Libaax and Suldaanka awoowayal its pleasure to be here. Waryee Suldaan where's my man Oodweyne? Is he still around? Any luck with that elusive golden cup he's been pursuing?

Mogadishu was a great city. It is still the national seat of the Somalia that once existed. Today is down but I dare say not out.

Minnesota is indeed NICE. Minneapolis is GREAAAAAAAT! Big ups and hats off to Maow for producing the clip. Shows how Somalis in NA matured -- nomads are electing reps including one of their own and look at them now trying to control the message via PR headlined by Navy veteran. Awesome. Love it. I love my folks. Give them couple of decades and they will start going places.

Nice beat. Bilcaan Amazing how diverse is Somali dialect

MMA in Eastleigh huh I was there not long ago -- Feb. '11. Didn't know my man MMA and his old man was there. Maa caleesh though Quite a place I tell ya. Dirty, dusty, crowded, full of wheelers and dealers, merchants and what not. That place is full of life. I ran into a lot of folks: friends, relatives, old sweethearts, neighbors and classmates. I ran into my fourth grade classmate -- Dinosaur era in Farjano elementary years. I ran into Sophist in a restaurant I can't bother to remember the name of the restaurant -- it is located in somewhere downtown Nairobi. My man Sophist with his new shiny iPad -- Kenyan girls (affluent types) were starring at him and he was waving it in their face Couldn't resist. While I am on the blubber mode let me say this. If you have the fire in the belly there is money to be made in Eastleigh. The place is teeming with ideas and opportunities. You'd appreciate Somalis' can-do will-do attitude. The nomads has in them something unique I can't quite put my finger on On the dark side though -- qat addicts, prostitutes, abject poverty, con men, clan shamans, wadad-wannabees, you name it and they are around the corner. Mahjabaad with full niqab and hijab gear on doing stuff that lady ga ga might frown upon. Eastleigh is a just like Kismayo, Marka, and Benadir in their heydays. *awoowe leaves humming with Musheeg's melody: Lacageey, lacageey, Ragga kala labeysaay, Liitaha gadhgaadhaay, Haween lahashadoodaay, Laqan hoos u celisaay; Lurkeedii habeenadan, Hurdo lediba waayee

Here is the link -- New York Times Opinion Pages ---- With two rivers and 8+ million acres (huge swaths of land between the two rivers) suitable for cultivation, Somalia will do well in the future provided the country and its people rides through this difficult and challenging times.

