I've seen another article next to that one stating again that most American Doctors were quite religious and around half of them going to their churche/mosque/temple regularly and yet they are among the busiest, most well-offs. I suppose it is all about one's own mindset and preconceptions, since many of the genius throughout history were more or less spiritual minded if not fervent believers (Newton, Pasteur, even Einstein did believe in a higher force ordering and guiding physical laws etc). Now, science do not happen in a social vacuum (there are no totally "objective" scientists, hence science) as epistemiologists underlined; my opinion is that only superficial knowledge engender spiritual doubts while a more holistic, deeper knowledge and thinking leads to the opposite (my scientific readings over the long run tend to confirm exactely my belief, the wisdom in its concomitant legislation etc). And the role of science or scientific expertise should not be exaggerated anyway, as neophytes tend to; Newtonian physics was considered as definitive befor the Quantum revolution, yet even a science as fundamental as physics is constantly evolving. As for rationality versus intuition, they both have their place and it is naive to expect "rational thinking" to leads to higher truths in a human context; in the decision making field, intuition, "sleeping over a problem" etc may often produces dramatically better answers as hinted by the concerned experts (particularly when the load of information or factors to analyse tend to be overwhelming)...

There were some studies a few years ago that linked a lack of sunlight to autism. The researchers looked at autism among the Somali communities in Minnesota and Stockholm, which both have high rates of the disease, and found that the common denominator was a lack of sunlight or vitamin D deficiency. Which is not surprising, since Vitamin D act on cells 's detoxification and mercury has been linked to autism by other experts: toxins such as mercury involved in the many vaccines administered may well overload a baby already severely deficient (his pregnant mother reserves already very low, he's born with very little vitamin D). Also, as hinted by Dr David Grimes in his book, infections by microorganisms may well be involved in the pathogenesis of conditions such as heart diseases; It is also hinted by Matt Ridley, that virus and other infections aside, there may be a nutritional side to even mental illnesses or pseudo "illnesses" that may just be normal reactions to some factors (more fatty-acids such as Omega 3 or niacin may control even schizophrenia). It is now more and more admitted everywhere, for instance, that the field of psychiatry and their DSM supreme reference is anything but "scientific" (eg, long work of Professor Edouard zarifian in France), while drugs prescribtions in that field, where "normality" is culture specific etc, were already controversial: invention of "illnesses" followed by their "diagnostic" and commercial "treatments", most ridiculous in the case of ADHD or the so-called attention deficit disorder that has put countless children under drugs, particularly in the USA but also increasingly in other countries (this is not the place for it, but even the whole related concept of long regular classroom education is controversial in itself). All this means that the very core of biology (epigenetics) but also pathogenesis (key role of mental states and relationships, sunshine and nutrition, allergies or infections etc) as well as treatments for various health challenges will be thorougly revised as a more complete picture will appear (less commercial band aids or drugs with sad side effects but a focus on the root issues)...

