only if u played Pro Evo soccer 3 man, fifa 2004 is whack compared to it. ask the london boyz.. I'll second you bro lol EA Sports Fifa series is whack

Salaam to all Students, especially those studying within Londons many university's. Some of us might already be aware of the up coming tournament but for the benefit of everyone else. For the past 2 years there has been an extremely successfull Inter-Uni Football tournament of 5 a side, Held around the Easter period, @ Brunel's Universities Uxbridge Campus.which brings together students across some of londons institues of F.E for one day. This year's football tournament is going to be held from the 29th March (the exact day and time will be confirmed insha Allah). To those serious fanatics of football who would like to win this year, or perhaps gather a team from the University to compete for the first time, I would advice them to recruit players from their different universities and start training now. ------------------------------------------------------------- Awards Last year's winner was South Bank University, finalist: London Guildhall University and the best player was from London Guildhall, and the Top Goal Scorer was from Middlesex --------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone is welcome, whether you are a serious football lover, a supporter or just someone who would like a nice day out with Somali fellow brothers and sisters. Inshallah i will keep you guys updated as much as i can. For those wishing to enter a Team, you will need a team consisting of 10 players each contributing an amount towards the entry fee (i'll have confirm a figure soon) towards the booking of the facilities used on the day, aswell as the various awards and tropheys and expense incurred in making the event possible. For more of an idea of what the day consists of check out the below link Anyone interested just gather a team of 10 players, see if u can get some hep towards kits and on the day expense from your respective student unions (there usual help full in this respect) then get in touch with me as soon as possible. The Inagurial Games Go to Events and Check out Football Tournament For past particpents and winners This event is brought to you by the hard working People of United. Kingdom.Somali.Students.Association otherwise known as UKSSA