Op-Ed Contributor When the Nile Runs Dry By Lester R. Brown Published: June 1, 2011 A NEW scramble for Africa is under way. As global food prices rise and exporters reduce shipments of commodities, countries that rely on imported grain are panicking. Affluent countries like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, China and India have descended on fertile plains across the African continent, acquiring huge tracts of land to produce wheat, rice and corn for consumption back home. Some of these land acquisitions are enormous. South Korea, which imports 70 percent of its grain, has acquired 1.7 million acres in Sudan to grow wheat — an area twice the size of Rhode Island. In Ethiopia, a Saudi firm has leased 25,000 acres to grow rice, with the option of expanding. India has leased several hundred thousand acres there to grow corn, rice and other crops. And in countries like Congo and Zambia, China is acquiring land for biofuel production. These land grabs shrink the food supply in famine-prone African nations and anger local farmers, who see their governments selling their ancestral lands to foreigners. They also pose a grave threat to Africa’s newest democracy: Egypt. Egypt is a nation of bread eaters. Its citizens consume 18 million tons of wheat annually, more than half of which comes from abroad. Egypt is now the world’s leading wheat importer, and subsidized bread — for which the government doles out approximately $2 billion per year — is seen as an entitlement by the 60 percent or so of Egyptian families who depend on it. As Egypt tries to fashion a functioning democracy after President Hosni Mubarak’s departure, land grabs to the south are threatening its ability to put bread on the table because all of Egypt’s grain is either imported or produced with water from the Nile River, which flows north through Ethiopia and Sudan before reaching Egypt. (Since rainfall in Egypt is negligible to nonexistent, its agriculture is totally dependent on the Nile.) Unfortunately for Egypt, two of the favorite targets for land acquisitions are Ethiopia and Sudan, which together occupy three-fourths of the Nile River Basin. Today’s demands for water are such that there is little left of the river when it eventually empties into the Mediterranean. The Nile Waters Agreement, which Egypt and Sudan signed in 1959, gave Egypt 75 percent of the river’s flow, 25 percent to Sudan and none to Ethiopia. This situation is changing abruptly as wealthy foreign governments and international agribusinesses snatch up large swaths of arable land along the Upper Nile. While these deals are typically described as land acquisitions, they are also, in effect, water acquisitions. Now, when competing for Nile water, Cairo must deal with several governments and commercial interests that were not party to the 1959 agreement. Moreover, Ethiopia — never enamored of the agreement — has announced plans to build a huge hydroelectric dam on its branch of the Nile that would reduce the water flow to Egypt even more. Because Egypt’s wheat yields are already among the world’s highest, it has little potential to raise its agricultural productivity. With its population of 81 million projected to reach 101 million by 2025, finding enough food and water is a daunting challenge. Egypt’s plight could become part of a larger, more troubling scenario. Its upstream Nile neighbors — Sudan, with 44 million people, and Ethiopia, with 83 million — are growing even faster, increasing the need for water to produce food. Projections by the United Nations show the combined population of these three countries increasing to 272 million by 2025 — and 360 million by 2050 — from 208 million now. Growing water demand, driven by population growth and foreign land and water acquisitions, are straining the Nile’s natural limits. Avoiding dangerous conflicts over water will require three transnational initiatives. First, governments must address the population threat head-on by ensuring that all women have access to family planning services and by providing education for girls in the region. Second, countries must adopt more water-efficient irrigation technologies and plant less water-intensive crops. Finally, for the sake of peace and future development cooperation, the nations of the Nile River Basin should come together to ban land grabs by foreign governments and agribusiness firms. Since there is no precedent for this, international help in negotiating such a ban, similar to the World Bank’s role in facilitating the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, would likely be necessary to make it a reality. None of these initiatives will be easy to implement, but all are essential. Without them, rising bread prices could undermine Egypt’s revolution of hope and competition for the Nile’s water could turn deadly. Lester R. Brown is the president of the Earth Policy Institute and the author of “World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse.”

Ring me. I hope you would be fair and pick a mid way location I will bring some Black American & Jamiacan friends with me.

Bob xaal baan bixinayaa. Check your PM. Northern are u still in UAE. Will link up Insha'Allah. Here's another link: Another neat schedule I am just recycling what I am getting from the office folks here. I am betting on Argentine.

Op-Ed Contributor Israel Without Clichés By TONY JUDT Published: June 9, 2010 THE Israeli raid on the Free Gaza flotilla has generated an outpouring of clichés from the usual suspects. It is almost impossible to discuss the Middle East without resorting to tired accusations and ritual defenses: perhaps a little house cleaning is in order. No. 1: Israel is being/should be delegitimized Israel is a state like any other, long-established and internationally recognized. The bad behavior of its governments does not “delegitimize” it, any more than the bad behavior of the rulers of North Korea, Sudan — or, indeed, the United States — “delegitimizes” them. When Israel breaks international law, it should be pressed to desist; but it is precisely because it is a state under international law that we have that leverage. NYT Op-Ed

Jaceylbaro waa la sitaa:) Jaceylbaro's logic seem to be stuck with one "What if" out of gizzilion "What if"s.

What was he thinking though? You can’t expose major political figure and his allies in LA in a crucial moment like this. I am sure he will be released in due time but Inna Shaqale should appreciate the fact that stakes are high for Ina Waraabe’s hosts. Electioneering a la nomad style is a tricky business. One has to appeal to a number of clans and sub clans and send the message to his rivals that this constituent in this particular region are up for grabs and not under his rival’s column. Surprisingly in this case the host reps are on the hot seat not the candidates. Some of the wannabees want to be seen that they have LA under their control and more importantly Xaabsade cannot deliver the votes to UDUB. Inna Shaqale is messing up with this high stake game and all its “manufacturing consent” exercise.

