Somalia News Blog

The Good Ol' Days That Never Were

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:58:37 +0000

?Mess,? ?fiasco,? ?disaster,? ?blunder,? and ?catastrophe.?

Fill in the blanks with almost any stock noun of gloom these days when speaking about Iraq.

For finger-in-the-wind politicians, writing off Iraq is mere throat-clearing before moving on to any discussion of immigration reform or taxes. For ahead-of-the-curve pundits, starting out with ?The failure in Iraq? is like opening their browser before daily pontificating. No need of explanation or empiricism, one just gets things out of the way at the very beginning with our new postmodern ritual.

Get your hot news here

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:58:37 +0000

Just remember that the hottest part of the day may be a good time for reading or a movie for the kids; for us adults, the best thing is to get out early and do any running around we may need to do before it gets too hot. If you are working, try taking your lunch so you don't have to go out anywhere; and leave the pets at home where it is cool. They may like to go with you places, but during the hot summer days, they will probably be thankful you are leaving them at home.

In the next couple of weeks, a number of co-workers and I will be working on a project to gather information from you, the news consumers. Keep an eye on this section for more information. If you happen to be out having coffee, shopping or running errands and someone from The AdvertisementReporter stops to chat, please take a few minutes to talk with them. It's part of the communitywide project we will be working on.

Vacaville resident Dennis Ayala, a U.S. Army recruiter, is among four Northern California active duty military service personnel who will be honored at the June 27 Toyota/SaveMart 350 NASCAR race at Infineon Raceway.

Judy hasn't lost spunk

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:58:37 +0000

Opening shotJudy Baar Topinka has spunk. That's why I supported the Republican in her failed attempt to unseat Gov. Blagojevich last autumn. That's why I met up with the former state treasurer last week for lunch at Petterino's to see how she is adjusting to private life.

I'm happy to report that she still has spunk, despite her resounding defeat. No sooner had we sat down than she looked for a spot on the governor's back that didn't already have a knife or two in it -- hard to do, given his current low state.

"This guy's a loon!" she gushed. "He's laaaaazy. No wonder we don't have a state that functions. We're imploding."

War hero is Pride honoree

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:58:37 +0000

As the first seriously wounded Marine in the Iraq war, Eric Alva

had already gained a measure of notoriety.

But still, he harbored a secret.

Event spotlights cultures of former refugees

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:58:37 +0000

Click photo to enlarge Myhanh Dang, 16, Mai Dang, 10, and Hue Dang, 9, play the Vietnamese dan tran during World Refugee Day at Granite High School, where former refugees from many countries shared their culture.«1»As soon as Ngor Ngor and his family came to the United States from Sudan, they played the waiting game.

First, they waited two years to get on a list to receive public housing assistance. Then, they waited to see if they could find a bigger place for their family of eight to live.

"It was hard. After we got Section 8 [housing], me and my mom look for a house every day for three weeks," Ngor said. "We couldn't find anything."

Bush administration pours kerosene on Somali fire

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:58:37 +0000

Despite clear evidence that the US-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia has done little to stabilize the country and bring about national reconciliation, the Bush administration persists in what can only be described as cavalier and irrational actions that deepen the crisis. Two examples of this are worth noting.

The first concerns the periodic US attacks on alleged Al Qaeda bases in Somalia. This has involved both naval and aerial bombardment. In each case of attack, clear evidence has emerged of civilian deaths, but little evidence has been presented to international observers to prove any REAL Al Qaeda involvement.

The second action is equally ominous. Assistant US Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer was recently quoted offering extremely provocative statements (see: Simon Tisdall, Fledgling and Fragile, The Guardian, June 7, 2007, at http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2007/06/fledgling_and_fragile.html ). Frazer accused Eritreawhich borders Ethiopia and the Red Seaof allegedly harboring Islamic extremists. This is a dangerous allegation. While Eritrea has in the past been ...

Lonely Planet founder scopes out sensationally bad places