Here is some warankiilo for your imagination Loz. Lily I dont think there is a secret that people go with their graves. They eventually tell someone. So pm me..pls?

Me Where are the fresh produce for the girls?

^^ Cheers Ng. It sounds tasteless and very unislamic. It is suprising that for a conservative communities would orchestrate such event.

What kind of man/woman would let this ****** xeero thing in his/her wedding? What kind of tradition is that? I totally agree that it is something that should be forgotten! I am suprised I havent come accross it yet.

Not explicit enough as I have no clue yet. so what do they do with it? And Is the xeero empty?

LOZ Are you fighting to be included in that odd list? 'I wouldnt let it' kulahaa!

Will someone explain what xeero represents? I cringed when a family member married her man. Afka ayey isku geliyeen keeka. Indho adeegeeda, she suggested that he kisses her right there and then where everyone heard her.

^ I am terribly confused here

Hey lily I can only imagine that by herding the camel and diet of just milk and meat would do the trick instead of sitting on ones **** for over 8hrs a day in an office and then off home for a plate of pasta.

^^ How does that work? getting into her hidden goodies..how?

^^ How does that work? getting into her hidden goodies..how?

We, Myself and I By RUTH LA FERLA Published: April 5, 2007 FOR Aysha Hussain, getting dressed each day is a fraught negotiation. Ms. Hussain, a 24-year-old magazine writer in New York, is devoted to her pipe-stem Levi’s and determined to incorporate their brash modernity into her wardrobe while adhering to the tenets of her Muslim faith. “It’s still a struggle,” Ms. Hussain, a Pakistani-American, confided. “But I don’t think it’s impossible.” Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Stephanie Keith for The New York Times CULTURAL CROSSROAD Aysha Hussain, left, who tries to maintain a modern flavor in her daily attire, goes shopping for clothing in Astoria, Queens. Enlarge This Image William Mebane for The New York Times STYLE GUIDES Fatima Fazal, left, and Tam Naveed offer different takes on layering. Ms. Hussain has worked out an artful compromise, concealing her curves under a mustard-tone cropped jacket and a tank top that is long enough to cover her hips. Some of her Muslim sisters follow a more conservative path. Leena al-Arian, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, joined a women’s worship group last Saturday night. Her companions, who sat cross-legged on prayer mats in a cramped apartment in the Hyde Park neighborhood, were variously garbed in beaded tunics, harem-style trousers, gauzy veils and colorful pashminas. Ms. Arian herself wore a loose-fitting turquoise tunic over fluid jeans. She covered her hair, neck and shoulders with a brightly patterned hijab, the head scarf that is emblematic of the Islamic call to modesty. Like many of her contemporaries who come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and nations, Ms. Arian has devised a strategy to reconcile her faith with the dictates of fashion — a challenge by turns stimulating and frustrating and, for some of her peers, a constant point of tension. Injecting fashion into a traditional Muslim wardrobe is “walking a fine line,” said Dilshad D. Ali, the Islam editor of Beliefnet.com, a Web site for spiritual seekers. A flash point for controversy is the hijab, which is viewed by some as a politically charged symbol of radical Islam and of female subjugation that invites reactions from curiosity to outright hostility. In purely aesthetic terms, the devout must work to evolve a style that is attractive but not provocative, demure but not dour — friendly to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. “Some young women follow the letter of the rule,” Ms. Ali observed. Others are more flexible. “Maybe their shirts are tight. Maybe the scarf is not really covering their chest, and older Muslim women’s tongues will wag.” The search for balance makes getting dressed “a really intentional, mindful event in our lives every day,” said Asra Nomani, the outspoken author of “Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam” (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005). Clothing is all the more significant, Ms. Nomani said, because what a Muslim woman chooses to wear “is a critical part of her identity.” Many