Forestation of the desert, and general terraforming thread

[chequita guevara]

Deserts are beautiful.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Deserts are beautiful.

I agree, but if I had to live around one I might tink otherwise. Maybe they can have desert preserves.

[MrFun]

Just don't get PETA all bent out of shape over those poor scorpions . . . . .

[chequita guevara]

Give it a rest.

[Sprayber]

I just though that if the people of the Middle East had trees, they could go on picknicks and play under the trees. Maybe it would relieve some of the pent up tension that plagues the region. What do you all think?

[chequita guevara]

Just cuz you have trees doesn't mean you want to go outside. Consider Florida.

[Az]

My understanding is that the population was limited in late bronze (after being substantial in early or middle bronze - i forget which) The area was forested in late bronze, and the forests were cleared and the terraces built in early iron - the land was agricultural throughout the israelite period - see tanach, as well as archaelogical sources - all those judean, ephraimite villages, etc were in the hill country. The low country was the home of the canaanite cities and commercial agriculture - the hill country was the self-sufficient israelite farmers with their relatively egalitarian social code (and of course when David conquered the low country he led to a more hierarachical royal society, opposed by prophets with roots in the old israelite hill country tradition)

IIRC, the terraces were built earlier and then something happened in late bronze that caused a steep decline in the population of the area. Then the population levels rised again, and a hundred or so years later, the first Israelite monarchy emerged.

Once again, I'd like to stress that if you look at culture, and pottery, most chances are that most of the people calling themselves the Israelites later on, during the 1st millenium BC were around all along, and stories like the exodus from Egypt, and earlier, the arrival from mesopotamia tell story of only a part of the population. It is also possible that the Egyptians indeed took many of the population as slaves down to egypt.

but, we're diverging from the topic.



On the topic of the preservation of the desert:

Believe me, the desert areas are hardly endangered. IIRC, more than 50% of Israel is deserted for example, so we've got plenty to work on. The issue is even more important in the area of Northen Africa.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Just cuz you have trees doesn't mean you want to go outside. Consider Florida.

That's because you got all those tall skinny things with nothing until you get up to the top. You need real trees like Oaks, Maples, and Pines, and Magnolias.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Give it a rest.

We can't forget the scorpions!

[Japher]

Scorpions can live in forests too

[Az]

don't you dare diss palm trees! they're great!!

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Azazel
don't you dare diss palm trees! they're great!!

For what exactly?

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Japher
Scorpions can live in forests too

That's just propaganda to mislead the PETA fanatics -- or maybe the PETA fanatics know sh*t about what they're blabbering about?

[Japher]

or maybe the PETA fanatics no sh*t about what they're blabbering about?

don't you dare diss palm trees! they're great!!

Worhtless fact:

Each year More people are killed by coconuts falling out the tree than are killed by sharks.

[MrFun]

wow -- two laugh posts from Japher in one day


Who am I, and what I have done with myself?