I was a teenager working at a ground hosting Euro 96 matches. The atmosphere in the city was fantastic and got to see Figo et al strut their stuff for a few minutes here and there. It would be great for all that to happen again. Come on England!

Hello from a pleasant climate heh. Ngonge, would you walk out? YOU? Heh

Hello Juxa. Back to the qabow miyaa? Dadkii maanta maye? Building snowmen?

Some great goals there lads. Is the best own goal ever?? http://southamerican-futbol.blogspot.com/search/label/En%20contra

Cameron and Osborne got a pasting at PMQs today (after what the BoE chairman said about them)

^Indeed. a quick trip when one wants. Originally posted by Sayid*Somal: ^gormaad libaax Qardho soo gaaraysaa fulay'yahow? I would probably drive right past labada sakadood oo iska soo hor jeeda saxib

Originally posted by General Duke: [b[New Ministers [/b] Ka cirka eegaya ugu daran AA can carry on sitting in his heated Ottowa apartment.

The revelations are quite interesting Sarkozy's trip to KSA was a bit dodgy for the Saudis WikiLeaks cables: Nicolas Sarkozy, the Saudis and Carla BruniUS embassy cables reveal French president offended Saudi sensibilities by inviting fiancée on state visit Share8 Angelique Chrisafis in Paris guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 30 November 2010 21.30 WikiLeaks cables said Saudi Arabia was not pleased at the prospect of Carla Bruni, pictured with Nicolas Sarkozy, visiting as an unmarried woman. Nicolas Sarkozy offended the Saudis by planning to take Carla Bruni on a state visit before they were married, a secret US cable shows. The French president made a high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia in January 2008 to improve his personal relationship with King Abdullah. But a memo from the US embassy in Riyadh said Saudi contacts "privately shared displeasure with certain French conduct" during the trip. The hosts found Sarkozy's invitation of his then fiancée, Bruni, "offensive given their strict, conservative culture against the company of an unmarried woman". In the end, Bruni stayed home. But various "protocol faux pas" were committed by the French delegation. Sarkozy was deemed "less than gracious" for "avoiding tasting traditional Arab foods" and displaying a "bored look during the televised arrival sword ceremony". Saudi contacts lamented the brazenly commercial tone of the trip, the cable said. The French president reportedly "presented a list of 14 sales that French firms would like to make to the Saudi government, complete with the original price and discounts that Sarkozy was prepared to negotiate". On another state visit, Sarkozy travelled to Morocco in October 2007, just after the divorce from his second wife, Cecilia. He was accompanied on the trip, including at a banquet with the royal family, by his justice minister, Rachida Dati, whose mother was Moroccan. But the US embassy in Rabat noted in a secret cable: "While Sarkozy was generally well received, there was much gossip in Moroccan salons about a 'too relaxed' president slouching comfortably in his chair as he and the king presided over a 22 October signing ceremony at the royal palace in Marrakech. In one image, Sarkozy was seen crossing his legs and pointing the sole of his shoe at the king – a taboo gesture in the Islamic world."

JB mee? Aar Hargaisaan joogaa wiiga dambe.

^Real needed Lucas

No need to. They lost 5-0 heh.

Of course I didn't expect a high score but I did expect Barca to dominate and win without much trouble. Real are great going forward against lesser teams and prefer the tempo to be slower for them to pick teams off. This was never going to happen with Barca. Pepe are crap (even against out and out strikers).

The best display of footballing prowess in a long time. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy watching a team take another team apart. Especially when the other team has spent so much money in recent summers.

Maybe it wasnt Masch but the gist was that Barca would out play Real (just as they have done for the past 6 or so years). That was some of the best football I have ever seen. Real's midfield just couldn't cope as they're used to teams sitting back. Ps Pepe is crap!

I just can't see you speaking Somali 100% of the time Enjoy.

Originally posted by N.O.R.F: Real haven't played against Masch and Busquets. They haven't dealt with Alves' runs or Villa cutting inside with Messi, Xavi and Iniesta all looking for a pass. Barca hands down. Aar bahasha barta. 4-0. Good night Madrid

Af Soomali with a few sentences in English. what is it about?

Trying to stay up.

Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear programme• Embassy cables show Arab allies want strike against Tehran • Israel prepared to attack alone to avoid its own 9/11 • Iranian bomb risks 'Middle East proliferation, war or both' King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear programme, according to leaked US diplomatic cables that describe how other Arab allies have secretly agitated for military action against Tehran. The revelations, in secret memos from US embassies across the Middle East, expose behind-the-scenes pressures in the scramble to contain the Islamic Republic, which the US, Arab states and Israel suspect is close to acquiring nuclear weapons. Bombing Iranian nuclear facilities has hitherto been viewed as a desperate last resort that could ignite a far wider war. The Saudi king was recorded as having "frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons programme", one cable stated. "He told you [Americans] to cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said, according to a report on Abdullah's meeting with the US general David Petraeus in April 2008. The cables also highlight Israel's anxiety to preserve its regional nuclear monopoly, its readiness to go it alone against Iran – and its unstinting attempts to influence American policy. The defence minister, Ehud Barak, estimated in June 2009 that there was a window of "between six and 18 months from now in which stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons might still be viable". After that, Barak said, "any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage." The leaked US cables also reveal that: • Officials in Jordan and Bahrain have openly called for Iran's nuclear programme to be stopped by any means, including military. • Leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt referred to Iran as "evil", an "existential threat" and a power that "is going to take us to war". • Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, warned in February that if diplomatic efforts failed, "we risk nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, war prompted by an Israeli strike, or both". • Major General Amos Yadlin, Israeli's military intelligence chief, warned last year: "Israel is not in a position to underestimate Iran and be surprised like the US was on 11 September 2001." Asked for a response to the statements, state department spokesman PJ Crowley said today it was US policy not to comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked. Iran maintains that its atomic programme is designed to supply power stations, not nuclear warheads. After more than a year of deadlock and stalling, a fresh round of talks with the five permanent members of the UN security council plus Germany is due to begin on 5 December. But in a meeting with Italy's foreign minister earlier this year, Gates said time was running out. If Iran were allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, the US and its allies would face a different world in four to five years, with a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. King Abdullah had warned the Americans that if Iran developed nuclear weapons "everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia". America is not short of allies in its quest to thwart Iran, though some are clearly more enthusiastic than the Obama administration for a definitive solution to Iran's nuclear designs. In one cable, a US diplomat noted how Saudi foreign affairs bureaucrats were moderate in their views on Iran, "but diverge significantly from the more bellicose advice we have gotten from senior Saudi royals". In a conversation with a US diplomat, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain "argued forcefully for taking action to terminate their [iran's] nuclear programme, by whatever means necessary. That programme must be stopped. The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it." Zeid Rifai, then president of the Jordanian senate, told a senior US official: "Bomb Iran, or live with an Iranian bomb. Sanctions, carrots, incentives won't matter." In talks with US officials, Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed favoured action against Iran, sooner rather than later. "I believe this guy is going to take us to war ... It's a matter of time. Personally, I cannot risk it with a guy like [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad. He is young and aggressive." In another exchange , a senior Saudi official warned that Gulf states may develop nuclear weapons of their own, or permit them to be based in their countries to deter the perceived Iranian threat. No US ally is keener on military action than Israel, and officials there have repeatedly warned that time is running out. "If the Iranians continue to protect and harden their nuclear sites, it will be more difficult to target and damage them," the US embassy reported Israeli defence officials as saying in November 2009. There are differing views within Israel. But the US embassy reported: "The IDF [israeli Defence Force], however, strikes us as more inclined than ever to look toward a military strike, whether launched by Israel or by us, as the only way to destroy or even delay Iran's plans." Preparations for a strike would likely go undetected by Israel's allies or its enemies. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, told US officials in May last yearthat he and the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, agreed that a nuclear Iran would lead others in the region to develop nuclear weapons, resulting in "the biggest threat to non-proliferation efforts since the Cuban missile crisis". The cables also expose frank, even rude, remarks about Iranian leaders, their trustworthiness and tactics at international meetings. Abdullah told another US diplomat: "The bottom line is that they cannot be trusted." Mubarak told a US congressman: "Iran is always stirring trouble." Others are learning from what they describe as Iranian deception. "They lie to us, and we lie to them," said Qatar's prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim Jaber al-Thani.

