^ If you think formulating an idea or argument in one's head is such a feat, try having two clearly contradictory thoughts in your head, at once.

^ Probably civil liberties/rights (if I do bother to get the degree). I see myself working for the ACLU one day. In some capacity or the other. I'd also do divorce law on the side to pay the bills.

^ JB can't make me mad. He's A-OK in my book. But on the issue of sticking to one's guns' even when there's clear evidence to the contrary, I'm sure many SOLers have learnt a thing or two about long held beliefs and about themselves being on this site. The fact of the matter is, change (within and without) is painful and that's why many people would rather just hold on to falsehoods in their minds. It's just easier that way. Right? I mean the earth is flat, isn't it?

^ I can think of two.

It is Ceteris Paribus saaxib. Genetically the two clones are identical. That means on the cellular level they're the same. So, if it's not mind or spirit, what is it then? Nurture? Growin up in the hood? P.S. Learning Arabic (which I'm proud of) was a fluke. My parents could have taken us to Pakistan.

^ I think she meant to say suppress, not oppress.

Originally posted by J B: Ibtisam , i´ve YET to see on SOL a person who abandoned a position or even modified his/her position becouse of the presented eveidence and arguments that in an ideal forum compel them to do just so. I beg to differ.

^ Oh look, now we need Callypso to show up and we can sing YMCA. So if there's no mind, then it's a "spirit" that does the trick, right? Since Allah breathes life into the living thing, then that must be the only variable if all else remains the same in cloning.

^ Could still be a lawyer. Even I am thinking about it now.

^ Statements like these are even less credible than those that speak of taking control of Muqdisho warlords. I'm not sure they serve any purpose either. Has the TFG made any attempts to engage the government of Somaliland on this? I wouldn't be surprised if they (the TFG) were laughed at.

^ What's the second "most plausible candidate" then? And why do you disagree?

Originally posted by ThePoint: If you look at Vietnam and how ravaged it was by the US forces - and now how intelligent leadership is guiding the country and producing one of the fastest GDP growth rates in SE Asia - you would understand that Cuba has a chance. The question is: will leadership be intelligent or not? Atheer I'm not disputing leadership in a country and its willingness to positively change its destiny are important. What I am saying is there's only so much any nation can do if, for one reason or another, it faces powerful entities such as the IMF/World bank, the EU, the WTO, and last but not least, the CIA and US army. There is economical intervention of one or more of these entities in just about every country in the world. And more likely than not, they're not interested in the economic wellbeing of the citizens of these states. What they are interested in is making sure global multinationals have unfettered access to resources (natural or human) and to markets in these states. Cuba is being punished, outright, for siding with the Soviets during the cold war. Whether Castro would have made it an economic power house is open to debate. But even with this four decade long embargo it is not the hell hole that other countries in the Carribean (Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Haiti) are without any trade sanctions.

^ We're a community who's trying to get away from the tribal rubbish atheer. In time, we will become individuals valued for individual achievements. And though the SOL person of the year is really a trivial matter where there are no achievements to speak of (besides number of posts ), the underlying concept of individuality and achievement in real life should be underscored.

^ It's a dudette. Tough picture to comment on but here it goes: "Wanna see the rest? Come to Jesus first!"

^ I meant to say overt. We don't know what Castro would have done. It's really a matter for speculation. The reality as we know it is that Cuba was never given a chance to be anything but a failed state. Just about every US client state has become a basket case. May be it's a blessing in disguise the US imposed the embargo. Without it, we may have another Haiti on our hands.

Originally posted by STOIC: This philosophy of not worrying about the state of the environment will sure lead to the ruin of the country. Atheer STOIC, you brought a smile to my face. What further ruin remains that we have not seen? I suspect neither of the groups fighting for the trees are concerned with environment and the desertification of the land. It is likely they are only interested in securing a monopoly over the tree cutting business (if one could call it that) for short term economical benefits. What clan is concerned with environmental degradation in Somalia?

