Allaha u naxariisto Siyad Barre was legend and one of the greatest leaders we have seen in our nation. Yaa ii sheegi kara infrustructure ama ilo dhaqaale beero iyo wixii la mid ah oo aanu kacaanka dhisin oo ilaa iyo maanta Soomaaliya ka dhisan. Wuxuu dhisan ayay qaar bur buriyeen, qaarna xitaa garan la'yihiin wax ku dara. Allow kuu naxariiso.

Yeah it's monday - the start of a long weak.

loool. You mean Somalis from the south are foreigners?

As usual, the General's work has been unmatched. He undertook to implement several projects, some of which are taxation, police and standing marine and ground forces that are intended to bolster the security of the region and weed out piracy and the lucrative charcoal trade. He has also established a Treasury Office in Badhan for the internal revenue of his administration. Gen. ILKAJIR oo mashaariic dhawr ah ka hirgeliyey gobolka Sanaag Source: SomaliTalk Tan iyo bilawgii bisha August, 2008, Gen. Cabdullahi Axmed Jaamac oo ah musharrax u sharraxan jagada madaxweynaha ee dawlad goboleedlka Puntland, wuxu ku mashquulsanaa sidii uu wax uga qaban lahaa gobolkii uu u dhashay ee Sanaag, gobolkan oo aan haba yaraatee wax maammul ah oo dawli ah ka hawl gelin, ilaa iyo burburkii dawladdii Maxamed Siyaad ee 1991-kii. Waxa keliya ee dadka reer Sanaag ku naalloonayeen waxay ahayd nabadda gobolka oo ahayd mid aad u wanaagsan, taasoo marar badan khalkhal ku yimi ha noqoto ciidammo ku soo duula gobolka, ama falal afduub oo aan hore uga jirin. Gobolka Sanaag ama mandaqadda Maakhir dawladihii Soomaaliya soo maray wax weyn uma qaban marka loo eego gobollada kale ee dalka. Sidoo kale maammullada Puntland soo maray iskuma ayan hawlin. Lama hora marin ilaha dhaqaalaha ee Sanaag sida beeraha, kalluumaysiga, macdanta, dalxiiska, tamarta oo intaba gobolku ku wanaagsan yahay. Kaabayaasha dhaqaalaha marka laga reebo Wersheddii Kalluunka ee Laasqoray waxba laguma kordhin. Sanaag dhinaca waddooyinku aad bay u liitaan, oo malaha waddo laami ah; gegooyinka diyaaraduhu waa kuwii Ingiriis ka tegey, oo burbursan; waxbarashadu waa halkii uu kacaanku kaga tegey; isbitaalladu waxay ahaayeen kuwa dayacan oo shaqaale la'aan, iyo qalab la'aan u xidhan; ganascsigii xeebuhu aad buu u yaraa sababo saabaan la'aan iyo maammul la'aan awgeed ku salaysan. Haddaba tan iyo intii Gen. Cabdullahi Ilkajiir tegey gobolka, isbeddel la taaban karo ayuu ka sameeyey. Iyadoo wakhtigii doorashooyinka Puntland soo dhow yihiin, wuxu Jananku go'aansaday bal inuu marka hore guntiga u xidho sidii uu wax uga qaban lahaa meeshii uu ka soo jeeday, ama dadka uu xilka u qaban doono mustaqbalka dhow. Inkastoo xilligu aad u gaaban yahay haddana tan iyo bishii August marna kama uu nasan dardar gelinta mashaariicda horumarinta, maammulka degmooyinka iyo adkaynta ammaanka bad iyo berriba. Muddadan iyada ah wixii qabsoomay sidan soo socota ayaa lagu soo koobi karaa. 1. Amniga Waxa la sugay ammaanka gobolka: ciidammada gobolka Sanaag ayaa la mideeyey ha noqdaan kuwa magac ahaan sheegan jiray inay maammulka Cadda Muuse hoos tagaan, amaba kuwa kale oo maammullo ka baxsan ilaaqaad ka dhexeeyey. Si kasta ha noqotee, waxa lagu guulaystay in ciidammadaas mid laga dhigo, maantana waxay ku jihaysan yihiin wax ka qabashada gobolka oo ay ku ammaanan yihiin. Waxa ka mida hawlaha ciidanku gacanta ku hayo: a) ilaalinta xeebaha gobolka si looga hortago falalka afduubka, budhcadnimada, iyo tahriibinta. b) La dagaallanka xaalufka degaanka iyo baya'da oo laga bilaabay in la joojiyo dhuxulaysiga oo keena dabar go'a dhirta, nabaad guurka degaanka, iyo amni xumo. c) La dagaallanka masiibooyinka sida daadadka, duufaannada badda, iyo cudurrada baaha. d) Bannaynta jidadka iyo daryeelka marinnada ganacsigu maro. e) Ka hortigidda colaadaha iyo difaacidda amniga gobolka. f) Ilaalinta agabka dhismaha dekedda laga hir gelin doono iyo hor tegidda khakhal gelinta ammaanka hawlaha mashruuca. 