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I would never take a white girl up there. The risk of rape is very high, even half-casts are considered 'white' and are targetted. It's a place where your family could get gang-raped at gunpoint right in front of you. That's the sad reality of it. Guys don't get raped though, although you'll probably get held up depending on where you go. I've been held up 3 times in PNG and I didn't look rich or anything. Plus it's bad for malaria and snakes, and parasites etc, and there are so many basics that are very hard to get there. Antibiotics for instance. You could go alone no probs but you should never put your family in that kind of danger. One more thing, your family would HATE it up there. After a month or so, they would be begging to return to civilization. Have you ever thought of packing a van and going around Australia? You could find a nice little town somewhere that is just perfect for you and your family

CPM seed grown. Bridgesii seedlings. My first seedling graft which has taken off, T.Pachanoi KK2150. My favourite on the top right Roseii # 2 Mini greenhouse 1. Mini greenhouse 2. Some in pots, some in the ground. Cheers, Swiper.

Considered the mine industry jox? What does the mrs want to do? U know what they say, happy wife, happy life.

Apart from what people have already said about safety in PNG, there's also the question of whether you're white, and if so whether you have any serious connection to the place. If you are white and move there chances are you'll be living a life in which the vast majority of nationals are segregated from you by class, wealth (even if you're "poor"), and in many other ways. You'll be making a living where the vast majority of the population is barely able to do the same thing, and you'll be benefitting in significant ways because of your skin colour, education, citizenship, and so on. There is a lot of well justified resentment about whites and their colonial practices, and unless you're doing aid (or maybe political) work there I think it would be hard to justify why you should make a living in a country where the majority of indigenous inhabitants are unable to.

Good luck Joxy... I went there when I was 11. The whites were living in compounds, with security...can get a bit crazy. It's not Australia man...mind you http://en.wikipedia...._Cronulla_riots Come back up North...one more cockroach won't make a difference.

this standard mix must have had something extra special in it like spores i'd say!

Took me four and a half years roughly from a 6-inch nursery purchased seedling on Myoporum parvifolium (long dead), now growing on A.schlerophylla and A. microcarpa and probably many others including Trichocereus sp. Three fruits only (set of two pictured). No bugs inside, as can occur in the wild. Tart, very tasty.

Yes....safe for the workplace . I like to dabble a bit with different materials and make stuff. The latest material of choice is Jade stone. A friend sent me a Jade amulet which they had made, and straight away, i got the carving bug. I bought most of the rough Jade from eBay and I bought a Dremel, a few diamond tipped bits and some emery paper of various grades... and that was it. Jade comes in many shades, from dark to light. I like the dark Jade which looks black, but when cut thin enough and held up to a light scource, you can see that it is actually green. I find carving very therapeutic and i have spent many hours outside, like in a trance, carving stone. I have made friendship bracelets and anklets for kids, keyrings, pendants , and a few other bits and pieces. I didn't photograph all my work before i gave it away, but here is a taste of what i have made . I will add to this thread as i make new stuff . . Other stuff i have made was a 'trip simulator' AKA , a Kaleidoscope, made from brass. Then, not to forget the Native American style flute that i have already posted here at SAB, but adding it to my 'Show and Tell' thread . http://www.shaman-au...te&fromsearch=1 A bit rustic, but i enjoyed making this stuff, and that's all that really matters. I think i would enjoy doing a mosaic, like a mushroom or something. Amz EDIT: the pics have gone higgldy piggldy, but it was tricky trying to get them to all line up . * shrugs.

This was the Ipomea I found out at a old farmhouse, had a classic overgrown garden heaps of brugs that sort of thing. I'm leaning towards ipomea purpurea possibly hybridised with Ipomea nil at a hunch as the leaves are very variable, but I'm not sure. The flowers were much bigger on the original vine but this little specimen is in a hanging basket. Any way anyone got similar?

my sister in law had a boyfriend from PNG for awhile. when he went back she went out to join him for a couple ov weeks. apparently he wouldn't let her out ov his sight for fear ov her being raped. she said the food was shit to. very very bland, no herbs, spices, or chilli.

Lmao !!

nabraxas you lazy sod, you do realise if you had started walking to the bike shop when you first posted this yesterday you would probably be getting back about now, man god helps those who help themselves, and do you really think there is something wrong with your bike, this is a simulation man.