^ Could the 45 year embargo on Cuba have anything to do with its economy being a 'disaster'? Talk about economic distortion in its most covert form.

Only for so long can we play the US game. Would you call the defiance of the likes of Iran, North Korea and South America brazen? Is it ill-timed? There's a consensus among nations of the world, covert as it may be, that the US hegemony is indeed in rapid collapse. Of course, the US wouldn't be an empire worth the title if it did realize it was in collapse, would it?

^ So Morales gets the narco-trafficking business going again. Hugo starts selling oil to China and Russia exclusively in Euros and Castro sends them both doctors and engineers to build their countries while he gets cheap oil. Lula insists his neighborhood has chosen a path that he cannot go against and once the US erects the 2000 mile wall to prevent migrant workers from coming across, the Mexicans will realize who their real allies are. Once all these things come into place, the US bombers will be in the air that same day. That's where the second front will open up in the global war on terror. The terror of high gas prices, that is.

^ Yeah really. This is the image I have of the whole US vs. South America unfolding saga: there's a massive Goliath busy beating the crap out of a David in the Middle East with his back turned towards South America. Every once in a while, Goliath turns around to see what all the noise behind him is about and he sees Fidel, Evo, Hugo and Lula frozen in jest with kid-smiles on their faces and accusing each other saying: "he did it". What they are doing, in reality, is making the blade that will be used to stab Goliath in the back. And Goliath won't even know what hit him.

Morales does not have to stand alone and face the US. There's enough discontent across South America (both leaderships and populations) to make even the most leftist statements he makes seem mainstream. We really are witnessing major historical events unfold here. The trio of Chavez-Morales-Castro along with the left leaning Lula (of Brazil) could bring about enormous changes to Latin America. Being the empire in decline that it is, the US might change this into a bloody conflict, however. It will be interesting to see how a shameful exit from Iraq coupled with an increasingly defiant Latinos would affect the soft as a baby's bum ego of the Americans. A great time to be alive indeed.

^ The real question on everyone's mind is: is the lip-kissing BOYFRIEND the same as the forehead-kissing hubby? Congrats Fartun. I'm going on ten years (plus or minus 2 years). Except for a couple of years in the middle, it keeps getting better and better.

One of the interesting side effects of the invasion of Iraq and the war on terror is the buildup of ill will towards US hegemony. This buildup is transpiring, and conspiring, to topple the empire from its own back yard. What irony.

Wondering where the next US invasion will occur? Well wonder no more. Venezuela gives Exxon ultimatum Venezuela has given the world's biggest oil company, ExxonMobil, until the end of this year to enter a joint venture with the state. Failure to do so will almost certainly result in Exxon losing its oil field concessions in the country. Venezuela's socialist government has now signed new agreements with almost all foreign petroleum companies. After months of pressure from left- wing leader Hugo Chavez most foreign oil firms working there have caved in. They have agreed to hand over a controlling stake of their oil interests to the Venezuelan state. This means that Venezuela, which has the world's largest petroleum reserves, now calls the shots in what the foreign guests can and cannot do. In addition, the companies which have signed the new contracts - such as Chevron, BP, Shell and Total - will in future be presented with much higher tax bills by the government. Foreign unease But Venezuela says it is only fair that the foreigners are made to pay up as they have got away lightly in the past. Much of the oil revenue in Venezuela goes into social projects in shanty towns and poor rural areas. But the US oil giant, ExxonMobil, is digging in its heels and is so far refusing to agree to the terms of the new deal. Exxon risks losing Venezuelan operations if it fails to comply. There is growing unease among foreign energy companies based Latin America that they may be forced to become junior partners by a string of left wing governments. In the case of Bolivia and the apparent shift to the left there following elections on Sunday, it is possible that the new government will decide to follow Venezuela's example and renegotiate oil and gas contracts with foreign investors. Source

^ I think you would be wise to wear a helmet (or a hazmat suit) for what is sure to happen next.