Nomads, private messages haven't been working properly for a couple of weeks since after that infamous server migration. We've had the pm issues fixed this morning but a couple of threads/avatar data disappeared as a result of us making few changes. Nothing is sinister here. I am sure Garaad Baashi will repost his message hadii Ilaahay idmo.

NGONGE, the ICU is the best story that came out of Somalia in sixteen years. ICU is hot. People love hot topics. Have you noticed people who never paid attention to politics are making comments there now. To simply put it, ICU = Islam + Politics + Camel Milk Debate. It is one of the few hot stories that can create multiple interests. But expect this craze to die down as the tradition goes here. There is something hot every couple of months. For now, many nomads are interested in the ICU story and the best forum to get that story is the Politics forum. It was also Ramadan. Nomads just take it easy. Ciid Mubaarak.

Maxaa cusub Horn?

He may be stealing the spotlight from his bosses in MOG. Bad idea. I already see pro-ICU sites such as Onkod spewing criticism against him.

This little country seems to have recovered from the many wars and is now in the forefront of those influencing policy in the Horn. On a personal note, just few encounters I had with Eritrean here in the west, the diaspora seems well educated and very patriotic. Click Here for pictures Click Here for more pictures PS: I just thought I should create a topic on Eritrea (Just pictures) since there is so much talk about Eritrea's support for Somalia's Islamic Courts Union. Many Somalis know little about this small country.

lol. Classic. I know Somaliaonline has some of the most talented pic investigator heads. lol. Walaahi nimankaan Idamaale are giving the Somalis what they need. A pure tabloid outlet. Beating Dayniile at their own game huh? loool. This reminds of that old picture of the girl that turned into a "xayawaan". lol.

I am happy they left the city peacefully.

Oct 23, 2002 You fooled me nuune. Made me read all that. Ciid Mubaarak.

^ Xaasha. Waa runtaa Caamiroow. Xiin waa khaldamay. Waase Ramadaan oo waa in la cafiyo odayga. :mad:

Paragon, nimankaa la qabtay ma "sahankii" hore ee fooda is daray baa lagu qabtay mise dagaalkii la sheegayey ee rogaal celinta ahaa ee Buu'aale ka dhacay? It is a disaster the way these websites are spreading misinformation. Laa Ilaaha Ilalaah. Dadku waxaadba moodaa inaysanba soomanayn. Horn, what do say about the captured commanders? Is this just another misinformation? Arrintan ma la soo xaqiijiyay in dhowaale hadaad la hadashay wadankii?

There is so much false propaganda being spewed by both sides. This is an absolute catastrophe for objective reporting I say. Somalis are a different beast.

I agree with MMA. Dadka degaanka in guryahooda lagu duulo oo la "qabsado" wax shaqeeynaysa ma aha. Hadii shacabkii dowladda soo dhaweeyn lahaa lagu duulo, maxaa faa'iido ah oo ka soo baxaysa arrintaa? Dhalinyarada aan arkayey ee markii bugtu dhacday kala cararay, waxay aniga iila ekaayeen ciyaalka xaafada oo dhowr tikniko haysta, ee uma ekhayn ciidan maxkamad kale leedahay oo meel kale ka soo duulay. IndhoCadde iyo ciddii kale ee Yeey raadinayona meesha ma joogin ee waxay ahayd khalad in Buur-Hakaba TFGdu ku duusho.

1952 National Bank of India (NBI), which later merged with Grindlays Bank to form National and Grindlays Bank established branches in Berbera and Hargeisa in British Somaliland. NBI was the first bank in British Somaliland and was the banker to the colonial government until British Somaliland joined the Somali Republic in 1960. After the unification, National and Grindlays opened a branch in Mogadishu. Prior to 1958 Banco di Roma established branches in Mogadishu and Merca and Banco di Napoli established branches in Modadishu and Kismayo. Both banks also had branches in Ethiopia, particularly in Eritrea. 1960 Banca Nazionale Somala was established to take over the activities of Cassa per la Circulazione Monetaria della Somali and the Mogadishu branch of Banca d'Italia. It combined central banking activities with commercial banking activities. 1971 After the coup in 1969 of Mohamed Siad Barre, the government nationalized the four foreign banks (Banco di Roma, Banco di Napoli, National and Grindlays Bank and Banque de Port Said) and combined them into the Somali Commercial Bank. The government also established the Somali Savings and Credit Bank to take over the commercial branches of Banca Nazionale Somala and the branches of Credito Somalo (Somali Credit Bank; est. 1954). It apparently had branches in Baidoa, Belet Weyn, Berbera, Bosaso, Buroa, Galkayo, Gardo, Hargeisa and Kismayo, and possibly also for a while in Djibouti. 1975 The government merged Somali Commercial Bank and Somali Savings and Credit Bank to form Commercial and Savings Bank of Somalia, the only bank in the country. The government changed the name of Banca Nazionale Somala to Central Bank of Somalia. 1990 The Commercial and Savings Bank of Somalia failed. source: wikipedia.