We, the undersigned organisations, understand that AusAID has been exploring options to expand partnerships between CSOs, mining companies and governments through the Australian Mining for Development Initiative (AMDI). While we support the provision of Australian Aid to Africa, and the provision of aid to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), it is our view that funding for CSOs should be entirely separate from any private sector projects, particularly involving mining companies. Rather we encourage support for communities to understand their rights, particularly on improving their capacity to decide whether or not they want large-scale developments and support education around the Right of Free, Prior and Informed Consent. We hereby call on the Australian Government to no longer promote mineral extraction as a means of community development, and refrain from allocating Aid funding in support of promoting extractive industries in Africa and other parts of the world. We write this in response to recent policy releases of the Australian government and AusAID in particular that promote mining as a means of development overseas, and through the implementation of the AMDI and other mining-related initiatives in the Australian aid program. Mining projects have long been associated with multiple negative development outcomes that are so well documented, the endowment of abundant natural resources is referred to commonly as a ‘resource curse’. Key attributes of the resource curse include forced displacement, human rights abuses and environmental damage, and a particular impact on Indigenous communities and a multitude of their rights including rights to life, livelihoods and self-determination. Recent reports have supported this position including in 2011 by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, that outlined how mineral extraction degrades water sources and land quality, irreversibly disrupts natural ecosystems, jeopardises the survival of distinct community cultures and traditional livelihoods, exposes communities to infectious diseases, and leads to an overall deterioration in the health of nearby communities. In 2008 a report by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights and Business included documentation on the existence of rife corporate-related human rights abuses in the extractive sector and negative impacts flowing from extractive activities on a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. Hence, we believe that AusAID’s total and uncritical support for the expansion of mining as a means of development is incompatible with development approaches that improve the environment, human rights and standards of living for affected communities. Furthermore, we are concerned that aid money that would be used for programs containing a demonstrable positive effect on alleviating poverty and realising fundamental human rights is being diverted towards promotion of mining and mining-related initiatives, including the AMDI. Whilst the AMDI claims to address the resource curse by promoting ‘sustainability’, we believe that some of the current projects being funded under the AMDI not only have limited ‘sustainable’ credentials they also actively promote the activities of Australian mining companies overseas, such as through a pilot project being run through the Direct Aid Program (DAP). We have recently become aware of this project that subsidises the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Australian mining companies that are members of the Australia Africa Mining Industry Group (AAMIG). There are a number of concerns that we, the undersigned, have about this program. Firstly we do not believe it is appropriate for Australian taxpayers money, through the aid budget, to subsidise the corporate and social responsibility initiatives of Australian mining companies operating in Africa and other countries. These companies should not use Australian aid agency support to displace their social responsibilities on to civil society, and Australian Government funding should not be used to create a competitive edge through the subsidisation of corporate social responsibility activities of Australian miners. Secondly, we are concerned that companies are using the reputation of AusAID to improve their corporate reputations and enhance their credibility, even though in some cases the companies involved have disreputable histories. For example, Paladin Energy Ltd has received funds through the DAP but have been implicated in serious labour and environmental abuses in Africa and are currently the subject of allegations of corruption in Malawi. Finally, we question the credibility of AAMIG as a body that says it intends to facilitate CSR initiatives in member organisations and strengthen their ‘social license to operate’, and AusAID’s relationship with them. The current Chair of AAMIG is the former CEO of Anvil Mining, Bill Turner. Under his tenure, Anvil Mining were complicit in grave human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the killing of over 100 people, illegal detentions, lootings and torture, and Anvil have continued to fight against civil society organisations that are still trying to bring them to justice. We have absolutely no confidence that this organisation is capable of producing positive corporate and social outcomes for communities that are in and surround the vicinity of Australian-owned mine sites in Africa. We, the undersigned organisations, ask the Australian Government to stop using aid funds to support the CSR initiatives of Australian mining companies. We reiterate our position that it is not the place of the Australian aid industry to subsidise the corporate and social responsibility initiatives of wealthy Australian mining companies who have a legal, if not moral, obligation to act in a responsible manner. We further request that the Australian Government refrain from using aid funds for these programs in the future, and concentrate on direct support for local civil society organisations, and their constituent communities. We urge the Australian Government to: Cease allocating aid funding to support the mineral extraction operations of private and for-profit mining and mining services companies, particularly those with interests in Africa and other developing countries. Refocus aid spending in Africa to support the realisation of the human rights of communities as well as strong, transparent, informed community decision-making processes and grievance mechanisms. Develop a transparent reporting system for Australian mining companies operating in Africa. Review their partnership with AAMIG, in light of a commitment to ensure Australian aid funding does not support the operations of Australian mining companies. Refrain from using the aid program as a vehicle to expand the interests of the Australian mining industry overseas, including through the financial support of academic institutions that promote the expansion of the mining industry into developing countries. Signed AID/WATCH Mineral Policy Institute ESCR-Net Corporate Accountability Working Group (CAWG)3 MiningWatch Canada ActNow! PNG Deep Sea Mining Campaign (an affiliate of Friends of the Earth Australia) Proyecto de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, A.C. (ProDESC) The Jus Semper Global Alliance Urgewald http://www.aidwatch.org.au/news/aidwatch-open-letter-to-bob-carr-australian-aid-must-not-support-the-expansion-of-australian-mi

Here's a closeup of one of the active growing crested monstrous areas

Ayahuasca banisteriopsis "Cascabel" (personal photo - do not reproduce) Called "Rattle" ayahuasca because it's bark looks like the skin of a jungle snake in the genus Crotalus (perhaps?). Interestingly, from what I can tell, there are no rattle snakes in the jungle so the actual snake it is named after may be another type of pit viper without the rattle! "Genus Crotalus: The most common representative of this genus is the famous Rattle Snake. However, there are no Rattlesnakes in the low Rain Forest areas of Peru, but there exists a non venomous snake that locally goes under the name of Cascabel Falso or False Rattle snake, which looks very much like the real thing but is not venomous." The rattlesnake Crotalus durissus lives on forest margins and adjacent savannahs. Crotalus durissus looks like this: There is a similarity there. Found this: "Mestizos in the Upper Amazon generally refer to the various Bothrops species as jergón in Quechua or as vibora in Spanish. The Spanish term cascabel, rattle, usually refers to the genus Crotalus, the rattlesnake, which is not found in neotropical environments, but rather in dry habitats such as the savannahs in Guyana. In the Upper Amazon, the term cascabel may be used to refer to juveniles of the genus Bothrops." From http://www.singingto...8/04/snakebite/ I.e. Bothrops atrox, from Peru: ... Cascabel: (Personal photo - do not reproduce) Further to that, if my memory does not deceive me, this strain of ayahuasca is referred to as Cascabel euphemistically, substituted for Thunder (i.e. Rattle = Thunder), because this strain of caapi brings the thunder, and in that sense Cascabel has dual meaning, identifying the plant from its appearance and also from its quality during ceremony. In my experience equating this plant with thunder or bringing thunder is apropos, indeed! Micro.

here's an old pic of one of my potted scops. No fancy fertilizers or anything. It's in the ground now.

I think DMT can send you psychotic in the same way a car crash or a traumatizing event or a NDE can send you psychotic. NDE is probably a good example... someone almost dies, experiences something special and their life is changed forever. Psychotic? well they wouldn't fall within the normal spectrum, so they're experiencing a personality disorder.

Salvia "costa rica blue" just noticed its coming into flower. also 4 cuttings from the Van houti strain took well and are growing nicely. I'll propagate a few more and pass them around in a couple months.

now wtf is a kiwi cactus? thank you all incognito, pompous enthusiastic sagitarius, I am not all that!! but thanks , thank you all guys I am living with someone now, things are changing, life's changing, stuff is nice and interesting for me right now, that's why, I think, I dont write so much and hey, this place , among other factors, but especially this place has given me tremendous feedback and self-confidence. love you guys Now that we're talking, I have totally forgotten all the freebies I have promised. xcuse the delays, I am a scattered MF cheers

Cool. So flames & skulls are out of the question ?

Hi Stillman, yes the reason some cacti dont flower in some tropical regions is because they dont receive a similar cold and dark period in winter. Just take a look at the climate in the andes and try to mimique it. Temperatures there can get substantially cold, even down to short nightfrosts of -5 to +5 degree celsius. Its not a co-incidence most Trich´s are able to withstand frost to minus 7 degrees and some maybe even a bit more for short periods of time. I guess you´ll need to rubb your cacti with some icecubes.

Really? I did several electrical engineering courses and never came across the ether. "Just because todays science cannot quantify something does not deny its existence." Again, I invoke Bertrand Russell's Celestial Teapot. Science cannot, at this stage, dismiss it so we therefore cannot deny its existence. It's out there! Same with underpants gnomes, unicorns.. Again, you don't need to invoke "chi energy" or some other equally non-descriptive mystical thing to explain brick breaking. Science is more than capable of that: http://discovermagazine.com/2008/the-body/11-turn-your-fist-into-a-blocking-breaking-machine