Entries from December 2008 ↓

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Gaara of the Desert has an interesting name and is associated with many Japanese names and concepts that have to do with his character. Gaara has a Kanji, a Japanese character, on his head. It’s the second Kanji character in his name and it means Love. The first Kanji character in his name means self, and the last means carnage. So his name overall means self-loving carnage or, by some interpretations, carnage loving self (guy who loves carnage.)

The name fits well with the character because Gaara of the Desert is a killer. When he was young, perhaps only six, his father became concerned when Gaara killed a man simply for passing him in the street. His father sent assassins to kill Gaara, but instead Gaara killed them. His father then tried to send Ninjas, even more deadly assassins, but Gaara proved to much for them. He killed the Ninjas and escaped death a second time.

When ?Naruto? begins Gaara of the Desert is only 12 years old. He was created by his father, yes the same one who tried to kill him, as a perfect fighting machine. His father placed a demon inside the boy, which is what gives him his hyper violent nature and the powers he has to kill. Because of this demon, Gaara can never sleep because if he does the demon will take control.

Gaara of the Desert was originally designed as a foil, or antagonist, for the main hero Naruto. Both were born in similar circumstances. But they took different paths in life. Naruto became a force for good while Gaara became the wild killer, a force for evil. The two fight throughout the series. Naruto eventually kills Gaara by removing the demon from inside him. But later Naruto brings Gaara back to life.

It’s said that no hero can exist without an arch villain, an antagonist who can push him to his limits. Gaara of the Desert has filled this role throughout the Naruto narrative. He is very well liked by fans of the series, and his battles with Naruto are considered the high points of both the Manga and the Anime.

One thing is for certain. You wouldn’t want to meet Gaara of the Desert on a dark night, in a desert or in any other place.

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There can’t be a discussion of desert recipes without mentioning the most important cooking tool in the desert. That’s the sun. It’s a tremendous source of heat, particularly in hot deserts where temperatures can reach 150F and even higher. If harnassed, it can mean cooking without modern appliances like microwaves, stoves or even gas or charcoal grills.

Solar cookers can be anything from a fancy, modern store bought model to something as simple as a pizza box with insulation and reflective material (such as tin foil.) The temperature in such cookers can reach near 300F, which is fine for cooking almost anything that can be found in desert recipes. This means hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, and even stews or spaghetti. Don’t forget two things, however. The first is that this is a slow cooking method. It takes all day to cook. Plus the solar cooker will likely have to be realigned throughout the day as the sun moves. The second is that it doesn’t work at night or on cloudy days ? any time there is no sun.

But solar cooking has advantages that make desert recipes a tasty treat. Slow cooking keeps food moist. And it really isn’t possible to burn anything because there are hours of leeway in cooking times rather than minutes or even seconds with other cooking methods. Don’t believe it? Try leaving some French fries in hot oil for an extra 10 seconds after they’re cooked. Another advantage of solar cooking is that it’s a process. Waiting longer for food to cook, doing more while it cooks, adds to the anticipation. Cooking isn’t just cooking and eating, it’s presentation and experience too. And don’t worry about food not browning in a solar cooker. If there’s some fat, the meat will brown.

What are some desert recipes for solar cooking? Try desert spaghetti squash with sausage, spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese. Another possibility is a delicious Chile casserole. That’s not Chile with meat and beans, that’s hot Pablano Chiles, by the way. These and others can be found with a quick Google search.

Solar cooking for desert recipes brings a whole new meaning to people wiping their brow and saying ?Phew, I’m cooking out here.? Watch out who hears it. Maybe you really are.

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The Desert Willow is not really a willow. It’s a member of the Bigonia family. In fact, it’s the only type of Bigonia that grows in California. This plant can be found in Northern Mexico, southwest Texas and all the way into southern California. It is a native of the Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts.

The plant can become quite large. This shrub can have 6 inch diameter trunks. They grow as high as 25 feet long. The leaves are even large, three to six inches long with sharp ends. The flowers, which look like orchids, grow to up to two inches long. There’s even fruit on this plant in the form of cigar like pods that are 8 inches long. They contain seeds with little wings that help them spread when they fall from the plant or are blown by the wind.

