Is it Okay to be Ashamed?

I retract my previous statements about Pierce Lewis. The man was right. To be quite honest, I think most Americans couldn't identify Australia on a map!

Parson’s Look at the Richest Agricultural Valley

Most Californians typically drive through the SJV expecting nothing but agriculture and boredom. They typically only stop when they need to fill up on gas. But one can argue that there’s more to the valley that encompasses a large chunk of California. In James Parson’s “A Geographer Looks at the San Joaquin” he takes a look at this precarious region. He delves into the history of the SJV, how it all started. He looks at the agricultural world, the county fairs, the vineyards and culture. He acknowledges the complexity of its environmental problems – the toxins in irrigations and pesticide problems. At times it seems as if Farmersville paid him to write a traveler’s brochure, inviting everyone to partake in an overlooked atmosphere. But he does question some parts of the region. He understands why individuals are only drawn to the SJV if there is News of Catastrophe – a truck full of bees wrecks and spills out millions of bees, or earthquakes or whatever. Most important, Parsons clarifies that the SJV is a necessary component to a functioning California. Produce from this region supplies most of the Western United States! Even though the valley isn’t as aesthetically pleasing, as say, Sacramento, it still has much to offer.