Not bad. Not bad at all. This is a good start. Let's hope against hope that the atonement is genuine and this player knows when to call it quits.

We're playing bets on the outcome. The hardcore fans here at work are circulating tournament schedule that accurately calculates the final outcome bets for multiple players. It's real neat. I don't think this could work on a forum but Northerner or Nuune or Bob if any of you have the emails of the willing nomads in the Sport section who want to participate in this we can play actual bets on the final outcome – wins, goal counts, group winners up to the final winner. 2010 World Cup Tournament Schedule

Here goes our resident windbag. The hardcore clannish secessionists -- like your type, pal – are blinded by negative tribalism. Same thing applies to the other hardcore varieties on the opposite side. I know it’s beyond you but neutrality in negative clannish contest is not as you make of it Awoowe you both presuppose and promote a fiction: that secessionism is a political goal shared by majority of the Harrti and those who don’t support that goal can be forced to accept it militarily. This is a clannish hubris at its height. You really do have my sympathy for I know, conversed and seen countless Somalis whose political outlook revolves around their narrow clannish interests – if not their sub sub clan interests. Now, the other point worth mentioning is your moral compass. Where does it center amigo? This is a serious concern and fundamental at that. SNM took up arms against the state precisely because they saw the regime as being one dominated by particular clan and rightly so. It resisted and resisted against government dictates and ultimately paid a hefty price – huge price both in blood and treasure. Ahem let me clear my throat and now the same folks are signing la stesa canta -- putting to practice the very wrong they set out to defeat! No reread the interview with some dose of objectivity and sense of neutrality. You will see through Xaabsade’s dilemma. Mind you Xaabsade is the best ally you got.

The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment By Peter Beinart In 2003, several prominent Jewish philanthropists hired Republican pollster Frank Luntz to explain why American Jewish college students were not more vigorously rebutting campus criticism of Israel. In response, he unwittingly produced the most damning indictment of the organized American Jewish community that I have ever seen. The philanthropists wanted to know what Jewish students thought about Israel. Luntz found that they mostly didn’t. “Six times we have brought Jewish youth together as a group to talk about their Jewishness and connection to Israel,” he reported. “Six times the topic of Israel did not come up until it was prompted. Six times these Jewish youth used the word ‘they‘ rather than ‘us‘ to describe the situation.” That Luntz encountered indifference was not surprising. In recent years, several studies have revealed, in the words of Steven Cohen of Hebrew Union College and Ari Kelman of the University of California at Davis, that “non-Orthodox younger Jews, on the whole, feel much less attached to Israel than their elders,” with many professing “a near-total absence of positive feelings.” In 2008, the student senate at Brandeis, the only nonsectarian Jewish-sponsored university in America, rejected a resolution commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the Jewish state. Luntz’s task was to figure out what had gone wrong. When he probed the students’ views of Israel, he hit up against some firm beliefs. First, “they reserve the right to question the Israeli position.” These young Jews, Luntz explained, “resist anything they see as ‘group think.’” They want an “open and frank” discussion of Israel and its flaws. Second, “young Jews desperately want peace.” When Luntz showed them a series of ads, one of the most popular was entitled “Proof that Israel Wants Peace,” and listed offers by various Israeli governments to withdraw from conquered land. Third, “some empathize with the plight of the Palestinians.” When Luntz displayed ads depicting Palestinians as violent and hateful, several focus group participants criticized them as stereotypical and unfair, citing their own Muslim friends. Read on

But the thing is secessionists have no grip of the said area. Nor do they have control over significant swaths of land in the contested area. Don't kid yourself buddy. May I remind you the fact that you are in this area is precisely because of the likes of Mr. Xaabsade switched loyalty for reasons we all know. Tables can be turned any day. Some local sub clans no to be named here are allied with secessionists. That alliance is alliance of convenience and is very much subject to the trails and tribulations of everyday politicking. So be afraid of the efforts of the traditional elders Watch your back Later.

