Jamster

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Posts posted by Jamster

  3. Posted

    Ibtisam! you seem to be out of this world darling. Dating someone (going out for a coffee) will provide one (if one is thoroughly perceptive) to comprehend one's generic desires. Ladies and to some extend chaps is easy to extract such an info-- asking the right questions should do the trick.

     

    So, how is your day going Ibs?

  10. Posted

    Come down dear; all is is gleaned from what you said. Though I am lazy and couldn't be bothered to read the whole thing, i was amused to come across your agreement in the idea that one can go out without with the opposite S** without indulging touchy feely-- or even a mere physical contact. Dear, god forbid Qalwa-- the state of being alone with another without the presence of male/female. The idea of free thrawling the streets of London, T.dot etc with a man whom you are attracted to (I am assuming you are other you wouldn't waste your precious time) is contrary to established principles of our faith.

     

    Now you do understand where I am coming from right? You should unless you are those "progressive, open-minded libertine" muslim.

  11. Posted

    The most acebric read for a long time. For those who take great pleasure in indulging scurrility; this my dear reader is your heaven.

    -----

     

     

    From : http://www.awdalnews.com/wmview.php?ArtID=8274

     

    Meles Zenawi may have finally tamed barbarian Somalis!

     

     

    According to Infoplease of January 2007, “Ethiopia with a population of 77 million is an extremely poor country with the great majority of its people engaged in subsistence farming and poor cultivation practices. And this coupled with frequent periods of drought; Ethiopia is chronically unable to feed its population and has to rely on massive food imports and international food handouts. In fact, the annual value of imports into Ethiopia is usually considerably higher than the value of its exports”.

     

    And according to WHO/UNICEF reports, of the 77 million Ethiopians, only 15% or 11.6 million live in Urban Areas of which some 85% or 9.9 million receive safe and sanitary water. The remaining 85% of the population, equivalent to 65.5 million live in Rural Areas. Unfortunately, only 11% of them or approximately 7.2 million receive safe and sanitary water. In total, that leaves some 60.0 million in both Rural and Urban areas without safe water.

     

    When it comes to sanitation, statistics are dismal too. For instance, of the approximately 11.6 million people who live in Urban Areas, only 19% or approximately 2.2 million receive sanitation and only 4% of those who live in Rural Areas, equivalent to 2.6 million receive sanitation. This leaves some 72.0 million of Ethiopians without sanitation though it has been proven that safe water and sanitation services are some of the primary and basic determinants of national health and hence development.

     

    Despite this, it is unfortunate that according to a recent British Report, “money flight from Ethiopia that ends in private accounts in Europe is unbelievably beyond imagination when Ethiopian national per capita is one of the lowest in the world.”

     

    On the political front, Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi has been in power since 1991 but has a poor record because in the recent elections held in his country, reports say Ethiopian security forces used live bullets on peaceful demonstrators killing 29 people and injuring hundreds. This was vehemently condemned worldwide. For instance, the European Union, the UN and the United States described it as “the savage attack of Ethiopian armed forces on unarmed civilians protesting against election fraud and asking only for election re-count/transparency”, condemning it.

     

    Moreover, it is reported that torture, wide spread fraud, oppression, intimidation and massive detentions were common in the country. These certainly cause immense political instability in that country; instability that is extremely worrisome.

     

    In addition, one can easily understand that the continuous high Ethiopian death rate, rampant diseases and debilitating poverty prevalent in country could and should be due to the economic woes of that nation. And certainly Meles administration’s misuse of funds, unnecessary wars, corruption and mismanagement are to blame!

     

    Is Meles The Milosovich Of Ethiopia Or A Messiah For The Horn Of Africa?

     

    Meles it seems, believes in “Greater Ethiopia”, one similar to Milosvich’s “Greater Serbia” of the nineties but one which within few years disintegrated into fiefdoms and tinny sub-states.

     

    For instance, according to world fact book 2006, Meles’s Ethiopia is divided into 14 ethnically-based Regions: (1) Addis Ababa, (2) Afar, (3) Amhara, (4) Benishangul, (5) Gambela, (6) Gurage-Hadiya-Kambata, (7) Harari, (8) Kefa, (9) Omo, (10) Oromo, (11) Sidama, (12) Somali, (13) Tigray and (14) Wolayta.