What shocked me most as an avid reader, with an interest in health & science, is that how often we could be incredibly misled and ignorant, even when thinking we already "know" much. For instance, I used to look down as mere "superstitions" suggestions by Somalis that sunshine is a "miracle cure" (when it is now known that it even directly affect hair loss). Of course, many of our rural folks back home enjoy an almost perfectly optimal lifestyle. I visited my grand-mother's siblings back in 2000 in Gogeysa miyi, by Gabiley, and was surprised at how healthy and fit grand parents could be (long walks are daily routine). Not having processed food available (eg, white flour and rice are just sugar with little nutrients), cosmetics, TVs and other deadly "comforts" is also another part of the story. Then, when exposed daily to optimal sunshine, your genes expressions and every single cell's process (from replication, to toxins elimination and immunity) are already functioning optimally. It is quite possible however that sunshine is the single biggest factor of all, in general. Talking about genetics, if you know a bit about epigenetics (factors that direct genes expression), it is now more and more realised that genes are not as crucial as thought, since their very expression (activation and time of activation) is influenced by the environment and lifestyle. Put it in other ways, you can greatly influence your own genes and even rewrite them through a healthy mental and physical lifestyle: being positive, helping others and building good relationships while consuming unprocessed food and avoiding indoor pollution of chemicals and cosmetics (indoor pollution inside homes is now known to be much worse than outdoor pollution due to car traffic etc). And sunshine is crucial here as vitamin d is crucial to genes expression (so sunshine is the key factor in good health and healthy children, after good relationships with others). Book Review Long live nature via nurture! Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and What Makes us Human by Matt Ridley. Fourth Estate, 2003; ISBN 1-84115-745-7 hbk Iver Mysterud, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, PO Box 1050 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway. Email: mysterud@bio.uio.no. The nature-nurture debate is one of the most heated and exciting minefields of all academic discourse. In the tradition wanting to contribute consilient (Wilson 1998) or vertically/conceptually integrated (Barkow 1989; Cosmides, Tooby, and Barkow 1992) approaches to link scientific results from different fields, Matt Ridley has presented Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and What Makes us Human. He is a superb writer, well-prepared to the task, after having presented three acclaimed and excellent books on evolutionary approaches to animal and human behavior (Ridley 1993; Ridley 1996) and genetics (Ridley 1999) in the last decade. The main thesis of Nature via Nurture is that nature versus nurture is a false dichotomy. Even though all seem to acknowledge this and that humans are a product of an interaction between the two, the debate still continues. Let’s stop this futile debate, get rid of the strawmen and move forward! Ridley’s point is that the discovery of how genes actually influence human behavior, and how human behavior influences genes, is about to recast the debate entirely. No longer is it nature-versus-nature, but nature-via-nurture: Genes are designed to take their cues from nurture. The more we lift the lid on the genome, the more vulnerable to experience genes appear to be. Ridley explains easily that genes are not puppet masters pulling the strings of our behavior (a common misunderstanding), but are puppets at the mercy of our behavior. Instinct is not the opposite of learning, and environmental influences are sometimes less reversible than genetic ones. In ten chapters, Ridley presents twelve pioneers who put together the chief theories of human nature that came to dominate the twentieth century: Charles Darwin, Francis Galton, William James, Hugo De Vries, Ivan Pavlov, John Broadus Watson, Emil Kraepelin, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Franz Boas, Jean Piaget, and Konrad Lorenz. Ridley’s claim is that all 12 men were right in the sense that they all contributed an original idea with a germ of the truth in it. In other words, they all placed a brick in the wall. Ridley writes (p. 6): Human nature is indeed a combination of Darwin’s universals, Galton’s heredity, James’s instincts, De Vries’s genes, Pavlov’s reflexes, Watson’s associations, Kraepelin’s history, Freud’s formative experience, Boas’s culture, Durkheim’s division of labour, Piaget’s development and Lorenz’s imprinting. You can find all these things going on in the human mind. No account of human nature would be complete without them all. But nearly all went too far in trumpeting their own ideas and criticising each other’s. And one or two of them deliberately or unintentionally gave birth to grotesque perversions of ”scientific” policy that will haunt their reputations forever. Ridley’s main point is that to understand each of these topics, one needs to understand genes (p. 6): It is genes that allow the human mind to learn, to remember, to imitate, to imprint, to absorb culture and to express instincts. Genes are not puppet masters, nor blueprints. Nor are they just the carriers of heredity. They are active during life; they switch each other on and off; they respond to the environment. They may direct the construction of the body and brain in the womb, but then they set about dismantling and rebuilding what they have made almost at once – in response to experience. They are both cause and consequence of our actions. Somehow the adherents of the ’nurture’ side of the argument have scared themselves silly at the power and inevitability of genes, and missed the greatest lesson of all: the genes are on their side. Nature via Nurture is written by a scientist and science writer (Ridley is both) in the genre for the educated part of the lay audience in addition to scientists of all stripes – in the tradition of Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould. Even technical topics in genetics and neuroscience are presented so it is easy and fun to follow Ridley on his intellectual journey. The ten chapters each start with one or two pioneers, an evaluation of their ideas and a discussion of what science has achieved to add improved insight or – in some cases - to solve certain problems and paradoxes. This is public education at its best! Writing as a synthesising generalist has its price: Most experts will claim that certain nuances or pet theories are left out. For example, Ridley makes an argument that ”supports the conclusion that the progressive evolution of culture since the Upper Paleolithic revolution happened without altering the human mind.” (p. 228) without mentioning that another leading hypothesis claims that the opposite is most probable (Mithen 1996). I, for one, missed more about nutrition in an otherwise excellent presentation of various approaches to a very serious behavior disorder, schizophrenia. Although Ridley mentions that essential fatty acids seem to be important in explaining and treating this disease, he does not mention niacin (vitamin B3). There are ample clinical experience (and success) in treating schizophrenia with large doses of niacin (Osmond and Smythies 1952; Hoffer, Osmond, Callbeck, and Kahan 1957; Hoffer 1998), even though this fact is ignored or neglected by many mainstream psychiatrists. Such a treatment approach has interesting implications for several other phenomena he discusses. These remarks aside, I learned a lot from Ridley’s great synthesis and superb presentation. Our culture desperately needs persons like Ridley who uses a brilliant pen and a clear mind to make sense out of scientific contributions in many different fields. I hope all of us can agree on his conclusion (the book’s last two sentences): ”Nature versus nurture is dead. Long live nature via nurture.” But to fully grasp the implications of these statements, you simply have to read Nature via Nurture yourself. PS::"Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and What Makes us Human" by Matt Ridley, Fourth Estate, 2003 is indeed a fascinating read, shedding a new light on crucial issues such as learning, intelligence or mental illnesses; convincing overall (evolution theory aside).

Here are some questions adressed very convincingly through careful data analysis (as studies in themselves are easily manipulated) often overlooked as there is little commercial potential in sunshine: Why are there high morbidity and mortality rates in the UK and northwest Europe? Why do the populations of north-west England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have reduced life-expectancy compared to that of south-east England? Why does living at a high altitude improve health and life-expectancy? Why do poor people in north-west Europe have worse health and shorter life-expectancy than the wealthy? Why do South Asian immigrants in the UK have a particularly high incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and end-stage renal failure? Why do their children born in the UK have an even worse health profile? Why do they share these risks with immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean? Blog of the Book "Vitamin D and Cholesterol: The importance of the sun" by Dr David Grimes I intuitively observed that too many Somalis suffered chronic conditions but now experts put them in the same category as those highly Vitamin D deficient South Asians disproportionally affected by diabetes etc, particularly whith pollution and chemicals, processed food, and the much lower levels of physical activity in Northern latitudes. Children born from already highly deficient mothers in Northern latitudes also tend to be particularly unhealthy with many conditions much more common. Vitamins and other artificial supplements may do more harm than good in general (not equivalent to natural vitamins, disturbances in the digestive system etc) and Vitamin D3 do not fully replace sunshine as Vitamin D3 is only part of the many benefits of sunshine, albeit a crucial one. But the case of Vitamin D3 is very different (it is actually an hormone) and that is why experts now recommend these following doses: an average of between 4000 and 10 000 IU (dark skinned individuals in Northern latitudes need the highest doses, likewise requirements increase from around 35 years of age and with illness (the commonly available form of vitamin D2, sold in tablets or added to regular food, is much less effective than D3). Fat persons may need even more (up to 3-4 times more than the regular dose, as the Vitamin D3 hormon is fat soluble, to get similar blood concentration as others). (how no sunshine and direct sun radiations, no gardens/open sky homes, buildings and pollution, wholly covered bodies combine into absolute local health disaster, especially among immigrants). At the 33 th minute, the chapter 58 about pregancy is quoted as the most interesting of Dr David Grimes Book: women wanting to get pregnant are advised to go on holiday in the sun (the child share the mother reserves, which may often be already too low). This is your child's best gift and as important as proper nutrition or fish omega 3 for his brain. Additional presentations by renowned medical professors are also available online. It is possible and common to be very deficient in Vitamin D even in tropical countries (covered housing, fully covered bodies etc). Caution: Taking 50,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity[...]Doses higher than the RDA are sometimes used to treat medical problems such as vitamin D deficiency, but these are given only under the care of a doctor and only for a short time. Although vitamin D toxicity is uncommon even among people who take supplements, you may be at greater risk if you have health problems, such as liver or kidney conditions, or if you take thiazide-type diuretics. As always, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin and mineral supplements (mayoclinic.com)

There is this uncle of mine there, I was just told he was awarded a part of the cable mashruuc (big Kulmiye supporter and related to the Minister of Foreign Affairs). What part does the minister Moh. Abdullahi plays and why does business and politics mixes so well there? It is high time the fat cats and Telecoms in particular are either seriously taxed or nationalised as everywhere else (France, Djibouti etc) to avoid being a land where only the rich or well-connected have some prospects: else, what is the point of all those businesses or investments apart from inequalities, social and environmental disturbances?

The great health debate: is sunshine a miracle cure?, The Guardian "Indeed, for some health experts, the substance has virtually become a panacea for all human ills. Dietary supplements should be encouraged for the elderly, the young and the sick, while skin cancer awareness programmes that urge caution over sunbathing should be scrapped, they insist. We need to bring a lot more sunshine into our lives, it is claimed. [...] major health campaign, offering dietary advice and vitamin D supplements has since been launched. But for many doctors, it is not enough. The nation's health service needs to re-evaluate completely its approach to vitamin D as a matter of urgency; establish new guidelines for taking supplements; and scrap most of the limits on sunbathing currently proposed by health bodies. These calls have been made not because of concerns about rickets, however. They follow the appearance of studies from across the globe that suggest vitamin D plays a key role in the fight against heart disease, cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Vitamin D is not so much an important component of our diets as a miracle substance, they believe. It costs nothing to make, just some time in the sun, and lasts in the body for months. A classic example of the potential of vitamin D was provided by a study published in a US journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, last year. This revealed that people with higher levels of vitamin D were more likely to survive colon, breast and lung cancer. In the study, Richard Setlow, a biophysicist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US and an expert on the link between solar radiation and skin cancer, calculated how much sunshine a person would get depending on the latitude on which they lived. Setlow - who worked with colleagues at the Institute for Cancer Research in Oslo - also calculated the incidence and survival rates for various forms of internal cancers in people living at these different latitudes. Their results showed that in the northern hemisphere the incidence of colon, lung and breast cancer increased from south to north while people in southern latitudes were significantly less likely to die from these cancers than people in the north. "Since vitamin D has been shown to play a protective role in a number of internal cancers and possibly a range of other diseases, it is important to study the relative risks to determine whether advice to avoid sun exposure may be causing more harm than good in some populations," Setlow warned. And then there is the impact of vitamin D levels on the heart. In a study published last year in the journal Circulation, scientists at the Harvard Medical School in Boston found that a deficiency of vitamin D increased people's risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In addition, other studies have connected vitamin D deficiency to risks of succumbing to diabetes and TB. And there was last week's publication of the study by Professor Ebers which provided compelling evidence that lack of vitamin D triggers a rogue gene to turn against the body and attack nerve endings, a process that induces the disease multiple sclerosis. In each case, researchers urged that people ensure they take vitamin D supplements to help ward off such conditions. [/b]But others believe such calls underestimate the problem. They point to a study, published in 2007, which indicates that more than 60 per cent of middle-aged British adults have less than optimal levels of vitamin D in their bodies in summer, while this figure rises to 90 per cent in winter. Given the links between deficiency and all those ailments, only a full-scale reappraisal of the vitamin's role in British health will work, says Oliver Gillie, of the Health Research Forum. In a report, Sunlight Robbery, he calls for the scrapping of Britain's current SunSmart programme; the setting up of an international conference of doctors and specialists to establish vitamin D's importance to health; promotion of the fortification of food with vitamin D: and the creation of a new committee whose membership would include representatives of groups of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer and other conditions linked to vitamin D[/b]". read here: "The great health debate: is sunshine a miracle cure?"

