Geedi has not gone to Puntland. His interior Minister has. Instead it’s rumored that he will be going to Baydhabo where Yey accountants are waiting for him !

^^That was a serious spin . Shiekh Turk and Ceyrow are in a different category when it comes to this struggle. They came out and opposed the Asmara meeting. They simply were not part of it. Critical info for your next analysis that is .

Right on yaa Djib-Somali! Nehanda , my passing comments were not in any way intended to gain SOL philosophers’ anger! But I am now tempted to take a harsh stab at this useless thing called Philosophy. What is it good at anyway adeer? What is it that you reckon its chief produce is? Eloquent speeches filled with grammatical riddles! Perhaps. Speculative guess works on issues beyond human grasp! Most certainly yes I would say. To be sure philosophers tend to formulate seemingly tangible arguments, adhere strictly to the rules of logic, and at times pretend to be in a superior realm of theirs. The answers they so desperately seek are either mysteriously elusive or have no significance on the human development however. Revelations have effectively put Philosophers out of business, and Muslim students who spend money and their precious time studying yesteryears Greek fadhi-ku-dirirs are indeed missing the point. ^^Now that was a serious dig, and now its your turn to defend and tell us what ‘great things were born out of philosophy’. ps--Mutakallim , where are you adeer?

^^ Or if the medicine itself is afflicted with plague, where on the green earth could we find a treatment? Such paradoxical issues were as Ina Mumin puts it: waa suaal daweynoo madaxaa daalinaysee waxii lagu dabiibii dad weynaha la waydiin! And I am not sure if he really thought the commoners would fare any better in answering his queries… But I would like to find one of his classic poems where as I said he likened Somali character with a lazy cat. He starts with how Somali name cats from Zaylac to Kismayo…then in a methodical way derives cat’s true character from the names people give it. Waryaa usoo baxay?

Naden, I gather you hesitated to nod your head in agreement with the list. Which one do you think should not be on the list adeer? Faarax, soomaali or soomaali la’aan if you spend a lot of money to get your degree you better get out of it something that’s marketable and by which you could make a decent living adeer. In that regard philosophy is a fadhi-ku-dirir with academic dye… Sister Amina, have I listed yours? There are helper degrees that proves to be a good stepping-stone to other careers... LG, I am inclined to agree with you on the political science being useless…but with connections you could still get a decent job in the congressional bodies, State departments etc…so it is not as useless as it sounds. Folks lets face it, if we only are after knowledge or satisfying our intellectual hobbies we might as well camp at the libraries and quench our knowledge thirst with variety of readings, do research, get trainings etc. But from where I am coming from, people go to school and spend tons of money to 1) get credentials and 2) make a decent living (read: make lots of money). If that were the sole criterion by which degrees are to be judged then, most art degrees are useless I say…

Originally posted by Yaab: Hi everyone.. Is there such a thing as a "useless degree"? Discuss. Yes, here are some examples: *Philosophy *Music Performance *Art *Art History *Music business

If any one has Xassan Sh. Mumumin's literature please share oo nagu sadaqaysta waa bil Ramadaane. From what i heard that man is only second to Hadraawi... Especailly i am interested in a one particular poem where he drew parrallel between somali character and cat... Where's Sharmaarke? Pardon the interruption yaa Jamaacah!

Originally posted by me: Dhubad exactly what I mean. Too much talk no action. Thats why that no one should actually criticise indhocade, cause he is doing what most including myself aren't doing. The same goes for Cabdulahi Yusuf, he is atleast doing something whether we agree with him or not. Soomaalidu waxay tidhaahdaa islaan fadhida lagdintu la fududaa. marka my advice stop talking if your not willing to step to the plate. i dont think you are serious. But if you are your yardstick sucks adeer [forgive me if that comes across a bit harsh].

^^Indhacadde wuxuu mudan yahay inuu dadka danbi dhaaf weydiisto bishan Ramadan...may Allah forgive him and guide him to the correct path. But his name is synonymous with either anarchy or fashal, to reintroduce him to the charged Somali politics once again is really missing the point of the whole struggle… This is not it! So lets not be the proverbial abandoned elderly woman who mumbled; bal waxbaan dhawri . Wax la dhowraa meesha kama muuqdaan really...

^^Ramadan kariim adeer...

^^You’ve got few propaganda slides to present…that’s what my being on steroids meant---today’s announcement has been disappointing to many among whom you can safely count me. As your persistent focus on few characters, the struggle to bring Somalia back violently or peacefully is greater than mere personalities…no doubt.

