^Gold-Coast - I don't see how the military is going to allow free and fair elections since that would remove them from the primacy they currently hold in the country. I fear that Egyptians are deluding themselves if they think that the military will easily acquiesce to a large diminishment of their power. Ultimately the Egyptian public will have to confront the military to acheive their aims.

Amazing pictures. Can't help but think that they won't affect the change they seek. Either American managed solution or they do the Tianamen option. I don't understand the public embrace of the military - Hosni is a military man and the military is the real power behind the throne. LOL at El-Baradei - talk about opportunism.

^I think Bilan is mostly right - there is a poor record of the admin actually funding development as opposed to local NGOs working with their international counterparts. There needs to be evidence to establish where in fact the money is spent before you can conclusively say clan ownership. Otherwise everyone can make the same claim. The average Farax in Caluula and Qandala might have a few quibbles about the clan ownersip and favouritism argument. Ultimately the solution is to demand transparency about budgets, spending and aid and to lobby the public to demand accountability from public officials. The solution isn't writing articles in the vein of this author.

This caused a big kerffuffle on the net. No doubt it will help her book to sell even more. Sadly - Somali parents are into the 'let the suuq raise my child' methodology.

Here's a story in favor of coercion, Chinese-style. Lulu was about 7, still playing two instruments, and working on a piano piece called "The Little White Donkey" by the French composer Jacques Ibert. The piece is really cute—you can just imagine a little donkey ambling along a country road with its master—but it's also incredibly difficult for young players because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms. Lulu couldn't do it. We worked on it nonstop for a week, drilling each of her hands separately, over and over. But whenever we tried putting the hands together, one always morphed into the other, and everything fell apart. Finally, the day before her lesson, Lulu announced in exasperation that she was giving up and stomped off. "Get back to the piano now," I ordered. "You can't make me." "Oh yes, I can." Back at the piano, Lulu made me pay. She punched, thrashed and kicked. She grabbed the music score and tore it to shreds. I taped the score back together and encased it in a plastic shield so that it could never be destroyed again. Then I hauled Lulu's dollhouse to the car and told her I'd donate it to the Salvation Army piece by piece if she didn't have "The Little White Donkey" perfect by the next day. When Lulu said, "I thought you were going to the Salvation Army, why are you still here?" I threatened her with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years. When she still kept playing it wrong, I told her she was purposely working herself into a frenzy because she was secretly afraid she couldn't do it. I told her to stop being lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic. Jed took me aside. He told me to stop insulting Lulu—which I wasn't even doing, I was just motivating her—and that he didn't think threatening Lulu was helpful. Also, he said, maybe Lulu really just couldn't do the technique—perhaps she didn't have the coordination yet—had I considered that possibility? "You just don't believe in her," I accused. "That's ridiculous," Jed said scornfully. "Of course I do." "Sophia could play the piece when she was this age." "But Lulu and Sophia are different people," Jed pointed out. "Oh no, not this," I said, rolling my eyes. "Everyone is special in their special own way," I mimicked sarcastically. "Even losers are special in their own special way. Well don't worry, you don't have to lift a finger. I'm willing to put in as long as it takes, and I'm happy to be the one hated. And you can be the one they adore because you make them pancakes and take them to Yankees games." I rolled up my sleeves and went back to Lulu. I used every weapon and tactic I could think of. We worked right through dinner into the night, and I wouldn't let Lulu get up, not for water, not even to go to the bathroom. The house became a war zone, and I lost my voice yelling, but still there seemed to be only negative progress, and even I began to have doubts. Then, out of the blue, Lulu did it. Her hands suddenly came together—her right and left hands each doing their own imperturbable thing—just like that. Lulu realized it the same time I did. I held my breath. She tried it tentatively again. Then she played it more confidently and faster, and still the rhythm held. A moment later, she was beaming. "Mommy, look—it's easy!" After that, she wanted to play the piece over and over and wouldn't leave the piano. That night, she came to sleep in my bed, and we snuggled and hugged, cracking each other up. When she performed "The Little White Donkey" at a recital a few weeks later, parents came up to me and said, "What a perfect piece for Lulu—it's so spunky and so her." Even Jed gave me credit for that one. Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't. There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests. For their part, many Chinese secretly believe that they care more about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than Westerners, who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly. I think it's a misunderstanding on both sides. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away. —Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School and author of "Day of Empire" and "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability." This essay is excerpted from "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua, to be published Tuesday by the Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright © 2011 by Amy Chua. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?. By AMY CHUA A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do: • attend a sleepover • have a playdate • be in a school play • complain about not being in a school play • watch TV or play computer games • choose their own extracurricular activities • get any grade less than an A • not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama • play any instrument other than the piano or violin • not play the piano or violin. I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties. All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It's hours two and three that get tough. Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that "stressing academic success is not good for children" or that "parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun." By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be "the best" students, that "academic achievement reflects successful parenting," and that if children did not excel at school then there was "a problem" and parents "were not doing their job." Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams. What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more. Chinese parents can get away with things that Western parents can't. Once when I was young—maybe more than once—when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me "garbage" in our native Hokkien dialect. It worked really well. I felt terrible and deeply ashamed of what I had done. But it didn't damage my self-esteem or anything like that. I knew exactly how highly he thought of me. I didn't actually think I was worthless or feel like a piece of garbage. As an adult, I once did the same thing to Sophia, calling her garbage in English when she acted extremely disrespectfully toward me. When I mentioned that I had done this at a dinner party, I was immediately ostracized. One guest named Marcy got so upset she broke down in tears and had to leave early. My friend Susan, the host, tried to rehabilitate me with the remaining guests. The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fatty—lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image. (I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her "beautiful and incredibly competent." She later told me that made her feel like garbage.) Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best. Chinese parents can say, "You're lazy. All your classmates are getting ahead of you." By contrast, Western parents have to struggle with their own conflicted feelings about achievement, and try to persuade themselves that they're not disappointed about how their kids turned out. I've thought long and hard about how Chinese parents can get away with what they do. I think there are three big differences between the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets. First, I've noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children's self-esteem. They worry about how their children will feel if they fail at something, and they constantly try to reassure their children about how good they are notwithstanding a mediocre performance on a test or at a recital. In other words, Western parents are concerned about their children's psyches. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently. For example, if a child comes home with an A-minus on a test, a Western parent will most likely praise the child. The Chinese mother will gasp in horror and ask what went wrong. If the child comes home with a B on the test, some Western parents will still praise the child. Other Western parents will sit their child down and express disapproval, but they will be careful not to make their child feel inadequate or insecure, and they will not call their child "******," "worthless" or "a disgrace." Privately, the Western parents may worry that their child does not test well or have aptitude in the subject or that there is something wrong with the curriculum and possibly the whole school. If the child's grades do not improve, they may eventually schedule a meeting with the school principal to challenge the way the subject is being taught or to call into question the teacher's credentials. If a Chinese child gets a B—which would never happen—there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A. Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn't get them, the Chinese parent assumes it's because the child didn't work hard enough. That's why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it. (And when Chinese kids do excel, there is plenty of ego-inflating parental praise lavished in the privacy of the home.) Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. The reason for this is a little unclear, but it's probably a combination of Confucian filial piety and the fact that the parents have sacrificed and done so much for their children. (And it's true that Chinese mothers get in the trenches, putting in long grueling hours personally tutoring, training, interrogating and spying on their kids.) Anyway, the understanding is that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud. By contrast, I don't think most Westerners have the same view of children being permanently indebted to their parents. My husband, Jed, actually has the opposite view. "Children don't choose their parents," he once said to me. "They don't even choose to be born. It's parents who foist life on their kids, so it's the parents' responsibility to provide for them. Kids don't owe their parents anything. Their duty will be to their own kids." This strikes me as a terrible deal for the Western parent. Third, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children's own desires and preferences. That's why Chinese daughters can't have boyfriends in high school and why Chinese kids can't go to sleepaway camp. It's also why no Chinese kid would ever dare say to their mother, "I got a part in the school play! I'm Villager Number Six. I'll have to stay after school for rehearsal every day from 3:00 to 7:00, and I'll also need a ride on weekends." God help any Chinese kid who tried that one. Don't get me wrong: It's not that Chinese parents don't care about their children. Just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children. It's just an entirely different parenting model.