Actually, sunshine may prevents or help with skin cancer; that is what Dr David Grimes demonstrates in his book (cosmetic creams and other chemicals sellers will of course deny it). Skin cancer could actually be caused by the lack of sunshine as Australia has lower rates than the UK; this debate is irrelevant for Somalis, South Asians and other groups with darker skins anyway. That is why the kind of superficial science litteracy in societies dominated by commercial marketing, who even influence education or Doctors prescribing, could be more destructive than helpful. It is so pervasive that medical training and clinicians literally promote the kind of "science" that fit along those commercial priorities. Here are other topics adressed very convincingly through careful data analysis (as studies in themselves are easily manipulated): Why are there high morbidity and mortality rates in the UK and northwest Europe? Why do the populations of north-west England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have reduced life-expectancy compared to that of south-east England? Why does living at a high altitude improve health and life-expectancy? Why do poor people in north-west Europe have worse health and shorter life-expectancy than the wealthy? Why do South Asian immigrants in the UK have a particularly high incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and end-stage renal failure? Why do their children born in the UK have an even worse health profile? Why do they share these risks with immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean? Blog of the Book "Vitamin D and Cholesterol: The importance of the sun" by Dr David Grimes I intuitively observed that too many Somalis suffered chronic conditions but now experts put them in the same category as those highly Vitamin D deficient South Asians disproportionally affected by diabetes etc, particularly whith pollution and chemicals, processed food, and the much lower levels of physical activity in Northern latitudes. Children born from already highly deficient mothers in Northern latitudes also tend to be particularly unhealthy with many conditions much more common. Vitamins and other artificial supplements may do more harm than good in general (not equivalent to natural vitamins, disturbances in the digestive system etc) and Vitamin D3 do not fully replace sunshine as Vitamin D3 is only part of the many benefits of sunshine, albeit a crucial one. But the case of Vitamin D3 is very different (it is actually an hormone) and experts now recommend these following doses: an average of between 4000 and 10 000 IU (dark skinned individuals in Northern latitudes need the highest doses, likewise requirements increase from around 35 years of age and with illness (the commonly available form of vitamin D2, sold in tablets or added to regular food, is much less effective than D3). Fat persons may need even more (up to 3-4 times more than the regular dose, as the Vitamin D3 hormon is fat soluble, to get similar blood concentration as others). (how no sunshine and direct sun radiations, no gardens/open sky homes, buildings and pollution, wholly covered bodies combine into absolute local health disaster, especially among immigrants). At the 33 th minute, the chapter 58 about pregancy is quoted as the most interesting of Dr David Grimes Book: women wanting to get pregnant are advised to go on holiday in the sun (the child share the mother reserves, which may often be already too low). This is your child's best gift and as important as proper nutrition or fish omega 3 for his brain. Additional presentations by renowned medical professors are also available online. It is possible and common to be very deficient in Vitamin D even in tropical countries (covered housing, fully covered bodies etc). Caution: Taking 50,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity[...]Doses higher than the RDA are sometimes used to treat medical problems such as vitamin D deficiency, but these are given only under the care of a doctor and only for a short time. Although vitamin D toxicity is uncommon even among people who take supplements, you may be at greater risk if you have health problems, such as liver or kidney conditions, or if you take thiazide-type diuretics. As always, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin and mineral supplements (mayoclinic.com)

Indeed. I must confess that this work in particular was quite an eye-opener on how destructive is the discounting of some "common wisdom" by not-so-scientific experts: "Vitamin D and cholesterol: the importance of the sun" by Dr David Grimes (published by York Tennison Pub 2009). "Since its discovery in the early years of the 20th Century, and its use as the treatment of childhood rickets, vitamin D has become neglected. Cholesterol has developed as the thing to avoid, as responsible for so much disease. This book sets out to explain why these things have happened, explaining how the benefits of vitamin D extend beyond healthy bones to a vital role in the development of immunity. The deficiency of vitamin D, particularly in inadequate exposure to the sun, suppresses immunity and makes people susceptible to a number of diseases, including heart attack, stroke, several cancers, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The book also points out the misdirected obsession with cholesterol, which is not bad for us in the way that is generally portrayed. In fact vitamin D and cholesterol share the same precursor, a high cholesterol in the blood being the result of inadequate exposure to the sun. But the causes of so many modern diseases remain obscure. They are usually not the result of faulty living but due to the micro-organisms, the identity of which is not clear. It is the lack of sunlight and the resultant deficiency of vitamin D that makes people particularly susceptible to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancer etc. The geography of disease within different countries, different parts of the UK and Europe, different socio-economic groups and different ethnic groups is also explained by varying levels of exposure to the sun. This is particularly true for immigrants in this country from South Asia, and even more so for their children. The importance of vitamin D for the developing foetus is explained. This books draws upon a wealth of information published in leading medical journals, and displays it clearly. It gathers together bits of information that have previously been published in isolation, and draws them together to form a coherant picture of health and illness." Vitamin D and Cholesterol: The Importance of the Sun (Author: Dr David S. Grimes, 2009, York Tennison Pub 2009 ) PS: It is extraordinary that such vital information and knowledge are commonly overlooked as it lacks commercial potential but for those interested by Biology (and everyone should be), Vitamin D is also crucial in epigenetics. Epi means "in addition to, upon" in Greek so epigenetics means all the phenomena around genes and their expressions as genes are not supreme deciders as usually thought, but thoughts as well as lifestyle influence genes and their expression (in short be positive, helpful to others and healthy: this will directly affects your genes, hence your biology and children). Here is another masterpiece that must be in every shelf: Nature Via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes Us Human(Matt Ridley, 2003).

One of my favorite Somali writer on WardheerNews.com (his rendering of their very frugal yet rewarding life back in Mogadishu, in a serie of articles, was quite captivating): "In his book, Happier, Tal Ben Shahar provides an eloquent summation of how one should approach the topic of happiness. Happiness can best be attained by: -‘Creating rituals around the things we love, -Expressing gratitude for the good things in our lives, -Setting meaningful goals that reflect our values and interests, -Playing to our strengths instead of dwelling on weaknesses, and -Simplifying our lives—not just the stuff, but the time’. Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111) was a Muslim philosopher and the author of Kimiya-as-Sacaadah (The Alchemy of Happiness), a practical guide to happiness. He basically called for leading a purposeful life. Al-Ghazali prescribed a life of self-discipline and spiritual purity. To Ghazzali, self-realization is very important. “He who knows himself is truly happy.” The aim of moral discipline is “to purify the heart from the rust of passion and resentment till, like a clear mirror, it reflects the light of God.” Unhappiness is when one becomes slave to his desires. “In short, man in this world is framed in infirmity and imperfection. But if he desires and wills to free himself from animal propensities, and ferocious satanic qualities, he may attain future happiness.” Personal growth and helping others are more likely to prompt happiness than money and status. According to Kennon Sheldon, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, people pursue two types of goals, intrinsic and extrinsic. “Intrinsic goals are about personal growth and self-knowledge, connections and social intimacy with other people, and wanting to help the human community for altruistic reasons,” Dr. Sheldon said. “Extrinsic goals are about money, luxury, appearance, attractiveness, status, popularity, looks, and power.” Individuals driven by intrinsic goals are “significantly happier” than those pursuing extrinsic goals. In a seventy-two year study, conducted by Harvard University’s psychiatrist Dr. George Valliant, looked at what makes men happy over their lifetime and discovered that happiness encompasses having good relationships, especially with their siblings and friends; adapting to crisis, and having a stable marriage. Moreover, avoiding smoking and chemical dependency, getting regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight further brighten the prospects of individual happiness. Professor Chris Peterson of the University of Michigan suggests simply making strong personal relationships as top priority in order to ward off life’s daily trials and tribulations." By Hassan M. Abukar Read The Rest Here: "OK: So How Happy Are You?" PS: The Health Challenges in Cold Countries by Dr Ahmed Omar Abdi is another absolute must read (how important sunshine or Vitamin D3 are and why many of us should indeed be very worried etc).