The Desert Willow is a phreatophyte, a type of plant that grows long roots to absorb water either from the ground supply or water table. Since these plants grow near streams, rivers and pools, flowering is a sign that water can be found. It will either be standing water, or at least a full water table. This plant will not flower without water. A desert wanderer can look for these flowers to find water. Because of its need for some water, the Desert Willow won’t be found in truly dry deserts like the Atacama Desert where as little as one millimeter of water falls each year.

The Desert Willow is also called Mimbre. The Mimbre, a Spanish name meaning willow-like, is sometimes used to make a tea. That’s done with the seed pods and dried flowers. The wood is strong enough to be used in fence posts. The plant is therefore an integral part of human life in deserts where the plant grows.

A willow that’s not a willow, a desert plant that only grows when there is abundant water. The Desert Willow isn’t the standard plant found in this type of environment.

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Desert Punk isn’t a kid who tips over cacti and sets up fake oasis to trick travelers into going out of their way. It’s a long running Manga series that was later turned into a 24 episode Anime series.

Manga is a comic book style from Japan with long roots in history, but the modern form dates back to just after WW2. Manga is not just for kids. There are such komikku (another word for Manga or comic) for subjects from fantasy and science fiction to sexuality and even business. Manga are often presented in huge encyclopedia sized books that present episodes of individual sagas, such as Desert Punk, along with many others. American comics that copy the Manga style are called Amerimanga.

Anime is Japanese animation that dates back to about 1917 when Japanese artists began experimenting with the animation styles from Europe and the United States. The first Anime depicted a Samurai trying to test his new sword, then suffering defeat at the hands of his target. Anime grew in popularity in Japan far beyond the popularity of animation in America because the live film industry in Japan was somewhat stifled by budgets and a lack of non-Japanese looking actors. So many artists and story tellers who would have turned to film turned to Anime instead. Many Manga are made into Anime series. Many of these Anime series make their way to America where they are edited and dubbed into English. FUNimation is the most prolific of the companies that converts the Animes for show on American television and video.

Desert Punk focuses on the life and adventures of Kanta Mizuno, a handyman in post nuclear disaster Japan. He’s a 17 year old member of the Handyman Guild whose reputation is of ‘always getting the job done.’ He is sex crazed, crude, but very skilled and diligent in his tasks.

Don’t be fooled by the term ?handyman.? Desert Punk, also known as the Demon of the Desert, doesn’t go around fixing things in people’s homes. He’s the kind of fixer who fixes situations, fixes people, by killing them. He’s a bounty hunter that uses his wit, tools, experience, and a little luck to get the job done. For example, a winch he carried on his back hidden under his cape allows him to quickly pull himself up to high places. But his enemies often fail to see the winch. They become intimidated by what they perceive as his ability to fly.

For a look at the adventures of Desert Punk check out the Manga or the Anime. It’s a lot of fun.

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A desert oasis is generally a lush, water-rich area in the middle of the desert. It can be something as simple as a small pond filled with water after a rain, to a cavern into which water constantly flows such as is found at Montezuma’s Well in Arizona. Over the years they have been used by travelers to refresh themselves, as well as by story tellers to provide comic relief or a sinister turn in a tale when a hallucination leads to ruin.

Speaking of Montezuma’s Well, this desert oasis was first brought into the public attention in 1878 in a Handbook to Arizona written by Richard J Hinton. But it may have been discussed in print long before that. In 1583 a Spaniard named Antonio de Espejo wrote of ditch running from a pond to an abandoned pueblo. Many believe this was a description of Montezuma’s Well and the nearby Montezuma’s castle. The well is a sinkhole into a cavern where over a million gallons of water flows each day. At present, nobody has been able to trace the source of the water that flows into this oasis.

Because of their image as a place for travelers to rest, oases have lent their name to many resting or stopping places. One such is the Desert Oasis RV Park and Sand Dune Resort in Idaho. The park is open from May through mid September. It has 72 campsites and miles and miles of sand dunes where people dune ride, snowmobile in the winter and explore the many caves found near the property.

