"[...]optimism can dramatically decrease their risk of dying or becoming disabled by a host of diseases usually chalked up to aging. “Perhaps the real fountain of youth,” Dr. Tindle concludes, “emanates not from a cosmetic counter but from what’s between your ears.” [...]" An ‘Up’ Outlook Can Improve Our Health

thought that pharmacies are usually run by assistant pharmacists; apart from most generics in the essential list, drugs and pharmacies are pretty much businesses like others (much of it unnecessary or unproven). Norf, bear in mind that in 92, we had to drink from putrid water off a well within the airport premises (water tank?), littered with papers and fetched with a bucket and rope; do appreciate that things have dramatically improved everywhere My kid side prefer though the running water-less, electricity-less early 90 with vast open lands, weapons and amunition aplenty ect; even 93/96 was a huge improvement (main water in shacabka, hargeysa). Your expertise will be badly needed if anything remotely serious is going to be developed in the peninsula... I can get you few clan connections too for shares

Hargeysa airport was supposed to receive its first Turkish Air. flight after upgrade now; the Berbera-Harg. road badly need one too, way too risky. seems many are going there this summer...maybe new joints to sample there Norf

good you enjoy the place Norf, heard food, fuel, swimming ect was very cheap: "Expatriates of all nationalities are entitled to apply for Saudi citizenship, Referring to the job requirements mentioned in the new law, Hanaya said holders of degrees in medicine, computer science and other branches of science and technology would be given priority. “The amended law has increased the applicants’ period of stay in the Kingdom from five to 10 years in order to "

This sums up the recurrent debate: "I would suggest that the damage done to the world by working at a hedge fund could not be justified even if Mr. Trigg gave his entire earnings to charity. After all, what is the purpose of a hedge fund; it is to make the wealthy even wealthier. While economics isn't quite a zero sum game it is true to a large extent that the wealth of the few is bought with the poverty of the many. This fact is glossed over by such terms as "wealth creation". Wealth isn't created. It is redistributed and hedge funds are one of many powerful means of redistribution. Hedge funds aren't in the creativity business they are in the accumulation business. I agree with Mr. Brooks, making yourself is different that producing a product. We do want jobs that are productive and ennobling but those jobs are in short supply. Most of us serve at the the pleasure of multi-nationals whose nobility is questionable. They are generally amoral and borderline sociopathic". According to the FAO, between 2005 and 2011 the price of rice increased 102%, wheat 115% and corn 204% respectively. (gfx out)The crisis in 2008 was so severe that it even forced food exporting countries like India to halt rice exports. In response to an Oxfam France report titled “Banks profiting from Hunger” accusing BNP of leading food speculation in France

being on the route, you probably see people once back from Makkah; love guests myself but some are too taxing...

true Norf, few things draggin on, albeit not ideal now weatherwise; plannin to be nearby?

I thought of more places, but even so one's mind expands a lot when exposed to 3 different cultures. The other question wasn't specific to you but I like your answer, it's good to feel at home in different places. Got hard time with all those uncles, explaining that other Somalis are not necessarily kind of "ennemies/schemers/whatnot"

Let's not the EDL scare away Norf; Hargeysa sounds good plan though. you are pretty well travelled...yet miss true home, real wadani iga dhee (I doubt you enjoy garow or sorghum though). But is home where you grew up or where your relatives are from? Should I have not at least as much claim on Sland even though born in jabuuti? some of those questions...

There is Khamsin, a hoot, sandy wind starting in June/July in jabuuti too. T., his friend too, Norf; pple strolling too under great sun (like this old ex-commando n well connected chap chattin while walking; that was special day). Ibtisam wrote: some even brought their fishing equipment Did the mini bali under Jigjiga yar got fishs? Ever funny, fit old family friend, "wiilkii cad ba madaxweynahaa loo geeyaa/ cadaan waa just midab, muxuu kuu qabanaya" "waxay iraahdeen kii sirdoonkaa la eryey, boos ayaa ka banaan, odayga aan kuula hadalno" or the older "waxay iraahdaan wuxu waa wax bakhtiyey when I refused them my car" "aaway tolnimadii, they use that line markay ku baaranayaan" etc etc :D

dhuxul fire, slow cooking charcoal fire. two pieces on top of the disti make for an oven. last cake done that way was great (97, with subag or ghee). Its ironic how pretty much "everday" things can be dispensed with, electricity included, yet all seemed at least as happy. Norf, that's free sauna and real vitd, lots of savings ; seen your cool friends, seems great sun brought them all out.

