Max, try this one: https://ig2.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_londondeanery01.asp?s=bkMjPUrEcTFkHhTcz&jobid=58231,7752124969&key=46 443174&c=346556463477&pagestamp=seivfvkewbgqvlohwj Also, if you had done some health promotion, do pm me; I'm trying to find something too (which pay enough for the rent)...

[...]Al-Amoudi also revealed to the Head of State that he intended to expand the capacity of the Port Autonome International de Djibouti (PAID), and produce a new line of railway. The Saudi investor undertook the extension work that his group will initiate at the bulk terminal of the Port of Djibouti, to increase its storage capacity and bagging and reach over 30,000 tons of additional storage. Note that the bulk terminals of Djibouti has automated facilities unique in East Africa, enabling him to hoist the International Autonomous Port of Djibouti to the 1st row of ports in the region, and combine performance and competitiveness through optimization methods and mechanized unloading structures. Note also that Al-Amoudi Group operates, on behalf of Saudi Arabia, a large parcel of agricultural land in Ethiopia, where harvesting will be channeled through the bulk terminal of Djibouti. The initiation of this new agricultural policy of Saudi Arabia requires him to establish an active partnership between the Kingdom and countries of the region. A conference on this partnership will bring together the countries of East Africa and Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, 14, 15 and 16 November. Finally, remember that Sheikh Muhammad Husayn al-Amoudi, 63, appears in the 77th position among the richest men in the world prepared by Forbes magazine, with a personal fortune estimated at 9 billion dollars (ADI) ............................................................................ Also, came accross this: Djibouti: overview (the 2009 Budget at $400 millions has almost tripled in a decade, thanks partly to enhanced tax collection)

lol thought you dealt with them as professional; just be careful, you remind me my younger mother idealism and struggle even against superiors as she thought that our local hospital role was not to "reward" loyalties or run businesses with the donations etc...

Agenda setting by the Media is the root of much evil though when it comes to anti-Islamic/Somali propaganda, subtlety is not necessarily present; very few of us are not victim in one way or another, look no further than SOl and its cohorts of mentally colonised and Westernised fellow Somalis (not only in terms of Politics but their whole outlook, priorities and ways of thinking)...

Originally posted by *Ibtisam: I came in today and her brother calls me, she is on the brink or a meltdown and I should avoid her and deal with him. Only problem is he sounds just as mad as her. :eek: ibtilo ayaa ibtisam heshay miyaa; few people are as "mad" as they seem, even schizophrenic patients could largely lead a more or less "normal" life depending on how well managed they are... are you into that sector btw? we need Drs and other specialists, along with other well-wishers, to do the prevention part given the marked rise in mental patients concomitant with the Khat and urbanisation...

Originally posted by S*S: how should i "help remove the reasons, justifications and motives of the powerful" as you put it? - by tap dancing to their requests to torture my believing brother and sisters, by disassociating from them, by capturing for them? or better yet remain silent. [/QB] Sayyid, Xiin as a wise man was reminding us of the bigger picture, the need to remove out any excuse or justification for other powers to obstruct the return of the Somali State and focus on building bridges between us as Muslims first and then Somalis. Of course, Puntland need to act diplomatically but can still uphold its own laws...

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: The best way to support ONLF is to support the stability of Somalia and participate in the efforts of reviving the Somali state. Support PL. Support Sharif. Support SL. Support dialogue and reconciliation. Support the Caravan. Don’t undermine the relative stability of those regions. Help remove the reasons, justifications, and motives of the relatively powerful nations to prevent the resurgence of semblance of governance in Somalia. Having said that, Faroole and his admin must fully account for and offer explanation of the death of the young man who died while in their custody. The ones still in custody must be brought before court or released. Condensed Wisdom as usual! Start emphasising common values as Somalis and Muslims, avoid any divisive or equivocal comment and support every reconciliation move; thus, the ennemy will defeat himself and die out of his own contradictions...

Muxaadaros, Tafsirs etc are also great ways to deepen your Somali; find gabays too futile. North, Lens are risky and proven to irritate if not weaken one's vision on the long term; at any rate, I have been told they can only complement glasses and need caution before being introduced...