Others are for business as usual but the Extreme Right was right on the money about the Euro (no pun intended): it is economically absurd for economies as different as Greece and Germany to share a single currency, what is more a very overvalued one when trying to compete (how to export against China?): "The European Union is suffering a crisis of confidence - in its economic prospects, its currency, and its leaders. Could this be a moment of opportunity for the populist politics of the far right? Stephen Sackur travels to the European parliament in Strasbourg to meet Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front in France. Next year, she'll be a candidate in the Presidential race - French voters are unhappy with the status quo, but are they ready for the Le Pen brand of nationalism?"HARDtalk - Marine Le Pen - Leader, France's National Front She sounds as the only one telling hard truths apart from the now powerful "Extreme left"; Islamophobia is however her main selling point...

Indeed, the other socialist candidate was even promising much more equality (nobody questioned the 35 hours a week limit). It is amazing they have a significantly lower GDP per capita than the USA yet offer so much more free healthcare, education, infrastructure such as trams or high speed rail and other public services to all without real loss in competitivity (higher productivity and much better educated population) : "The French maternal and child protection system, known as PMI, began in 1945 with the principal aim of ensuring each child, whatever their social background, was given as healthy a start in life as possible. Today it is just one of the many pieces of the jigsaw that is the French health system; a system consistently declared one of the best and most generous in the world. [...] Many health experts and those working in the system say it needs reorganising and restructuring to reduce waste and inefficiency. “France always chooses the most expensive. We choose expensive hospitals over less expensive clinics, expensive specialists over less expensive general doctors, expensive doctors over less expensive nurses. And there is no control in the system”, said de Kervasdoué." France's next president faces tough decisions on health The "Front national" wants more rights for French citizens too but its success endangers the whole Euro & EU it vehemently opposes (besides, the French deficit has added to that of Spain, Italy and others).

^ Cool and traditional

Getting some islamic mentoring and dawah is these brave youngsters most important need: I'm positive you Solers in Ottawa or nearby could visit them from time to time and talk to them, link them to the local islamic centres and ensure the necessary is done (those boys seem smart and some islamic litterature would help them). PS: The mother may have done her best given her foster care past etc...

Faarax-Brawn;819923 wrote: "Ilaahey baa runta checeelee" Lmao. that is my line now....Its is really really funny to see a reer woqooyi oo geeljire ah. I mean, all the reer woqooyis that i have seen all my life are long distance drivers(jaad wade) and your typical sujui businessman/woman. I just cant picture it...bzzz anyway!!, taas waa mid. But this dude's story is just amazing and honestly, inspiring. Geesinimo beey ii yeeshay/ I have been wanting to do this for ages, now i can actually use this guys video to convince skeptical family members that this is a viable business. Oh one other thing, geela maxuu daaqaa? meesha geedba maba ku yaala?(i know it is jilaal,but come on mayn).. Those camels were foraging in the wilderness, as always done, and are thus producing at best 5-7 liters of milk, but it's healthier that way. If the milk is much in demand and sells at $ 1/1.5 the liter as he said and he's got a hundred she-camels in lactation, that is indeed a very profitable business with minimal costs for him (animals density and overgrazing aside). Those horses are charming creatures, no doubt, it was beyond wild dream when we had to care for an older one of yellowish brown color around sept 1996 in Central Hargeysa (left by a man suspected of stealing him)...used to feed him his favorite bush tree inside our rented villa next to the presidential compound, take him at the dry river/doox nearby for watering etc (biriij liicliic was a high wooden bridge for pedestrians, the cars bridge then was impassable when the river was active). IA khayr for your plans bro anyway, was always passionate about nature and animals too...

Yet, one precisely need to regularly read or connect with the Quran more often than ever in this age of endless distractions and distorted thinking; is that even possible when constantly getting enticed by music, something that has strong influence on human minds and promote very different messages? This also isnt true. This whole notion that the Quran and all types of music are psychologically and spiritually mutually exclusive, where only one can take a place within the persons psyche, is a false dichotomy. I agree with you that the vast majority of music, especially western music, is filthy and haraam. But we shouldnt throw out the baby with the bath water. I find many Somali songs to be full of wisdom and life lessons, and i dont feel any further from the deen or the Quran after listening to them . . Well, there is no debate regarding the explicit impermissibility of musical instruments in the Sunnah (outside drums during marriage ceremonies), likewise for women singing to men. However, decent and motivational rythms or poetry are altogether a different issue (within reasonable limits). Nevertheless, we fully agree on routine music and pure filth masquerading as art, especially the Western or Western modelled forms to which many traditional minded Somalis are allergic too but many others are now increasingly addicted to (alongside their lewd video clips). Y do wadaads treat tobacco and khat as imorral, akin to drinking and gambling. The appraoch to qat and smkoing should be similar to our appraoch to fast food, which has just as much adverse health affects if not more. Lets take out the issue of morality when it comes to this and ill be the first one to condemn it. Or else we're being unjust to many upright men, who just happen to smoke or chew . Actually, countless countries are now facing public health disasters caused by chronic disorders (diabete, heart disease or cancer) even before their "easier" infectious diseases burden have not been eliminated. This is true, but lack of exercise and poor eating habits contributes to this equally or more than qat or smoking. Yet i dont see wadaads making fatwas that fast food is haraam. Y the inconsistency . Well, prohibited "Khamr" explicitely mean any intoxicant or mind altering substance, whether it be from grapes, grains, or other sources ranging from particular mushrooms to chemical reactions and not only wines or spirits as the common misconception goes (alcohol is even rejected by some Christian denominations while all sanction moderation). The Usool-Al-Fiqh or jurisprudence take into account the specific reason for which something is restricted and alcohol was observed as interfering with the clear mindedness central to duties such as the Salat. Qat is, besides, in some ways much worse than alcohol and maybe even more of a powerful catalyst of mental illness as experienced by countless Somalis (not to mention its role in promoting alcohol use and other issues). I fully rejoin you on that fast food should be regulated however (and the Quran or Sunnah insist on proper diet, food and food etiquette); actually, manufactured food, besides its better known toxicity, is a powerful catalyst of mental problems and improper diet directly influence one behavior too as experts are now increasingly noting (direct role in increases in aggressivity and criminality but also stress, depression, poor attention etc). We are indeed what we eat as the message goes; the brain is the heaviest energy user organ (eg, diabetics mood swings) or constitued of the omega 3 fats almost absent in Western diets and industrial food. We can not now reject or regulate all the fruits of consumerism and artificial needs creation but can wonder whether some unnecessary substance such as coffee are not, after all, mind altering to some extent (already banned by the influent Mormon Christians). Crucially, it is also true that most Muslims do not realise that alcoholism is a medical condition (at the addiction stage) or stigmatise and deal improperly with vulnerable groups while not fully realising that social factor precipitate such conditions (eg, stress, poverty or marginalisation based on clan factors). Some Al Shabaab methods, made worse by interferences, should not be used to discredit Islam: what about all the infinitely worse abuses condoned by, say for instance, Christianity throughout centuries (serfdom, institutional racism, women as having no soul etc)? There is little doubt that we need proper manners and ethics most urgently, concomitantly with some level of general knowledge or scientific and historical litteracy, ie learning properly the Deen and then some worldly knowledge and that is precisely why we can not afford to compete with Western-style music clips, indulge in endless TV or football commentaries etc...

One of the SOLer brother wrote about some idea we commonly hold: Naxar, that has to do with interpretation. Just 20 years ago Music, khat, cigarrettes, mixed weddings etc etc werent seen as a big deal amongst Somalis. But the Shaykhs we had returning from Saudi Arabia brought with them the Salafi/Wahabi interpretation of the deen. All of a sudden a man who sits down for khat once a week after a hard days work is a major sinner, akin to someone who drinks. And attending the wedding of a family member is unthinkable because of the music. Im not condoning the things i listed above, but i think our shaykhs sumtimes overly condemn some relatively benign things and overlook others that are quite serious in their effects. Indeed, such things were often not a "big deal" and it was more common to hear music among Somalis, with people well versed into the artists and their alluring lyrics, than Quran. Yet, one precisely need to regularly read or connect with the Quran more often than ever in this age of endless distractions and distorted thinking; is that even possible when constantly getting enticed by music, something that has strong influence on human minds and promote very different messages? On another note, I was just shocked to hear the other night that households spending on tobacco surpassed those on health or educations in many developing countries while experts confirm that the now chic shisha is even extremely worse health-wise (all those young Somalis adding shisha to the mix when already severly deficient in non-manufactured, natural food, clean air, Vitamin D etc). Also, addictive substances such as cigarettes and whisky are now heavily advertised in places such as Africa. Actually, countless countries are now facing public health disasters caused by chronic disorders (diabete, heart disease or cancer) even before their "easier" infectious diseases burden have not been eliminated. And we are not even talking here about greed related international issues such as environmental catastrophes or usury (poorest countries forced to repay many times over their mismanaged national debt or countless enslaved households in the West). So could we not say that indeed, qat, smoking, drinking and mixing are some of the worst disasters, precisely for those and many other reasons (economic, social or familial)? Maybe all of us must regularly read alcohol activists newsletters and public health or criminality and poverty academic papers to realise the full extent of the ravages created by "small things" such as drinks, qat, smoking or sexual indulgence (more children born out of wedlock than in marriages among many communities such as Black Americans). From the absent or abusive father to the mother focused on social events, saving money for villas and other relatives marrying again while not providing adequately for their existent children and then harassing for more money to waste youngsters already struggling abroad, it's very clear that much of our suffering is self-inflicted (economic and other forms of oppression aside). Thus, not everyone will agree that "neglect of the prophet's sunnah is the source of all problems" as summarized by a scholar but we can readily observe in our communities or extended families that most if not all avoidable suffering comes from substances including Qat concomitantly with consumerism as well as lack of patience and self-restraint... PS: groups or parts of a group with unwise methods is not enough to blind someone from the truth (eg, some here were misinformed about Islam long before Al Shabab); does the atrocities of Maoists or Stalinists signify that economic redistribution is evil and not actually one of the very most civilised human endeavor?

Taleexi, Allah ha cafiyo sxb; I have a phobia of suffering but not really death (unless tragic). Local elites would have long improved their countries if they suffered anything remotely similar as their disenfranchised citizens and forced to rely solely on local facilities. We have to fight for resources redistribution and against corruption precisely to prevent such suffering on a massive scale (enforcing economic equality solves so many problems)...

It is not surprising that cancer (or diabete) is now common among Somalis given the prevalent lack of proper sunshine, lack of quality vitamin D (even people in africa could have vitamin D3 deficiency if not exposed to sunshine with limited clothing/shade, thus exposing every cell from hairs to neurons). There is this cousin of mine in Toronto whose young husband is getting treated for cancer like many other Somalis, with typical mistrust of clinicians, who in turn are suspicious of Somalis leaving care for Somalia ("caano geel therapy"). My relatively young abti's wife too was glad to be able to treat her colon cancer in France now as soon as advised to check for cancer in Djibouti (we obtained French ID papers for the whole family back in 2003, though that has its problems too). Of course, even if not a clinician yourself you have to always explain and insist on people getting direct sun contact regularly as more and more doctors are preaching these days. Settling in some places or countries if you are dark skinned is, quite literally, suicidal given how crucial sun exposure & vitamin D3 is for every cell, for immunity (even more so with all the stress, processed food & chemicals all around). All that reminds us of how crucial is it to have a proper healthcare & prevention system; so many young and active people are dying prematurely ("waa la helay/lagu soo booday"). There is no problem with death and suffering has its purposes, but I'd rather see us perishing in say liberating the Galbeed/oga-denia than due to lack of ethics and leadership (no concern for equality & equal access to vital services).

This dating process has logical flaws; surely, your relatives, even more distant ones, and honorable acquaintances or family friends would suggest or introduce someone (or you could enquire about it). Look at it this way saaxiib, good families tend to have or know potential wifes with similar qualities (whether it be inside the larger family or outside is irrelevant). Then, you simply visit her at home or with her mahram as good men do. How could you look your future children's mother through "dating"? Are good families or women even into that business?

Knowledge and more importantly, proper thinking, does not really comes from institutions though they are supposed to foster skills such as research, reading or critical thinking (one is supposed to already possess such skills if admissible to a decent university or course). Anyway, unless one intends to do medicine or other quite technical courses straigth away, there are affordable and decent distance learning versions (particularly for undergraduates). From what I have seen the risks are differents for men and women but it's even more riskier to send far away children with no proper Islamic learning or discipline since most Somali parents disapprove of foreign norms, romantic relationships or unilateral marriages etc and many complain of their children "attitude" in the Diaspora. Also, I see many quite educated "wadads" though of course you can not expect them to all have solid grasp accross science, history, economics etc (whether disciplines such as economics etc are relevant or "scientific" is also another debate, not to mention the different perspectives or emphasis on the "facts" in say history). It is best to not rely on an institution indeed for learning your own history, particularly now that it is easy to get hold of authoritative texts yourself and access information (fine line between "education" and all too common "indoctrination"). Mario B: On the issue of objective truths or scientific truths I will quote you Karl Popper who wrote “The more we learn about the world and the deeper our learning, the more conscious, specific and articulate will be our knowledge of what we do not know, our knowledge of our ignorance”. He believed that even when a scientific principle had been successfully and repeatedly tested, it was not necessarily true. Instead it had simply not been proved false, yet! This became known as the theory of falsification. The neutrino findings are casting doubt on Einstein's theory of relativity, a theory that supplanted an ealier Newtonian paradigm that was a casting iron world view for a few hundreds years. Recently Albert Einstein was proved to be correct in his view of how the universe is expanding, there is an aya in Q that makes that claim. For me I have never seen a principle that is in either science, philosophy, politics, economics, etc that I found was profound that i didn't come across in the teaching of Islam. Well said Mario B, those debates tend to rest on lots of assumptions ("science tell the truth", "science or scientists operate in a social vacuum" etc) that have been thoroughly rejected and anyway there is a core difference between some "facts" (mathematics, anatomy etc) that seems more objective if not more lasting and fancy theories that promote ideologies while being peppered with few basic platitudes as their respective experts recognise such as economics etc. With others subjects in between such as medicine: relatively uncontroversial when it comes to emergency trauma care and sometimes even totally "unscientific" if not ideological when it comes to more chronic conditions or deeper biological interpretations (even cancer approach tend not to be that "rationality" based and evolving)...

^ Mukur carbeed iga dhee Horta maxaa Ngonge iyo dadka dhib badan loo ban-gareyn? Mise laaluush bay dhiibaan?

And this is just the tip of the iceberg; a moderate taxation level and some licencing/nationalisation could bring up to 4 times more, targeting mainly the telecoms, luxuries trade or items and "mansions" by local standards not to mention remittances and now thriving cattle export etc (decentralised taxation and public services to involve directly local users). It may seem incredible but even the poorest communities can and must afford decent healthcare and some redistribution/investment geared towards equality (which should be the core goal of its leaders) whereas no amount of oil or other "curse" resources could guarantee anything other than waste and environmental ravages. Actually, even largely desertic Oman has now a much more sustainable and diversified economy with its already relatively modest oil revenues diminishing (less indulgence means also better citizen and less health catastrophes such as the 25% diabete rate in the Emirates).

