it is really great news! to see Xamar Cadde finally having an administration. Not will it work but ir will definitely have positive impact on peace and reconcilliation all over Somalia.

Hiiraale and Yeey have agreed to some secret deal to make Kismaayo the "D" capital in the south. ------------------------------------------------ By Shaacir Mataan “Nin qab weyniyo nimaan uba qabin, is qaniinee, ha is qadariyeen†Mohammed Dhere has lately embarked on a political mission to patch up things with his rivals in Mogadishu and beyond. In the past few days, we all heard about the new peace treaty between the governors of the two fertile Shabelle regions. As the sources from the Jowhar grapevines want us to believe, the pact was initiated by none other than the madcap himself, the indisputable landlord of Yusuf and Ghedi, His Excellency Mohammed Dhere. There are also accounts from reliable sources that he had been making calls to Mogadishu powerbrokers and had some constructive consultations with Muse Sudi. Is this late maneuvering of Mr. Dhere, a political maturity? Or could it all be construed as the customary shifting alliances of the chameleon warlords of Somalia? It seems that the governor has reservations about Yusuf’s courting of Hiiraale. There is something anomalous about this much-hyped Kismayo talks between the warlords? The usual spin-doctors of Fadhi-ku-dirir venues are putting together new-fangled hypothesis about Yusuf’s longing to base his seat in Kismayo. It is rumored that Yusuf’s close interlocutors had in the past campaigned for the patronage of Hiiraale. So it goes that if Yusuf wants to make up with his ilk why should Mohammed Dhere alienate his kinfolk? What kind of covert ruse has come to the fore that forced Mohamed Dhere to look for alliance elsewhere? What compelled him to craft this political realignment and tactical repositioning? As soon as we heard about this new truce between the Shabelle governors, both the president his protégé premier and large numbers of his cohorts were off to Yusuf’s homelands of Boosaaso and Garoowe. And lo and behold, Mohammed Dhere didn’t rest and let them off the hook. He come up with the litmus test, fired the one million dollar question after them. He challenged both Yusuf and Ghedi to define the difference between Indhocade, the lower Shabelle boss and Hiiraale, the Juba Valley ruler since in Mr.Dhere’s logic; both men are from the same central region of Galgaduud. He wondered why one is considered as a man of peace and the other is seen as a defiant pariah? Mohammed Dhere made these exigent remarks in retaliation of the recent comments of Abdalle Deeroow, the constitution minister -- another one of those lame portfolios of Ghedi’s inflated cabinet -- who ironically doesn’t hail the regions in the covenant. But thanks to Somalia’s clannish raison d’être; the conventional wisdom dictates Deeroow to question and protest of this peace accord. So it is said and written somewhere in the Somalia’s half-baked constitution that Mr. Deeroow is at liberty to represent the “natives†of Lower Shabelle. Here the inhabitants of Shabelle are hypothetically from the minister’s clan grouping. Forget the fact that Deeroow is from Bay and is a persona-non-grata in his own constituency. See the irony of Somalia’s nonsensical clan adherence! But that was not the only reason the chief of Jowhar made his provocative discourse. The cynics are wondering was this ultimatum of Mohamed Dhere a masked eviction of the TFG or one of his spur-of-the moment invectives. Some people have been arguing for quite sometime that because of their stubborn nature and strong personality, both the Jowhar governor and the warlord-turned president would sooner or later be at odds. Now that the writings are on the wall, their falling out of each other is about to happen. The short honeymoon between Yusuf and Dhere is about to come to an end. As they say “marry in haste, repent at leisure†Yusuf is now in search of a new temporary capita. What a better place to set sights other than the port city of Kismayo. Bye Bye Dheere ... Hello Hiiraale! The stubbornness of the Somali warlords, their shifting alliances and their political opportunism may seem so inexplicable to most outsiders but not to the suffering populace of Somalia. Shaacir Mataan Minneapolis , MN E-mail: abaadir2002@yahoo.com The opinions contained in this article are solely those of the writer, and in no way, form or shape represent the editorial opinions of "Hiiraan Online"

There seems to be some discrepency on the Date. Monday is 26 not 27. I heard the meeting is going to be held this monday which is 26 and a holiday. Ha la isku arko meesha . reer sol oo minneapolis joogo.

Olol & Co? me and my company aint going nowhere but we are put in here forever. I live in the land of the brave and home of the free! And I am hoping to be buried in it. Not Xamar, nor Merca, nor Galgadud, nor Boosaaso.My offsprings will grow on the cheese and butter not starve in the arid hostile land of the horn. I honestly believe it is death sentence for kids to be born there! look at it? every other 4 years - it is drought and famine! and when there is some food, it is killing and fighting! for what? there is nothing to fight for, no resource, no diamond mines! just a scorched piece of earth! and walking skeletons know nothing else but to fight along clan lines - so backward and primitive! what acursed land and people! God save Somalia and Ethiopia!! And for these "occupiers" might is always right! that is how it works in this world...deal with it. Nin Xoog leh aa xaajo u toostaa!! Alle ooyin badanaa dadka qaar!!

Who said Indha-Cadde is from Galgaduud? As I heard from the grapvines the man was born and bred in Qoryooleey - which the last time I checked the Somali map is in lower shabelle Region? No, His clan is from Galgaduud? why is it all of sudden an issue? Siad Barre and all officials of the previous Somali regimes used to rule land of others without being elected by any natives? and who are these natives? aren't all Somalis natives of the land? or some are immigrants? who came from where? The powerful clans(anglo-saxons) that rule AMERICA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, AUSTRALIA are from Europe.Our hosts in these lands who gave us safer haven actually came in as immigrants, occupiers, expansionists and took over these lands by force... and by deception and look what they made of it? the best place to live in this world! And who of you fugees want to go back to that arid barren militia infested land?