Spin of the Week

Banking on Empire Mitch Jeserich, February 17, 2004 Iraqi ministries will now be able to borrow billions of dollars to buy much-needed equipment from overseas suppliers, but only by mortgaging the national oil revenues through a bank managed by New York-based multinational JP Morgan Chase. Hussein al-Uzri, president of the Trade Bank of Iraq, which is managed by JP Morgan Chase, announced last week in Kuwait City, that the bank had raised $2.4 billion in export guarantees for trade between Iraq and foreign companies and governments. "Those oil revenues will be used to support the Iraq Trade Bank letters of credit," said David Chavern, a senior official with the U.S. Export-Import Bank, when he addressed attendees at a recent briefing organized by Equity International for potential investors in Iraq. "And we will ensure those letters of credit for the U.S. exporter." The management contract, which is worth $2 million over two-and-a-half years, was awarded to a consortium of thirteen banks representing fourteen countries, led by JP Morgan, last July after a competitive bidding process against four other international consortia. JP Morgan Chase, which was formed from the merger in December 2000 of one of the world's largest commercial banks, the Chase Manhattan Corporation, and the investment bank J.P. Morgan & Company, declined to comment about its role in the Trade Bank of Iraq. The Trade Bank of Iraq was formed partially to replace the trade guarantees established by the United Nations oil-for-food program, imposed on Iraq in 1995 during the sanctions regime against Saddam Hussein. The program provided a means of controlling Iraq's purchase of humanitarian goods from other countries in exchange for Iraqi petroleum, while prohibiting the purchase of goods that could theoretically be used for military purposes. The oil-for-food program, which in total used $46 billion in Iraqi export earnings, was brought to an end last November. Unlike the oil-for-food program, the guarantees of the Trade Bank are administered not by an UN agency but by the private sector and its corporate allies in various national governments. The export credits are to provide backing for purchases of raw materials, medical supplies, bulk food imports, fertilizer, and capital equipment. According to al-Uzri, the Trade Bank of Iraq has issued $300 million worth of letters of credit so far. "Without the agreement with these export credit agencies, the Trade Bank of Iraq would have had to concentrate exclusively on state purchases," said Marek Belka, the head of economic policy in Iraq's temporary administration. "Iraqis at the moment have to pay cash for pretty much everything, which is hugely cumbersome and risky. The fact that the Trade Bank of Iraq can now issue letters of credit will make it easy for Iraqis to buy goods in a more civilized and safer fashion. It will also reduce their costs." But critics say that the occupation authorities and multinational banks may be shackling a future Iraqi government with an unknown quantity of debt. "The oil figures are very murky and secretive," said Nomi Prins former investment banker and author of the forthcoming book Other People's Money: The Corporate Mugging of America. "That same oil for which no one has the appropriate...information is being used to collateralize multiple things. You're effectively leveraging oil for which the revenues are non-transparent." Oiling the Wheels Although it is true that the Occupation Authority and JP Morgan Chase are making it possible for Iraq to trade with the outside world and buy necessities such as food and oil refining equipment despite its bad credit, Prins points out that the situation is more complicated, especially since the "government of Iraq" is not an independent body, but rather an agent of occupation which doesn't necessarily have the best interests of the Iraqi people in mind. Like the Iraq reconstruction contracts that have favored U.S. companies with political connections, the export credits of the Trade Bank of Iraq favor companies from contributing nations, whether or not their products are cheap or well-made. Take the case of the US export credit agency that underwrites the Trade Bank of Iraq. Of the $2.4 billion that the Trade Bank of Iraq has secured in export guarantees, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has approved $500 million in letters of credit. The money from the U.S. Ex-Im Bank ensures that the investments of U.S. corporations in Iraq are risk-free. If Iraqi ministries default on any of their payments to US companies, the U.S. Ex-Im Bank will pay in their place. Then the Ex-Im Bank gets its money back from Iraq's Development Fund, the acting budget for Iraq that is 95% made up of oil revenues, which is under the Occupational Authority's control. Open government advocates have complained that the Iraqi Development Fund lacks transparency and that decisions concerning the fund are not subject to scrutiny or public comment. Thus the U.S. can chose to set the rules to pay itself back but using money from Iraqi oil to do it. Other members of the occupation coalition also benefit: Japan's export credit agency NEXI also provided $500 million, the Italian SACE contributed $300 million while export credit agencies from thirteen other European countries are also contributors, according to J.P. Morgan Chase managing director Daniel Zelikow. Meanwhile the arrival of JP Morgan also marks the possible takeover of Iraq's banking system by foreign banks. Two months after the establishment of the Trade Bank of Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority enacted Order 39: the opening up of all of Iraqs resources to foreign ownership except for oil. Shortly afterwards the appointed Iraqi Finance Minister Kamel Al-Gailani began major reforms to Iraq's banking system by allowing foreign financial corporations to own 100% of the banks in Iraq. The move marks