^^^what a goal, it was in as soon it left his foot,,,,,, plz spare a thought for us Liverpool fans, u guys are getting these quality players and we aint gettin ish,,,,,,damn,,,,, :mad: , bring back Fowler, Macca, Redknapp, Berger and we will at least play better footy,,,,,

^^^lol, i think it was a predictable prediction (Tunisia at home) but hey, props are still due,,,,,,

^^true, but yr defence has gon AWOL wivout Rio and the Areses are looking unstoppable, but then again, it aint over till the fat xalimo hesto!

43 John Barnes, footballer/broadcaster 43?? a mistake surely, he shud have made the top ten at least, ok maybe not. There is a very famous picture which is hung at all anti-racism events in football. In the pic, you see him kicking a banana off the pitch (which was thown at him) while playing a match in the 80s. Plus that goal vs Brazil in the Maracanaar Stadium (Rio), he basically took on the whole Brazil team plus the keeper and tapped the ball into the net. Thats a gr8 Brit

^^^looks like we got a tom-boy here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3484915.stm

Email forward,,,,,, There's a new phone in town. TELECOM, the newest telephone company is on a roll providing promo prices to early birds. Somaliland now has four telephone services to choose from two of them offers SMS messaging. Unfortunately you cannot send messages to phones from rival companies. Now that Telecom sales is up, TeleSom (one of the older companies) is trying to sharpen their quality of services. They have imported Chinese techies to improve both their internet services. Rumours say that Telesom will be coming up with their SMS service soon. Competition is good indeed, I just hope something could be done with interconnection, 4 phones per person is simply unaffordable and ridiculous. Somaliland is not only connected to the information highway, its now faster! There are now 2 VSAT providers in Hargeisa. SomSat and Maan (from the Mansoor string of companies), Maan has also reached the other regions. In Hargeisa, young people found another reason for frequenting internet cafes, CHAT! It's a new craze for young Somalilanders. The young generation have chosen a new path, from khat to chat ? The government is still the most reliable and dependable electric provider. It's cheap (.30 per unit compared to $1 charged by some private companies) and always on schedule unlike the privately owned generators. Private businesses have profited from this due to the limited scope of government services. Mansoor Hotel has a huge generator enough not only to service their hotel but also the whole village surrounding them. Dahabshil not only dominates the remittance transmittal arena but also boasts of a 24 hour electric service to its clients. People say that the government is expecting new generators from Djibouti this month, this would mean more and more brighter villages. Foreigners are charged double for water for reasons nobody could still explain. To my surprise my water bill for 2 months is a whopping $238. That covers the more than 2 weeks of no water remember the water carrying donkeys? The consumption of 10 Maternal and childcare centers plus a government office combined only reach $75. Even my Somali friends and colleagues find this completely crazy, hmm I wonder what’s wrong. Sacaadadin used to dominate the shopping outfits. They sell shoes, bags, kitchen utensils, electronics, name it they usually have it. Sacaadadin used to be the biggest, not anymore. Dualeh opened late last year, they offer a wider choice products to choose from. Yevette,,,,,