Raveena Aulakh Staff Reporter Published On Sat Jan 15 2011 Sadiq Alihashi is a good guy but don’t tell him that — he thinks it’s patronizing. “My friends and I do what we believe is right . . . not because we want any recognition or money,” says Alihashi, his brow furrowing. “And this is right.” This is the gymnasium at York Humber High School near Weston Rd. and Jane St. It’s about 8 p.m. on a Friday and some three dozen teenagers, mostly Somali-Canadians, are playing basketball. They are quick on the floor, darting from one side of the court to the other. Two coaches watch the players, use their whistles liberally and every minute or so yell out rapid instructions. “Move it . . . faster, faster.” “Don’t lose that ball.” So it goes for three hours — yes, on a Friday evening. It’s one facet of Centre for Youth Development and Mentoring Services, a non-profit organization that works with youth, to help them avoid a life of drugs and gangs by keeping them busy. Started by four friends — Alihashi, Abdifatah Warsame, Ali Sheikh and Abdi Qami — in 2006 with just a dozen teens, the group now has as many as 80 registered at any one time. Between the ages of 12 and 18, they come from north Etobicoke and North York. On Tuesday and Friday evenings, they meet for some slam-dunk basketball while Thursday and Saturday evenings are reserved for help with homework and mentoring. Attendance is mandatory. The program has carried on quietly for five years, keeping a low profile; but its results have been miraculous. None of the 300-odd teens who participated in the program have dropped out of school. Their grades have gone from low C’s and D’s to high B’s and, in some cases, A’s. And many have gone on to college and university. But most of all, the teens have stayed out of trouble — away from the street crime that has plagued the community. It’s a well-documented fact that children from Somali, Arab, Iranian, Portuguese and Vietnamese communities have a dropout rate two to three times greater than the national average. (Somali children have a 36.7 per cent dropout rate, Toronto District School Board figures show.) The four Somali-Canadian friends, in their 30s, could never wrap their heads around those numbers. Back in 2006, they chatted about how they could help teens in their community. “They (teens) faced the same problems as we did,” says Alihashi. “Poor neighbourhoods, low-income families. We made it through school and based on our experiences, we wanted to help other kids.” Soon after, the Centre for Youth Development and Mentoring Services was born. Hassan Abdi, 15, joined the centre two years ago. When Warsame, who works at a high school in Mississauga, first asked Abdi to bring his report card, the teen’s mouth fell open. “What for?” he remembers asking defiantly. “To keep a check on your grades,” he was told. The lanky teen with a wide smile wasn’t too happy but complied. When his grades started creeping up from low B’s to middle A’s and math became his favourite subject, Abdi realized that Warsame and the others had designed a homework plan focusing on his weak subjects. “I realized they were looking out for us,” says Abdi sheepishly. If needed, the mentors will talk to a teen’s teachers. Not only have 17-year-old Ismail Mohamoud’s grades gone up, he is already planning his future: he is interested in architecture or law. “Do you think I would have even started thinking about my life if I hadn’t been here,” says Mohamoud, a gangly teen who can win a slam dunk contest hands down. “No way. . . . I would have been out doing something I shouldn’t be.” Stories like these make the time spent at the gym worthwhile, says Warsame, who lost a young friend to gun violence in 2008. He and his friends have never approached any government or agency for help. “We feel we don’t have to be paid to bring a change,” he says. “It’s what we want to do.” Interestingly, there are no girls enrolled in the program. “Because they do well at school. The problem is with the boys,” says Alihashi, shaking his head. “If we can help a few dozen kids at a time, it’s a start.” http://www.thestar.com/news/article/921956--low-profile-mentoring-program-gets-results

A finger bitten off at Hal Far Open Centre

Aside from the political hoo-haa - where did you get this Imam tag for him Ngonge?