the first time since the 1950s that foreign banks will have access to Iraq's financial system, whose main asset is the second largest oil reserves in the world. According to Prins, the foreign ownership of Iraqi banks will make it practically impossible for locally owned banks to participate in the forging of a new economy. The Iraqi banks that are able to avoid a foreign take over will then have to compete with foreign banks and their many subsidiaries that have an unlimited source of capital and lending abilities that, if it doesn't cause the local banks to crash, could force surviving Iraqi-owned banks to operate in step with the foreign model, creating a free market that's not so free. "Are these the kind of laws that help Iraq rebuild for Iraqis or are these the kind of laws that open Iraq up for corporations to come in and profit off of Iraq's resources?" asked Rania Masri, Program Director with the Institute on Southern Studies and Co-Director of the Campaign to Stop the War Profiteers. "It reeks of colonialism. It does not represent a rebuilding." Servicing Despotism JP Morgan Chase is no stranger to the architects of the occupation, having contributed $158,000 to the Bush-Cheney ticket. The bank will fit right into occupied Iraq, given that it already has close relationships with companies that have received billions of dollars contracts there. On JP Morgan Chase's Board of Directors sits Riley P. Bechtel, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bechtel Group, which has received over $2 billion. Other notables on JP Morgan Chase's board include Lee R. Raymond, the Chairman of the Board of the Exxon Mobil Corporation, which is also looking to benefit from cheap oil prices coming out of Iraq. Lest critics suggest that JP Morgan Chase is unqualified to run Iraq's banking system, the company does have experience working in the Middle East. Chase has been assisting Qatar's national bank for the past 30 years by managing the country's export of oil and natural gas, thus making Qatar one of the wealthiest countries in the region and helping to solidify Qatar's monarchy. Qatar is just one of several non-democratic institutions that JP Morgan Chase has given financial assistance to. In fact it has a long history of it going as far back as to U.S. slavery and as recently as to the Enron scandal. A study by California's Insurance Commissioner shows the former company Chase, which is now a part of JP Morgan Chase, as one of several insurance companies that provided life insurance on slaves for slave owners. When a slave died, according to the study, Chase paid the slave owner for the loss. The bank has never paid reparations and JP Morgan Chase's spokeswoman Charlotte Gilbert-Biro said, "We don't believe there's any basis for liability on the part of the bank." And luckily for the Nazis in World War II, Chase National Bank and JP Morgan both assisted the Third Reich by seizing bank accounts of Jewish customers, whose assets they did not return after the war. A 1945 U.S. Treasury Department report on U.S. banking activities during the war stated that the "record of the [Chase] Paris branch is one of uncalled-for responsiveness to the desires of the Germans and an apparent desire to enhance its influence with them." JP Morgan and Chase's unsavory assistance of racist governments is not limited to the U.S. and Europe. The company has been the subject of a lawsuit for providing financial assistance to the apartheid government of South Africa to expand its police and security apparatus, even after the United Nations urged a boycott of the racist government in 1964 when it declared apartheid a crime against humanity. JP Morgan refuses to comment on the case, as it is still under litigation. More recently, in 2002 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicted JP Morgan Chase for assisting Enron to manipulate its financial records. And a Senate Committee found that JP Morgan Chase, along with Citigroup, knew the money they were giving to Enron was used to manipulate its financial statements rather than meet its legal business goals. This manipulation left Californians with skyrocketing power bills while at the same time causing rolling power outages throughout the state. Free Market, Hold the Democracy Allowing Iraq's banking system to be controlled by a consortium of foreign corporations, headed up by a bank with a history of corruption and working with non-democratic regimes, is not a positive start towards quelling the people's skepticism of U.S. motives for being there. What is clear is that the Iraqi reconstruction money is being used to implement a politicial economy chosen by the Occupation Authority rather than waiting for the Iraqi people to elect a government that can make democratic choices on how to run their own economy. "One way to actually control an economic system is going in and putting your pieces before there is a representative government," said banking expert Prins. "So far there has been almost $200 billion raised in various components to supposedly liberate and reconstruct Iraq and none of that has been done with a fully working democratic government in place." The Bush administration is betting that the Iraqi people will want to continue what the administration has already started. "The only thing we can do is hope that when there are elections in Iraq they will look at the governing council and see the type of progress that they have made and they'll just continue with that progress," said Jay Brandes with the Commerce Department. That's a $200 billion bet. Unless the Bush administration opens up its books on the running of the Iraqi economy, and makes transparent all actions concerning oil and contracts, it will be hard for the critics not to believe that democracy is on hold so that multinational corporations can takeover the Iraqi economy during this window of opportunity before a government of the people can stop it.

A fast boat and a nautical map yeah that would be handy bro lol, where exactly would you keep that? Besides am not sure i would want to speed back to the crazy city that i live in

Indeed. But the point is why the deafining silence? why is there no critical appraisal of this point, or am i missing the point :confused: if indeed there is a point here.. If this un-ilateral act of aggression, was to free the iraqi people (this is the offical language now since the WMD Case has fallen by the way side), i dont quite see them free. Peace and Stability are 2 things that dont readily come to mind. And where is the promised Democracy? Will only an american style capitalist demo-cracy do? I suppose thats the best way to syphoin the oil out of the country :rolleyes:

A Football, and not just any old football but thee Football Its Rounder Cant go wrong with that , infact the thought is quite romantic for an addict like myself

Along with the obvious, that being peace and stability, the return of skilled workers, proffesionals, academists, Tradesmen etc etc seems to me to be Key to developing any sustainable peace. In many areas of Africa Government Ministers are complaining of the Brain Drain that they are facing. Its is then quite heartning to see individuals give up so comfortable lives to return to aid their suffering people. ------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign-Educated Somalis Give Up Lucrative Incomes Abroad to Serve Homeland Alisha Ryu Mogadishu 18 Feb 2004, 14:39 UTC Listen to Alisha Ryu's report (RealAudio) Ryu report - Download 688k (RealAudio) In Somalia, the collapse of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre's government in 1991, and the United Nations' pullout four years later, have left the country's seven million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Some of that need is being met by foreign-educated Somalis, who have given up lucrative careers abroad to return to their war-devastated homeland. At first glance, Arafat Hospital in Mogadishu can hardly be called modern. Inside a dilapidated building, rows of dimly-lit rooms, with a single bed in each, serve as the emergency and in-patient wards. In the middle of the hospital compound, another run-down building houses several small offices, examination rooms and the main reception area. The facilities of Arafat Hospital may not inspire much confidence in some foreigners who comes here, but to long-suffering Somalis in this city, it is nothing short of a dream come true. Three years ago, two Somali doctors gave up their lucrative practices and comfortable lives in Persian Gulf states, and returned to Mogadishu to set up the hospital. The two doctors brought with them much-needed skills to treat widespread illnesses, such as tuberculosis, malaria, and respiratory diseases. The doctors could not afford to build a new hospital. But, working with friends, they pooled enough money to purchase some high-tech diagnostic equipment to support their work in gynecology, urology, obstetrics, and other key medical specialties. They charge patients $1 per visit, and the price includes 10 days of follow-up care. But that is as much as many Somalis earn for a full day of work. So, on Thursdays, consultations and treatments are free. A 30-year-old mother, Kale Nur Ahmed, says the two founding doctors, and three other physicians who work at the hospital, have saved numerous lives, including the life of her diabetic son. Ms. Ahmed says, for years, there were no Somali doctors in Mogadishu, because all of them fled the country when civil war broke out in 1991. Then, all of the foreign doctors left when the international relief organizations closed their operations. She says, "All of us suffered so much. Thank God some of them have come back to help us." The two doctors at Arafat Hospital now earn less than a quarter of the money they used to earn in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. But one of them, pediatrician Abdullahi Farah Asseyr, says the sacrifice has been worth it. "The life and luxury that we had, it does not have value, if your country is burning," said Dr. Asseyr. "Now, we work for society, and this is our duty." These doctors are not the only educated Somalis who feel that way. Several kilometers away, at the office of Hormuud Telecom Company in Mogadishu's commercial district, Canadian-Somali Mohamed Ali speaks to an irate customer, who is complaining about a broken telephone line in her home. Mr. Ali, who grew up in Toronto and is now working as a marketing manager for Hormuud, says the fact that there are any working telephone lines in Mogadishu is a testimony to the efforts of Somali professionals like himself, who have returned to set up private companies. He says many of the companies are not aiming to make a profit, but are only working to restore basic services. "Because there is no government, obviously, there has to be something done," he explained. "So, that is the reason why these private companies came into the picture, to cover that area. We basically act like a government should. We regulate, we set rules, we take responsibilities for how much we need to put back into the people. And it is really worked." It is estimated that since 2000, as many as 1,000 Somalis, mostly from North America and Europe, have returned to help fill Somalia's need for skilled professionals. AP Abdulrachman Abullahi stands in front of the first building under construction on the new campus of Mogadishu University In addition to hospitals and telecommunication companies, returnees have set up radio stations and factories. In Mogadishu, a new Coca-Cola bottling plant has been built near the edge of town. Its owner, a Somali from Sweden, says he hopes to train and employ several hundred local people before the plant opens for production later this year. But life for those who have returned is not easy in a lawless country awash in guns. Because they are relatively wealthy, the returnees are targets for kidnappings and robberies. In cities like Mogadishu, most returnees live in heavily-guarded compounds, and never travel without an armed security force. Still, at Arafat Hospital, Dr. Mohamud Zaher Mohamud says he is always encouraging Somali colleagues and friends to come back and help rebuild the country. "It is very important they come back, because the country is suffering," said Dr. Mohamud. "We are suffering from brain drain. People have gone outside the country and the country needs them." That need is enormous. Experts say thousands more educated Somalis would have to return to make a significant difference in the lives of most people here. And with little progress toward improving the political or security situation, they say that will likely take a long time.