Duke is clearly on steriods today...

^^You were saaxibul karam yaa Nur… Good Xiin hangs around on Nurs aqal just to have the opportunity to break another Ramadan day with bro Nur’s ifdhaar dirin…

^^^It may not come to that though! You never know when the Ethiopian FM flies in, stays over night, and successfully convinces both men to make up with each other…

Ramadan Kariim yaa Abdi... Lix sano ka hor baa nin aad u culus wuxuu i weydiiyey waxaa soomaali isu dishay. Maxay soomaali isu dishay ooy ka dagi lahayd? Waxaan ku iri soomaali waxay isu dishay anigu ma aqaan laakiin qabiil isuma dilin dawladnimadeedanna kama hortaagna [markii Maxamed Qanyare Afrax baan tusaale usoo qaatay]. lixsano ka dib baan ninkii wacay oo waxaan ku iri hebelow wixii soomaali isu dishay inaan helaan u malaynayyaa, waaana hoggaan xumo dhan walba ah! And he agreed. Hoggaan xumida na haysaa maaha midda warlorka ku sumadan ee cidwalbaahi iskaga jeedo ee marag ma doontada ah. Ee wa mid taabatay hoggaankii dhaqanka, kii aqoonyahanka,kii saxwada iyo diinta, iyo dhan walbaba...ilaa si qumman loo fekero oo la dhiraandhiriyo waxaa looga bixi karo hoggaan xumida waxaanu ahaan doonna dad dudumooyin u qayshanayya~~~ Maxaa looga bixi kara hoggaan xumida ummadda ku habsatay ee xattaa aan wadaaddaddu ka cayman?

^^ The General, is playing safe on this as you've already noticed it...

^^You are a true revolutionary/activist adeer---no matter how you burry your raw sentiments in fictional narrative, your radical views on Somalia’s tragic status quo innocently float up. The turn of phrases aside, yours has a distinct and genteel quality. Please do continue… I will critique it IA, as time permits it.

A word for the participants of this debate: legal age for marriage is just a legal matter, and religious one at that, and emotions have no place in it. It’s not a question of personal preference either…

^^Poignant article indeed! Ina sii-Arag waa waxgarad wallee.

^^Waad haysaa yaa Me! I would even go further and say tribalism, though always present in our physic with its potentiality to explode anytime, is a function of the leaders who preside maaraynta and maamulida danaha shacabkooda! Haddii hoggaanka sare hagaago rajada xabisani dabarkay goosanaysaa dadkuna kifaax dantoodu ku jirto buu geleyyaa…but without proper leadership I cant see any brighter future for Somalis. It’s quite fitting to note that today’s news from Asmara was quite depressing. Characters without credentials or credibility whatsoever has been crowned to represent the legitimate struggle against Ethiopia’s meddling in our affairs. And sadly there goes our last hope to emerge from this tribulation with some sense of national cohesion and principled leadership… Where's rudy? I want him back on this.

^^Adam, the father of today's man and the first to have given a guadance. Ibrahim, Allah's friend and the first in the chain of nobility. Muuse, the prophet who had Allah's audience and the divine stick that put the fircoons of yesteryears out of business. Ciise, the prophet who challenged the Jewish treachery and corruption, brought with him miracles of the first order as a clear manifestation of Allah. Muhammad (scw), the zeal of prophets and mesengers and the reciter of the holy quran...

^^Here you’ve clearly resorted to the usage of cliché’s yaa rudy. Alas, and I was counting you amongst SOL’s straight shooters! That Ethiopia has unparalleled influence on our affairs is not a moot point here adeer---that’s undeniable as it’s sad and heart wrenching. Needlesly to say that i share the sentiment of Ethiopia being part of our problem. But i dont think it's that major when it comes to the root cause of the somali crisis. Here let me try another go and ask you and like-minded folks this question. In what exactly do you think Somalia’s intractable problem lie? a) Ethiopia’s meddling [having influence on our affairs] b) Negative and chronic tribalism c) Disputes on our meager resources d) Crisis of leadership e) Or is it the fact we are being colonized by Zenawi’s Ethiopia (as some seem to be suggesting here) Pick one adeer out of these 5 possible answers . I already know which one it is in mind…I have given enough thought on this! I will share with you if you show some seriousness in wanting to know and shun from these empty slogans of Ethiopia enslaved this or colonized that...