The civil service is what really counts indeed, then the skills, infrastructure and a young Turkish population with little debt, hence the consumer boom. Turkey boom and Qatar as fast growing powerhouse too (along S. Arabia, UAE ect who invest heavily in skills and prudent finances) are great news for East Africa, now probably the next frontier with some stability (Djibouti, Uganda, Sudan,Tanzania or Ethiopia have never done so well, so is expected Somalia). Rwanda, now a top investment favorite, has shown that even remoteness or little resources are no real obstacles with proper leadership. PS: most BRICs or emerging countries are heavily hyped due to intractable structural barriers or expected to reach a plateau (it's said growth slow down markedly once $4000/per capta GDP is reached). Even S. Africans companies invest more abroad than at home, now increasingly in E.Africa: Tanzania etc.

alhamdulilah Norf, this is umrah packages season but not keen on taking up this free offer yet. Hope T. is well and alive too. Too many tacsi these days, early grave or alzheimer is the downside of civilisation (stress/pollution). Those wadaads on fasting/umrah/prayers have it all sorted out (sun/meditation/detox).

Went to the gym sauna, big mistake, stick to the muslim ones; Sh Abdirashid Ali Sufi did start a lecture xalay, he'll carry on this week. Outside, parks are great, badminton maybe, but these uncles and their group are more into the green stuff. Let's hope Norf will be around to get Ngonge out

Thomas Friedman, an Hungarian Jewish immigrant taught at Chicago and disciple of Keynes, was in charge of computing national accounts during the second World war (national accounts to keep track of national production or GDP was another key innovation of Keynes). The war oversaw a dramatic increase of taxation (no significant, generalised income or overall taxation beforehand) such that budget increased faster than GDP growth leaving the State with huge spending power in the post-war period (The USA irony was that the country developed already before any real taxation or huge central spending): "Ironic also is that these twin ideologies both put the cart before the horse. Keynesians believe government spending is the path to economic growth, as opposed to an effect of same. The U.S. isn’t a rich country today because our federal government spends gargantuan sums, rather the federal government can spend horrifying sums precisely because the U.S. is rich. Monetarists believe growth of money in circulation is the path to nirvana, but since their ideology perverts money’s sole purpose as a stable measure of value, money in circulation never reaches pre-set ‘targets’ when this failed idea gains traction mainly because unstable money is an investor repellent, and consequently lays a wet blanket on the very production that drives the supply of money upward. The notion that the creation of paper is what would make us rich or boost the economy is the stuff of youthful fantasy, but for adults who believe that the Fed can create more Intels and IBMs through excessive purchase of Treasuries and mortgage securities, Monetarism presently seeks converts. Back to reality, stable money in terms of value is credible, and because it’s credible it’s widely demanded and circulated. Monetarists desire unstable money that floats in value, meaning money that lacks credibility and that isn’t highly demanded. In short, monetarism is its own worst enemy. What’s perhaps most comical about these two Schools, and it speaks to just how similar they are, is that both sides think a lack of their economic poison is at the heart of our malaise. Readers are surely familiar with Paul Krugman’s frequent Keynesian droolings about how the U.S. economy suffers because the federal government hasn’t spent enough of our money. Monetarists claim much the same; their view that the economy hasn’t recovered because our central bank hasn’t printed enough of our money. How these two Schools are enemies is one of life’s major mysteries given how they both put demand on a pedestal above all else, and both are convinced economic rebirth is only a trillion dollars of spending or many more trillions of dollar printing away". Monetarism and Keynesianism: Identical Sides of the Same Adolescent Coin PS: Still believe the more spiritual and self-taught brilliant henry Georges, through his seminal work Progress and Poverty makes most sense as economist who proposes Land value taxation as the most efficient one (as far as we can consider economics, in particular microeconomics and analysis, as reliable). Try Foundations of Economics, by Yanis Varoufakis for economics debunked as ideologies driven, self-serving theories. Ironically, neither land as public property nor zero interest rates are recent propositions...

