tagged w/ Haboob
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Gustavo and Jenniffer Luna were in the process of tying the knot at an alfresco ceremony in September when a giant dust storm, know locally as a haboob, struck.Gustavo and Jenniffer Luna were in the process of tying the knot at an alfresco... more
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PHOENIX — The massive dust storms that swept through central Arizona this month have stirred up not just clouds of sand but a debate over what to call them.
Related
Phoenix Dusts Off After Giant Sandstorm Whips Through (July 7, 2011) The blinding waves of brown particles, the most recent of which hit Phoenix on Monday, are caused by thunderstorms that emit gusts of wind, roiling the desert landscape. Use of the term “haboob,” which is what such storms have long been called in the Middle East, has rubbed some Arizona residents the wrong way.
“I am insulted that local TV news crews are now calling this kind of storm a haboob,” Don Yonts, a resident of Gilbert, Ariz., wrote to The Arizona Republic after a particularly fierce, mile-high dust storm swept through the state on July 5. “How do they think our soldiers feel coming back to Arizona and hearing some Middle Eastern term?”
Diane Robinson of Wickenburg, Ariz., agreed, saying the state’s dust storms are unique and ought to be labeled as such.
“Excuse me, Mr. Weatherman!” she said in a letter to the editor. “Who gave you the right to use the word ‘haboob’ in describing our recent dust storm? While you may think there are similarities, don’t forget that in these parts our dust is mixed with the whoop of the Indian’s dance, the progression of the cattle herd and warning of the rattlesnake as it lifts its head to strike.”
Dust storms are a regular summer phenomenon in Arizona, and the news media typically label them as nothing more than that. But the National Weather Service, in describing this month’s particularly thick storm, used the term haboob, which was widely picked up by the news media.
“Meteorologists in the Southwest have used the term for decades,” said Randy Cerveny, a climatologist at Arizona State University. “The media usually avoid it because they don’t think anyone will understand it.”
Not everyone was put out by the use of the term. David Wilson of Goodyear, Ariz., said those who wanted to avoid Arabic terms should steer clear of algebra, zero, pajamas and khaki, as well. “Let’s not become so ‘xenophobic’ that we forget to remember that we are citizens of the world, nor fail to recognize the contributions of all cultures to the richness of our language,” he wrote.
Although use of the term often brings smirks, Mr. Cerveny said the walls of dust could have serious consequences, toppling power lines and causing huge traffic accidents. Although ultradry conditions in the desert are considered one cause for the intensity of this year’s storms, Mr. Cerveny pointed to another possible factor: the housing bust that left developments half-finished and unmaintained, creating more desert dust to be stirred up.PHOENIX — The massive dust storms that swept through central Arizona this month... more
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Maybe they could blame their strange behavior on the very high heat rolling across their state, if only the rightwingers there didn’t regularly deny it to result from global warming.
But some residents of Arizona, in their latest of fascist fear responses, are objecting to local media’s use of the term “haboob” in recent weather reports.
Haboob, a term for a specific type of sandstorm, is derived from Arabic.
Its origin is not just pertinent to a regional language, however, according to some folks in the state. “Haboob” is … Middle Eastern, according to a resident from Gilbert, who told of his objection to the term in a letter to the editor.
And you wanna know another interesting fact on this topic? “Haboob” isn’t the only word of Arabic origin frequently used in the United States, either.
Just fish the almanac out of your alcove to verify the historic occurrence of those haboobs striking the adobe style homes in Arizona. Those terms are Arabic, after all.
If you’re a closet meteorologist attempting to use algebra and algorithms to determine when another storm might strike, you’re using Arabic then, too.
You’ll have to skip the sugar from your coffee and the syrup from any candy, if Arabic words bother you so much, and refrain from eating any artichoke, apricot, lemon, lime or orange, too. Those are all Arabic (… I mean, “Middle Eastern!”) words.
Protest near the gazelles and giraffes at your local zoo; cancel all your magazine subscriptions; throw the saffron and tarragon from your spice cabinet; scrape those sesame seeds from the bun of your Big Mac; yank your children from chemistry class; put the cork back in your carafe of wine; remove the sequins from your wife’s satin dresses; and burn all of your own clothing made of cotton.
If this Arabic word usage in the country, not to mention its long and lengthy contributions to the English language, still bothers you so much, then maybe you’d like to step down from your patriotic rank of Admiral, only to become an assassin after robbing the arsenal to load up your .22 caliber rifle. Yeah, those are Arabic terms, too, pal.Maybe they could blame their strange behavior on the very high heat rolling across... more
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Massive dust storm kicks up potential for Valley Fever
PHOENIX- Valley hospitals are seeing a spike in emergency
room visits after the dust storm of the decade.
Tuesday's storm brought in a wall of dust a mile high
and up to 100 miles wide. That dust storm has left the
Desert Medical Center, says after the storm people poured
into the emergency room with breathing problems. "From this
big wind? Yes, there were a lot of asthma problems and
respiratory problems that they needed to come in and get
some extra help to get overMassive dust storm kicks up potential for Valley Fever
PHOENIX- Valley hospitals are... more
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A wall of dust moved through Phoenix, Arizona Tuesday night
(July 5, 2011), with sustained winds of around 60 miles per hour,
close to hurricane force, according to KNXV-TV in Phoenix.
At one point, wind gusts hit 81 mph in a Phoenix suburb.
commonly called a haboob – is a common sight in Phoenix,
but not like this wall, which Phoenix residents said was
and turned the normally sunny skies of Phoenix literally black.
long-time residents said they have never seen anything like this
hit the Arizona capital.A wall of dust moved through Phoenix, Arizona Tuesday night
(July 5, 2011), with... more
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Massive dust storm kicks up potential for Valley Fever
PHOENIX- Valley hospitals are seeing a spike in emergency
room visits after the dust storm of the decade.
Tuesday's storm brought in a wall of dust a mile high
and up to 100 miles wide. That dust storm has left the
Desert Medical Center, says after the storm people poured
into the emergency room with breathing problems. "From this
big wind? Yes, there were a lot of asthma problems and
respiratory problems that they needed to come in and get
some extra help to get over
more http://bit.ly/qlrxFz
A wall of dust moved through Phoenix, Arizona Tuesday night
(July 5, 2011), with sustained winds of around 60 miles per hour,
close to hurricane force, according to KNXV-TV in Phoenix.
At one point, wind gusts hit 81 mph in a Phoenix suburb.
commonly called a haboob – is a common sight in Phoenix,
but not like this wall, which Phoenix residents said was
and turned the normally sunny skies of Phoenix literally black.
long-time residents said they have never seen anything like this
hit the Arizona capital.Massive dust storm kicks up potential for Valley Fever
PHOENIX- Valley hospitals are... more
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