Again you basically, unknowingly perhaps, echoed what Mr. Xaabsade has already confirmed. You are measuring strength of the armed militia against secessionists, downplaying the influence of the mentioned sub clan and their traditional leaders, or simply calculating future political moves from secessionists part. I'm, on the hand, just stating the fact that, as things stand now, there is no much grass root sympathy for the secession. If recent events are anything to go by, folks in the area seems to be rooting for PL for obvious reasons or opting out to go it alone. We should not be debating this simple fact awoowe.

Northern awoowe may I bring your attention to poet Timacadde’s famous line. Speaking of Somalis and their tendency to shoot themselves in the foot and how they are naturally disposed of exposing themselves to foreign influences, he coined this memorable line: Iyadoo is wada weydey baa wiida loo rogiye As to the topic awoowe I agree that acacia tree’s shade is where this baby is heading to. Dirrin is arguably the best venue where Somalia’s pathologically infested political problem can be dissected and ultimately settle. There are other undesirable ways in which this conflict can be brought to a close. One of them is all out war – civil war – where one faction gathers enough resources and mounts a successful winner takes all attack against other competing factions. The latter is not a preferable option and it is hardly a prescription for a lasting peace. The first is extremely difficult stunt to pull off but not impossible feat to accomplish. With honest broker and able leadership, competing political factions can indeed reach a consensus to end this conflict. The trillion dollar question is how to get them sit under acacia tree and have them discussing in earnest! Get the following technicalities right and the proverbial dirrin will deliver a la nomad style: who gets to sit on the dirrin, where should it be rolled out, what agenda should be discussed, and how best can the final outcome be implemented. I don’t have the answers. However I do have four phases of reconciliation process in mind. The practical thing to do at this juncture is to effectively decouple political migraines from cardiovascular diseases. Put aside the recovery zones and their issues for the time being. Instead focus on Islamists movements and the TFG simultaneously but in parallel tracks. One track would be uniting Islamists on Sharia governance platform. In so doing the religious scholars who are charged to bring these actors to the dirrin must spare no effort to get the terrorist indictment against them lifted. On the other track would be convincing TFG to have its parliamentarians be truly representative of their localities. Representation means representation period. This will reduce the size of the parliament to numbers reflective of the true nature of the southern clan makeup. Once representative political actors based on the infamous 4.5 formulas is consolidated and anchored in the TFG platform only then can the next phase of the process be implemented! Now the question is how to make the first phase happen. How to unite the Islamists and how to effectively detoxify and then streamline TFG into meaningful political unit? How to do all these things within reasonable time! This game ain’t easy baba!

Ciil oo wayeey, talo xumaan cudur ka weynan e, Soo ceshooy annoo lahey, col u kaxeeyeene, Cabdul iyo waxaa igala tagay caabuqii wadaye.

^Agreed Majority of SSC residents are rooting for PL a la Hartti style or are calling for complete break from existing and overlapping recovery zone admins. Either way there is no sympathy for secession. You've heard as much from the horse's mouth He has no dog in the race. His kin has no role in the political contest. His traditional chiefs are either adopting if Somalia is divisible so is Somaliland mantra and the other chiefs -- majority by the way -- are raising clan militia to reclaim what's theirs. The headline in this interview is that there was no registration carried out in SSC region. This my pal Oodweyne is the real headline in so many levels. He generously cited a figure -- 20%.

