November 26, 2023 - Somali Crow (Corvus edithae) These crows are found in parts of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Kenya in open areas, including deserts, dry savannas, and cultivation. They eat carrion, small vertebrates, invertebrates, including ticks and lice, bird eggs, and grain and other plant foods, foraging on the ground alone, in pairs, and in small flocks. Pairs probably build messy nests together from sticks, wool, feathers, and plant fibers in trees or sometimes on cliffs, in caves, or on poles or pylons. Females usually lay clutches of four or five eggs.

Aquila dear, I cannot wait to hear your opinion on the choice of raven/crow species for Matthew and Jessamy 💛 Would you have any headcanon on which species Lucien(ne) might have been back when they were Dream's raven ? 👀

Hi! So sorry it's taken so long to get around to this! I have so many thoughts!!!

I'll start with the caveat that the distinction between crow and raven is not scientific. They both refer to members of the genus Corvus and there is no clear distinction between what is a crow and what is a raven. As such, I don't get too worked up about the differences in common names.

Matthew is a common raven (Corvus corax). I think this fits him for a number of reasons.

He's American! We only have two "raven" species here (and four crows but that's besides the point), and the common raven is by far the more widely distributed species compared to the Chihuahuan Raven, which is as its name implies, restricted to the areas in and around the Chihuahuan desert. I'm not sure if we know exactly where he's from, but he has a general American accent to me, so I can get away with placing him virtually anywhere on the West Coast, Appalachians or Northwest.

Common ravens are very gregarious! They're often seen in mated pairs or flocks. Matthew prefers to stay by Dream's side over and over and builds a pretty deep bond with him over the course of their relationship.

Play! Common ravens are often observed engaging in play, like somersaulting in flight or making toys out of twigs to share with others. To me, Matthew is very irreverent and playful in his own way, his crude behavior and language being a prime example.

I think common raven is such a great choice! I'm thrilled to bits that they had real ravens play his part in the show, it was honestly one of the first things I looked up about the production because I was just blown away that the birds were actually behaving like birds!!! But that's another rant for another time about animal portrayal in media.

Onto Jessamy! I haven't read the comics (where she appears to be a common raven as well, from some cursory research), so this will all be based on what little we get of her in season 1 of the show.

Jessamy is a pied crow (Corvus albus). According to the wikipedia entry for this species, it is said to be considered

"a small crow-sized raven, especially as it can hybridise with the Somali crow (dwarf raven) where their ranges meet in the Horn of Africa. Its behaviour, though, is more typical of the Eurasian carrion crows, and it may be a modern link (along with the Somali crow) between the Eurasian crows and the common raven." (Source)

Like I said, there's no reliable division between crow and raven and it's just the common names, so there's no big deal in her being portrayed as a species that has "crow" in its name.

Sociality. Pied crows are, similarly to the common raven, typically found in mated pairs or small flocks. Jessamy is very loyal to Dream, staying by his side during his captivity until her untimely death. I would argue that most Corvus species would be a good fit as they tend to stay with the individuals they are bonded to, but I see no reason why pied crow wouldn't be chosen over another species!

Distribution. While we don't have any idea where Jessamy was from when she was alive, she is also given a widely distributed species that we could reasonably place her in many parts of Africa, along either coast up until the Sahara Desert, but not in the thick rainforests of countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Exposure to another species! The Sandman was written by an English author, originally scripted and performed in English, and in my opinion, culturally directed towards the Anglosphere. As such, folks who speak English as their first language may have never heard of the pied crow, and may only be familiar with the common raven! I think its a great way to get people to investigate more into a bird they've never seen before.

Now, let's talk about Lucienne! We know she was Dream's first raven, but not really any timing about when he first took a raven companion. As such, I'll simply consider any extant Corvus species for her. She has an English accent, so I will simplify my choices to species found in England. I'm just making this assumption without much reasoning other than it's fun to imagine that the ravens come into being reflecting species found where they lived as humans.

I'm going to choose common raven (C. corax) for Lucienne as well, but for different reasons than why it's a suitable species for Matthew. They are, after all, very different personalities.

Mainly, common ravens are highly intelligent! Lucienne is the Dreaming's librarian at present, and would thus have to have very high reasoning and problem solving skills. This is typical for common ravens and corvid intelligence has been highly studied in this species!

My other big reason for choosing this species is that, well, you can't beat a classic. If Lucienne is the first raven, then it's fitting that she be the type species for the genus Corvus and the first thing people think of when they hear "raven."

Thank you so much for asking and giving me the opportunity to smash my two main interests together like I'm mixing 2 colors of playdoh in preschool <3 <3

The raucous Dikebael

My response to this week’s BestiaryPosting challenge from @maniculum

Jinhao shark fountain pen with fine, hooded nib, with Monteverde Raven Noir ink, over 5.6mm HB pencil sketch.

Thought process under the cut..

"The Dikebael can be translated as [redacted]. They live in Africa; they are very large and untamed and wander in the desert. Single males will dominate a herd of females. The males are jealous of the newborn young, and will bite off their testicles. The mothers, aware of this, conceal them in secret places. The naturalists say that the Dikebael calls twelve times on the night of 25 March, and the same number of times in the day; the number of hours in the day or night can be counted by the calling of the Dikebael, which it does once an hour."

Another noiʃy beaʃt...

Okay, so we don't have a lot to go on here. It's very large (I should perhaps have made them bigger, but didn't have much to compare them against apart from the pile of rocks - and the random creature being watched by the baby).

It's untamed (which I also read as slightly shaggy), and a desert beast; hence, large ears for dissapating heat, long eyelashes for keeping the sand out, and large feet so it doesn't sink into the sand. We also know it's a herd animal, which leans heavily towards it being another ungulate. I feel like its got to be a mammal of some sort, as they tend to be the only animals that go out of their way to harm baby members of their species...

The markings around the eyes are based on an oryx, it has some striping on the back legs (mostly for a little interest) from Somali wild asses, and a black tuft on the end of its slightly floofy tail from fennec foxes.

We have a calling dikebael, with the mouth (and teeth!) based largely on horses, and a baby hidden in a secret place (behind a pile of rocks... it's a desert, they don't have a lot to work with...!)

Testicle biting again... If I had a nickel for every time we had a ball-biting beast I would have two nickels, which, as ever, is not a lot, but it's still a bit weird. It's all getting a little Freudian if I'm honest (this might have been the reason I leaned a little towards a horse-like creature with this one... 😉)

Also, what's special about March 25, anyhow? It's not quite the equinox... this is going to be a religious thing, isn't it... 🤔

Also, I thought I knew what this creature was, and made a conscious effort to lean away from that animal when I was drawing, but I've suddenly had a bit of a revelation, and realised that I may have been wrong and inadvertantly gotten pretty close to the actual source of this beast in a couple of ways... It'll be interesting seeing if I'm right in my (new) suspicion...