Ooyintu orgiga ka weyn- wasn't that a somali adage - Here we have a clan obsessed writer whose every article - Yusuf Garaad is portrayed as the enemy of the state! Yusuf is the third destrying force of the Somali unity....the number 3 enemy of Somali unity.... cos he is simply from the rival clan - the powerful "A".... don't look at his credentials, his ideology, his professionalism....his accomplishment... that is not the criterion here....cos he belongs to rival clan and is from clan X..then he is definitely an enemy.!! Somali logic at its best!!! and Then SNM is number 2....the rebels who fought with the dictator, the ones who said no to clan supramacy..the ones who stood up to defend their people from opression ,,the ones whose mothers, daughters, sisters had been raped by the writers clan gangs masquerading as national forces...the ones who after realizing that some clans in certain areas are beyond redemption and would not quit their hypocrisy, nepotism, cronyism and all that is wrong with clan politics decided to pave an alternative peaceful ways for the long suffering brothers in the north....so they could prosper in their own destroyed turf ...are now all of sudden enemy no 2 of uncle Yeey!! what a travesty.!!!! this loonie is really impaired and damaged both intellectually and emotionally... I wonder why! and how could this logic be justified? is it possible? let us think about this for a minute? Then he commits the biggest gaffe....in his mediocre thinking ..our clannish writer and Yeey cheerleader urges the government ( it is his clan) to seek the support of the "HWY" especially the "ABGL" .... I am here dumbfounded about this..., is he equating the "Government" as it belongs to his clan....the "chicken-heads" of Yeey's immediate lineage?... maybe Yeey is his uncle and the government is his family.... I think what our clannish pundit is implying (by the quest of the Banadir support) is what some theotrically call throwing up " jump-ball" ...creating mistrust and discord between the two major clans ... so they could engage in a fierce confrontation and another destructive war...isn't that condescending from a bigoted charlatan masquerading as a righteaous wholeheartedly beliver of Somali unity. ..Somali unity my A.S.S!! No .no one buys that S.H.i.T no more .... let us be honest ..Yeey folks and cheerleaders are hiding behind this smoke screen dubbed Somali unity all of sudden!!!!

What a clown!! The buffoon knows nothing about Somalia. He spent most his time in the Diaspora being a drunkard and the last time he was in Somalia - he had been conditioned and brainwashed by the shady nepotistic nomads in power at the time. I believe people in Mogadishu should not accede to those who had been driven out to ever come back simply not only because of their past arrogance but their current hypocrisy. They should reside in their peaceful enclaves. The rationale is uncomplicated. I do have hundreds of evidence. These nomads won't allow any Somali to live among themselves, to own any properties in the "Boston" ...Boston comparison demands an act of contrition here. A friend of mine who is from a minor clan (mine) tried to set up a business venture in "Boston†…Again Boston …sorry for this awful travesty…he couldn't fist get a permission to purchase a land and build on it. He was rejected because he is not from "Boston". Then when he rented a place to run his business, he was asked to pay some protection money. To add insult to injury … a certain celebrated administrator dishonorably insulted him in public arena to the glee of his clannish crowd - " Dameerahaagii u laabo mugaan, waa loo fasaxay ineey xamar ku xaaraan mugaan†My friend refused to tolerate such humiliation and decided to try his luck in "Montreal"...same experience...except there was no invective…The separatists asked him if he had a visa and any "Southerner is allowed to own and build a property in the "Holy Land" He continued his entrepreneurial determination to Djibouti and voila ... a high sartorial fashion business was started with civic minded colleagues with no hassle and no ill-treatment.

