... obsession, lust and infatuation all in one. ...weakness.

Che -Guevara;850924 wrote: Love is what turns intelligent rational women into obsessed irrational insane creatures. Tell me about it.

BORAMA — The Ethiopian Federal military is preparing an action plan in the event of an attack following the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The force is deploying ground troops on number of fronts. Thousands troops backed by heavy artillery are massing up on the country’s border with Somaliland. According to eyewitnesses more than 4,000 soldiers crossed into Jigjiga on Tuesday and are said to be heading to the border. The news of the build-up has prompted Somaliland to respond and spread its own forces along the long common-border. Local reports indicate that they have been placed on high alert with fears rebels might try to destabilise the region. The death of one of Africa’s most powerful and divisive leaders has fomented security fears in the Horn of African nation. Meles, 57, has ruled Africa’s second most populous country with an iron-fist for over two decades. Ethiopia fears its ethnic-based federations might disintegrate with the absence of a strong man like Meles Zenawi. The current deployment is designed to prevent the ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF), operating in the Somali Region, to take advantage of the situation. The death of the former Tigray rebel man is feared might spark new clashes between Addis Ababa and the various ethnic-based armed rebels in the country. The armed forces have pledge their support for Meles’ little known successor and a close friend of Somaliland, the former foreign minister and deputy, Hailemariam Desalegn. The Ethiopian Parliament is expected to swear him in before an emergency session of the 547 member legislative. Somaliland has paid tribute to Meles, who died of an unknown illness, saying he was a “true friend of, in all likelihood, always be grateful to Ethiopians”. In Hargeisa, hundreds including the President gathered in the Ethiopian representative office to hold vigils and offer their condolences to the Ethiopian people. President Ahmed Silanyo promised to send a high ranking delegation to Addis Ababa to take part in the funeral and inauguration of a new leader. He reiterated Somaliland’s continuous friendship and support for its neighbour. Somalilandpress http://somalilandpress.com/somaliland-ethiopian-troops-mass-on-border-34133

Watch out even for the 'religious'/wadaad ones ... eventhey can be quite vicious and evil. There are some real evil snakes out there, so watchur back. No one has your back like you do uoursels. To rely on others is weakness and vulnerability.

Eid Mubarak to all of you

Learn to let people win. Also learn to sometimes let people think they have won.

Are there any things that you sometimes think: damn! I wish I had been told/had known that growing up? I do. There are certain small essential lessons in life that were left out lol. would've saved me a lot of hassle.

20 Somali women sold as slaves. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/07/201272272748208176.html

@ this thread

Have a happy, healthy and fruitful Ramadan to you all!

McDonald's share price history.

BUMP!

What are the odds in 'la waayo' the Somali athletes to the London Olympics.

Nice pics!

What's the building being constructed in the background? Great pics, keep em coming but More construction pics!

"Prosperity without growth - a new economic mindset " A very interesting read about future sustainable economic growth, and consumpion as an engine of growth. http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/data/files/publications/pwg_summary_eng.pdf

Very interesting.