2. Dhismaha Dekedda Mashruuca dekedda Laasqoray oo si habsami ah u socda, ayaa lagu hanweyn yahay inuu dhowaan bilowdo. Ciidammo u gaara oo ammaanka dekedda ilaaliya ayaa halkaa lagu diyaariyey. Ciidammadaas waxa ka mida xilalka kale oo ay qaban doonaan sugidda ammaanka guud iyo ka hor tegidda falal dembiyeedka badda. 3. Gaadiidka iyo Waddooyinka Waxa lagu dhaqaaqay mashruuc dib loogu furayo waddada Geeldoora, taasoo in mudda ah u xidhanay dayac tir la'aan. Hawshan guul weyn ayaa laga gaadhay, waxana ka shaqaynaya illaa 200 oo ciidanka degaanka ka tirsan. Waxa imminka gaadiidka gobolku ka wareegaa waddada xeebta ah, tanoo keenta safar dheer oo ay u galaan magaalooyinka iyo gobollada la deriska ah. 4.Caafimaadka Waxa lagu guulaystay in dib loo furo isbitaallada Badhan iyo Laasqoray oo muddo aan shaqaynayn. Sidoo kale waxa mashruucan loo qoondeeyey shaqaale tababbaran oo ka hawl geli doona goobaha caafimaadka ee Sanaag. Mashruucani waa mid la gaadhsiin doono dhammaanka gobolka oo dhan. 5. Degaanka iyo Bay'adda Waxa la sii xoojiyey ciidanka la dagaallanka xaalufka degaanka oo saldhiggiisu yahay magaalada Dhahar. Intii Jananku dalka joogay waxa gacanta lagu soo dhigay dhuxul gaadhaysa dhawr tan, iyo weliba dembiilayaashii gubayey dhulka oo iyagu dhaqan celin hadda u socoto. Barnaamijkan hadafkiisu waa in la helo hab kale oo dadku u karsan karaan cunnada. Waxa mustaqbalka lagu dedaalayaa in la isticmaalo aaladaha tamarta qorraxda (solar energy), iyo kuwa korontada kuwaasoo wax weyn ka tari doona daryeelka degaanka iyo dhirta Sanaag ku caanka ah oo laga badbaado yeelo bahalaha ku mamay ee u iib geeya carabta iyo meelo kaleba. Ciidanku waxay leeyihiin qayb badda ilaalisa oo ka hortagta falalka amniga aan waafaqsanayn sida afduubka, budhcadnimada, iyo tahriibinta. Muddadii hawshani socotey waxa gacanta lagu dhigay doon siddey dad loo tahriibayey Yaman oo ka soo ambabaxday xeebaha gobolka Bari ee Sanaag deriska la ah. Waxa sidoo kale soo afjarmay u hanqal taaggii in lagu afduubo dadka iyo gaadiidka ganacsiga gobolka Sanaag, haba yaraatee. 6. Cashuuraha dawladda hoose Waxa lagu guulaystay in la hirgeliyo cashuuraha dawladda hoose ee heer gobol. Dadka gobolka cashuurta laga qaado ee maammulka Puntland urursado, waxba dib uguma soo noqon jirin gobolka. Taasi waa la dhammeeyey, isfahan ayaana lagu keenay dedaalkan. Imminka laga bilaabo hal meel ayaa dadku cashuurta ku bixin doonaan, waraaq sharciyaysanna way la tegi doonaan meelaha ay wax ka dhoofsanayaan. 7. Horumarinta Dhaqaalaha Waxa lagu guulaystay sidoo kale in Bangi laga furo magaalada Badhan, kaasoo kaydin doona dakhliga ka soo xerooda ilaha kala duwan sida xoolaha, beeraha, kalluunka, iyo ganacsida kale. Gebagebo Hirgelinta mashaariicdan ayaa waxa saldhig u ah guddiyo maammul oo heerar kala duwan ah oo Jananku sameeyey dhowaan. Waxa la rejeynayo horumarkan la taaban karo ee la gaaray mid la mid ah inuu ka samayn doono gobollada iyo magaalooyinka kale ee Puntaland haddii alle ku guuleeyo xilkaa uu u guntaday inuu qabto ee madaxweynanimada maammul goboleedka Puntland. Source: Puntlandfuture News Desk Full Report: SomaliTalk