Moving forward? The only place moving forward with old ties to France is Vietnam, and this solely because it has cut all links after defeating them in Dien Bien Phu (but a place like Niger is starving despite stability and providing uranium for French nuclear electricity plants). Never will the French help train an efficient civil service, build real power station, the farming or fishing sector even when the potential is immense just as in Djibouti (let alone geothermal plant or other key infrastructure). The best they can do on a bilateral basis, outside the EU, is to corrupt and protect loyal elites as always done throughout Africa while funding self-serving "libraries" (out of touch with local needs), langage institute and other cultural items. Much more promising are Koreans (who are practically overtaking them in where it matters most: economy, efficiency and technology) or even Cubans.

These are difficult points, with much more to it than simplistic, usual chit-chat. One thing stands clear however, biology can not be tampered with and ideal children bearing seem to be between 18-30 or 35 at most, with even men sperm getting deficient (and more risks to the child) afterwards; likewise, society requires stable relationships for its harmony (think the disaster in every way for all those blacks born out of wedlock in the USA or all the distraction and criminality in chasing and impressing the opposite sex etc). No doubt thus that early marriage should be strongly encouraged with care however when strong desire is present (which is, in most cases lately) but married youth require counselling and support both before and after marriage, in particular when it comes to Somalis with all our general issues (not least to provide the next generation with enough affection and attention to stay clear of troubles) ... PS: the somali way of a child every year or so in the hope "mid ayaa hagaagi" by becoming doctor is questionable but spacing and raising children (the Quran recommends breastfeeding so 2 years at least of distance should be the rule) are altogether other topics however crucial, than marriage (more and more infertility issues lately too)...

beer geel, chewy but nice, think it was probably 97 summer last time I enjoyed it (we even had it with rice as lunch at times in 96/97); we then learned to give inanta 600 shillings each morning one wanted try again on his own. Life in Hargeysa was great, caano geel fresh, healthiest food and air, vast spaces, huge villa by the presidential palace with a triple its size garden renting for $400 (albeit too much traffic lately). Funnily, in 97, I was so bored I took a slightly early flight with adeer back to djib (the playstation aabo just bought in France was a big factor too). People are so unappreciative of even the best things, so many just wanna leave the place and these are of the highest class...we just need a functioning civil service training and anti-corruption leaders, others had functioning health system and power plant with comparable means (generics or proper fuel engines are not expensive).

A messier "cure" to cold is to boil water and inhale the hot vapor for a while (10-30min?) with say a towel around your head to cover it all; your nose will run dry into it but will soon be relieved (watched long ago and tried it; seems there was a machine to ease the process). Staying with those 2 young distant abti, bodily functions, intimacy or marriage are casual things with usual "hargeysaan ku geynayaa waan &*@# tu yar" or better "maxiisada taan soo guursaday ayaan kuu dhisayaa...waa taa soo ma qurux badno"; needless to add everything loses its appeal that way but they were from the miyi originally to their credit :D gotta love not too reer magaal somalis down-to-earth, stress free approach to everything...

Very true Norf; sida kale Djibouti or Hargeysa may do for a more sixir-proof holiday, is it like malaria or heights vertigo, pple getting immunized with constant sixir exposure? Don't care much about the place, but unique sights, beach and litterature places make me wanna visit the bro near Nice on the cote d azur. The Monaco-Nice-Antibes neighborhood (marineland with dolphins, killer whales ect) can be done very cheaply, within 2 days... much rather swim or spend in xamar though.

Ideal time for real foot/volley, dont know if it's as exciting though

alhamdulilah, great weather but the youngest one in his chap's uninsured/unlicensed car killed 3 in a minibus back in jabuti (3thd died of injuries, others are injuried); this traffic massacre in Sland/Jabuuti ect requires urgent radical rethink as I always thought, even up to restricting cars (often very unnecessary/oversized). They are expected to be let off with minor punitions as dad and the adeer in gvt are negociating with families but I was right to be pessimistic about all these cars for anyone to drive not to be ever negative/anxious...