The caves near the Desert Oasis RV Park are quite interesting in themselves. They are tubes formed from cooling lava. They snake underground for miles and miles, going wherever the lava was able to flow. A little known fact is that lava is a great insulator. So these caves are cool even on the hottest summer days. Visitors are reminded to bring jackets.

Other popular recipients of the oasis name are hotels. One such is the Sheraton Desert Oasis in Scottsdale Arizona. It’s located in the Sonoran Desert which provides a beautiful backdrop for the hotel. The area is hardly barren. There are activities such as rodeos and horse shows nearby, as well as art galleries and museums. And of course there’s the desert to explore. But bring plenty of water.

A desert oasis can be a life saver for someone traveling under the hot sun and over the hot sands. It can also be a hotel, park, or rest stop in the modern world.

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The Kalahari Desert covers over 360,000 square miles in Africa. Unlike many deserts, or even the common perception of a desert, it includes large areas of lush grazing land after rains fall. In fact, it’s considered a semi-arid desert, unlike the super dry deserts such as the Atacama Desert which receives only about 1 millimeter of rain each year.

While the Kalahari Desert is called a desert, it isn’t a true desert. Some areas receive a great deal of rain ? up to 250 millimeters of rain each year. It’s not regular or dependable rain, which gave the area its name. The Tswana word is Kgala which means ?great thirst? while the tribal name was Kalagare meaning a place without water.

The Kahalari Desert wasn’t always a sandy, dry place. It was once part of a lake called Makgadikgadi. The lake covered a huge area, 80 thousand square kilometers. By comparison all of the Great Lakes in the United States, five of them, cover about 244,000 square kilometers. Makgadikgadi was about as large as the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. It was also about 30m deep on average. The last of the lake drained about 10,000 years ago.

Les Stroud, the Survivorman from television, spent six days in the Kalahari Desert filming one of his episodes. During his time there the surface temperature on the sand reached 107.6F, in the shade! In the sun it was as high as 149F. That’s a huge contrast to the temperatures at night. At lowest, the Survivorman had to sleep in 44F cold. He didn’t know which one he liked less, the cold or the heat.

One of the most important aspects of surviving in a desert like the Kalahari Desert is trying to drink enough water. It’s necessary in normal places. But in 140F heat and dry air dehydration can take place in a hurry. Survivorman ran into a severe lack of water. He did a number of things to try to gather the important resource. One was to create a urine still, where he could capture all the water from his urine. Waste not want not. He also found some plants that kept a lot of water, but the roots had to be chewed so it was the equivalent of only a few drops. He called it quits after six days, dizzy from a lack of hydration. There’s no doubt that even Les, trained and prepared in survival in harsh environments, would have died in only a few more days.

That’s life in the Kahalari Desert. Or is it death?

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Mention the Sahara Desert to anyone and they’ll describe a barren wasteland with no life and no hope. While it is something of a barren wasteland, there are enough Sahara Desert plants that it can also be described as teaming with life. It’s not a matter of enough water, or too much heat during the day and cold at night, but a matter of how life has found a way to adapt to and survive in this unusual environment.

Many people don’t realize that after the last ice age the Sahara Desert was quite a different place than it is today. Sahara Desert plants were far more abundant, and of the type that thrived on much more water. Today many of the plant species there not only can make it with little water, they do better when the water is scarce as it is in a desert. It’s just like animals that adapt to cold conditions. It seems harsh where they live, but put them into a warmer climate and they won’t last for very long.

Typical Sahara Desert plants include shrubs and grasses. Grasses in particular can get by with not much water because they tend to spread over such a large area and therefore can taken in enough moisture to survive. These desert grasses aren’t like the lush green lawns found in suburban yards, but they survive in an environment where not much can make it. The same can be said of the trees. Don’t expect leafy shade trees like the ones in the country pictures.