AYOUB;688761 wrote: “Keep on going and don’t give up, because you have already achieved a lot and to tell you the truth, the Africans and Arabs should have been proud of you, but this is something the Africans and the Arabs owe you and I am quite sure that one day Somaliland will sit on her rightful place in the African Union and in the other institutions of the world. It took our country the Sahrawi Arab Republic, a long time and a long struggle to reach where we are today. Although our president is today sitting among the presidents of Africa and our flag is represented in this front desk, but the conference of the presidents of Africa during Ja’far Al-Numeire’s regime in 1978, held in Sudan, I was arrested in Khartoum when I arrived here in order to participate in the conference, representing my country. If it is African Union or the Arabs or United Nations, they can easily investigate the difference between, say, the Sahrawi Republic and Morocco, or the difference between Somaliland and Somalia. It is impossible to say that I am the only one that exists and will continue to exist, because I will say – me too; you do not exist either. So, let us see whom you can defeat in a battle. Did you ever win a war?” - Mr. Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, Ambassador of Sahrawi Arab Republic to Algeria Sadly there is no Sahrawi Arab Republic. And it doesn't look there will be any time soon. It's funny the rep was engaging in the way duushay talk whe he said 'a long struggle to reach where we are today' - according to most experts they're at diddly squat. But if it makes you feel better go right ahead.

Impressive.

^I'm sure the xiniinyos will come in good stead in prison. Too bad they can't deport her. What a story she would have for the folks back home - 250k and now left with nothing.

I think the larger issue is missing here with the point by point comparisons to entities of the present day. There is no need to mythologize MCH - he made a lot of mistakes and antagonized many of his former allies which led to his eventual defeat. But what he did do was to be the first Somali to articulate a vision of pan-Somalism, warn against the evils of encroaching colonialism and rally a broad base of Somalis to fight against it and successfully so at the beginning despite the superior forces arrayed against him. And to top it off he made a defining contribution to Somali nationhood through the only intellectual medium shared by all Somalis - poetry. Caydiid, Shabaab and the rest are not worthy of being mentioned in the same context.

Oh come on now. You're comparing ascorbic acid to some multisyllabic unpronouncable toxic pesticide like polychlorinated dibenzofurans? The point is that in non-organic agriculture toxic chemicals designed to kill are used. This begs the question whether these toxic chemicals over time have a deleterious effect on human health. I don't know but for a few extra dollars - I'd rather not be a guinea pig. As to conventional foods not containing any harmful pesticides - there are others who would quibble with that. Check out the Pesticide Action Network - http://www.panna.org/ And the pesticides don't have to be in the food - they can be in the air and that may cause harm to human health. If only GM companies were like any other profit seeking entreprise - it would be a different story. First - I have a choice with regard to Big Pharma's products - I don't have to take the the anti-cholesterol drug or the AIDS cocktail. But human beings must eat ; if however Monsanto manages to patent wheat, rice and other crops and individuals are forced to abide by that patent - it is a whole different matter. Ultimately Monsanto and other GM companies want to control the ability to produce the food that we eat to line their own pockets. That puts them in a whole different category. They simply are not similar to Big Pharma.

Funny how they play upto the stereotype of oil soaked gulf shieks. I thought the number of tourists was down from previous years - you would think they'd cut costs.

^I don't think it is as clear cut as you make. An organic apple may not be scientifically proven to be more healthy or nutricious in itself - I would think the buildup of chemicals and pesticides associated with non-organic foods over time in humans would not be beneficial to one's health. Are there any studies on the longterm health of individuals re organic/non-organic lifestyle? I know eating a non-organic apple isn't going to do my health any damage but over time.... GM foods, while having a number of benefits, are there solely to generate a profit for multinationals through the patenting of the natural world. A few years ago Monsanto wanted to patent a strain of Basmati rice before the uproar in India and a court case led to a retreat. These corporations want to ultimately enslave everyone in agriculture. Not sure why halaal came into the discussion - that is entirely a different matter.

Nothing so sensational as Brit tabloids.

