Qaybdiid's clan has no blame. Warlords always find young followers no matter what.

Baashi, saxib good to see you back from Nairobi. A while ago I heard Dalsan "waa kacday waxaana hadda la bilaabay xawilaad cusub oo layiraahdo Qaran. lol. Nimankii madaxda ahaa oo dadku u arkayeen niman wadaado ah ayaa mid walba lacagtii uu hayey la aamusay. Markii la weydiiyeyna waxay yiraahdeen waxba meesha ma yaalaan oo aniga ayayba lacagi iga maqan tahay." Wasn't Dalsan created by Amal defectors in the first place?

lol@Zidane's mother. I am hearing it was a racial slur. In the 1998 world cup, a Saudi player insulted Zidane's Berber tribe. We have seen what happened. Zidane hails from the Berber tribe of (Kabyle) and the Berbers are not Arabs. Infact the Berbers make up a good portion of Algeria's population. The origin of the Berbers in North Africa can be traced back to East Africa. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE ZIDANE FROM A DISGRACEFUL EXIT IS FOR HIM NOT TO RETIRE AND PLAY EURO 2008. THIS MOMENT WILL JUST DIE OUT AND HIS LEGACY WILL NOT BE TIED TO THIS DRAMA.

Zidane has anger problems and I think he ruined his reputation with that violent move. He let his team down and he didn't exit with grace. So sad to see such a great player not controlling his own self. Italians were determined to win but they had no game. They were outplayed throughout the game. Very selfish move from the captain. Italy won which is what matters in the end.

No Ethiopian troops for Somalia By Agencies ( Saturday, July 08, 2006) Ethiopian troops will not form part of a possible peacekeeping force in Somalia, a diplomat has said. The proposed force has been firmly rejected by the Islamist group in control of the capital, Mogadishu, and large protest rallies have been held. Kenya's ambassador to Somalia Mohammed Affey said that any troops would only come from Sudan and Uganda. He was speaking after talks in Mogadishu. Somalia's weak, UN-backed government wants foreign troops to be deployed. Mr Affey also said that the proposed peacekeeping force would not be disarming Somali militias. He said they would help the government rebuild security structures. Somalia has not had an effective national government in 15 years. The question of foreign peacekeepers is one of the key issues set to be discussed when the Islamists and the government hold talks on 15 July in Sudan. "We believe that alien forces are both unnecessary and counterproductive," leaders of the Supreme Islamic Courts Council said in a written statement distributed to Mr Affey and other diplomats from the African Union, the Arab League and East Africa's regional body, Igad, in Mogadishu on Thursday. "The Somali problem is a political one, and cannot be resolved by military means," the statement said. The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) says it opposes any foreign troops but Ethiopia's possible involvement is most controversial. Ethiopia and Somalia fought a border war in the 1970s, which Ethiopia won. The UIC has said that Ethiopian troops are already in Baidoa, where the government is based - a claim denied by the government and Ethiopia. In the 1990s, Ethiopia helped President Abdullahi Yusuf defeat an Islamist militia led by one of the UIC's leaders, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. Mr Affey said that even in the second stage of a possible peace mission, the "frontline states" - Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti - would only be involved in logistics. "If troops have to come in, they will come from Uganda and Sudan." However, a Ugandan army spokesman has said no troops would be deployed until it is safe to do so. http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=37569

Originally posted by Nomadic_Princess: Portugal was the better team in that match. It seems our house Princess paid attention the last 30 minutes of the game on which Portugal was just attacking. Attack doesn't make you the better team in the match. Defending your lead is the most important. Brazilian World Cup legend Leonardo : "Portugal's midfield was weak and there was no pressure in attack. At the end of the match they tried a little bit more with Luis Figo, Helder Postiga and Simao Sabrosa and Ronaldo. But France were the better team and they managed the result in the second half. France deserved to arrive in the final - France deserved to win."