^^^Here are the basics of Somali/Xabashi conflict. Xabashis belong to a state with a very shaky foundation [far from the ambitious empire some suggested] consisting communities with diverging interests. And since Ethiopia transitioned from a crusade-like polity to an organized society/ state that got a lion share from the spoils of colonial wars in the Horn region, the Xabashis have been struggling to keep what they accidentally inherited intact. I say accidentally for the conquest of Muslim lands could not have been achieved without colonial powers bestowing their favors on the weak/roaming xabashis. After nearly a century of relative triumph, Ethiopia or the Xabashis as you put is still struggling to preserve the most basic component of ones nationhood, territorial integrity. Economically Ethiopia is a very poor country, and it’s ridiculously fragile in the political sense! It has an identity crisis----the emblem of the state does not reflect and at times it arrogantly leaves out majority of the subject it claims to represent! By any standard, Ethiopia is not an empire. It’s struggling for its existence in the sense it wants to safeguard the legacy of yesteryears colonial sketches for that’s what sat off its phony triumph. It’s they who have the most difficult predicament in this region, and I trust you know the quandary adeer! Somalis, on the other hand, though not bestowed any favors by any colonial powers, have shown unparalleled resilience in their zeal to reverse the legacy of colonialism. They have refused to accept and indorse the arbitrary drawn borders. The current world order clearly attempted to put down Somali hopes and dreams yet as harsh as that might some times have been, the Somali persona still commands remarkable respect and clearly refused to wither away. Since the inception of the Somali republic two major wars have been fought between Somalis and the Xabashis. In both, Somalis armies defeated them quite handily. The Somali threat to Ethiopia’s contemporary identity is real and credible. The struggle is not between an Ethiopia empire and its hard-to-control nomad subjects as some misplaced grieves and wrongly expressed but genuine sentiments imply. Rather it’s between two major contending powers in the most delicate region in Africa. It is true one side of this dual is weak and wounded. But it’s insult to conclude that it’s down and out. If you can digest that analysis and swallow that narrative of this conflict, then you could easily see that Somalia is not a colony of anyone! Admittedly today’s Somalia consists of desperate entities and clannish politics with no national consideration seem to dominate its political scene. But it’s not Ethiopia that caused it---it clearly exploited it. Rather it’s the chronic crisis of leadership that we’ve suffered that instigated our fall from grace. That without a doubt is the culprit of our civil wars and other ceaseless sufferings that our poor people continue to be ill with. You can’t reasonably blame your foe for taking advantage of opportunities your internal implosion presented for it. Even worse you can’t promote the very enemy whose history you know and crown it with imperial laurels for merely capitalizing your internal weaknesses among other political opportunities time has presented to it in today’s global context. To me that’s quite thoughtless…really. Now what should we do about this yaa Jamaacah? It’s my firm belief that Somalia’s problems will continue unless they comprehensively and strategically addressed. We need a paradigm shift in our thinking. We must halt our vengeance-driven attitude to our national crisis. We must realize that our problems are more than mere personalities. We must not let our raw emotions dictate our approaches and strategies in our efforts to restore the dignity and respect this nation once had. To that end, and if we are ever to realize our deepest wishes, we must remain flexible and be willing to settle our crisis through dialogue and peaceful means wherever it’s possible. Shun the absolutism :mad: ! See the perpetual wars for what they truly are: an opportunity for Ethiopia to solidify its influence on these gullible leaders, and consequently keep its foe down…

Now, that is not really much. It amounts to a mere pocket change given the sacrifices Ethiopia made for Bush’s global agenda. And with Bush less than 2 yrs to go out of office, and the effect of its invasion in Somalia seemingly coming back to haunt it, Melez of Ethiopia must be disappointed. Remains to be seen how strategic Ethiopia will be seen by the next admin in the US w/house.

Friday, September 21, 2007 ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — The United States said Friday it is donating 97 million dollars (69 million euros) to Ethiopia in recognition of the Horn of Africa country's "strategic importance." The money, channeled through USAID, is to fund agricultural and private sector development, health care, primary education and good governance, a statement said. Ethiopia received US backing last year when it deployed troops to neighbouring Somalia to overthrow an Islamist movement accused of harbouring extremist elements. USAID mission director Glenn Anders said: "The agreements ... fulfill and even exceed the commitments in our five-year strategic development plan ..." Source: AFP, Sept 21, 2007