Haven't seen any games yet (don't have the Channels). Where is it being held? Gabon?

JB, Redbull mixed with Ethiopian coffee and a bar of snickers isla cun. Does wonders Malika, Africa is indeed calling laakin I doubt you can handle West Africa. Stick to the friendly East Coast A break from the routine is needed

^why is that a happier note?

^more sleep than usual can do that. Yawns, stretching and lazy ba la noqdaa. Bal warama

I just hope they don't choose Ngonge for any future football punditry

There needs to be English media in SL/Somalia. Fed up of someone SHOUTING the news at me in Somali. English print media should be next.

^We're just realists. We SEE where things are going wrong. I told you a long time ago we lacked creativity and goals but you said Carroll (yes Carroll) will be our saviour. Even you're young one will tell you Carroll is a waste of 35m Bob, welcome back. Ma Thierry Henry ba meeshan kugu soo celiyay?

Archdemos;776573 wrote: The situation is Syria is extremely complex, its not simply a case of an uprising like Libya. there are more insidious outside elements at play here. Assad is no saint but he does have a point. It started out as a genuine rebellion (and it still is). However, it has taken a different turn of late. The elephant in the room being Sunni vs Shia. Trying to weaken the Iranian influence and breaking the Iran/Iraq/Syria/Lebanon geopolitical link is the aim of the game. Unfortunately for the people of Syria, they have to wait because of the pending, almost unavoidable war between the west/GCC and Iran.

An Arab take on being a foreigner/expat most of their lives. I'm sure many can relate. Far from our families' homes, we still yearn for one of our own 'Home is where the heart is." The saying may be universal, but a whole generation in the Middle East, if not two, is struggling to make this a reality. Regardless of gender, background and history, everyone eventually wants to settle down in their own home. And unlike past generations, a home may not necessarily be where you were born or where you have spent a majority of your life. It has actually become difficult to define a home for many expatriates, particularly for Arabs who live and work across the region. The other day I was tagging along with friends of mine, a Syrian-Lebanese family with young children that has just moved here as their home countries sink further towards conflict and instability. Syria's conflict is obvious and bloody, while in Lebanon a subtle uncertainty has persisted for decades. It was no surprise to hear of the building collapse in Beirut earlier this week, which killed at least 24 people and was blamed on corruption and poor maintenance. These parents were house hunting, and struggling with the question of whether to buy or rent. Either way will be expensive. They are lucky since their families are well off, they both work and have savings, and so they can afford the expense. For single people like myself, it is close to impossible to be able to afford to buy a home, and so we waste more money paying rent. Trust me, it is an awful feeling. While many of us have old family homes in countries in the Levant, for example, these houses are scarred by war and we can't see ourselves going back anytime soon. The Arab Spring actually made this problem worse. My friends' parents grew up in the Gulf, and they both felt like they were repeating the story of their parents with the decision to move back here with their own children. But expatriates always face a different experience. "I don't want them to feel homeless like we did," a friend of mine, and mother of three, recently said. "Even if we love a particular city in the Gulf with all our hearts, we can't call it home as it ends with our visas." Arabs of the Levant and North Africa have struggled with stability throughout different periods of history, and migrated across the world for different reasons. An estimated 20 million people of Arab origin live in Latin America, seven million in Brazil alone. The majority are Arab Christians whose families migrated in the early 1900s to escape Ottoman rule. Of those who moved to the Gulf in the 1960s and 1970s during the oil and construction boom, some are still trying to find their place. Speaking from experience, my own parents love Saudi Arabia and can't imagine leaving after so many decades spent there. I could write a book about the number of times they have tried to buy a home, but each time it fell through on a legal technicality, or they were duped, or for any number of reasons. Many others have incurred the same great financial costs and emotional pain. My parents are too old to start anew, and where could they go? As far back as I go in our family tree, I see a history of loss and dislocation as family members have tried to find a home. I am sure it is the case in many old Arab families. During our recent house hunting, we visited an old traditional Emirati home that was available for rent. The house needed a lot of maintenance, but the grounds were large and green, almost like a big oasis farm. Beautiful. We were standing in awe as the Emirati owner told us that he and his family were moving to a newer house. As we stood on this beautiful property, each of us looked around, and for our different reasons, all three of us 30-something adults had tears in our eyes. We didn't need to say anything. The owner just looked at us and understood, saying: "Sorry, sometimes we need to be reminded of how lucky we are." My friends are relatively well-off, and in the end they will be able to buy or rent a home, if not necessarily the one of their dreams. But for many Arabs, a home of our own remains just a heartfelt desire. http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/far-from-our-families-homes-we-still-yearn-for-one-of-our-own Do you feel at home?