http://www.understandingamericanpie.com/index.htm Introduction In the autumn of 1971 Don McLean's elegiac American Pie entered the collective consciousness, and over thirty years later remains one of the most discussed, dissected and debated songs that popular music has ever produced. A cultural event at the peak of its popularity in 1972, it reached the top of the Billboard 100 charts in a matter of weeks, selling more than 3 million copies; and at eight and a half minutes long, this was no mean feat. But this was no ordinary song, either: boldly original and thematically ambitious, what set American Pie apart had a lot to do with the way we weren't entirely sure what the song was about, provoking endless debates over its epic cast of characters. And these controversies remain with us to this day. But however open to interpretation the lyrics may have been, the song's emotional resonance was unmistakable: McLean was clearly relating a defining moment in the American experience—something had been lost, and we knew it. Opening with the death of singer Buddy Holly and ending near the tragic concert at Altamont Motor Speedway, we are able to frame the span of years the song is covering—1959 to 1970—as the "10 years we've been on our own" of the third verse. It is across this decade that the American cultural landscape changed radically, passing from the relative optimism and conformity of the 1950s and early 1960s to the rejection of these values by the various political and social movements of the mid and late 1960s. Coming as it did near the end of this turbulent era, American Pie seemed to be speaking to the precarious position we found ourselves in, as the grand social experiments of the 1960s began collapsing under the weight of their own unrealized utopian dreams, while the quieter, hopeful world we grew up in receded into memory. And as 1970 came to a close and the world this generation had envisioned no longer seemed viable, a sense of disillusion and loss fell over us; we weren't the people we once were. But we couldn't go home again either, having challenged the assumptions of that older order. The black and white days were over. Bye bye, Miss American Pie. Verse 1: Prologue As the 1960s come to a close, we find the narrator nostalgic for the music of his youth and the simple, joyous spirit it once brought him. He then turns his attention to a seminal event—the death of some key figure in music history—that shattered his joy. It is well known by now that Buddy Holly is this individual, having died in a plane crash in February of 1959. • • • Though this is by far the simplest verse in American Pie, it is nonetheless a crucial one (along with verse 2), as it sets up the drama that is about to unfold. The narrator here is nostalgic for a simpler and more optimistic kind of music—a music that can make people smile, and that could help them forget their troubles—and a music that very much represents the happier optimism of the 1950s in America. He also identifies Buddy Holly by the month of his death (February) and the "widowed bride" he left behind. As the embodiment of this music, Holly's passing had a profound effect on him: as it will become clearer in the next verse, this music and the simple innocence and optimism of it has its corollary in the psychology of America in the fifties, so that the day the music died becomes the day the innocence and optimism died—blow number one. Holly's death was a watershed for him, and is the pivot around which the song will turn. ------ A long, long time ago... "American Pie" reached #1 in 1972, shortly after it was released. Buddy Holly ; unfortunately, died in 1959. I can still remember how That music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, That I could make those people dance, And maybe they'd be happy for a while. Sociologists credit teenagers with the popularity of Rock and Roll, as a part of the Baby boomer generation, they found themselves in a very influencial position. Their shear number were the force behind most of our country's recent major transitions. McLean was a teenager in 1959 and he begins by simply commenting that the music had an appealing quality to him as well as the millions of other teens. McLean also had an intense desire to entertain as a musician. His dream, to play in a band at high school dances, was the dream of many young boys who wanted to make people dance to Rock and Roll. But February made me shiver, Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959, in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm. Its rumored that the name of the plane was: American Pie. With every paper I'd deliver, Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time singer/song writer was being a paperboy. Bad news on the doorstep... I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward. But something touched me deep inside, The day the music died. The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also tragically took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace.") Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959, became known as "The Day The Music Died." So... (Refrain) Bye bye Miss American Pie, **Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during a pageant and broke up with her on February 3, 1959. (Unconfirmed interpretation) So its probably... Just a reference to the plane, "American Pie" that crahed. I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye Singing "This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die." Driving the Chevy to the levee almost certainly refers to the three college students whose murder was the subject of the film 'Mississippi Burning.' The students were attempting to register as black voters, and after being killed by bigoted thugs their bodies were buried in a levee. Them good ol' boys being: Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper, They were singing about their death on February 3. One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die." (Verse 2) Did you write the book of love, "The Book of Love" by the Monotones; hit in 1958."Oh I wonder, wonder who... who, who wrote the book of love?" And do you have faith in God above, If the Bible tells you so? **In 1955, Don Cornell did a song entitled "The Bible Tells Me So." It was difficult to tell if it was what McLean was referencing. Anyone know for sure? There is also an old Sunday School song that goes:"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so" McLean was somewhat religious. Now do you believe in rock 'n roll? The Lovin' Spoonful had a hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's "Do you Believe in Magic?". The song has the lines: "Do you believe in magic" and "It's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll." Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Music was believed to "save the soul" and slow dancing was an important part of early rock and roll dance events. Dancing declined in importance through the 60's as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence. McLean was asking many questions about the early rock 'n roll in an attempt to keep it alive or find out if it was already dead. Well I know that you're in love with him 'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym Back then, dancing was an expression of love,and carried a connotation of commitment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be later. You both kicked off your shoes A reference to the beloved "sock hop." (Street shoes tear up wooden basketball floors, so dancers had to take off their shoes.) Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much elsewhere in the U. S., was highly segregated. The popular music of black performers for largely black audiences was called, first "race music," later softened to rhythm and blues. In the early 50s, as they were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white teenagers began listening, too. Starting around 1954, a number of songs from the rhythm and blues charts began appearing on the overall popular charts as well, but usually in cover versions by established white artists, (e.g."Shake Rattle and Roll," Joe Turner, covered by Bill Haley; "Sh-Boom, "the Chords, covered by the Crew-Cuts; "Sincerely," the Moonglows, covered by the McGuire Sisters; Tweedle Dee, LaVerne Baker, covered by Georgia Gibbs). By 1955, some of the rhythm and blues artists, like Fats Domino and Little Richard were able to get records on the overall pop charts.In 1956 Sun records added elements of country and western to produce the kind of rock and roll tradition that produced Buddy Holly. I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation), "was a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957. The pickup truck has endured as a symbol of sexual independence and potency, especially in a Texas context.(Also, Jimmy Buffet does a song about "a white sport coat and a pink crustacean.":) ) But I knew that I was out of luck The day the music died I started singing... Refrain (Verse 3) Now for ten years we've been on our own McLean was writing this song in the late 60's,about ten years after the crash. And moss grows fat on a rolling stone It's unclear who the "rolling stone" is supposed to be. It could be Dylan, since "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first major hit; and since he was busy writing songs ex-tolling the virtues of simple love, family and contentment while staying at home (he didn't tour from '66 to '74) and raking in the royalties. This was quite a change from the earlier, angrier Dylan. The "rolling stone" could also be Elvis Presley, although I don't think he started to pork out by the late sixties. he-he! It could refer to rock and rollers, and the changes that had taken place in the business in the 60's, especially the huge amounts of cash some of them were beginning to make, and the relative stagnation that entered the music at the same time. Or, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves, many musicians were angry at the Stones for "selling out." I discovered that John Foxx of Ultravox was sufficiently miffed to write a song titled "Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)." The Stone sat one point became citizens of some other country merely to save taxes. But that's not how it used to be When the jester sang for the King and Queen The jester is Bob Dylan, as will become clear later. There are several interpretations of king and queen: some think that Elvis Presley is the king, which seems rather obvious. The queen is said to be either Connie Francis or Little Richard. See the next note. An alternate interpretation is that this refers to the Kennedys -- the King and Queen of "Camelot" -- who were present at a Washington DC civil rights rally featuring Martin Luther King. (There'sa recording of Dylan performing at this rally. The Jester.) The third interpretation is that the jester could be Lee Harvey Oswald who sang (shouted) before he was shot for the murder of the King (JFK). In a coat he borrowed from James Dean In the movie "Rebel Without a Cause," James Dean has a red windbreaker that holds symbolic meaning throughout the film (see note at end). In one particularly intense scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On the cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," Dylan is wearing just such a red windbreaker, posed in a street scene similar to movie starring James Dean. Bob Dylan played a command performance for the Queen of England. He was *not* properly attired, so perhaps this is a reference to his apparel. And a voice that came from you and me Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music,with people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses, hence the "...came from you and me." Oh, and while the King was looking down The jester stole his thorny crown This could be a reference to Elvis' decline and Dylan's ascendance. (I.e., Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place.) The thorny crown might be a reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols. or... Lee Harvey Oswald being the jester who ended the reign of JFK and "stole his crown." or... A third interpretation is the quote made by John Lennon and taken out of context indicating that John felt The Beatles were more popular then Jesus. John and The Beatles took the crown from Christ. The courtroom was adjourned, No verdict was returned. This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven. but its more likely to be... The fact that no verdict was returned for the assassination of JFK because the assassin was killed so the court was adjourned. And while Lennon read a book on Marx, Or it could be be... And while Lenin rean a book on Marx, Someone has to introduce Vladamir Lenin, the father of Marxist communism, to the idealogy of Karl Marx. I love the play on words here... Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of The Beatles. (Of course, he could be referring to Groucho Marx, but that doesn't seem quite consistent with McLean's overall tone. On the other hand, some of the wordplay in Lennon's lyrics and books is reminiscent of Groucho.)The "Marx-Lennon" word play has also been used by others, most notably the Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" The Beatles "Here, There and Everywhere," for example. Also, a famous French witticism was "Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho. " (I'm a Marxist of the Groucho variety). The quartet practiced in the park There are two schools of thought about this; the obvious one is The Beatles playing in Shea Stadium, but note that the previous line has John Lennon *doing something else at the same time*. This tends to support the theory that this is a reference to the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. McLean had become friends with Lee Hays of the Weavers in the early 60's while performing in coffeehouses and clubs in upstate New York and New York City. He was also well acquainted with Pete Seeger; McLean, Seeger, and others took a trip on the Hudson river singing anti-pollution songs at one point. Seeger's LP "God Bless the Grass" contains many of these songs. And we sang dirges in the dark A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant literally...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock" groups that played long pieces not meant for dancing. In the dark of the death of Holly. The day the music died. We were singing... Refrain (Verse 4) Helter Skelter in a summer swelter "Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song that appears on the "White" album. Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired"by the song (through which he thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders. Is "summer swelter" a reference to the "Summer of Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts? The birds flew off with the fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast Without a doubt this refers to the Byrds who helped launch David Crosby to super stardom. The Byrd's song "Eight Miles High" was found on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension." They recorded this song when some of the groups members were considering leaving (some of the groups members actually left the group because they refused to flyin an airplane). A fallout shelter was sometimes referred to as the fifth dimension because of the 1950's fascination with sci-fi and the futuristic appearance of a fallout shelter. This was one of the first records widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics. But... Another idea considers The Beatles' "Helter Skelter."A line from the song reads, 'I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you.' The similarity is pretty obvious. It landed foul on the grass One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana. The players tried for a forward pass Obviously a football metaphor, but about what?It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e., they were waiting for an opening that really didn't happen until The Beatles broke up. With regard to the next idea, the players maybe other musicians who received the opportunity to shine when Dylan was injured. With the jester on the sidelines in a cast On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident. This gave a chance for many other artists to become noticed (see the next interpretation). Now the half-time air was sweet perfume Drugs, man. Well, now, wait a minute; that's probably too obvious (wouldn't want to make it easy). It's possible that this line and the next few refer to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is probably tear gas. It could be the fact the since Dylan was temporarily out of the picture, the future looked bright for many artists. The Stones, for example, may have been given a brief chance. While sergeants played a marching tune Following from the second thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched protesters out of the park where the Convention was being held and into jail. Alternatively, this could refer to The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Or, perhaps McLean refers to The Beatles' music as "marching" because it's not music for dancing. Or, finally, the "marching tune" could be the draft. **(What did the Stones release in '66??) We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes. But at this point The Beatles were not "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967) Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps she was considering the hippies who were protesting the Convention. They were known for playing their own folk music. 'Cause the players tried to take the field, The marching band refused to yield. Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Democratic Convention or Kent State. If the players are the protesters at Kent State, and the marching band the Ohio National Guard... This could be a reference to the dominance of The Beatles on the rock and roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" in 1966 -- an album that featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967). The album sold poorly because of The Beatles. The other Beatles reference here refers to the Monkees. The Monkees were merely actors (or players), they were not a true band but a fabrication attempting to replicate The Beatles. The players tried to take the place of the Fab Four but the band wouldn't step down. Or finally, this might be a comment that follows up on the earlier reference to the draft: the government/military industrial-complex establishment refused to accede to the demands of the peace movement. Do you recall what was revealed, The day the music died? **Check for any controversies released on Feb3, 1959. We started singing Refrain (Verse 5) And there we were all in one place Woodstock. A generation lost in space Some people think this is a reference to the US space program, which it might be (the first moon landing took place in '69); but that seems a bit too literal. Perhaps this is a reference to hippies, who were sometimes known as the "lost generation," partially because of their particularly acute alienation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs (which was referred to as being "spaced-out.") Being on drugs was sometimes termed -- being lost in space because of the TV show, "Lost in Space," whose title was usedas a synonym for someone who was rather high... I keep hoping that McLean had better taste. With no time left to start again The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives. Or, perhaps, their preferences for psychedelia had pushed rock and roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved. So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May 1968. Jack Flash sat on a candlestick **The Stones' Candlestick park concert? (unconfirmed) Jack Flash is also a cockney slang term for pharmaceutical heroin. If you know how to use heroin, you understand the reference. 'Cause fire is the devil's only friend It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil." An alternate interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war. And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage; No angel born in hell, could break that Satan's spell While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1968, the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security (on the advice of the Grateful Dead). In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil"(because of "satan's spell") had somehow incited the violence and caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in the documentary film "Gimme Shelter." It's also possible that McLean views the Stones as being negatively inspired (he had an extensive religious background)because of "Sympathy for the Devil," "Their Satanic Majesties' Request"and so on. This is a bit puzzling, since the early Stones recorded a lot of "roots" rock and roll, including Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." And as the flames climbed high into the night, To light the sacrificial rite The most likely interpretation is that McLean is still talking about Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing and "climbing high" while it was happening. Or the bonfires around the area could provide the flames. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter. (It could be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the Monterey Pop Festival, but that was in 1967 and this verse is no doubt set in 1968.) I saw Satan laughing with delight If the above is correct, then Satan would be Jagger. The day the music died He was singing... Refrain (Verse 6) I met a girl who sang the blues Ms. Janis Joplin, the lady of the blues. And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away Janis died of an accidental (accidental my *** !)heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. Or... The girl might be Roberta Flack. Its rumored that she wrote, "Killing Me Softly (with his song)," in response to this lyric in his song. I went down to the sacred store Where I'd heard the music years before There are two interpretations of this: The "sacred store" was Bill Graham's Fillmore West, one of the great rock and roll venues of all time. Alternatively, this refers to record stores, and their long time (then discontinued) practice of allowing customers to preview records in the store. (What year did the Fillmore West close?) It could also refer to record stores as "sacred" because this is where one goes to get "saved." (See above lyric "Can music save your mortal soul?") But the man there said the music wouldn't play Perhaps he means that nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly et. al.'s music? Or, as above, the discontinuation of the in-store listening booths. And in the streets the children screamed "Flower children" being beaten by police and National Guard troops; in particular, perhaps, the People's Park riots in Berkeley in 1969 and 1970. It is possible that this refers to the Vietnamese children. Life magazine was famous for publishing horrifying photos of children in Vietnam during the Vietnamese War. The lovers cried and the poets dreamed The trend toward psychedelic music in the 60's?Or again the hippies who were both great lovers and poets who would then be crying because of the difficulties of their struggle and dreaming of peace. But not a word was spoken The church bells all were broken It could be that the broken bells are the dead musicians: neither can produce any more music. And the three men I admire most The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens -- or -- **Hank Williams, Presley, and Holly (check this) --or -- JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy -- or -- or simply the Catholic aspects of the deity. McLean had attended several Catholic schools. They caught the last train for the coast Could be a reference to wacky California religions, or it could just be a way of saying that they've left (or died -- western culture has used "went west" as a synonym for dying). Or, perhaps this is a reference to the famous "God is Dead" headline in the New York Times. Some have suggested that this is an oblique reference to a line in Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale," but I'm not sure I'd buy that; firstly, all of McLean's musical references are to much older roots: rock and roll songs; and secondly, I think it's more likely that this line shows up in both songs simply because it's a common cultural metaphor. The day the music died This tends to support the conjecture that the"three men" were Holly/Bopper/Valens, since this says that they left us on the day the music died. And they were singing... Refrain (2x)