lol

Meles describes UIC as "mixed bag" "Our beef is with Al-Itihad Nemrud Berhane Ethiopian Reporter July 2, 2006 _________________________________________________ Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said that Ethiopia did not view the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) which recently took control of most parts of Mogadishu, as not a "homogeneous entity" but one comprised of people with differing motives. Meles who held a press conference at his office on Wednesday said that Ethiopia did not in general consider the UIC as a threat but those elements of the Al-Itihad and those who are advancing Eritrea's cause to destabilize Ethiopia. "We are aware that the Union of Islamic Courts is a Union of desperate forces. There are those Somalis who have supported the establishment of such courts because of the desperation that came as a result of the absolute chaos and lawlessness in Mogadishu. So, in a sense, for much of the supporters of these courts, the issue is one of order and stability. We understand their desire and we have nothing against that desire," Meles said. He however added that there were within that union whose specific agenda had nothing to do with Somalia. These, Meles said, were the "messenger boys of Eritrea," and "were actively involved in the fighting in Mogadishu." Meles said that Ethiopia holds it as threat that not only is Al-Itihad a member of the union but that Al-Itihad is also at a position of leadership in it. "Our beef is with Al-Itihad-the internationally recognized terrorist group. It so happens that at the moment the new leadership of the union of the courts is dominated by this particular group. Indeed the chairman of the new council that they have established is a certain colonel who happens to be the head of Al-Itihad," he said. Last Saturday, Hassan Dahir Aweys was appointed head of the council - made up of 88 clerics - which took control of the lawless capital Mogadishu and other key towns. Aweys is the founder of Al-Itihad Al-Islami- a group that was weakened after retaliatory attacks against it by Ethiopia. The council named two other hardline clerics, Omar Iman Abubakar and Abdullahi Ali Afrah, as deputy chairmen while Muhamoud Sheikh Ibrahim Suleh -- who declared jihad or holy war on the US-backed warlord alliance was made secretary general. The council which was initially known as Council of Islamic Courts of Mogadishu is now named by its leaders as the Council of Islamic Courts of Somalia (CICS). "The threat posed to Ethiopia by the dominance of the Islamic Courts-by Al-Itihad is obvious. As many of you would remember Al-Itihad had been involved in a serious of terrorist outrages in our capital," Meles said. Al-Itihad in the late 90s carried out several attacks on Ethiopia including one attempt at the life of the late Abdulmajid Hussein who was the then Minister of Transport and Communication. Meles denied allegations that Ethiopia had sent its troops into Somalia, but said that his government would not hesitate to defend itself if the Union of Islamic Courts gave it reason to. Ethiopia has beefed up its troops along its borders with Somalia. With regards to the support to the Transitional Federal Government, Meles said that Ethiopia's position remains the same as the international community. Source:Ethiopian Reporter

^^I think France will win. They play well when everyone writes them off.

This is an apparent marmarsiiyo. That youngster looks just like my little cousin. I see a typical somali kid there. It seems to me the wadaado are loosing the propaganda war. Who is smuggling such harmless videos out of the country? Clearly the CIA has its foot on the ground there.

For the 100 years of FIFA, Pelé - the legendary Brazillian centre forward - has chosen 100 living footballers that represents the best, most outstanding, creative players of their generation. The selected players have been shot specifically for this event by the world's leading photographers. http://www.the-100.com I noticed France has the second most "greatest" players list. Brazil 15 Carlos Alberto Cafu Roberto Carlos Falcao Junior Pelé Rivaldo Rivellino Romario Ronaldinho Ronaldo Nilton Santos Djalma Santos Socrates Zico France 14 Eric Cantona Marcel Desailly Didier Deschamps Just Fontaine Thierry Henry Raymond Kopa Jean-Pierre Papin Robert Pires Michel Platini Lilian Thuram Marius Tresor David Trezeguet Patrick Vieira Zinedine Zidane Italy 14 Roberto Baggio Franco Baresi Giuseppe Bergomi Giampiero Boniperti Gianluigi Buffon Giacinto Facchetti Paolo Maldini Alessandro Nesta Alessandro Del Piero Gianni Rivera Paolo Rossi Francesco Totti Christian Vieri Dino Zoff

The French are getting too cocky again. They really didn't want the ball ... or pay much attention to Portugal. They let these boys have the ball all second half. Great defending however ... which shows you they can shut down the greasy boys. Final game is going to be hot. Zidane seems exhausted. Nuune cheer up. lol.