VALENTINE'S DAY - History and Islamic Perspective What is it and where did it come from? Consider Valentine's Day, a day that after dying out a well deserved death in most of Europe (but surviving in Britain and United States) has suddenly started to emerge across a good swath of Muslim countries. Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Legends abound, as they do in all such cases, but this much is clear: Valentine's Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to honor the god Lupercus. The main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for "entertainment and pleasure"--until the next year's lottery. Among other equally despicable practices associated with this day was the lashing of young women by two young men, clad only in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin thongs, who had been smeared with blood of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the "sacred" thongs by these "holy men" was believed to make them better able to bear children. As usual, Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. It first replaced the lottery of the names of women with a lottery of the names of the saints. The idea was that during the following year the young men would emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn. (The idea that you can preserve the appearance of a popular evil and yet somehow turn it to serve the purpose of virtue, has survived. Look at all those people who are still trying, helplessly, to use the formats of popular television entertainments to promote good. They might learn something from this bit of history. It failed miserably) Christianity ended up doing in Rome, and elsewhere, as the Romans did. The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honor of some Saint Valentine. There are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends. Two of them are more famous, although their lives and characters are also shrouded in mystery. According to one legend, and the one more in line with the true nature of this celebration, St. Valentine was a "lovers'" saint, who had himself fallen in love with his jailer's daughter. Due to serious troubles that accompanied such lottery, French government banned the practice in 1776. In Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany also the ritual vanished over the years. Earlier, it had been banned in England during the 17th century when the Puritans were strong. However in 1660 Charles II revived it. From there it also reached the New World, where enterprising Yankees spotted a good means of making money. Esther A. Howland, who produced one of the first commercial American Valentine's Day cards called--- what else--- valentines, in the 1840s, sold $5,000 worth--when $5,000 was a lot of money--the first year. The valentine industry has been booming ever since. The history of Valentine's Day serves as a powerful lesson for Muslims. St. Valentine became a Saint trying to resist free sex. Even though there was an attempt to Christianize it, today St. Valentine's day is gone back to its roots. No one even knows that the Church even tried to ban the St. Valentine's Day. Rather, most people think of romance, cupid and his arrow, which are vestiges of pagan Rome. Pagan origins of Valentine's Day The first information about this day is found in pre-Christian Rome, when pagans would celebrate the "Feast of the Wolf" on February 15, also known as the Feast of Lupercalius in honour of Februata Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, Roman god of nature. On this day, young women would place their names in an urn, from which boys would randomly draw to discover their sexual companion for the day, the year, and sometimes the rest of their lives. These partners exchanged gifts as a sign of affection, and often married. Christian Influence When Christianity came onto the scene in Rome, it wanted to replace this feast with something more in line with its ethics and morality. A number of Christians decided to use February 14 for this purpose. This was when the Italian Bishop Valentine was executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II for conducting secret marriages of military men in the year 270. Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young, single men, who made up his military. Valentine defied Claudius and performed marriages for young couples in secret. When his actions were revealed, Claudius put him to death. Another version of the story says that Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who helped Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. Valentine was arrested and sent to the prefect of Rome for this. He found that his attempts to make Valentine renounce his faith were useless, and so recommended he be beaten with clubs, and later beheaded. This took place on February 14, 270. According to the Catholic encyclopaedia, there are at least three different Saint Valentines, all of whom are Christian martyrs of February 14. One of them is described as a priest from Rome (as mentioned above), another as bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), and the third from Africa. It was in the year 496 that Pope Gelasius officially changed the February 15 Lupercalia festival to the February 14 St. Valentine's Day to give Christian meaning to a pagan festival. The holiday become popular in the United States in the 1800's during the Civil War. As well, Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery for young women that would take place during the pagan festival. Instead of the names of young women, the box would have the names of saints. Men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the purpose of this was to copy the ways of the saint they had selected for the rest of the year. Valentine's Day Customs A number of the customs connected to Valentine's Day originate in the belief in England and France during the middle Ages, that on February 14, birds began to pair. Fourteenth and 15th centuries' French and English literatures make indirect references to the practice. Those who chose each other as husband and wife on Valentine's Day apparently called each other their Valentines. In terms of the Valentine's greeting "Your Valentine" which today you find on a number of Valentine's Day cards, the above-mentioned Roman priest Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While he was in prison awaiting execution, he apparently fell in love with a young girl who would visit him. Before he died, he allegedly wrote her a letter, signed 'From your Valentine,' In terms of the virtually naked, arrow-shooting cupid character, which shoots people with its arrows to make them fall in love, this character is a vestige of Roman pagan times. Cupid was described as the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. You usually find Cupid's picture on Valentine cards and other paraphernalia . Islamic Perspective We should avoid anything associated with pagan immoral practices - We do not need to honour or celebrate the death of a Christian "saint" - Islam does not encourage flirting or suggestions of romantic relationships before marriage - Love between families, friends and married people does not need to be celebrated on a day with such un-Islamic origins. Question: In recent times, celebration of the Valentine Day has spread, particularly among female students. It is a Christian celebration, and it is (manifested) with fully red costumes, clothing and shoes, and exchange of red roses. What is the ruling on celebrating this holiday ? Answer: Celebrating the Valentine Day is not permissible because: Firstly, it is an innovated holiday that has no basis in the Sharee`ah. Secondly, it calls to love and passion. Thirdly, it calls to keeping one's heart busy with nonsense matters which contradict the guidance of the righteous predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them. So it is not permissible that anything from the signs of that holiday takes place on that day, whether it relates to eating, drinking, clothing, giving gifts, or other than that. It is incum bent upon the Muslim to be proud of his/her religion and that he/she does not blindly follow every crier. May Allah the Exalted protect Muslims from every trial, apparent and hidden, and that He give them protection and guidance. Ameen. Question Some people celebrate Yawm al-Hubb (Valentine's Day)on February 14 [the second month of the Christian Gregorian calendar] every year by exchanging red roses as gifts. They also dress up in red clothing, and congratulate one another (on this occasion). Some sweet shops produce special sweets - red in colour - and draw hearts upon them. Some shops advertise their goods which are specially related to this day. What is the Islaamic view [concerning the following]: Celebrating this day? Buying from these shops on this day? Selling - by shop-owners who are not celebrating - the things which are used as gifts, to those who are celebrating? Response The clear evidence from the Qur.aan and Sunnah - and this is agreed upon by consensus (Ijmaa') of the early generations of the Muslim Ummah - indicates that there are only two 'Eeds in Islaam (days of celebration): 'Eed al-Fitr (after the fast of Ramadhaan) and 'Eed al-Adhaa (after the standing at 'Arafah for pilgrimage). Every other 'Eed - whether it is to do with a person, group, incident or any other occasion - is an innovated 'Eed. It is not permissible for the Muslim people to participate in it, approve of it, make any show of happiness on its occasion, or assist in it in any way - since this will be transgressing the bounds of Allaah: " ...and whoever transgresses the bounds of Allaah, he has wronged his own self," [soorah at-Talaaq, Aayah 1] If we add to this fabricated 'Eed the fact that it is one of the 'Eeds of the disbelievers, it is sin upon sin. This is because it is Tashabbuh (imitation) of the disbelievers, and a type of Muwaalaat (loyalty) to them. And Allaah has prohibited the believers from imitation of them and having love or loyalty for them in His Mighty Book (Qur.aan). It is also confirmed from the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) that he said: " Whoever imitates a people is one of them." 'Eed al-Hubb (the celebration of Valentine's Day) comes under the category of what has been mentioned here, since it is one of the pagan Christian holidays. Hence it is not permissible for any Muslim, who believes in Allaah and the Last Day, to participate in it, approve of it, or congratulate (anyone on that occasion). On the contrary, it is obligatory to abandon it and stay far away from it - in response to Allaah and His Messenger, and to distance oneself from the anger of Allaah and His punishment. Additionally, it is forbidden for a Muslim to assist or help in this Valentine's Day, or any other of the forbidden/illegal celebrations in any way whatsoever - whether by food or drink, selling or buying, production, gift-giving, correspondence, announcements, etc. All of these things are considered as co-operating in sin and transgression and disobedience of Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah, the Glorious and Most High, says: "... and co-operate with one another in righteousness and piety, and do not co-operate in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah! Verily Allaah is severe in punishment," [soorah al-Maa.idah, Aayah 2] Likewise, it is obligatory for every Muslim to adhere strictly to the Qur'aan and Sunnah in every situation - especially in times of temptations and corruption. It is incumbent that he/she understand, be aware and be cautioned from falling into the deviations of those whom Allaah is angry with and those who are astray and the immoral people who have no fear of punishment - nor hope of reward - from Allaah, and who give no attention at all to Islaam. It is necessary for the Muslim to flee to Allaah, the Most High, seeking His Hidaayah (Guidance) and Thabaat (Firmness) upon the Path. Verily, there is no Guide except Allaah, and no One Who can Grant Firmness except Him. Prepared by AL-Islaah Publications ( www.everymuslim.com ) from sources: 1. Al- Balagh 2. Fatwa-on-line 3. The Catholic Encyclopedia 4. Catholic Online Saints. 5. http://www.lovestories.com/cupid/history.htm, the History Channel, and wilstar.com and the video Holiday Myths. 6. Soundvision.com Courtesy: www.everymuslim.com AL-ISLAAH PUBLICATIONS

