The Year in Hate and Extremism

The number of conspiracy-minded antigovernment “Patriot” groups involving the American radical right reached an all-time high in 2012, the fourth consecutive year of powerful growth by a movement that is becoming increasingly militant as President Obama enters his second term and Congress debates gun control measures, according to a report issued today by the SPLC.

28 of those "Patriot" groups are reportedly located in Arizona.


Source: SPLC Extremism Report 2013

The Gadsden Purchase

How many time have you pulled your auto into the rest stop located between Casa Grande and Phoenix, and not think twice about the historical significance of the place in which you were about to stretch your legs or take a leak?

I was just watching The Desert Speak's presentation of the Gadsden Purchase on AZPBS. Little did I know that if it wasn't for often-forgotten James Gadsden, Americans wouldn't be taking for granted our portion of the beautiful Sonoran Desert.

The Sonoran Desert, one of North America's largest and driest, takes its name from the Mexican state of Sonora, now located to the south of Arizona. Until 1853, however, Sonora's boundaries extended all the way to the Gila River. In this year the United States pressured Mexico's President Antonio López de Santa Anna to sell 30,000 square miles of northern Mexico to the United States for ten million dollars. Included in this sale were the villages of Tucson, Tubac, and San Xavier del Bac as well as Aravaipa Canyon and the future grounds of Camp Grant, all of which would be incorporated into the new territory of Arizona.

Finalized in 1854, the Gadsden Purchase, or Treaty, was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. At about 33 cents per acre of Sonoran (and Chihuahuan) desert and mountains, undoubtedly both Mexico and the U.S. would agree that the Gadsden Purchase was a bargain for the U.S.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Take an aerial tour of Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve and learn how it's citizens came together to help protect this diverse, special place. Here's a video introduction of the Preserve.



The entire "Wings Over The Preserve" video presentation can be seen on YouTube.

Safe Hiking For The Holidays

Folks, let's use some common sense while hiking during the holidays. Get out, enjoy the weather and get some exercise. But please, remember your limitations. The Sonoran Desert is a beautiful place to recreate, not wreck create.

Merry Christmas!

Peace on earth and goodwill to all! O Holy Night performed by Catherine Cote with Sedona photos.


Source: Catherine Cote

The Phoenix Community Mural

Via the Downtown Devil, the first Phoenix Festival of the Arts, which took place this past weekend at Margaret T. Hance Park, was vibrant with art vendors, live music and Mayor Greg Stanton presenting awards to local artists.

A successful event, it was the winding figure of plywood boards snaking around the fenced-in festival, however, that displayed some of Phoenix’s best art. By the end of the festival, more than 80 Phoenix artists had added their unique style to one of the longest murals painted in Arizona.


The Phoenix Mural Project from Downtown Devil on Vimeo.