A wacky man Date 2009-09-29 17:21:00 Source Embassy Tripoli Classification SECRET//NOFORN S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000771 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG AND INR. E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/29/2019 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, LY, PINR SUBJECT: A GLIMPSE INTO LIBYAN LEADER QADHAFI'S ECCENTRICITIES CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 1. (S/NF) Summary: Recent first-hand experiences with Libyan Leader Muammar al-Qadhafi and his staff, primarily in preparation for his UNGA trip, provided rare insights into Qadhafi's inner circle and personal proclivities. Qadhafi appears to rely heavily –– ––––– ––––– –––– –––––, and reportedly cannot travel with his senior Ukrainian nurse, Galyna Kolotnytska. He also appears to have an intense dislike or fear of staying on upper floors, reportedly prefers not to fly over water, and seems to enjoy horse racing and flamenco dancing. His recent travel may also suggest a diminished dependence on his legendary female guard force, as only one woman bodyguard accompanied him to New York. End Summary. QADHAFI'S PERSONALITY REFLECTED IN HIS PHOBIAS 2. (S/NF) Muammar al-Qadhafi has been described as both mercurial and eccentric, and our recent first-hand experiences with him and his office, primarily in preparation for his UNGA trip, demonstrated the truth of both characterizations. From the moment Qadhafi's staff began to prepare for his travel to the United States, ––––– ––––– –– ––– ––––– –– –––––, –––– –––––, ––– ––– –––– –– ––– –––– ––– ––– ––––– –––– of his 40-year rule, various proclivities and phobias began to reveal themselves in every logistical detail. When applying for Qadhafi's visa, ––––– ––––– asked whether it was necessary for the Leader to submit a portrait of himself that fit consular application regulations, noting that his photo was displayed throughout the city and that anyone of hundreds of billboards could be photographed and shrunken to fit the application's criteria. When the rule was enforced, ––––– ––––– reluctantly conceded to take a portrait of the Leader specifically for the visa application. 3. (S/NF) When ––––– began to search for proper accommodations for Qadhafi, ––––– informed us that the Leader must stay on the first floor of any facility that was rented for him. (––––– separately told U.S. officials in Washington that Qadhafi could not climb more than 35 steps.) ––––– cited this requirement as the primary reason that the Libyan residence in New Jersey was selected as the preferred accommodation site rather than the Libyan PermRep's residence in New York City. ––––– also sought to find accommodations with room to pitch Qadhafi's Bedouin tent, Qadhafi's traditional site for receiving visitors and conducting meetings, as it offers him a non-verbal way of communicating that he is a man close to his cultural roots. 4. (S/NF) Qadhafi's dislike of long flights and apparent fear of flying over water also caused logistical headaches for his staff. When discussing flight clearances with Emboffs, ––––– explained that the Libyan delegation would arrive from Portugal, as Qadhafi "cannot fly more than eight hours" and would need to overnight in Europe prior to continuing his journey to New York. ––––– also revealed in the same conversation that Qadhafi does not like to fly over water. Presumably for similar reasons, Qadhafi's staff also requested a stop in Newfoundland to break his travel from Venezuela to Libya on September 29. [Note: The Government of Canada recently confirmed that the Libyan delegation canceled plans to stop in Newfoundland. End Note.] DEPENDENCIES: RELIANCE ON A SELECTIVE GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS 5. (S/NF) Qadhafi appears to be almost obsessively dependent on a small core of trusted personnel. This group includes ––––– –––– –––––, ––– ––– –– ––––– ––––– ––– –––– ––– ––––– ––––– ––––– –– coordinate the logistics of Qadhafi's visit. ––––– balanced the UNGA preparations between equally frenetic preparations for the August 31 African Union (AU) Summit and September 1 celebration of Qadhafi's coup. –––––'– –––– ––––– –– ––––– –––– ––––– –– ––––– ––––– ––––. At large events such as the August 31 AU Summit and September 1 celebrations, ––––– ––––– ––––– every last detail of these complex gatherings, ranging from the overall program to the position of the press pool. At UNGA, ––––– ––––– ––––– Qadhafi to the podium at the UNGA and ––––– ––––– his papers and props upon the conclusion of the Leader's remarks. Long-time Qadhafi Chief of Staff Bashir Salah appears to play an equally important role in Qadhafi's personal retinue, and ––––– ––––– –––– ––––– via an old-fashioned green phone –– –––––'– ––––. It is next to a red phone, which presumably connects to Qadhafi himself. We constantly hear that National Security Adviser and son, Muatassim, also plays a key role as his father's confidante and handler during travel abroad. Muatassim also seems to have been tasked with insuring that the Leader's image is well-preserved through the full array of carefully-planned media events. 