The guy and his party actually made some good domestic decisions. Paternity leave?

North....one thing I found out is that if you are a speed fanatic like myself here, you better do it with a German car than your unreliable Japanese automobiles...nothing beats the stability the German cars offer you not to mention how good they will make you look It was German saxib. Adolf Hitler's old co

Val, waa runtaa but I hate needles

Reminds me, i need to get my injections for malaria and what not. Mise waxan iska digaa libaax (I am one by the way) and not bother with it all?

^^feeling mellow?

Some people need to stop twisting Khalid's words here and give him the benefit of the doubt.

I beg to differ. The guy is probably one of the most gifted players I've ever seen. speed, touch, control, eye for goal, passing. The guy has it all. A little arrogant and shows off alot. He was missing in most games he played in last season. I think he was just tired. He did score some spectacular goals and broke records. That no mean feet.

^^At least I could jump on the tube or a bus in London. Here they introduce it before the metro is finished and before the buses are upgraded/expanded ie no public transport. Alot debate doing the rounds and most people conclude its all about making money. The traffic will be the same.

Well I have a few more days before Dubai roads will cost me money to travel on because of a toll system. Here Dhs 8 each trip (both ways through Garhoud Bridge and the 4th Interchange) for 24 hours a day for 365 days a year and they say its not about making money :mad:

Is it raining in Lodnon? ps its 26th June

Val, will you come back with a 'I've been to Dentist and didnt cry' sticker?

Zafir, I leave that for others A sprinkiling of sonkor iyo malab and a mean koop shaaha and walla! Breakfast fit for a king!

White bread? Eating it doesnt make a difference. You still left hungry

^^No North, Thats why it is good to live in London If you want a higher chance of getting mugged yeah.

What's the obsession with bread these days North? LoL, I used to think Brits who took tea with them on their hols were a wierd bunch and here I am complaining about the bread here :rolleyes:

Whats the price of bread these days? 69p?

Edit Had a few text messages on my phone this morning saying 'we are all fine' and I was like 'ok cool'. Then saw Sky News this morning. My older bro had to leave his car and walk as the roads were jam packed and heavy rain. The wonders of the city with seven hills :rolleyes: watch

NG, and what does that have to do with the price of bread?

Muslim gains under Blair overshadowed By TARIQ PANJA, Associated Press Writer Mon Jun 25, 2:49 PM ET DEWSBURY, England - Under the shadow of a towering minaret in a Muslim enclave, veiled women stroll, shiny new cars line the streets and houses are being expanded. ADVERTISEMENT It's an image of prosperity among British Muslims that didn't exist here before Prime Minister Tony Blair, who inspired hope of a better life among the religious minority when he came to power in 1997 — and kept many of his promises. Blair's Labour Party successor, Gordon Brown, will face tougher challenges with the Muslim community when he takes over Wednesday as Britain's new prime minister. Amid deep discontent over the Iraq war and a security crackdown, many Muslims say they've become Britain's new outcasts. They feel betrayed by Blair, and are wary of a future under Brown. Materially, Muslims remain Britain's most deprived minority, but official figures provide compelling evidence that Blair's tenure helped their situation, though the economy showed signs of improving before he took office. Unemployment among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, almost all of whom are Muslim, fell 4 to 6 percent from 1991 to 2001, census figures show, although Muslims in general still have the highest unemployment rate in Britain at 12 percent. In Kirklees, the district in which Dewsbury is set, unemployment among the 30,000 strong Pakistani population was cut in half during the same period. Britain's Muslims — who now number some 1.8 million — have benefited in other respects. State funding for Muslim schools was introduced for the first time, a religious hatred law was introduced and a much reviled visa requirement that led to the separation of families was repealed. Another sign of the new recognition for British Muslims came with election of the nation's first Muslim lawmakers in 1997. Blair had pledged to make the government more representative. In Dewsbury, a former textile town where jobs dried up under Margaret Thatcher, the number of Muslims able to afford the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has soared over the past decade, said Kaushar Tai, a 48-year-old management consultant. "You can only go if you can afford it and you are in good health," he said. "People are in good health and they can afford it, which he has to take some credit for." But the gains have been tempered by fierce anger over Blair's foreign policy and new anti-terrorism measures that include tough restrictions on speech believed to promote terrorism. Brown has promised to win back the trust of the British people. He has also vowed to reassess Britain's operations in Iraq, although a troop withdrawal is unlikely. But he also has supported a call to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 90 days — an increase on the current 28 days — and advocated introducing phone tap evidence into British courts for the first time. The moves are likely to inflame tensions in Muslim communities and could saddle Brown with the worries that dogged Blair during his leadership, no more evident than on July 7, 2005, when suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on London's transit system. In Dewsbury, where the July 7 ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan lived, the far-right British National Party has profited from the public's nervousness about its Muslim minority. On a fiercely anti-Muslim platform that included the call for all Muslims to be banned from flying in and out of Britain on security grounds, the BNP managed to get its candidate in Dewsbury elected to the local council in 2006. Blair, who famously carried around the Quran and made a point of opening his office to British Muslims, has denied his government conspired against Muslims. But many didn't believe him. Like the July 7 bombers, they point to the Iraq war as proof. Tai said the government underestimated the impact the war would have on Britain's Muslims. "For Muslims what happens internationally has an impact locally," he said, underlining how fraternal ties in Islam cross borders. One-time Muslim Blairites like Hanif Rehman, a 33-year-old father of two who lives in Dewsbury and works for British Telecom, turned their backs on Labour. Rehman remains skeptical of Brown — saying he has been sullied by his ties to Blair. Brown has promised no retreat in the fight against terrorism. He talks of a "hearts and minds" exercise to freeze out extremists and promote moderation. Muslims say this amounts to little more than a social engineering project that risks further alienation. "I don't trust him," Rehman said. "We're all on thin ice." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_on_re_eu/britain_muslims