Bad mix Women's sports takes a hit when Wie faces the men Posted: Wednesday July 20, 2005 11:38AM; Updated: Wednesday July 20, 2005 12:16PM Michelle Wie, I do wish you would stick to playing against your own kind. Now understand, I don't argue the point: anything I can do, you can do better. You're bigger than most men, you're stronger than most men, you're smarter than most men, you're younger than most men, you're nicer than most men and, Lord knows, you're prettier than all men and most women. But here's the problem: You may beat most men on the golf course, but every time you try that, you're beating women's sports more than you're beating men golfers. Women complain all the time that their sports don't get enough attention. It's true that many of those people in charge of providing attention to sports -- the editors and writers and producers -- just happen to be of the old male persuasion. But it really isn't true that they are anti-female sports. They just cover what sports people want to read about and see and hear about. Who, pray, would ever have guessed that sensible human beings in these post-millennium times would crave to watch other people playing poker? But that's what, with apologies to Mencken, the boobus televisionus Americanus wants today, and so that's what we give 'em. Unfortunately, women don't support their sisters playing games nearly as much as men watch their brethren in athletic pursuits. Women don't boo very well at all. Understand, this is not another case of "frailty, thy name is woman." Instead, verily, it is tribute to the sensitivity of the daughters of Eve that they have their priorities so much straighter than us benighted guy sportaholics. Good grief, should we ever get women's sports radio, then it really will be time to hand this whole earthly kit and caboodle over to the Philistines. But women's sports always need help. They especially need appealing women athletes populating them, and when a star like young Miss Wie goes off in search of male trophies, she drains attention away from the main chance. After all, women taking on men on their own muscular turf is always a fascinating diversion, from the Amazons to Wonder Woman to Billie Jean King. Of course, there are some sports where the stronger male physicality really doesn't matter. We've certainly seen that this year with Danica Patrick, who almost won the Indianapolis 500. Women should be able to drive cars and shoot rifles and arrows and billiards and perform many other athletic tasks as well as men. But there are limits. Muscle mass does make a difference. Diana was the goddess of the hunt. She was Apollo's twin, but, sorry, not his match. Sure, it would be nice if Michelle Wie qualified for the Masters and made a cut on the PGA Tour. She is, obviously, an absolute marvel -- so good, in fact, that everybody is watching her, and if, during her long, magnificent career that lies ahead, she spends her time chasing pie in the sky and men in spikes, she will only, ultimately and primarily, detract from women's golf and, really, all of women's sport. Middleweights can't knock out heavyweights. What they can do is accept what they are and try to be the best pound-for-pound fighter. Trying to become the best pound-for-pound golfer in the history of the sport would be a noble enough pursuit, wouldn't it? Find this article at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/frank_deford/07/20/michelle.wie

