^^ It does not matter anymore. That mad Spaniard will not probably last the year. In fact, there were reports yesterday that he already left the club!

^^ It was a dream, dear.

^^ You agree with this rubbish?

You know, this site used to have its fair share of feminists but it seems they all calmed down now or were faking it to start with. How in the world did nobody pick on the misogynistic, sexist and misanthropist strand that was obviously evident in that dream of mine? Serenity, I had that Faantax all my life and only ever heard it referred to as Fanax by people from the south. Are you sure you are what you claim to be? Ps Let's elope together. PPS LayZie, Le amo tambien, el querido.

^^ He's either always been bad but hid it well or he's been good, saaxib. If bad, this is the mistake that will finally expose him. But, if good, then it sounds like he's not a typical Somali and rather thinks he can make a change by being part of the TFG rather than shouting from the sidelines! At any rate, no point in speculating too much now, Horn chose the best position.

It was time for deserts and I was have hoping that Serenity would jump into my plate. Of course it was a small space and her arms and feet would stick out a little but it would have been a lip-smacking desert nonetheless. There were various tasty types of deserts on the menu but all my Somali companions reverted to type and ordered TEA instead! In fact, there was something erotically moving about hearing Serenity ordering Earl Gray tea, if only she had asked for Darjeeling with that Indian lilt of hers, eh! I, of course, ordered something sweet. I think it was some sort of ice cream. Still. Over tea, the conversation started to get more sombre and people began to have a debate about Islam, Aids, Somalia and the banning of some unruly member of SOL! I was almost ready to join in and present them with my hate list. But I feared they would consider it as some sort of one-gunmanship and decided to keep my opinions to myself. The boys were adamant that this member should be banned. The girls were more sympathetic and tried to clutch as straws by attempting to present him in a better light (yes he was male, cringe and tremble boys). Meanwhile, Val pretended to look interested whilst staring straight ahead at the window opposite her. She suddenly had a contented smile on her face, I think she saw her own reflection! Amidst all the hubbub, a manly voice rose above the crowd. It was the kind of voice that instantly attains attention. The first few words were incomprehensible I think I heard him trail off with the words ‘will be banned’! Yes, this was the lion molester speaking and it seems that the boys convinced him of their point of view. I blame the girls for this. They should have got Val out of her reverie and into the argument. Her substantial intellectual weight, not to mention those delectable eyelashes would have surly won the day. Instead, they relied on some forgotten girl’s shrieks to make some sense and convince grown men of a nonexistent argument! Have you ever found yourself yawning in a dream? I did. I’m happy to report that this was not the result of boredom or indifference. I rather think my initial tiredness followed me into the dream itself. It was a long night after all and here I was, at half past ten, still sitting in this restaurant and trying to pay attention to more than half a dozen people all speaking at the same time. I wearily looked across at my former neighbour and had a strange image of her biting into a fried mouse! She gave me a look as if to ask if everything was ok but I simply smiled back and nodded my head. Val was now fidgeting with her hijab-come-shawl! Nino was now regaling us with his fondness for tabloid newspapers. The girls were aghast at his choice of reading material but it still didn’t stop them from simpering away like some hungry hyenas! His reasoning was so persuasive that I have no doubt at all that the next morning’s circulation of The Sun newspapers would have increased by at least six more new readers (I’m already an avid fan). The bill arrived and everyone started to search their pockets, bags and wallets. My former neighbour had a beautifully shiny bag, which I remember now that I forgot to congratulate her on, even though I had the opportunity to do so on the three occasions that I managed to kick it when it was under my feet. She opened it to get her money out and I could swear I glanced a laminated photo of some famous Somali singer. I think it was Aways Khamiis! I am too much of a gentleman to assume that Val spent those five minutes stroking her hard earned cash before she finally brought it out and put it on the table. I now strongly believe she has a baby gerbil living inside her bag. It just can’t be the money, nobody looks at money in that tender and loving way! We all paid and started to shuffle out of the restaurant. Once we were outside, the argument began as to the best and quickest way home. The forgotten girl, my former neighbour, Nino and Adonis had no idea where the train station was! The same train station they used when they arrived at the restaurant might I add. This is when Serenity finally stood tall, took the high ground and, for once, managed to look down at the majority of the people in that crowd and pointed the correct direction for the rest of us to follow. Val went back to fiddling with her shawl! We got to the station and, after working out our various destinations, we all said goodbye and went our separate ways. I took a train with my former neighbour, Adonis and the forgotten girl. Only when I was in the train did I finally recognise this forgotten girl! I am dying to reveal who she is but some gut instinct compels me to take that secret to my grave. Besides, I’ve always believed that keeping secrets is one of the most life prolonging natural remedies in life. It is not my habit to describe the physical traits of people, unless they’re important to the plot like in the case of Serenity. But, now, I am going to break with tradition and describe this forgotten girl to you. Should you happen to recognise her from the description I will take no responsibility nor will I admit any guilt. Well, how should I begin? She was the same highet as Serenity (though Serenity was in heel of course). She was petite, pretty in an unusual way; one that says 'you’re allowed one look, look again and I’ll slit your throat, mate'. However, the most impressive thing about this forgotten girl were her teeth. They were as red as a baboons bottom! As I was sat opposite her on the train, I was actually thinking to myself; either this girl has fully embraced the concept of cultural integration and is now a happy addict of the famous Bangladeshi Paan or, she’s developed a mouth ulcer from years of alcohol abuse! It couldn’t be the latter so I settled on the former. Adonis got out after a few stops. My former neighbour followed a couple of stops later and I was left with the red teeth girl for another five stops. She, at last, reached her stop and left too. When I finally got home at midnight, my wife told me that I was late. I am not that late, I told her, it’s only midnight. It is not midnight, she said, it is six thirty in the morning and you need to wake up to go to work!