TIL that Maine apparently has a largeish community of Somali refugees, and because of this Maine has become the ideal destination of new arrivals due to, y'know, people wanting to move somewhere where they feel less isolated. that said: imagine voluntarily choosing to live in Maine as a person from anywhere, let alone a desert! these people are America's strongest soldiers

Corvus ruficollis better known as the brown-necked raven, brown necked crow, or desert raven is a species of corvid native to North Africa and the middle east, from as far west as the Cape Verde Islands to as far east as India, and as far north as Kazakhstan to as far south as Kenya. Here they inhabit coastlines, deserts, dry forests, savannas, and scrublands. These social birds tend to travel in flocks of 3 to upwards of 15 members, occasionally with members of other species such as the pied crow and thick billed ravens. they feed primarily upon grains, seeds, fruits, insects, carrion, and small vertebrates, in fact these ravens regularly work together to hunt lizards, snakes, fish, rodents, and even young or infirm sheep, goats, and gazelles. Reaching some 20 to 22 inches (52 to 56cms) in length, brown necked ravens are larger than carrion, Somali, and pied crows, but smaller than common, white necked, and thick-billed ravens. The head and throat are a distinct brownish-black giving the bird its common name, while the rest of the plumage is black glossed with purple, blue or purplish-blue. The voice is very similar to the common raven's consisting mainly of croaks, though higher in pitch; and a harsh "karr-karr-karr". In flight, it will utter a "kuerk-kuerk" call. Like all corvids, the Brown-necked raven is capable of vocal mimicry. The breeding season varies depending on the local rainy season, pair typically mate for life and build nests up in trees, cliffs, or atop building. Here a mother will lay 3-5 eggs which are incubated in shifts for 20- 22 days until hatching. The young will fledge after around 38 days. Under ideal conditions a brown necked raven may live upwards of 30 years.

ISLAM 101: SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 117

The meaning of Tasawwuf

Last Part 12

Among the Sufis who aided Islam with the sword as well as the pen, to quote Reliance of the Traveller were: such men as the Naqshbandi sheikh Shamil al-Daghestani, who fought a prolonged war against the Russians in the Caucasus in the nineteenth century; Sayyid Muhammad ‘Abdullah al-Somali, a sheikh of the Salihiyya order who led Muslims against the British and Italians in Somalia from 1899 to 1920; the Qadiri sheikh ‘Uthman ibn Fodi, who led jihad in Northern Nigeria from 1804 to 1808 to establish Islamic rule; the Qadiri sheikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri, who led the Algerians against the French from 1832 to 1847; the Darqawi faqir al-Hajj Muhammad al-Ahrash, who fought the French in Egypt in 1799; the Tijani sheikh al-Hajj ‘Umar Tal, who led Islamic Jihad in Guinea, Senegal, and Mali from 1852 to 1864; and the Qadiri sheikh Ma’ al-‘Aynayn al-Qalqami, who helped marshal Muslim resistance to the French in northern Mauritania and southern Morocco from 1905 to 1909.

Among the Sufis whose missionary work Islamized entire regions are such men as the founder of the Sanusiyya order, Muhammad ‘Ali Sanusi, whose efforts and jihad from 1807 to 1859 consolidated Islam as the religion of peoples from the Libyan Desert to sub-Saharan Africa; [and] the Shadhili sheikh Muhammad Ma‘ruf and Qadiri sheikh Uways al-Barawi, whose efforts spread Islam westward and inland from the East African Coast … . (Reliance of the Traveller,863).

It is plain from the examples of such men what kind of Muslims have been Sufis; namely, all kinds, right across the board—and that Tasawwuf did not prevent them from serving Islam in any way they could.

To summarize everything I have said tonight: In looking first at Tasawwuf and Shari‘a, we found that many Qur'anic verses and sahih hadiths oblige the Muslim to eliminate haram inner states as arrogance, envy, and fear of anyone besides Allah; and on the other hand, to acquire such obligatory inner states as mercy, love of one’s fellow Muslims, presence of mind in prayer, and love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). We found that these inward states could not be dealt with in books of fiqh, whose purpose is to specify the outward, quantifiable aspects of the Shari‘a. The knowledge of these states is nevertheless of the utmost importance to every Muslim, and this is why it was studied under the ‘ulama of Ihsan, the teachers of Tasawwuf, in all periods of Islamic history until the beginning of the present century.

We then turned to the level of Iman, and found that though the ‘Aqida of Muslims is that Allah alone has any effect in this world, keeping this in mind in everyday life is not a given of human consciousness, but rather a function of a Muslim’s yaqin, his certainty. And we found that Tasawwuf, as an ancillary discipline to ‘Aqida, emphasizes the systematic increase of this certainty through both mudhakara, ‘teaching tenets of faith’ and dhikr, ‘the remembrance of Allah,’ in accordance with the words of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) about Ihsan that “it is to worship Allah as though you see Him.”

Lastly, we found that accusations against Tasawwuf made by scholars such as Ibn al-Jawzi, and Ibn Taymiya were not directed against Tasawwuf in principle, but to specific groups and individuals in the times of these authors, the proof for which is the other books by the same authors that showed their understanding of Tasawwuf as a Shari‘a science.

To return to the starting point of my talk this evening, with the disappearance of traditional Islamic scholars from the Umma, two very different pictures of Tasawwuf emerge today. If we read books written after the dismantling of the traditional fabric of Islam by colonial powers in the last century, we find the big hoax: Islam without spirituality and Shari‘a without Tasawwuf. But if we read the classical works of Islamic scholarship, we learn that Tasawwuf has been a Shari‘a science like tafsir, hadith, or any other, throughout the history of Islam. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,

“Truly, Allah does not look at your outward forms and wealth, but rather at your hearts and your works” (Sahih Muslim, 4.1389: hadith 2564).

And this is the brightest hope that Islam can offer a modern world darkened by materialism and nihilism: Islam as it truly is; the hope of eternal salvation through a religion of brotherhood and social and economic justice outwardly, and the direct experience of divine love and illumination inwardly.

ok so. i have an idea...

I refuse to believe "tropical humid sunny paradise" is the only biome that exists on Pandora and I refuse to believe all the animals we've seen so far are monotypic. Sturmbeest have a similar role around the Omaticaya clan's home that bison used to have on the prairie - they're large herbivores that root around and stomp the ground and travel in enormous herds. But bovines on Earth don't just live on prairies - we've got jungle bovines like the anoa and swamp bovines like the water buffalo and dry grass bovines like the Somali buffalo and mountain bovines like yak and so on. Sturmbeest could be a genus with species in all sorts of biomes!

Likewise, Na'vi are as widespread and adaptable as humans are on Earth. I don't believe there's a single place on Pandora the Na'vi couldn't live. But still, I want to push the limits of what's possible.

So the idea I've been kicking around for a few days is nomadic desert-dwelling Na'vi who ride around on a desert-adapted sturmbeest-species. More specifically, I'm picturing these people traveling from vlei to vlei as they dry out and fill up with the seasons. The sturmbeest would be excellent for this lifestyle as they can use their horns to dig up dormant plants from seemingly dead vleis.

The only problem is that sturmbeest queues are quite short and sit very low. There's no way a Na'vi would be able to make tsaheylu while riding. Instead, I'm imagining a sort of hybrid tsaheylu + positive reinforcement training process. These Na'vi do make tsaheylu with their sturmbeest, but only as a way of teaching them how to respond to reins, pressure/release, and verbal commands (and of course they also make the bond to, well, build a bond with each other).

I can also picture the Na'vi only using their sturmbeest as beasts of burden, never riding them, but instead walking by their side, queue to queue.

I have very few ideas about the Na'vi themselves. They're even taller than average and their hair gets sun-bleached, turning dark blue at the tips. I picture them in flowing white robes, meant to fend off the heat. I also have an individual dude in mind, but I don't think he'll turn into a fully fledged oc. I have no idea how they communicate with Eywa.