In total, 1577 subjects (19.4%, 99% CI 17.9–20.1) affirmed that khat or other drug use would help to forget their stressful war experiences. This proportion was smaller in the North of the country (5.3%, 99% CI 4.5–6.1 vs. 39.3%, 99% CI 36.8–41.1; p <.001). Of them, 18 were female (female vs. male: 2.0%, 99% CI 0.8–3.2 vs. 21.5%, 99% CI 19.8–22.2; p< .001). Among all respondents, subjects with PTSD (456) more frequently indicated that khat or drugs help them to forget stressful war experiences compared to subjects without PTSD (7667; 77.6%, 99% CI 91.9–82.1 vs. 16.0%, 99% CI 13.9– 16.1; p< .001). This was also the case if we restricted our analysis to only those respondents with lifetime combat exposure (5286; 79.7%, 99% CI 73.5–84.5 vs. 22.3%, 99% CI 20.5–23.5; p < .001), to current khat users (2.955; 95.3%, 99% CI 91.8–98.2 vs. 40.5%, 99% CI 37.6–42.5; p <.001) or to current khat users with lifetime combat exposure (2261; 96.0%, 99% CI 92.8–99.2 vs. 48.6%, 99% CI 45.1– 50.8; p < .001). We report on a large cross-sectional study with personnel of armed groups in Somalia, which uncovered the effects of khat use and PTSD on psychotic symptoms in ex-combatants. Our data support the hypothesis that PTSD and khat use have distinguishable effects on paranoia. This result contradicts the opinion among experts who argue that in studies with khat using migrants all psychopathology can be explained by exposure to stress (Pennings et al., 2008). Our data furthermore support the hypothesis that PTSD causes the use of higher quantities of khat. The increasing quantity of khat use appears to be one possible mechanism by which paranoia is caused, but especially among those individuals with PTSD, who functionally use it to cope with unpleasant emotions and symptoms. However, our data stem from a cross-sectional study and cannot be considered a proof of this specific causal chain that we proposed. Our data can be interpreted in the light of several possible causal chains, e.g. alternatively that paranoid individuals use khat in order to maintain themselves alert, as this is one of the traditional functions of khat use during religious ceremonies. However, based on the literature review above, we believe that the most plausible direction of causality is that paranoia is the outcome and PTSD and khat use increase its risk. Still, several hypothesis are possible within this causal chain, e.g. is it only because of their higher khat use that they are more likely to develop psychotic symptoms or because PTSD renders individuals more vulnerable for the psychotomimetic effects of khat? These different possible causal hypotheses should be tested against each other in future qualitative and quantitative studies, including experimental and longitudinal designs. The numeric values of all point estimates must be interpreted with caution because we only used screening instruments and the sampling methods that were used would not allow for estimation of biases. Our findings are in line with a general ‘dose-response effect’ hypothesis, i.e. an increased risk for the development of paranoia exists in subjects with PTSD and further increases when more khat is consumed. Our findings are in accordance with the literature, as excessive khat use has previously been found to promote psychotic disorders (Odenwald, 2007;Warfa et al., 2007) and PTSD may have co-morbid psychotic features (Braakman et al., 2009). Furthermore, it is consistent with our previous work, which already had suggested the possibility of an association between khat use, trauma and psychosis (Odenwald et al., 2005). In the literature it is well ackowledged that in the Somali culture the khat session per se is a source of social support to cope with experienced trauma. Here we describe that khat itself is used to cope with trauma. These data add another piece of evidence in favor of the hypothesis that traditional patterns of khat consumption have changed profoundly. Results indicate that khat use has a new function, i.e. to modify emotions related to experienced wartrauma and to cope with symptoms of PTSD. This result corresponds well to the literature on PTSD and stimulant use, which shows its functional use for depression (Brady et al., 1998). In this sense, khat use needs to be acknowledges as an important part of the local patterns of coping but also as an additional source of distress when it becomes compulsive and causes additional psychopathology. Our findings also point at inter-individual differences in khat’s effects.We would presume that the difference between those respondents with PTSD who find khat helpful and those who don’t might be related to the current psychiatric symptom characteristics. For instance, those with co-morbid depression might be more likely to experience positive effects (i.e. cheering-up) while those with chronic hyperarousal or with a tendency to react with psychotic features might find the effects unpleasant. Our data revealed that there are clear gender differences. Men presentmore frequentlywithPTSDthanwomenandweremore likely to use khat andweremore oftenparanoid. This result is in accordance with traditional practices, i.e. that khat is a predominantly male drug. However, it is likely that answers might be biased by the possibility that women are less likely to disclose khat use thanmen. In northern Somalia the subgroup with PTSD and very high khat use is hardly represented in our sample. Among the regular armed forces in northern Somalia, persons with mental health problems would not be tolerated, are more likely to have been released from service and, thus, would not be part of the interviewed population. This explains the percentage ‘‘drop’’ in the last quartile in Fig. 3. In contrast, in southern Somalia therewas active fighting, state failure and no social welfare system. In this situation, an armed group, which is usually defined by ethnic kinship, takes on the responsibility of caring for severely ill members. Our data have high relevance for future DDR activities in the region. The international community needs to be prepared for a large number of ex-combatants suffering from drug abuse and complex psychiatric disorders that reduce their ability to reintegrate into civil society. Thus, special attention should be paid to the development of adequate psycho-social and medical support. In our eyes, there is substantial evidence to justify the allocation of scarce resources to mental health programs. We believe the international community needs to seriously invest in research activities that increase the knowledge on reintegration of ex-combatants. The reported data also might contribute to the understanding of psychotic disorders in general: The behavioral sensitization paradigm is thought to provide insight into the neural substrate of both drug-induced and idiopathic psychosis (Kalivas & Stewart, 1991); while developed in laboratory context, it has recently proved validity for the explanation of psychotic symptom relapse in humans (Yui et al., 2001). Based on these studies and our findings, we speculate that the latent vulnerability for the development of psychotic disorders might not just be triggered but even acquired by early onset or excessive khat use in combination with the exposure to traumatic stress and or the development of PTSD. ..

