101 Reasons to hate Arizona
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As often as it is cold in the midwestern states or further east, it is hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalks in Phoenix.  That's no joke.  In the summertime the local television news gives a demonstration of this almost every year.  There are at least five days every summer where the temperature reaches 120 degrees F.  It takes the average person three years to acclimatize to the heat.  Some people never do.

At least in the cold states you can put on more clothing and be quite comfortable.  Taking off clothing has legal limits and it doesn't help much, because you will still be hot when it's over 100 degrees outside.  Don't be fooled by that "dry heat" bullshit.  100 degrees is 100 degrees no matter what the humidity is and in the months of August and September it is just as humid here as it is in St. Louis, Mo. and there is no wind.  Speaking of wind, riding a motorcycle in these conditions can cause first degree burns on uncovered skin.

In the Fall, Winter and Spring the air is so dry that you will have to wear chapstick daily to avoid getting cracked lips.  You will wake up in the morning and the sleep that collected in the corners of your eyes will be as hard as rock.  You will have to pry your eyes open with your fingers and when you rub your eyes in the morning the coagulated tears will obscure your vision till you feel your way to the sink and rinse your eyes out.  This is no joke.  I have to do this every morning.

Rain
Arizona is in the middle of a 5 year drought right now.  It hasn't rained a drop in over 107 days and still the people come and build more houses that use more water.  Arizona is running out of water FAST.  A statewide water supply problem is just around the corner and nobody is doing anything about it.  When it rains the soil can't handle even a small amount, which creates flash floods.  Which then results in peoples SUV's turning into houseboats as they are swept down a wash at high speed.  This happens even in spite of the numerous warning signs about crossing roads that are flooded.  It happens so much Arizona had to pass a stupid persons law that makes them pay for their own rescue.  There's a lot of stupid people in Arizona.

When the first settlers arrived in Phoenix they found that they weren't the first people to live here.  All over the Valley were irrigation canals, many of which are still in use today.  They were created by the Hohokam Indians.  But the Hohokam were nowhere to be found.  They had packed up and moved out of Phoenix a long time before the westward expansion.  Why would an entire culture pack up and leave, especially after going to the trouble of building an extensive canal system?  Answer: Lack Of Rain!  Nobody has come out and said it, but lack of rain is the only thing other than disease wiping an entire civilization out, that would cause a civilization to pack up and move.  They were an agrarian society.  They required water to grow crops to eat.  No rain - no food - the people leave.  It's that simple.  Unfortunately the people living in Phoenix today are not as smart as the Hohokam.  Everyday a new house is built and more people come here thinking that there are lots of jobs and the climate is good.  The truth is that the job statistics are manipulated and for 6 months out of the year it's so hot you can't stand it.

Drowning in a Desert
Arizona has the largest number of infant fatalities due to drowning than any other state.  The drownings mostly take place in swimming pools and are caused by unmonitored children falling into them.  Don't believe me?  Here's the proof.

Analysis of deaths of children <18 years old that occurred between 1995–1999 using the data collected by the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program (ACFRP).

Results. From 1995–1999, local multidisciplinary child fatality review teams (CFRTs) have reviewed 95% of all deaths of children <18 years old in Arizona. Each team has access to the child’s death certificate, autopsy report, hospital records, child protective services records, law enforcement reports, and any other relevant documents that provide insight into the cause and preventability of a child’s death. After reviewing these documents, the team determines the cause of death, its preventability, and the accuracy of the death certificate. The ACFRP defines a child’s death as preventable if an individual or the community could reasonably have done something that would have changed the circumstances that led to the child’s death. The ACFRP determined that 29% (1416/4806) of these deaths could have been prevented, and preventability increased with the age of the child. Only 5% (81/1781) of neonatal deaths were considered preventable, whereas the deaths of 38% of all children older than 28 days were considered preventable. By 9 years of age, the majority of child deaths (56%) were considered preventable.

That's 4,806 drownings over a four year period.  As you can see from these statistics there are a lot of stupid people around water in Arizona.

Dust Storms
Dust storms occur prior to any significant weather event or when a pressure wave from a front moves through that doesn't produce any rain.  They can totally obscure your vision on the highway.

Dust
Living in Phoenix is like living inside a vacuum cleaner bag. You will have to dust your house once a week to keep up with the new accumulations.  In the midwest and other parts of the U.S. you might dust once every other month. How any doctor could recommend coming to Phoenix to get away from your allergies is beyond me.  It must be a common tactic doctors use to get rid of bothersome patients.