Its the waiting in AFRICA (read Djibouti) with a family in tow that I'm worried about ^^lol ciyaalkay qashaan miyaad maqashey? pay the visa n take them in town with all its scenic beaches etc; my little cousins from Ca are still enchanted with their stay years ago... I find these rustic Russian planes all the more exciting and still remember our trip back from Hargeysa in 86 despite being only around 2 years old, the termites molehills or dumdumo below etc (might have been the Somali airlines Let). I now understand why the younger one took flying lessons on the side:

dp

The Madness of Ethiopia's 2010 "Elections" Alemayehu G. Mariam In part I, we explore whether, given the current circumstances in Ethiopia today, a free and fair election is possible in May 2010. In part II, we aim to explore the necessary preconditions for free and fair elections. Free and Fair Elections in a Police State “Is it possible to have a fair and free election in a police state?” That is the inescapable question one must answer after reading former Ethiopian President Dr. Negasso Gidada’s recent reportage on his visit to Dembi Dollo in Qelem Wallaga Zone of Oromia Region [1]. In his recent widely read analysis, Dr. Negasso flatly declared that there is “no level playing field” in Dembi Dollo, and by implication anywhere else in Ethiopia, to have a free and fair election in 2010. Dr. Negasso’s account of his visit to Dembi Dollo evokes the farcical theatricality of a low budget political horror film: The former president shows up for a visit in Dembi Dollo and is promptly shooed away and stonewalled by local functionaries. He is told he can’t hold mass public meetings or engage in other forms of discussion or dialogue with the public. In disbelief, he hastily arranges individual meetings with local businessmen, community elders, teachers, health workers, church leaders, qa’bale officials, private professionals, university students, NGO employees and members and supporters of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM). He is horrified to learn that the individuals who have met or spoken with him could be abused and victimized by local security operatives. He becomes aware of the a ubiquitous and omnipotent local security apparatus with its tentacles planted firmly into individual households. To describe Dr. Negasso’s account on the “current situation” in Dembi Dollo as “downright chilling” would be a gross understatement. He depicts a local party organization nestled within an oppressive security apparatus consisting of layered and operationally interlocking committees (which could be best described as “commissariats”), mimicking Stalin’s NKVD (Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs) in the 1930s. Households, hamlets, villages, districts, towns and zones are hierarchically integrated into a commissariat for the single purpose of coordinating command and control over perceived “enemies of the people”. There is a network of informants, agents and secret police-type operatives who rely on heavy-handed methods to harass, intimidate, gather intelligence and penetrate opposition elements with the aim of neutralizing them. The integrated overlay set up of the local security structure with the dominant OPDO/EPDRF party in Dembi Dollo is quite intriguing. According to Dr. Negasso’s reportage, there is no structural or functional separation of political party and public security in Dembi Dollo. The two are morphed into a single political structure which totally controls and dominates the local political and social scene. The special Woreda Town Administration is sub-divided into four large “Ganda” or villages with their own councils, each consisting of 300 members. Each qa’bale has representation in the Woreda Council, which is further sub-divided into zones and even smaller units called “Gare”. There are 30 to 40 households in a “Gare” group, which is overseen by a commissariat consisting of a chairperson, a secretary, a security chief and two other members. There are up to 17 “Gare” in each zone with branches in every village, schools and health institutions. There is also a larger network of 24 qa’bales under a Sayyo Rual Woreda. Public employees, farmers, local youth, women, members of micro-credit associations and others are involuntarily inducted into the security-party structure. The security network is so sophisticated that it has Stalinesque quasi-directorates consisting of party and security organizations working together to maintain around the clock surveillance and generate and distribute real time intelligence on individual households through an established chain of command. It is clear from Dr. Negasso’s reportage that the local commissariats have expansive powers of investigation, arrest, interrogation and detention. They maintain a network of anonymous informants and agents who provide tips for the identification, investigation and arrest of local individuals suspected of disloyalty to the regime. They control and regulate the flow of information and visitors in and out of the town. Apparently, they have the power to deport anyone considered persona non grata from the town. In general, there is little question that the commissariats and the interlocking quasi-directorates