The Desert Sun

The Desert Sun is a local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley of Southern California.

It is owned by Gannett publications since 1988 and acquired the Indio Daily News in 1990 to become the sole local newspaper.

First issued on August 5, 1927, as a weekly six-page newspaper, The Desert Sun grew with the desert communities. It covers local, state, national and world news, and has developed a variety of sections over time.

The newspaper began to publish six days a week in 1948 and had their first Sunday edition on September 8, 1991. Their circulation to date is 50,000 and their distribution range is in regional communities from Beaumont to Twentynine Palms to the Salton Sea.

The Desert Sun's headquarters are in Palm Springs, in an office complex built in 1991 to replace a smaller building.

The Desert Sun publishes the Desert Post Weekly, a variety entertainment paper available on every Thursday in the distribution range, as well as city-specific publications The Indio Sun, The La Quinta Sun, The Palm Springs Weekend, The Palm Desert Sun and The Cathedral City Sun.

Desert

A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. About one third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions where little precipitation occurs and which are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts". Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location.

Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks which consequently break in pieces. Although rain seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional downpours that can result in flash floods. Rain falling on hot rocks can cause them to shatter and the resulting fragments and rubble strewn over the desert floor is further eroded by the wind. This picks up particles of sand and dust and wafts them aloft in sand or dust storms. Wind-blown sand grains striking any solid object in their path can abrade the surface. Rocks are smoothed down, and the wind sorts sand into uniform deposits. The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes. Other deserts are flat, stony plains where all the fine material has been blown away and the surface consists of a mosaic of smooth stones. These areas are known as desert pavements and little further erosion takes place. Other desert features include rock outcrops, exposed bedrock and clays once deposited by flowing water. Temporary lakes may form and salt pans may be left when waters evaporate. There may be underground sources of water in the form of springs and seepages from aquifers. Where these are found, oases can occur.

The Desert (Dragon Prince)

The Desert is a fictional Princedom (or country) in Melanie Rawn's fantasy novels of the Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies. It is the primary setting of these trilogies.

"For as long as the sands spawn fire..."

The Desert is Prince Rohan's princedom. It is the home or birthplace of most of the main Characters of Dragon Prince. The royal color of the Desert is blue; its banner is of a gold dragon on a blue field. It is a land rich in dragons, Fire, and sand. The Desert people are known for their rugged strength, loyalty, and fierceness.

The Land

The Desert is an eastern princedom with only one seaport: Radzyn Keep. It is bordered by Princemarch, Cunaxa, Meadowlord, and Syr. The Desert is the hottest, driest princedom and one of the largest. The Long Sand, through which there is no water and no shelter from the sweltering sun, stretches the length of princedom. To the West of the Long Sand there are some mountains and some vegetation, and Skybowl is nestled above a lake. Near Stronghold is Rivenrock, a valley where dragons breed and where the dragon eggs can be gathered for their gold. To the East is Radzyn and the sea, the Desert's sole port and main trade center.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 2)

Season Two (Book Two: Earth) of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series on Nickelodeon, first aired its 20 episodes from March 17, 2006 to December 1, 2006. The season was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu and Grey DeLisle as the main character voices.

In this season, the protagonist Aang and his friends Katara and Sokka are on a quest to find an Earthbending teacher which finishes when they recruit Toph Beifong. After finding important information concerning the war with the Fire Nation, Appa ends up kidnapped. Their journey leads to Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom, where they uncover great internal government corruption.

Throughout the season's airing, the show received much critical acclaim, with praises such as, "As a flat concept, Avatar: The Last Airbender is nothing special, but in execution, it is head and shoulders above other children's entertainment", and that "as a whole, the look of Avatar is consistently excellent." Season 2 has won multiple awards, including the "Best Character Animation in a Television Production" award from the 34th Annie Awards and the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation" award from the 2007 Emmy Awards.