Along with the obvious, that being peace and stability, the return of skilled workers, proffesionals, academists, Tradesmen etc etc seems to me to be Key to developing any sustainable peace. In many areas of Africa Government Ministers are complaining of the Brain Drain that they are facing. Its is then quite heartning to see individuals give up so comfortable lives to return to aid their suffering people. ------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign-Educated Somalis Give Up Lucrative Incomes Abroad to Serve Homeland Alisha Ryu Mogadishu 18 Feb 2004, 14:39 UTC Listen to Alisha Ryu's report (RealAudio) Ryu report - Download 688k (RealAudio) In Somalia, the collapse of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre's government in 1991, and the United Nations' pullout four years later, have left the country's seven million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Some of that need is being met by foreign-educated Somalis, who have given up lucrative careers abroad to return to their war-devastated homeland. At first glance, Arafat Hospital in Mogadishu can hardly be called modern. Inside a dilapidated building, rows of dimly-lit rooms, with a single bed in each, serve as the emergency and in-patient wards. In the middle of the hospital compound, another run-down building houses several small offices, examination rooms and the main reception area. The facilities of Arafat Hospital may not inspire much confidence in some foreigners who comes here, but to long-suffering Somalis in this city, it is nothing short of a dream come true. Three years ago, two Somali doctors gave up their lucrative practices and comfortable lives in Persian Gulf states, and returned to Mogadishu to set up the hospital. The two doctors brought with them much-needed skills to treat widespread illnesses, such as tuberculosis, malaria, and respiratory diseases. The doctors could not afford to build a new hospital. But, working with friends, they pooled enough money to purchase some high-tech diagnostic equipment to support their work in gynecology, urology, obstetrics, and other key medical specialties. They charge patients $1 per visit, and the price includes 10 days of follow-up care. But that is as much as many Somalis earn for a full day of work. So, on Thursdays, consultations and treatments are free. A 30-year-old mother, Kale Nur Ahmed, says the two founding doctors, and three other physicians who work at the hospital, have saved numerous lives, including the life of her diabetic son. Ms. Ahmed says, for years, there were no Somali doctors in Mogadishu, because all of them fled the country when civil war broke out in 1991. Then, all of the foreign doctors left when the international relief organizations closed their operations. She says, "All of us suffered so much. Thank God some of them have come back to help us." The two doctors at Arafat Hospital now earn less than a quarter of the money they used to earn in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. But one of them, pediatrician Abdullahi Farah Asseyr, says the sacrifice has been worth it. "The life and luxury that we had, it does not have value, if your country is burning," said Dr. Asseyr. "Now, we work for society, and this is our duty." These doctors are not the only educated Somalis who feel that way. Several kilometers away, at the office of Hormuud Telecom Company in Mogadishu's commercial district, Canadian-Somali Mohamed Ali speaks to an irate customer, who is complaining about a broken telephone line in her home. Mr. Ali, who grew up in Toronto and is now working as a marketing manager for Hormuud, says the fact that there are any working telephone lines in Mogadishu is a testimony to the efforts of Somali professionals like himself, who have returned to set up private companies. He says many of the companies are not aiming to make a profit, but are only working to restore basic services. "Because there is no government, obviously, there has to be something done," he explained. "So, that is the reason why these private companies came into the picture, to cover that area. We basically act like a government should. We regulate, we set rules, we take responsibilities for how much we need to put back into the people. And it is really worked." It is estimated that since 2000, as many as 1,000 Somalis, mostly from North America and Europe, have returned to help fill Somalia's need for skilled professionals. AP Abdulrachman Abullahi stands in front of the first building under construction on the new campus of Mogadishu University In addition to hospitals and telecommunication companies, returnees have set up radio stations and factories. In Mogadishu, a new Coca-Cola bottling plant has been built near the edge of town. Its owner, a Somali from Sweden, says he hopes to train and employ several hundred local people before the plant opens for production later this year. But life for those who have returned is not easy in a lawless country awash in guns. Because they are relatively wealthy, the returnees are targets for kidnappings and robberies. In cities like Mogadishu, most returnees live in heavily-guarded compounds, and never travel without an armed security force. Still, at Arafat Hospital, Dr. Mohamud Zaher Mohamud says he is always encouraging Somali colleagues and friends to come back and help rebuild the country. "It is very important they come back, because the country is suffering," said Dr. Mohamud. "We are suffering from brain drain. People have gone outside the country and the country needs them." That need is enormous. Experts say thousands more educated Somalis would have to return to make a significant difference in the lives of most people here. And with little progress toward improving the political or security situation, they say that will likely take a long time.