younger women seek proactively to shape that identity, adopting the hijab without pressure from family or friends, or from the Koran, which does not mandate covering the head. “Family pressure is the exception, not the rule,” said Ausma Khan, the editor of Muslim Girl, a new magazine aimed at young women who, when it come to dress, “make their own personal choice.” The decision can be difficult. Today few retailers cater to a growing American Muslim population that is variously estimated to be in the range of three to seven million. “Looking for clothes that are covering can be a real challenge when you go to a typical store,” Ms. Khan said. Only a couple of years ago, Nordstrom conducted a fashion seminar at the Tysons Corner Center mall in McLean, Va., a magnet for affluent Muslim women in suburban Washington. The store sought to entice them with a profusion of head scarves, patterned blouses and subdued tailored pieces, but for the most part missed the nuances, said shoppers who attended the event. They were shown calf-length skirts and short-sleeve jackets of a type prohibited for the orthodox, who cover their legs and arms entirely. “For me the biggest struggle is to find clothes in the department stores,” said Ms. Arian, who has worn the hijab since she was 13. She scours the Web and stores like Bebe, Zara, Express and H & M for skirts long enough to meet her standards. The majority, gathered through the hips, are “not very flattering on women with curves,” she said, chuckling ruefully, “and a lot of Middle Eastern women have curves.” Maryah Qureshi, a graduate student in Chicago, has a similarly tricky time navigating conventional stores. “When we do find a sister-friendly item,” she said, “we tend to buy it in every color.” Tam Naveed, a young freelance writer in New York, has devised an urbane uniform, tweed pants, a long-sleeve shirt and a snugly fastened scarf that dramatically sets off her features. Ms. Nomani, the author, improvises her own head covering by wearing a hoodie or a baseball cap to mosque. “I call it ghetto hijab,” she said tartly. For everyday, she buys shirtdresses at the Gap. “They cover your backside, but they’re still the Gap. That kind of gives you a visa between the two worlds.” Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Courtesy Muslim Girl magazine A magazine layout offers ways to style the hijab. Enlarge This Image Courtesy Muslim Girl magazine Enlarge This Image Laura Pedrick for The New York Times Brooke Samad, a designer who focuses on clothes for Muslim women, shows off a pink chiffon hip-tie skirt. In its fashion pages, Muslim Girl addresses concerns about fashion by encouraging young readers to mix and match current designs from a variety of sources, and reinforces the message that religion and fashion need not be mutually exclusive. “We are trying to keep our finger on the pulse of what women want,” Ms. Khan said. Fashion pages, shown alongside columns offering romantic advice and articles on saving the environment, are among the more popular for the magazine’s teenage readers, she said, adding that the magazine’s circulation of 50,000 is expected to double next year. Aspiring style-setters also find inspiration on retail Web sites like Artizara.com, which offers a high-neck white lace shirtdress and a sleeveless wrap jumper; and thehijabshop.com, with its elasticized hijabs, which can be slipped over the head. Some women seek out fashions from a handful of designers who cater to them. “I think people like me are starting to see that Muslim women make up a significant market and are expressing their entrepreneurial spirit,” said Brooke Samad, a 28-year-old Muslim woman who designs kimono-sleeve wrap coats and floor-length interpretations of the pencil skirt out of a guest room in her home in Highland Hills, N.J. “We follow trends, but we do keep to our guidelines,” said Ms. Samad, whose label is called Marabo. “And we’re careful with the fabrics to make sure they aren’t too clingy.” Today fashion itself is more in tune with the values of Islam, revealing styles having given way to a relatively modest layered look. Elena Kovyrzina, the creative director of Muslim Girl, pointed to of-the-moment runway designs, any one of which might be appropriate for the magazine’s fashion pages: a voluminous Ungaro blouse with a high neck and full, flowing sleeves; a billowing Marni