WL: I already new what to expect but its the small things that matter the most. After nearly a year in Oman which is a very closed society and less developed than he UAE, plus i'm now in majority Sunni country whereas Oman is Majority Ibaadi. Jimcaale, i have been meaning to go to Ajman but havnt managed to yet. Dabshid, i stay indoors between 11am and 3pm. Other than those hours its ok really. Well i have been spending my time at work, hotel and trying to find a place here. Some very nice villas and apartments, some in nice areas with plenty of amenities and others in the middle huge construction sites. The whole of Sharjah is a construction site. Should find a place this week IA. Others things such as nurseries/schools have to be considered.

This is my new home, so who are my neighbours?

BUMP I know its 7 or 8 weeks away but i think this is the right time to prepare for the blessed month of Ramadan. We all know what we need to do, its made that much is easiers with a little prep and eating less in the lead up. A timely reminder,,,,,,,,

Ibn Battuta then crossed the Red Sea to Somalia, disembarking first slightly north of Djibouti, then called Zeila. He judged it "a large city with a great bazaar, but it is in the dirtiest, most disagreeable, and most stinking town in the world" because of its inhabitants' habits of selling fish in the sun and butchering camels in the street. Ibn Battuta In Somalia

Dates

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Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is angry about the prospect of his side being forced to travel to Israel during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Reds have been drawn against Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League third qualifying round, with the second leg in Haifa on 22 or 23 August. "It's a crazy situation and totally unacceptable to think about us going over there," he told the club website. "There is no way we should be going to Israel to play at this time." Benitez added: "The situation is very clear in my mind. I feel sad for the people over there at the moment because it's a terrible time for them. "But we have to put the security and safety of everyone involved before anything else and that means we cannot travel there. It would be impossible to concentrate on the game. We would love the match to be in Haifa Haifa president Jacob Schachar "Uefa (European football's governing body) need to make a decision quickly because there will be lots of our supporters wanting to know what is happening." Liverpool are set to make an official representation to Uefa about the situation and ask for the game to be moved to a neutral country. Uefa official Rob Faulkner has already admitted the match could be moved away from Israel. "We all see the news and have serious concerns - and the situation is changing daily. But this is the right way to do it and we're asking the right people," he said. "We'll be in discussions with both clubs but the key is the safety of players, fans and officials - and we wouldn't go ahead if we didn't have those assurances. "We have played with problems and conflict there before and also played games away from Israel. That is Plan B - a back-up plan." Haifa president Jacob Schachar also moved to reassure worried fans. "There are many Liverpool fans in Israel and I hope the match can go ahead," he said. "We would love the match to be in Haifa but it could go ahead in Tel Aviv which is quiet." But Les Lawson, of the Liverpool International Supporters' Club, added: "Surely common sense should prevail. I have heard a Haifa official saying the game can be played in Tel Aviv where everything is quiet. "But that's nonsense. Security cannot be ensured anywhere in Israel. "This is a dangerous, volatile situation in Israel and safety for everyone, the team, the officials, fans, referee everybody, should be the main consideration. "Uefa have known this situation was coming. They have known about the war there for a few weeks now and they knew Haifa were in the draw. They should already have said Haifa's home leg has to be played in a neutral country." bbc.co.uk

I guess i will have to wait for the next edition of transworld sports

It amazes me how someone (or group of people) who is all for law, order and primarily peace can be vilified in such a manner. Not just in this thread but others aswell. This is the best chance for Somalia and people are finding it hard to acknowledge it due to their support for others who have very questionable pasts with even more questionable plans. If ever there was a unifying entity then this is by far and away the closest to it, in my humble opinion. Many questions have been raised about the UIC but only time will tell. Who is willing to give them that time? SUPPORT PEACE AND NOT ANARCHY!

Akhi Nur What is the ruling on giving the interest earned away in a charity box. Many mosques have a box for unwanted interest. I know one should not 'intend' on giving it as sadaqa and therefore should not hope/expect to be rewarded for it. But was is the permissibility of it? (putting it in abox that may be used as money for the poor/bills etc

"Mo Farah ran the second fastest time by a Briton over 5,000m last week to vastly improve his European ranking and he followed that up with a good 1500m in London". - Steve Cram

Well done indeed. From strength to strength!