Have you downloade the new Internet Explorer 7? I prefered firefox for a while, but I think the new IE7 is awsome. Download Link WARNING: Be default, IE7 enables ClearType font rendering in the browser which makes all the font on the sites you visit "BLURRY" looking. Turn off ClearType. Here is how to turn it off. 1. Open IE7 2. Open Tool Menu 3. Click Internet Options 4. Click Advanced Tabs 5. Under Multimedia, clear the Use ClearType checkbox (uncheck the checked box) 6. Click Apply 7. Click OK

Now, that is a very nice picture. The angle, the moment, it is all good. I like it.

:confused: :confused:

Jubbada Dhexe, Bakool, Gedo, Baay Maskiinoow, what are the issues many of the folks in the Jubba area have with the creation of a state called JUBBALAND. I am sure those of us who garner diminutive political insight into the local politics of that specific area can benefit from your thoughts on this. Who are the locals that object to the creation of this Jubbaland State? What districts/ridings do they represent in the broader Jubba states? Why? What are their fears? What are the issues? Bal Jubbalandkan la sheego naga jaahil bixiya idinkaa sheekada si fiican u fahmayee.

^^ It is working now.

^^ We are working hard to get you out of there. Don't despair nomad, don't despair!

"Please note that some of these pictures are not suitable for small children and those who have weak hearts. The following photos are only of a very tiny fraction of the thousands of Iraqi Civilian Victims who have been terrorised, humiliated, injured, maimed and killed through British and American Bombing of civilian areas in various cities of Iraq. Due to insecurity, Independent Reporters could not and still can not reach many areas to photograph and report the atrocities. Even after the bombing had stopped, thousands of civilians continue to suffer and die due to their severe injuries. We kindly request Independent News Reporters to send us photos of the Anglo-American atrocities in Iraq for inclusion on these pages." Pictures of Death and Destruction

