Tag: arizona

Linda Ronstadt – Arizona Native

Born in Tucson, Arizona, Linda Ronstadt has made a name for herself nationally as well as internationally with her amazingly wide range of musical talents.  Below are a few videos that showcase those talents.  Enjoy!

“Somewhere Out There” – An American Tail

La Charreada – Performed at the 1989 Grammy Awards

“I Can’t Help It If I’m Still In Love With You” – Heart Like a Wheel

Arizona Immigration

The Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1070.  It’s very controversial and I am against it becoming law.  It will do nothing to help with border security and will most likely be too difficult to enforce.  It’s also very possible that it is unconstitutional.

The city attorney for Phoenix has instructed the Phoenix Police Department that, if this bill becomes law, every time a civilian is stopped they will need to provide proof of citizenship as to protect the city from a racial profiling lawsuit.  An Arizona driver’s license would suffice but out of state licenses may not as not all states require proof of citizenship to get a driver’s license.  Basically, if you don’t live in Arizona or don’t have an AZ driver’s license, I hope you have a passport or visa showing that you’re a legal citizen if you’re pulled over while driving through Phoenix.

WTF.  How does that make any sense?  Read the main points of the bill below and sound off in the comments, if you wish.

Senate Bill 1070

The bill addresses a range of issues relating to illegal immigration. It would:

• Prohibit state, city or county officials from limiting or restricting “the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law” and allow an Arizona resident to sue an official or agency that adopts or implements a policy or practice that does so. The bill contains a “loser pays” provision that may deter frivolous lawsuits.

• Require law enforcement to make a reasonable attempt “when practicable” to determine the immigration status of a person if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally. Officers do not have to do so “if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation.”

• Make it a state crime to be an illegal immigrant, by creating a state charge of “willful failure to complete or carry an alien registration document.”

• Allow law enforcement to stop a driver if there is reasonable suspicion that the driver is in violation of human-smuggling and any civil traffic law.

• Make it a crime for illegal immigrants to work or solicit work in Arizona.

• Make it a crime to pick up a day laborer for work if the vehicle impedes traffic while doing so. Make it a crime to be picked up as a day laborer if the vehicle they get into is impeding traffic.

• Make it a crime to conceal, harbor or shield an illegal immigrant if the person knows or recklessly disregards the immigrant’s legal status. Does create a legal defense for someone providing emergency, public-safety or public-health services to illegal immigrants.

• Allow law-enforcement officials to arrest a person without a warrant if they have probable cause to believe the person has committed a public offense that makes him or her removable from the U.S.

• Require employers to keep E-Verify records of employees’ eligibility.

• Reiterate Arizona’s intent to not comply with the Real ID Act of 2005, including the use of a radio-frequency ID chip.

Arizona Weather

Last week we had rain… lots of it.  Consider this… Phoenix normally gets about 7 to 8 inches of rain a year and last week we got almost 3.5 inches.  That’s kind of nuts to think about.  Amazingly, there wasn’t much street flooding in the metro area, so that was good.  The back yard of the new house was a lake (not so good when you want the landscaping done ASAP).  There was lots of wind damage though.  Phoenix was under a tornado warning for most of Thursday night and some event tents were blown across the Loop 101 in North Phoenix leaving all the classic cars stored underneath them exposed to the elements.  Up in Flagstaff, they got close to 3 feet of snow.  Normal snowfall for the entire month of January is only 22 inches.  There were quite a few buildings that had their roofs collapse under the intense weight and seeing the pictures posted this weekend and early this week, it’s a good thing the buildings gave way after closing time for these businesses.

So yeah, it was a crazy weather week for us and there’s still signs of the storm lingering around the valley… like water actually flowing through the Salt River at the 35th Ave bridge!  SRP is saying that we’ll see water flowing until at least March as they release water from the reservoirs upstream.

Here’s a photo of what the sky looked like on Friday morning as I was driving to work after dropping Beezus off for her spaying appointment.  A dark sky that we’re not used to seeing in January.

HVAC System Update – Blog Quickie

So I read the FAQs online and was able to troubleshoot the heating problem. The system works like a charm now. Just in time, since the weather took a turn for the worse this week. We have had pretty not stop rain since yesterday at 4pm. Nuts.

Crazy Arizona Weather – Serious Consequences

Yesterday was a crazy weather day here in Arizona.  Two interstates were closed because of bad weather.  I-10 was closed South of Phoenix due to blowing dust.  The low visibility caused a massive wreck that involved at least 8 semi trucks and killed 4 people.  Insane.  The second interstate was I-40 between Flagstaff and Williams.  It was closed due to white-out blizzard conditions which also led to a large pileup of cars thankfully with no serious injuries.

So there you have it.  December weather… Arizona style.