If he's as 'good' as the reports say I don't think we'll have to wait long to find out. The benefit of the doubt position is NOT a wrong one to have.

^^ Where to though? While Darfur's displaced can rely on the largest humanitarian operation in the world, those lining the road to Afgoye can only sit and wait. Rampant insecurity has made Somalia one of the most difficult places in the world to deliver aid. Roadblocks established by clan militias charge up to $US400 ($A460) per truck. Aid workers have been targeted by both government and insurgent forces. Few international aid agencies are prepared to send foreigners to Somalia — the UN employs just 65 non-Somalis in the south and central districts.

The main meal arrived and I was looking forward to tucking into my duck. I had never before tried eating duck and my former neighbour agreed that it was a good idea to try. She ordered the lamb for herself. The rest (apart from Val who copied every move I made) had very ordinary meals. My duck turned out to be made of rubber and I didn't enjoy it much. But my former neighbour had the best lamb ever! She generously offered to share her lamb with me and I duly obliged. Meanwhile, Nino Brown was still having a heated discussion with the forgotten girl about spiritual matters. Like the great mystic healer that he was, he had a great way with words and managed to breakdown complex issues and concepts into small bite size trivialities. The forgotten girl was arguing back with all her powers. Every time she spoke, I found myself laughing loudly. Bad old Nino Brown had her beat but she didn't realise it and seemed to have this strange idea that the louder your voice is, the stronger your argument! Ordinarily, I find the company of silent people irritating and uncomfortable. But, in my dream, LST's silence was soothing and reassuring. After all, I already had to contend with Adonis's unpredictable limbs, the forgotten girl's loud shrieks, Nino Brown's sarcastic wisdom, Serenity's preoccupation, Val's loopy glances and my former neighbour's incomprehensible anecdotes. LST's wise silence and occasional pearls of wisdom helped bolster my fading thought that all was still well with the world. For some reason or other, the conversation between the forgotten girl and Nino halted for a few seconds and everyone was fascinatingly looking at Adonis! It seems that he ordered some rat eggs and was pleading with Val to have a taste. Though she's obviously a hippy and, in the normal course of things, would be interested in all things organic, she politely declined the offer. I doubt if it had anything to do with disgust or revulsion; the woman has a face (pretty though it is) that would munch on solid rocks for a snack. After attempting to flog his rat eggs to the entire table, Adonis finally found a suitable volunteer. Two minutes later, the forgotten girl was seen running towards the toilets with her hand on her mouth! The evening was slowly drawing to a close and most of us had already finished eating our meals but things were not over yet... (I wrote this half an hour ago but was distracted by my suicidal co-worker..)