So anyways, here's a nice doodle of a sturmbeest and a guy :)

Yemen

General Information Yemen is a country in the Middle East, at the Southwestern corner of the Arabian peninsula. In Ancient times, the region was controlled by several city-states and empires that came to wealth through trade. During medieval times, it was ruled by several Islamic dynasties. Following Ottoman and British involvement during Colonial times, in the 20th century the Northern Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, later Yemen Arab Republic, in the former Ottoman-controlled part, as well as the Marxist state of South Yemen (in 1967) in the former British-controlled part were established. In 1990, both parts united. Now the former Northern capital, Sanaa, functions as the political capital, while the former Southern capital, Aden, is the economic centre of the country. The political environment of Yemen has been unstable, with Civil War ongoing since 2014. Vast majority of the 32.7 Million inhabitants are Arabs, around 3.7 % are Somalis. Nearly all inhabitants are Muslim, around two thirds Sunni, around one third Shia.

Old Walled City of Shibam The UNESCO World Heritage Old Walled City of Shibam can be traced back to the 16th century and is one of the world’s oldest examples of urban planning based on vertical construction. Due to its high-rise buildings it is sometimes called “the Manhattan of the desert”.

Dragon Blood Tree The island of Socotra possesses unusually large biodiversity and is home to the unique Dragon Blood Tree. There are several legends surrounding it, such as one about it growing from the blood of brothers fighting to death or another about it originating from the blood of an injured dragon.

~ Anastasia Economy The economy of Yemen has significantly weakened since the breakout of the Yemeni Civil War and the humanitarian crisis, which has caused instability, escalating hostilities, and flooding in the region. At the time of unification, South Yemen and North Yemen had vastly different but equally struggling underdeveloped economic systems. Since unification, the economy has been forced to sustain the consequences of Yemen's support for Iraq during the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War: Saudi Arabia expelled almost 1 million Yemeni workers, and both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait significantly reduced economic aid to Yemen. The 1994 civil war further drained Yemen's economy. As a consequence, Yemen has relied heavily on aid from multilateral agencies to sustain its economy for the past 24 years. In return, it has pledged to implement significant economic reforms. In 1997 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved two programs to increase Yemen's credit significantly: the enhanced structural adjustment facility (now known as the poverty reduction and growth facility, or PRGF) and the extended funding facility (EFF). In the ensuing years, Yemen's government attempted to implement recommended reforms: reducing the civil service payroll, eliminating diesel and other subsidies, lowering defense spending, introducing a general sales tax, and privatizing state-run industries. However, limited progress led the IMF to suspend funding between 1999 and 2001.

~ Damian

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁  𝚂𝙷𝙴𝙴𝚃.

repost,    don’t  reblog.

𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂.

𝙵𝚄𝙻𝙻 𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴 : azrael, עֲזַרְאֵל [Also known as izra'il or sǐ shén] 𝙽𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴 (𝚂) :  known to many as ‘The Great Wrath of God’.  𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁 :  identifies as female. She/Her 𝙰𝙶𝙴 :  14.5 billion 𝚉𝙾𝙳𝙸𝙰𝙲 :  N/A 𝚂𝙿𝙾𝙺𝙴𝙽  𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 (𝚂) :  Enochian, Demonic Tongues (Cthonic, Gehennic, Tartarian, Purgatic etc.), English, Middle English, Latin, Aramaic, Hausa, Iroquoian (Seneca, Cherokee, Mohawk Etc.), Phoenician, Ammonite, Māori, Archaic Japanese, Haitian Creole, Navajo, Qaniujaaqpait, Old Chinese, Old Cyrillic, Powhatan, French, Nepalese, Italian, Inuktitut, Russian, Adamic, Chaldeac, Kathlamet, Xhosa, Spanish, German, Sanskrit, Assyrian, Malay, Filipino, Shina, Ancient Greek, Persian, Sumerian, Archaic, Punjabi, Egyptian, Afrikaans, Chiricahua, Old Huron, Hebrew, Gothic, Etruscan, Scythian, Proto-germanic, Western Apache, Celtic, Swahili, Yucatec Maya, Akkadian, Malagasy, Mycenaean Greek, Carthaginian, Sinhalese, Zulu, Mauritian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, Xiang Chinese, Turkmen, Uzbek, Nobiin, Atikamekw, Mi'kmaq, Kashmiri, Gujurati, Kurdish, Tamil, Chechen, Portugese, Witsuwit'en, Kazakh, Icelandic, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Qatari Arabic, Sioux, Cree, Korean, Algonquian (Ojibwe-potawatomi, Menominee, Cheyenne), Tibetan, Urdu, Adyghe, Bhutanese, Kachin, Burmese, Kabardian, Lithuanian, Old High German, Hittite, Danish, Mayan, Somali, Batek, Amharic, Manding, Vietnamese, Thai, Kordofan Nubian, Pictish, Turkish, Kanakanabu, Coptic, Lao, Khmer, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, Auyokawa, Sentinelese, Jarawa, Czech, (Irish, Scottish) Gaelic, Welsh, Gaulish, Proto-celtic, Old Brythonic, Maharashrtri, Bering Strait Inupiatun, Eskimo-Aleut, Kalaalisut, Signing Exact English, ASL Etc.

𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻  𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲𝚂. 𝙷𝙰𝙸𝚁  𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙾𝚄𝚁  : silver 𝙴𝚈𝙴  𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙾𝚄𝚁 :   silver 𝚂𝙺𝙸𝙽  𝚃𝙾𝙽𝙴 :  pale as death 𝙱𝙾𝙳𝚈  𝚃𝚈𝙿𝙴 :  tall and slender, defined muscles 𝙷𝙴𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃: 5′ 8″ 𝚅𝙾𝙸𝙲𝙴 :   in her original vessel, this is what she sounds like. speaks English in a very                  antiquated, posh English accent. 

𝙳𝙾𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙰𝙽𝚃  𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙳 : ambidextrous. 𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 : stiff and upright. 𝙱𝙸𝚁𝚃𝙷𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙺𝚂 : her vessel bears markings placed upon it by God. They are essentially makers marks, with her name, rank etc. You’ll find them on her biceps and across her collar bones. 

𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙻𝙳𝙷𝙾𝙾𝙳. 𝙿𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙴  𝙾𝙵  𝙱𝙸𝚁𝚃𝙷: N/A 𝙷𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙽 : N/A 𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶(𝚂) : lucifer, michael, gabriel, raphael, uriel 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚂 :  god

𝙰𝙳𝚄𝙻𝚃  𝙻𝙸𝙵𝙴. 𝙾𝙲𝙲𝚄𝙿𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 :   rogue archangel, fugitive. (former enforcer of heaven’s laws and instrument of god’s rage) 𝙲𝙻𝙾𝚂𝙴  𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂 : kara   𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿  𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚂 :   single  𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝙰𝙻  𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚂 :  irrelevant.   𝙳𝚁𝙸𝚅𝙴𝚁’𝚂  𝙻𝙸𝙲𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴 :   no. 𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙰𝙻  𝚁𝙴𝙲𝙾𝚁𝙳 : if you mean her criminal record in heaven, its extensive. there are several counts of desertion of duty, several counts of treason, several counts of conspiracy to commit treason, failure to obey an order, unauthorized interference in the affairs of humans. murder of serving angels, aiding the enemy etc. azrael has seriously wracked up the offenses, and all of that is just in two thousand years. 