Xiinoow, the Courts should not waste the opportunity to make peace with the TFG, and bring ultimate peace to the country. The same old “anti-Yeey†rhetoric will not bring peace to this suffering nation. What the courts need is to go beyond this narrow playing meadow and into a more broad thinking about the future of this country. They have a tremendous opportunity to, in good time, govern this country. Such priceless opportunity shouldn’t be wasted on the same old mindless games of “Yeey-hating†as that is becoming more and more evident. It will eventually turn into a tribal squabbling, and that is no progress ... back to square one. The ICU has done an excellent job in cleaning up Mogadishu. Let them now shift the game and work with all the parties (the TFG being first) to construct a lasting peace.

^^ Owen Hargreaves was brilliant. The man kept running, passing and fighting for the ball against Portugal. He is Canadian.

A very young French fan looks on.

Zidane. Brilliant.

Tuesday I was in Chicago on a business trip and I was stunned to find out everyone at the company I was visiting was cheering for France. I didn't understand why. There is so much French "hating" in America, I didn't expect such reaction. But then the people I saw were true soccer fans. Some had relatives who play in the MLS and Europe. If you are a true soccer fan, you do appreciate Zidane and his magic. Excellent game. My team is on a roll. Bring on fatty.

The Oil Sands Of Alberta Where Black Gold And Riches Can Be Found In The Sand (Page 1 of 3)June 25, 2006 (CBS) This story originally aired on Jan. 22, 2006. There’s an oil boom going on right now. Not in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait or any of those places, but 600 miles north of Montana. In Alberta, Canada, in a town called Fort McMurray where, in the dead of winter, the temperature sometimes zooms up to zero. The oilmen up there aren’t digging holes in the sand and hoping for a spout. They’re digging up dirt — dirt that is saturated with oil. They’re called oil sands, and if you’ve never heard of them then you’re in for a big surprise because the reserves are so vast in the province of Alberta that they will help solve America’s energy needs for the next century. Within a few years, the oil sands are likely to become more important to the United States than all the oil that comes to us from Saudi Arabia. Correspondent Bob Simon reports. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, vehicles that look like prehistoric beasts move across an arctic wasteland, extracting the oil sands. There is so much to scoop, so much money to be made. There are 175 billion barrels of proven oil reserves here. That’s second to Saudi Arabia’s 260 billion but it’s only what companies can get with today’s technology. The estimate of how many more barrels of oil are buried deeper underground is staggering. "We know there’s much, much more there. The total estimates could be two trillion or even higher," says Clive Mather, Shell's Canada chief. "This is a very, very big resource." Very big? That’s eight times the amount of reserves in Saudi Arabia. The oil sands are buried under forests in Alberta that are the size of Florida. The oil here doesn’t come gushing out of the sand the way it does in the Middle East. The oil is in the sand. It has to be dug up and processed. Rick George, the Colorado-born CEO of Suncor Energy, took 60 Minutes into his strip mine for a tour. He says the mine will be in operation for about 25 years. The oil sands look like a very rich, pliable kind of topsoil. Why doesn’t oil come out when squeezed? "Well, because it’s not warm enough. If you add this to hot water you’ll start the separation process and you’ll see the oil come to the top of the water and you’ll see sand drop to the bottom," George says. It may look like topsoil but all it grows is money. It didn’t always. The oil sands have been in the ground for millions of years, but for decades, prospectors lost millions of dollars trying to squeeze the oil out of the sand. It simply cost too much. T. Boone Pickens, a legendary Texas oil tycoon, was working Alberta’s traditional oil rigs back in the '60s and remembers how he and his colleagues thought mining for oil sands was a joke. "Here we are sitting there having a drink after work and somebody said this isn’t going to, it isn’t possible. It’ll all have to be subsidized to a level, said, before they’d make money you’d have to have $5 oil," Pickens says laughing. "We never thought it would happen." But then $40 a barrel happened and the oil sands