The People who made CHARCOAL TRAFFIC Nathan Collett Director/Cinematographer/Co-Producer Nathan Collett was born in San Francisco, USA and grew up around the world in Venezuela, Australia, United States, Pakistan and Kenya. He makes his home in Nairobi, Kenya and has been filmmaking and researching in East Africa since 1997. He has made several award winning fictional films including the KIBERA KID short pilot film that won seven international awards. Nathan directing and shooting Charcoal Traffic Fatima Jibrell Producer For more than 17 years, Fatima Jibrell has been working with pastoralists in Somalia. Fatima is the recipient of the 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa, the most prestigious international environmental award. She was selected for the Goldman Prize for her leadership in creating a movement to protect diminishing natural resources in Somalia. Fatima founded Sun Fire Cooking in 2004 to offer solar cookers as an alternative to the use of charcoal for household cooking in East Africa. Charcoal production to produce fuel for cooking has brought devastation of the fragile, semi-arid Somali environment, threatening the pastoral way of life. Fatima and Nathan take a break from the scorching midday sun James Lindsay Co-Producer James has lived all over the world, serving as a career diplomat for Australia for 28 years. One of the environments and cultures that especially intrigue him is that of northern Somalia. In recent years, James observed how the fragile semi-arid environment suffered from uncontrolled charcoal production. In 2004, after retiring from the Australian Foreign Service, James co-founded SUN FIRE COOKING with his friend Fatima Jibrell to offer an efficient, sturdy solar cooker as an alternative to charcoal for household cooking. James and Fatima envision everyone in Somalia working to protect and reclaim the land for future generations. They see a future when environmentally friendly solar energy replaces charcoal for cooking. James Lindsay with production assistant Farxia Source: Charcoaltraffic.com

Very interesting film. The young girl's role is inspiring. I think the Award is already been presented, according to the schedule, yesterday. -------------------- By Kent Mensah and Joseph Appiah-Dolphyne, AfricaNews editors in Accra, Ghana YouTube A fiction on environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia - Charcoal Traffic - has won the Best Short Fiction award at the San Francisco, California (USA) VideoFest. It is a story of two brothers trapped in a murderous cycle of environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia. Charcoal Traffic has been selected and screened at 19 film festivals around the world, a press statement to AfricaNews from Hot Sun Foundation on Monday said. Santa Mukabanah, Hot Sun Foundation Communications Officer, who signed the statement said: “Charcoal Traffic is especially close to our hearts considering that one of the co-founders of Hot Sun Foundation, Mr. Gordon Ojiambo co-produced the short film. He is a testament of the unique creativity available in the Kibera slum.” It added: “Charcoal Traffic is the world's first short fictional film based on Somali pastoral culture. It was shot entirely on location in northern Somalia under very challenging conditions due to almost 20 years of civil war.” What makes the movie unique, the statement said, is that it is made up of an entirely local Somali cast with no previous acting experience. It was acted in the Somali language but with English subtitles for international viewers. Charcoal Traffic was directed by Nathan Collett, assisted by Godfrey Ojiambo, and co-produced by international award winning environmentalist, Fatima Jibrell with James Lindsay, co-founder of Sun Fire Cooking. Godfrey Ojiambo, resident of Kibera and trustee of Hot Sun Foundation, travelled with Nathan Collett to Somalia to film Charcoal Traffic. The BEST SHORT FICTION AWARD would to be presented to Charcoal Traffic during the VideoFest in San Francisco, California, October 17-18, 2008. Charcoal Traffic was made possible because of an alliance between two unique east African organizations - Sun Fire Cooking and Hot Sun Films. Source: AfricaNews/Sun Fire Cooking more info, go to www.charcoaltraffic.com