Eight hours a day, Lily. But when you cross my mind, I get no sleep at all, darling.

^^ I just wrote a synopsis of it in PM to someone! Are your ears pricking you? Want to read it? Anyway, time I got on with finishing the dream. Wont be a minute.

^^ I think she is and she will. ps Will finish the story after lunch. Now I have to go get me some shiisha to clear my head. This woman truly spoilt my morning.

I didn't. I was planning to do so this morning but the people here hardly gave me the chance to do so. Actually, you may be able to help me here. A colleague of mine came to me first thing this morning and gave me a sealed envelope. She said there is another addressed envelope inside this plain one. She wanted me to promise to only open the envelope if something happens to her! Now I have the envelope on my desk and the burden of aiding and abetting a suicidal maniac in my bosom. What should I do?

^^^

^^ Go to sleep.

Heh. Fancy me having a wet dream that contains Caano Geel! Still, come to think of it, I was impressed by how handsome the young men in the dream all were. I was just about to write the final part of this but I've been distracted by the little fight taking place here! Girls, girls (and boys, if you must eavesdrop), it is impossible to define humour. What I find funny the entire rest of the world may not agree with. A case in point is a joke that my seven-year-old nephew once told me. He was so excited when he was about to tell it and swore that it was the funniest joke ever. He took a deep breath and proceeded to tell it. It went a something like this: "This man was running yeah, and he was running and running really fast then he fell"! I accept and appreciate that most of you will not find it funny even if I explained it a million times but I laughed my head off when I heard it for the first time. Maybe it was the build up, maybe it was the anticipation of a good joke and maybe it was the disappointment that it ended so abruptly. But I truly found that joke funny and still do to this day. Of course, you're within your rights not to find a joke funny or share the same sense of humour with someone else but it would be wrong to assume that just because you don't find something funny the rest of the world would also agree. Some people enjoy toilet humour (yours truly). Some enjoy childish humour (me again). Some enjoy complex jokes (I sometimes do) and some enjoy the kinds of jokes only someone on heavy drugs would invent (guilty as charged). It does not necessarily follow that all people will like all jokes. I find rudy very very funny but many on this site don't share my view. I think Tuujiye has great moments of inspiration and a sharp sense of humour but many others don't agree. I even find myself chuckling loudly at some of Duke's occasional tricks (and here I'm certain that many miss the joke). Sometimes there may be a need to have a similar background to the person telling the joke in order to see the funny side. When I lampooned the London Rude Boys in that old thread about a thug's tale I was sure that most of those living in London would get the joke. They have met and come across many such kids and quickly understood the references and the slang. I didn't think our friends in North America would have got the joke. However, had I made that boy speak in Ebonics rather than his mixture of Jamaican and London slang I am sure I would have had many of them on board. Likewise with Tuujiye and his bajaq-filled crusades. His ciyal-xaafad get the references, the jokes and subtle undertones. The rest probably don't. But what does it matter as long as one person gets the message. I am sure that he and anyone else on here that employ humour in their post only do it to entertain everyone but, mostly importantly, they do it to entertain themselves first. Go easy on each other girls and don't squabble over humour. But if you must squabble I am sure you'll find many topics in the Politics section where you can have a sensible disagreement. Ps LayZie what's this business of "supposedly married man"? Are we looking for confirmation? ** wink wink, nudge nudge **