engage in widespread human rights abuses against the local population. One of the common methods of local control described by Dr. Negasso involves the use of highly intrusive security structures called “shane”, which in Oromo means “the five”. Five households are grouped together under a leader who is responsible for collecting information on the households every day and passing it on to the “Gare” officials. For instance, the “shane leader knows if the members of a household have participated in ‘development work’, if they have contributed to the several fund raising programs, if they have attended Qabale meetings, whether they have registered for election, if they have voted and for whom they have voted.” The “Gare” security chief passes information he has received from the security network to his superiors right up the chain of command. Here are some excerpts from Dr. Negasso’s reportage: The OPDO/EPRDF… seems determined not to allow any other political organization which could compete against it in the area. This goes as far as not welcoming individual visitors to the area. Visitors are secretly followed and placed under surveillance to determine where they have been, whom they have visited, and what they have said… Local people who had contact with visitors that are summoned and grilled by security officials. In my case, my brother-in-law, with whom I stayed, … received telephone calls from the Dembi Dollo and Naqamte security offices. He was asked why I came, whether I came for preparation for the coming election or for any other purpose. [A USAID visiting group received the same treatment.] They were followed from the time it arrived in Naqamte. After the group returned, several security officials interrogated leaders of the Dembi Dollo Bethel-Mekane Yesus Church… One of the church leaders was even summoned to the zonal administrator’s office and asked detailed questions about the visitors from Addis. [individuals who came to greet] Dr. Belaynesh (member of the OFDM and an MP) were arrested, interrogated and held in custody for 24 to 48 hours. The houses of some of these individuals were also searched. OPDO/EPRDF in Dembi Dollo, besides using the police and security offices and personnel, also collects information on each household. Each household is required to report on guests and visitors, the reasons for their visits, their length of stay, what they said and did and activities they engaged in. The “Election Code of Conduct” Game The ruling dictatorship has been peddling the idea of an “election code of conduct” to entice the opposition to field candidates for the 2010 “election”. Foreign embassies have been enlisted to do cheerleading for such a “code”. Medrek, a forum for eight political parties, walked out of “election code” talks sensing a surefire trap down the road as the “election” date nears. Lately, there has been talk of “boycotting” the “election”. The unjust imprisonment of Birtukan Midekssa and release of all political prisoners has become a central issue. Ato Gizachew Shiferaw, a member of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party and vice-chairman of Medrek stated unambiguously: “Unless we take some sort of remedy toward these political prisoners, it will be difficult to look at the upcoming elections as free and fair.” Medrek is also demanding the establishment of an independent electoral board, an immediate stop to harassment of opposition candidates and supporters; it has also called for the presence of international election observers. Bereket Simon, the Machiavellian demiurge of the dictatorship, dogmatically pontificated: “We invited them to a dialogue in the presence of the British and German embassies. We invited them to join negotiations. They declined. The party who walks away from the negotiating table doesn’t have a moral right to accuse us of closing political space.” Free and Fair Election: No Need to Re-Invent the Election Wheel A free and fair election is possible only where the rule of law prevails and fundamental human rights are respected. There is no mystery to having free and fair elections. To be sure, in theory, there is no logical reason why there could not be free and fair elections in Ethiopia in May 2010 or at any other time. Its “constitution” which describes itself as the “supreme law of the land” guarantees voters and candidates (and citizens in general) full freedom of speech and expression; ensures freedom of press, which guarantees the right to publicly disseminate political messages and information in the run up to elections and post-election period; the right to vote and the secret ballot are secured; guarantees of an electoral level playing field accessible to all voters, parties and candidates with an independent, non-partisan electoral organization to administer the process are belabored in the constitution; freedom of association to form political parties and civic organizations are held inviolable; and freedom of assembly to hold political rallies and to campaign freely are upheld as hallowed rights. Further, there are purported legislative and regulatory safeguards in place to ensure fair access to the public media by opposition candidates and parties, penalize the improper use of the police, the