that read, "We did not vote for Bush." The photograph of the woman holding up the sign, along with her teammates, all smiling broadly, brought out the typical hysterical overreaction from the right, with accusations of "treason" and "sedition." And while that overreaction might be worth a blog post in and of itself (which I don't expect to write), what I wanted to focus on was the issue of public diplomacy among citizens overseas.

As an expatriate who's lived in Asia for a long time now (six years and counting), this is an issue that I'm rather familiar with. Now, these women at the Bridge tournament were not expatriates, but they were overseas, representing our country. Regardless of whether we think of ourselves as "ambassadors" for our country when we travel abroad, we in fact are.

Now, as an unofficial "ambassador" for their country, holding up that sign was in poor taste, even though the team's captain, Gail Greenberg, said in the NYT article that the sign was "...a spontaneous gesture, 'a moment of levity...'” I've no doubt that it was. I can also sympathize with the women. In situations like this, when you're overseas and your government isn't behaving normally, it's quite common for others to ask for your opinion. "What's going on over there?" Been there, done that...lots of times. And in private, I'll be very blunt with my criticisms about the U.S. (Ask Milady. ;) ) Those of us who lived in Arizona during the turmoil of the Evan Mecham administration (January 1987 - April 1988) know all too well what it's like to have a daft, unpopular government embarrassing the rest of the populace. Stories abounded in the newspapers at the time of Arizonans going out of state and having people ask them, "Just what the f*** is going on in Arizona?" It's the same situation now with the Bush administration. As the NYT wrote,

Ms. Greenberg said she decided to put up the sign in response to questions from players from other countries about American interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and other foreign policy issues.

“There was a lot of anti-Bush feeling, questioning of our Iraq policy and about torture,” Ms. Greenberg said. “I can’t tell you it was an overwhelming amount, but there were several specific comments, and there wasn’t the same warmth you usually feel at these events.”

...

“What we were trying to say, not to Americans but to our friends from other countries, was that we understand that they are questioning and critical of what our country is doing these days, and we want you to know that we, too, are critical...”

I've no problem with that; as far as I'm concerned, let people around the world know that you're unhappy with the way the United States is being governed at this time. In a country that prides itself on free speech, that's neither treason nor sedition. As an "ambassador" for your country, people will trust you and your opinions more for being truly "fair and balanced," instead of toeing the line like some party apparatchik. People around the world can see through the BS just as well as anyone else. But do everyone a favor and leave the signs at home.

By the way, I didn't vote for Bush (or Mecham) either.

Corps Drums Up Funds for Summer Tour

A rare article in the paper about drum corps; this one from the May 27th Arizona Republic on The Academy having a fund raiser for their 2007 tour.

One small part of the article that appears incorrect: "Arizona's only drum corps..." Looking at Jester's website, I don't see any sign that they're not marching this summer.

TEMPE - Arizona's only drum corps will debut their 2007 show at the fifth annual Memorial Day Concert in Tempe.

The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps consists of 135 young people ages 14 to 22. It is part of the Tempe-based Arizona Academy of the Performing arts, which was founded in 2001 to seek out more education and performance opportunities for young musicians.

Monday's concert will take place at 4 p.m. at Tempe's PERA Club, located at 1 East Continental Drive near McDowell and Scottsdale roads. Tickets are $5 in advance or $8 at the gate. The event includes food and a silent auction.

Proceeds from the event will help the corps pay for a summer tour. They will spend the summer traveling around the country performing their newest show, an 11-minute choreographed production.

Corps members must audition and pay $1,800 a year to participate. During the school year they spent their weekend days practicing at outdoor sports fields in Tempe, and during the summer they will practice 12-14 hours nearly every day.

The undefeated corps was the 2006 Division II World Champion at the Drum Corps International World Championships in Madison, Wis..

For more information, visit www.arizonaacademy.org.

And the winner is...

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the five designs that were put to a vote for the Arizona state quarter. The results of that vote have been tabulated and the winning design is the Grand Canyon / Saguaro combination (see right). This was my second choice of the five. From the Arizona Republic:

The design for the Arizona quarter, chosen by Gov. Janet Napolitano from among five finalists, includes a "Grand Canyon State" banner across the middle of the quarter, separating the canyon view with multi-rayed sun above and a stately saguaro in a desert landscape below.

...

The Arizona quarter, 48th in the state-by-state series, will be released in 2008, followed by Alaska and Hawaii.