𝚂𝙴𝚇  𝙰𝙽𝙳  𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴. 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙲  𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽: homoromantic 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻  𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 :  homosexual 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝙵𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙴𝙳  𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻  𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙴 : afraid? 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝙵𝙴𝚁𝚁𝙴𝙳  𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻  𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙴 : sub   𝙻𝙸𝙱𝙸𝙳𝙾 :   low  𝙰𝚅𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙴  𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙽 - 𝙾𝙽𝚂 : wing stroking, feather pulling, hair pulling, over the clothes canoodling,  dominant women who aren't afraid to tell her whats what, confidence, courageous women. 𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙽 - 𝙾𝙵𝙵𝚂 : overuse of foul language, arrogance, too much talking, cowardice.  𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴  𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 :  acts of service. 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿  𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙸𝙴𝚂 : fiercely protective, self sacrificing, absolutely loyal.

𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙴𝙾𝚄𝚂.

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁’𝚂  𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙼𝙴  𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙶 :    Killers With The Cross by Powerwolf. Hymn of the Cherubim by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Agnus Dei Reprise from the Hannibal Rising soundtrack. 

𝙷𝙾𝙱𝙱𝙸𝙴𝚂  𝚃𝙾  𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚂  𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴 :  playing piano and violin, reading, ballet, mathematics, calligraphy, linguistics, collecting historical artifacts, serial killing serial killers, menacing the vatican. 

𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙰𝙻  𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂(𝙴𝚂) :  PTSD, depression, remissive psychopathy. 𝙻𝙴𝙵𝚃  𝙾𝚁  𝚁𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 - 𝙱𝚁𝙰𝙸𝙽𝙴𝙳 :   both. 𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙱𝙸𝙰(𝚂) :   abandonment, dying alone, losing control.  𝚂𝙴𝙻𝙵 - 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙵𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴  𝙻𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙻 :  low.

tagging: everyone tagged by: spotted over at @demcnsinmymind​

Visit The most important landmarks in Cairo

-Cairo is one of the most culturally diverse cities, as it has witnessed many different historical eras throughout the ages, and there are many ancient and modern monuments, and it has become an open museum that includes Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic antiquities.

There are different civilizations in Cairo، Such as Islamic civilization(Moez Street , Ancient Egypt and the castle )

Pharaonic civilization such as the pyramids, Memphis, Saqqara, Dahshur and many others .

Coptic civilization Which you can visit in the area of ​​the seven churches in Egypt and visit the Coptic Museum You can also enjoy the most famous places in Cairo, such as the Cairo Tower and the Egyptian Opera House .You can also try Nile cruises, enjoy the fresh air of Egypt, and take some pictures during sunset.

Let's go to discover Cairo day tours and to try more adventure just in one day.

The White Desert and El Bahariya Oasis Desert Safari Overnight:2 day trip to Bahariya Oasis will make you feel happy to see the pure and beautiful desert and you will enjoy sandboarding in the White Desert as well as you will stay to visit crystal mountain and a black desert.

Alexandria Day Trip from Cairo every day:Take a private day trip to Alexandria from your location in Cairo to be transferred to the bride of the Mediterranean sea, Alexandria. This tour of the coastal city is full of history and culture besides its entertainment and joy. you can visit the catacomb tombs, the Library of Alexandria, and the citadel of Quaitbay and relish yourself in the tasty seafood meal after the long day trip.

Camel or Horseback Ride around Giza Pyramids:You can benefit from our great offers by visiting the great pyramids of Giza and enjoying the experience of riding camels or horseback or touring around the pyramids by chariot. you will ride alongside the pyramids while enjoying the sunset views over Cairo and the vast desert.

Nile River Felucca Cruise in Cairo for 2 hours:Cruise the Nile river on a beautiful felucca while enjoying the sunset in Cairo. The Nile River is a great river of Africa that came from the south up to the north.

3 Days Bahariya Oasis and White Desert Safari Trip:Starting from Cairo you can spend an unforgettable 3 days tour exploring Bahariya Oasis and the White Desert while camping and making a safari under the nighty sky of the desert, taking your cup of tea and enjoying your favorite music, you will also discover the Black Desert as well as the beautiful Crystal Mountain and the valley of Agabat. Explore the magic of the desert.

Day Tour to the Camel Market of Birqash:Have a good day from Cairo to the Birqash Camel Market. Find the largest camel market in Cairo and know the differences between Egyptian, Sudanese and Somali camels.

Nile Cruise Dinner in Cairo:Enjoy the incredible views of the Nile river in Cairo at night and have an unforgettable time cruising down the Nile and selecting your favorite dinner dishes during an open buffet while watching the beautiful dancers perform the traditional Arabic music as well as attending an amazing Tanoura show.

Quad Biking Desert Safari around the Pyramids:Try riding quad biking around the Giza Pyramids by choosing a bike and touring with your friends around the Giza pyramids space while enjoying an amazing panoramic view of the pyramids of the great pharaohs Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus.

Mount Sinai Tours from Cairo for 2 Days including Trip to St. Catherine’s Monastery:During Mount Sinai tours you will climb the mountain of prophet Moses where our God called him there and on your way from Cairo to this mount you will enjoy the natural views everywhere. this unbelievable two-day excursion to one of the most spiritual sites in the world includes the visit to St Catherine's Monastery and an amazing overnight trip to Mount Sinai Tours.

El Fayoum and Wadi El Rayan from Cairo Day Tour:See the beauty of El Fayoum while making a beautiful day tour to El Fayoum from Cairo to visit wadi el Rayan and enjoy its natural beauty while doing different activities like sandboarding, watching its famous waterfall, and camping in this amazing trip to explore the oasis, and seeing the beautiful Lake of Qaron

@cairo-top-tours @lailaessam291

TOP NEWS Agricultural Commodities > Argentina grains exchange trims corn forecast citing heat wave, disease > China 2024 grain imports seen near record high despite cancellations > ANALYSIS-Brazil heading to rare sequence of rising coffee crops > EXCLUSIVE-ADM pays bonuses to senior executives in midst of government > GRAINS-Soybean futures set 2-month top; corn, wheat inch higher > INSIGHT-Somali pirates' return adds to crisis for global shipping companies > Global sugar supply surplus rises on India, Thailand, says broker > CERAWEEK-Brazil's Raizen scouting locations for sustainable aviation fuel plant > SOFTS-Cocoa futures hit record highs, coffee and sugar also up > Louis Dreyfus upbeat about China's agri-food demand, CEO says > Australia will export more live cattle and beef in 2024, USDA says > VEGOILS-Palm oil reverses course amid production growth uncertainty > Water is disappearing from Mexico's vital desert oasis Cuatro Cienegas

Events 1.15 (after 1940)

of the Corunna Road. 1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins. 1943 – The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia. 1947 – The Black Dahlia murder: The dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles. 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist government. 1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece. 1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy. 1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état. 1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10. 1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5. 1970 – Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria. 1970 – Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya. 1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. 1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal. 1976 – Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison. 1977 – Linjeflyg Flight 618 crashes in Kälvesta near Stockholm Bromma Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, killing 22 people. 1981 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from the Polish trade union Solidarity at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa. 1991 – The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm. 1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system. 2001 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, is launched. 2005 – ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon. 2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds less than two minutes after take-off. This becomes known as "The Miracle on the Hudson" as all 155 people on board were rescued. 2013 – A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others. 2015 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the Swiss franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets. 2016 – The Kenyan Army suffers its worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 Kenyan soldiers are killed in the battle. 2018 – British multinational construction and facilities management services company Carillion went into liquidation – officially, "the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK" 2019 – Somali militants attack the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi, Kenya killing at least 21 people and injuring 19. 2019 – Theresa May's UK government suffers the biggest government defeat in modern times, when 432 MPs voting against the proposed European Union withdrawal agreement, giving her opponents a majority of 230. 2020 – The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan. 2021 – A 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island killing at least 105 and injuring 3,369 people. 2022 – The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupts, cutting off communications with Tonga and causing a tsunami across the Pacific. 2023 – Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashes near Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board.