Atlanta, Georgia. Date and Bride's country of origin. Feb. 7, 2005 Ghana Feb. 8, 2005 Ghana May 12, 2005 Ghana June 23, 2005 Ghana June 29, 2005 Cameroon July 15, 2005 Ghana Sept 20, 2005 Zimbabwe Oct. 14, 2005 Ghana Oct. 14, 2005 Kenya Feb. 10, 2006 Zambia If William Fairley didn't kiss the bride after saying "I do" last October, it was for lack of time, not practice. The clock read 2:30 p.m. that Friday afternoon. Fairley had just wed a woman from Kenya amid the blond wooden benches in a Gwinnett County courtroom. And marriage records show he must have been in a bit of a hurry. Fairley would pledge his eternal devotion again less than four hours later, this time to a Ghanaian bride in front of the mahogany-stained pews of a Cobb County courtroom. The ceremonies were separated by 40 miles — and one rush hour. It was the busiest day in a yearlong wedding spree that, if not for a fluke discovery by a court clerk, could have netted Fairley 11 or more wives. Instead, records show, the chef from College Park has but 10 brides — and a cellmate. Fairley, 34, is in Gwinnett County Detention Center on $39,900 bond. The St. Louis native was one of two men arrested last month in Gwinnett on multiple counts of bigamy and false swearing. The other, Chicago native Alvin Lorenzo Murdock of Norcross, married at least six women, according to police. In both cases, all of the brides were immigrants from Africa. Half came from a single country: Ghana. And as if that weren't enough, Gwinnett police are now searching for a third alleged bigamist. They issued arrest warrants last week for Shawnta M. McBride, who police say married six men in Gwinnett, including four Ghanaian grooms. Authorities say they've yet to turn up evidence that the alleged bigamists knew each other or were paid for their vows. But they do suspect that some of the brides and grooms were using the marriages to gain legal residency in the United States, said Cpl. Darren Moloney, a spokesman for the Gwinnett Police Department. They've referred the cases to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is investigating. Fairley, in particular, was brazen, his marriage licenses show. His first two weddings were on consecutive days — in that same Gwinnett courtroom. Three separate magistrate judges conducted ceremonies for him twice. Apparently they never noticed it was the same 6-foot, 230-pound groom with a thin mustache and, presumably, a well-worn ring finger. "We issue close to 4,000 marriage licenses a year," said Gwinnett Probate Judge Walter J. Clarke. "If they came in three days in a row, maybe they would be noticed." District Attorney Danny Porter, who plans to prosecute the cases, said there must have been something in it for the alleged bigamists. And if these are indeed sham marriages, Porter said he suspects the practice goes well beyond Gwinnett. "It's certainly something we're going to have to look at — whether or not this is sort of a metrowide scheme." Fairley faces seven counts of bigamy and false swearing for eight marriages in Gwinnett (one is presumed legal). Murdock and McBride face five counts each. But an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of marriage records statewide turned up two more marriages by Fairley in Cobb, including the one that busy Friday afternoon a year ago. And McBride, records show, married men in Cobb and Fulton, bringing her groom count to eight. Moloney said it's up to authorities in those jurisdictions to press any additional charges. This isn't Gwinnett's first brush with bigamy infamy. A traveling minister grabbed headlines three years ago after he was sentenced to two years in prison for marrying a Duluth woman without divorcing his seven other wives. But those marriages were spread out over more than a decade. Fairley wed 10 women in one year. Murdock took six brides in seven months. McBride lived up to her name seven times in just more than a year, and eight times in all. ICE isn't talking about those specific cases. But one thing is clear. If these were "green card" marriages, they weren't garden variety. Organizers of most marriage frauds match up one willing U.S. citizen with one immigrant seeking legal status, said Rob Rodriguez, assistant special agent in charge at ICE's regional office in Atlanta. That was the case last month in suburban Washington, where immigration agents arrested 22 people in a marriage fraud sting. Immigrants, mostly from Ghana, paid the masterminds $2,500 to $6,000 for each sham marriage, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The alleged bigamists in Gwinnett also tended to wed people from Ghana. But there was one key difference. Murdock, Fairley and McBride did all the marrying themselves, using the same names, birth dates and photo IDs each time, according to marriage records. Fairley's wives lived all over metro Atlanta and ranged in age from 28 to 45. While six hailed from Ghana, the others were born in Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Fairley declined through jail officials to be interviewed for this article and his attorney did not return a call seeking comment. One of his wives, who asked that her name not be used, said she's ashamed of being conned by a man she fell in love with. "I didn't even tell my friends because I was so embarrassed," she said. Sitting on the couch in her Alpharetta apartment, she described Fairley as a kind, quiet man who was good in the kitchen. She called him by his nickname, "Woody." The two met while working together at an elder care home. She was server. He was a cook. They began dating and, after several months of courtship, Fairley proposed. The Cameroon-born woman said she wanted a traditional African wedding and was disappointed when Fairley insisted on a courthouse union. Her first hint that something might be amiss didn't come until a month or so into the marriage, she said, when Fairley didn't help her pay rent and bills. A few more months went by and he stopped coming home some nights, too, she said. Then Fairley disappeared altogether, taking the wedding photos he asked a stranger to snap as the two pledged their lifelong commitment to each other in the Gwinnett courtroom. She said she had no clue there were other brides — including one who married Fairley just six days prior to her wedding — until a detective called her last month. "He said I was No. 4," she said. "I said 'No. 4 what?' " She was actually No. 5. And Fairley was only halfway down his aisles. Fairley took his final bride in February. He wed a woman from Zambia beneath the octagon-shaped trace ceiling in Gwinnett's Courtroom 1C, where it all began a year earlier in Lawrenceville. With 10 brides, he had run out of ring fingers. Soon his luck would run out, too. Last month, a woman arrived in probate court seeking a certified copy of her marriage license, Judge Clarke said. The clerk, as is routine, searched under the husband's name. But when she typed in "William James Fairley," eight marriages popped up on the screen. The clerk reported the discovery, and, within days, Fairley was in jail. Murdock's six marriages — which occurred between October 2005 and April — came to light in a similar way, Clarke said, when a clerk entered his name into the system. Murdock, too, declined an interview through a jail official, and his attorney did not return a call seeking comment. Because of the apparent abuses, Gwinnett now runs a quick check on everyone applying for a marriage license to see if the bride or groom has any suspiciously recent marriages, Clarke said. If so, that person has to show proof of divorce, he said. The county can't detect, however, if someone is spreading multiple marriages across several counties, Clarke said, because Georgia doesn't keep an updated marriage database. Indeed, the Journal-Constitution analysis of marriage records across Georgia turned up one man who married women in Cobb, Gwinnett, Henry and Thomas counties over a 39-day period in the summer of 2004. Back in Gwinnett, authorities are still tying to nail down what motivated the alleged bigamists — and their spouses. Participating in or helping organize scam marriages also can lead to felony charges of marriage fraud and perjury, offenses that can be grounds for deportation, ICE's Rodriguez said. Gwinnett police have reached three of Fairley's wives, all of whom said they didn't know of the others when marrying him. And those who spoke briefly by phone to a Journal-Constitution reporter said they entered the marriages legitimately. One bride said she broke off the relationship after finding out about the others. "I was very shocked, and I got out of it right away," she said before hanging up. "I have to deal with it the best way I can." Another wife of Fairley was more defiant, sounding if she would stand by her man. "William is my husband," she said. Moloney said police have found no signs that Fairley and Murdock knew each other, despite at least one connection. Murdock lived in the same Norcross area apartment complex as one of Fairley's wives. That might sound a little too coincidental. Then again, the chances of the two men's lives overlapping went up with each wife — all 16 of them. From February 2005 to February 2006, William James Fairley married 10 women from around metro Atlanta, according to a statewide analysis of marriage licenses. Here are a look at his wedding days, where his brides lived and where they were born: http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2006/10/14/1015metbigamists.html