the attention they were seeking has certainly worked, even on Somalis,,,,,, who gives a damn!!!!!!!! :rolleyes:

^^^since when did u become an expert on footy??? do u know the offside rule?

Man Utd 2-3 Middlesbrough Liverpool 2-1 Man City

^^^any idea of the company's name?

I hope she gets better lol, its not real sis, its just a show,,,,,,,, Rocko says: what about ER? maaan i love that show 4 some reason , now thats a good show, managed to catch it last week and was surprised to see Mikie Phifer running the joint,,,,from Clockers to ER, thats good going

^^^mizz unique into cricket? lol at Paki team, hopefully it will be a good test with no probs off the field of play, it will be a case of bowlers vs batters, Rahul Dravid will be the man,,,,,

its too close to call between Mali n Morroco lol, now that must go down as the quote of the year,,,,,,,,, maan i was with Nigeria until that fu fu took his shirt off after the penalty which read 100% Jesus, forget the fu fus, i switched sides half way into penalties,,,,,, An carab claiming to be the king of africa in footballing terms??????maan thats hard to swollow :mad:

i did see it all, it was just propaganda, the disturbing images, dramatic music etc etc interesting to see how the minds of these 'superior' westerners can be moulded to form a negative image about islam,,,,,

one man team aint they???

This is my favourite bit of the report: After 10 minutes there was a slight numbing of the gums. After 15, Mark started jabbering loudly. At 25 minutes we were laughing uproariously. After 45 minutes, Ethiopia's troubles had slipped away and a sense of wellbeing, alertness, euphoria and lucidity took over. Over the next three hours we could report heightened senses, ideas flowing, periods of great calmness, interspersed with spells of reflection and analysis - like, why can't British charities develop a line of fair trade chat chewing gum, and turn round Ethiopia's economy?

The Premiership- sat 10.30 pm- quality programming

^^to u bro FREE, anaa ku-qaadeya!, as yr going away soon

darn aussie, always seem to do it :mad: how long has it been since you played cricket BTW lol, time flies ,,,,

Asalaamacalaykum Nur, yr posts have been very benificial indeed, jazakallahukheara saxiib and please carry on with yr work/time and effort in educating us,,,,,,really appreaciate it. Nur: falling down as the peak is narrow difficult to keep balance dont put pressure onto yr self, i know how serious u are, but plz dont pressure yrself,,,,,,

^^^lol@ameenah, me---asian, yuk only asian i fancy is a lamb bunya with chutney and 4 chapatis D&D: News and sports kulahaa...boring sod! lol, life is more peaceful when yr boring,,,, Ameenah on D&D: from demolishing fast food restaurants to throwing paint at politicians. i'm sure i've seen yr face in the Evening Standard - 'wanted' section, £1000 reward, tempting,,,,,,,