Masterlist

Catz

Ada the Birman

Annisa the Selkirk Rex

Bambi the Ragdoll

Beric the Lykoi

Brie the Pixie Bob

Cassie the Somali

Chad the LaPerm

Charlie the Turkish Angora

Chloe the Siamese

Chrystyna the B+W Shorthair

Cole the American Wirehair

Cordelia the Sphynx

Daniel the Cymric

Dannie the Cornish Rex

Darren the Maine Coon

Drew the Russian Blue

Esther the Siberian

Hayden the Kurilian Bobtail

Isaac the Tonkinese

Izzy the Ocicat

Jared the Tabby

Jordan the York Chocolate

Leaf the Alley Cat

Libby the Egyptian Mau

Liv the Snowshoe

Liza the Chinchilla Persian

Lola the Calico

Mads the Bombay

Maggie the Peterbald

Manny the Persian

Matt the Japanese Bobtail

Mike the Bengal

Milo the Manx

Moss the Scottish Fold

Nat the Abyssinian

Paige the Honey Bear

Piper the Orange Shorthair

Ren the American Curl

Rio the Desert Lynx

Seth the Le Chartreux

Skylar the American Bobtail

Vic the Norwegian Forest Cat

Other

Old Canon

Canon

Not Canon

Catz Chatz

Sinai is on fire.. The US Army Commander warns Israel against committing suicide on the Gaza border while the Egyptian border is on fire!

Updates on the Al-Aqsa Flood operation presented in this episode of Samri Channel. The beginning begins with retired US Army Commander David Petraeus, former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency and commander of US forces in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, who warned Israel in statements highlighted by the American magazine Politico of a dark fate like the one faced by US Special Forces in the Somali capital Mogadishu in 1993, stressing the danger of The open clash with Hamas, which is skilled in street warfare.

Google deletes Sinai from maps, and there is great anger in Egypt There was great anger on social media sites in Egypt, after activists discovered that the search engine Google had deleted the name Sinai from its maps. A large number of users discovered during their searches on Google that the name “Sinai” had already been deleted, leaving a large empty space without the name Sinai being placed on it.

From Israel to Egypt, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said, in a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz yesterday, that “the forced displacement of the people of Palestine cannot be allowed.”

The Egyptian President said that he discussed with the German Chancellor Egypt's efforts to calm the situation in Gaza, Palestine, noting that "I propose transferring civilians from Gaza to the Israeli Negev Desert until the end of military operations." Al-Sisi continued, saying: “The displacement” of the people of Palestine from Gaza to Egypt may lead to “displacement” from the West Bank to Jordan. Al-Sisi added that Egypt rejects the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and the displacement of the people of Palestine from their lands, noting that Egypt has not closed the Rafah crossing since the beginning of the crisis, but the Israeli bombing has prevented it from operating. Al-Sisi called for allowing humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip, and said, "Continuing military operations will have repercussions on the region and could get out of control."

 On the other hand, Josh Ball, Director of the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs in the Bureau of Political and Military Affairs at the US State Department, announced his resignation from his position due to President Joe Biden’s approach towards the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

In his resignation statement, he considered that “blind support for one side” of the Joe Biden administration was leading to political decisions that were “short-sighted, destructive, unfair, and contradictory to the very values that we publicly embrace.” He added: "The response taken by Israel, along with American support for this response and the current status of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the peoples of Palestine and Israel."

“I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we made in past decades, and I refuse to be a part of it any longer.” Paul indicated in an interview with HuffPost that he felt “forced to resign” because he was unable to push for “a more humane policy within the government.” "American".

 Paul, who spent more than 11 years in the Office of Political-Military Affairs, which deals with arms deals, said he had extensively discussed “policy change efforts associated with controversial arms sales,” adding: “It was clear that I could not change anything here. Accordingly, I submitted my resignation.”

In another context, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that Britain would stand by Israel in its “darkest hour,” and welcomed the decision to allow aid into Gaza, saying that Israel is doing its best to reduce civilian deaths.

#Egypt #Palestine #latest news

BALEDOGLE MILITARY AIR BASE, Somalia—In about a month’s time, a group of 350 Somali men and women will be sent to fight, and perhaps die, against one of al Qaeda’s wealthiest terror franchises.

The recruits will face an enemy they won’t often be able to see. Hiding in camps deep in the thicket of the Somali bushlands, al-Shabab uses the dense savannah to keep the commandos on the ground guessing before leaping out to ambush and kill them. But the new soldiers graduating from the U.S.-supported training program deep in the desert will face a terror group that’s armed with more than just guerrilla tactics. The fresh troops will face complex improvised explosive devices, 500-pound truck bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, and even human waves of al-Shabab suicide bombers running at them. In spite of the odds, Somalia’s military commanders insist their troops will keep moving forward.

“When you are in a fight, you will have losses,” said Maj. Mohammed Aydarus, the commander of the Danab Brigade. “But we are determined to defeat the enemy and continue the operation. Every year, we continue to recruit new forces.”

For the better part of a decade, the Danab Brigade, trained by U.S. troops and contractors to be an elite strike force, has been the tip of the spear for Somalia’s fight against al-Shabab. Named after the Somali word for lightning, Danab is trained to elite standards to run through al-Shabab’s camps in raids, helicopter insertions, and close-quarters combat.

And the fight for Somalia’s future depends on those lightning raids yielding more ground. An offshoot of an Islamist uprising that came out of the Somali civil wars of the 1990s, al-Shabab later hitched its star to al Qaeda and has made a killing out of taxes in the meantime. The group taxes everything that sails, rolls, or moves—an extortion racket with plenty of arms, thousands of fighters, and little government to contend with. But it does have Danab to deal with.

The Somalia from which the 2,000 or so Danab fighters come from is not much different from the villages controlled by al-Shabab, which got its start from the ashes of Islamic organizations that appealed for justice for the poor and were driven back by the Somali government during a mid-2000s civil war. U.S. contractors recruited this batch of trainees from Somalia’s poorest communities with the promise of Somali government salaries and U.S. stipends; al-Shabab gets its conscripts at gunpoint.

These are the elite of Somalia’s military, but they are coming straight off the street. Nearly half of them were illiterate when they were invited to join the U.S.-backed training program at Baledogle, an airfield first built in the 1970s with money from the Soviet Union. As the graduates listen to Somalia’s defense minister, resplendent in his plaid suit, they are not a picture of resolve. Some are fidgeting. Others gossip with their neighbors. One young man appears gripped with fear, contemplating the battle to come.

U.S. special forces get more than a year of training on top of basic training before they are assigned to military units. But when your country is at war against a terror group that overran your capital a decade ago, you don’t have that kind of time. The Danab get just three months of basic training and another month of special courses with U.S. Navy SEALs before they are thrown into the fight against al-Shabab. And after a year of constant military campaigning, the force is getting worn out.

“The Danab is a 72-hour quick strike force,” said Will Meeker, the Africa director with Center for Civilians in Conflict. “It’s not meant to do this again and again.”