Use of khat and posttraumatic stress disorder as risk factors for psychotic symptoms: A study of Somali combatants. Journal of Social Science & Medicine. Vol. 69 (2009), pp. 1040–1048. Michael Odenwald, Harald Hinkel, Elisabeth Schauer, Maggie Schauer, Thomas Elbert, Frank Neuner and Brigitte Rockstroh. The chewing of the khat leaves, which contain the amphetamine-like cathinone, is a traditional habit in Somalia. Our objective was to explore the effects of khat use and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on paranoid symptoms and to test a potential causal chain. We report on a cross-sectional study in Somalia that was conducted in 2003. Trained local staff interviewed 8723 personnel of armed groups in seven regional convenience samples. Of them, 8124 were included in the analysis. We assessed current khat use, PTSD symptoms, functional drug use and paranoid ideation using items from the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the Somali version of the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS). Applying the causal steps approach, in a series of logistic regression models, we used PTSD as independent and paranoia as outcome variable; the quantity of khat use was defined as mediator variable and functional drug use as moderator. The results showed that respondents with PTSD used khat more frequently. Khat chewers with PTSD reported a higher intake compared to khat chewers without PTSD. Among excessive khat chewers with PTSD, paranoia was most frequent. The greatest amount of khat use was among respondents with PTSD who indicated that they found drugs help them to forget war experiences. The proposed mediated moderation model was supported by the data, i.e. besides the direct effects of PTSD and functional drug use on paranoia, the amount of khat use appeared to be a mechanism, by which paranoia is caused. We conclude that in our data we have uncovered a relationship between khat, PTSD and paranoia. Khat is functionally used by respondents with PTSD. Findings support a dose effect: the more khat consumption and when a respondent has PTSD, the higher the odds for paranoid ideation. However, the proposed causal chain needs to be confirmed in longitudinal studies. Demobilization and reintegration programs in Somalia need to be prepared to deal with complex psychological problems. Amphetamine-type drugs are an especially dangerous type of substance to be functionally used to cope with stress or PTSD. They have been shown to induce psychotic symptoms in experimental settings in humans (Bell, 1973) and animals (Kalivas & Stewart, 1991) and they exacerbate psychotic states in psychiatric patients (Angrist, Rotrosen, & Gershon, 1980). These drugs induce lasting changes in the brain and in behavior (Baicy & London, 2007). Amphetamine-type stimulants and stress lead to cross-sensitization in animal models for psychosis (Kalivas & Stewart,1991). Crosssensitization of amphetamine use and stress to the re-emergence of psychotic symptoms has recently been identified among humans in a highly controlled prison environment (Yui et al., 2001). Also khatinduced psychotic states have been described in over 20 case reports (Warfa et al., 2007) and, recently, community-based studies showed that khat use is associated with severe psychiatric problems (Bhui et al., 2006). Furthermore, khat use has been identified by caretakers as one of the main cause of relapse among psychotic patients in Ethiopia (Bimerew, Sonn, & Korlenbout, 2007). While moderate khat chewing may elicit psychotic symptoms only in especially vulnerable individuals, excessive and prolonged use seems to be noxious particularly when started early in life (Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2005). Excessive abuse has become a common phenomenon among combatants in Somalia during the course of the ongoing conflict (Odenwald, Hinkel, et al., 2007). In a cross-sectional study in Hargeisa, Somaliland, 16% of former combatants were severely impaired in their everyday functioning due to psychiatric problems, consisting mostly of psychotic disorders and associated excessive khat abuse (Odenwald et al., 2005). This study revealed a significant relationship between the amount of khat use and the number of traumatic events experienced. In another study with 64 Somali ex-combatants, we found a prolonged khat use among respondents with PTSD and that 8 of 14 individuals with PTSD also had co-morbid psychotic features (Odenwald, Lingenfelder, et al., 2007). In this context, it is important to acknowledge that a substantial number of ex-combatants with PTSD have secondary co-morbid psychotic symptoms, which mostly consist of auditory hallucinations, paranoid and referential delusions and which are related to more severe PTSD symptoms and to more behavioral problems (Braakman, Kortmann, & van den Brink, 2009). Recently, early trauma exposure was identified as a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia and PTSD was linked to the development of psychosis on different levels (Seedat, Stein, Oosthuizen, Emsley, & Stein, 2003). Studies on the effects of stimulant use on co-morbid psychotic features among individuals with PTSD are lacking. Methods Design, sampling and participants Our data originate from a study among personnel of armed groups, which was conducted as a small part of a preparatory Given that the country remains in armed conflict, it was not possible to apply random sampling methods. Thus, we drew seven large convenience samples in seven parts of the country. The use of convenience samples does not allow for the estimation of biases, and thus prevalence estimates must be interpreted with caution. However, in this study we assumed that selection biases would still allow us to study the associations of variables. The seven parts of Somalia with the highest estimated military staff density were selected for interviews, including major population centers and rural areas: In the North of Somalia, we included Somaliland and Puntland; in central Somalia, Hiran; and in southern Somalia Bay/Bakol, Mogadishu and Kismayo. Mogadishu was divided in two samples according to the ‘‘green line,’’ which divided the town between main factions at the time of the interviews. Mogadishu South included the Lower Shabelle region with the town of Merka. For a more detailed description of sampling methods, please refer to Odenwald, Hinkel, et al. (2007). In every region, we aimed to assess a minimum of 600 respondents, including as many factions and armed groups as possible, with the request that a minimum of one unit within the overall structure be completely assessed. We had no access to basic information concerning the units (e.g. actual size of units) chosen for this assessment. Interviews were conducted between August and December 2003. The interviewers went directly into a compound used by the respective militia or units to conduct the individual interviews in a place that provided as much privacy as possible, e.g. in a separate room. Respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics are reported in Table 1. In our sample, we had 882 women (10.9%) and 7242 men (89.1%). 758 of the women were from northern Somalia (85.9%). On average they were 37.312.6 years of age and 67.5% were married. Less than half of them had completed primary education and even less had received any vocational training. Only about two thirds reported combat experience. Khat chewing during the last week was reported by 2955 participants (36.4%, 99% CI 35.0%–37.8%). Khat chewing was reported more frequently in the South of the country (26.2%, 99% CI 24.4–27.6 vs. 50.7%, 99% CI 47.8–52.2; p <.001). Only 12 women (1.4%, 99% CI 0.3–2.3) in contrast to 2943 men (40.6%, 99% CI 38.5– 41.5) reported khat use in the previous week (p< .001), three of them in northern Somalia. On average, participants consumed 3.6 8.3 bundles of khat in the previous week (99% CI 3.4–3.8). The 12 khat chewing women, had consumed the same amount of khat as male chewers in the week before the interview (female vs. male: 12.8 19.1, 99% CI 0.0–27.0 vs. 9.7 11.3, 99% CI 9.2–10.2; p ¼ .907). PTSD was found in 456 subjects (5.6%, 99% CI 4.9–6.3); in the North of the country, PTSDwas seldomly found (2.1%, 99% CI 1.5–2.5 vs. 10.6%, 99% CI 9.5–12.5; p< .001). Only 16 females were found with PTSD (female vs. male: 1.8%, 99% CI 0.7–3.0 vs. 6.1%, 99% CI 5.3–6.7; p< .001). Of them, 4 were from the North. Khat chewing was more frequent among subjects with PTSD (66.2%; 99% CI 60.5– 71.9 vs. 34.6%, 99% CI 28.8–40.4; p <.001), and khat chewers with PTSD consumed higher quantities than khat chewers without PTSD (18.8 16.3 bundles, 99% CI 16.8–20.8 vs. 8.7 ,10.2, 99% CI 8.4–9.0; p <0.001). Paranoid ideation was found in 396 respondents (4.9%, 99% CI 4.3–5.5). In the North, we found paranoid ideation more seldomly (1.8%, 99% CI 1.3–2.3 vs. 9.2%, 99% CI 7.8–10.4; p < .001). Only 12 female respondents reported paranoid ideation, less than among males (1.4%, 99% CI 0.3–2.3 vs. 5.3%, 99% CI 4.6–6.0; p< .001). Among respondents with PTSD, this rate was 26.1% (99% CI 20.8– 31.4), among those without PTSD it was 3.6% (99% CI 3.0–4.2; p <.001). Among khat chewers, this rate was with 8.9% (99% CI 7.5– 10.3) higher than among non-khat chewers (2.6%, 99% CI 2.0–3.2; p <.001).

ok hands up that was an exxageration. 17 hours

Magaalda Rabat, Morroco.

City of Rabat in Morocco...

^Of-course although there are SOL members [living] in Hargeisa, we dont hear about or see such pictures/projects from them. Shame on JB, Alphablondy, Ibtisam, though not so much Ibby because she maintains a blog, and others who i might have missed. We expect more pictures from you folks!

Hargeisa Childrens hospital in construction.

Addis Ababa 4 By law all construction fencing has to be painted in the national colours... as part of the beautification of Addis.