coat discreetly belted at the waist; and a Prada satin turban. Among the more free-spirited looks Ms. Kovyrzina singled out was a DKNY long-sleeve shirt and man-tailored trousers, topped with a hair-concealing baseball cap. There are Muslim women who choose to cover as part of a journey of self-discovery. In “Infidel” (Free Press, 2007), her memoir of rebellion, Ayaan Hirsi Ali recalls as a girl wearing a concealing long black robe. “It had a thrill to it,” Ms. Hirsi Ali writes, “a sensuous feeling. It made me feel powerful: underneath this screen lay a previously unsuspected but potentially lethal femininity. I was unique.” But adopting the hijab also invites adversity. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations last year found that nearly half of Americans believe that Islam encourages the oppression of women. Referring to that survey, Ms. Hussain, the New York journalist, observed, “Many of these people think, ‘Oh, if a woman is covered, she must be oppressed.’ ” Still, after 9/11, Ms. Hussain made a point of wearing the hijab. “Politically,” she said, “it lets people know you’re not trying to hide from them.” Among the young, Ms. Nomani said, “there is a pressure to show your colors.” “Young people aren’t empowered enough to change foreign policy,” she said, so they adopt a hybrid of modern and Muslim garb, which is “their way to say, ‘I’m Muslim and I’m proud.’ ” Such bravado has its perils. Jenan Mohajir, a member of the prayer group near the University of Chicago, spoke with some bitterness about being waylaid as she traveled. Ms. Mohajir, who works with the Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes cooperation among religions, recalled an official at airport security telling her: “You might as well step aside. You have too many clothes on.” What was she wearing? “Jeans, a tunic, sandals and a scarf.” Ms. Hussain no longer covers her head but has adopted a look meant to play down misconceptions without compromising her piety. “Living in New York,” she said, “has made me want to experiment more with colors and in general to be more bold. I don’t want to scare people. I want them to say, ‘Wow!’ ” She has noticed a like-minded tendency among her peers. “In the way that we present ourselves to the rest of the world, we are definitely lightening up.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/fashion/05MUSLIM.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5088&en=ea334f5283c8ec9a&ex=1333425600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Air force looked at spray to turn enemy gay Dan Glaister in Los Angeles Wednesday June 13, 2007 The Guardian Make love not war may be the enduring slogan of anti-war campaigners but in 1994 the US air force produced its own variation on the philosophy. What if it could release a chemical that would make an opposing army's soldiers think more about the physical attributes of their comrades in arms than the threat posed by the enemy? And thus the "gay bomb" was born. Far from being the product of conspiracy theorists, documents released to a biological weapons watchdog in Austin, Texas confirm that the US military did investigate the idea. It was included in a CD-Rom produced by the US military in 2000 and submitted to the National Academy of Sciences in 2002. The documents show that $7.5m was requested to develop the weapon. Article continues -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The documents released to the Sunshine Project under a freedom of information request titled "Harassing, Annoying and Bad Guy Identifying Chemicals" includes several proposals for the military use of chemicals that could be sprayed on to enemy positions. "One distasteful but non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behaviour," says the proposal from the Air Force's Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. The Pentagon did not deny that the proposal had been made: "The department of defence is committed to identifying, researching and developing non-lethal weapons that will support our men and women in uniform." Aaron Belkin, director of the University of California's Michael Palm Centre, which studies the issue of gays in the military, said: "The idea that you could submit someone to some aerosol spray and change their sexual behaviour is ludicrous." http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2101644,00.html