Saguaros are an iconic image of southern Arizona deserts in particular and the Southwest in general, while the Grand Canyon, a chasm carved thousands of feet into the Colorado Plateau by the Colorado River, is an international tourist attraction that first obtained federal protection in 1893 before becoming a national park in 1919.

The banner's placement across the middle of the combination design reflects the state quarter commission's request that the U.S. Mint, which produced the design, make it clear that saguaros do not grow at the Grand Canyon.

The canyon is located in northern Arizona at elevations where evergreen trees line the canyon's rim at some points.

"The (Mint) artist did a pretty good job by using that banner," said Tom Trompeter, a coin collector who served on the state's quarter commission. "It looks like two separate ideas."

Matthew Rounis, a fifth-grader who also served on the commission, said the combo design "represents the entire state, not just one section, and it also serves as a map of Arizona, since in the northern part you have the Grand Canyon and in the southern part you have the saguaro which is indigenous to those areas."

One of the other four finalist designs showed a version of the Grand Canyon scene by itself while a second consisted of the Saguaro desert landscape. The third showed 19th Century explorer John Wesley Powell in a boat on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, and the fourth was of Navajo codetalkers - U.S. Marines who used their native language to thwart Japanese eavesdroppers during World War II.

The combination design was the overwhelming favorite on 112,830 entries submitted to an online poll conducted by Napolitano's office. The combo received twice as many first-place rankings than did either the Grand Canyon or saguaro designs, with the other two designs trailing.

Ranking the Arizona State Quarter Designs

The Arizona Republic has an article today on the Arizona state quarter that's scheduled to be minted next year. The website for Governor Janet Napolitano has an online poll that allows the public to rank the five contending quarter designs. The Republic article is somewhat snarky toward the various designs, which I've included in this post.


"Grand Canyon"

The good: The Grand Canyon is Arizona's biggest tourist attraction, with 5 million visitors each year.

The bad: It's not all sunsets and fun. A National Park Service Web site warns: "Every year, scores of unprepared hikers, lured by initially easy downhill hiking, experience severe illness, injury, or death from hiking in the canyon."

The ugly: Arizona already is known as the Grand Canyon State, and the motto is carried on license plates and three of the five new quarter designs. Can you say "overexposed"?


"Grand Canyon and Saguaro"

The good: Beautifully captures two of Arizona's most iconic images.

The bad: Design is a tad busy with a saguaro, the Canyon AND an image of the sun rising (setting?) over the rim.

The ugly: Uhh, since when do saguaros grow along the Grand Canyon? I know, I know, the little "Grand Canyon State" banner on the design separates the two images. Just keep telling yourself that . . .


"Desert Scene"

The good: Feels like something out of a 1950s Western, with a saguaro stretching skyward and the sun peeking over mountains in the background.

The bad: A hot, dusty image. So thirsty. Must . . . have . . . water . . .

The ugly: Some have sarcastically suggested the image would be a more accurate representation if it depicted a bulldozer knocking over one of the saguaros, clearing the way for another house.


"Explorer"

The good: Design memorializes John Wesley Powell, the namesake for Lake Powell who in 1869 led an expedition down the Colorado River that included the first known passage of the Grand Canyon.

The bad: That August, thinking they surely would die if they continued down the Grand Canyon, three members of Powell's crew abandoned the expedition. They were promptly killed by members of a local tribe.

The ugly: Before his adventuring, Powell lost an arm in the Civil War. The quarter design depicts him so.


"Code Talkers"

The good: Honors Arizona's Navajo code talkers, who used their language to create a secret, uncrackable code that was critical in defeating the Japanese in WWII.

The bad: Design has come under fire from critics who say it fails to honor other Native American code talkers, including the Hopis.

The ugly: At least the coin design is a more fitting tribute than the abysmal 2002 film Windtalkers.

My rankings (in the order discussed above): 1, 2, 3, 5, 4.

I'm Irked!

I just discovered last night that the Arizona Diamondbacks MLB team has changed its colors. Since the team's inceptions, the official colors were purple, turquoise and copper. Now, the colors are "Sedona Red," "Sonoran Sand" and black. While the colors are "deserty" enough, I've got two problems with the new color scheme.