Is that the full text? Everything? Or is there more?

MashaAllah. A great development. Striking oil is one thing but refining it and getting it to shore is quite another. Are their any details on the agreement between Horn and Puntland/Somalia? ps such news doesn't need to be littered with statements of hate

^That was quick Sounds like you've picked up the UAE driving habits Just pay it off before it's due for registeration.

What were you looking for? No Snooker World for me for months

47

:D

^He would make a good politician. He has reached the age threshold now I think

Ninyow I'm scratching my head at whats going on.

If the government isn't going to stick with the rule of law and due process, why expect the free media to? This is HCTV and it's owner's birthday, eid and may 18 all rolled into one.

NGONGE;774867 wrote: ^^ A little Italian club called Napoli would disagree with that statement of yours. Go check how successful they were before the little genius walked through their doors. To me, the greatness of a player revolves around his ability to influence and lead an entire team (a skill that little Messi lacks). Maradona, Zidane & Haji had that rare trait (along with all the other skills). Napoli won two Scudettos, a Cup and the UEFA Cup when he was there. Thats quite good actually my bad. The best player can only be a midfielder. Strikers score but do little else.

Garnaqsi;775022 wrote: I think this is bit more personal than a fair description of neotribalism. Heh

Dear Somaliland, Not in my name. Yours Norf

Recently discovered one in the local mall, Not sure what the fuss is all about though. Costa Coffee, the small Ethiopian joint near my old office or a cup of Turkish coffee at the local cafe ayaa la qaatay.

Very difficult to choose. What makes a player? Can you put a modern day player with Pele or Maradona or Cruyff? Different eras will have different top players. On what basis are you to make a selection? Most goals? Most medals? Most influence at both club and international level or just at club level? In the previous era it would be: 1. Maradona 2. Pele 3. Cruyff Club football wasn't as big in those days and the above three are there mainly on their performances at international level. Maradona was a great player but he didn't win much at club level. Pele didn't play in Europe. Cryuff achieved more with Ajax than Holland but they should have won against the Ze Germans in '74. Personally, I have chosen players I have watched and who have been very influencial for both club AND country for a period of time. 1. Zidane (Le Maitre) 2. Ronaldhihno (O Genio) 3. Roberto Baggio (La coda di cavallo)

^ I had a feeling we would (and stayed up for the game)

NGONGE;773370 wrote: ^^ Not heresay. I am reporting facts. Germany recently arrested a guy transporting 1.7 tons of Khat through their borders (that's just one man). Sweden (which does not share a border with Holland) reported a guy crashing his car in a high speed chase with custom officials who was carrying at least 200 kilograms of the stuff ( http://www.thelocal.se/38234/20111230/ ). People still chew in Norway, even though it's banned. It's all to do with the open borders between European countries (with random customs checks every now and then). The supply is not likely to dry out, saaxib. Wax fahan. Still, this ban in Holland (a country that considers weed legal) is going to criminalise lots of people and the cose of Khat for these junkies is only going to increase by mere euroes rather than hundreds. In addition, because of the amount of money that Kenya makes from the export of Khat, Air Kenya is not likely to think twice about starting direct flights to Lisbon, Prague or Athens. Marka where would that leave it all? What did the ban achieve, a moral victory? Wax fahan. You do come across facts rather conveniently. You have established as FACT that the supply of qaad has not dropped in Sweden from a news report stating a man was 'caught' with the stuff at the border. The report doesn't mention anything about the level of availability before and after the ban but hey who cares? The rest of that post is neither here nor there. Ma Somaalaa jooga Lisbon iyo Prague? Sayid, that is exactly what I'm saying. Ngonge pretends the consequences of a ban can be, in an illogical way, worse than the current situation. He is yet to give us a clear, coherent argument why he feels this way. He keeps going on about a ban not having a major effect by using Europe's open borders as an example (without proof) but then tells us he learned the UK was an island seperate from the rest of europe (which has a much more stringent border policy).