From a dusty hilltop at Baledogle, Jim, a squat, grizzled contractor from Bancroft Global Development, a nonprofit security firm made up of ex-Western special forces hired by the U.S. State Department to train the Danab, has a running commentary as the young recruits hustle through a live-fire exercise.

“Run under cover of fire,” he shouts as about a dozen soon-to-be Danab fighters stumble up the embankment. Dozens of U.S. troops are watching the exercise, and a team of U.S. Navy SEALs, some of the American military’s most highly trained killers, have been converted to chaperone duty, ferrying around the delegation in dusty Toyota Hilux trucks with several inches of dirt coating the inside of the cabs. The outside probably doesn’t get washed at all.

The Pentagon has helped Somalis, and the Danab, retake territory from al-Shabab with drone strikes, but the stated goal is to make the Somalis more self-reliant. U.S. contractors may be supervising the action, but they said the Danab has taken over about 60 to 70 percent of the three-month basic training course, during which Somali civilians learn to shoot and move.

But al-Shabab has been a force in Somalia since before many of the new recruits were in grade school. By 2006, after a couple decades of lawlessness, the Islamic Courts Union was an effort to bring justice to a lawless place—but with a Salafist flavor. Al-Shabab grew out of that—and then it got guns. And it has been on the rampage ever since. In 2012, it formally allied itself with al Qaeda.

Somali forces have been on the offensive for nearly a year, part of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s pledge to rid the country of al-Shabab. The terror group has ambitions of striking the United States and Europe, and already has American blood on its hands: the 2013 attack by masked gunmen on a mall in Nairobi, Kenya, and a pre-dawn raid on a U.S. airfield on the Kenyan coast at Manda Bay in 2020 that left two U.S. contractors dead.

Mohamud’s offensive, spearheaded by the Danab, has helped the weak central government, considered one of the world’s most corrupt regimes, secure its largest foothold in al-Shabab country since it wrested control of Mogadishu from the terror group with the help of African Union troops in 2011. Clans once loyal to al-Shabab are splitting from the terror group as the Danab chews through its turf.

Mohamud is presiding over what U.S. officials believe could be an “Anbar Awakening” moment in Somalia, a fleeting once-in-a-generation chance for Mogadishu to unify the war-torn country, or at least to sit down at the bargaining table with a winning hand. But even if that doesn’t happen, they insist that the fractious country—where even the military has been split along clan lines—is more unified than it has been in the last two decades of fighting.

“When we came to power, the first thing that we wanted to do was to put pressure on al-Shabab,” said Hussein Sheikh Ali, Somalia’s national security advisor. “And we figured the military and the security forces were not in the best shape, and they were divided. It was very hard to build the confidence [of] units to fight together, because just months ago, they were fighting each other.”

After they receive their diplomas and get pictures with Somalia’s top military official and defense minister, the Danab recruits will get a monthlong breather in their villages. When they return to base, the SEALs will give them crash courses in specialized skills, such as rappelling out of helicopters and securing landing zones.

But the biggest key to the fight remains Somalia’s warring clans. Somalia’s rival factions have torn the country apart twice since the collapse of Mohamad Siad Barre’s Soviet-backed military dictatorship in 1991, but the clans are increasingly frustrated with al-Shabab’s punitive tax scheme and brutal brand of Islamic justice.

By last August, that frustration reached a boiling point, especially among the Hawiye, Somalia’s largest clan. The country faced its worst drought in almost 40 years, sending nearly 200,000 refugees packing, and making al-Shabab’s punitive tax feel unbearable.

“This was local militias taking up arms against al-Shabab,” said U.S. official. “They reached out to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and said, ‘can the federal forces come out and help us? We are gaining ground here.’”

Mohamud and Somalia’s government did not anticipate all-out war. They agreed to send troops for a couple of weeks. But the Hawiye clans, nomadic farmers that claimed the center of Somalia extending from Mogadishu, weren’t pushovers. Even under al-Shabab’s boot, the pastoral communities of camel herders had stayed armed to the teeth. By August, a year into the fight, Mohamud’s government had reclaimed the entire Hiran region, up to the Ethiopian border.

“They are natural warriors,” said Sheikh Ali. “Everyone wants to have a gun if they want to survive.” With no police force, Mohamud’s government is also depending on the clans in the liberated areas to fend for themselves, with Mogadishu supplying ammunition and logistical support.

The clans still aren’t taking orders from Mogadishu, and using local forces as hired muscle draws inevitable comparisons with the Somali Civil War of the 1990s, when the country broke down into a lawless enclave of rival fiefdoms. The difference between now and then, the U.S. official said, is that the Somali government is more aware of the risks and is looking at giving the clans a clearer path into the security forces. But experts aren’t convinced the ad hoc plan will hold up.

“This seems to have been done in a very hurried, rushed manner,” said Joshua Meservey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. “What do [the clans] want after this?”

And even officials who believe in the clan-led approach admit that fighting is not their day job. “The challenge is, every clan has their own militia,” said Col. David Haskell, the commander of the U.S. joint special operations task force in Somalia. “That’s not their full-time job. They all have AKs—they can all come together.” The Somali National Army, Haskell said, is meant to be the “hammer” in case the clan center doesn’t hold.

The United States is focused on striking deeper into the al-Shabab’s heartland. The Danab has fought across about one-quarter of Somalia in the first phase of the offensive, clearing about 90 percent of that, according to Somali government estimates. But the United States has no influence on the rank-and-file of the Somali National Army, and limited insight into how the clan militias are operating. Turkish-trained Gorgor forces are also active in the offensive. Even former officials believe the Danab is being held together solely by U.S. weapons and salaries. The U.S. government sent about $237 million to Somalia last year to cover salaries, training, and weapons.

Earlier this month, Mohamud kicked off the extension of the offensive to clear three major districts in Galmudug, a province that lies in the geographic center of Somalia. The government hopes to finish the operation by late fall. Then the Danab forces would turn south, toward Jubaland, the heart of al-Shabab country, which sports checkpoints protected by the Ugandan-led African Union Transition Mission, known as ATMIS, surrounded by terrorist enclaves. There, south of the Jubba River, clans are less organized, less armed, less resourceful, and likely less eager to take the fight to the terror group. Ali said the government is banking on militarily weakening al-Shabab enough that local clans can finish them off.

On the flip side, al-Shabab’s military strategy has been heavily predicated on holding off the government offensive, which hasn’t worked so far. Al-Shabab may have as many as 14,000 fighters left—almost double what it was just three years ago—but not all of them are die-hard fighters. Many of them are forced child conscripts, and the government has set up a program to prepare for a wave of defectors. “They will not all want to die,” said Sheikh Ali. “The defection will increase.”

On the flight back from Baledogle airbase, the rumbling old C-130 military transport plane carrying U.S. troops and diplomats to Mogadishu seems to hang over the ocean for what feels like an eternity. A pilot can’t land at Aden Adde International Airport like they’re touching down at JFK: Under 26,000 feet, al-Shabab anti-aircraft fire is effective.

By the government’s count, it’s retaken 70 villages in Central Somalia since the start of the offensive last year, though Western estimates have a much higher figure. It’s a country the size of the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, and Mohamud’s government isn’t even sure how much territory it has regained. Mogadishu may not have control over much, or even an idea of what it does control, but it does have government ministries—more than 700. What they minister is anyone’s guess.