First, the red and black (the dominant colors) are too much like too many other MLB team colors, especially the red. With the old color scheme, there was only one other team that had purple (the Colorado Rockies) and no other teams with turquoise (the Florida Marlins and Oakland A's come close with their shades of green). However, with the red, now Arizona's going to look like the Angels, Red Sox, Reds, Cardinals, Phillies, Astros and Twins. Boring! The old color scheme was unique. The alternate home uniform of the purple jersey, purple cap and white pants was beautiful to behold.

The second problem I have is that this is an obvious snub to Jerry Colangelo, the former owner of the Diamondback. Both of his teams, the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and the D-Backs, had purple in the official colors. That was OK by me. It looks good and it's a good Arizona color. But the new ownership is obviously trying to distance themselves away from the old regime. Yeah, that shows a lot of "class," guys.

A Matter of Perspective

This is Crater Galle. It's located on the eastern rim of the Argyre Planitia in the southern highlands of Mars, and is named after the German astronomer, Johann Gottfried Galle. The picture was taken by Mars Express, a satellite sent by the European Space Agency to photograph and perform a scientific survey on the red planet. This particular view of Galle looks northward. As you can see, Galle is a huge impact crater (although it's dwarfed by Argyre Planitia and Hellas Planitia, both of which are much, much larger). There's a long, curving mountain range in the middle, with a smaller crater to the northeast and a lone butte to the northwest.

Now, looking at this particular picture of Crater Galle, I'm reminded of how many non-Muslims look at Muslims and Islam. Just yesterday, there was a news account from CAIR-AZ where three Muslim women were verbally abused by an Islamophobic couple:

The three Muslim women say a white middle-aged couple approached them on April 29 at the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Scottsdale, Arizona, and asked whether they were Muslim. After learning that the women were in fact Muslims, the couple indicated they had seen "United 93" and then said: "Take off your f***ing burqas and get the f*** out of this country. We don't want you in this country. Go home." [Note: Two of the three women are American-born citizens.]

Unfortunately, as we know all too well, this type of abuse is commonplace in the U.S. and other countries. These non-Muslims don't know much (if anything) about Islam or how Muslims live their lives. Nor, I suspect, do most have any real desire to learn about Islam. And yet, as we Muslims know and tell the few who are willing to listen, the reality of Islam is very different from what most non-Muslims think. It's all a matter of perspective. Instead of looking at Islam askance, like the above view of Crater Galle, wouldn't it make more sense to look at Islam head on, as it really is? Then, insha'allah, people might realize the true beauty of Islam, just as looking at Crater Galle head on (below) gives a different, more pleasing picture.

Sir Charles

Charles Barkley, one of my favorite NBA players, has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of consideration.

Barkley, of course, played for the Phoenix Suns from '92 through '96, and immediately led the Suns into the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls. Those were very good years for Suns basketball, and it was a pleasure to watch Barkley play those four years. (In fact, I liked Barkley's signature move, where he backed in toward the basket, so much that I now hate the "Barkley Rule" (where the player has a 5-second time limit before he has to make an offensive move).) And then there were the numerous ... heck, daily ... stories and quotations to look forward to (if you didn't live within viewing distance of Philly, Phoenix or Houston TV stations, you don't know what you missed).

While Barkley could have handled his departure from the Suns better, I'm glad that he and Jerry Colangelo have "kissed and made up." Barkley is now only the third member of the Suns organization to have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame (along with Colangelo and Cornelius L. "Connie" Hawkins), and is one of 11 men in the Suns' Ring of Honor. The following is a brief biography for Sir Charles:

CHARLES BARKLEY, a native of Leeds, Alabama and attended Auburn University in Alabama, Barkley averaged 14.1 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game in his career at Auburn. During his career with the Philadelphia 76ers (1984-1992), the Phoenix Suns (1992-1996) and the Houston Rockets (1996-2000), Barkley was selected to 11 NBA All-Star games as well as the All-NBA First Team five times and the All-NBA Second Team five times. He won an Olympic gold medal with the 1992 United States Olympic Dream Team and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in the 1993 season. A member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary team, Barkley averaged 22.1 points per game and almost 12 rebounds per game in his 16-year NBA career. He shares the single game record for most offensive rebounds in one quarter (11 in 1987).

State Meme

I've been trying to avoid memes and writing other "personal" posts in recent months because I had hoped to make this blog more "serious" (not that I think anyone's noticed ;) ). However, the "States Meme" is being passed around, and I thought I'd do it because I have a couple questions and comments to make. So, if you don't know the "rules" of the meme, underlining represents those states I've lived in, bold indicates the states I've visited, and italics indicates the state I'm supposed to be currently living in (except, of course, I'm an expat so no state has been italicized).