One reason leaves are a huge disadvantage for Sahara Desert plants is the amount of surface area they have. Hot, dry conditions of a desert cause rapid evaporation. Plants would soon die if their moisture flew off into the atmosphere. A large surface, such as a leaf, promotes evaporation. Needles and spines, however, don’t have as much surface area and thus evaporation is less rapid. For a similar reason cactus have thick trunks, so the water within is further from the surface where evaporation takes place. It’s all a matter of holding onto moisture during the long dry periods.

It’s not just dry heat Sahara Desert plants must withstand, it’s also a soil rich in salts. Thus many of the plants in the desert are halphytes, which are plants that can tolerate high salt concentrations.

The Sahara Desert, as do hot deserts in general, presents a number of challenges for plants that grow there. But Sahara Desert plants grow and thrive because life always finds a way

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One of the driest areas in the world is the Atacama Desert in South America. It’s the second driest desert in the world, after the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. It’s been a desert for over 20 million years, kept that way by the Andes Mountains which block rain from reaching the area. Some people think Death Valley in California is dry. But that area is 50 times wetter than the Atacama Desert.

It takes more than just one mountain range to maintain the amazing Atacama Desert. A number of land features and weather factors converge in this unique location. The first, of course, is those Andes. Atacama is in this mountain range’s rainshadow, an area of a mountain downwind of the general prevailing winds. This means that when winds and moist air hit the mountain on one side, that air condenses into a lot of rain. But that leaves the air dry as it tops the mountain and proceeds to the other side. As if the Andes aren’t enough, rain is blocked on the other side by the Chilean Coast Range. The anticyclone in the Pacific, a reverse spin area of very dry air, contributes on top of the rain shielding mountains.

The results are startling. The Atacama Desert receives about 1 millimeter of rain a year. Some areas never receive rain. There is also evidence that the entire region was completely rain free from about 1570 to 1971. Is that a drought? Can there be a drought in an area that received less rain in a year than a thimble would hold? There are some river beds in the desert that haven’t held any water for at least 120,000 years.

The Atacama Desert does gain some fame from its dry conditions. Scientists have compared conditions there, including soil conditions, to conditions on Mars. In fact, it’s been a stand in for Mars in many movies including documentaries and fiction. In 2003 some scientists decided to conduct the same tests that the Mars landers, Viking 1 and Viking 2, had conducted on the red planet. The purpose of those tests was to detect life. What was the verdict? There were no signs of life in the Atacama Desert. Now this waterless desert is used for further research and even tests to prepare for future missions to Mars.

Next time you’re thirsty, consider life in the Atacama Desert. Forget a lemonade stand. In one of the driest places on Earth it could be years before you could even fill a small glass with water.

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Desert Schools credit union, a federal credit union in Arizona, is one of the top credit unions in the nation. 200,000 people hold their accounts with the credit union for many good reasons. Like many credit unions, when compared to banks, this one offers more personal service. Banks are owned by stock or share holders, while credit union members own the credit union. Read on to find out other benefits of membership.

In January of 2008 the accounting firm Callahan and Associates rated Desert Schools credit union #1 for auto loans in Arizona and #15 in the entire country. This is important since auto loans are one of the primary reasons people go to banks and credit unions for money. Walking into a car dealer without cash is folly. Crafty sales people and finance managers can add thousands to the cost of a car with a loan. Even those 0% APR dealer loans can be a disaster for the buyer. Securing the loan first can lead to thousands in savings. It can also serve as leverage during the negotiation. A rule of thumb is if the sales person moves from the ?I’m your buddy? routine to ?how can you do this to me? or to the angry sales person trying to intimidate you, then you’re doing a good job of negotiating.

Desert School credit union offers very flexible financing for vehicles. They directly work with over 200 participating dealers and businesses to make sure the loan experience for the buyer is smooth. This also means the best of both worlds. The buyer isn’t at the mercy of the dealer’s loans, but the buyer doesn’t have to secure a loan until the vehicle is picked and the price is known.