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart was sentenced to two years and four months months in prison on a terrorism charge Monday for helping an Egyptian sheik communicate with his followers on the outside. Stewart, 67, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, smiled, cried and hugged supporters after U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl announced he was dramatically reducing the 30-year prison sentence called for by federal sentencing guidelines. ``If you send her to prison, she's going to die. It's as simple as that,'' defense lawyer Elizabeth Fink told the judge before the sentence was pronounced. The judge said Stewart could remain free pending appeal, a process that could take more than a year. Koeltl said she was guilty of smuggling messages between the sheik and his followers that could have ``potentially lethal consequences.'' He called the crimes ``extraordinarily severe criminal conduct.'' But he cited more than three decades of dedication to poor, disadvantaged and unpopular clients that had left her destitute even though she worked on more than 70 cases at once. ``Ms. Stewart performed a public service, not only to her clients but to the nation,'' Koeltl said. Outside court, Stewart said she thought the sentence was ``a victory for doing good work all one's life.'' She added: ``You get time off for good behavior usually at the end of your prison term. I got it at the beginning.'' U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said he had no immediate comment. Stewart was convicted in 2005 of providing material support to terrorists. She had released a statement by Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind sheik sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted in plots to blow up five New York landmarks and assassinate Egypt's president. Prosecutors have called the case a major victory in the war on terrorism. They said Stewart and other defendants carried messages between the sheik and senior members of an Egyptian-based terrorist organization, helping spread Abdel-Rahman's call to kill those who did not subscribe to his extremist interpretation of Islamic law. In a letter to the sentencing judge, Stewart proclaimed: ``I am not a traitor.'' ``The end of my career truly is like a sword in my side,'' Stewart said at her sentencing. ``Permit me to live out the rest of my life productively, lovingly, righteously.'' In a pre-sentence document, prosecutors told Koeltl that Stewart's ``egregious, flagrant abuse of her profession, abuse that amounted to material support to a terrorist group, deserves to be severely punished.'' In a letter to the judge, Stewart asked for mercy, saying she did not intentionally enter into any plot or conspiracy to aid a terrorist organization. She believes the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made her behavior intolerable in the eyes of the government and gave it an excuse to make an example out of her. ``The government's characterization of me and what occurred is inaccurate and untrue,'' she wrote. ``It takes unfair advantage of the climate of urgency and hysteria that followed 9/11 and that was relived during the trial. I did not intentionally enter into any plot or conspiracy to aid a terrorist organization.'' ``This case had nothing to do with September 11, your honor,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dember said at the sentencing. ``What she was doing was smuggling terrorism messages and smuggling out Abdel-Rahman's responses.'' Earlier, about 150 Stewart supporters who could not get inside the capacity-filled courtroom stood outside the courthouse, chanting ``Free Lynne, Free Lynne.'' As she entered the courthouse, Stewart shouted to them ``I love you'' and ``I'm hanging in there.'' ``It's not just Lynn Stewart who is a victim, it's the Bill of Rights that's the victim,'' said Al Dorfman, 72, a retired lawyer who was among the Stewart supporters standing outside. Another 200 supporters jammed the hallways outside the courtroom. Stewart was arrested six months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, along with Mohamed Yousry, an Arabic interpreter, and Ahmed Abdel Sattar, a U.S. postal worker. The indictment against Stewart, Yousry and Sattar was brought by former Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2002. Koeltl sentenced Sattar to 24 years in prison on Monday. Convicted of conspiracy to kill and kidnap people in a foreign country, he could have been sentenced to a life term. Koeltl said he departed from the federal sentencing guidelines for Sattar because no one was killed or injured as a result of the crimes and because of Sattar's lack of previous crimes and restrictive prison conditions. ``I am not a terrorist, your honor,'' Sattar told the judge before he was sentenced. (TM & © 2006 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO & EYE Logo TM & © 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In the interest of timeliness, this story is fed directly from the newswire and may contain occasional typographical errors. )