Please read this very isightful article..... Chew on this As the government considers banning qat, Alok Jha exclusively reveals new research on the drug Alok Jha Wednesday February 04 2004 The Guardian There are no signs outside the house, nothing to make it stand out on the rundown north London high street. Soft voices drift out from behind the faded black door. Inside, a man wearing a dishevelled beige suit stops whatever it is he has been doing and asks if he can help. We are hoping to buy some of his product. He pauses for a heartbeat and turns to pull out a box from beneath some plastic covers at the back of the room. "How much?" he asks, handing me a sample bundle of leafy twigs wrapped in a moist banana leaf. This is qat. And it's perfectly legal - for now. Qat has been used for centuries in countries such as Yemen, Ethiopia and Somalia to enhance relaxation or even to lubricate social gatherings. It is increasingly popular in Britain and is seen as a relatively safe high; an alternative to the west's favourite drug, alcohol. But new research on the plant, seen by Life, could taint this cosy image. It shows that qat's main psychoactive ingredients, cathinone (which is almost identical in chemical terms to amphetamine) and cathine (much less potent) might not be alone in causing the plant's buzz. There could be dozens more chemicals involved and no one knows what long-term effects they could have on the brain. The government's Advisory Council on the Monitoring of Drugs is considering possible classification later this year amid concerns from doctors and counsellors that qat is at the heart of increasing psychological problems and a breakdown in social relations in communities that use it. In the United States, Canada and most of Europe, qat (also known as chat, jaad, or khat) is illegal; penalties for trafficking or dealing it are equivalent to those given out for cocaine or heroin. In the UK, I managed to buy it for £3 a bundle without much difficulty. Qat is an evergreen shrub that grows naturally on the mountain sides of many parts of Africa. In Ethiopia, Yemen and Kenya the plant is cultivated and several tons a week are bundled up for export; the majority ends up in Britain for use by the Somali community. Around 90% of Somali men in Britain are thought to chew the plant. The biggest population of chewers is in Yemen, where the plant is used as a social stimulant. Peter Houghton, a professor of pharmacognosy at King's College, has been studying the chemical constitution of qat for over four years. "We're still not very sure what is actually happening when people chew qat," he says. In the first meeting of its kind in the UK, he decided to corral the latest scientific thinking. A group of chemists, pharmacologists, doctors and counsellors came together to share what they knew and what concerned them about the possible effects of qat. A report of the meeting will be published tomorrow in the Pharmaceutical Journal. Houghton had new research to share with the group: one of his students, Muna Ismail, had found a new class of psychoactive chemicals in qat. Known as cathedulins, Ismail had shown that these chemicals, like cathinone, make the brain release dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter chemical. Ismail presented her work to fellow scientists at a conference in Seattle last week; Houghton hopes to get a paper on her work published in a scientific journal as soon as possible, hopefully leading to further work on the cathedulins. "We do need to find out more about biological activity of these cathedulins because it adds another dimension to the analysis," says Houghton. "There need to be more medical surveys to see what adverse effects there might be and try to tease them out from other factors." Those abusing qat tend to be young Somali males who feel stranded in the UK."They've come from a war-torn area away from their families [and] with less support and constraints than a family environment would impose," says Elina Palazidou, a psychiatrist at St Clement's hospital in east London, and a seminar participant. According to the scientists, there are several potential results of excessive qat use. It raises tolerance to the chemicals in the plant and this, in turn, raises the user's blood pressure and risk of heart disease. Studies in Yemen showed that the incidence of heart at tacks among chewers was 49% higher than in non-chewers. Regular users had bad gum disease and a tendency to lose teeth and there is a high incidence of oesophageal and gastric cancers among users. The plant has also been linked to a reduction in sperm quality and impotency. There are also issues of hygiene. "Qat rooms are traditionally kept dark and hot - in Yemen and Ethiopia observers report that the windows are closed to keep the heat in as this is believed to raise the potency of the qat," says Axel Klein of Drugscope. "Tobacco smoke hangs in the air, qat leaves are placed on dirty carpets and chewed without washing; tea and water is drunk from cups that are not cleaned properly and, as some chat chewers have internal lesions in their mouths, infectious diseases can be passed on." Perhaps the biggest issue is what the plant is doing to users' heads."The main reason [qat's] causing concern is that quite a lot of people who chew qat regularly get psychotic episodes," says Houghton. "They can become agitated, aggressive and their psychotic state will worsen. Or they can become manic and reckless," says Palazidou. "While they're chewing qat they're aroused, they don't feel like sleeping, they're hyperactive and they may become psychotic. When the effects have worn off, they feel worn out, they are sleepy, they can be depressed and can even feel suicidal." The extreme psychological effects of qat abuse do not seem to mirror problems of cannabis use, where psychosis appears to develop only in those with a history of it. "The evidence available so far suggests that the majority of people who develop psychosis while taking qat had no previous history of mental illness and had no family history of mental illness," says Palazidou. It's not all bad. There has never been a record of an overdose due to qat use and there is no evidence of addiction to qat in