A young and charismatic man emerged in 1996/97. A Labour figure. A breath of fresh air. Living in the Labour heartland of South Yorkshire it was a time of expectation. An end to years of Tory Thatcherism. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot to thank the Tories for and especially Mr Douglas Hurd who was the Home Secretary in the late 1980s but John Major was a disaster. The recession of the early nineties was at the time very evident, even to a curious youngster. The era of privatisation and globalisation had arrived and was beginning to take a firm hold on the former industrial giant of a city. Many were losing their jobs due to competition from abroad. The city was changing. A shift from manufacturing to the tertiary sector was in full swing. Not necessarily a bad thing when HSBC have their UK headquarters in the city (before Canary Warf). Then in 1997 Blair was on TV 24/7. Playing football in the park with his boys. The inevitable happened in May of that year. A landslide victory for the Labour party. From a personal point of view I think Labour have done a lot more than what the Tories would have done. Look at the inner city redevelopments for a start. The levels of unemployment have dropped etc The only issue would be obviously foreign policy and the student grants beings done away with. What are your thoughts on Blair?

I bet you thought you were Schumi on his final lap to win the Championship No saxib. I just wanted to see how fast my new motor at the time could go. Went over a small bump and nearly lost control. No more speeding on the motorway after that. A conservative 110mph had to do

Originally posted by rokko: Loooooool! Well the Moon does look small from here I suppose :confused:

Originally posted by me: it was an open goal I'm tempted to say something

Originally posted by Gediid: Geedi arrived at the Ronald Reagan Airport a commercial airport but all foreign dignataories usually come through Andrews Airforce base and are welcomed with full honors befitting a head of state.The security is from a private firm hired by the supporters of the TFG.Duke beenta iska dhaaf sxb.The supporters you see ragga badankood are already cab drivers out of Ronald Reagan airport and came to see islmaaha iyo afarta yaryar whose former cab driver brothers have either been appointed ambassadaors or director generals in some ministry, a notable example is Ali Faisal formely from Boston Cab service who now is the permament secratary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.I wonder what diplomacy and running the meter in a cab have in common???? Its always handy to have someone there on the ground Gediid SOL News Virginia!