Shehe, today i learned of a proposed trip to Thailand and Singapore in Oct. Its free (great first day at work ey? ) but i'm planning to avoid going,,,,,,,,

SB says: I read several Sahih Ahadith to the contrary. I'll be back

Shehe, maybe i'm being arrogant but i dont think there is anything in certain parts of Asia that would take me by surprise. Yes beautiful landscapes etc old temples etc but nothing that would have a wow factor. Paying for such a trip would be very risky indeed.

^^As a result of immorality in western societies which in turn in a direct result of separating the church from the state? Secularism?

^^I have already seen it. Shall i tell you who wins?

Travelling just to be right is just wrong. 'The whole of Asia is not worth it apart..'. Now that is one hell of a sweeping statement unless u have been to the whole of Asia and deemed it unworthy except for some parts, don't u think? Many places in Asia just dont interest me, maybe i would be surprised if i did visit them but i dont think so. So i'm right before i've even boarded the plane Asia meaning far east of course.

"so halimo, waxbarashadi iyo aadi yaa-rayee" :confused: I'm assuming its something along the lines of who is winning? I think education is the key to your future. Being in a good enough position to do pretty much what you like is a good thing. You can get your qualifications then make your decesions as things pan out. You can not say i will work or be a house mom as things are never that simple. Finding a balance is the key. I havnt done anything for 3 years and i feel brain drained, need to find an MBA/MSC to keep me on point :cool:

Hizb, i was never into Albert Square anyway, programmes i miss include Match of the Day, the Apprentice (i would win that) and Grand Designs.

The day Nasser nationalised the canal "It's a long story..." former head of the Suez Canal Authority Ezzat Adel pauses briefly to reflect on the day 50 years ago when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced he was nationalising the waterway. "Of course it is a very important date, not to us as ex-Suez Canal people, but to the whole of Egypt's population. "It represents a very important idea which is that the Egyptians were not thought able to run this international waterway and we proved the contrary." Trained as an engineer, Mr Adel, now 84, was one of just 30 men entrusted with the president's plans for taking control of the 192km (120 mile) trading route. As deputy to the head of the petroleum authority he was attending the inauguration of a new oil pipeline with his then boss Colonel Mahmoud Younes and President Nasser. "We noticed that he (the president) whispered to Colonel Mahmoud Younes...and we noticed also that Colonel Younes disappeared from the office giving no reason for his disappearance and he returned absent minded. Click here for map and sequence of events "On the second day, the 24 July, he also disappeared once more without saying where he was going and what he was doing and he returned after almost one hour and he called me and one of my colleagues to his office and to our astonishment he locked the door." When he first heard what the president had in store Mr Adel said his reaction was one of fear - not for his own safety - but the fear of not succeeding. "We were told that President Nasser will declare the nationalisation during his speech in Alexandria on the 26 July, we are on the 24 July, almost 50 hours to plan. It was, I think, one of the most critical periods in my life." He knew so little about the canal, he did not even know the whereabouts of the company headquarters or who was in charge, nor did he really understand what was meant by "nationalisation". De Lesseps Armed with just a pamphlet of information about the canal, he was instructed to go with a small group of men to Ismailia and take control of the headquarters of the Suez Canal company. Two further groups were to go to other offices - all three were to wait until they heard the codeword "de Lesseps" in Nasser's speech. De Lesseps was the man who headed the French company which built the canal. "I remember that we had the radio on ...and I remember that he (President Nasser) doubted that we heard this password so he repeated it two or three times. "We entered the offices in Ismailia at around 7pm and there was no staff in the offices, except the nightshift. We called the senior staff, foreigners of course because there was no Egyptian in the decision-making level...and they were taken by surprise." Experienced pilots Even some government ministers had been kept in the dark. Keeping the mission such a closely guarded secret, was, he claims, the reason they succeeded. "The first thing to do was to inform (the staff) that 'we guarantee your safety, your family's safety and we also guarantee all your salaries, premiums and everything and we moreover request you to continue working for the Suez Canal, nobody will be fired'. "Everything went smoothly for a period of time, less than two weeks...until we noticed that some of the employees that were on summer holidays did not return. Some foreigners, also staff, are selling their cars, their furniture, so we anticipated that there is a move to leave the Egyptians alone to run the Suez Canal." As newly-appointed Under-Secretary General of the Suez Canal Authority, Mr Adel had to move fast. If the canal was to remain open, he needed experienced pilots to guide the ships through the narrow shipping lanes. "Any other speciality can be filled to a certain extent," Mr Adel said, "but this (finding new pilots) will be the most delicate part." But new pilots were found and trained and ultimately the nationalisation of the canal proved a success. Mr Adel rose through the ranks of the Suez Canal Company to become Chairman in the mid-80s. He has never doubted that Nasser was right to nationalise the canal. "Egypt lost 120,000 people digging the Suez Canal by shovels and carrying cases of sand under almost slavery conditions, very little health care, very few wages. Against this very high sacrifice Egypt did not get a fair share of the profits of the Suez Canal... "Egypt paid all the head shareholders of the Suez Canal company the full value of their shares in the money market in Paris the day before nationalisation so I didn't really feel myself that we are taking something for nothing and this is the reason why I didn't blame myself. "I feel that the salt water of the Suez Canal is running (in my veins) and if I go back to what I should have done, I am relieved to say that I didn't save any effort since the nationalisation of the Suez Canal." So what does he say to those who regard him as a national hero? "I'm a single Egyptian that tried his best." bbc.co.uk