     

    On the other hand, in his conquest of Somalia in which Meles installed Machiavellians in power in poor civil-war-torn Somalia, his intentions seem to permanently wipe out Somalinimo and its barbaric clannish nightmares and hence come one step closer to realizing his dream of Greater Ethiopia… a Greater Ethiopia whose proponents had traditionally claimed to cover the whole Horn of Africa!

     

    And finally, in his devastating war with Eritrea over a tiny border town, Meles seems wanting to annex that nation again when on the other hand, in his frightening economic threats of tiny Djibouti, Meles probably plans to attack Guelleh next and do likewise.

     

    So, anyone who knows the history of the Horn of Africa, is easily tempted to believe that Meles’s behavior toward others seems reckless and dangerous in as much as it is when applied to ethnically diverse Ethiopia whose people have little to share. This should he choose it, is a disaster which is similar to that of Milosovich of Serbia, in which once great Yugoslavia disintegrated into statelets bent to destroy each other.

     

    However:

     

     

    Now that Meles had conquered uncivil Somalia and brought all its warlords down to their knees;

    Now that Meles had tamed barbarian medieval standard mullahs who tormented and terrorized the great bread winners (women) who, during the difficult times of Somalia, saved their children, and wiped them (mullahs) out of Somalia map if not out of the whole map of the Horn of Africa;

    Now that Meles had morally and militarily defeated Assias Afewerki of Eritrea;

    Now that Meles can terrorize Gueleh of tinny Djibouti any time;

    And now that Meles’s army can make daily incursions into poor Somaliland and pick anyone who dare speak, without any protest by the administration in Hargeisa.

    He (Meles) needs nothing more than to sit back, relax and instruct all birds to sing the song:

     

    Shimbiryohow heesaa! ….Heesaa, heesaa; heesa!

    Hees wamaagsan heesa, halkan soo fadhiista;

    Kaalayoo hortaydaa shimbirayohow heesaa!

     

    “Ow birds sing!

    Sing; sing; sing!

    Sing a sweet song, com on sit down here;

    Come, come, sit next to me and sing; birds sing!”

     

    And in short, like it or hate it, Meles is today “a Giant among the Dwarfs” in the whole Horn of Africa and thanks God, he has all the cards he could probably ever have in his right hand. It is up to him to play them; and playing them right or wrong, he has already certainly made history!

     

    (A) But, in my view, to capitalize on this, Meles has one of two choices to make: Meles can take the high stand of becoming the second living legend of Africa after Mandela. For instance, he can establish an atmosphere in which he starts a new beginning for the Horn of Africa people as a whole. One in which all forgive one another and forget the past and this is especially achievable now that he can instruct all others to listen or else….

     

    Furthermore, today, Meles has the chance to create an economic block for the Horn of Africa by establishing an economic Union of Horn Of Africa (UHA) ….a union in which all the nations concerned can prosper by freely but fairly making business and trade with one another, living in peace and harmony but at the same time respecting the territorial integrity of each other!

     

    And in doing this, he can persuade the Horn of Africa people understand that Ethiopia is the natural hinter land of Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland. While Somalia, Djibouti, Somaliland and Eritrea are the natural sea outlets of Ethiopia! And should Meles choose this, he will be Messiah of the Horn of Africa and lead the Horn of Africa people in general and Ethiopians and tormented Somalis in particular to see the sun shine so bright and beautiful!

     

    (B) Meles can try to re-ignite the centuries old colonial expansionist policy of Ethiopia hoping that through intimidation and subjugation he can conquer Eritrea, Somaliland, Djibouti and Somalia! And in choosing this, he can hope to achieve Ethiopia’s traditional territorial ambitions of annexing and ruling the whole Horn of Africa from Bali to Sidamo; from Kismayo to Benadir; from Bossasso to Berbera and Zeila; and from Djibouti to Asmara and Mossawa and hence realize Ethiopia’s dream of uniting Ethiopia or “The Lands of the Black People!”

     

    Conclusion:

     

    Despite the seemingly noble and lightning successes of Meles’s forces in ending the barbaric civil-war of Southern Somalia in which Meles has certainly scored high points, I believe Meles intends and seems to choose Plan B for the following reasons:

     

    Fact 1: Mr. Meles and his “liberation Front” drove Ethiopia’s strong man, Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, from power in 1991 and since then, Mr. Meles is in power but adamantly refuses to relinquish it come what may! So, Meles’s security forces opened live bullets on peaceful demonstrators killing 29 people and injuring hundreds in his last elections.

     

    Fact 2: Meles’s indifference to the suffering of his people whose daily bread is dependent on the handouts of the international community coupled with the continuous costly wars, rampant corruption and mismanagement all under his watch without any action on his part whatsoever, is a proof of his lack of any Patriotism let alone Regionalism!

     

    Fact 3: Meles’s blitzkrieg conquest of Somalia to install his power-hungry men in place and hence rule poor Southern Somalia without any plans for pull out is a proof of his grand agenda

     

    Fact 4: Meles’s devastating war with Eritrea over a tiny border town just to teach Issias Afewerki a lesson clearly indicates that he is restless dictator with probably the grand agenda of annexing Eritrea some day!

     

    Fact 5: Meles’s continuous frightening of tinny Djibouti with economic threats is a further proof of his inconceivable and malicious intentions!

     

    Fact 6: Meles’s continuous military incursions into the fledgling democracy of Somaliland to pick any “suspects” are further proof of his malicious aims!

     

    I hope my predictions prove me wrong, but, I believe that the Horn of Africa is in for a long haul!

     

    By Noah Arre

    noahark1382@yahoo.com

  17. Posted

    Sol has become the beacon and bonfire of our collective inspiration. Many have harvested delightful fruits for eternal pleasure.

     

    Friendships forged, love bonds made, and most of all cemented oftentimes our collective thoughts.

     

    May it continue to be a source of delight, charm and thoroughly inspire us all.

  18. Posted

    Originally posted by Nubia:

    I am aghast about the gibberish sprouted about career women by SOL male members who envisage themselves as educated individuals. Where do you deduce that career women are less worthy partners than stay home, cook and clean all day wives!

     

    Surely, spouses should be compatible thus one should seek a mate with similar goals and ambitions, a woman who is not afraid to voice her opinions, who can hold an intelligent conversation. Otherwise what a bore the relationship would be!

     

    A piece of advice lads, juggling a happy household and a successful career is not mutually exclusive as long as there is equal sharing between the spouses.

     

    Somali men should be proud to see their women striving for the best in life; you should support us just like we have been doing for centuries rather than debasing us at every opportunity.

     

    Khalaf, be afraid brother for it’s no longer unheard of a woman in her sixty to date or marry one half her age. I suggest that you familiarise yourself with the term toyboy, for you could become one!
    icon_razz.gif

    Aamin to that! standing ovation!!!!

     

    Give me intelligent, sweet, challenging and career minded lady any day of the week and I shall be merry for ever. But such a combination of admirable traits are rare to find these days.

  19. Posted

    The aid Industry: Is it the expedient tool of the New Colonialism?

    WardheerNews Editorial

    August 12, 2006

     

    European Christian missionaries and colonial legions, which invaded Africa, Asia and Latin America under the banner of spreading the gospel, fathered the current aid industry. Hence, the aid industry inherited the domineering, holier-than-thou attitude and paternalistic tradition of its ancestor.

     

    More recently, in the 1980s, at the height of the cold war, nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and Private voluntary Organizations (PVOs) become stronger at the expense of weakening states in many third world countries, and more so in Africa. What Governments used to do in the past was now within the sphere of influence of these organizations. Food rationing, healthcare and a host of services that had been in the hand of national governments in the past are now controlled and distributed by these aid agencies.

    However, wastefulness, inefficiency corruption, lack of accountability and transparency become the hallmark of international aid agencies as much as they have been under national governments. Some studies have documented that as much as 60% or more of the aid dollar goes to expatriates. As a result, Aid industry proved to be neither the solution to widespread underdevelopment in disadvantaged developing countries or cost-effective therapy.

