As both someoone with North-Western roots and a neutral observer, I think few facts should be focused on so futiles disputes are put to rest. First of all, anyone outside the circle of Somali clan pride and vindictness know that our tragedy originated from the colonial partition and subsequent neocolonialism. An elite largely groomed by the Italians but also the British were unable to stem corruption so that the military regime was welcomed by everyone, including the Northerners. However, the 1977 terrible defeat coupled with the coup attempt resulted in growing regime paranoia and discrimination, leading to popular disenchantment against a regime which included all clans initially. Siyad's regime paranoia was due to the fact that putshites were organised along clan lines, hence atrocities and marginalisation were first directed against Puntland's major group. Following the SNM creation and its growing strenght, aided by Addis, the regime extremists turned against the Northern group. It's crucial to note that many regimes would raze cities to the ground if unable to dislodge a rebellion armed by the national arch-enemy, as military and other extremists circles prevail in such conditions, with the dictatorship left with fanning clan animosities as sole option. Now, the masses are not neutral students of history but Somalis with lingering inter-clan issues, haunted by painful memories. It is therefore advisable to focus first on building trust and institutions in the South while dealing cordially with Northerners. If and when something viable emerges, the case for unity can only grow stronger, making its advocates from both camps more credible. Above all, let's avoid generalisations and disputes that only profit extremists in each group. Of course, the secession agenda can not forcefully include groups unwilling to secede, basing its claim on pre-unification British colonial frontiers, which is both morally and tactically indefensible. Even such issues can however be ironed out on the long term; after all, even if magically recognised overnight by the world, the Somaliland admin would still be requested as well as forced to respect the wishes of all its communities, with discontent regions still able to take exception to the secession project. In addition to that perspective, there is a psychological side to the issue, as many North-Westerners wish to emulate their Djibouti brethrens, "get a State of their own", have a homeland to surmount diaspora blues, generally boost their morale or dissociate themselve from the Somalia brand; that is why one can find Djiboutian or foreign born North-Westerners advocating for secession on such practical grounds, longing for a place where theirs would be the dominant group and their ambitions unbridled (even when their business interests and friendships largely lies outside that group).

Baashi;745236 wrote: Time tested remedy for these type of laziness is getting involved in a great cause, valuable project, or other sorts of rewarding activities. Socialize with like-minded folks. If you don't have good ones then time to widen your circle of friends -- not like facebook types. I am talking about local ones. Where is your hubby? No hubby yet time to seriousely start the vetting process Sounds quite sensible; time tested solutions and wisdom are often what works: religious classes and spirituality, starting a family, enriching relationships and hobbies, projects auch as launching a local homeschooling/islamic school scheme etc; in short, all those activities with deeper meaning. Vitamin D or lack of sun exposure is widespread though and more and more investigated, particularly for immigrants and covered women (a Dr was advising us that we should automatically supplement in some areas); in fact, even local whites who do not go to the countryside, exercise outdoor or travel often are having their immunity and body functions impaired (cardiac diseases, musculoskeletal problemes, lethargy etc).