The fantasy of democracy in an Arab state Arab states are largely squalid, corrupt, brutal dictatorships. No surprise there. We created most of these dictators Robert Fisk 13 February 2004: (The Independent) For democracy, read fantasy. Iraq is getting so nasty for our great leaders these days that anything - and anyone - is going to be thrown to the dogs to save them. The BBC, the CIA, British intelligence - any journalist that dares to point out the lies that led us to war - get pelted with more lies. The moment we suggest that Iraq never was fertile soil for Western democracy, we get accused of being racists. Do we think the Arabs are incapable of producing democracy, we are asked? Do we think they are subhuman? This kind of tosh comes from the same family of abuse as that which labels all and every criticism of Israel anti-Semitic. If we even remind the world that the cabal of neo-conservative, pro-Israeli proselytisers - Messers Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith, Kristol, et al - helped to propel President Bush and US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld into this war with grotesquely inaccurate prophecies of a new Middle East of democratic, pro-Israeli Arab states, we are told that we are racist even to mention their names. So let's just remember what the neo-cons were advocating back in the golden autumn of 2002 when Tony was squaring up with George to destroy the Hitler of Baghdad. They were going to re-shape the map of the Middle East and bring democracy to the region. The dictators would fall or come onside - thus the importance of persuading the world now that the preposterous Gaddafi is a "statesman" (thank you, Jack Straw) for giving up his own infantile nuclear ambitions - and democracy would blossom from the Nile to the Euphrates. The Arabs wanted democracy. They would seize it. We would be loved, welcomed, praised, embraced for bringing this much sought-after commodity to the region. Of course, the neo-cons got it wrong. The latest contribution to the defence of these men came from David Brooks in The New York Times. "In truth," he writes, "the people labelled 'neo-cons'... don't actually have much contact with one another... There have been hundreds of references, for example, to Richard Perle's insidious power over administration policy, but I've been told by senior administration officials that he has had no significant meetings with Bush or Cheney since they assumed office... All evidence suggests that Bush formed his conclusions independently." It's good of the "senior" officials to let us know this - let alone the unconsciously hilarious aside that Mr Bush reaches conclusions on his own. Brooks even tries to erase the word "neo-conservative" from the narrative of the Iraq war with the absurd line that "con is short for 'conservative' and neo is short for 'Jewish'". For now, the mere use of the phrase "neo-conservative" can be anti-Semitic: Brooks actually ends his article by announcing that "anti-Semitism is resurgent". If that's the best critics can be threatened with, then Messers Wolfowitz, Perle and the rest are on the run. They didn't say democracy would work. They didn't influence President Bush. They didn't have the power. They hardly talked to him. Neo-conservatives? Who? But it was the neo-cons who were - along with Israel itself - among the most fervent advocates of an Iraqi invasion. They had seized upon a devastating and all-too-true fact of life in most of the Middle East: that Arab states are largely squalid, corrupt, brutal dictatorships. No surprise there. We created most of these dictators. We kicked off with kings and princes and - if they didn't exercise sufficient control over the masses - then we supported a wretched bunch of generals and