I wonder if going to live miyiga would help you lose few pounds? Geel ma la raacaa nowadays?

The Mosque of Djenne, Mali Mud mosque of Djenne

India's IT marriage boom By Karishma Vaswani Mumbai business correspondent, BBC News Rafia Khatoon is a mother on a mission. She's looking for a good matrimonial match for her 28-year-old Rakshi. Marriage is an integral part of any Indian woman's life and it's seen as the responsibility of the parents in most Indian families to find a partner for their children. Generally, Indian men are on the lookout for attractive, educated young women - but for the most part, Indian women are still keen to find a partner who's financially secure. That's why Mrs. Khatoon insisted that her daughter sign up on bharatmatrimony.com, a wedding website that caters to more than 10 million subscribers around India. The website claims that you can find your perfect match online - and if that doesn't work, there are marriage counsellors who can help you to find your soulmate. But Mrs Khatoon knows exactly what type of man she wants for her daughter. "I want an IT professional," she says, "preferably someone based in London, or someone who has the opportunity to work overseas in the future." Different profession, same priorities It may seem an unusual request for a traditional Indian mother to make. Up to a decade ago, government employees and accountants were at the top of the most-wanted list for marriage proposals in India - because they were guaranteed a stable and steady income and a lifetime of work. But all this has changed now, thanks to the technology boom in India. "You know, in my generation, people weren't so educated," says Mrs Khatoon, as her daughter Rakshi looks through a list of prospective techie grooms. "We didn't have so much exposure, so we as Indian parents thought that government employees or doctors and accountants were the best choices for our daughters. We had never even heard of technology professionals!" Now, though, things have changed. "My eldest daughter, for example, is married to an IT professional and she's moved to London. Her husband makes so much money - she has a nice house, a nice car. "If my younger daughter marries an IT worker as well, then chances are she'll be financially secure, her children will be financially secure and she will have a good life. "What more can a mother want?" High demand Murugavel Janakiraman, the chief executive of bharatmatrimony.com, insists that Mrs Khatoon and her daughter are now fast becoming the norm, and not the exception. In the past few years India's technology services sector has grown rapidly, adding millions of jobs to the Indian economy. Young Indian engineering and computer science graduates, in hot demand to fill vacancies in offices around the country, have benefited the most from this boom. I wish this had happened when I was younger Frank Raman, technology manager, Mumbai And because there are just not enough of them to fill all the jobs being created - India's software trade body, Nasscom, says that there could be a shortfall of half a million IT professionals by 2010 - salaries are on the rise. "Not only are they most sought after in the professional world," says Mr Janakiraman, "IT men are also the hottest in the marriage market. "IT workers can draw salaries of around $800 a month [about twice those available in comparable jobs] and that's just at the beginning of their careers. "They are likely to see their salaries jump more than any other professional in the country right now - with salaries rising about 20% a year on average." Off the market For the IT professionals who have spent years labouring under nicknames such as nerd, geek or computer whiz - and those are the nicer ones - this attention can come as a pleasant surprise. They've hardly ever been seen as the most glamorous of types. Often stereotyped as hard working and intelligent - and well, just a little bit boring - they're not often seen as the ideal mate. "I wish this had happened when I was younger," says Frank Raman, a technology manager at Datamatics in Mumbai. "I would have been able to benefit from it at that time - now I'm married, so girls looking to marry me I'm afraid are out of luck!" His friend, Anup Gandhi, agrees. "I think it's fabulous that we're now in such hot demand, " he says. "Why not? If the Indian woman wants me, I think that's a very good thing!" The latest economic forecasts are looking good for the IT world's prospective bridegrooms. They show that the Indian economy has expanded by more than 9% - with services making up a fifth of that growth. By 2010, analysts say that technology will contribute close to a tenth of India's overall GDP. So even if Frank is off the market, Anup and his colleagues may be able to keep looking forward to both higher salaries - and domestic bliss. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/6723385.stm Published: 2007/06/11 23:03:09 GMT Any IT geeks in the house? Ur luck is in!

Ng Suaallahaa camal waxey ku haboon yihin in private What kinda hijab do you like?

It makes me wonder...for instance..what were they like in their youth? How did they spend it? I always like reading about those who made it. But this level of money is ubsurd...absurdness I wouldnt mind having PS Congrats by the way Muniira

Yoniz I would worry..When any convo steers to 'what are you wearing..', that is when any marriage maybe in trouble. In the meantime, chatting on the net whilst killing time (sometimes work gets boring) is harmless fun.