not only made sense, they made billions for the people digging them. But it wasn’t just the price of oil that changed the landscape, it was the toys. That’s what they call the giant trucks and shovels that roam the mines. Everything about the oil industry has always been big. It’s characterized by bigness, from the pumps to the personalities. But up here in Alberta, it’s frankly ridiculous. The mine operates the world's biggest truck. It’s three stories high and costs $5 million. It carries a load of 400 tons of oil sands, which means, at today’s oil prices, each load is worth $10,000 dollars. What it’s like to drive one of these monsters? At the foot of a tire, we asked the driver, Jim Locke. "You have 14 steps going up, and at my house you have 14 steps to the bedroom. So it’s like going upstairs in my house, sitting on my bed and driving the house downtown," says Locke. But getting downtown is just the beginning. The oil sands then go into a plant. They’re heated in a cell, which separates the oil from the sand. The result looks like something out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. This oil froth is then sent to an upgrader and eventually to a refinery. Asked if the processed oil is as good as that pumped in Saudi Arabia, Mather says, "Absolutely as good as. In fact, it even trades as a, at a premium because it’s high quality crude oil." (CBS) The capital of the oil sands frenzy is a frontier town called Fort McMurray, which isn’t in the middle of nowhere. It’s north of nowhere and colder than the Klondike, but a boomtown just the same. The local hockey team is called the "Oil Barons." They’re on a winning streak. Is this comparable to a gold rush? "I think it’s bigger than a gold rush. We’re expecting $100 billion over the next 10 years to be invested in this area — $100 billion in a population that, currently, is 70,000 people," says Brian Jean, who represents the region in Canada’s parliament. Pickens, who once scoffed at the oil sands, is one of those investors. He runs a hedge fund in Dallas and is now a true believer. "We’re managing $5 billion here. And, about 10 percent of it is in the oil sands. So, it’s the largest single investment we have," Pickens says. And if oil sands are the answer for investors, does Pickens think the oil sands are the answer for the United States? "Oh, I think so," he says. Most of those lumbering trucks are on their way to the gas tanks of America. A million barrels a day are now coming out of the oil sands and oil production is expected to triple within a decade. It won’t replace Middle Eastern oil but at that point it will be the single largest source of foreign oil for the United States, even bigger than Saudi Arabia, which sends a million and a half barrels a day to America. Greg Stringham, who works for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, says surprisingly, that Washington has only been paying attention for the "last couple of years." Stringham often lobbies for the oil sands in Washington. He says that in Alberta you don’t have to look for the oil sands — the earth moves. "When it comes to exploration in the oil sands, you can’t drill a dry hole. It’s there," he says. "We know where it is. They’ve outlined it. You don’t have any risk. But other conventional sectors around the world, there’s a huge exploration risk." The exploration risks are the least of it. Much of the world’s crude is in the Middle East where the instability is deeper than the oil. When Alberta’s blue-eyed sheiks took to Wall Street last summer in their Stetsons to drum up support for the oil sands, their message seemed to be, "If you can’t trust Alberta, who can you trust?" "Alberta is a very good place to do business. It’s a very stable environment," says Mather. The bonus for Canadians, aside from the treasure, is the notion that Americans might have to start treating them with a little less condescension. "With their oil, I think we’re going to need them a lot more than they need us," says Pickens. "We may appear in Canada to be a mouse compared to the elephant down south in terms of diplomacy or politics. But in terms of resources, we are mighty equals," says Mather. There have been grumblings out of Ottawa that Canada should consider using the oil sands as leverage in its serious trade disputes with the United States. Does Brian Jean think America is taking Canada for granted on the oil sands? "Absolutely. And I think most people, most Canadians believe that," he says. And the Canadians have alternatives. The Chinese, for example, are just dying to get a piece of