He was a giant of a man. Softly spoken and with a penchant for Page Three Girls! In my dream, he came across as some sort of witch doctor or mystic healer. He actually had the prerequisite beard for such a fancy occupation. Beneath the beard and the funky hair though, one could easily see those tiny piercing eyes that could see right through one's soul. At first, my former neighbour received the full attention of the mystic man, and she gave as good as she got. But then, and with typical grace, Serenity entered the fray and started to argue with Mr Brown about some inconsequential topics! I was not paying attention to the conversation itself but rather was taken by the saucy flirtation that was taking place. The faces were of course stern, the words harsh but the eyes were most definitely smiling! Whilst all this was going on (or maybe before), a former Arsenal striker sneaked in and, in the most understated way, sat himself down. I was flabbergasted but nobody else seemed to pay too much attention! It was as if having former Arsenal strikers at their dinner table was a normal thing for them. Still, like everything in this dream of mine, Thierry started smiling at me and telling me that he always wanted me banned from SOL! I do hope he doesn't have the same ideas in real life. This dream was getting a little overcrowded and I was finding it hard to keep up. I even noticed that ten minutes had passed since the last time I glanced Val's way. But the pace of the damn thing was not letting up a jot. Several waiters appeared from nowhere and a collection of menus was shoved in our faces. It was time to order our food. It is a sad state of affairs when one can't present Somalis in a good light even in a dream. But, deprived of our usual diet of rice and meat, it seemed that everyone struggled to choose a proper starter or meal. The discussion ceased and we were all lost in our separate menus trying to understand the fancy names therein. This is when my former neighbour came to her own. Being the travelling gypsy that she always was, she didn't have much trouble in working out what each dish was. But, being the woman that she is, she still struggled to decide what dish to choose. I gently prodded her and softly guided her to some delicious looking dishes in that menu and she, bless her soul, finally decided to make the order for both of us. It gave me great satisfaction to think that she went away believing those choices were really hers and that my masterful guidance had nothing to do with it! The speed at which this dream was moving meant that I don't even remember what the starter was. I believe it was some sort of chicken but, if pushed, I can't honestly confirm this hunch of mine. Myself and my former neighbour (who as you all know now, was my current neighbour at that table) made good work of the starter and finished it in no time. During our total demolition of that tasty but easily forgotten starter, I quietly realised that Val was still pinning for me! It was as if we were telepathic. I mean the girl not only ordered the same starter as me, she ordered the same main meal as well! Just as we were all tucking into our starters, a bumbling Adonis of a man staggered in. This was yet another character from SOL! He was tall (ish), he was handsome and he was extremely clumsy. It was not that he was overweight or excessively lanky but, still, there was something amiss about his coordination. Though the limbs were in proportion, they still were all over the place. At that point, I wanted to ask Nino the healer to diagnose the problem but he was busy arguing with the forgotten girl about some spiritual matters. We, by now, had the full complement of SOLERS and I was told by Serenity that no new people were expected. I didn't believe her of course. This was a dream and in dreams anything can happen. Still, just before my meal arrived, I had a quick scan around the table to see the various faces again and suss them out. To my right sat Thierry, to my left sat my former neighbour followed by Serenity with the forgotten girl to her left and the bumbling Adonis right at the end (it turns out that this man was Caano Geel)! Every time Adonis moved on his end of the long seat we were sat on I felt myself flying from my end. Facing me sat the healer, the lion molester, emperor and Val. As you can see, there was something amiss about the distribution of males and females on that table. All the girls, even the forgotten shadow seemed to be sitting on my side. Only Val resisted the urge to jump into my lap! I suggested that people should swap places but my plea was drowned in the spiritual argument between Nino and the forgotten girl! This dream was getting weirder by the minute yet more weirdness is still to come. (I have to go do some work for a bit now).