There are the rich and the very rich. Now meet the private equity kings · Controversial industry's huge salaries revealed · Leading lights to make millions after flotation Andrew Clark in New York Tuesday June 12, 2007 The Guardian Powerful, super-rich and flamboyant, they are revered as the new kings of Wall Street. A rare glimpse at the top ranks of executives in the private equity industry reveals a world of private jets, personal helicopters and take-home earnings running into hundreds of millions of dollars. One of the most powerful names in private equity, the Blackstone Group, was obliged yesterday to reveal a breakdown of its finances as part of its preparations for a stock market flotation. Though little known to the public, Blackstone has snapped up businesses ranging from Madame Tussauds to Center Parcs holiday camps, Cafe Rouge restaurants and America's biggest office landlord, Equity Office Properties. Its prospectus reveals that its chief executive, Stephen Schwarzman, enjoyed personal earnings of $398m last year. When Blackstone goes public, he will receive a windfall of at least $449m and he will retain a stake in the business worth $7.7bn. A colourful figure known in New York for his star-studded parties, Mr Schwarzman, 60, founded Blackstone in 1985 with an investment banking colleague, Peter Peterson, who served as US commerce secretary in the Nixon administration. Mr Peterson, who is still working at 81, took home $212m last year and will get $1.88bn by selling shares on Blackstone's flotation. A third senior executive, Hamilton James, enjoyed annual income of a $97m and stands to receive $147m. Blackstone started with $400,000 and now manages funds of $88bn. These funds are used to buy companies, take them away from the glare of the stock market and restructure them. The firms are often returned to the public markets by being sold several years later. The sheer scale of the wealth amassed by private equity has angered unions. The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, last month warned that the rise of a super-rich class in the industry threatened to "fundamentally change" the nature of British and European capitalism. In the US, the Service Employees' International Union has hit out at the "extraordinary riches" for a handful of individuals at the top of the industry. It says the money should be shared with workers in businesses acquired by private equity who contribute to the industry's huge returns. Blackstone in which the Chinese government has a 10% stake, said the money paid to its top people was simply a reflection of the funds they personally staked at the firm's inception: "One of our fundamental philosophies as a privately-owned firm has been to align the interests of our senior managing directors and other key personnel with those of our investors." A former contemporary of President Bush at Yale university, Mr Schwarzman once remarked that his working schedule never allows him to eat lunch. Blackstone's disclosures reveal that he co-owns a helicopter with Mr Peterson - and that they billed the company $158,500 for its use last year. For longer journeys, they have a part-share in a private jet. Colin Blaydon, director of the centre for private equity at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, said Blackstone's success meant that investors - including public employee pension funds and university endowment funds - were sharing the benefit. "You've got to look at the way these partnerships are structured," he said. "They can only make this kind of money if their investors, who make 80% of the capital gains, are also doing extremely well." Among the businesses targeted by private equity have been Boots and Sainsbury's in Britain, the casino owner Harrah's in America and the Australian national airline, Qantas. Experts say the low cost of debt and the strength of corporate cashflow are among the factors helping private equity firms to snap up public companies. Ageing demographics in the US and Europe mean pension funds are increasingly searching for greater long-term returns than those traditionally provided on the stockmarket. Blackstone and its US rival, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, are vying for the title of the world's biggest private equity firm. Mr Schwarzman has emerged as the industry's most prominent figure. He lives in a 35-room Manhattan apartment with his wife Christine, and his 60th birthday party in February featured private performances by Rod Stewart and Pattie LaBelle, an a capella group serenading him with "happy birthday" and a troupe of cadets from New York's Knickerbocker Greys to lead guests - including tycoon Donald Trump and city mayor Michael Bloomberg - to their seats. Further down the ranks, Blackstone's success has paid off for its management. Vice-chairman Tomlinson Hill got $45m last year and chief financial officer Michael Puglisi received $17m. Seven more executives will have shares worth a combined $380m on flotation. In political circles, pressure is mounting for greater transparency and taxation of private equity. The Labour-dominated Treasury select committee is due to hold hearings on the issue today. Eli Talmor, a private equity expert at the London Business School, said the industry's rewards still pale in comparison with the billions earned by top hedge fund managers. "This money isn't really pay for their labour or for their daily involvement," he said. "They're more equivalent to shareholder returns - these partners needed to buy their positions." He said individuals such as Mr Schwarzman could justifiably claim to offer special skills, although he asked: "Are they 500 times more special than someone who makes a million dollars? Probably not. Is there an element of luck here? Probably. But this is equivalent to establishing a start-up and taking it to stardom." http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2100771,00.html

I am married, working and my marriage seem to be functioning. So what is the problem Yoniz? Are you saying singles are here cos they are not married? are they on the look-out?

No sis. You misunderstood me. If all else fails, then I would disown them. Disowning comes after I do everything in my power to make them see sense. By the way..Taking off hijab, dating etc wouldnt be a reason to disown them. But the things that would make me disown them is when they kill innocents, change their faith, their sex or become gays. I am sorry but I couldnt tolerate any of this. This may not be PC to say but it doesnt matter.

dont worry darling..I wasnt marrying you off. I just recalled a bloke i met in Boosaaso and I thought that there was a guy who appears to be decent (with a bit of meat on him) with pearly whites. I then found out that he was married with 6kids!

Still..maseertooy ayaan ahay lol.

Any decent bloke in Somalia in this day and age is guaranteed to be married already. So even if Xan had tried it on on these hot men, chances are that the position of minyaro