the sandbox. "I’ve been contacted personally by Chinese delegates that want to get into the plant sites here and want to see and want to invest," says Jean. Asked what he thinks about the Chinese interest in the oil sands up in Alberta, Pickens says, "At first I thought they were tire kickers. But I think they’re serious buyers." (CBS) And the millions of Chinese who have moved from their bicycles to traffic jams are driving up the demand for oil. It’s virtually insatiable and the Canadians want to step up production quickly. What’s holding them back is labor — the shortage of it. Brian Jean says another 100,000 people are needed in Fort McMurray. That’s why one oil company has built a runway to fly workers daily from civilization to Fort McMurray. But why would anyone want to come work in a place where temperatures plummet to 40 below and the sun sets shortly after it rises in the long winter? Well, perhaps because the oil companies pay some of the highest salaries in North America. Take Josh Lichti, who says he could be making $120,000 by the time he is 22. "It’s amazing," he says. But even if workers come flocking, the oil companies still have other problems. Creating energy from oil sands requires so much energy that the oil companies wind up spiking greenhouse gas emissions. "And they do it in volumes that exceed any other production of oil crude anywhere on the planet," says Elizabeth May, the director of the Sierra Club of Canada. She takes issue not only with what the oil sands are doing to the atmosphere, but to the land. The oil companies, environmentalists say, are digging up an entire province. Take a helicopter ride over the mines and you’ll think you’re flying over the moon after a moonquake. "One of the reasons they can be mined the way they’ve been mined is the out of sight, out of mind aspect of it. And your film crew is one of the few that’s gone in there to look at how devastating this is," May says. Even money men, like Pickens, have noticed. "Can’t argue with it. I mean, there’s no question that, that they’ve got a mess up there. But I do think they’ll take care of it over time," he says. The oil companies say they will reduce greenhouse gasses and they point out they are required by Canadian law to refill old mines and plant new trees, and that is happening — slowly. One company, Syncrude, has even introduced bison to land that once was a barren pit. Rick George of Suncor Energy insists in the future people won’t recognize the mines. "So what you see today is a mine. What you’ll see 10 years from now is a replanted forest," he says. "You’re telling me that if I come here, it’s gonna be pretty?" Simon asks. "Absolutely," George says. "These sites will all be going back. Now we’ll be minin’ at a different location at that point. "This will look forested when we get done with it in 20 years time." But there is a larger question that not only environmentalists are asking: will the availability of an enormous supply of secure oil right next door mean America will have little incentive to reduce its dependence on oil? "What Canada’s doing," says May, "is continuing to feed the U.S. addiction to fossil fuels, instead of being the kinda friend who says, 'Let’s make a helpful intervention here.' We're acting as the supplier of a drug fix to the U.S., while all the time saying, 'Just say no.' But we keep selling it." But unless the Chinese go back to bicycles and Americans trash their SUVs, there will be buyers — for oil anywhere, no matter how it’s found or mined. Right now, Canada has become the land of opportunity for oilmen. They will tell you there is little else on the horizon. "Bob, if you take a tablet and put on it where is supply gonna come from that we don’t know about today. And you put down all the optimistic points, that tablet will basically be blank," says Pickens. As blank as the landscape around Fort McMurray, where the world of oil exploration ends. Does Pickens think the days of cheap oil are gone? "They’re gone," he says. "From what we knew as cheap oil, when I pumped gasoline in Ray Smith’s Sinclair station on Hinkley Street in Holdenvale, Oklahoma, 11 cents a gallon, that’s gone." Will we ever again see $1.50 a gallon? "We won’t ever see $1.50 a gallon. No, that’s gone," says Pickens. Right around the corner from Fort McMurray you can still see oil being produced the traditional way. It’s picturesque now. The wells are still pumping but they belong to the past, like the iron horse that once rode across these prairies. The future? Up here in Alberta they’re convinced it’s in the dirt.