Have you ever had a dream when everything was going smoothly and lay Angelina Jolie down into your arms (or Brad Pitt, girls) and just as you were about to kiss him/her their face change and you find yourself attempting to kiss the owner of your local corner shop? Or how about a dream where you're happily playing double-dutch when unexpectedly the rope transforms into a giant snake that envelops you and attempts to eat you! As I was sat there with Serenity and Val, my eye caught the pretty waitress gliding by. I kept looking at her and noticed that she was walking towards us. The more steps she took, the quicker her figure started to change. By the time she was towering above us her face took the form of a girl I knew! It was my former neighbour. What was she doing in this dream of mine? I have not seen her for years! This is even worse than Mr Patel and his greasy hair taking Angelina's place. But this was a dream and the main rule of dreams is that one should always go with the flow. Another quick tilt of the head at Serenity and I was informed that my former neighbour is none other than our very own Scheherazade! How weird are dreams, eh? Man hating, angry, opinionated and rabid feminist Scheherazade taking on the form of my gentle, sweet, timid and peaceful former neighbour was the weirdest bit in a dream that I ever had. But there she was and I had no choice but to get on with things. Things of course were starting to get a bit more difficult now. Instead of attempting to charm Serenity and keep Val interested, I now also had to be wary of my former neighbour (or Scheherazade as most of you call her). Instead of talking non-stop I chose to sit there silently and allow each girl to makeup her own mind about me without me running the risk of ruining everything with a misplaced remark or wrong gesture. My strategy worked a treat and I noticed that even my former neighbour was checking me out now! Whoosh! The dream started to get all funky and bizarre. In walked two men and a woman. This was going to be one odd dream. For these two men were not Castro and Xiin, or Baashi and Sheekajaceelka or even rudy and northerner! No, that would have been too sensible in this outlandish dream I was having. The two men turned out to be LST and Emperor! Yes, I can hear your collective ‘wtf’! And, yes, I agree that one usually dreams of those that are fresh in one’s mind or have left a recent strong impression. Neither of these two had done so in the last few months. In fact, they’ve hardly been on SOL. So why was I dreaming of them? Search me.. Someone pressed the fast-forward button and I found myself sitting at a table next to my former neighbour and facing the boys. I noticed that poor Val, unable to cope with my strong manly aura and gushing pheromones had decided to bite her tongue and sit as far from me as her weak heart would allow her. Serenity on the other hand, was dying to sit next to me but that evil woman in the form of my old neighbour sat between us like a wretched mother-in-law in a doomed Asian wedding. All I and Serenity were left with were a few stolen glances. I also noticed Val sighing every time she looked my way. But the weird thing that I only managed to recall now is the girl that sat next to Serenity. I can’t remember how she got there and who she was. All I know is that she came with the boys or at the same time as the boys, I’m not sure. I don’t think she was introduced to me but if she was and I forgot her already it’s safe to conclude that she was not the memorable kind. In fact, I can’t even remember what her face looked like. She was a typical dream character. Just a silhouette of a woman! I turned my attention away from the girls and looked at LST but found him to be as active in my dream as he is on SOL. He was, for all intents and purposes, regally quite. Emperor on the other hand was not quite at all. He was dividing his time between making eyes at Serenity and my former neighbour. I noted that the girls were saying unpleasant things about him with their tongues whilst their eyes were magically dancing. I contentedly smiled at this very subtle flirtation and threw Val a quick glance; she narrowed her eyes at me. I crinkled my nose at her. She raised one eyebrow. I winked. She frowned. I looked away. And that is when the dream suddenly started to quicken its pace. I don’t know how it happened but, suddenly, and out of nowhere I found myself facing Mr Wesley Snipes and a couple of his Cash Money Brothers. Who invited Nino Brown! (I'm off to lunch)

No North. Father Ted was a Roman Catholic too. Pope Benedict was his ultimate boss.

I didn't want to hijack your thread with a great eulogy, hippy.