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C.

So, as you can see, I've lived in only two states (roughly 20 years in each), and have visited 33 states plus D.C. I've yet to visit the extreme NE (Maine and New Hampshire), parts of the deep South (Alabama, Mississippi), and most of the upper Midwest and NW, plus Alaska and Hawaii. In fact, many of these trips to the various states happened up through my college years, either from travelling with drum corps (primarily in the Mid-Atlantic states and Ohio), travelling with family (up and down the Atlantic seaboard, to visit relatives), or from a series of cross-country bus trips when I would go back and forth between Arizona and New York for the summer and winter vacations. When I lived in Arizona, I rarely went out of the state except on the occasional trip.

But what does "visiting" a state really entail? I've listed Kansas as a state I've "visited," but the "visit" was just so I could say "I've been there." On my way to Arizona the first time, when I was going to be in my first semester of college, my dad, one of my sisters, and I had stayed one night in SW Missouri (Joplin, I think). The next morning, as we went into Oklahoma, we noticed that the Kansas state border was a very short distance away. So my dad drove off the interstate, and we headed north to Kansas. He drove maybe 500 yards past the Kansas border sign, then made a U-turn and we continued on our way back to Arizona. Thus, I've "been" to Kansas, or have I? Actually, there are several other states where my visit was similar to the Kansas "visit," and while I may have spent a day or two there, I saw very little of the state: Kentucky, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia. Also, many of my "visits" were pass-throughs: Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia. In which case, I feel like I know only 14 states (plus D.C.) really well.

The same "problem" also applies with some of the other countries I've visited. When I went to Switzerland, I only saw Geneva (and a tiny bit of France); the same with Mexico (visiting Nogales, Sonora, for some shopping). In Japan, I spent one day in Fukuoka, before returning to Korea. In Thailand, I went outside of the international passengers' section of the Bangkok airport just to be able to get some Thai stamps in my passport; otherwise I stayed in the airport (it was raining too hard that day to go visit the city, as I had hoped to do). Of course, I've also done some serious visiting of other countries, with numerous trips to Canada (various cities in Ontario) and Malaysia; likewise, living these past four years in Korea and S'pore.

I will also say, given the time and opportunity, I'd rather be on the ground when I visit a new state or country than up in the air. I do love flying, and it's an absolute necessity for traveling around most of Asia, but if I really want to know what a state or country is like, I'd rather be in a car or on a train. I'd rather see the landscape and the local weather and vegetation (or the lack thereof) to get an idea of how people and their cultures and societies are shaped. Flying is of limited help that way.

You Know You're From Arizona When...

This seems to be the latest rage among Muslim bloggers, to comment on these "You Know You're From..." lists, so I thought I'd give a try. Although I haven't lived in Arizona in almost four years, I still have family there and I get my daily e-mail of Arizona Republic headlines. Anyhoo...

You've signed so many petitions to recall governors you can't remember the name of the incumbent.
A cheap shot. The only significant petition drive to recall a governor was back in the Evan Mecham days (late 1980s). And the current governor is Janet Napolitano.

You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
Not true, but I understand why people might think this. :)

You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.
Of course! Most of the rivers are dammed to provide drinking and irrigation water. Duh!

You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
For me, this is an "of course." When I first moved to Arizona, some of my dorm's common rooms were cooled down by swamp coolers. However, air conditioners have become so commonplace that I doubt many people new to Arizona (or the younger generation) are familiar with them.

You can hear the weather forecast of 115 degrees without flinching.
It's only when it gets to about 120 that you start to flinch. ;)

You can be in the snow, then drive for an hour...and it will be over 100 degrees.
Heh. In August 1979, I went to the Grand Canyon. Just outside the park entrance, there were still patches of snow on the ground; on the way back home, we could see snow falling on the San Francisco Peaks. And, yes, it was well above 100 degrees back in Phoenix.

You discover, in July it only takes two fingers to drive your car, because your steering wheel is so hot.
July? Try May! Who are you trying to kid? ;)

You can make sun tea instantly.
More or less. Something more appropriate might be how many sun tea jars one sees on any given summer day.

You run your a/c in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.
I never lived in any building that had a fireplace, but there were a few days in some Decembers where I'd have been tempted to light a fireplace if I had one.