Wasiirka dekedaha oo ka warbixinaaya ciidamada PL qaabkii ay usoo furteen markabka reer Puntland iyo waliba howlgalada ay wadaan ciidamada PL ee ku aadan ladagaalanka burcad badeeda. Waa wareysi xiiso badan. HALKAAN RIIX

Should conflict of interest becomes inevitable, they should compromise as the stakes are very high. There're dangerous rumors in circulation that the fall of Kismayo to a coalition of local forces is largely backed by Hassan Turki--alleged to have political affiliation with the seperatist rebels in Ethiopia. This is too ridiculous a statement to warrant a second thought!

^Read this Editorial. And let me know what you think? Sorry for the late reply. I have been so busy this past two weeks. http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10343&Itemid=5854

LIsten to Andrew Mwangura, president of the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program as he speaks on all other illicit activities on Somalia's coast:the unreported Pirate Fishing undertaken by fishing industries, Toxic Disposal. He calls for a comprehensive prescription for Somalia's instability. From the CBC radio show program, 'As It Happens' on SEP. 30, 2008. His interview starts at 22:15--- http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/asithappens/20080929-aih-1.wmv From the islands of the South Pacific , to the coastal communities of West Africa, the pirate fishermen, who then claim their profits in European and Asian ports, are netting millions of dollars in much needed income which rightfully belongs to coastal communities. The United Nations estimates that Somalia loses US$300 million a year Tuna stocks around Tanzania, Somalia, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu are targeted each year with giant nets that scoop up entire shoals, including the young fish vital for breeding and future stock growth. Those that won’t make money on the market, but could still provide food and income for others, are thrown back dead. "Source: Greenpeace.org "Because there is no (effective) government,(in Somalia) there is so much irregular fishing from European and Asian countries," Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, UN Special Envoy

This interesting article notes on the continued intervention of Kenya in the fragile peace agreement in Sudan btw former rebels and the government. Mombasa has always been a conduit for illegal imports of arms and ammunition headed to southern Sudan. Cargo prompts doubts on hijacked ship's destination The Ukrainian vessel's cargo was headed for Kenya, according to that country and Ukraine. But U.S. officials and others suspect southern Sudan's fledgling army was to receive the tanks. By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 30, 2008 NAIROBI, KENYA -- This time it's the booty, not the pirates, that everyone's talking about. And what they're wondering is: Just where were those Russian tanks going? As additional U.S. warships gathered around a hijacked Ukrainian ship off Somalia, questions persisted Monday about where the vessel's military cargo was destined. The governments of Kenya and Ukraine say the shipment of 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks, ammunition and spare parts was part of a legal sale contracted last year to supply the Kenyan army. But U.S. officials, arms experts and maritime officials say the more likely destination was southern Sudan, where the former rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Movement, or SPLM, governs an autonomous region and has been working aggressively over the last three years to transform its ragtag guerrilla army into a professional fighting force. "We received reports that the cargo was intended for Sudan, so obviously our goal is to maintain watch over the ship while negotiations are taking place," said Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. He said "several" U.S. ships had surrounded the hijacked vessel Monday, but no further actions were planned. Arms experts wondered why Kenya would purchase Russian-made tanks since its previous suppliers have been the United States, Britain and China. Kenya's current tanks are British-built. "I'm not aware of Kenya using any [former] Soviet bloc weaponry before, so if they are, that's a major shift," said one arms expert in the region who did not want to be identified. Southern Sudan, by contrast, has been buying Russian-made tanks over the last year, officials said, including nearly 50 T-54 battle tanks. That deal drew attention in February when one shipment was briefly held up at the Kenyan port of Mombasa amid that country's postelection turmoil. Andrew Mwangura, head of the Seafarers Assistance Program in Kenya, said at least three arms shipments destined for southern Sudan had moved through Mombasa over the last year. The Kenyan government, however, said Monday that the hijacked cargo was "important military equipment paid for by the Kenyan taxpayer for use by the Kenyan military." A government spokesman declined to comment on why the government was purchasing Russian-made tanks or how they fit into the country's military strategy. "We don't discuss why we need arms," spokesman Alfred Mutua said. He described allegations that the tanks might be sold or transferred to Sudan as "propaganda." "We have not had any tanks go from Kenya to Sudan. Kenya makes sure it's not a conduit for any illegal arms," he said. Southern Sudanese officials could not be reached for comment Monday. One army official in the region was quoted over the weekend in a Sudanese newspaper as denying that the military goods were headed for the south. But since signing a 2005 treaty with the Sudanese government that ended a 21-year north-south civil war, the SPLM has not hidden its desire to strengthen its former guerrilla army. It spends about half its budget on military training, salaries and supplies. In addition to purchases and assistance from countries such as the U.S., Russia and Ethiopia, the new autonomous southern Sudanese government recently announced it might build its own air force. Under the terms of the peace treaty, southern Sudan is permitted to operate and fund its own military, separate from the national army. The agreement does not prohibit southern Sudan from purchasing foreign weapons, nor is the region restricted by the United Nations arms embargo, which covers the Darfur region in western Sudan. Recent skirmishes between Sudan's northern and southern armies in the disputed oil-rich city of Abyei underscored the sense of urgency felt in the south to build up its forces in case the treaty collapses or combat resumes. The northern army also receives heavy weapons from Russia and China and has its own manufacturing facilities for tanks. The SPLM also wants a strong army to help enforce the results of a referendum planned for 2011, in which southern Sudanese might vote to separate from the north, analysts said. Hijackers said Monday they were seeking $20 million for the release of the cargo and 20 hostages, according to Sugale Ali Omar Omar, who identified himself as one of the pirates and spoke in a phone interview. He said U.S. ships were about a mile away and warplanes were flying low over the ship. One crew member has died of a suspected heart attack, but all others are safe, he said. "We are ready if the foreign warships attack us," he said. "If they fire on us, we will open what we have on them." edmund.sanders@latimes.com Special correspondent Lutfi Sheriff Mohammed in Mogadishu, Somalia, contributed to this report.