     

    Historically, aid’s principal beneficiary has been none other than the monopolistic, incoherent and inherently corrupt and corrupting structure of the aid industry. Those who are “careerist compassionate class†of the aid agencies mandated for its management or mismanagement often manipulates international aid. Ironically enough, over the past half century aid has produced monsters galore; self-seeking coterie of sycophants and tottering bureaucrats whose usual bonanza of benefits include tax-free huge salaries, bonuses and perks.

     

    In his popular book Lords of Poverty: The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business (1989), Graham Hancock, a long time observer of the Horn of Africa region, has catalogued a long list of abuse and incompetence in the administration of international aid agencies. He aptly illustrated how international aid has indeed enlarged the coffers of the aid bureaucrats, while the plight of its intended beneficiaries continues to worsen.

     

    “Garnered and justified in the name of the destitute and the vulnerable, aid's main function in the past half-century has been to create and then entrench a powerful new class of rich and privileged people." [Pp. 192-3]1

     

    Currently, the aid industry constitutes over 100 western aid agencies and multitudes of offshoot cronies in the developing countries, which overlap with each other. Non-Government Organizations are neither completely altruistic nor apolitical. In Clashes of Civilizations, Samuel Huntington openly suggests to Western governments that these entities, plus World Bank and I.M.F. be utilized to further the goals of the West’s crusade against Islamic culture and/or against countries that refuse to kowtow to the West.

     

    That is why many of aid agencies give religious conversion priority over aidâ€. Many others are using the fashionable NGO façade for political, religious and other ulterior motives.

     

    The United Nations is beleaguered internally with unyielding bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. Over the past fifty years, the number of UN agencies proliferated exponentially. The mandates of many of the UN agencies overlap inherently. Plagued by political correctness and arcane machinations, empire-building has become the feature of its cumbersome bureaucratic bureaucracy. Hence, many of its deadwood pen pushers are “concerned about their personal benefits than the job they should be doingâ€.

     

    Undressing the round-bellied plutocrats of the aid industry who marshal herd of sacred cows and debunking the myth of the benevolent international humanitarian system, Hancock shows no mercy in divulging facts.

     

    "[A)t every level in the structure of almost all our most important aid-giving organizations, we have installed a tribe of highly paid men and women who are irredeemably out of touch with the day-to-day realities of the ... underdevelopment which they are supposed to be working to alleviate. The over-compensated aid bureaucrats demand -- and get -- a standard of living often far better than that which they could aspire to if they were working, for example, in industry or commerce in the home countries. At the same time, however, their achievements and performance are in no way subjected to the same exacting and competitive processes of evaluation that are considered normal in business. Precisely because their professional field is 'humanitarianism' rather than, say, 'sales', or 'production' or 'engineering', they are rarely required to demonstrate and validate their worth in quantitative, measurable ways. Surrounding themselves with the mystifying jargon of their trade, these lords of poverty are the druids of the modern era wielding enormous power that is accountable to no one." [pp.32-33]

     

    The captains of the aid industry are known to rejoice at the occurrence of devastating calamities and afflictions of fellow human beings that could bring about lucrative jobs or serve to prolong often unproductive employment contracts.

     

    Hancock further elucidates that "the ugly reality is that most poor people in most poor countries most of the time never receive or even make contact with aid in any tangible shape or form: whether it is present or absent, increased or decreased, are thus issues that are simply irrelevant to the ways is which they conduct their daily lives. After the multi-billion-dollar 'financial flows' involved have been shaken through the sieve of overpriced and irrelevant goods that must be bought in the donor countries, filtered again in the deep pockets of hundreds of thousands of foreign experts and aid agency staff, skimmed off by dishonest commission agents, and stolen by corrupt Ministers and Presidents, there is really very little left to go around. This little, furthermore, is then used thoughtlessly, or maliciously, or irresponsibly by those in power -- who have no mandate from the poor, who do not consult with them and who are utterly indifferent to their fate." [p.190]

     

    The international media often prompts donor attention and compassion by depicting the shocking manifestation of human suffering in crisis situations. Numerous international humanitarian interventions commonly triggered by famished pictures selectively televised by the big cameras, have however failed to address the causes while in essence have contributed towards the partial alleviation of the resultant symptoms.