quote: Originally posted by sheherazade: don't forget u made it through a dinner with a bunch of raving loonies. Congrats. Did you say a dinner party? What a delicious coincidence! Call me sad. Judge me as a social misfit. Consider me to have a purposeless life and an empty brain. But, first, let me explain this coincidence I am talking about! Last weekend, I did not get much sleep. My boy was ill and kept on vomiting all night. When he was not vomiting, he had high temperature and when that went down he had an upset stomach. In short, he kept me up with him all that weekend. But when he finally settled down on Sunday night I had time to catch up on some much needed sleep. I went to sleep at seven in the evening and was oblivious to the world for the next twelve hours. This, I know, still does not explain much to you but, trust me, what follows will. It has always been the case that when I go to sleep out of tiredness or just after I've had some cheese I often end up having some magnificently vivid dreams. This is where you and I see eye to eye. The dream I had was all about SOL and it went a little something like this: It was a dull, rainy and mundane Monday morning and I was sat in my office dreading a dull, possibly rainy and mundane meeting I had to go to when my phone suddenly started to ring! I picked it up and heard a soothing radio voice on the other end. It was a female voice. Though I had never heard that voice before in my life, I instantly recognised it as that of our dear Serenity! Her voice had a beautiful Indian lilt to it and she was brashly asking me to dinner! I could sense the shyness in her voice but also could feel the resoluteness of her request, no was not an option. As most people know, in real life, I am a retiring and shy family man but, in dreams, I am a shameless womaniser. This was an opportunity I could not refuse. So, with a touch of arrogance and a dash of self importance, I accepted the invitation and was looking forward to finally meeting luscious Serenity. She gave me the address of the restaurant and told me to be there at six thirty, on the dot. I went to my meeting and spent the next dull, rainy and mundane three hours of that dreary engagement thinking of Serenity and what she would look like! Will she be tall, will she be short, will she be dark, will she be light, will she be interesting or could she possibly be very boring? I could not contain my excitement and everyone in the meeting thought I was having a great time! At the appointed hour, I was stood outside the restaurant waiting for Serenity to arrive! Fifteen minutes later and I was still stood there waiting. It was raining, it was dull and it was mundane. Doubts of being jilted started to creep in but my Serenity would not do that to me, or would she? As I stood there wondering if she will ever come or if I should cut my losses and go home, I suddenly noticed a young lady with half her body almost hidden behind her umbrella pulling at my shirt sleeve! I think she was trying to shake my hand. I looked down but all I could see was the top of the brolly! I grunted something about not having any change on me when I suddenly heard that faimilar Indian lilt. It was Serenity, she came after all. I almost lifted her off the ground in a bear hug but, out of nowhere, I imagined a choir of SOL mullahs shouting ‘adeer xishood oo yarta dhig’! We went into the restaurant and waited to be shown to our seats. A waitress directed us to a lovely waiting area and offered us some drinks. When Serenity sat down opposite me I finally could look her in the eyes and, ooh, what eyes! We spoke about this and that whilst I strongly controlled my urge to hold her hand. I noticed that she was wearing high heels and quietly chuckled to myself about the unnecessary surplus to this perfection that is Serenity! Just as I was about to turn on the charm and have this pretty damsel eating out of my own hands, another walked in! I have never (prior to that night) met a Somali hippy before. But, in the dim lights of that restaurant, it felt as if the SUN just walked in! She floated in and kissed Serenity, nodded to me and sat down. She had an exquisite dress sense and though she wore some loud colours they were subtle enough not to distract from her beauty but, rather, compliment it. In short, she was utterly adorable and I found myself thinking that a miniature liking of her would look great on my key ring! I politely coughed and tilted my head at Serenity. Some of you here may think her thick, dim or even slow on the uptake but in my dream, Serenity was none of these things. She quickly worked out my subtle hint and proceeded to introduce me to Val! YES, the adorable hippy was Val (the only hippy to ever wear a hijab). We sat and talked about this and that again, and I thanked my lucky stars (and last night's cheese) for giving me this unique opportunity to have a chinwag with these pretty ladies. I was spoilt for choice. One minute, I'd longingly look at Serenity's face and immerse myself into the rhythmic waves of her soothing Indian lilt, and the next, I'd dive into Val's straight gaze and swim against the currents of that aloof Somali face. I was like a kid that was let loose in Disneyland and I didn't want this dream to end. But, sadly, from then on things started to get worse! (it's late and I need to get me some sleep. I shall continue the dream in the morning).

Did he prescribe a few prayers that the Somalis should whisper to save themselves from all this sin? A couple of Our Father? A hail Mary full of grace? Anyway, nuune looks like you watch too much Father Ted, saaxib. The Pope would have said it in latin In nomine Patris, et Filii,et Spiritus Sancti! He then would probably follow it up with something nice about Ethiopia

Aaah! Kipling does it best..... Have You News of my Boy Jack? "Have you news of my boy Jack?" Not this tide. "When d'you think that he'll come back?" Not with this wind blowing, and this tide. "Has any one else had word of him?" Not this tide. For what is sunk will hardly swim, Not with this wind blowing, and this tide. "Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?" None this tide, Nor any tide, Except he did not shame his kind - Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide. Then hold your head up all the more, This tide, And every tide; Because he was the son you bore, And gave to that wind blowing and that tide. Or better still... If any ask us why we died Tell them 'Because our fathers lied'.

^^ For me, the maths does not add up. I'd rather exhaust all other avenues before yielding to the certainty of war and death. It's not out of sentiment though. People die when they're meant to die but for those that are still alive one has to consider all the options that would prolong their lives. Pride, dignity, self-respect and national identity are empty slogans that I find despicable in these circumstances. But, of course, that's just me...