military, the judiciary and civil servants and elections officials. Use of public funds and equipment for partisan political purposes are strictly prohibited. The electoral process is guaranteed to ensure unencumbered voter registration, accessible polling places, dignified treatment of elections officials, open and transparent ballot counting and verification processes, oversight of elections by trained and politically independent election officials and prevent election fraud. Administrative and judicial challenges of election results are guaranteed by law. Most importantly, it has been established beyond the shadow of doubt that Ethiopian voters are second to none in their understanding of the democratic electoral process. In 2005, an estimated at 90 percent of the 26 million registered voters in the country voted, according to the Carter Center. Ethiopian voters have gained solid experience in the electoral process. What is needed now is to replicate and improve the 2005 electoral process for 2010. There is no need to re-invent the election wheel. The Fox Guarding the Hen House: Is an Election Code of Conduct Needed? When the fox is guarding the election hen house, it is rather meaningless to talk about election housekeeping rules, which is what an “election code of conduct” is. Ultimately, the fox rules the henhouse with an iron fist; and though he may agree to “fair” rules of the electoral game, he knows that in the final analysis he holds all the cards and the opposition none. In other words, in a police state the “chief of police” knows that he is guaranteed victory in all of the zero sum games he plays because he owns the game. He also knows that his opposition is powerless to break his perpetual streak of “victory”. In all of the talk about elections, one question relentlessly gnaws the mind of the dictator: How to buy time and cling to power indefinitely while stringing along the opposition by trickery, false promises, double-dealing, double-crossing, shenanigans, razzle-dazzle using foreign embassies as intermediaries, duplicity and whatever gimmicks remain hidden in the dictatorship’s bottomless repository of political dirty tricks. Towards an Election Code of Conduct? The idea of an “election code of conduct”, at first blush, is appealing because it points in the direction of a peaceful and civil electoral process. Such “codes” have been used successfully in different countries. In principle, they are useful and facilitate an electoral process that is clean, and free from violence and vote rigging. But we must remain acutely aware of one fact: Those who clamor for an election code of conduct usually champion it to cloak and shroud the dirty political tricks they have concealed up their sleeves. If such a code is to be had, it must be devised along the same lines as the criminal code. Just as the criminal code is designed with criminals and the criminal classes in mind, an election code should be designed with vote riggers, ballot stuffers, and election thieves in mind. As Dr. Negasso’s reportage plainly indicates, it is the ruling “EPDRF” party that has misused and abused official public resources, equipment, machinery or personnel for improper electioneering work. They are the ones who have improperly used public places to hold partisan political meetings and election rallies and prevented or made inaccessible such places on the same terms and conditions to opposition parties and candidates. It is the party in power that totally and completely dominates the print and electronic media, and misuses it to advance its partisan political agenda. It is the ruling party and its leaders that make illegal and corrupt offers and promises of financial payoffs, grants, fertilizers, roads, projects etc, in exchange for votes, not the opposition. It is the ruling party members who can travel everywhere, distribute pamphlets and posters, hold rallies and meetings at any location of their choice while opposition parties and candidates are at the mercy of the local police authorities who routinely deny them permission to engage in ordinary political activity. It is the ruling party that uses election propaganda that appeals to ethnic prejudices, inflames historical grievances and passions and heightens tension among different communities and groups, not the opposition. Seeking to offer an answer to the question of whether a code of conduct can be drafted to bring sanity to elections in a police state — or hold the fox guarding the hen house accountable — may appear to be an exercise in futility given the dictatorship’s history of elaborate machinations and shenanigans, total lack of transparency and zero-sum blame games. So, the question needs to be emphatically re-phrased: Will the dictatorship agree to and in good faith abide by an election code of conduct that is based on the principle of respect for the rule of law and human rights, and conforms to its own constitution and election laws? In part II, we shall explore this question. [1] http://ethioforum.org/wp/archives/1451 The writer, Alemayehu G. Mariam, is a professor of political science at California State University, San Bernardino, and an attorney based in Los Angeles. For comments, he can be reached at almariam@gmail.com