US says hijacked arms headed to Sudan, not Kenya By BARBARA SURK Monday, September 29, 2008 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. Navy spokesman says a weapons shipment on a Ukrainian ship hijacked by Somali pirates was headed to Sudan, not Kenya. Lt. Nathan Christensen, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain, says the buyers in Sudan are unknown. A 5th Fleet statement Monday says the ship was headed for the Kenyan port of Mombassa, but that "additional reports state the cargo was intended for Sudan." Kenya has claimed it was the buyer for the shipment, which includes T-72 battle tanks. The U.N. has imposed an arms embargo on weapons headed to Sudan's Darfur conflict zone. But the ban does not cover other weapons sales to the Khartoum government or the southern Sudan's autonomous government. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Source: AP, Sept 29, 2008

Hollywood and Sports are the two purveyors of knowledge and influence in Mainstream America. They know more sports than public or international affairs. Aside from being naturally dumb, they are very decent people.

Dr. Abdiwali should leaf through the platform of General Ilkajiir before coming to the conclusion that "the candidates failed to offer " a viable alternative to the Ade's administration. I sense an implicit endorsement of Ade/AfQurac ticket for a second term despite his criticism of Puntland's current administration. As to the Topic of Puntland's disintegration, I think there will be a paradigm shift. We were seen before as heathens in possession of a very busy commercial sea lane. The rise of the pirates' activities has attracted the attention Somalia needed and a possible neautrality of the zero-sum game policy used against Somalia. They had simply passed all the risk of their wrong policies, but it's time for the world to hedge against these risks of neglect and instability as the insurance cost of these ships and vesells have risen. The recognition of "Somaliland" will only worsen the political crisis of Somalia given the geographic limitation of the secessionists' domain of influence.

I was shocked to hear this on the NPR news today, but these young men were found to have no explosives or any other hidden weapons. Their activities had been on a surveillence for a while. They definately wanted to be trained in the free-zone tribal areas of Pakistan and then head back to Somalia, at least that was their initial plan. I think they were of the view that men trained in either Afghanistan or Pakistan are of the model of the assassinated Ayro and thus revered for their firm beliefs in the global Jihad against the infidels.