The best parking is determined by shade.....not distance.
Absolutely!

You realize that "Valley Fever" isn't a disco dance.
Duh! Most newcomers to Arizona are warned about Valley Fever fairly quickly.

Hotter water comes from the cold water tap than the hot one.
Sometimes, yes.

It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation and yet all the streets are totally empty of both cars and people.
The only time I've ever seen Phoenix streets totally deserted was back in the spring of 1993, when the Suns made it to the NBA finals. (One of the playoff games was playing, but I was working at the office with some others, and we wanted some dinner. I drove to a Chinese take-out place, and the streets were absolutely deserted. Everyone was watching the game on TV. That was one of two times I ever saw Phoenix "dead.")

You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
Duh!

Sunscreen is sold year round, kept right at the checkout counter.
More or less.

You put on fresh sunscreen just to go check the mail box.
Cute. Not true.

Some fools will market mini-misters for joggers and some other fools will actually buy them. Worse.....some fools actually try to jog.
Never seen the "mini-misters." And the real fools are those who make fun of Arizona joggers.

You know hot air balloons can't rise because the air temperature is hotter than the air inside the balloon.
Duh! That's why hot air balloons only fly during the winter in Arizona.

No one would dream of putting vinyl inside a car.
Absolutely! (Or buying a vinyl sofa, even.)

You see two trees fighting over a dog.
Cute.

You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny.
Lame. Who's the f***in' loser who wrote this?

You see more irrigation water on the street than there is in the Salt River.
True.

You have to go to a fake beach for some fake waves.
Big Surf. Lived in Arizona for 20 years, and never went there. It's more of a kids/teenager-kind of place.

You can pronounce"Saguaro", "Tempe", "San Xavier", "Canyon de Chelly", "Mogollon Rim", and "Cholla."
"Suh-war-oh," "Tehm-pee" (better get that one right, I used to live there :) ), "Sahn Zay-vee-yur," "Can-yon deh Shay," "Muh-gee-yohn (with a hard "gee," like the French name, Guy) Rim," and "Choy-yah."

You can understand the reason for a town named "Why."
Is there a Why, Arizona? I didn't know that. Where's your sense of Yuma? :)

You can fry an egg on the hood of a car IN THE MORNING!
Don't know about on the hood of a car, but trying to fry eggs on the sidewalk won't work. (Friends tried that.)

You hear people say "but it's a DRY heat!"
It is! And I miss it! Humidity sucks!

You buy salsa by the gallon.
Almost! ;)

Your Christmas decorations include sand and l00 paper bags.
Offensive! Only an ignorant Anglo would write something like this.

You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
Not true. But I wish more governments there would switch to a "lagging" left turn-signal.

All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.
Of course! We're the ones telling them not to come during the summer!

You think someone driving wearing oven mitts is clever.
I never used oven mitts for driving, but my woolly sheepskin driving wheel cover was a God-send.

Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El" or "Los."
Exaggeration!

You think 60 tons of crushed red rock makes a beautiful yard.
With some nice cacti and other desert flora, it can make for a very beautiful yard. And you don't have to mow the "lawn" ever again. Loser!

Your house is made of stucco and has a red clay tile roof.
The red tile roof is commonplace enough (we even have red tile roofs here in S'pore). The "stucco" part is someone's imagination that Arizona homes haven't progressed out of the "Old West" days.

Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
Having owned two cars whose a/c's didn't work very well, I can definitely sympathize! :)

Most homes have more firearms than people.
Don't know about "most homes," but I once visited a guy's home long ago where there were prolly 75-100 guns of various shapes and sizes, what seemed like 10,000 rounds of ammo, and a nice, big German Shepherd. Hmmm, and yes, they had a fireplace too (and we lit it up as well).

Kids will ask, "What's a mosquito?"
Not quite true, but they're not that common there, thank God.

People who have black cars or black upholstery in their car are automatically assumed to be from out of-state or nuts.
At one job, when I was bored, I used to count the number of white cars in a parking lot that I could see from the office window. The percentage always came to about 40%. Black cars and Arizona don't mix.

You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.
These leather seats must be in the black cars from the out of state nuts. :)

If you haven't worked for Motorola at some time, you must be a newcomer.
Never got a job there, although I did some temp work once for a company that had their offices located within a Motorola plant. Does that count? ;)

You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.
No $hit! Ten minutes? When it's really hot and you're incredibly thirsty, try ten seconds!