Somali version of Potomac River politicking is like this Mr. me: from the big picture there are pragmatists and there are idealists. In their political orientation pragmatists, in the Somali context, can be characterized as nationalists. They accept the reality of Somali social fabric as it is – tribal society at the core. They understand that the current conflict and its different political manifestations, such as unchecked regional autonomies, fiefdoms, secessionism, and anarchy, have its roots in negative tribalism. They acknowledge the folly of the past leadership in both sides – government and the opposition. But they also advocate rather passionately the need for just and all inclusive political settlement through negotiations. They are mindful about the regional power play and the role future Somalia should and must play. They adamantly believe that looking forward the new leadership should take into account the nature of Somali society, the young history of the Somali state, past colonial injustices that was exacted against Somali nation in the region, current state of Somalis in the neighboring states, in any effort to resurrect the old republic. The followers of this worldview understand that Somalis are Muslims and as such – if given the chance – will overwhelmingly support some sort of Islamic governance. They call for the foreign powers to respect the sovereignty of the nation and let things take their course. As any other political platform, needless to say, there are variations within the followers of this worldview. But by and large they’re in line with Burke. They want to manage many challenges that Somalis face in a gradual and prudent fashion. Practical approach is their mantra. On the other hand there are idealists. In their political orientation they can be characterized as liberals (in Somali context). They look at the Somali situation with disgust. They can’t stomach all the bickering that made Somalia synonymous with failed state. They promote new radical ideas – radical to the contemporary Somalis. They want to see change for the better. Some of them advocate secessionism. To them that’s a change of the status quo. Radical but nevertheless a change! Those who advocate for regional autonomy do so because they have no faith that strong republic will do justice to their concerns and sensibilities. Unlike the secessionist, they want to remain in the unitary arrangement but on their own terms. Some in the south advocate 4.5 tribal formula institutionalized in the constitution the same way as Lebanon sectarian issue is handled in that country’s constitution. Islamists are demanding an end to secular and tribal inspired governance. All these idealists want to solve the Somali problem in a way that’s amenable to their base constituents. They are not amenable to persuasion. They are not ready to compromise yet they are not strong enough to sweep their opponents aside and implement their version of change. Theirs is 'my way or the highway'! Most of them think the idea of compromise is a sellout – a betrayal to what their group stands for. They want to scrap status quo and start anew. They have little interest in their chances of success or whether they fail. The latter group is to me what Paine is to David. They are Paine on steroids. Ahem!

Originally posted by Maaddeey: ^Ustaad Baashi, haddii conclusion-kaagu ku dhisanyahay 'A la waxa la yidhi' oo baadhil ah dee maa buniya calal baadhil fahwa baadhil!, seriously sidee Shabaab oo ninkii taageera aad u taqaan Keligi Muslim ay Suufiyada ugu galaan oy u yaqaanaan Mushrikeen!, haddii your grasp of reality back home sidan kaa tahay, ka dhex bax ee xeebta Fujaira qorraxda isu dhig, cabitaanka qumbahana iska dhuuq! Maadeey how do you get the news?

^Istaqfuralaah. Where is the qatif buddy? My feeds -- a la Waxa-La-Yirri-- are that elements of Al-Shabaab crossed the line to the other side in the wake of Guriceel battle. Noh?

Ol’ pal my man Kashafa -- textbook example of ultimate Kelligii-Muslim! Listen up SOL fellas if anyone is interested in becoming xalaal get DIY manual from the maestro. Make sure you get tahliil for complete cleansing of soul before you touch that manual. Don’t be cynic awoowe. Nomads you listed there have reasons to support TFG. My hunch is that they support it not because of personalities that lead TFG or the arrangement is ideal or panacea for Somali troubles but because the idea of having transitional institution that pave the way for stable and peaceful Somalia. They will be the first nomads that fess up that TFG in its current form is a failure. Awoowe as much as I would love to, I don't get the time to spare for these kind of cyber-ku-dirir these days for I am too busy making the ends meet. That being said, try me and educate me about Somalida Xalaashaha ah you speak of. I am very interested in figuring out the character of such noble being No abstract ruwaayad buddy, please! Keep your grand fiction dancing in your head to yourself for the time being -- just practical stuff. Here I go; suppose I have turned the page and I’m ready to throw my lot with Somalida Xalaasha ah. Who should I give my moral support to: Aways or Turki. How about fathiiladtul sheikh Il Generale IndhaCadde. Should I wave the black flag for Xisbul Taxriir, Al-Shabaab, or former Al-Shabaab brigade now on the Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaacah bandwagon? Why all of this sarifaad? Where is the fallout stemming from? Theological, tactical, or what…?