"Ironically, the activities of the pirates may be lifting the lid on the illicit trade in weapons around the Horn of Africa. Though these guys are painted with lithe contortions of a big snake by the media, they are blessing in disguise, in my humble opinion, to the long Somali coastline --violated everyday by foreign-owned vessels and fish trawlers and freighters carrying illegal shipments of weapons-- because of the absence of central government, an opportunity the vultures have taken great advantage of our internal crisis. Like Congo, they would rather have Somalia remain lawless than live to witness a robust, functioning central government.

Originally posted by General Duke: Genuine peace agreements will only strengthen the hand of those who want to develop a normal state in Somalia, i.e Yusuf and others that will follow him. Thus it’s not peace that we fear, indeed its peace that we work for, we fear a prolonged anarchy of the sort these folks find so attractive and which they have enjoyed for 17 years. While you fear a prolonged anarchy, they fear a lasting peace because that possible scenerio would have different meanings and outcome. We all win if a long lasting peace is finally achieved through compromise and putting our country above personal greed. The Islamic courts and their splinter groups would hardly give up and might be on their determined way to pursuing the formation of an Islamic State across the Somali Peninsula including parts of Ethiopia and Kenya.

About the Nuclear Power Energy proposed by McCain as an alternative to America's dependence on foreign oil, here is an interesting info on the companies that will participate in the proposed project. I think it will neither lessen the energy crisis and dependence nor create more jobs for the American public. It's another way of putting tax payers' money into the pockets of foreign-owned companies that will take a great deal of the contract to build these nuclear plants. ------------------ Source : The New York Times Congress has promised heavy subsidies for the first few plants, and more will follow if “everybody is comfortable with the technology and the regulatory process.........the supply chain is global, and only one manufacturer can make the biggest parts for the reactor vessel for his model plant. If companies line up to build nuclear plants, that line might include builders from every country that wants to expand nuclear power. Few American companies will be in the line. Of the four American companies that sold the bulk of nuclear reactors in the 1960s and 1970s, Westinghouse, the biggest, is now owned by a Japanese company, and General Electric is in a global partnership with a different Japanese company. The other two companies were absorbed by larger players.

Well done

There's no such thing as "people of Mogadisho" or the south. Starting from Mogadisho all the way to the south, you will find peaceful and agricultural communities that have nothing to do with the mayhem in Mogadisho. The conflict was relocated to them to the extent they had become resigned to their fate. And if you go deeper, the same "people of Puntland" reside in large number regions of Juba. Should we as well secede from our people in the southern territory? It doesn't make sense.

Idaacada Dhahar oo barnaamij daraaseed ka diyaarisey dhuxul joojinta lagu sameeyey gobolada woqooyi bari iyo sidey saameyn ugu yeelatey magaalooyinka waaweyn ee Puntland. Barnaamijkan ayaa waxaa la wareystey ganacsatada, iyo xoogsatada dhuxusha oo ka cabanaaya dhuxul joojinta... iyo iyadoo uu kiishkii dhuxusha sadex laabmey taniyo kacdoonkii lagu joojiyey gubida dhirta. Halkaan ka dhagayso