colonels, most of whom wore a variety of British military uniforms with eagles instead of crowns on their hat badges. Thus King Farouk was supplanted, indirectly, by Colonel Nasser (and by General Sadat and Air Force General Mubarak), King Idris by Colonel Gaddafi - the Foreign Office loved the young Gaddafi - and King Faisal's post-First World War monarchy in Iraq was replaced, eventually, by the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein. So we never wanted the Arabs to have democracy. When the Egyptians tried this in the 1930s and looked like booting out Farouk, the British clapped the opposition into prison. We Westerners drew the borders of most of the Arab nations, created their states and propped up their obedient leaders - bombing them, of course, if they nationalised the Suez Canal, helped the IRA or invaded Kuwait. But the neo-cons and Mr Bush - and then, inevitably, Mr Blair - wanted them to have democracy. Now there are a lot of Arabs who would like a bit of this precious substance called democracy. Indeed, when they emigrate to the West and settle down with US or British or French or any other Western passport, they show the same aptitude as ourselves for "democracy". The Iraqis of Dearborn, Michigan, are like any other Americans, and they vote - largely Democrat - and play and work like any other freedom-loving US citizens. So there's nothing genetic about the Arab world's inability to seize democracy. The problem is not the people. The problem is the environment, the make-up of the patriarchal society and - most important of all - the artificial states which we created for them. They do not and cannot produce democracy. The dictators we paid and armed and stroked ruled by torture and by tribe. Faced with nations which they in many cases did not believe in, the Arab peoples had confidence only in their tribes. The kings were tribal - the Hashemites come from the north-east of what we now call Saudi Arabia - and the dictators were tribal. Saddam, as all the world is told repeatedly, was a Tikriti. And these ruthless men held power through a network of tribal and sectarian alliances. When we bashed into their country, of course, we told the Iraqis we were going to give them democracy. They would have free elections. I remember the first time I realised how dishonest this promise was. It was when Paul Bremer, America's failed proconsul in Iraq, stopped talking about democracy and started referring to "representative government" - which is not the same thing at all. That was when folk like Daniel Pipes, a right-wing cousin of those neo-cons we can no longer mention, started advocating not "democracy" for Iraq but a "democratically-minded autocrat". Bremer says there can be no elections before the June "handover" of "sovereignty" - in itself a lie because the "handover" will give the mythical "sovereignty" of Iraq to a group of Iraqis chosen by the Americans and the British. They will - prayers are now called for - later hold the democratic elections we falsely promised the Iraqi people and which the Iraqi Shias are now vociferously demanding. And even if these elections are ever held, most Iraqis will vote according to tribe and religion. That is how their political system has worked for almost a hundred years and that is how the American-selected "interim council" works today. And so here we go again. No weapons of mass destruction. No links between Saddam and 11 September. No democracy. Blame the press. Blame the BBC. Blame the spooks. But don't blame Messers Bush and Blair. And don't blame the American neo-conservatives who helped to push the US into this disaster. They don't even exist. And if you say they did, you know what you're going to be called. © 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