The Dickification of the Western Female We have become a nation of men. It wasn’t always this way, of course. There was a time when women put their apron on, knowing full well that this single act had better result in a great meal, or their husbands might have valid grounds for having their secretaries work "overtime" with them. Their Cosmo allowance would be turned over to the kids, or given to a woman who could make a great beef stew, for fcuk’s sake. There was a time when women went back to the bedroom after dinner, with expressions like "If you need a beer to relax, no need to get off the couch, just call and I'll get it for you." There was a time when women had sex with their husbands, sometimes against their own wishes, so that other men wouldn't need to suffer the grumpiness that comes from sex deprived men. And there was a time when it was ok to sleep with the local *** if men had to be on the road for work, because when a man has to do what a man has to do, it’s ok. There was a time when a woman would threaten to scratch another woman's eyes out, because she had the temerity to say bad things about her meatloaf. We're not like that anymore. Now, girls in high school are being told to stop playing with their cooking set and learn about home financing and compound interest, told to put down their knitting set and other familiar variations that helped them learn, at an early age, what it was like to have to satisfy your man, to provide for him, because you're not as good as him. Now, women are taught that subordination is bad – that when a man wants sex or a quiet evening with the guys at the strip club-- that the proper way to deal with this is to "give him hell," instead of retreating to the bedroom with a vibrator, a bottle of Jimmy Dean, and a pair of AA alkaline batteries. Now, women's fashion includes not a woman dressed in a proper skirt from Sears, but loose-fitting pants worn by a woman without breasts. Now, instructions are included with microwave ovens, as though women have somehow forgotten how to cook. Now, women are given leadership responsibilities as little girls, so that their natural obedience, subservience and deference can be controlled, instead of nurtured and directed. And finally, our former First Lady, who had the audacity not only to attend law school but also to graduate from it, gets elected to the US Senate –the US fcuking Senate—and tries to do a man’s job while her husband stays at home. No wonder the Europeans (and NOW) love her, because the process of dickification is almost complete. How did we get to this? In the twentieth century, men became more and more involved in the raising of the children, in parents-teachers associations, and in discussing important decisions with their wives -- and mostly, this has not been a good thing. When men got to be role models for their daughters, it was inevitable that they were going to become more powerful, more assertive, and more "demanding" (i.e. more masculine), because men are hard-wired to treasure independence, more than respect for authority. It was therefore inevitable that their masculine influence on children was going to emphasize (lowercase "t") testosterone. I am aware of the fury that this statement is going to arouse, and I don't care a fig. What I care about is the fact that since the beginning of the twentieth century, there has been a concerted campaign to praise women, to raise them to figures to be respected, and to render them unattractive, literally speaking. I'm going to illustrate this by talking about TV, because my husband doesn't let me out of the house unless we need groceries. In the 1950s, the TV Mom was seen as the lovable clueless figure in need of assistance -- perhaps not the beginning of the trend -- BUT yet even back then there were times when she was allowed to resolve a problem on her own. Once women were shown it was ok to change a light bulb of fix a leaky faucet, the door to evil had been opened (think of the line: "Honey, don't worry about changing the oil on the car, I can do it.") From that, we went to this: the AFLAC figure skating commercial on supplemental insurance. Now, for those who haven't seen this piece of shiit, I'm going to go over it, from memory, because it epitomizes everything I hate about the campaign to dickify women. The scene opens at a skating rink, where the two figure skaters are practicing. The dialogue goes something like this: Female skater (note, not male skater): You should get supplemental insurance. Male Skater: What's that? FS: It helps cover you in case you get injured and can't work. MS (humorously): Uh? Mother (not humorously): If you don't get any, you'll end up on the street a penniless [ why doesn't she just come out and say penisless??? -AP ] drunk you moron. Now, every time I see that TV ad, I have to be restrained from smashing the TV with my 3-inch heels. If you want a microcosm of how women have become like men, this is the perfect example. Even the fcuking duck is smarter than the man in that piece of crap, and the woman now has the knowledge, wisdom and experience to make complicated financial decisions. If I tried to tell my husband how to run our risk management, he'd slap me across the face and I'd thank him for it. He could then go and fcuk his secretary, who doesn't try to tell him how to run his life on a daily basis. But today, when the affair is discovered, people are going to rally around the suffering lesbian called his wife, and call him all sorts of names. He'll lose custody of his kids, and they will be brought up by our ultimate modern-day figure of sympathy: The Single Dyke. You know what? Some women deserve to be bitter and single, having to rely on out of town truckers to satisfy their sexual needs. When I first started my website, I think my primary aim was to blow off steam at the s.t.u.p.i.d.i.t.y of our society. Because I have fairly set views on what constitutes right and wrong, I have no difficulty in calling Hillary "Rodham" Clinton, for example, a fcuking liar and hypocrite. But most of all, I do this website because I love being a woman. Amongst other things, I talk about makeup, haircuts, fashion, beautiful scarves, sewing, cooking, cleaning, and vacuum cleaners -- all the things that being a woman entails. All this stuff gives me pleasure. And it doesn't take much to see when all the things I love are being threatened: when the prime source for women's advice is Oprah, for instance, you know Western society has bottomed out, big time. The show should have been called Woman Improvement, because that's what every single episode entailed: turning a woman into a "better" person, instead of just leaving her alone to listen to her husband talking about his hard day at the office. I stopped watching the show after about four weeks. Martha Stewart was better, at least the first season – women making the home perfect, throwing together the best soirées even at the last minute, decorating the living room so that it looked like it was their man's even though they hadn't done anything. Excellent stuff, only not strong enough. I don’t watch it anymore, either, because it’s plain that the idea has been subverted by lesbians, who think it’s ok to put independent thought into endeavors meant to please men, rather than themselves. Finally, we come to the TV show which to my mind epitomizes everything bad about what we have become: The View. Playing on lesbian affiliates around the country, this piece of excrement has taken over the popular culture by storm (and so far, the only counter has been the great Saturday Night Live parodies which took it apart for the bs it is). Star Jones thinks she’s a lawyer? What's her legal area of expertise? How many Twinkies she can shove in her mouth? I'm sorry, but the premise of the show nauseates me. A bunch of lesbians trying to "improve" ordinary women into something "better" (i.e. more acceptable to other lesbians): changing the gal’s attitude, giving advice on her job (her job!), her status in society -- for fcuk's sake, what kind of lesbian would allow these overpowering Xenas to change her life around? Yes, women are, by and large, not real bright. Big fcuking deal! Last time I looked, that’s normal. Women are dumb, and that only changes when men marry them, when they finally have someone smarter to whom all important decisions can be entrusted. That’s the natural order of things. You know the definition of independent women we used in Louisiana? “Women with small tits who better stock up on batteries.†Real women, on the other hand, have nice big tits: C or D, or CC or DD, or else they get a push-up bra before it’s time for sex, and then they have the common sense to turn off the lights first. Men need sex. Which is why some women are trying to impose preposterous notions like "no means no" and "even married women don’t have to say yes to sex to their husbands." No fcuking way ladies! Men work hard – ever had to spend a day in a cubicle next to Bill, who's like way more ahead of his monthly sales quota than you are? You think Glengarry Glen Ross is fiction? It's a fcuking kindergarten compared to the typical office. No wonder men need some release at home. My website has become fairly popular with women, and in the beginning, this really surprised me, because I didn't think I was doing anything special. That's not what I think now. I must have had well over five thousand women write to me to say stuff like "Yes! I agree! I was so angry when I read about [insert atrocity of choice], but I though I was the only one." No, you're not alone dear, and nor am I. Out there, there is a huge number of women who are sick of it. We're sick of being made figures of competence and authority; we're sick of having lesbians as journalists (yeah Maureen Down and Anna Quidlen, I'm talking to you!) advertising agency execs and movie stars decide on "what is a woman"; we're sick of men treating us like equals, and we're really fcuking sick of manly-women politicians who pander to girly men by passing an ever-increasing raft of gender equality laws and regulations (the legal equivalent of public-school Ritalin), which prevent us from being paid less for doing the same work, giving up our maiden name and our blenders, breat implants (I'll take cancer over small boobs, fcukverymuch,) getting into catfights over men, blowing the entire football team squad at a frat party, and doing all the fine things which being a woman entails. Fcuk this, I'm sick of it. I don't see why I should put up with this bs any longer -- hell, I don't see why any woman should put up with this bs any longer. I don't see why women should have become masculinized, accept that we allowed it to happen -- and you know why we let it happen? Because it's easier to do so. Unfortunately, we've allowed it to go too far, and our femaleness has become too dickified for words. At this point, I could have gone two ways: the first would be to say, "...and I don't know if we'll get it back. The process has become too entrenched, the cultural zeitgeist of women as men has become part of the social fabric, and there's not much we can do about it." Well, I'm not going to quit. Fcuk that. One of the characteristics of the non-dickified woman (and this should strike fear into the hearts of lesbians and manly-women everywhere) is that she never quits just because the odds seem overwhelming. Think thanksgiving turkey, ladies. I want a real woman as First Lady -- not Hillary "Rodham" Clinton, who wanted to chair a commission on health care reform to show who has the balls in that relationship, and use her maiden name in public, when we all knew that real women don't to do that shiit. And I want the Real Woman First Lady to surround herself with other Real Women, like Mrs. Clarence Thomas, and Mrs. Dick Cheney, and yes, Mrs. Robert Dole (who is more of a Real Woman than those dykes Condoleezza Rice and Janet Reno). I want our unelected public figures to be more like a proper wife -- kind, helpful, and eager to tell their man they'll do anything to make them happy when they fcuk up, instead of telling them that maybe invading Iraq wasn’t such a bright idea after all. I want our leading ladies to start rolling back the Emancipation State, in all its horrible manifestations of over-liberation, assertiveness and "Mommy Knows How to do Stuff too" regulations. I want our culture to become more female -- not the satirical kind of female, like Martha Stewart, or the cartoonish figures of Paula Abdul, Connie Chung or Michelle Malkin. (Note to the Hollywood execs: We absolutely loathe James Bond movies with women who can save their own lives, rescue James from danger, all that feminine jive. We want more June Cleaver, Ginger, that woman from Married with Children, Lucianne Goldberg, and yes, Jonah Goldberg too. Never mind that it's simplistic -- we like simple, we are simple, we are women -- our lives are uncomplicated, and we like it that way. Die Hard was a great movie, and you know why? Because if you had cut out Bruce Willis' part, the woman would have died. Because it involved a woman acting like a Real Woman. I want our literature to become more female, less male. Women shouldn't buy "self-help" books unless the subject matter is baking, sexual techniques that give men pleasure, or how to remove a jammed toast in a fcuking Black & Decker toaster. We don't improve ourselves, we improve our small home appliances. And finally, I want women everywhere to going back to being Real Women. To cook meals for men, to shine that kitchen floor to a spot-free shine, to clean up after a meal, to go down on their husbands when they need it. In every sense of the word. We know what the words "if you think so honey" mean. Because that's all that being a Real Woman involves. You don't have to become a fcuking cartoon female, either: I'm not going back to marrying multiple wives like those Muslim a-holes do, nor am I suggesting we support that perversion of being a Real Woman, who decides to use contraception on her own, so that she can control her sex life. It's all a reaction: a reaction against being dickified. And I understand it, completely. Young women are catty, they do fight amongst themselves over who can make the best lasagna, give the best bj, provide the cutest children, and all this does happen for a purpose. Because only the domesticated women propagate. And men know it. You want to know why I know this to be true? Because dumb broads still attract men if they know how to be proper housewives. Men, even gay men, swooned over Anna Nicole Smith in a Playboy pictorial. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders still get access to some of the biggest hunks available, despite having attended college. Nancy Reagan could fcuk 90% of all men over 50 if she wanted to, and a goodly portion of younger ones too. But she won't. Because Nancy isn’t married to a wussy like John Tesh, and she knows she has to stand by her man. Just say no was the slogan of the campaign against drugs, but it could have been used for the campaign against the dickification of women. She's a Real Woman. No wonder NOW hates and fears her. We'd better get more like her, we'd better become more like her, because if we don't, women will become a footnote to history. Thanks for reading. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen.

