Somalia: Hope in Statelessness?

Somalia: Hope in Statelessness?


Today’s idea: The lesson we should learn from Somalia is that a stateless society “isn’t so bad” when compared with the often ghastly alternatives, an economist says.

Africa | O.K., maybe calling Somalia an economic success “overstates the situation slightly,” Benjamin Powell concedes in an essay in The Freeman. But poor as it is, Somalia has improved living standards faster than the average sub-Saharan African country since the early 1990s, he says. That’s thanks to rule by decentralized clan networks relying on legal custom, he contends, and no thanks to chaotic outside efforts to impose centralized rule.

Even the recent scourge of Somali piracy is “a tribute to the internal effectiveness of Somali customary law,” Mr. Powell argues, since the pirates don’t target Somali ships. So, yes, combat piracy, but not with the imposition of an internationally “friendly” government likely to plunder its people:

Associated Press
Pirates are said to respect Somali customary law.

State Department

Somalia’s lesson should not be overstated — it is no libertarian utopia. I certainly don’t plan to move there anytime soon. But Somalia does demonstrate that a reasonable level of law and order can be provided by nonstate customary legal systems and that such systems are capable of providing some basis for economic development.

This is particularly true when the alternative is not a limited government but instead a particularly brutal and repressive government such as Somalia had and is likely to have again if a government is re-established.
[The Freeman]

Eyjafjallajökull has become a curse word in Europe

Eyjafjallajökull has become a curse word in Europe as the Icelandic Volcano continues to delay flights across the Atlantic. The cloud of volcanic ash is creating havoc for travelers and European startups who can’t get anywhere. But entrepreneurs in London at least are coping with impromptu meetups.

If you haven’t seen images yet of the volcano up close, there are some on Flickr and YouTube. Reader Baldvin Hansson sent us the photos below (here is his entire set), which he took in a small plane near the volcano (presumably upwind).

Read more: http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/18/volcano-shut-down-europe-pics/#ixzz0lTwGUcYM

Chocolate may be good medicine for liver patients

Reuters) - Cocoa-rich dark chocolate could be prescribed for people with liver cirrhosis in future, following the latest research to show potential health benefits of chocolate.

Health

Spanish researchers said on Thursday that eating dark chocolate capped the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture.

Antioxidants called flavanols found in cocoa are believed to be the reason why chocolate is good for blood pressure because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen.

A study of 21 patients with end-stage liver disease found those given a meal containing 85 percent-cocoa dark chocolate had a markedly smaller rise in blood pressure in the liver, or portal hypertension, than those given white chocolate.

"This study shows a clear association between eating dark chocolate and (lower) portal hypertension and demonstrates the potential importance of improvements in the management of cirrhotic patients," said Mark Thursz, a professor of hepatology at London's Imperial College.

The results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna and follow a number of earlier scientific studies suggesting that dark chocolate also promotes heart health.

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver as a result of long-term damage. It is caused by various factors, including hepatitis infection and alcohol abuse.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

ETV Interview with Somaliland Forign minister

ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) –The foreign minister of Somaliland has met

ADDIS ABABA (Somalilandpress) –The foreign minister of Somaliland has met with various leaders and ambassadors from Ethiopia, France, Yemen and United ...
Video: President Girma meet with Somaliland Foreign Minister

Collateral Murder - Wikileaks - Iraq

Boliska Holland Oo haya 21 Cadaymood Oo ku saabsan Gabadh yar oo Somaaliyeed oo lagu qaaday Boorso
Boliska Holland oo haya 21 cadaymood oo ku saabsan Gabadh yar oo Somaaliyeed oo lagu qaaday Boorso cadaymo badan ayaa la hayaa ka dib markii barnaamijka baafinta ee Warlaliska Raadiyaha la iska daawado (TV) uu sii daayay Gabadh yar oo Soomaaliyeed oo ay da'deedu tahay 1sanno sida ay sheegeen Ciidanka Bulayska. waxaana laga sameeyay Muuqaal filim oo muujinaya sida ay wax u dhaceen

Isla-Maalintaas waxay Kamaradaha ilaaliya nabadgelyada jidka xarunta dhexe ee tareenada ee magaalada,Tilburg ay duubtay muuqaal muujinaya ruux haweena oo soomaliyeed oo jiidaysa Boorso taas oo loo malaynayo inay tahay boorsadii gabadha yar lagu riday, Ilaa iyo hadana lama oga halka gabadha yari ay ku sugantahay ?

Ciidanka Bulayska qaybta baafinta dadka la waayo waxay hayaan 21 cadaymood oo ugu dhowdhow in la helo raadadka gabadha yar waa sida uu hadalka u dhigay afhayeenka qaybta Baafinta, laakiin ay hayaan cadaymo dahabiya oo midho dhalin kara