I think the kangaroos are getting ahead of themselves. Italy has a world class team with so much talent. This is not the Solomon Islands. Italy always plays a defensive game with quick counter attacks. The red card against Italy was unfair and justice was served in the end. The Croatian Kangaroos must now go back home and practice bullying the Solomon Islands and French Caledonia ... you know ... things they have been doing for years. What are they doing in the world cup?

^

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: He was killed by a militiaman kamid ah ciidamada C/llaahi Yuusuf. Waana lasoo qabtay, oo ninkaas dadkuu u dhashay ayee u taalaa waxee dalbadaan, hadee diyo rabaan iyo hadee wax kale sheegtaan. Good news. The coward killer must face death. The rule of law must be upheld in Baidoa or where ever the TFG claims to rule. Haddii kale waa fawdo ee meesha ha la isaga kala yaaco waxba laguma hayee.

Originally posted by Dhubad: ka dib kulan aan caadi aheyn oo ay ku yeesheen magaalada Muqdisho. Shabelle Media Network, Somalia Mogadishu? Why not those in Baidoa? Isn't the whole parliament there along with the goverment troops. Why focus on a small contingent from Puntland? Reer Baidoa can kick Yeey out any minute they wish. He is there by invitation anyways.

Ama gaal dil ama muslim dil. Xisaab ayaa qof walba oo bani-aadam ah ka dambaysa. This killing has nothing to do with the ICU, being a non-muslim or Mogadishu. It was a barbaric act committed by cowards.

World Cup flop shows how far U.S. still has to go Friday, June 23, 2006 BOB HUNTER Columbus Dispatch Hey, Ghana. Wanna hook up for a little game of hoops? Betcha’ Kobe could drive right through your whole stinking army. No? Then how about baseball? Think you could hit Roger Clemens’ fastball? Huh? Do you? Think Barry Bonds would need his ’roids to send your best pitch to the other side of the world? Or how about golf? Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about. Golf. Tiger Woods, baby. Or hockey. Or football. Yeah, real football. We’ve got some bonebusting galoots who could bench-press your entire country. So you beat us in soccer, eh? Well, we don’t care. We could beat you if we really wanted to. We could beat you in our sleep. We could beat you anytime, any place. We … We … Awwww. OK, we’re a little upset over here. When one of the world’s most populated and prosperous nations loses to a West African country "about the size of Indiana and Illinois combined" (or at least that’s what ESPN announcers kept reminding us), when a rich nation that has tried so hard to build a national soccer program as good as any in the world can’t achieve a must-win victory against a place that most of our geography-deficient population has probably never even heard of, it’s hard for a lot of us fistpumping Americans to swallow. That’s the problem here. We Americans like being the bullies of the sports world. We loved it when the NBA stars joined the U.S. basketball team and started pulverizing little countries that were fielding the equivalent of weak Division III college basketball teams. It was about as boring as anything we’ve ever seen, but we loved it because it made us feel superior. Well, we’ve never been superior in soccer and certainly aren’t anywhere close to it now. If we can set our own bruised egos aside for a moment, Ghana’s success against the world’s pre-eminent superpower is a good story, a compelling reason to watch these matches. In its first World Cup appearance, Ghana needed only a tie against the United States yesterday to advance to the second round, and its players played as if this game really meant something. How the Americans felt about the match was never clear. They never looked like a team that was desperate for a win. They never seemed like the aggressors. The 4-5-1 defensive formation U.S. coach Bruce Arena opened with didn’t seem like one designed to jump-start a tired offense, and it never did. Fire Arena? Well, maybe. But only because that’s what we do. A case can be made that Arena is to blame for his team’s placid play in Germany — when you’re down by a goal and you’ve got to win to advance, why wait until the 61 st minute to send in Eddie Johnson and turn offensive? — but it’s hard to blame him for the fact that Landon Donovan never showed up. The Americans have talent, but except for parts of that do-or-die match against Italy, it wasn’t clear they had the will to advance. Arena is to blame for some of that — motivation is part of a coach’s job — but world-class players should know when the door is about to hit them in the rump and motivate themselves. Maybe the worst part of yesterday’s loss will be the lingering notion that America didn’t advance to the second round because of a bad call that gave Ghana a penalty kick and resulted in the game-winning score. It was a horrible call, but hearing Arena say afterward that if it hadn’t happened, his team would have come out in the second half "with a chance to win the game" is pathetic. The U.S. team would never have been in this precarious position if it had won one of the previous two. The Americans’ brief World Cup experience is over, not because of one call, but because it couldn’t mount any offense. Of all 32 teams in Germany, the United States will finish last in shots on goal with four. Next worse? Trinidad and Tobago with seven. Hey, Trinidad and Tobago. Wanna get together for a little game of horse? Aw, never mind. Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch

I don't know if Ghana will reach anywhere after that game they played against the US. They haven't had any passing rhythm throughout the whole game. Bug iyo bac. At times they were so afraid to go forward. We shall see ...