One could also draw parallels with Western Somalia (Galbeed, Oga-denia) as Ethiopia was rewarded at the Berlin Conference in 1884 as an associate of the colonial powers: -A colonised nation declared "part and parcel" of the coloniser country and territory, despite segregation (Algeria was too hold as a part and parcel of France, administered just like other French regions unlike other colonies). -An ennemy with overwhelmingly superior firepower, able to buy off or manipulate segments of the natives. -Settlement of a foreign population in Jigjiga, Dire-Dawa (as the "second Ethiopian city") etc -Acculturation through foreign langages or norms (Amharic and Abyssinian culture in our context) -Divisions among natives: Arabs and Berbers, ideological rifts etc in the Algerian context; clans among Somalis. .......................................... Prologue to Assimilation Policy? The latest session of the ‘parliament’ in the nominal Somali regional state enacted statues that are of high interest. First, men and women are to share their assets equitably in the event of a divorce and no more reference is to be made to the rules in the Sharia court. Second, the ‘irksome’ five-star in the corner of the regional flag is soon to be a thing of the past. Third, Friday is to be a working day. Somali regional flag When announcing this ‘landmark’ laws, there was no disguise of the contempt for the feelings and beliefs of the people in the region. The vulgarities were so vile, the insensitivity so audacious! In fact, a laurel wreath was proffered onto the head of the man who announced it- a man merely used as an amplifier by the real rulers of the region who originated the laws. What temerity! The Somali Region The people of Somaligalbeed will need its most living God to get the better of this massive attempt on its heritage and identity, if this is what we, indeed, think it is. We suspect this is a prologue to a new policy of assimilation the regime in Addis Ababa is trying to implement in the region, along with the already pursued divide-and-rule policies. The explanations given for the introduction of these laws are an indication of the phased strategies hatched up to delink the blood, history, and destiny ties the people of the region had and have with their kins in Somalia. This hitherto concealed agenda is beginning to obtrude blatantly; betraying the lies of the regime about valuing the customs and identities of nations and nationalities of the inhabitants of Ethiopia. The regime thinks the removal of the star and the shade of blue background from the not-so-scared flag will hopefully mean, all of a sudden, the people of the region will be insensitive to the atrocities committed in Somalia. It hopes it will end the desire to be a Somali and will usher the dawn of a new transformation. We think, beyond publicity, it won’t go far. Indeed, the stooges in Jigjiga all looked drunk with well contrived misapprehension when their dishonest leadership announced that this measure is a step forward in the birth of a new sense of ‘Ethiopianism’ in the heart of the people of the region. Rigging facts is not something new with the regime and their implants. But one may still ask if this gratuitous euphoria have any chance of being a reality? The Somali people are one in culture, religion and are intricately tied together by blood, bonded in marriages and share common livelihood sources. A mere elimination of a star will never stop the relation, but on the contrary, might act as a catalyst to solidify the affiliation and bolster self-awareness. It may wake up those who were asleep, oblivious to the danger lurking. Therefore, the euphoria is short-sighted. It will never impact on the social, political, cultural, psychological and economic attachment and interdependence among the Somali nation in the horn of Africa. The people of the region are burdened by a severe famine to care about the imposition of unenforceable laws by a despairing regime. A regime that is busy expelling humanitarians and media people so that the cries of hungry children and the grief of abused mothers is not revealed to the world. Add this to the well founded reports by credible international human right organisations on the extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detentions and burning of villages committed by the Ethiopian army; and one would wonder if massive starvation is the right tool to arm-twist the Somaligalbeed people to sing in praise and long for the tri-coloured flag of Ethiopia. That Friday is going to be a working day is part of the phased attempt at the assimilation of the conquered natives. Perhaps, the decision on the rights of women and men is the most far-reaching. Apart from the questionable motives and the challenges around the operationalisation of the law, whether good or bad, the issue is, will it be accepted by the suspicious Somali’s who see it as a dictation by the Christian highlanders? Even if one argues this particular decree was made for the welfare of the women and with good intentions, the method of delivery has sullied its value and reduced the chances for practical implementation. Not to mention the parochial and controversial nature of the law. After the killings, arrests and mass starvation polices is this the latest weapon to subdue the ‘unruly’ Somali’s? The designers of these laws must have dug deep and read all the lessons from French colonialism, for there is no better way of vanquishing a rebel than to force him/her to reject his/her self! This new invention is particularly dangerous as it is targeted against the soul and sacred beliefs of the people. Whatever physical pain and loss is inflicted upon the Somaligalbeed people by the colonizers will heal with time. But, the shame and loss that follows the absconding of our values and core beliefs will alter who we are and will have an eternal sore in our soul and that of our progeny. Therefore, the people of Somaligalbeed and their Somali brothers elsewhere must denounce and oppose this denial of religious rights and the blatant attack on their identity. From our side, maybe, it is time we remind the strategists of this wicked policy, the living words of the eminent poet Jaamac Kadiye: The sound I understand is a Somali The genetics of me is a Somali The way God created me is a Somali He who I greet is a Somali He who I share food with is a Somali He who I befriend is a Somali The perch I sleep on is a Somali The land I walk on is a Somali You find a Somali If you cut my skin I object to the dissection and dalliance – (of those who wish to divide us) Never will we be kept apart I am a Somali, I am indivisible!!! Editorial, MaanHadal.com

A France humiliated by the german occupation unleash its army on Madagascar in 1947 before being defeated notoriously at the battle of Dien bien Phu in 1954 (this defeat preluding the long subsequent American engagement in Vietnam). Dien Bien Phu humiliating fiasco will further catalyse the decolonisation in Algeria etc, acting as a pivotal reference point in the history of decolonisation and the following Vietnam war (interestingly, Japanese officers "liberating fellow Asians" were a crucial factor, some helping out even after Japan's defeat). These long and bloody battles if not outright colonial mass-scale massacres (at least 100 000 killed in Madagascar) were mostly fought by the Vietnameses and Algerians, who bore the brunt of uncalculable suffering. The military side of the struggle was often far from decisive and the balance of power extremely unequal; yet, those protracted popular struggles received much less coverage than other wars or historical events (much of it still very obscure). Even more shocking is that those "decolonisations" or "independence with cooperation" formal treaties were far from ending the tragical French involvment in Africa termed as "Francafrique" and documentated as Maffia-like by the renowned French judge and personality Eva Joly. "In early 1958, the French command judged that the war was virtually won. Minister Resident Robert Lacoste kept repeating victory would come to the one who held out for "the last quarter hour." That entailed "forget- ting" the profound political and moral crisis permeating the Fourth Republic in 1957. In addition, the FLN leadership, installed outside the country, still hoped to win by combining an offensive of its troops from Tunisia and Morocco with diplomatic pressure on the UN, as a way to internationalize the conflict with an Algerian "Dien Bien Phu."" Algerian War Reading France2 documentary with exclusive footage at the 50th commemoration of the "Accords d'Evians" (gaining Algeria an independence with cooperations): Guerre d'Algérie, La Déchirure.

Is ilaali bro, you are more of an asset alive and this is a struggle for the long haul; you belong more to the intellectual/educational side of the fight which is the more crucial one.