US may block Islamic law in Iraq

there is ONE weekend we ALL need to skip town (Call it a protest walkout) when they have the fag parade, head for Georgian bay, Niagara falls, Montreal etc. lol why not stay and cause mayhem ?? anyway Niagara falls isnt such a bad place to escape too. I gues as brit can always try the lake district

8 Shirley Bassey, singer (never mind being great, is she black? ) lol exactly

Should traditional rulers be in government? Should tradtional Somali Elders continue to be prefered Leaders of somali communities, or have Warlords fast becoming our new "Tradtional" leaders? I know we have anarcy in south somalia so the debate is not directly comparable, were in the North or somaliland, and the east region or puntland we have some semblences of tradtional governmental structures the debate on BBC can be applied abit closure to what exists and functions in these regions. I just wanna learn how these traditional leaders influence those in power, and what your views are on the influence they hold, and whether it would be best replaced by (give your exmaples)given our bleake poltical status

Debate launches US-backed Arab TV

1. Social Topics: Older women, younger men, a terrific match! 4. The Sunnah Following the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad SAWS. The Hadeeth science revisited Wear your Seat belt, A proof from a hadeeth ------------------------------------------------------------------- It would be interesting to here your thoughts on these indeed

Your right Dawaco i have defaulted much to often on my word i can only appoligies , i will now make it my top priority.

I prefer the 'nayaa, noo keen cashada' any day. looool

Props to the cheating, synical Tunisans the won fairly yesturday.

wow a contemporary Nomad Oxford huh Mashallah congratulations sister.

Ahh such warm sentiments ........your 1 kilo of xalwo is coming right up express delivery

Saha Gets Call up

lol @ norf, well u cant get them all right, especially in the african nations cup, and mali just collapased with 20mins to go, like algeria in the Qt's, oh well Mind you Morroco deservd it throughly, on the other hand i was gutted by the super eagles exit, am not gonna watch boring Tunisa :mad: . I just hope morroco do the competiion justice n win by a similar version An carab claiming to be the king of africa in footballing terms??????maan thats hard to swollow my argument exactly, am gonna watc the 3rd place play off instead

Opinion: The best and the rest Monday 9 February, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Italian based reporter Dominique Antognoni highlights which individuals are on a high and a low after the Week 20 games. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The best… Antonio Cassano (Roma) Cassano’s display against Juventus - who are not an Ancona - on Sunday was frightening. His performance and two goals have undoubtedly launched him onto the world stage. Not even Zinedine Zidane and Francesco Totti were as good at Cassano’s age. This boy is going to be a star. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Francisco Lima (Roma) Not many people talk about Lima but he never stops working. He may not be able to do a lot on the pitch but what little he knows he does with excellence. He gets stuck in, helps out the defence, he pours forward. An unsung hero. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cristian Chivu (Roma) His tackle on Di Vaio was immense. Chivu has had just one bad game for Roma on January 6 when Milan won at the Olimpico. The Romanian was perfect against Juventus. He was calm, elegant and almost scored with a wonderful free-kick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rest… Paolo Montero (Juventus) The Uruguayan collected his 15th red card in Serie A last night which pretty much ended Juve’s hopes of getting anything against Roma. The stopper totally lost it by hacking down Francesco Totti. His Juve career may also be coming to an end. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus) Losing 4-0 at Roma was not what he wanted. It may well have been a blessing in disguise that the capital club were pipped by Juventus for his services in the summer. The Italian has struggled but Chivu, who the Giallorossi netted, has been superb. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christian Manfredini (Perugia) This is not the Manfredini that we admired at Chievo. He endured a nightmare at the San Siro yesterday when Marcos Cafu often got the better of him. And to think that he was once touted as an Azzurri option…

time ago bro where u been??