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April 16, 2013

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Mr. Talton wrote: Said Sherman, "Huh! Less heat! More water! Better society! That’s all hell needs!"

Cackle!

Five generations ago, Mexicans killed and scalped Whites and Indians. Indians killed and scalped Whites and Mexicans. Whites killed and scalped Mexicans and Indians.

Now we kill each other with drones and pressure cookers.

With progress like that, I'm really expecting big things from these creatures called humans.

"manunkind"

FWIW - maybe this'll help some, Reb.

The Good Outnumber You And We Always Will

If not, maybe this is more to your tastes:

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

Ruben Perez wrote: "With progress like that, I'm really expecting big things from these creatures called humans."

I once knew someone who hated papayas. Every time he saw any kind of ad with papayas, or a salad on a menu mentioning papayas, he displayed a spasm of irritated disgust. Years later, it transpired that what he had thought was "papayas" was actually something called "durian". Someone had once served him some cut up in a dish on a trip abroad, and called them "papayas" because durian was all that was available but "papayas" sounded more appealing to visitors.

Forgive the unsophisticated comment, but I came in 1969 for career opportunity, more salubrious lifestyle, more fewer allergies and better air. The latter two hopes were dashed by the mid-80's. After boo coo skin cancer surgeries and now radiation, I've turned into a daytime hermit when possible.

My neighbors came for the lifestyle and the golf and the backyard pool, roosting largely with birds of the same feather. Rogue has written about all the above with great insight.

Apparently the Obama administration is floating the idea of selling the TVA. Of course, Republicans are outraged because socialism that helps white people is capitalism. Or something like that. At any rate, this might be the key to unlocking gridlock in DC. Propose something they're supposed to like so they might instead sing the Internationale and wear Birkenstocks.

http://news.yahoo.com/role-reversal-gop-blasts-obama-070717351.html

I'm not sure if selling SRP would elicit the same howls of outrage among our faux-free market types. Millions of us live in this "valley" because of a successful exercise in socialism by Teddy Roosevelt (just as millions are kept alive by the socialist experiment called Medicare, thanks to LBJ). We used socialism to bring in Colorado River water. And now that our single-most important industry is housebuilding, we're mostly in favor of keeping federal guarantees afloat for home buyers.

We're here because someone saw a possibility that only government could underwrite. Yes, it's a lovely paradox that geezers on Medicare and SS scorn the government only when it helps "those people" but here we are. There's not much rope left to hang ourselves with and that noose is already nice and snug. Maybe we could build some more socialist freeways before the socialized housing industry collapses around the remains of our militarized Keynesianism.

We were on our way to So. California in 1950 when we ran out of money in Phoenix. The population had just passed 100K.
Like Jon, I miss the old Phoenix.

It snowed in Sunnyslope one day in January 1950

Why they will leave?

I found a nice shard of Salado Red pottery in 1981 as I was walking along Southern Ave about a quarter mile west of Mill.

The metaphor that time and circumstance had presented me with was not lost upon me.

One set of grandparents, both raised in Texas, met in Douglas, 1907 (he worked for Roy & Titcomb Mining Supply) married and settled in Nogales, Arizona Territory, grandpa Watkins had a Willys Knight Overland business. Granny and son, Allyn, drove all over the West, even up to Vancouver.
Our other grandparents met in Silver City, NM in the teens, but were from Missouri. After living as farmers for a few years, they began trips to Phoenix (1926) each winter, moving out in the 1940s.
I was born in Phoenix, lived here most of time.
I think the hard line, uneducated, religious freaks have taken over.
Phx is also a much more Cosmo., arty city now, but if we brag about being the bottom of wage payers, we will not attract families with wealth and culture., unless they enjoy being predators. I hybernate in summer. Pet peeve is that our city is run by developers who plow our history under. I had some favorite old houses that have all hit the dust, usually for crap construction. Our "city fathers" are most often developers out to make a buck and move on.

Is there a possible sequel to this, like "why they may leave"?
Factors like bad air, scarce water, escalating utility rates and inevitable mortality of the seniors who formerly came in droves. Will their kids want to follow in their footsteps? Will they have the resources to do so?
(signed: Alice in Wonderland)

And 130 degree summers!!!!!!

morecleanair:

Will they have the resources to do so?

That's an interesting rhetorical point. I believe Jon has written in the past about a possible future demographic of wealthy bubble-dwellers (Scottsdale?) surrounded by the Third World of the rest of us ("liberally salted" with ethnic immigrants, of course,) providing "services" and living at bare subsistence levels. In my imagination this has grown to resemble the favelas surrounding upper-middle-class communities in South America.

While the reality may not be so dramatic, it does make one wonder what happens to the folks who don't have the resources to pull up stakes and who don't have anywhere else to go. How will we organize to satisfy our basic needs? Is it possible that a population drain might result in some sustainability for those who are left behind, once the engine has run down?

Will cal's dream finally come to pass? ;)

Answer. Read "Killing the Hidden Waters.

Get the book so u can c the photos of those that stay

The building you a liked to see while fi bing in the cars with Kim are best photographers for perpetuity. Most aren't "fit" to retrofit due to the cost of building with good materials in the desert cheers enjoy the old damaged building such a lovely way to see life

Love it! i've been researching a story about two Hopi boys who ran away from the Phoenix Indian School and made it all the way up to Hopi in 1902. According to Edmund Nequatewa's account they went to Maricopa to catch a train. Wasn't it a spur line that came down to Phoenix from Ash Fork? Also, they were afraid of being caught and sent back to the school.

Carole,

The way to the Hopi rez would have been the Santa Fe line north. The railroad to Maricopa was the Southern Pacific, which was a branch line until the Northern Main Line was completed through Phoenix in 1926.

Without even evap cooling Phoenix must have been incredibly hot. In the 70's lots of folks got air conditioning, and what a difference, especially during the humid monsoon season. Most cars had air conditioning then, and busses. I grew up in Phoenix in the 50's and 60's, and you just endured the heat, but you didn't avoid it. I still remember those days, so I really can hardly imagine what it was like before there was any cooling at all. An older lady I knew said that when she was a girl her family all slept outside under wet sheets in the summer. Those folks were sturdy!

The photos remind me of one of the many many comments my grandmother made about the "early days" in Phoenix (she came at age 6-months in Dec 1906; my grandfather's family came in 1883). She said the dirt streets were either a constant dust cloud or a muddy mess during rainy season and they were thrilled to death when the first iterations of paving stated.

I moved from San Diego to Phoenix in September of 1969 as a 12 year old boy. I attended Kenilworth Elementary school (Barry Goldwater’s former school) for 7th grade (with the Rogue Columnist) and St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary (long gone) school for 8th grade. Phoenix Union High School (gone by the wayside) was a few blocks from St. Mary’s. I remember having to learn the hard way that you could not walk barefoot on the streets in Phoenix in the summer - as I had done in San Diego. I discovered swamp coolers, irrigated lawns and fields in residential areas, and the Wallace and Ladmo show. Legend City was legendary and Big Surf was pretty cool. East/west travel across town was like getting your teeth pulled without Novocain (no freeways to get you there). Bob’s Big Boy was a treat and Central Avenue was the place to be on Friday/Saturday nights. Those were some good times and memories. I live in San Diego now, but visit Phoenix often. It has sure grown up...

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