Sharia lessons for pupils aged six: BBC uncovers 'weekend schools' that teach pupils how to hack off thieves' hands By James Slack Last updated at 4:09 PM on 24th November 2010 Pupils asked to list the 'reprehensible' qualities of Jews Around 5,000 children attend a network of 40 schools Diagrams show children how to hack off hands and feet Children in Britain are being taught brutal Sharia law punishments, including how to hack off a criminal’s hand or foot.So-called ‘weekend schools’ for Muslim pupils as young as six also teach that the penalty for gay sex is execution and that ‘Zionists’ are plotting to take over the world for the Jews. One set textbook challenges youngsters to list the ‘reprehensible’ qualities of Jews. Another for six-year-olds asks them to answer what happens to someone who dies who is not a believer in Islam. The answer being looked for is ‘hellfire’. A BBC Panorama investigation, to be screened tonight, identified a network of more than 40 weekend schools teaching around 5,000 children, from age six to 18. The schools – which offer the hardline Saudi National Curriculum – are run under the umbrella of ‘Saudi Students Clubs and Schools in the UK and Ireland’. They are not state-funded, and do not use Government buildings. They are able to exploit a loophole which means weekend schools are not inspected by Ofsted. Last night, experts at the Policy Exchange think-tank warned that similar extremists could seek to exploit the Government’s policy of giving greater freedoms from state control to free schools and academies. They call for the establishment of a due diligence unit to check whether those applying to open the schools have an extremist background. Current checks are largely limited to fraud, criminal convictions and funding. Education Secretary Michael Gove, who is believed to be supportive of the idea, said he would not tolerate anti-Semitism and homophobia in English schools. The Panorama investigation identified a book for 15-year-olds being used in the classes which teaches about Sharia law and its punishments. It says: ‘For thieves their hands will be cut off for a first offence, and their foot for a subsequent offence.’ There are diagrams showing children where cuts must be made. One passage says: ‘The specified punishment of the thief is cutting off his right hand at the wrist. Then it is cauterised to prevent him from bleeding to death.’ For acts of ‘sodomy’, children are told that the penalty is death and it states a difference of opinion whether this should be done by stoning, or burning with fire, or throwing over a cliff. Panorama alleges that a building used for one of the schools, in Ealing, West London, is owned by the Saudi government . Mr Gove told the programme: ‘I have no desire or wish to intervene in the decisions that the Saudi government makes in its own education system. ‘But I’m clear that we cannot have anti-Semitic material of any kind being used in English schools. Ofsted are doing some work in this area. ‘They’ll be reporting to me shortly about how we can ensure that part-time provision is better registered and better inspected in the future.’ The text books for 15-year-olds revive the so-called ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’, which teach that Zionists want to establish world domination for Jews. The Saudi text books instruct pupils: ‘The Jews have tried to deny them (the Protocols) but there are many proofs of their veracity and their origin among the elders of Zion.’ The text books say the ‘main goal’ of the ‘Zionist movement’ is ‘for the Jews to have control over the world and its resources’ which, the book allege, Zionists seek to achieve partly by ‘inciting rancour and rivalry among the great powers so that they fight one another.’ Mr Gove said anyone who cites the Protocols of Zion is ‘indulging in one of the oldest and foulest anti Semitic smears that, that we know of’. In a written response to the findings, the Saudi ambassador said the schools had nothing to do with the Saudi embassy. It stated: ‘Any tutoring activities that may have taken place among any other group of Muslims in the United Kingdom are absolutely individual to that group and not affiliated to or endorsed by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.’ Referring to the lesson that tasks children to list the ‘reprehensible qualities of the Jews’, in a letter to the BBC, the Saudi ambassador said it was ‘dangerously deceptive and misleading to address such texts and discuss them out of their overall historical, cultural and linguistic contexts’. Panorama separately claimed some Muslim private schools have expressed extreme sentiments on their school websites. These include: ‘We need to defend our children from the forces of evil’, and ‘our children are exposed to a culture that is in opposition to almost everything Islam stands for’. Policy Exchange says Britain’s faith and other schools are increasingly vulnerable to extremist influences. It claims in a report that the Department for Education, Ofsted, education authorities and schools are ‘not equipped’ to meet such challenges. Current checks for extremism are described as ‘piecemeal’. The report adds: ‘The Government’s policy of opening up the education system to new academies and free schools programmes could be exploited unless urgent measures are taken to counter extremist influence.’ British Schools Muslim Rules, tonight 8.30pm, BBC One Link