Originally posted by -: ^^^Seriously, whose side you are on? That's a question I've been asking myself for a while now and still can't choose a side. I can see the glaring faults on all sides and can't bring myself to excuse them. Therefore, I decided to base my judgments on the demands, reasons and ideas why each group chooses to be where it is. The TFG says it is using Ethiopian help to bring Somalia back. It claims that Ethiopia is not important in the long term and that it is simply a short-term necessity. As the article above and Castro's words imply, there is a possibility that more AU troops may arrive, which in turn will minimise the active Ethiopian involvement in Somalia! The majority of the opposition to the TFG is/was because of opposition to Ethiopia. If that country is out of the equation (or at least its involvement is diluted somewhat) it gives the TFG the chance to say that this was the plan all along. I dare not contradict them then! They'll milk this even more and brush aside all arguments relating to Ethiopian evil schemes for Somalia! Moreover, with no Ethiopian military presence in Somalia, Abdullahi Yusuf will be free to court any number of future suitors (i.e. deal directly with America, kiss Arab macawis or even suck on Chinese noodles). The Zenawi influence becomes debatable. Don't lose me just yet. Hang on to my coat tails, saaxib. I'm going in a straight line and my caravan of thought is ignoring all the barking dogs. Now, if this should happen and if Ethiopia is OUT, the Resistance (excluding the Shabaab) may have to eat their own words and come to the table of discussion. After all, their deafening opposition in the past was all to do with Ethiopia, was it not? Abdullah Yusuf will call their bluff by extending them the generous hand of reconciliation and asking them to come aboard and help in resurrecting their fallen country (or words to that effect). What will they do then? They've put all their eggs into the basket of Ethiopian evilness and should that Ethiopian excuse be removed they'll be well and truly stumped. Ah! But all this is pie in the sky I can sense you saying to yourself. Of course it is. This is Somalia, saaxib. Nothing ever sticks to obvious, expected and simple outcomes here. The minute Ethiopia leaves and other AU troops arrive, the opposition will probably change their tune and start protesting about non-Muslim soldiers being in Somalia or, if they're Muslim, they'll complain about foreign troops in general! The TFG on the other hand will refuse to sit down and talk to what it considers a bunch of terrorists, etc. An American senator once described the art of diplomacy as saying "good doggy" until you can find a rock big enough to bash the dog's head in! The TFG did this last year. They went to Sudan and other places to have discussions with the Courts. They bided their time and told the world about their readiness to talk. But the minute they got hold of that Ethiopian rock, they bashed the Courts' heads in. The Resistance (be it Courts, locals, Shabaab or whoever) are not playing the diplomacy game. Instead, they've turned into kamikaze dogs and are throwing themselves at that rock needlessly! Though I understand their desperation, frustration and the moral justification that threatens to be buried beneath all their other nonsense, I can't truthfully bring myself to cheer on the foolish methods they've chosen to employ. For if they take the fight to the enemy, the enemy WILL take the fight to them. When that happens (as we've seen) there is no point in wailing about civilians being killed and Ethiopian tanks trampling on women and children. The Resistance KNEW the consequences of their actions and must have understood that the Ethiopian soldiers and generals will have no qualms about blowing up entire neighbourhoods! I think a dreamy Nomad in here once referred to this as 'escalation'! I don't see the Resistance winning this war anytime soon. I find them a nuisance and distraction. I don't believe a word they say and, rather like most Somalis, I don't think they have a clue. On the other hand, I don't have much faith in the TFG and think they have been lucky with the calibre of opposition they face. It is this clueless opposition that gives them stature and allows them to seem bigger than what they are. I believed it last year and still believe it now. Left to its own devices the TFG will eat itself out. It was never a united entity and it is very unlikely that it will ever become one. You may not like this, but I reckon the Resistance should put down its arms and join the TFG. The best that could happen is that when the TFG starts to disintegrate, those former Resistance members with experience (though I fail to see any) could take the reigns and eventually run the country. If however, the TFG tricks those members of the Resistance at a later date and starts arresting them, executing them or even sending them to exile that's ok too. The Somalia that produced the Sayid, USC, SNM, ICU and many others could easily produce another Resistance movement. It will only mean that three-year-old Shukri will not have to die today but in ten, fifteen or thirty years time. Now do you know which side I am on? No? Me neither.