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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 19, 2013 9:24:13 GMT -5
I guess I should add a little about these almond trees, if anyone's interested. They don't look anything like any cultivated almond varietes, which all look generally the same. This one is a species of wild almond, and it is very likely endemic to Iran. I know of two other species (not varieties) of almonds that grow wild in Iran, one of them is poisonous. The only thing they all have in common is the flowers, and the fruit, which is always a small bitter almond. The flowers are either white or pink, just like normal almonds, but they're a lot smaller. And all of them are extremely drought-tolerant, like you wouldn't believe. In undisturbed habitats, you might find them growing alongside a profusion of other desert-trees and shrubs; the general feeling is a lot like the desert chaparral in California.
I'll do my best to find the latin name. I'm sure the tree has been identified already by the academics.
Edit: Ok, I found it! It's called Amygdalus Scoparia. I'll look for the other two species too, a little later.
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 19, 2013 12:00:28 GMT -5
So, I spoke to this Afghan guy tonight. He works for us. He's illiterate, but a really smart and trustworthy guy. He's got a wife and a baby daughter back home.
I asked him if he was planning to stay here or go back to Afghanistan. He said he's waiting for the next elections to see what happens; If things keep going as they are now, he's definitely leaving.
He said if things were like they were 3-4 years ago, he would have moved his family over here already. But because of the new exchange rate, it's just not worth it anymore. He says he could make more money in Afghanistan now! He said 3-4 years ago, he used to live off of 250,000 tomans per month. But now he can barely make ends meet with 1,500,000 tomans per month, let alone save enough to send back to his family.
I asked him if things were better/worse before the Americans came. He said things were shit before the Americans came [to Afghanistan.] He just hopes they don't leave, because the Taliban would destroy the stability and law of order that's been established since the Americans invaded.
He was afraid the Americans were going to attack Iran. He said the reason he fled Afghanistan many years ago was to get away from the war. He thought it was funny that he might have to escape Iran and go back to Afghanistan now, for the same reason.
He said it's pretty much pointless working in Iran now, since Afghanis (afghan money) are worth much more than Iranian Rials now. And Iranian Rials are worthless compared to the dollar.
Just to give you guys some perspective, imagine a mexican saying these things about the US, and you'll get an idea of how fucked up things are here. The Afghans are fleeing!!
The Afghans are fleeing!
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 19, 2013 12:20:12 GMT -5
Oh and if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on the story, I'd be glad to receive them. Or on second thought, GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS NOW!!
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 19, 2013 13:26:51 GMT -5
I just got word that my house was ransacked again, for the third time! Luckily, I predicted this might happen so I moved everything valuable to a friend's house before I left.
They pulled one of the windows loose, and went in. I can imagine how they must have felt once they were inside. lol it seems they tore the whole place apart and stole a bunch of worthless junk.
Looks like I got the last laugh this time. ;D
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 20, 2013 5:42:24 GMT -5
Anyone ever wish you could stop time and just stay in this moment forever? ...That's how I feel all the time.
I hate time. Time is my enemy.
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 21, 2013 11:24:28 GMT -5
I'm heading up north with some friends for a few days. We're gonna bring back cuttings and seeds from the rainforest, to plant down south in the orchards. Probably sounds crazy, planting rainforest trees in the desert...but we'll make it work. We've got plenty of water. I don't know if I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, or in the evening. P.S. www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/01/16/169511949/a-mysterious-patch-of-light-shows-up-in-the-north-dakota-dark -- I've seen this exact same phenomenon (madness is more like it) in southern Iran, where they're "flaring" enough gas to heat every house in the northern hemisphere, IMO.
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 22, 2013 7:41:48 GMT -5
wtf.. subversify is down?
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Post by asiaticdarkperson on Jan 22, 2013 7:53:21 GMT -5
I guess you guys have heard about the two guys that were executed here yesterday for mugging some poor fellow with a knife. (more like a roman short-sword)
The western media, as expected, is blowing the whole thing out of proportion, turning it into a human rights issue.
I, however, think this sends a clear message to anyone thinking about assaulting people on the street. It's simple: "don't do it."
Having personally witnessed the fear and terror that these knife-wielding muggers inflict on unsuspecting, unprepared, unarmed civilians, I really don't care that they were executed. I mean, if things were different and everyone was carrying a gun or a knife, then it would be fair game to assault anyone and everyone, IMO. But how is it fair play to attack an unarmed civilian on the street, and threaten them with a weapon? ...douchebags.
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Post by karlsie on Jan 22, 2013 19:25:17 GMT -5
Shh, forgive us if we have slow reaction time. Your writings are like reading a diary... a lot of great material and to the instinctual contemplations of a writer, much to digest and build upon.