Glad i dont have that problem,,,, ps whats going on in Eastenders?

We have had loads of cut and pastes recently, much of it from Somali news sources, most of whom i distrust (including any SL media). Which leads me to the following questions. Is the media getting it right? What does balanced reporting mean? What are the differences between Somali & international media? And has your media changed your views? The media is vital and yet dangerous tool which will shape the minds of people into that of it's own agenda(s).

Thank you very much Mr Oodweyn served in Suez from 1953-1955, and I asked then."What are we the British doing here." And I was told that we where there to safeguard British interests.When I asked who was these British people who's interest we where safeguarding, I was told I was a trouble maker, and to get on with it..Egypt, In my opinion had the right to the Suez canal, for it was in their country after all, so why should we invade again to take it back. If Egypt had invaded and taken over the running of the river thames..Would we have sat back and let it happen...Not bloody likely, so why should we complain about them running their own Canal in their country. Terry, St Helens.lancs It is interesting that the BBC brings up the topic of the Suez crisis at the moment. Britain, France and Israel were in it together from the beginning. Israel's job was to invade Egypt and start a war. The plan then was for France and the UK to come in as a sort of peace keeping force to separate the two armies. Of course this was just a pretext to occupy the area. Many people in the Arab world must be thinking that something similar is being planned for the Lebanon. Steven Martin, United Kingdom The Suez Canal crisis has completely defined my country, despite our distance and the relative unimportance of Egyptian-Canadian relations. Our future Prime Minister, and at the time, Foreign Minister, Lester B. Pearson, proposed the idea of an international peace force. To this day, the myth of Canada being an honest broker and a peacekeeping nation continues. What is forgotten is Nasser's insistance on removing the peaceforce and its inability to stop conflict. Today, even as Canada fights in Afghanistan under NATO, people here still want Canada under the UN regardless of the mission's mandate. The Canadian myth continues... Eric Hovius, Ontario, Canada The more things change the more they remain the same. Fifty years ago as a young soldier in the British Army I was part of the Anglo / French invasion during the Suez canal crises.The British Government announced that when Nasser nationalized the canal he threatened our links with our empire.We were told we were fighting for our country.It was only later that we found out that our government was in total collusion with Israel whose troops also attacked Egypt.The real goal was to topple Nasser and strangle Pan- Arabism. I learned much during this period.I learned that the British government- my government was capable of duplicity and deceit. Nothing has changed.To wit: Iraq and Lebanon. James MacDonald, Manitoba, Canada I was in Cairo at the time, a child of just 7 years old. Life seemed one of confusion - what was going on? Blackouts at night, school down in the bedrone (cellars), aircraft overhead, bombs dropped, air riad sirens, and more air raid sirens - I only have to be watching film that contains that siren and it all comes pouring back - that prickle on the soles of my feet, fear in my soul, tension, please make it all come right again. The guards on the hospital gate where my parents worked and we lived. Every day another day of fear and lack of understanding. Local people who were our friends, were also it seemed not our friends. Finally driving out the gatewith our small bags, all we were allowed chris hillman, Thropton, Northumberland source

You look at TV in the west today. There are hardly any programmes one could benefit/learn from.