UK-Djibouti Trade & investment forum UK-Djibouti Trade & investment forum by Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on Flickr Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, today addressed the first ever UK-Djibouti Trade and Investment Forum. The Forum was organised by Developing Markets Associates to promote opportunities in Djibouti to British businesses. Around 200 companies attended the event, which was led on the Djiboutian side by President Guelleh and a team of Ministers. In his remarks, the Minister for Africa highlighted the scale of the opportunities in Djibouti and the Government’s determination to support British businesses in participating in them. Speaking today, Mr Simmonds said: “I am delighted to have taken part in the excellent and well-attended UK-Djibouti Trade and Investment Forum. This marks a huge step forward in deepening ties between the UK and Djibouti, something I am determined to do after my visit to the country in February – the first substantive visit by a Foreign Office minister in recent memory. The Government of Djibouti has impressive plans to attract investment to the country, which is strategically located in the region, and British businesses must not lose out.” Today’s event follows yesterday’s meeting between Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and the Foreign Secretary in the margins of the Somalia conference, where they discussed priorities for rebuilding Somalia and bilateral issues, including the recent parliamentary elections and inclusion of the opposition party.(United Kingdom – Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Stratex reports strong start to 2013 Hall will also note that the firm continues to be encouraged by results at the Oklila prospect in Djibouti and confirm the firm continues to mull opportunities to "acquire assets from other companies who are finding the equity markets challenging" (proactiveinvestors)

Djibouti officials pledge reforms as final version of Investment Policy Review is unveiled High-level representatives of the Government of Djibouti said Tuesday that the recommendations in UNCTAD's Investment Policy Review (IPR) of the country - including adoption of a new investment code based on international best practices - will be put into effect.(Unctad) Djibouti making strides [...]The overall investment package that will be invested [in Djibouti] over the next five years is close to $8 billion. Apart from foreign direct investment, we are supported by soft loans and concessional loans that we get from Arab funds. Loans from Exim banks of China, Turkey and Iran are also a part of this value. As much as there is a need to diversify partnership with other countries, we feel the need to build our own investments in strategic sectors like energy, water and logistics.[...](khaleejtimes) Djibouti to Raise $5.9 Billion From Investors for Infrastructure Djibouti is in talks with India, China, Brazil, Russia and Arab investors to finance infrastructure projects worth $5.9 billion, the head of the country’s ports authority said. The Horn of Africa nation, which is seeking to become a middle-income nation by 2035, plans to develop rail links, ports, and oil and gas pipelines, Djiboutian Ports and Free Zones Authority Chairman Aboubaker Omar Hadi said in an interview today. Commitments for “close to 57 percent” of the project costs have already been received from China, India, a Saudi Arabian fund and other investors, he said in London. (Bloomberg) Djibouti Telecom A gateway to the world Over the course of the last 18 months,” explains Technical Support Service Manager for International Business Development, Feisal Aden Darar, “we have been focusing on local and international trends to materialise our core goals. We have improved our Internet transit solutions by deploying Level 3 PoP, a world class Tier 1 and Saudi Telecommunication Company’s POP, with strong presence in the Middle East. In addition we have upgraded our existing Telecom Italia Sparkle node in terms of capacity and diversity. “As a result of our gradual improvement we have 20 operators from 13 countries in East Africa that are currently transiting through the IP nodes in Djibouti with live traffic volumes of about 10 Gbps...(Business Excellence). BICS picks Djibouti Data Centre for gateway services Sub-Saharan Africa growth attracting GCC investors Djibouti's development: Location, location, location(Theeconomist)

Kafka "The metamorphosis" was one of the set books along Plato's republic, about ideal republic citizens upbringing, for my bro 1st year (pre-eng); never understood those western tastes but fanon les damnes is way more relevant; need to see some unique lessons learned by the last page... Don't you guys read Ibn Qayyim or Arabic written classics or even force through other foreign langages (eg cuban revolution in spanish)? I heard scandinavians schools are great for teaching langages.