Allergies
You name it, they have it.  The worst is Salt Cedar and for those who have never been exposed to it, it can lay you in bed till the season is over.  In addition, all of the nut balls who left the eastern states to get away from their allergies, brought with them most of the plants they were allergic to.  Plants such as Bougainvillea and Oleander are used along the highways as an ornamental shrub.  When they are in bloom in the spring people suffer.  These are not plants that are indigenous to this area and were brought here from the east.  Consequently it is not just the indigenous plants you will suffer from.  Most people have to take a course of cortisone shots in the spring and the fall for the first three years just to function.  I'm not making this up because I had to take the shots myself.

Valley Fever
It is common for people relocating to the Valley of the Sun to be concerned about Valley Fever.  While Valley Fever can affect some people, it is important to remember that it affects few people very seriously, and many people never even know that they have Valley Fever. 

Valley Fever: What You Need To Know
What is Valley Fever? 
Valley Fever is a lung infection. A fungus becomes airborne when dust around construction areas and agricultural areas is transported by the wind. When spores are inhaled, Valley Fever can result. The medical name for Valley Fever is coccidioidomycosis. 
Where is Valley Fever found? 
It is found mostly in the Southwestern U.S. where temperatures are high and the soils are dry. 

How long does it take to develop symptoms of Valley Fever? 
It normally takes between one and four weeks. 

Does everyone in Arizona get Valley Fever? 
It is estimated that about one third of the people in the lower desert areas of Arizona have had Valley Fever at some point. Your chances of getting Valley Fever are about 1 out of 33, but the longer you live in the Desert Southwest the higher your chances of infection. There are about 100,000 new cases of Valley Fever each year. You don't have to live here to get it--people visiting or traveling through the area have been infected, too. 

That's the official line on Valley Fever.  Here's the truth.  If you have lived here longer than one year you got it at least once.  If you have a strong immune system you overcame it and thought it was a very bad case of the flu.  If you had a weak immune system you got pneumonia, hospitalization and recovered.  If you had a really weak immune system you died from pneumonia.  Consequently cause of death will be listed as pneumonia.  Not Valley Fever!

Are some people at higher risk of getting Valley Fever? 
Valley Fever doesn't seem to play favorites, with all kinds of people at equal risk. Once infected, however, certain groups seem to have more instances of it spreading to other parts of their bodies; as far as gender is concerned, men are more likely than women, and African Americans and Filipinos are more likely when considering race. People with problem immune systems are also at risk. 

Construction workers, farm workers or others who spend time working in dirt and dust are most likely to get Valley Fever. You are also at higher risk if you are caught in dust storms, or if your recreation, such as biking or 4-wheeling, takes you to dusty areas. One thing you can do to minimize your risk of getting Valley fever is to wear a mask if you have to be out in blowing dust. 

What are the symptoms of Valley Fever? 
You feel like you want to die!  Those who have sought treatment showed symptoms including fatigue, cough, chest pain, fever, rash, headache and joint aches. Sometimes people develop red bumps on their skin. In about 5% of the cases, nodules develop on the lungs which might look like lung cancer in a chest x-ray. A biopsy or surgery may be necessary to determine if the nodule is a result of Valley Fever. Another 5% of people develop what is referred to as a lung cavity. This is most common with older people, and more than half of the cavities disappear after a while without treatment. If the lung cavity ruptures, however, there may be chest pain and difficulty breathing. 

Is there a cure for Valley Fever? 
There is no vaccine at this time for Valley Fever. Most people are able to fight off Valley Fever on their own without treatment. They don't get it again. For those that seek treatment, antifungal drugs (not antibiotics) are used. Although these treatments are often helpful, the disease may persist and years of treatment may be required. If a lung cavity ruptures as mentioned above, surgery may be necessary. 

Can my dog get Valley Fever? 
Yes, dogs can get it and might need long term medication. Horses, cattle sheep and other animals can also get Valley Fever. 

Is Valley Fever contagious? 
No. You cannot get it from another person or from an animal. 

Do people die from Valley Fever? 
Less than 1% of the people who get Valley Fever die from it. 

Are there Valley Fever experts that I can consult? 
Pulmonary specialists and many local family physicians and hospitals are very familiar with Valley Fever. Physicians in other parts of the country seldom see cases of Valley Fever and, therefore, might not recognize it. You should make sure your doctor knows that you have been to the Southwest and emphasize that you want to be tested for Valley Fever. If you need a medical referral in your area, call the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at (520) 629-4777.

Is this the number to call for excellent Valley Fever or what?  What could possibly be excellent about Valley Fever?  It's a disease that kills elderly people here.  I can't even imagine the word excellence in the same sentence with the words Valley Fever.

 

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