6. (S/NF) Finally, Qadhafi relies heavily on his long-time Ukrainian nurse, Galyna Kolotnytska, who has been described as a "voluptuous blonde." Of the rumored staff of four Ukrainian nurses that cater to the Leader's health and well-being, ––––– ––––– ––––– emphasized to multiple Emboffs that Qadhafi cannot travel without Kolotnytska, as she alone "knows his routine." When Kolotnytska's late visa application resulted in her Security Advisory Opinion being received on the day Qadhafi's party planned to travel to the U.S., the Libyan Government sent a private jet to ferry her from Libya to Portugal to meet up with the Leader during his rest-stop. Some embassy contacts have claimed that Qadhafi and the 38 year-old Kolotnytska have a romantic relationship. While he did not comment on such rumors, a Ukrainian political officer recently confirmed that the Ukrainian nurses "travel everywhere with the Leader." PREFERENCES - FROM DANCING TO HORSEMAN 7. (S/NF) In addition to the personality quirks revealed through Qadhafi's travel to New York, the Qadhafi's preferences for dancing and cultural performances were displayed over the last month. The three-day spectacle of his 40th anniversary in power included performances by dance troupes from Ukraine, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as musical performances by bands from Mexico, Russia, New Zealand, and a number of other nations. Qadhafi appeared particularly enthralled by Tuareg horse racing during two of the events, clapping and smiling throughout the races. The flamenco dancers that participated in his celebratory events appeared to spark a similar interest, as Qadhafi decided to stop in Seville (for a "personal trip" according to the Spanish Ambassador here) on his way back to Libya from Venezuela specifically to attend a flamenco dance performance. [Note: That stop has reportedly been scrapped for unknown reasons. End note.] NO NEW YORK PHOTO OPS - QADHAFI LEAVES FEMALE GUARDS AT HOME 8. (S/NF) While Qadhafi's reported female guard force has become legendary, it played no role in his travels to New York. Only one female guard was included among the approximately 350-person strong Libyan delegation to New York. This is the same female bodyguard who sticks close to Qadhafi in his domestic and international public appearances and may, in fact, play some sort of formal security role. Observers in Tripoli speculate that the female guard force is beginning to play a diminished role among the Leader's personal security staff. 9. (S/NF) Comment: Qadhafi's state visits and appearances at various conferences and summits, both at home and abroad, have revealed greater details about his personality and character. While it is tempting to dismiss his many eccentricities as signs of instability, Qadhafi is a complicated individual who has managed to stay in power for forty years through a skillful balancing of interests and realpolitik methods. Continued engagement with Qadhafi and his inner circle is important not only to learn the motives and interests that drive the world's longest serving dictator, but also to help overcome the misperceptions that inevitably accumulated during Qadhafi's decades of isolation. As ––––– told us, pointing to a larger-than-life portrait of Qadhafi, "When you have been isolated for so long, it is important to communicate." End comment. CRETZ Destination VZCZCXRO7114 OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHFL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL DE RUEHTRO #0771/01 2721721 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O P 291721Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5305 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0239 RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5851 .

I spent most of the day reading loads of wire from various US Embassies. Some quite funny and some rather concerning. The realease has put the world a step closer to war but there isn't much to be surprised about. The cable on Ghadafi is quite funny. See The Guardian and NYT websites.

^ Mid khamiis ku soo dhacay ma aragtay?

It was disappointing because it should have 3-0 before they scored. Torres just didnØŒt want to shoot. Maxi played well apart from messing up that one on one and Lucas did well as well. Meireles was awesome. Class player. Influenced the game more than SG usually does. Good with Lucas and Maxi. Ngog was crap and should have been replaced by the stronger pacier Babel.

I'm sure you're in there somewhere ninyow. Talking foreign policy or discussing how to deal with SSC. Waar wa lagu arkay.

****** kid but this is entrapment. Hope he gets himself some good lawyers.