Bottled Water: Is it worth it?

Are we addicted to bottled water? What did we do prior to bottled water being sold?  Is it better for us than tap water? In the United States, bottled water costs between $0.25 and $2 per bottle while tap water costs less than US$0.01. In 1999, according to a NRDC study, U.S. consumers paid between 240 and 10,000 times more per unit volume for bottled water than for tap water.  Typically 90 percent or more of the cost paid by bottled water consumers goes to things other than the water itself -- bottling, packaging, shipping, marketing, retailing, other expenses, and profit.  What are your thoughts and opinions? I will discuss the bottled water story for military forces in Afghanistan. It may change your mind about bottled water!!!

Driving in Afghanistan: Some things will never Change!

So, what happened was...the picture and story tells it all....I was driving and drove into a T Barrier; damaged the tire and the front end of the 2006 4 Runner.. so, the good SFC Smith, our NCOIC (Non-commissioned officer in charge) did a news story on it. NCOs help us, poor Officers stay in place and cover for us when stuff go wrong. I need 3 or 4 NCOs to stay out of trouble. Smith and my team wanted to highlight my deficiency. I attempted to hide it, but my battle buddy dimed me out to Smith.  So, Smith did what a good NCO does gave me a hard time and helped me repair the truck. My co-pilot, the truck, and I survived. My battle buddy is confident that he is more likely to die from my driving than any other means. Any one that has ever been in my car with me can confirm this....The good thing is that the speed limit is only 5 miles per hour (see the sign in the picture).  Wow, those T Barriers! Mom, we are in great shape, no injuries, only my pride.....however my team will never let me live this one down.

Bazaar..Saturday Life in Kandahar, Afghanistan

Last Saturday, I decided to go to the bazaar after taking a break from it last week. Every Saturday we have a medium-sized bazaar where Afghans come in to sell everything from blankets, booted movies, rugs, and other strange stuff.

As soon as you steo into the bazaar area young Afghan boys will attempt you trying to sell Afghanis, Iraqi money, hand necklaces, you name it. "Mister, mister, please stop." They also say that the price they are giving you is a "special" price..."special price for you...please Mister stop", with very sad face, what else is there to do? but...keep walking.  Sorry...we do stop at times, but there is only so much Afghani (local money) that one can buy.

Given that the money here has changed ever decade with each new government, Taliban money, Afghani, etc , etc.  After a while, it is impossible to know how bad of a "special" price it is. Nevertheless, week after week we visit the Bazaar in search of something interesting. It is possible to find all kinds of things for dirt cheap, but the trick is knowing how to haggle down to a good price.

If you stop by a booth, you will buy something, yes yes you will.  If you look too long you will buy something, if you talk it is a bought item in the making. The best thing to do is offer a very low price, "I will give you $5.00 for that rugs!", this is normally followed by a pause, "you can have that one for $10.00 it is a very special price, just for you, Mister" (it is a very small version of the rug or item that you initially wanted).  I guess if you are going to take advantage of someone, going into it with "Mister", is an excellent start.  However if you start to walk away without the rug, "the price is extremely special, lol!".  This is how it goes in Kandahar, Afghanistan at the bazaar.

I think that Soldiers get as much fun out of it as the locals, haggling is a cultural thing here, some Americans are better at it then others.

Geography of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked nation in south-central Asia. Strategically located at the crossroads of major north-south and east-west trade routes, it has attracted a succession of invaders including Alexander the Great, in the fourth century B.C. Currently, the United States continues the global war on terrorism here or whatever the new name is..

The Hindu Kush mountains, running northeast to southwest across the country, divide it into three major regions: 1) the Central Highlands, which form part of the Himalayan Mountains and account for roughly two thirds of the country’s area; 2) the Southwestern Plateau, which accounts for one-fourth of the land; and 3) the smaller Northern Plains area, which contains the country’s most fertile soil.

Land elevations generally slope from northeast to southwest, following the general shape of the Hindu Kush massif, from its highest point in the Pamir Mountains near the Chinese border to the lower elevations near the border with Iran. To the north, west, and southwest there are no mountain barriers to neighboring countries. The northern plains pass almost imperceptibly into the plains of Turkmenistan. In the west and southwest, the plateaus and deserts merge into those of Iran.

Fields of Afghanistan: What is growing below US?

What is Afghanistan's cash crop? The Afghan population has nothing to grow, no water to irrigage any food crops, so they grow opium that needs almost no water. Their whole life is built around the few dollars they get from this crop.

Senior US military and civilian officials believe the Taliban cannot be defeated and good government in Afghanistan cannot be established without cutting off the money generated by Afghanistan’s opium industry, says a US Senate report released on Tuesday.

The report notes that the illegal Afghan drug industry supplies more than 90 per cent of the world’s heroin and generates an estimated $3 billion a year in profits. As I flew over I thought to myself what is growing in the below? What are your thoughts? Maybe the Afghan population could raise crawfish? I would really like a bowl of crawfish  etouffee. Oh, yes they would need water to do it!

Afghanistan from above

Afghanistan is landlocked and mountainous, with plains in the north and southwest. The highest point is Nowshak at 24,557 ft above sea level.  As mentioned previously Afghanistan is very dry, but as you can see there is water, this beautiful lake resembles "Lake Meade". 

Yes, hanging off an aircraft may look dangerous to some, but those of us that have jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft, this is a good view. Why be seated in the front when you can see much better from the back.  Any body got some popcorn? 

 

Flying in the Chinook over Afghanistan

Yesterday was an exciting day,  flying in the Chinook!  The Chinook is used for inserting troops into fire bases and bringing food, water, and ammunition. It is also the casualty evacuation (casevac) aircraft of choice in the British Army. The Chinook is an excellent mode of travel and is particularly useful in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan where high altitudes and temperatures can be extreme.

Flying in this dual rotored aircraft was amazing and the view of the Afghanistan countryside is breath taking to say the least.

What is it like in Kandahar? weather, terrain, etc

Did I mention the "poo pond", yes the smell is not good.

Kandahar is a trading center for sheep, wool, cotton, silk, and tobacco, also produces a major global supply of pomegranates. The city has factories for canning, drying, and packing fruit, although I have not visited them (I am sure that the tour lines are not long if you are interested in checking them out, good luck!). So you ask how will I get to Kandahar. No problem!

Kandahar International Airport has been used by the NATO forces to deliver troops and humanitarian supplies since late 2001; the airport re-opened for civilian use in late 2006 (so If you would like to plan a vacation here there are flights, good luck getting a travel visa and a hotel when you arrive). I would offer you a room at my place, but I have 5 roommates in a 20' x 20', so space is a bit limited.

Kandahar has an arid, continental climate characterized by little precipitation and high variation between summer and winter temperatures. (basically this place is a desert! hot with very little rain and water (not many lakes and rivers (at least with water in them) etc, some in the southwest.

The Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan, stretching over 1,000 kilometers. It descends from the Hindu Kush Mountains in Wardak Province, west of Kabul – passing through Bamyan, Uruzgan, Helmand, Nimruz and crossing into Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran.

Summers start in mid-May, last until late-September, and are extremely dry and hot (can get over 100 degrees F and stay there for many days). However it was quite cold and rainy when I first arrived here (global warming is affecting ever corner of the world, no earthquakes at the moment, however last year a moderate one occurred in Northern Afghanistan).

We have an Asian dining facility which serves some local cuisine and other foods from Asia and Southeastern Asia, lots of curry dishes, vegetarian dishes, lamb, etc. I have not had "dinner reservations" at a local restaurant, maybe next time I visit Afghanistan. I will have to trust that the food in the dining facility on base is representative of the true thing.

Interesting Fact:

The people of Kandahar have a reputation in Afghanistan as very attractive. For example, Afghan girls usually prefer Kandahari boys over others, so naturally this makes the non-Kandahari men jealous. So given that Afghani men are very jealous of Kandahari men (yes they are Afghans), I do not think that many Americans or other Westerners will have much luck with local women, at least to live and tell about it.

I recall from my college days that the local men in my college town were very jealous of the college men dating "their women". Unfortunately, many of these situations resulted in fights and in rare cases shootings.

Connecting People: Walking with Giants in Unknown Places

Although, I grew up in a relatively remote corner of Southwest Louisiana, I developed warm and genuine interest in people from all walks of life. It all started when my grandmother gave me my first set of Funk & Wagnall's encyclopedias (For my 4th grade friends, encyclopedias were the 'Internet" to us over 30 years old). I recall reading those books for hours on end; fascinated by the places, people, photographs, and the amazing facts of the world!

Reading anything and everything that I could get my hands on, in part, has contributed to me being able to connect with people regardless of their nationality, political interests, or part of the world that they happened to have came from. Observing and talking with Giants (role models) and the elderly (more mature) people around me over the years, has been key in my development and comfort of being in unknown places with different faces.

As a kid, I spent too much time asking about the lives and ideas of others. Because I was fully engaged with whomever I was "interviewing (I asked far too many questions)", the next time that we talked or saw each other I remembered the minor details of what had been previously discussed.

Recently, "obviously when you are serving time (As we refer to Kandahar)" there is time to think, ponder, reponder (Is that a word?, reponder). I have recalled many of the exchanges that I have had with others over the years. I have had many conversations with people from many corners of the world. Many of these interactions were the best thing that happened that day.

I have always enjoyed connecting people together that could possibly do more for society by working together. Spotting special gifts in people is a talent that I feel has allowed me to help move ideas and various agendas along (at least in my mind). Nevertheless, I have personally fallen short at times of not fully committing to situations, activities, and relationships alike; mainly due to over tasking myself.

There are organizations doing great things like improving the lives of millions by attempting to eliminate infectious and chronic diseases, improve educational and political infrastructure, etc.

I am happy to be a small part of many concerted efforts to promote better health, education, and welfare in our global society. My personal contributions have been more effective, in part, by helping to bring the right people together and walking with Giants of our past, present, and future in unknown places!

We cannot achieve our goals personal or as a society alone, connecting people and building relationships are essential. We are trying to do that here daily.

What would you like to know about my experience here?

BEWARE...about 99.5% of my experiences, well I will have to "kill if I told you (how many things have you heard that..well do not make me") ha ha, but if you would like to know about the weather, soil, mountains, food (cheeseburgers and meals ready to eat (MREs)), etc...I can discuss it with you.

The sewage treatment facility....A.K.A. "Da Poo Pond"

Origins of sewage..Sewage is created by residences, institutions, and commercial and industrial establishments. Raw influent (sewage) includes household waste liquid from toilets, baths, showers, kitchens, sinks, and so forth that is disposed of via sewers. This is great, in America most of us do not see it, smell it, or think about it. The sewage process is transparent, which is a great thing!

Well, well, we are not so lucky! If one get the right (or wrong) downwind, a strange facial expression will follow. We joked in Boston about the "big dig (10 Billion dollar highway project took 10 years), we said that Boston was the only construction site with its own Airport...well well, Kandahar is the only sewage treatment facility with its own airport!

Early stages of sewer processing will tend to produce smelly gasses, hydrogen sulfide being most common in generating complaints from nearby areas. Yes yes, we complain to one another and aviod walking or driving any where near "Da Poo Pond". Unfortunately, some of the people live within a stone throw away from it.

It could be worst...imagine what it would be like without a sewage treatment facility...see there is always a brite side to any story!

"Virtual Teaching" Live from Afghanistan

As many of you are aware, since 2000 I have had the opportunity to teach distance learning or virtual courses. As a result, I have been extremely busy with my day job and my night job over the last several days. It is midterm exam time; and time for many excuses "why I have not scored well on the assignments and exams" thus far.

For me, teaching has always allowed me to connect with students from across the globe. In past semesters I taught Soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq and periodically I would receive an email, "Sir or Dr. Carter, I apologize for not taking the exam, but we lost power on the base in xxxx" or " Sir, I was out on patrol and did not get the opportunity to finish my assignment, but I will". These are the types of stories that I encountered from my brothers deployed defending our Nation. I am sure that all is these were valid excuses (smile!). Nevertheless, they all deserved extra time given the situation that confronted them daily.

So when I received the order to deploy to Afghanistan, I decided to continue my teaching efforts. Nevermind the fact I knew that I would miss teaching, this opportunity would provide me with a chance to experience what it is like to be the "deployed instructor".

So, I am here teaching 4 microbiology courses! Yes, it is challenging but a rewarding experience. "If it was not challenging I would not do it!".Nevertheless, it is possible that one of my students maybe located here on the same base, or one nearby.

So with that said, if I get an email "Sir, I am in Kandahar Afghanistan and we lost power for three days or the internet was down". I will be able to respond with "that is not possible, I am emailing you from next door".


God grant me the Serenity to accept the things, I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And Wisdom to know the difference.

I know that I am having an impact on lives of my students (at least the ones that finish the course with an A, have uttered such things, I am sure that the ones that finished my courses with an F, have uttered other things).

Although, we do not see it daily, I am sure that we are also having an impact on the students and young folks in here in Afghanistan. Maybe one day I will have a student from Kandahar in one of my online course, that is change that we can believe in and hope for.