ninkaan geedi la yiraahdo maba hadli yaqaan..xanaaq iyo paranoia aa ka soo horeeysa. maxoow ka wadaa su'aalaha waa loo soo dhiibay dadkaan? midda kale ma dhulkii soomaaliyeed ee gumeeysiga ku jira (Somali Galbeed iyo NFD ) ayuu u qiray Xabashi iy kikuuyu un?

Yonis .....johan...ninkii (nabigii) nibirigu laqay!! Yeey can't come to Mogadishu at all! His government will never ever work! put that into your mind! Ku quful!!! We haven't started the fire. I give Arta a chance because it seemed to be led by civil society and people who knew something about politics and were not Tigre stooges. You can't compare Dr.A/Qasim and Prof. Galayr to Yeey and his juvenile Geedi. You are cheerleading for Yeey because of clan allegiance. I support Shariif and suppoerted Arta because of principle. I don't belong to any major clan. Yes Kuli fitna cinda geel MUDUGH..most Somalis know it and you know it.

Yonis, ever heard of three strikes and you are out!! you have to be practical here and that is why i agree the author's advice to ghedi to stay out until he reaches some agreement with the warlords. The people who want to kill Ghedi maybe are not the warlords themselves. Ever thought about it? and don't ever expect Yeey to even dare to come to Mogadishu. He will be a toast of the first attempt. His enemies are so many. You want to have peace in Somalia? bring someone who is from neutral clan...and someone who doesn't belong to these Reer Mudugh/Puntland/Galgaduud/Hiraan/Jowhar cos we know the mistrust and the clannish agendas Reer Mudugh &Co. pursue all the time. It is divisive and it is always creates rivalry. Think about it. Arta's demise was organized by them..Mudugh and Yeey was the torchbeares. Ali Mahdi's was also brought down by Aideed, another warlord from Mudugh... So don't expect the powerful and influential people in Mogadishu who were aligned with these two ex-presidents to let Yeey have an easy ride. maybe we are better off of having a President from Somaliland or Baydhaba or one of the minority clans....until we transition to an era where there is less clan animosity between the major ones.... Yeey can't lead Somalia to peace at all. He is sick and so clannish..it is in his blood. I think he is happy to be in Jowhar and his term will end in there ...that is if he doesn't give up the ghost before the end of his term ..which is likely cos of his bad health and age....(allah knows only )