Hamas brought about its own downfall By Sami Moubayed, Special to Gulf News Published: June 25, 2007, 23:31 Hamas as we knew it died a long time ago, back in January 2006. The selfless Hamas, interested in nothing but liberation and justice for the Palestinians, committed political suicide when it decided to abandon the bullet in favour of the ballot. After many years in the resistance, and tired of the hard life, these kinds of groups usually go for the new, flashy title and comfortable lifestyle. It happened with the National Bloc of Syria, whose leaders liberated their country from the French in 1946, only to be ejected with little respect or ceremony by a military coup d'etat (because of their errors while in power) in 1949. It happened to Fatah itself, whose leaders enchanted the world with their heroism in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, only to become as corrupt as some of their counterparts in the 1990s after Oslo. The mistakes of Fatah led to their humiliating defeat in the legislative elections of 2006. It is in the process of happening with Hezbollah, whose leaders want the best of all possible worlds; the titles of both freedom fighter and statesmen. The minute all these parties became immersed in the dirty game of politics, they were no longer utopian heroes but rather ordinary politicians who are subject to ridicule, hatred, and often very harsh criticism. Hamas knew all of that, but it went ahead with its political programme in 2006, promising the Palestinians an end to corruption, higher wages, more jobs and social equality. These slogans, coming from credible politicians with an until then unblemished record, revealed the weaknesses of post-Arafat Fatah. Then reality sank in. Life in government was not so easy after all, and the dirty game of politics required tactics that the leaders of Hamas simply could not do. Keeping their posts was seemingly more important to them than the ordinary Palestinian citizen who was paying a high price for their views. To be fair, we must acknowledge that Hamas was maltreated by the Arabs and the international community, especially the US, due to the embargo imposed on the Occupied Territories since January 2006. They were not given a chance to prove themselves. But life is not fair, especially in the Middle East. Had they been left to govern in a normal manner, then results would have judged Hamas fairly. In a democratic system, if Hamas performs well in power, it gets to keep its parliamentary majority. If it does not, it fails in the next parliamentary elections. It's that simple. The example of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan speaks volumes about how to deal with Islamic movements. The late King Hussain realised that the Muslim Brotherhood was becoming too strong in Jordanian society, and threatening him with the overwhelming popularity they had in the Jordanian street. That was because they were untried in government, the King reasoned. Rather than suppress them, he permitted them to run for parliament. Once in power, they were automatically ruined because they were no longer able to deliver. If Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had the courage and vision of King Hussain, he should have courted Hamas in anticipation of its downfall in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Clear If one goes back to the statements of Hamas during the early weeks of their victory, it is very clear that they were trying to come across as statesmen. By actually joining the political process, they were legitimising the Oslo Accords. This is especially clear with the local leadership: men such as Esmail Haniya who wanted to pay wages, find jobs and run a state. That was not the case, however, with exiled leaders such as Khaleed Mesha'al, who would have preferred a non-governmental Hamas that was free to do what it does best: wage war against Israel. Mesha'al realised early on that Hamas had lost on both fronts when it came to power in 2006. It could no longer wage war, because of the limits of government office and the need to be accepted by the international community. And its leaders could also never stand as credible statesmen because of their views, history and Islamic ideology. The embargo, along with the provocations of Fatah, were what led to the blood circus in Gaza in June 2006. Hamas behaved like a wild animal when it launched a coup against Fatah, storming the city, insulting the symbols of Palestinian statehood and declaring its authority over the Gaza Strip. That was a mistake. But the manner in which Abbas dealt with the crisis was also a mistake. Hamas will not disappear only because it has been outlawed by Abbas and criticised by his Arab counterparts. The appointment of Salam Fayyad as prime minister, against the wishes of Hamas, will not end the Islamic group's violence. Hamas is a reality - a difficult one - that Abbas must deal with and digest or it will choke him to death. He wants a disarmed Hamas. Well, it is clear that he won't be able to do it because neither Israel, nor the US, or the UN, or even Arafat were able to disarm the Islamic resistance. The closest thing we ever had to a disarmed Hamas was the Hamas of January 2006 onwards. It was a Hamas restricted by government office. The only way to prevent Hamas from being a state-within-a-state is to make Hamas the state itself - or part of the state. If they succeed - while observing norms and international agreements such as Oslo, they get to keep the state. If they fail, they will be ejected by the ballot. Since January 2006 Hamas did not fire a single bullet against Israel. The US - and Israel itself - failed to invest in that and pressured Hamas into becoming more radical, which resulted in: Gaza 2007. Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst. gulfnews.com