On the late night of Sunday 9th September, me, my elder brother and mum were traveling from Djibouti to Paris as I was supposed to enrol at the uni (I prefered Toronto where relatives resided or the elite "classes preparatoires" to the faculty). After rapidly transiting via Jeddah where it was announced that all acohol should be discarded before landing (and some boarding women started pulling out their hairscarves), the Air France flight arrived at Paris CDG around 6 AM. Jumping on a Taxi, mum guided the driver to a familiar Lebanese 2 star hotels near the famous Pitie Salpetriere in the 13th Arrondissement where she trained in nursing and laboratory analysis around 20 years ago; not before engaging in a chat with the driver about Arabs tipping them generously during the season, Mitterand policies and recognising landmarks such as the "Ministère de l'Economie" at Bercy (which adorned one of dad's training material carried from abroad). The taxi woman was puzzled with such matter-of-fact knowledge about her country by some fresh newcomer. Prevented from proper sleep by flight nervosity but overexcited by the long anticipated adventure, I tried contacting a long time friend and classmate as well as a cousin that preceded us through the hotel phone. Anxious about the next steps, I was still undecided about whether to join too dad's small town uni, my friend, brother or something else (universities are largely "flexible" there and somehow avoided by the elite); there was however no doubt that I should first try and have some good time. Flanked by hooyo and my bro, we adjusted to escalators then headed for some shopping, notably at C&A, whose emblem adorned many of our childhood clothes and then returned via the subway with all its epic stations names, grabbing some necessities at the local Monoprix. By evening, we left hooyo at the hotel and decided to take the metro into the "Champs Elysees" or some other entertainment, our confidence buoyed by the 10 000 FF each in liquidity stuffing our pockets from back home; my bro left me at some cinema to watch "Rush Hour"; mesmerized by the multi-storeys arrangement of fancy cars and other sights, I could not understand anyway how someone could watch a movie with so many explorations to undertake (my boredom from early teens with video games or movies in general still set me apart from my brothers). By the next morning, we headed East towards the small town where my bro was undertaking his second year in the same uni that offered courses by distance learning back in Djibouti, whose nascent University was not autonomous by then. Out of the TGV station, police officers stopped us for ID search (we were then on visas) and we finally arrived at somewhere reasonably priced for the bro to stay. Checking earlier into the room at around 3 pm, I switched the TV on, welcomed by a surreal scene of planes and flaming towers before being joined by my incredulous mother (was it the reason for the officers zeal?). This was the beginning of some palpable hysteria, the "Plan Vigipirate" (I will later once be warned that one of my left luggage would have been destroyed). On the moment, it looked like "chicken come home to roost" to paraphrase rvd Wright, then sheer pity for the innocent jumping to death overtook me; all too soon however, the typical, revolting arrogance and naked aggression was directed to a long oppressed people in the grip of hunger. The USA then started pampering our local Mafia regime, building their first base on Africa and inflating the French one's rent to a similar $ 30 millions. It was then clear that filling the airwaves with degenerate Pop music through their local VOA transmitter, the embassy gift of sewing machines, stationery etc to our association or seminar sponsorship will not be deemed enough for "winning hearts and minds"...

True Che, this time Ngonge and co liberalism should be embraced; this immigrants/others is an issue where conservatism springs more from fear than cold assesment of what really matters. As for Ethiopia GDP growth numbers, even if we allow for few points less and its unsustainable nature, this sounds quite threatening for the overall balance. On a side note, it's likewise true that social liberalism is not, in final analysis, all that progressive; zero tolerance for addictions and misplaced entertainment, safeguard of traditional family values etc will always protect the more vulnerable and those facing hard times much better than handouts, while preventing all sorts of huge public services, individual and productivity losses...

Ethiopia GDP is growing at world record levels and that those left behind are, as usual, mostly the Oromos and nomads such as Somalis or Afars; Now, is the influx of Oromos overwhelming and negative enough to warrant these knee-jerk reactions? The only clear fact is that such immigrants labor hard in our farms and houses, contributing more to our living standards than our fellow local Somalis. In fact, anthropologically, the frontier between Oromos and Somalis has always been both tenuous and shifting (just like with clans); many now speak fluent Somali and are more Somali than many "authentic Somalis" (for want of better word). Crucially, many of them are muslim and that populous group's potential role in Ethiopia and regional affairs is momentous. Thus, the bottom line is that authorities should focus on crime and the underlying addictions/public health & urban planning issues as these fluxes are self-regulating and not yet warranting measures beyond security checks and borders control; one should indeed worry much more about the diaspora and elite destructive role in eroding both mores and environmental resources.

Something that always puzzles me is how women particularly adore luxuries and comfort; I feel guilty indulging myself with all the tragedies around us while I stick to bare necessities, yet some people want to pamper themselves, even through debts and others's assets (likewise for men in oversized cars). Funnily, some even feel "entitled" to live well beyond their means and can not understand that having a wealthy relative does not mean you have a "right" to invest yourself in luxury villas etc, a right that she/he can not refuse under penalty of criticism and anger. Then again, lack of thrift or balwad, irresponsible parenting and lifestyle, upside down priorities in life etc are just symptoms of deeper spiritual void, the characteristic of latter generations creeping Westernisation...

welcome Norf, it's a sunny afternoon. I suggest you guys should come and gather at the brand new restaurant "Rayyan" next to the Somali mosque in Tottenham; excellent service but no shisha. will a choco cake do it?