Who Wants Ghedi Dead? November 13, 2005 Twice the Somali Prime Minister Ghedi visited Mogadishu and twice he has been the target of two deadly bombing attacks in which more than couple dozen lives were lost. The scale of casualties in both attacks appears to be roughly in the same range. Is that a weird coincidence or some odd arithmetic? In the first incident in the Stadium, Ghedi imperturbably dismissed it as a hapless accident. His inconspicuous account on the accident was to the contrary of his closest allies' allegations. In Nairobi, Aideed Jr. warned that the explosion in the stadium was an intentionally calculated terrorist act. Conceivably, Ghedi was not at the time in sync with his allies' interpretation of the blast. It is worth mentioning that at the time of the explosion, in close proximity to the podium where Ghedi's was giving speech; some big shots from Mogadishu's supposed archrival camp such as Indho-Cadde, Omar Hashi and Qaybdiid were present. They too were in peril and could have perished there. The three Mogadishu warlord stooges, Ato, Sudi and Qanyare rebuffed Ghedi's Mogadishu stopover and refused to show up or even meet with him in both occasions. These faction leaders somehow managed to distance themselves from these attacks. In the second bombing, Aideed Jr. was with Ghedi in the same convoy and both men coincidentally escaped the purported assassination plot unscathed. However, a press conference held later, In Villa Somalia, Both the unimposing Prime Minister and his middling Deputy Prime Minister called the detonation assault as a cowardly terrorist act. Here, both Ghedi and Aideed Jr. were on the same chorus and singing the same “blame-the terrorist†gospel. Nowadays, Muslim practicing religious bearded men have become the usual suspects thanks to the American war on “terrorâ€. No matter whether you call it a political assassination or a terrorist attack, the unsettled issue is who wants Ghedi dead? Who are the people or groups behind these attacks? And why it is that every time Ghedi visits Mogadishu, there is a deadly threat on his life? Folks in the professed “Fadhi-Ku-Dirir†venues are putting forward some anecdotal and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. But they are divided and aligned with the two camps and that simply renders their speculations beside the point. Those who oppose Ghedi have already, with some conviction, construed these attacks as staged publicity mock-up from the Jowhar camp. They argue that all of these bombings are orchestrated tactic to depict Mogadishu as dangerous violent city that is unsuitable to be the seat of the government. They compellingly point to Yusuf's publicly known desire to prove to the international community that the so-called “sharks†in Mogadishu are sadistic criminals and don't want any functioning government in Somalia. They also point out that Mogadishu has lately been a theatre of dirty war where different alien spies and clandestine operatives are lurking in the shadows to plot assassinations and hijackings all in the name of “terrorism†and “counter-terrorismâ€. These folks cite the death of Kate Peyton of the BBC. Mogadishu observers had linked the assassination of the BBC producer to an Ethiopian Junior officer who was in cahoots with the Ethiopian backed warlords in Jowhar. This was done, they say, to advance Jowhar’s claim that Mogadishu is a very dangerous city. Definitely, these outrageous conspiracy theories and other far-fetched speculations are a bound. Why would Ghedi allow so many lives to be easily sacrificed for that implausible political end? Or is he another pitiless bloodthirsty warlord in disguise who doesn't give a hoot about the loss of human life as long as his selfish political objective comes into fruition? And what is his political goal anyways? Is it to change the capital from Mogadishu, the city of his birth? What has he to gain by portraying his Mogadishu rivals as terrorist nut-heads? Aren't they members of his cabinet and hail from his clan. What kind of prime minister employs terrorists as ministers? Well, we all know that, in Somalia, the only qualifications required to be part of the government is to be ruthless and to have some armed gangs. You also have the proponents and spin-doctors in the Jowhar’s camp with their one-sided conjectures. They claim that an alliance of religious extremist elements in Mogadishu and the rival warlords were behind these accidents. The Jowhar supporters allege that some extreme Jihadists, from the defunct Al-Itihad group, are probably working with the warlords since both groups oppose Ethiopia’s involvement and backing of Ghedi and Yusuf. These pro-Jowhar pundits believe the numerous recent assassinations of high profile individuals, from the ex-Somali police force and of the civil society were carried by this fringe extreme Jihadist group. Their conspiratorial assertions also implicate some of the businessmen who own and run the numerous clan based ports in the outskirts of the city. Just think about how out of proportion this premise is. Most of those in Mogadishu, who are content with current status quo, mistrust Yusuf and see him as a threat to their political and economic interest is their reasoning. These businessmen are members of Ghedi’s immediate sub-clan and have made it known to all that their support is for Ghedi as long as he discards the ill-fated proposal of frontline states peacekeeping forces. This kind of appalling depiction from the part of Jowhar advocates should remind us that some people’s logical thinking is really founded on false pretense. Ghedi has a large influential backing in the Mogadishu business community. One argument is forceful though. Most Mogadishu folks are dissatisfied about Ghedi's lame-duck status vis-à -vis to Yusuf's visible authority. They perceive Ghedi as an unripe “Yes-Man†just willingly kowtowing to the ceremonial president’s political whims. Those who want genuine peace are also disenchanted with Ghedi's utter passivity to Yusuf and his Jowhar sidekick warlord, Mohammed Dhere. Warlord turned president Yusuf is regarded by many peace loving Mogadishu residents as a conflict ridden clannish figure whose divisive policies could only be contained by a strong prime minister. They say the president is an old man from the aging clannish league of bitter men who are still caught in the days of tribal enmity. The prime minister, young and educated, a celebrated new blood in the Somalia’ messy politics, was supposed to give a innovative better alternative and maybe rehabilitate these dying clannish old guard that Yusuf belongs to. However, many people are disappointed with Ghedi and see him as an ineffective novice incapable of changing the course of Somali politics. It is true that Ghedi owes much to his startling advent into the Somali political realm to both warlord turned president Yusuf and Mohammed Dhere, the buffoon-like governor of Jowhar. Therefore, that could explain Ghedi's compliant meekness. Who wants to become ungrateful to his bosses? What would have happened if Ghedi was killed in these violent assaults? Could his murder have led to more chaos and clan conflict in Mogadishu? Remember in Rwanda, the shooting down of the president's plane by extremists was what triggered the horrific genocide of the Tutsis. Something of that evil proportion may have not materialized but for sure the assassination of Ghedi would have created more violent reprisals and blood path between some Mogadishu clans. It is important to be clear about what is at stake if Ghedi would have been killed in these attacks. His death could have caused more dangerous effect than the perceived menace from the Jowhar camp. If Ghedi would have been killed, there is no doubt that there would have been serious unimaginable upheaval in Mogadishu. Some people are so thankful and so happy that the prime minister survived and escaped unharmed from both attempts. Somalis say “Nin sigtay ma noolo†which could be interpreted as “one who narrowly escapes death is neither alive nor deadâ€. Ghedi is on familiar terms with bombings and assassination attempts by now and is fully aware that he has unforgiving enemies in Mogadishu who twice sought to murder him. I hope he avoids Mogadishu for good until a viable solution is found to unravel the current impasse between the two camps of this divided transitional warlords’ government. Shaacir Mataan. Minneapolis, MN http://www.markacadeey.com/maqaalo/maqaal_shaacir_mataan_20051113.htm

There seems that some folks are so paranoid when they see alliances formed between Somali groups with parallell political goals. There have been quite a furor in Minneapolis when a group of Somalilanders joined a group of southerners of forming a task force to counter Omar Jamal and Puntlander's lobbying campaign for Yeey. The historical **** term has been resurrected to scare the hell out of these Puntlanders and all of sudden we have people whinning and shitting in their pants. And all of this is being exposed in the City of Minneapolis' Municipal and Mayoral elections. One group ***** for incumbent mayor Rybak and the other (Puntlanders) for Hennepin Commissioner Mclaughlin. It is interesting how Somalia's messy Qabiil politics overshadow everything. Here are some interesting links. http://www.markacadeey.com/nov/20051107_7.htm http://www.hadhwanaagnews.com/pages/43/index.htm http://www.somaliatalk.com/2005/nov/08m805.html http://www.hiiraan.com/2005/nov/images/Ciid_MN/index.htm http://www.warsantimes.com/page20.htm http://www.mudulood.com/OpinionPage1221.htm http://www.mudulood.com/OpinionPage1229.htm [ November 08, 2005, 15:14: Message edited by: Admin ]

wrong - both A/Qasim &Riyaale are not warlords, not killed any one, don't have any militias or M..r.y.a.a.n...they are the ramnants of Siad Barre though and that tarnishes their reputation. Cadde Muse should have been included in the list. and Munye, Geedi, and others in the TFG. The list is not complete for it is missing some other minion warlords like Habsade, Beebe, Indhacadde, and so on.

Maashallah!! This is really great and I am crying with joy! I was so blessed in Ramadan to pray the Taraaweeh led by young boy 17 years old just fresh newcomer from Mogadishu with beautiful Tajweed and voice. It brings tears to my eyes when I hear a Somali with such magnificent recitation - ala -Sheikh Abdul-basit Abdu-Samed... Congrats to Amina!!! I guess every one should pay tribute to her and at least post a pic of her...so she will always remain imprinted in our psyche ---------- Somali girl wins Koran recitation Amina lost her sight in factional fighting in the capital A girl has won a Koran recitation award in Somalia for the first time. Amina Abdul-Majid, who is 16 years old and blind, was one of 60 children who took part in the competition in the capital, Mogadishu, and won $500. Religion Minister Omar Mohammed said she had broken the mould by winning an award which had been exclusive to boys for decades. Amina lost her sight when she was hit by a bullet in factional fighting during Somalia's 14-year civil war. A transitional parliament and government, sworn in last year, has failed to end the anarchy. The competition takes place across the country during Ramadan and children have to know the entire Muslim holy book by heart as they are asked to recite different passages on demand. Religious scholars judge the style, intonation, accuracy and grammar of the recitations. The winner is announced on the last day of Ramadan, before the festivities of Eid al-Fitr, and is feted as a celebrity in Somali society. Amina says she will continue her education as she would like to become a prominent Islamic scholar.

Exotic Somalis in Chicago Train Station (circa 1930)

Somali WANNABEE Model

who was born in this Hospital?