Desert School credit union vehicle loans aren’t just limited to cars. The credit union also offers loans for motorcycles, boats and personal water craft. They realize people want fun from vehicles as well as utility. Speaking of fun, there are also loans available for pools. It seems a bit extreme, but in the Arizona heat a pool is a much more standard home feature than it is in other cooler parts of the country.

Desert Schools credit union started out with a handful of members with $75 in total assets. Today it is the largest credit union in Arizona with over 350,000 members and over $3 billion in total assets. For those interested in math that’s a growth of forty million times, or four billion percent.

If you live in Arizona, become a member of the Desert Schools credit union. It’s FDIC insured.

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Ever wonder how desert plants survive in such a harsh environment? It seems a near impossibility for anything to survive in an area with such hot and dry conditions during the day, sometimes freezing cold conditions at night, with salty soil and animal life in search of every drop of moisture they can get. But to live, the flora in these wastelands have developed a number of physical characteristics as well as behavioral practices that are simply amazing.

Take the Saguaro Cactus for example. These types of desert plants in general, the cacti, adapt in a number of general ways. Instead of the wide leaves their wet area brethren sport, cactus have thin needles to minimize water evaporation. Also, they generally have very thick trunks or stems that often appear to be bloated. This allows them to store moisture far from the surface, again protecting it from evaporation. But the Saguaro has two additional features. First, it begins life in the shade of a ?nurse? tree or shrub, to protect it from the sun. Like people, then, it looks for the shade. It also grows very slowly, perhaps an inch each year, to a total of 15 feet high or more. Slow growth in the shade of a protector ensures the Saguaro will reach maturity, when it is more likely to withstand the vigors of desert living.

Many desert plants share standard adaptations. Xerophytes, such as the cacti and specifically the Saguaro Cactus, have the needles instead of leaves and share other methods of gathering and storing water. Phreatophytes are another type of plant that has adapted. They gather water with deep roots that reach all the way down to the water table. Two other general adaptations are important.

Many desert plants are perennials, that is plants that live for a number of years. These make it in the harsh climate by remaining dormant during the hottest and driest part of the year. They spring into action when water is available. By continuing this cycle they maintain long, healthy lives.

Another category of desert plants are the annuals, which live for only a season. Unlike the perennials whose strategy is to stick around for a long time, the annuals only bloom when conditions are right. Their lives are short, then, during these arid periods when they germinate and spread their seeds for the next generation.

The floor of the desert, in many areas, is thin with plant life. But with all of the specialized features and characteristics, the subject of desert plants is very thick.

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The Desert Schools Federal Credit Union is a financial institution that serves the state of Arizona. It has over 60 branches around the state and offers personal services such as home loans, savings accounts, auto loans, credit cards, insurance, investment and retirement plans, school loans and even loans for building pools and purchasing recreational vehicles. It also offers business services such as business savings and savings accounts, business financing and revolving lines of credit, business insurance, and even services to help businesses connect with other businesses who are members of the union.

People often bank at a bank or credit union with really understanding the differences. What makes the Desert Schools Federal Credit Union different from a bank, in other words. Banks are owned by individuals and investors, while credit unions are owned by the people who join the organization, in other words by the account holders. This means that with banks the profits go to the investors and stock holders while the credit unions are non profit. The profits go back to the members in the form of lower interest rates on loans and higher dividends on investments. As far as FDIC insurance that guarantees accounts, federal credit unions are no different from banks.

One of the features people most like about credit unions is the personal service they offer. Many credit unions are affiliated with some company, group or organization. For example the Desert Schools Federal Credit Union was begun in 1939 by a small group of teachers who wanted to pool their money to make better investments. More on that later. The point is that credit unions generally know each of their customers, where banks tend to treat people more like numbers. Credit unions become more involved with their members, because the members are also the owners whom the credit union seeks to serve.

Back to that history. The Desert Schools Federal Credit Union began with only 15 members, each of whom invested $5 and a $.15 membership fee. It grew to assets of $982.72 in only six months, with membership swelling to 54 people. By the time WW2 ended in 1945, it had grown to 225 people and over $9000 in assets. The credit union didn’t hire its first employee until 1947. Annis King worked part time in an office about the size of a closet. Her tools were a card file, a 10-key calculator and a line-o-dex. By 1999 that initial $75 had grown to a staggering $1.3 billion in assets with 200,000 members.

Desert Schools Federal Credit Union is a great choice for people who live in Arizona.

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Palm Desert CA is the home to College of the Desert, an excellent higher learning institution in California.

It began its life in 1958 when Coachella Valley voters approved a new college district, including College of the Desert, a local two year college. The campus quickly grew when in 1959 a bond issue was approved. That meant funds for a 1961 construction that added nine buildings to the 160 acres in Palm Desert. It took some years before construction, including a gymnasium and library, was complete and classes could begin.

In 1984 the College of the Desert moved into the arts by permitting McCallum Theater to build on campus. In return the college received use of the theater. It was used as an auditorium for school functions as well as a theater to stage campus musical productions. It was truly a win-win situation.

Golf course management and maintenance classes began in 1986. California State University opened a campus on the College of the Desert Campus to accommodate students who wanted to learn about this popular subject, especially in the west and CA.

2004 market the 40th anniversary of College of the Desert. The institution celebrated with a complete renovation made possible by a $346.5 million dollar bond issue. Construction included a nursing center, and a public safety academy, along with other additions. Work continued into 2008 when ground was broken on a new student services center.

Through its life College of the Desert grew into a top college institution. Today the college attracts students not only from CA, but also from around the country and around the world. To accommodate international students the college maintains a program that includes elements to help them fit into life at the school and in America. This includes multicultural training for all the students, so the 200 students from out of the country are more easily accepted.

College of the Desert offers both on campus and online degree programs in a wide variety of subjects. These include agriculture, architecture, art, automotive technology, business, communication and more. There isn’t only focus on academic learning, but also on trades and real work experience through hands on work training and student work programs.

People who serve in the military, veterans, have a special place at College of the Desert. There are a variety of programs to help veterans continue their educations after serving the country. These include programs to help veterans receive their military education help, determine which courses are right for them, and help with adapting military experience to school and public life.

One way or another, the College of the Desert has something to help almost everyone in their academic careers.

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Desert boots are the traditional foot wear of soldiers who work in hot, dry places. These became popular particularly after Desert Storm in the 1990’s. But now there aren’t only the standard military looking boots, but also Clarks style work casual or recreational loafer type half boot. Both styles are tan, one is more for work than the other, but both remain popular.

Desert boots have a number of specific design features that make them useful in a desert setting. First of all they’re high. Sand in the shoe can be very dangerous in a desert or anywhere someone has to do a lot of walking. It can lead to blisters, or even a kind of fungus. The military style boot allows pants to be tucked into the neck so that sand doesn’t make its way into the boot. The boots are also well insulated which is important during desert nights, when temperatures can be cold. But it’s also important to insulate against the dry heat when the sun is beating down on people.

The book series ?Dune? had a science fiction take on an improvement to standard boots. These were the stillsuit boots that had all the features of real desert boots and more. In these books a stillsuit was cooled by pumping the wearers own sweat throughout the system. The boots contained pumps in the heel that performed this function. The pumps were powered by the person’s own walking motion. That’s pretty clever, but there’s nothing like that yet in the real world.

Now onto those Clark Desert Boots, usually called Clarks. No soldier would wear these on duty. In fact no working person would or could wear these on the job. They’re made for look and recreation, not for function. They were an effort to convert the popular boot and jeans look from the 70’s into something that could work in an office setting or for a casual night on the town. For Clarks it was mission accomplished. Many people like the stylish look of these boots. And they can at least pretend to be doing something useful.

No soldier would have thought of all the uses and possibilities of his boots when he first placed them on his feet. There would be even less thought about it after a long march in the heat. But it was these soldiers who brought back the idea of wearing desert boots. It caught on and took off from there.

So in a way it was soldiers who brought desert boots from the battlefield into the fashion world.

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The Camelback Desert Schools, in Arizona, covers preschool through middle school. Its goal isn’t just to babysit children or even to just teach them. The goal is to work with children to help them reach their academic and life potential.