If there is to be a life after al-Shabab, though, it will depend on the government controlling more turf. It’s not a lucrative drugs enterprise that has allowed al-Shabab to net billions and become one of al Qaeda’s richest terror franchises. It’s tax money. A rice truck going through al-Shabab territory will pay for the truck itself, and then for every bag of rice inside. And then again at the next checkpoint.

The taxation racket extends deep into the heart of government-controlled territory. The U.S. believes that al-Shabab makes up to $100 million a year in Mogadishu alone, and even civil servants and small businesses have to pay it off. Every container that comes into the Somali capital needs to be paid for to get out of the terror group’s hands.

“Al-Shabab is very much an extortion racket,” said Stephen Schwartz, the U.S. ambassador to Somalia until 2017.

The next phase of the offensive, Somali and Western officials said, will require taking and holding roads, bridges, and checkpoints before African Union troops, who are departing their forward operating bases a few thousand at a time, leave the country for good in 2024.

Ask any U.S. or Somali official, and they will insist they are winning that fight. “I think Somalia is winning this war,” said Ali, the country’s national security advisor. “This is our plan, to finish them off before August of next year.”

But as they push further, they are pushing further into a country that most Americans will never see or understand. Just three years ago, former U.S. President Donald Trump ordered all 900 American troops out of Somalia. The Mogadishu green zone parameter shrank. The U.S. military folded up most of its housing at Baledogle Air Base, leaving the Soviet-era facility a partial ghost town.

U.S. troops may have left, but Somalis are left behind. And what is their endgame? Experts don’t believe that al-Shabab will prevail in the long run, especially after this offensive, but neither will Mohamud’s government.

“They’ve killed a bunch of bad guys,” said Meservey, the Hudson Institute expert. “Well, OK, where is this going? What are the plausibly achievable steps after this offensive that will get us to a place where al-Shabab is truly diminished and no longer an existential threat to the government of Somalia? I just don’t see that path at all.”

