a Geographer's Place

The other day I wrote about the high temperatures we have had (the Valley of the Sun IS the desert, after all). Some would say it’s due to global warming. But then, yesterday (Wednesday) the temperature dropped dramatically—to the mid 80s. Today (Thursday) it’s below 80. And it has RAINED most the day. In fact, it’s raining as I write this! Hard. Global warming? Well, most scientists are careful to use the term “climate change” rather than “global warming” nowadays, since evidence of the earth “warming” is ONLY similar to what has happened in our past (I’m talking geological time-scale). What scientists DO know is that climate is changing—more so in some places than others, it seems. So, warming? Well, only in some places. Other places are actually getting cooler ! Go figure. While fires rage in California, a single State away, it’s pouring rain…it’s even snowing—right now!—on parts of the Colorado Plateau! But that’s science: uncertain, yet attempting to make sense of trends and pat...

Yesterday the Valley of the Sun SMASHED its previous May record for Temperature. We hit 110 degrees. To get a sense of 110 degrees in a “dry heat”, try this: Set your oven to 110. When it reaches the appropriate temperature, sit in front of the oven and open the door. The term “dry heat” is silly, when you think about it. That implies there must be a “wet heat”? I mean, anything over 98 degrees is hot—even if you’re naked. Anything over 110 degrees is BLOODY hot (even if you are naked)! And studies show that after 117 degrees, the body stops functioning normally. Having lived in both “dry” and “wet” heats (the US Southwest, the Amazon, Grenada), I would have to say each “form” of “heat” is equally (in)tolerable. I’m convinced this is the reason natives in “hot” regions are naked or nearly-naked. When I was in the Amazon Jungle for example, as soon as I shed my “modern” clothes for a yanchama (bark skirt of the Bora Tribe), I immediately felt cooler. LOTS cooler. So, “dry heat”...

Today I got “hooded”. The entire ceremony was about two hours—though it felt like longer. This is one of the rituals accompanying advanced degree awarding in Academia. The entire graduation ceremony is based on medieval practices, so it has robes, gowns, hats (mitres?), and other vestments, like hoods (see image). For a PhD degree, the hood is traditionally dark blue (#1 in the image). The robe is usually black with different colored “piping” (the stripes down the middle) and chevrons (hash marks on the sleeves). Although many schools are going with other-than-black colors for robes (mine was maroon). In Academia, the regalia can get quite outlandish! Each robe has different piping and chevrons…every (undergraduate) discipline also has its associated color (for example, education = light blue, natural sciences = gold). And each school can be as creative as they want. Oxford (UK) has some particularly interesting garb…their “tam” (hat) alone is a sight to behold! (just google “oxford ac...