Originally posted by Gheelle.T: Puntlanders? Your are trying so hard my man. Just quit it dude. So Puntland means one Somali sub-lineage? If I go settle there, and given that I moreover have at least one local ayeeyo, I should not even think about getting "naturalised", let alone being involved in local affairs? In the meantime, of course, the hardcore Puntlanders here can continue accumulating Western passports...

Mutual mistrust, lack of communication and unholy pride means assumptions reign supreme. Hardly analytical and sophisticated, yet superficially Islamic, that is our predicament! Interestingly enough, divine forces seems, here too, to mitigate what would have otherwise been a totally hopeless scenario, while always protecting us from the worst (imagine our lands with the South-Africa appealing geography attracting widespread colonial settlement)...

Originally posted by Koora-Tuunshe: I firmly believe that the name should stay the same even when liberated. Those who debate about the name change are just playing Qabiil Card. The name has nothing to do with Tribalism. It is the same thing as the following: -Malaysia was named after the Malay tribe, becouse they are the majority in Malaysia. -The capital of Wyoming “Cheyenne” was named after the Cheyenne Tribe. -Paris- was named after the tribe who found it----Parisii of Gallic tribe. The list can go on and on… Aduunyada waxaa jira xitaa wadamo loogu magac darey shaqsiyaad…. Qabyaalada iska daaya oo taageera the ONLF struggle. Ama marmarsiinyada iska daaya. Shaqsiyaadka waxaa ka mid ah: -Angola was named after a person------Ngola Kiluanje -America was named after-------------Amerigo Vespucci -Musambique was named after-------------Musa Mbiki Sxb, are you for real? What you cited is well-known, but how quickly did you metamorphose yourself from a hardcore anti-"Islamists, Secessionists & looters" to such level of Somali patriotism? Don't get me wrong, one can always learn about what he's talking about and expand his mind beyond Western and primitive sectarian prejudices; still, you should not think yourself as more witty or of any more important than average (to try and be generous), let alone being able to mislead anyone... PS: At least, Jacaylbaro & co are limpidly honest and, above all, stay clear of undisputable blasphemies (having basic Islamic understanding do helps against colonial complexes too)...

AUN, aamiin. Biimaalow Mosque...ceremonies for Biimalow buried in Sigaale? was he from that community and what kind of ceremonies is a Biimaalow one?

^^waa xagga masarida in their shows "al xilwa ma yakmalsh" soo maaha ya Cawaale Awwowe Nuune isagna waata rajo ku abuurtay ...

Quite interesting, so I'll try and add few points: -Ethical living is the quintessence of Human nature with even Atheists concurring with the central importance of Altruism; one of the fathers of Western Thought, Aristotle, was long ago stating that "doing good" and attaining the "Supreme good", as core requirements, can only be fulfilled within the confins of an organised society or Polis (Greek for City-State) and its human interactions. How could then ethical consciousness be refined and rekindled? Clearly, evil or suffering has here an important role to play, in the sense that practical hardship naturally lead to greater sympathy towards fellow human beings. -If the receiver of a device accompanied by crystal clear operating manual fail to abide by those instructions, harming himself in the process, who is to be blamed? Thus, there is a clear distinction between allowing evil as a consequence and causing it deliberately. -Evil or suffering is often in itself a cause of greater good, ie preventing much higher levels of suffering. Let's consider a reckless father allowing his daughter to dress provocatively until they both get attacked one night and find himself in his local intensive care unit. That father subsequently regains his appetite for regular worship or convince the rest of his household of the necessity of change. Thus, that incident, however painful, served as a vivid reminder against much higher risks. Having found myself unwell last Sunday and visiting the local A&E, I passed by a nearby mosque whose proximity I was unaware; the following morning, my landlord came unexpectedly and upon hearing that incident, apologised profusely (going to greater lengths that was required) and both reassured me and fixed the faults in my new flat. My sudden unwellness disappeared as spectacularely as it manisfested itself...leaving me with two major concerns addressed!