the sense of physical withdrawal symptoms. "There is some evidence that there is psychological dependence in that it's been claimed that people do have cravings - they go out seeking qat," says Palazidou. "In smaller amounts, there may be very mild withdrawal symptoms like a bit of trembling sweating and feeling a bit euphoric. But people who consume larger amounts, they can have a more serious withdrawal state which can happen a few days after they stop chewing." The government has decided that the potential dangers of the narcotic plant need further examination. The Home Office's drugs and alcohol research unit began its own investigation late in 2003 and will report in the autumn. If they conclude that qat is dangerous, they may well recommend that it should be classified along with other illegal drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines, bringing UK law into line with the majority of western countries. But without a definitive smoking gun that links qat to any confirmed psychological or physical harm, making it illegal may be a step too far. "My view is that banning it would be counter-productive," says Houghton. "At the moment, it's restricted mainly among the Somali community and, although it does cause these problems, it's more a matter of educating people and getting them to tell the health professionals they're working with. Banning it _ would just make it a sort of attractive black market commodity," says Houghton. Whatever the public may think of qat, the plant is an integral part of everyday life in some communities. In a survey of Somali communities' attitudes to qat in 1997, 66% of respondents felt that it helped them maintain their cultural identity. A staggering 90% said they would rather their children chew qat than drink alcohol. The Home Office says that its decision will rest on one thing: whether research shows qat is harmful to human health. As scientists have just begun to demonstrate, however, finding a definitive answer will be far from easy. Getting high on the road to Addis It was going to be a long journey, perhaps 11 hours on stressful northern Ethiopian roads and tracks. My companion Mark and I had seen the shrub called qat - pronounced "chat" - growing widely in the fields but didn't think about it much for the first 100 miles. But curiosity got the better and when we saw an old man selling a huge bunch of fresh leaves, we could not resist. We handed over $2 and - to the hilarity of our driver - began chewing one leaf at a time, followed, it must be said, by three or four, and then handfuls. After 10 minutes there was a slight numbing of the gums. After 15, Mark started jabbering loudly. At 25 minutes we were laughing uproariously. After 45 minutes, Ethiopia's troubles had slipped away and a sense of wellbeing, alertness, euphoria and lucidity took over. Over the next three hours we could report heightened senses, ideas flowing, periods of great calmness, interspersed with spells of reflection and analysis - like, why can't British charities develop a line of fair trade chat chewing gum, and turn round Ethiopia's economy? In fact, Ethiopia does pretty well out of qat. The seedless plant which best grows at 3-6,000 feet above sea level is grown across vast areas as a cash crop and in economic terms is the country's fourth largest export. In upland regions such as Harange, it is the backbone of the economy, employing thousands of farmers, packers, harvesters and traders. Ethiopia is thought to have earned about $60 million from qat cultivation in 2000. It is a popular plant to grow, too. It resists drought, can be harvested throughout the year and suppresses appetite. It is also far more profitable than most traditional crops. Moreover, the trade, transport and price is - theoretically - regulated by the government with responsible producer associations, licensed exporters and traders making large, legal profits. The price is set through inter-governmental agreements, regional government is allowed to tax exports, and huge quantities are trucked to neighbouring Djibouti or flown to Yemen where more than 85% of the adults use it. But although overuse of the drug is condemned in Ethiopia and throughout the Middle East, it is widely recognised to be as important, socially, as coffee in the west. Users say that it has no criminality associated with it, and many people insist that it helps to create a friendly environment, even to help resolve disputes. Many Muslims use it during Ramadan because it reduces fatigue and hunger. Qat is also believed to have medicinal value, being used locally to treat influenza, gonorrhea and asthma. The west, however, is increasingly suspicious of the plant. This largely follows the botched US-led 1992 invasion of Somalia during which many troops used top-grade qat. The drug was blamed by the military for some of the well-documented mistakes made, and the US drug enforcement agency now classes its main active ingredient, cathinone, as a schedule 1 drug, on the same level as heroin and cocaine. Recently, it has been pressurising other countries to crack down on it. Since it was banned in Canada, a black market has opened, and the price has risen tenfold. But in Britain, qat is still legal and can be bought in many markets. However, the leaves available here are seldom fresh. This is important because the cathinone reverts to very mild cathine within 48 hours of the leaves being picked. Rather than a massive Ethiopian buzz, the British user is likely to get only a very mild hit. Although the World Health Organisation says that medical problems associated with qat are "infrequent", governments claim it is addictive and has a negative impact on communities. "People forget about their work commitments and spend hours chewing," regretted one Ethiopian official in London this week. As we discovered on that long road to Addis, the man is absolutely right. John Vidal Further reading Pharmacognosy department, King's College: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kis/schools/life_ sciences/health/pharmacy/resgrps/cogres.html All you need to know about qat: http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/soc/qat.htm Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited