Auditor #9 wrote:

Why don't humans do that regardless - let the sea into the Sahara with a few nukes ? Don't tell me there's some ecosystem there to protect.

In many of the deserts you only need a pipe and a syphon as there are often large stretches lower than sea level. Certainly the case in North Africa. And it would be real easy to organise desalination plants with the levels of daytime sunlight. Even if you have to pump there is lots of sunlight for solar power. Very doable.

Squire wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

Why don't humans do that regardless - let the sea into the Sahara with a few nukes ? Don't tell me there's some ecosystem there to protect.

In many of the deserts you only need a pipe and a syphon as there are often large stretches lower than sea level. Certainly the case in North Africa. And it would be real easy to organise desalination plants with the levels of daytime sunlight. Even if you have to pump there is lots of sunlight for solar power. Very doable.

You won't need to do it, as the Sahara is greening up due to climate change and shifting rainfall patterns. The only problem is as soon as there are a few sprouts the herdsmen are in there and they are nibbled up pronto. If they could only be persuaded to hold off for ten years something could really take hold. The Sahara wasn't always a desert. It is about the size of the United States.

http://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/36012

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Greening_of_the_Sahel

When all those cauliflowers and vines are growing I hope they won't sell a single thing to that cranky Mr. Myers.

I have organised the construction of a very modest and basic desalination plant on the west coast of the Sahara. It was cheap and easy and I have absolutely no doubt that this desert can be turned. It was to water an elderly relations large garden. Apparently there is now some greening in the valley beyond the area directly watered. I assume some condensation at night is responsible?

We have to remember in Roman times North Africa fed Rome. Bizarrely in the middle of the desert you still find ancient trees whose roots go down to the ground water level.

In Southern Algeria they grow quite a few crops, low cloud cover and high levels of sunlight, but it is watered from deep wells and I think that short sighted.

If the area was more stable I would certainly like to see what I could get involved in. It is in my opinion useful work and a good way to earn profit. From an EU point of view we need to end the increasingly myopic view of the world and other peoples. We get investment bubbles because people have no imagination and do not see other opportunities.

The only problem with increasing the amount of water and cultivation is the spread of diseases like Malaria.

Squire wrote:

The only problem with increasing the amount of water and cultivation is the spread of diseases like Malaria.

I've no idea how they prevent malaria although I've seen a campsite in Broom Australia being sprayed at sundown with mosquito stuff. They still ate me though. Do they try to wipe out the malaria-bearing mozzies or what?

The rest sounds deadly Squire - the Western Sahara area is politically unstable though with the Moroccans and the lads south of there contesting for it. Is there any visible sabre-rattling going on there? I've had impulses to travel to the Canary Islands overland through Agadir and wouldn't mind sometime going on a tour overland down to El Aiaun down near the border. It sounds like property in Morocco is not that bargain basement if you were to try to cultivate a patch of desert there. A desalinisation machine sounds like it might be a big lump of machinery too - maybe not though. Plenty of solar - could be paradise.

Just to keep it on topic, Morocco has lots of fukcing space and no astronauts.

Minor technical quibble Audy - how do you get from Agadir to the Canary Islands overland

Yeah Morocco is good fun - last went there in 2003 - Flew into Agadir - hung around for 2 days then went on a Mountain and Desert tour out in the east of the country for 8 days - moody camels, starry nights, big sky country, only french spoken and got to meet the King aswell!

Edo wrote:

Minor technical quibble Audy - how do you get from Agadir to the Canary Islands overland

Audi is the second coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He walked.

Quote :

Yeah Morocco is good fun - last went there in 2003 - Flew into Agadir - hung around for 2 days then went on a Mountain and Desert tour out in the east of the country for 8 days - moody camels, starry nights, big sky country, only french spoken and got to meet the King aswell!

You got to meet the King? Wow! That must've been fun!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Edo wrote:

Minor technical quibble Audy - how do you get from Agadir to the Canary Islands overland

Audi is the second coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He walked.

Quote :

Yeah Morocco is good fun - last went there in 2003 - Flew into Agadir - hung around for 2 days then went on a Mountain and Desert tour out in the east of the country for 8 days - moody camels, starry nights, big sky country, only french spoken and got to meet the King aswell!

You got to meet the King? Wow! That must've been fun!

Well we camped out the night in the fields of one of his country estates in the east (over the Atlas Mountains - Sahara side) - and he arrived that evening - this was only a few months after the terrorists attacks in Casablanca - so I guess he was keen to show that tourists were still welcome so we were invited up to palace for tea, soft drinks and pastries and had a pleasant conversation with Mohammed V - nice chap -sandhurst and oxford educated so there was no problem in communication. He has a hard job on his hands there - but he is slowly letting go the strings of power to the parliament - still in a poor country with a booming population it will be no easy task.

Edo wrote:

Well we camped out the night in the fields of one of his country estates - and he arrived that evening - this was only a few months after the terrorists attacks in Casablanca - so I guess he was keen to show that tourists were still welcome so we were invited up to palace for tea, soft drinks and pastries and had a pleasant conversation with Mohammed V - nice chap -sandhurst and oxford educated so there was no problem in communication. He has a hard job on his hands there - but he is slowly letting go the strings of power to the parliament - still in a poor country with a booming population it will be no easy task.

Brilliant! That sounds great and I'm delighted you had tea rather than filthy coffee. I'd imagine the conversation was varied and very interesting. Have you kept in contact? The King of Morocco would be a weighty presence on any Rolodex.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

Edo wrote:

Well we camped out the night in the fields of one of his country estates - and he arrived that evening - this was only a few months after the terrorists attacks in Casablanca - so I guess he was keen to show that tourists were still welcome so we were invited up to palace for tea, soft drinks and pastries and had a pleasant conversation with Mohammed V - nice chap -sandhurst and oxford educated so there was no problem in communication. He has a hard job on his hands there - but he is slowly letting go the strings of power to the parliament - still in a poor country with a booming population it will be no easy task.

Brilliant! That sounds great and I'm delighted you had tea rather than filthy coffee. I'd imagine the conversation was varied and very interesting. Have you kept in contact? The King of Morocco would be a weighty presence on any Rolodex.

Stayed in contact -Nah - it was just one of those moments - come to think of it - between working in Tourism in the Middle East and Dubai - I've shaken the hand of a fair few Al-Maktoums in Dubai including the head honco, the Late King Hussein of Jordan, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, The late Mr Hariri of the Lebannon and President Khatami of Iran - quite a collection - never thought of the old autograph and photo collection at the time - ah well.

Still none of them beats my fav though - back in 1989 I was Cindy Crawfords personal assistant for a day when she was doing a tour of the postershops I was employed by (on my J1 experience) promoting her new"calendar" (Yeah we were all looking at the dates and stuff alright!) - I still have the framed copy of her January calendar shot with Cindy at her finest and curviest (ie before the 90s and Kate Moss arrived and anorexia became the in thing and all the rest had to follow suit) with a personally signed piece to me at the bottom - I will Treasure it forever!!

A perv - possibly

A 100% functioning Male Hetrosexual - definitely

Edo wrote:

Minor technical quibble Audy - how do you get from Agadir to the Canary Islands overland

Yeah Morocco is good fun - last went there in 2003 - Flew into Agadir - hung around for 2 days then went on a Mountain and Desert tour out in the east of the country for 8 days - moody camels, starry nights, big sky country, only french spoken and got to meet the King aswell!

Sorry, overland to Agadir and oversea to the Islands - overland or sea as opposed to in the air.

Mohammed V never came to visit me when I was staying in my tent in Sale, though I used to have coffee in the mornings with a few Gerry Adams supporters

I didn't get to do the Sahara trip but did other interesting stuff including simply visiting the city of Fez which is an unknown wonder of the world. Forget Marrakech which is a tourist trap though impressive painted all in red - Fez was an incredibly crumbling monstrosity worth a visit long before a lot of other places I've seen.

Auditor #9 wrote:

A desalinisation machine sounds like it might be a big lump of machinery too - maybe not though. Plenty of solar - could be paradise.

Western Sahara is deadly don't recommend travelling South overland. It is politically unstable and not a place you want to run into difficulties! Desalination plant is basically evaporation and condensation, but in reality tricky enough. Mark 2 will be much more efficient!

Agree definitely visit Fez.

Squire wrote:

I have organised the construction of a very modest and basic desalination plant on the west coast of the Sahara. It was cheap and easy and I have absolutely no doubt that this desert can be turned. It was to water an elderly relations large garden. Apparently there is now some greening in the valley beyond the area directly watered. I assume some condensation at night is responsible?

We have to remember in Roman times North Africa fed Rome. Bizarrely in the middle of the desert you still find ancient trees whose roots go down to the ground water level.

In Southern Algeria they grow quite a few crops, low cloud cover and high levels of sunlight, but it is watered from deep wells and I think that short sighted.

If the area was more stable I would certainly like to see what I could get involved in. It is in my opinion useful work and a good way to earn profit. From an EU point of view we need to end the increasingly myopic view of the world and other peoples. We get investment bubbles because people have no imagination and do not see other opportunities.

The only problem with increasing the amount of water and cultivation is the spread of diseases like Malaria.

Yes, I read something about deep wells and I agree that that would be most undesirable. Patience is needed, and careful nurturing of natural vegetation of native species to allow soils to enrich.