nPostednon September 9, 2016
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nIt’sneasy for me to celebrate California. n
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In live in California.n
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n We mostly enjoyn wonderful weather here!
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n We have a looooongn coastline, loads of mountains, fertile valleys, and amazing forestsn and deserts.
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n California is a staten with a lot of diversity in people and in economic opportunity.
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n It’s also state withn some fairly decent government officials and laws (of course – notn perfect!). n
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n California’s gorgeous.
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nCalifornia’snhistory is a bit messy, of course. All the usual suspects: Europeannpeople taking over lands being used by native Californians andnfoisting their own religion, language, and customs on those people.nRevolution by one group of people against an established government –njust for their own gain. Exploitation of immigrants. Racialndiscrimination and unrest. Internment of citizens and immigrantsninnocent of any wrongdoing. n
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nAndncertainly California has its right-now-today problems – plenty ofnthem. Drought. Wildfires. Earthquakes. Overcrowding. Traffic.
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nBut…Inmostly love my state, and I am proud to be a Californian.
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nCalifornianis considered a trendsetter. Not just in the nation, but in thenworld.
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nBack when I was growing up, California style was associated with hippies — and it spread all over the nation and (to some extent) the world.
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nNow, neo-hippie styles are still associated with California.
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nWenhave a lot of diversity. That means loads of opportunities to learnnabout a multiplicity of cultures, religions, languages, and so forth.
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nAnd that also means a lot of different – and yummy! – restaurants tonchoose from!
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| In my city, there is an amazing Hindu temple (above). Back in the 80s, I lived in a town with an amazing Buddhist temple (below). |
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| Yesterday I ate some really delicious pho, which is Vietnamese cuisine. I am able to drive just a mile or less to get great Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Thai, or Filipino food. Not to mention all the bajillions of Mexican restaurants, taquerias, I have to drive a few miles for Ethiopian or Kenyan, |
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nWenhave Hollywood! It’s pretty fun to be at a restaurant or toy storenand see someone famous, someone from the movies. My daughter was oncenin a teeny shop – and the only other people there were AngelinanJolie and Brad Pitt.
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nWenalso have the original Disneyland. And Disney’s California Adventure,nthe Disneyland Hotel, Downtown Disney… We have Knott’s Berry Farmn(AND Knott’s Scary Farm), Universal Studios, Raging Waters, Legoland,nand Six Flags Magic Mountain. And the San Diego Zoo. And…well…anlot of family fun places!
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nWenhave Silicon Valley! We’re the birthplace of the Internet and thenpersonal computer!
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nIfnCalifornia were a country, we’d have the sixth largest economy in thenworld. We have the highest agricultural output of any U.S. state. n
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nBecausenCalifornia is the most populous state, we have the most electoralnvotes and the most representatives in the House. (However, we end upnwith close to the smallest political-clout-per-person. That’s becausenthere are many more people per representative or delegate innCalifornia than there is in a state with very low population…likenWyoming or Alaska.)
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nCalifornianis the third largest U.S. state. It has the second most populousncity, Los Angeles, in the country, but it’s #1 in counties – wenhave both the largest in area and the largest in population in thennation. (San Bernardino County is the largest in area – that’s MYncounty! – and Los Angeles County is the largest in population.)
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| San Bernardino County is larger than the four smallest states in the U.S. – put together!! |
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nWenhave poppies, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Half Dome in Yosemite!
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nWenhave redwoods, giant sequoias, and bristlecone pine trees. Yep,nthat’s right – California has the tallest, the largest, and thenoldest trees in the world!
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| Tallest – redwoods |
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| Largest – sequoia |
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| Oldest – bristlecones |
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nWenhave Death Valley and the Alabama Hills and Mount Whitney – allneasy day trips from one small town! Mount Whitney is the highestnpoint in the contiguous U.S., and Death Valley includes the lowestnpoint in the contiguous U.S.
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| Death Valley can be gorgeous as the photos above and below show. |
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nWenhave the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen, ofnthe Cascades, the Coast Range, and the Trinity Alps. And lakes, wengot some really nice lakes!
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| Stream, forests, and mountains near Mammoth, in the Sierra Nevadas. |
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| Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is also the second deepest lake in the U.S. |
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| Mount Shasta |
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| Mount Lassen is a volcano – and there are plenty of geysers and thermal areas to show that it is still active! |
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| Yosemite is one of the most visited national parks in the nation. |
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nAnd,nof course we have beaches, rugged coastline, and more beaches!nGorgeous, gorgeous stuff!
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nAlsonon this date:
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Father Laval Day in Mauritius
Father Laval Day in Mauritius n
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nNationalnIndependence Day in North Korea
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nIndependencenDay in Tajikistan
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nCelebratenNew Words Day
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nAnniversarynof the patenting of an ice cream maker
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nPlannahead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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n Septembern holidays
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n Septembern birthdays
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n n Historicaln anniversaries in September
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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n Octobern birthdaysn n
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