     

    The compassion of the international community is often triggered by lean, emaciated and starving human beings distressed either by enormous natural calamities or by the sheer weight of human-made disasters, who are quite often displaced, dispossessed, traumatized and vulnerable.

     

    Whether in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Darfur or Indonesia, humanitarian interventions are naturally initiated with insufficient information, unreliable and inadequate data. At times, ground situations are distorted purposely or manipulated by the external intervener, its counterparts, host governments or the local interest groups. The manipulation of the aid assistance by a plethora of local and external players further compounds the complexity of the politics of the humanitarian aid.

     

    Some times, the humanitarian intervention itself generates hostilities, invites violence and rivalry. Resource competition among the interest groups or the local contestants or factions becomes heightened. Access to humanitarian resources or lack of it either empowers or undercuts the influence of the local contestants.

     

    Having had a well-timed photo opportunity with the needy and having made few brief field assessment visits, the all-knowing benevolent western aid “expert†would simply justify his/her feat in what would seem humane phraseology.

     

    Playing God, the self-proclaimed messiah of the aid industry, thus mumbles over the gourmet food and wine with what would read like this verse.

     

    Our task is clear, our purpose defined

    Our vision broad, our thought deep-seated;

    We are the angels of change.

    Though our language indistinct

    Clouded with nebulous jargons,

    Bombastic and ambiguous terms,

    We still understand the dialect of the masses.

    Though from different class; noble and hefty,

    Our heart bleeds for the poor,

    We are beacons of hope.

    With intellectual hegemony

    We alleviate poverty with stroke of a pen;

    Where there is despair, we bring hope.

    Our project is people-oriented

    We mix with the indigent

    Venture the world of uncertainties

    To issue the handouts

    For the sake of the poor!

     

    Our mission is short, our visit sharp

    A perfect sightseeing excursion.

    Our assessment brief and hurried

    We are short of time . . .

    Touched by sentiment

    We are out to help.

    Our voyeuristic urge, a tourist of a kind

    Is all for the sake of the poor!

     

    And, we can say that international aid is not about aiding the needy.

  20. Posted

    The aid Industry: Is it the expedient tool of the New Colonialism?

    WardheerNews Editorial

    August 12, 2006

     

    European Christian missionaries and colonial legions, which invaded Africa, Asia and Latin America under the banner of spreading the gospel, fathered the current aid industry. Hence, the aid industry inherited the domineering, holier-than-thou attitude and paternalistic tradition of its ancestor.

     

    More recently, in the 1980s, at the height of the cold war, nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and Private voluntary Organizations (PVOs) become stronger at the expense of weakening states in many third world countries, and more so in Africa. What Governments used to do in the past was now within the sphere of influence of these organizations. Food rationing, healthcare and a host of services that had been in the hand of national governments in the past are now controlled and distributed by these aid agencies.

    However, wastefulness, inefficiency corruption, lack of accountability and transparency become the hallmark of international aid agencies as much as they have been under national governments. Some studies have documented that as much as 60% or more of the aid dollar goes to expatriates. As a result, Aid industry proved to be neither the solution to widespread underdevelopment in disadvantaged developing countries or cost-effective therapy.

     

    Historically, aid’s principal beneficiary has been none other than the monopolistic, incoherent and inherently corrupt and corrupting structure of the aid industry. Those who are “careerist compassionate class†of the aid agencies mandated for its management or mismanagement often manipulates international aid. Ironically enough, over the past half century aid has produced monsters galore; self-seeking coterie of sycophants and tottering bureaucrats whose usual bonanza of benefits include tax-free huge salaries, bonuses and perks.

     

    In his popular book Lords of Poverty: The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business (1989), Graham Hancock, a long time observer of the Horn of Africa region, has catalogued a long list of abuse and incompetence in the administration of international aid agencies. He aptly illustrated how international aid has indeed enlarged the coffers of the aid bureaucrats, while the plight of its intended beneficiaries continues to worsen.