Camelback Desert Schools recognizes that learning starts at an early age. Habits formed at this stage carry through an academic career, and through life. Preschool children who don’t get started on the right foot will struggle for years, often lagging behind other classmates. A bad start can create a negative relationship between the child and school. That bad relationship leads to bad results, which creates an even worse experience. It’s a never ending spiral that will impact a person’s ability to obtain jobs, support themselves and their family, and in general to live.

Learning styles and needs change as children grow. Camelback Desert Schools recognizes this. In the preschool years children are dependent learners. They need a lot of structure and guidance from teachers. But as they grow older, children become more independent. They want to explore and learn on their own, perhaps in groups, but without constant pushing and pulling from a teacher. This school combines lessons with structured play, setting rules that allow older children to do their own thing without missing the point.

Like many schools, Camelback Desert Schools also has a vigorous athletics and physical education program. Parents find an environment that would be hard to beat in even a high priced gym. The school offers cardio, weight training, flexibility training including Yoga and Tai-Chi, even breathing exercises. They don’t ignore the knowledge part of fitness, offering academic studies in anatomy, nutrition and the importance of hydration. It’s good for children to keep active, and even better if they understand why.

Camelback Desert Schools is a member of the Mountain Valley Athletic League, which provides opportunities for private middle school children to compete in a healthy environment. Sports include volleyball, soccer, softball and basketball for girls, with flag football, basketball, soccer and baseball for the boys. The MVAL provides an importance balance between competition and participation. Both are important aspects of a child’s development.

The school also offers before and after school programs to accommodate parents’ work schedules. Camelback Desert Schools also offer a popular summer camp program. The camp includes games and sports, arts and crafts, field trips, nature exploration, and special programs for those who opt into them.

If you live near Paradise Valley Arizona, consider Camelback. This desert school is one of the best.

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Stories of deserts usually involve a lack of water, high day time temperatures and low night time temperatures. But the Desert Divas were a story of another type. This was a prostitution ring in Phoenix Arizona that came to prominence when charges were brought against the ring in August 2008.

Desert Divas was run by a man named Paul Nichta, from Paradise Valley, Arizona. He hired out escorts primarily through a number of web sites. These included Desert Divas, AZ Confidential, Hips Tour and Escorts in Action. Paul’s business, and thus his stable of girls, extended into New Mexico and even Pennsylvania. The ring really had no official name, but because it was based in the desert city of Phoenix, the name Desert Divas from one of the web sites became the one most used by the media and police.

This prostitution ring set a number of records. Desert Divas was the subject of the largest prostitution investigation in Arizona history. As of August 2008 there were 50 people charged including Nichta, many of the prostitutes, and clients who were mostly from out of town. Police seized three homes, a motorcycle and eight other vehicles. Those will bring some money to the state through auctions. Speaking about money, most of the escorts in this ring earned between $2,000 and $15,000 a night. That larger amount was possible in the form of tips.

The girls of Desert Divas weren’t all the sort of young runaways people think about when they hear of prostitutes. They ranged in age from 18 to 40. It seemed women from all walks of life became in the activities of this business which included escort services, dating services, pornography and live web cameras via their various web sites. There were even exclusive monthly membership sites where viewers could see live sex shows.

Indictments came in September for three men, including Paul Nichta, who ran Desert Divas. There were charges filed in both Arizona and New Mexico. Charges included racketeering, which is nothing more than the operation of an illegal business, in this case prostitution. It turns out many of the girls, including seven college girls, were recruited via ads in college newspapers. It would start out with the web cams and legitimate dating services before moving to pornography and paid sexual services.

There’s another Desert Diva out there. A woman from Arizona has begun a service touting herself as the Desert Diva Assistant, a virtual personal assistant that conducts a variety of business tasks. She was caught up in the prostitution situation when people confused her name and web site with the now famous case. She received many harassing emails, including from so-called attorneys who claimed to be suing the government for stealing a cat.

The world gets weirder and weirder. Desert Divas, the famous desert prostitution ring, proves it.

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