Same old story packaged as the new new thing. Summary: 1- Clannishness 'works' in the North albeit imperfectly and with many faults. Thus, it is not the defining impediment to state formation in Somalia. 2- Nothing can work in the South because Ethiopian meddling is so enormous and pervasive that Southerners are unable to take control of their own destinies despite the example of the northern entities. 3- There are other obstacles to national state formation but none are so important as the destructive Ethiopian meddling. Yes, we have our traitors and rogues but they would be nothing without Ethiopia. 4- Ultimately clan-based power sharing is not workable or durable and seems to have utterly failed in the south. Only a few good men, who secretly are good nationalists but masquerading as clan representatives, must parachute into power and save Somalia and Somalis. I don't know precisely why national state formation in Somalia particularly in the south has failed. But I have a hard time believing that were it not for Ethiopia that the fragmentation and distrust endemic to Somalis would vanish and a national unity state would emerge.

Funny thread. I found this interesting: gabdhahan Somalida ... are soft towards non Somali nimanka, while they are hard towards wiilasha Somalida I'm not sure if this is true but I hear it a lot from guys in North America. I've heard many anecdotes on this along the lines of - a black convert to Islam in Toronto has in turn, married and divorced 3 Somali ladies and has left each with at least one child. Presumably younger Somali men wouldn't get away with that. There is this other case: ---- The cloud of suspicion hanging over an Ottawa man accused of domestic assault who was arrested but never charged in connection with a terrorism investigation should be lifted now that he has been released after a week behind bars with no new charges laid, his lawyer said Friday. "I certainly hope it's gone. In my view it should be gone," Richard Morris said before a smiling Awso Peshdary walked out of court after the Crown abandoned attempts to keep the 20-year-old behind bars and consented to his release on allegations that he twice assaulted and threatened to kill his wife. Earlier this week, it was revealed that prosecution evidence in the domestic assault case came from microphones planted by police in his house as part of a terror investigation dubbed Project Samossa. Link --- His wife is Somali and the fellow is Pakistani/Indian. When this broke - the water cooler gossip among some folks was that had he been a Somali she would've left him long ago on the basis of the threats and assaults.

No - it's good that Ailamos posted this - it's not everday(or is it ) that Somalis get on the front page of the NY Times. There are still too many people in denial.

Ngonge - the visa rules have nothing to do with business. I'm sure you will agree. In fact they could potentially hamper business. You don't think Arab governments operate on whim? The governance structure is made for it - dicatatorships and ruling families. Decree this and decree that is all you hear. Surely you will agree - the whole Kenyan thing was based on whim - because of a perceived affront to members of the Royal family. Or are you going to say that was another well thought out policy?

^Canada wasn't abusing them. They requested and were granted access to a military base free of charge. After the denial of increased flights it was appropriate for the UAE to kick Canada out of the base. Tit for tat. But this new visa requirement, the only such one for a western country, is an escalation and therefore 'abuse'. I did hear about the reciprocity thing but they haven't moved on that for a long time. Anyway it's at odds with their stated economic policies - which is to become a centre for tourism and commerce. If that is really your objective - it wouldn't matter whether X country lets your citizens visa free. UAE policy would strive to minimize entry requirements for most travellers/businessmen especially from rich nations. That's why I don't really buy that they were really seeking reciprocity. But it is a convenient response to their latest policy regarding Canadian passport holders.

I think this rampant consumerism and materialism undermines the essence of Mecca. Trade and commerce have a place in Islam but the holy sites need limits on this to protect their meaning. Seriously - the world's largest clock? What need for that in the most beloved spot to Allah in the world?