     

    “Garnered and justified in the name of the destitute and the vulnerable, aid's main function in the past half-century has been to create and then entrench a powerful new class of rich and privileged people." [Pp. 192-3]1

     

    Currently, the aid industry constitutes over 100 western aid agencies and multitudes of offshoot cronies in the developing countries, which overlap with each other. Non-Government Organizations are neither completely altruistic nor apolitical. In Clashes of Civilizations, Samuel Huntington openly suggests to Western governments that these entities, plus World Bank and I.M.F. be utilized to further the goals of the West’s crusade against Islamic culture and/or against countries that refuse to kowtow to the West.

     

    That is why many of aid agencies give religious conversion priority over aidâ€. Many others are using the fashionable NGO façade for political, religious and other ulterior motives.

     

    The United Nations is beleaguered internally with unyielding bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. Over the past fifty years, the number of UN agencies proliferated exponentially. The mandates of many of the UN agencies overlap inherently. Plagued by political correctness and arcane machinations, empire-building has become the feature of its cumbersome bureaucratic bureaucracy. Hence, many of its deadwood pen pushers are “concerned about their personal benefits than the job they should be doingâ€.

     

    Undressing the round-bellied plutocrats of the aid industry who marshal herd of sacred cows and debunking the myth of the benevolent international humanitarian system, Hancock shows no mercy in divulging facts.

     

    "[A)t every level in the structure of almost all our most important aid-giving organizations, we have installed a tribe of highly paid men and women who are irredeemably out of touch with the day-to-day realities of the ... underdevelopment which they are supposed to be working to alleviate. The over-compensated aid bureaucrats demand -- and get -- a standard of living often far better than that which they could aspire to if they were working, for example, in industry or commerce in the home countries. At the same time, however, their achievements and performance are in no way subjected to the same exacting and competitive processes of evaluation that are considered normal in business. Precisely because their professional field is 'humanitarianism' rather than, say, 'sales', or 'production' or 'engineering', they are rarely required to demonstrate and validate their worth in quantitative, measurable ways. Surrounding themselves with the mystifying jargon of their trade, these lords of poverty are the druids of the modern era wielding enormous power that is accountable to no one." [pp.32-33]

     

    The captains of the aid industry are known to rejoice at the occurrence of devastating calamities and afflictions of fellow human beings that could bring about lucrative jobs or serve to prolong often unproductive employment contracts.

     

    Hancock further elucidates that "the ugly reality is that most poor people in most poor countries most of the time never receive or even make contact with aid in any tangible shape or form: whether it is present or absent, increased or decreased, are thus issues that are simply irrelevant to the ways is which they conduct their daily lives. After the multi-billion-dollar 'financial flows' involved have been shaken through the sieve of overpriced and irrelevant goods that must be bought in the donor countries, filtered again in the deep pockets of hundreds of thousands of foreign experts and aid agency staff, skimmed off by dishonest commission agents, and stolen by corrupt Ministers and Presidents, there is really very little left to go around. This little, furthermore, is then used thoughtlessly, or maliciously, or irresponsibly by those in power -- who have no mandate from the poor, who do not consult with them and who are utterly indifferent to their fate." [p.190]

     

    The international media often prompts donor attention and compassion by depicting the shocking manifestation of human suffering in crisis situations. Numerous international humanitarian interventions commonly triggered by famished pictures selectively televised by the big cameras, have however failed to address the causes while in essence have contributed towards the partial alleviation of the resultant symptoms.

     

    The compassion of the international community is often triggered by lean, emaciated and starving human beings distressed either by enormous natural calamities or by the sheer weight of human-made disasters, who are quite often displaced, dispossessed, traumatized and vulnerable.

     

    Whether in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Darfur or Indonesia, humanitarian interventions are naturally initiated with insufficient information, unreliable and inadequate data. At times, ground situations are distorted purposely or manipulated by the external intervener, its counterparts, host governments or the local interest groups. The manipulation of the aid assistance by a plethora of local and external players further compounds the complexity of the politics of the humanitarian aid.

     

    Some times, the humanitarian intervention itself generates hostilities, invites violence and rivalry. Resource competition among the interest groups or the local contestants or factions becomes heightened. Access to humanitarian resources or lack of it either empowers or undercuts the influence of the local contestants.