One thing that strikes me at the moment is your observations about Afghanistan. That's a new twist to the ever-growing revelations concerning developments in the mid east. Iran is suffering because US led NATO pulled out the rug from under it, Africa suffers because of colonial invasion... How do we balance these perspectives into something constructive and beneficial for enlightened society in general? War is so twisted.
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Post by karlsie on Jan 22, 2013 19:47:14 GMT -5
What also strikes me is your account of the knifing. It seems to have been the bend of Western media to persist in saying, "let the authorities take care of it". In other words, don't defend yourself. Call 911 and hope they get there on time. In a discussion with some friends on how we could prevent another school shooting, I suggested staff preparedness. My reasoning for this is that most people panic when they see an adversary with a gun and instead of uniting to disarm the solitary person, they all run for shelter. One of the posters boiled it down to "combat ready", doing a bleeding heart rant about the shooter being the "victim" because he is obviously mentally ill. He also, somehow, managed to compare staff preparedness with children living in a combat ready boot camp. Realizing he was a troll, I simply commented that comparing staff preparedness to combat ready was an interesting observation, to which there was no reply.
My true perspective though is that we are learning; have learned; a sort of helpless dependency in the face of violence. It's taught to us at a very young age. If the school bully beats you up, don't fight back - go to the authorities or you will be equally guilty of violence. "Mitigating circumstances" have been swept under the rug as having no real definition.
I honestly believe the art of defense needs to be reconstructed into the learning process. What if, instead of ducking for cover, people (children included) began spontaneously throwing every available object at the shooter? He may be able to murder some people, but I think the mayhem would be far more limited than ducking and running for cover.
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Post by grainnerhuad on Jan 22, 2013 20:42:58 GMT -5
ADP- I am always off sat-sometime Monday and yes there is so much here to think on. I don't like to answer without doing so. But, I will try to remember to leave a little note so you know I'm reading.
I was thinking of taking all your writing on this subject and putting it together on WORD to be edited, then sending it back to you so we can start working it up for a story. Does that sound okay to you?
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Post by shh on Jan 26, 2013 8:10:40 GMT -5
Hey guys!
I'm still up north, having a great time. (sorry Mitch) The weather's really beautiful here, you know mediterranean...and really warm almost like it's summer. I wonder what the summer is going to be like this year.
The rainforest is just 10 miles south of here on the foothills of the Alborz mountains, which appear really huge and high on this side since I'm at sea level now. I can see Mt. Damavand's volcanic cone from here, towering above the wall of rock and the jungle-covered hills to the south. And 15 miles to the north there's the Caspian Sea. We went there yesterday in the afternoon...there was a steady cool breeze blowing inland from the sea, making waves on the water. It was awesome.
And the rainforest...well, there's just no words. Really. I can't get enough of it. There's just no way I could ever get bored or tired there. We're going hunting in the jungle with some locals tomorrow. And if all goes well, we might go further up the mountains, above tree-line, the day after that. There's not much big game in the jungle, all the good stuff is in the alpine grassland region.
I'm considering staying here a while longer...maybe another week. But we'll see.
Thinking of you guys. Much love.
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Post by shh on Jan 26, 2013 8:41:40 GMT -5
Hi karlsie, you know, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of what's going on in Afghanistan, so I can't deny or confirm what the guy said. But yeah, the price of chicken increased by 1000 tomans since I left Tehran 4 days ago. Apparently, and I heard this on the news last night, Iranian money is now officially the weakest currency in the world: 1 USD = 40,000 Iranian Rials. And the price of gold goes up with the dollar here nowadays, regardless of the global gold market. Things are incredibly fucked up, I think. But what's really incredible is the fact that life is going on pretty much as usual. For how much longer, though, I can't say. And Grainne, I'm OK with whatever you wanna do. Just tell me when and where.
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Post by grainnerhuad on Jan 26, 2013 18:33:48 GMT -5
Okay. On Monday I will work on all of your entries then send them to you for review. I can either pm it to you here at the proboard, put it in a works in progress section here or email it to you. Let me know your preference. Just keep in mind email may be easier if you are also using WORD as you can open it directly, make corrections on the document and send it back to me.
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Post by karlsie on Jan 27, 2013 4:12:51 GMT -5
I live in a rain forest too, or actually at the far edge of one that begins in Washington and moves up all the way through Canada to the Cook Inlet. It's a different sort of rain forest than the tropical ones; a bit less variety in plant life, although we do have giant ferns and a huge variety of wild berries. Although sometimes the rain gets dreary, usually it's no more than a light drizzle that keeps everything fresh and sparkling. There's a lot of wildlife too; moose, bears, coyote, wolves, foxes, porcupine, beaver, squirrels, snow shoe rabbits and ermine. I love the silent communion of giant, old growth trees, the flash of colorful birds... oh gee! I can't wait until spring!
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