Ciid mubaarak, taqaballah mina wa minkum; So do you organise a mini party for the kids and their cousins as mum did it for us mothers and fathers of SOL? this is one of the rare occasions one can easily reunite the family,which we took very seriously (and this may explains my "leftist/people first" as it's hard to not empathise with others if one consider family/entourage as most important); our biggest gift as kids was joining or having one or few of habo's children staying with us, which was even more endearing than the Megadrive and other games (else, even holiday travels seemed bland). Even now as grown-up men, these memories of past follies and shared experiences bind us and energizes me more than anything else when my cousin visit me...

There is at least this interesting report on their website: http://www.ihasa.org/documents/special-reports/ethnicity-in-ethiopia.pdf Few excerpts detailing highlanders colonialism of Somali and Afars regions, whose aspirations have been hijacked through clan rivalries as early as in 1991 when the Derg was routed: "Now finally EPRDF set out to sponsor a political affiliate, and the Ethiopian Somali Democratic League (ESDL) was established at a meeting in Hurso, under the leadership of the two Somali members of the federal cabinet, and with strong pressure publicly applied by both Prime Minister and President" "When in 1995 the regional capital shifted from the remote Hargeysa-clan heartland of Gode to the highland periphery of Jigjiga, close to Ishaq territories, the move was initiated by the non-oga-deni clans newly controlling the region, and was also clearly desirable from the Federal government’s highland perspective, given the relative accessibility, stability and security of Jigjiga – as well as its more temperate climate. Somali regional politicians had been warned early on not to press their controversial claim to Dire Dawa"

Ciid Mubaarik, taqaballah mina wa minkum. So cambaabur or special ciid pancake /laxoox is not known in Hargeysa? One local mate seemed incredulous. I've been hanging more with those folks lately, and it sounds like Somalis tend to be more bearable in general when there are some clan/region/ distant relations connections...do you guys notice that, along with mosques/restaurants etc preferences? [url=http://www.mysomalifood.com/breakfast/cambaabur-eid-bread/]http://www.mysomalifood.com/breakfast/cambaabur-eid-bread/

Seems I received a pm the 17 th but with just a quote; never been foot fan but love playing outside when the weather is splendid (for fun, exercise etc). Curiously, I may be fitter and run longer/faster than many if not most foot fanaticals though

What is worrisome is that local politicians do not take urban/public health issues seriously as demonstrated by the planned new presidential palace in the "State House" open area by the previous admin. We urgently need more higher density housing (eg, mandating multiple stories) and more control of car traffic (why would so many people drive when the city is still compact?), along with parks/open spaces on half of the superficy, before the sprawl reach soon Gabiley and traffic accidents get even more out of control. Urban anarchy means more crime/illnesses, reduced quality of life and economic competitivity, combined with loss of our prime agricultural land; such effects are already visible, with the city more unsafe and milk sourced from accross the Ethiopian border instead of adjacent farms...

For those with ecclectic interests, this is a captivating presentation which capture well local urban dilemmas: www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.asp?nr=2593&alt=1

"the linguist that was awarded the project has broken their wrist and is unable to finish the assignment" says the manager but no more Wifi/laptop or convenient internet shop around, so will have to work from the library. Check ITV news at 6 or 6:30 guys, have some good words for the locals (those "Le parisien" journalists I helped before are still around, maybe it's time to start asking for payment)...

No electricity for some, usual shopping stores either destroyed or closed, people exasperated by detours and police control (permission needed to get into your flat!), the neighbourhood has come to a standstill and normality will be slow to return given the scale of the rioting. Interestingly, the FT editorial writes that school should focus on the bottom pupils to starve off desperation, as if it was remotely possible to educate adequately in ghettos (not to mention the low budget); not surprising they are so superficial for a business/finance paper (problems run much deeper).

No electricity in the block since Saturday night, it's simply incredible. The area is still cordoned off and crumbling buildings not yet demolished; no calendar yet and fatigue is taking its toll. In Edmonton, the taraawix has been shortened again and as some young Somalis started disturbance, we tried to monitor them so to avoid further police mobilisation and blocking of the mosque. Apparently, the police can not use water canons or tear gas as elsewhere and it seems the ones looting Camden (better off borough) were young teenagers (schools are off); can they really expect parents to do their jobs when families and values have been broken down?