^Though I don't care who wins in this decisive election at this defining moment, It's the media that is on her tail, not Obama's Campaign. Ps. In the following article, the referenced Barry Goldwater, Arizona senator once, run for the 1964 election and lost in landslide to Lyndon B. Johnson. At the Republican convention, former president Reagan(at the earliest of his political career) was said to have spoken effusively of his credentials. Remember, McCain and Bush both stand for Milton Friedman and Hayez's economic doctrine of big tax cuts for the rich and the elimination of labor unions. In other words, the theory of Neoliberalism -- to which many people confuse of progressive economic policies. Neoconservatives differ from Neoliberalism only in the religious moral and unilitareral decision toward the role of U.S. foreign policy. From economic and political viewpoint, they'are one and the same. It's not just about the individual David Brooks New York Times Sep 13, 2008 Near the start of his book, “The Conscience of a Conservative,” Barry Goldwater wrote: “Every man, for his individual good and for the good of his society, is responsible for his own development. The choices that govern his life are choices that he must make; they cannot be made by any other human being.” The political implications of this are clear, Goldwater continued: “Conservatism's first concern will always be: Are we maximizing freedom?” Goldwater's vision was highly individualistic and celebrated a certain sort of person – the stout pioneer crossing the West, the risk-taking entrepreneur with a vision, the stalwart hero fighting the collectivist foe. The problem is, this individualist description of human nature seems to be wrong. Over the past 30 years, there has been a tide of research in many fields, all underlining one old truth – that we are intensely social creatures, deeply interconnected with one another and the idea of the lone individual rationally and willfully steering his own life course is often an illusion. Cognitive scientists have shown that our decision-making is powerfully influenced by social context – by the frames, biases and filters that are shared subconsciously by those around. Neuroscientists have shown that we have permeable minds. When we watch somebody do something, we recreate their mental processes in our own brains as if we were performing the action ourselves, and it is through this process of deep imitation that we learn, empathize and share culture. Geneticists have shown that our behavior is influenced by our ancestors and the exigencies of the past. Behavioral economists have shown the limits of the classical economic model, which assumes that individuals are efficient, rational, utility-maximizing creatures. Psychologists have shown that we are organized by our attachments. Sociologists have shown the power of social networks to affect individual behavior. What emerges is not a picture of self-creating individuals gloriously free from one another, but of autonomous creatures deeply interconnected with one another. Recent Republican Party doctrine has emphasized the power of the individual, but underestimates the importance of connections, relationships, institutions and social filaments that organize personal choices and make individuals what they are. This may seem like an airy-fairy thing. But it is the main impediment to Republican modernization. Over the past few weeks, Republicans have talked a lot about change, modernization and reform. Despite the talk, many of the old policy pillars are the same. We're living in an age of fast-changing economic, information and social networks, but Republicans are still impeded by Goldwater's mental guard rails. If there's a thread running through the gravest current concerns, it is that people lack a secure environment in which they can lead their lives. Wild swings in global capital and energy markets buffet family budgets. Nobody is sure the health care system will be there when they need it. National productivity gains don't seem to alleviate economic anxiety. Inequality strains national cohesion. In many communities, social norms do not encourage academic achievement, decent values or family stability. These problems straining the social fabric aren't directly addressed by maximizing individual freedom. And yet locked in the old framework, the Republican Party's knee-jerk response to many problems is: “Throw a voucher at it.” Schools are bad. Throw a voucher. Health care system's a mess. Replace it with federally funded individual choice. Economic anxiety? Lower some tax rate. The latest example of the mismatch between ideology and reality is the housing crisis. The party's individualist model cannot explain the social contagion that caused hundreds of thousands of individuals to make bad decisions in the same direction at the same time. A Republican administration intervened gigantically in the market to handle the Bear Stearns, Freddie and Fannie debacles. But it has no conservative rationale to explain its action, no language about the importance of social equilibrium it might use to justify itself. The irony, of course, is that, in pre-Goldwater days, conservatives were incredibly sophisticated about the value of networks, institutions and invisible social bonds. You don't have to go back to Edmund Burke and Adam Smith (though it helps) to find conservatives who understood that people are socially embedded creatures and that government has a role (though not a dominant one) in nurturing the institutions in which they are embedded. That language of community, institutions and social fabric has been lost, and now we hear only distant echoes – when social conservatives talk about family bonds or when John McCain talks at a forum about national service. If Republicans are going to fully modernize, they're probably going to have to follow the route the British Conservatives have already trod and project a conservatism that emphasizes society as well as individuals, security as well as freedom, a social revival and not just an economic one and the community as opposed to the state.

It seems the conspiracy theorist, anonymous author of this piece, which resembles variations on the theme of the brief Georgia-Russian war, is full of laughter. lol

Beautiful pics. Thanks Generale.

The equation of the locals in the fall of Kismaayo can't be ruled out. I know some clan-driven folks would hint it otherwise or make it seem like the locals have no military or administartive significance in the recent fall of of Kismaayo but what can't be denied is the fact that the traditional inhabitants of the city, who had experienced ethnic cleansing or forceful expulsion over the last 8 years, have returned to their homestead. Does it matter if they decided to rule themselves in Pure Shariah Law? With justice served, they are confident enough to overturn the city's 8 years of decline and mayhem. They are confident to return the glory of the city and swim it back to the shore of irreversible peace and prosperity.