     

    Having had a well-timed photo opportunity with the needy and having made few brief field assessment visits, the all-knowing benevolent western aid “expert†would simply justify his/her feat in what would seem humane phraseology.

     

    Playing God, the self-proclaimed messiah of the aid industry, thus mumbles over the gourmet food and wine with what would read like this verse.

     

    Our task is clear, our purpose defined

    Our vision broad, our thought deep-seated;

    We are the angels of change.

    Though our language indistinct

    Clouded with nebulous jargons,

    Bombastic and ambiguous terms,

    We still understand the dialect of the masses.

    Though from different class; noble and hefty,

    Our heart bleeds for the poor,

    We are beacons of hope.

    With intellectual hegemony

    We alleviate poverty with stroke of a pen;

    Where there is despair, we bring hope.

    Our project is people-oriented

    We mix with the indigent

    Venture the world of uncertainties

    To issue the handouts

    For the sake of the poor!

     

    Our mission is short, our visit sharp

    A perfect sightseeing excursion.

    Our assessment brief and hurried

    We are short of time . . .

    Touched by sentiment

    We are out to help.

    Our voyeuristic urge, a tourist of a kind

    Is all for the sake of the poor!

     

    And, we can say that international aid is not about aiding the needy.

  22. Posted

    AU, donors push plans for Somalia peacekeepers

    By Tsegaye Tadesse

     

    ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The African Union (AU) and Western countries pushed ahead on Monday with plans to send foreign peacekeepers to Somalia, despite strong rejection of the idea by Mogadishu's new Islamist rulers.

     

    The move came amid rising concern over wider conflict in Somalia following the victory of militia loyal to sharia courts over secular warlords believed backed by Washington.

     

    The Islamists now control a wide swathe of the Horn of Africa nation from coastal Mogadishu to the Ethiopian border.

     

    A meeting of the AU, the regional organisation IGAD and donor countries agreed on Monday to send an assessment team to Somalia to prepare for possible troop deployment.

     

    "There has been an agreement to move forward in sending an assessment mission led by the AU and IGAD on what is required to deploy troops to Somalia," Tim Clark, head of the European Union delegation to the talks, told reporters.

     

    "There is a real sense of urgency that the situation could unravel very, very fast unless there is a real muscular response," he said.

     

    The United Nations also expressed concern, saying a conflict could unleash a disastrous flood of hundreds of thousands of refugees to other countries.

     

    "The only thing we really do not need is a major confrontation in Somalia because that could lead to a catastrophic situation," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told Reuters in Abidjan.

     

    SOURED RELATIONS

     

    Relations between the Islamists and Somalia's weak but internationally backed government soured after the transitional parliament last week voted in support of foreign troops.

     

    The Islamists rejected the move and accused Ethiopia, a backer of the interim government, of sending 300 soldiers across their frontier, a claim vehemently denied by both Addis Ababa and the government.

     

    The transitional administration -- 14th attempt at central rule since the 1991 ousting of Mohamed Siad Barre -- has repeatedly said it cannot operate without help from foreign peacekeepers to give it security.

     

    It is too weak to enter the capital and is based in the town of Baidoa, northwest of Mogadishu.

     

    There were no details on when the assessment mission would go to Somalia.

     

    The deployment of troops would require an exemption to a 1992 U.N. Security Council arms embargo, widely disregarded in a nation awash with guns.

     

    The Addis Ababa meeting reiterated its support for the interim government and called for dialogue with the Islamists, who say they will talk but only without preconditions.

     

    The Islamic court militia have ousted warlords from Mogadishu and other towns in fighting that had killed 350 people since February. That ended 15 years of dominance by warlords who ruled much of the country in a series of private fiefdoms.

     

    The government at the weekend accused the Islamists of lying about an Ethiopian troop incursion as a pretext to attack it.

     

    Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari on Monday again denied any incursion. "There are no Ethiopian troops in Somalia," he said.

     

    "We want talks to continue but a conducive environment should be in place and not what the courts have been engaged with recently," Dinari said.

     

    The government also called for U.S. support.

     

    "I want the quick support of the United States for the Federal Government of Somalia," Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail told reporters in Addis Ababa.

     

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