Sh Axmad Daahir Aweys intensive Lectures are back @ Assunah Islamic Centre Tuesday: Arbiciin or 40 Hadiths An-nawawi(From n 17, intensive pace) Wednesday-Thursday: Tafsir (From Surah Ar-Rahman, intensive pace) Timetable: at around 8-9 pm (right after Isha) Opportunity to conquer the essentials, not to be missed. Also, check the specially dedicated Paltalk Room for Live listening. 565A HIGH ROAD TOTTENHAM LONDON N17 6SB Tel: 020 8808 7951 Email: info@masjidusunnah.co.uk Transport: Buses: 149,279,259,349,243,123 & W4 Tube: Victoria Lane to ( Seven Sisters Road Station) British Rail: Bruce Grove Station.

It's basic historical knowledge that Syad's coup or the army takeover was widely applauded by all Somalis (North and South) thanks to the spiralling corruption of the "democratic" government, an "a la Hamid Karzai" regime, too busy pillaging state coffers and rewriting electoral rules at the last minute, while enlisting security forces in such frauds (Igal's regime main priority was indeed to hold on on the parliamentary seats by all means necessary). Of course, the new junta was not holy either and state failure actually occured before Syad's ousting, at around the time of his car accident back in 1986; however, A. Yusuf first clan based coup just after the 1976 defeat catalysed, among many other troubles, the marked surge in nepotism (who else could a Somali leader victim of such attempts trust in critical functions?). The two most serious charges against Syad regimes are the civilian massacres (particularly in the North in 1988) and anti-Islamic policies (there were others officers all too ready for such tasks than the actual president); for instances, pro-communism "elites", the military authorities in Mudug during the atrocities around 1977 or gen Samatar and many others in 1988 (when Syad was recovering), all those officials do share the blame (I A Abokor, a politburo or executive military council member from Burao, was proclaiming that "dhiiga kacandiika ayaa lagu waraabinaya ubaxa kacaanka"). At the same time, all opponents of the regime, starting with the SSDF, were even unholier in some ways and could be criticised or scrutinised at the very least for their roles in arousing support against khat ban, deliberately exposing civilians by invading heavily populated cities and confusing the public through clanish rethorics or unpatriotic alliances (eg, Ethiopian military role in capturing balanbale, soliciting ennemy logistical support as well as strategic alliance, anti-civilian atrocities etc). At the end of the day, the most criminal were those Soviet or western-acculturated "elites" who misled Syad, the military as well as the rest of the society through empty promises and nefarious rethorics; likewise for those who stayed aloof for one reason or another... PS: both my family and lineage were heavily involved against Syad's Junta and suffered most or threatened accordingly...still, we absolutely need to dispense with the "family dinner table" black-and-white version of History and events..

He's indeed smart boy...ibti, just make one big post sis

Originally posted by Khayr: quote:Originally posted by STOIC: Functioning on a three hours of night sleep...Its gonna be another long and lonely night at the library with my Bacteria and Myocology notes...FML :mad: :mad: Your ability to concentrate, record information and recall it will be greatly hampered without proper rest and diet. You need to take an afternoon rest and break down your day. I find excercising helps with blood flow to the brain. Make dem papers....med school boy! Late Nikaax Mabruk bro, good you are passionate about your field and working hard...

dp

Lool Nuune, awoowgey (aun) maalin caro tii ugu dambeysay gaadhey "waxan kaatooliga ah" ayaa ka fakatey! On a serious note, deliberately accusing people of disbelief could make one committing disbelief himself...

Originally posted by -Serenity-: Abu-Salman, I've noticed ever since u met some of the Nomads, you're not as... uptight. Is this because you realized people behind the screen are not monsters? LOL. one's sentimental side could be wrongly categorised, in every sense lol

^^Try the S.A.Q method, not a Delphi procedure btw, that time is most propitious for naafilah Salats, Adkaars and Qur'aan (those pocket sized adkaars "Xisnul Muslim", Qur'aan and sharx "Arbiciin" always come in handy...)