The rioters have gone elsewhere but we are still without electricity for 2 nights; this is beyond belief, just like those suggestions we should use candles. Have just been with those "Le Parisien" journalists: an opportunity to explain the deeper mechanisms and wax perverse cuts, entranched double standards etc; people are still interpelling me about the BBC reruns of yesterday interview (even a Chinese Channel came) and the busineesman who joined us to defend his store seems now on TV explaining the same lack of opportunities for the local youth...

^I do not doubt that the police would have reacted more seriously in other areas of the city; my pitch was about how desperate the crowd seemed for looting food and drinks, as to suggest more fundamentally, that we have reached the same level of breakdown as in L.A or Chicago. I came accross the local police as much more respectuous than say in France where racism and harassment seems more obvious; but then again we do not have the "banlieues"-Bantoustans/inner city divide to quite the same extent and diversity is more apparent here.(and anyway, Somalis have bigger issues than police harassment last to complain about racism). At any rate, the sudden chaos that seemed allowed seems more of an issue than harassment.

I just came accross the BBC News Live crew where I emphasised that there was no animosity but people were just hungry for loot: food, drinks, mobile phones etc and that the police could not protect the banks or supermarkets as they shut themselves inside their station, so we had to look after the Somali shops till late ourselves (a "leftist" spin, true nevertheless). I just came back, after Isha in the nearby mosque, on time for the shop below our flat, where we resisted looters till our landlord owner came (we were just two at the beginning). I also remarked to the News crew that the scene was surreal for a EU city and just outside the zone 2 as these things are expected in L.A or Baltimore ghettos etc (was lately reading Obama's "Dreams of my father" etc, so it seemed ironic how things are similar accross the Atlantic). As the night went by and the shops, supermarkets, banks etc were broke into, fires erupted (local post office was still burning in the early morning). We finally had to deal with the charging riot police and escaped into the flat whose electricity was cut; eventually, we left and I prayed in the mosque up North in Edmonton after suhur in the adjacent restaurant, coming back after Fajr. Waking up at around 10, the whole area was still sealed off and the electricity still missing (crimes investigation may last days, reconstruction months) but I again asked permission to leave, coming to this local library. Norf, It is not so much that killing (killings and gangs are routine here, both within Somalis and without), but the human wave hungry for loot (mostly blacks, but with white elements) coupled with the police impotence (their station is just nearby) that marked us; it started with a small band demonstrating in front of the station but after afur and Isha, it was already mogadishu reenacted just by inner London.

Interesting; the brother has oratory skills. That cracked me up (from 3:20); has the Sheikh been briefed about clans residence in Toronto?

^Well, covered or not, the minimal sunshine exposure may be from 30 mins (up to 2 hours may be optimal according to some calculations) for dark skins, on uncovered arms or legs and face (daily average; clouds, and even creams, pollution and high buildings limit the exposure). Come to think about it we may as well be farming in Somalia or similar latitudes if we are serious about health. Thus, it's almost a given that dark skinned, covered ladies will suffer defficiencies (even white people without gardens, regular countryside/outdoors/abroad trips can suffer serious deficiencies, particularly in the UK). Is then Vitamins D pills for both males and females (5000 ui) a lesser evil as the Dr said?

amin bro; the area has bad sides too. I hope you enjoyed the Mu'tamar in Baker st and follow that Dr advise to get as much direct exposure to the sun as possible; was just reading a great book about diseases and vitamin D/sun so was glad and surprised to find a Somali Dr preaching about that very crucial part in the midst of the muxaadaros.

Around 50 mins to get to Hargeysa, u seems observant; flying during mid-day and chaotically is due to those airlines exigencies, Djibouti has little to do with it. I don't think ACs in the airport should be considered as important.

^Some fruits are richer in sugar (mainly fructose, glucose); fibers slow sugar release though as long as its not machine blended or dried. There is much misinformation around but natural fats not processed and in small amount (eg butter, well kept/fresh extra virgin olive oil, nuts) are good unlike the usual cooking oil, spreads etc (full fat Camel milk is staple but nomads are active/not driving). Greens, particularly beans and pulses are full of proteins, so one needs very little meat if the rest is varied...