Luxury Photo Tour of Kenya's Hidden Gems and Off-the-Beaten-Path Landscapes

Unveiling Kenya's Secret Photogenic Hubs 1. Lake Turkana Lake Turkana, located in the northern part of Kenya, is one of the most photogenic places in the country. This lake, also known as the Jade Sea, is the largest permanent desert lake in the world. It is surrounded by volcanic rocks and desert landscapes, making it a stunning destination for photographers. Besides, it is home to several indigenous tribes, like the El Molo, who live in the lake's vicinity and practice fishing. The lake is also a breeding site for Nile crocodiles and bird species like flamingos. Photographers can take stunning photos of these creatures against the beautiful lake's backdrop. 2. Hell's Gate National Park Hell's Gate National Park is one of the few parks in East Africa where visitors can stroll, bike, or hike without a guide. Apart from the stunning scenery and wildlife, the park boasts some of the country's most photogenic features, including the towering cliffs, winding gorges, and scenic waterfalls. It's also home to several hot geysers and natural geothermal spas, which offer an amazing contrast against the park's backdrop. Photographers can hike, bike, or even climb the cliffs to capture breathtaking views of the park's unique geology and natural features. 3. Mount Kenya Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa. The mountain, which is covered in snow, offers stunning scenic views that are perfect for photography. It is surrounded by lush green vegetation and crystal-clear waterfalls, which make it an ideal location for landscape and nature photography. Additionally, the mountain is home to several rare and endangered species, including giant forest hogs, elephants, and bongo antelopes. 4. Lamu Island Lamu Island is a small island located off the Kenyan coast and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island boasts stunning beaches, picturesque villages, and historic architecture, making it a photogenic location. The narrow streets and colorful houses within the old town are a photographer's dream. Photographers can capture the island's unique culture and traditions, including Swahili architecture and the vibrant Lamu festival. 5. Lake Nakuru Lake Nakuru, located in the Great Rift Valley region of Kenya, is a soda lake surrounded by dense vegetation and escarpments. The lake is a breeding site for flamingos and home to various wildlife, including baboons, giraffes, rhinos, and buffaloes. The mix of wildlife, the lake's beautiful shades of blue and pink, and the surrounding acacia trees offers excellent photo opportunities. In conclusion, Kenya's hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path landscapes offer an excellent opportunity for photographers to capture the country's diverse and photogenic features. From the desert landscapes of Lake Turkana to the lush green vegetation of Mount Kenya, photographers can capture breathtaking photos of Kenya's unique natural and cultural heritage. Discovering Hidden Gems: Off-the-Beaten-Path Landscapes While Kenya is known for its famous wildlife reserves such as Maasai Mara and Amboseli, there are many hidden gems in the country waiting to be discovered. These less explored landscapes offer unique and stunning photo opportunities for the adventurous traveler. The Chyulu Hills The Chyulu Hills are located between Amboseli and Tsavo West National Parks and offer a dramatic and breathtaking landscape. The hills are covered in lush green forests, open grasslands, and volcanic ash cones that provide a stunning backdrop for photographs. This area is also home to many species of wildlife including buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and zebra. Samburu National Reserve Samburu National Reserve is a hidden gem located in the north of Kenya. The reserve is home to unique wildlife such as the Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, and Somali ostrich. The landscape here is stunning with rugged mountains, winding rivers, and open savannah dotted with acacia trees. Samburu is a perfect place for photographers looking for a unique and less crowded wildlife experience. Lake Turkana Lake Turkana is the largest desert lake in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lake is surrounded by volcanic rock and offers a dramatic and surreal landscape. The area is home to many unique tribes such as the El Molo, Samburu, and Turkana. Photographers visiting Lake Turkana will be able to capture stunning photos of the tribes and their traditional way of life. The Tana River Delta The Tana River Delta is a hidden gem located on the coast of Kenya. The delta is an important breeding ground for many bird species and is home to a wide array of wildlife including elephants, hippos, and crocodiles. The landscape here is stunning with winding rivers, lush forests, and open savannah. Photographers visiting the Tana River Delta will be able to capture unique photos of the wildlife and landscape. The Aberdare Range The Aberdare Range is a beautiful mountain range located in central Kenya. The range is covered in lush forests and is home to many species of wildlife including elephant, buffalo, and leopard. The landscape here is stunning with sweeping views of the mountains and valleys. The Aberdare Range is a perfect place for photographers looking for a dramatic and unique landscape. Luxury Photo Tour: Planning and Preparation Embarking on a luxury photo tour of Kenya's hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path landscapes is an unforgettable adventure, but proper planning and preparation are essential for a successful trip. Here are some tips to ensure you make the most of your photo tour: Research Your Destination Before embarking on your journey, research the destination and its unique features. Consider the time of year, weather, and lighting conditions that will impact your photography. Learn about local customs, cultures, and languages in order to communicate more effectively with the locals and better understand the nuances of the region. Choose the Right Gear The equipment you bring on your trip will have a big impact on the quality of your photos. Bring a camera that suits your photography style and the conditions you'll be shooting in. If possible, bring a backup camera and extra batteries, chargers, SD cards, and storage devices. Research and invest in quality lenses, tripods, filters, flash units, and other accessories that will enhance your photography. Plan Your Itinerary Work with your tour provider to design a custom itinerary that matches your photography goals. Be sure to discuss your preferred activities, locations, and accommodations in advance. Consider the length and timing of each activity to allow you enough time to capture the perfect shot. Stay Healthy and Safe Traveling to a new destination can expose you to unfamiliar situations and hazards. Be sure to research and address potential health risks, such as vaccinations, altitude sickness, and food and water safety. Make sure you have adequate travel insurance and stay informed about local safety concerns. Always carry copies of important documents, such as your passport and itinerary, and keep them in a safe place. By following these tips, you'll be well-prepared for your luxury photo tour of Kenya's hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path landscapes. Happy shooting! Capturing Wildlife in their Natural Habitat Kenya is known for its vast wildlife reserves and national parks, making it the perfect destination for wildlife photography. As you venture out on a luxury photo tour of Kenya's hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path landscapes, you'll have the opportunity to capture stunning images of some of Africa's most iconic animals in their natural habitat. The Big Five The term "Big Five" refers to Africa's five most popular game animals: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and Cape buffalos. These animals are the most sought-after by wildlife photographers, and Kenya is one of the best places in Africa to photograph them. Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to all of the Big Five, and photographing them in this breathtaking landscape is an unforgettable experience. The reserve is also home to the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles cross the Mara River, providing endless photo opportunities. Bird Watching Kenya is home to over 1,100 bird species, making it a paradise for bird watching enthusiasts. Photographers can capture images of rare and exotic birds in their natural habitat, such as the Shoebill Stork, the African Fish Eagle, and the Lilac-breasted Roller. Lake Nakuru National Park is a popular destination for bird watching in Kenya. The park is home to thousands of flamingos, pelicans, and other waterbirds that gather around the lake's alkaline waters. Night Photography The Kenyan wilderness comes alive at night, and photographers can capture stunning images of nocturnal animals such as lions, hyenas, and leopards. Night photography requires specialized equipment, such as a tripod and fast lenses, but the results can be spectacular. Laikipia County is one of the best places in Kenya for night photography. The county is home to some of the country's most elusive predators, including the African wild dog and the striped hyena. Photography Tips When photographing wildlife in Kenya, it's important to respect the animals and their environment. Make sure to stay a safe distance from the animals and avoid interrupting their natural behavior. Always follow the instructions of your guide, who can help you get the best shots while minimizing your impact on the environment. When it comes to equipment, a fast telephoto lens is essential for capturing wildlife from a distance. A tripod can help you stabilize your camera and prevent blurry images. It's also a good idea to bring extra memory cards and batteries, as you can easily fill up your cards and drain your batteries while photographing Kenya's stunning landscapes and wildlife. The Cultural Experience: Meeting the Local People One of the most rewarding aspects of traveling is interacting with the local people and gaining insight into their culture and way of life. During this luxury photo tour of Kenya’s hidden gems, you’ll have ample opportunities to meet the local people and learn about their customs and traditions. Visit a Maasai Village One of the highlights of the trip is a visit to a Maasai village, where you’ll be greeted by the friendly Maasai people dressed in their traditional red clothing. You’ll have the chance to witness their daily activities, such as milking cows, herding goats, and building huts made of cow dung and mud. During your visit, you can also participate in a traditional jumping dance and purchase handmade crafts. Enjoy a Swahili Meal with a Local Family Another unique cultural experience is joining a local family for a traditional Swahili meal. You’ll be welcomed into their home and served dishes such as pilau (spiced rice), ugali (maize meal), and nyama choma (grilled meat). You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions, learn about their family traditions, and practice your Swahili language skills! Attend a Tribal Dance Performance During your tour, you’ll also get to witness traditional tribal dance performances, featuring colorful costumes and energetic rhythms. You’ll see the graceful movements of the Kikuyu, the acrobatic dances of the Kalenjin, and the rhythmic beats of the Luo tribe. It’s a cultural feast for the eyes! Meeting the local people and experiencing their culture firsthand is an unforgettable part of any travel experience, and this luxury photo tour of Kenya’s hidden gems is no exception. Relaxation and Rejuvenation: Spa and Wellness Unwind in Kenya's Top-Class Spas After an adventurous tour of Kenya's hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path landscapes, a relaxing and rejuvenating spa and wellness experience is just what you need. Kenya boasts some of the most luxurious spas in Africa, with top-class facilities that provide a serene atmosphere for relaxation. Indulge in a variety of treatments, including aromatherapy, reflexology, and deep tissue massages, offered by experienced therapists. The sense of tranquility is further enhanced by soothing music and fragrant essential oils, as well as breath-taking views of Kenya's natural beauty. For a uniquely African experience, try out the traditional Maasai Mara-inspired spa treatments, which incorporate local herbs, oils, and techniques. The spa packages range from day packages to multi-day retreats, with accommodation provided in exquisite lodges in some of Kenya's most beautiful locations. Wellness-Centered Activities Apart from spa treatments, Kenya also offers various wellness-centered activities, such as yoga and meditation retreats, hiking, and nature walks. These activities are conducted by experienced instructors and guides in serene environments, such as forests and parks, where one can be in touch with nature and find inner peace. In addition, some wellness retreats specialize in detoxification and weight loss programs, combined with healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes. These retreats provide a holistic approach to wellness, with coaching on nutrition, fitness, and emotional balance. Conclusion Kenya's luxury spas and wellness retreats provide an exquisite way to unwind and rejuvenate after a thrilling adventure. From indulging in top-class spa treatments to participating in wellness-centered activities, Kenya is the perfect place to find inner-peace and relaxation. So, take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and immerse yourself in the enchanting beauty of Kenya's spa and wellness facilities. A Taste of Kenya: Culinary Delights Introduction Kenya's culinary scene is diverse, influenced by different ethnic groups, and has resulted in a rich array of flavors and dishes. The country's multicultural cuisine is a blend of indigenous and international recipes, from traditional game meat dishes to spiced Indian curries and European-style pastries. Local Delicacies One of Kenya's most famous dishes is nyama choma, which means "roasted meat" in Swahili. It is usually made with beef, goat, or sheep and marinated in a blend of spices, including garlic, ginger, and cumin before being roasted over an open fire. Another popular dish is pilau, a rice dish cooked with fragrant spices such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and cumin. Ugali, a starchy porridge made from maize flour, is the staple food in Kenyan households and usually served with stews, curries, or vegetables. Indian-Influenced Dishes Kenya has a large Indian community that has added to the country's culinary diversity. One of the most popular Indian dishes in Kenya is biryani, a spicy rice dish cooked with vegetables, meat, or fish. Samosas, a savory pastry filled with spiced vegetables or meat, are also a common street food in Kenya. Luxury Dining Kenya also has a growing number of luxury restaurants, especially in Nairobi and Mombasa. These restaurants offer a wide range of international cuisine, from Italian and French to Japanese and Chinese. Some of the restaurants specialize in seafood, using fresh catches from the Indian Ocean, while others focus on game meats, such as ostrich and crocodile. Drinks Kenya has a diverse selection of drinks, from tea and coffee to traditional fermented brews. Chai tea is a favorite among locals, with a blend of black tea, milk, and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Kenyan coffee is also world-renowned for its rich flavor and is usually served with a traditional Kenyan sweet, mandazi, a deep-fried pastry. Exploring Kenya's cuisine is a treat for the senses and an excellent way to experience the country's culture and history. From traditional dishes to international fusions, Kenya's culinary scene is a delight for any foodie. Don't miss an opportunity to indulge in some of the country's most delicious, mouth-watering dishes on your next visit to Kenya. If you're planning a trip to Southeast Asia, be sure to check out the Luxury Travel Gear for Photographers – Essential Equipment for Shooting in Thailand’s Heat. Read the full article