Mecca goes upmarket but commercialism unnerves some By Ulf Laessing Ulf Laessing – 2 hrs 27 mins ago MECCA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) – Sitting in the marble lobby of a luxury hotel in Mecca, Moroccan bank director Mohammad Hamdosh gets a breather from the cacophony of pilgrims bustling around the Grand Mosque in Islam's holiest city. Millions have flocked to the city in Saudi Arabia for the annual haj pilgrimage, a duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. But some can afford more than others, and a controversial construction boom is catering to their needs. "Every pilgrim comes according to his means. God gave me money, so why shouldn't I stay in this hotel?" says Hamdosh, on a trip that has cost him 12,000 Euros ($16,545). "Haj is tiring so it's good to have a room to rest." Inside the mosque, all pilgrims are equal as they circle the black stone known as the Kaaba toward which Muslims around the world turn in prayer every day. But outside an array of towering five-star hotels have sprung up where the wealthy can bask in a 24-hour view of the Kaaba. The high-rises dwarf the mosque and the surrounding town, nestled in the mountains in the hinterland of the port city Jeddah. It is part of a wider project to expand the mosque and bring more Muslims to the holy city for salvation, according to the writs of Islam -- something Saudi Arabia sees as its duty. Mecca has just inaugurated the world's largest clockface perched Big Ben-style on the front of a high-rise hotel facing the Kaaba, while some 20 cranes next to the mosque herald more luxury accommodation. The spending spree in Mecca and the second holy city Medina is valued at some $120 billion over the next decade and at present there are $20 billion of projects underway in Mecca alone, according to Banque Saudi Fransi. A square meter land in Mecca costs some 50,000 riyals ($13,333). "If people are in a good position they should stay close to the mosque," said Farhad Yaftali, a 25-year-old pilgrim from an five-strong Afghani business family in Dubai who paid $15,000 each. "It's good to have a room to rest and do wudu (ablution)," he said, sipping tea in the cafe of the same five-star hotel. The Saudi government is proud of the development, made possible by the country's vast wealth accrued from its oil resources. The work is the latest stage in mosque expansions to accommodate pilgrims that stretch back decades. "In the past 10 years, we've seen a big rise in pilgrims. This year the number of pilgrims will rise by 20 percent," Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz told a news conference in Mecca this week. "Work to further improve the level of services to pilgrims of the House of God is continuing," he said. Hoteliers say they expect more than three million pilgrims, maybe even four. MECCANS ANGRY, POWERLESS Many Saudi intellectuals, mainly from the Mecca region, are disturbed by the government's plans, which diplomats in Riyadh say have been approved only by senior clerics away from public scrutiny. Saudi newspapers and Islamist blogs have engaged in some debate about the building frenzy, but no criticism comes from the top Saudi scholars who are allies to the Saudi royal family in governing the kingdom -- which has no elected parliament. "One cannot help but feel sad seeing al-Kaaba so dot-small between all those glass and iron giants," said novelist Raja Alem, whose recent novel Tawq al-Hamam (The Doves Necklace) exposes destruction of historic areas, corruption and abuse. "Long before Islam, Arabs didn't dare live in the circle of what we call 'al-haram', meaning the sacred area (of the mosque)," she said. "They spent their days in the holy city and moved out with nightfall. They thought their human activities defile God's home." The rites of pilgrimage reinforce this sense of humility before God. Men wear two simple pieces of white cloth and women avoid perfumes. Hoteliers say the government bans some displays of luxury such as swimming pools -- yet the new Makkah Clock Royal Tower Hotel will boast two top-notch spas (http://www.fairmont.com/makkah). "The notion of filling Mecca's sky line with modern skyscrapers is not only undermining the Kaaba, it is a clear material symbol of a massive cultural and social deletion the city has experienced," said Saudi columnist Mahmoud Sabbagh. "The replacement of the old city has taken with it centuries-long preserved traditions in academic, social, and cultural systems and mechanisms. The whole cultural paradigm has been damaged," he said. In recent decades many old houses have been torn down in Mecca to allow better access to the haram, making way for malls, hotels and huge underground parking areas. Locals are compensated for houses they lose. Irfan al-Alawi, an Islamic theology professor based in London, said the Vatican would never sanction such work in its own sacred precinct. The government should use space outside the city to build hotels, he said: "Mecca doesn't have to look like Manhattan or New York."