This sounds like that "qudbasiro" thing. Odayaasheena have practiced it for years.

. "These before and after (before is on the left) show a woman who went on a 30 day drinking binge for a British TV show. Over 30 days, going out five nights a week, she consumed a staggering 516 units of alcohol, or 17.2 units a day. Guidelines say women should drink no more than two or three units a day, and a maximum of 14 a week. As the pictures show, the alcohol tooks its toll. She put on 3kg and her skin took on the complexion of a 50 year old. "I lost my jaw line and I developed chipmunk cheeks," she said. "I was drinking the equivalent of about 2000 calories a night and developed a big tyre of fat around my stomach. I also became really depressed." "

Singer Medina Mohammed, from Ethiopia's remote Afar region, performs on "Ethiopian Idols," the countrys own version of "American Idol." The Ethiopian version lacks the slick production values of the U.S. and British equivalents — but also probably doesn't have those endless product placements. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - "Ethiopian Idols" is a far cry from the glamour and glitz of its U.S. and British inspirations. Yellowed satin sheets and signs taped to the walls provide the backdrop for a set hastily constructed each week in a shabby hotel restaurant while waiters peer in. Performers have to contend with frequent power cuts, feedback from poor sound equipment and ringing cell phones. But "Ethiopian Idols" has it own answer to Simon Cowell —— the acerbic judge on the American and British versions. Feleke Hailu disses contestants by telling them they "sing like donkeys." The show has fast won the highest ratings on otherwise dull state-run TV. While "Ethiopian Idols" cannot promise the riches or fame enjoyed by American and British winners, it does offer hope in an impoverished country where most of the 77 million people cannot afford a TV set. The show also has broken new cultural ground in the Horn of African nation. Feleke's catch phrase — "alta fakedem," or "you didn't make it" in Amharic — may seem positively meek compared to Cowell's biting reviews. But it has caused a sensation in this tradition-bound culture. "Most of the time I tell (contestants) to go back to their old jobs, forget about a career in singing," the 46-year-old saxophonist said. "Or I tell them they sing like donkeys. "Sometimes they get angry. The girls burst into tears and a few weeks ago one singer threw a stick at me after I told him he had failed to get through to the next round. "The problem is in our culture. It is not common to tell the truth or criticize. People cannot take criticism." Fan Ejigahu Melesse says at first she and her friends were astounded by the bluntness of Feleke and his three fellow judges. "I couldn't believe what they were saying to the singers," said the 25-year-old shop assistant who lives in the capital, Addis Ababa. "We just don't do that here in Ethiopia. But gradually we became addicted because it was so refreshing. Now we don't miss a show and think Feleke's comments are hilarious." While fans may be captivated, performers have been stung. The judges "are criminals," said Natinel Amsalu, a 17-year-old student and amateur crooner who was raked over the coals by the all-male panel after his croaky rendition of "My Love," a local song made popular by Ethiopian star Theowdros Kassahun. "I am a very good singer but the judges kept saying I had serious problems reaching the high notes," said Natinel, who practices each day in front of a mirror. "They did not even listen to me. What they have done is a very bad thing. They made me look a fool." Natinel paid $10 of his hard-earned savings to travel 300 miles from Gonder in northern Ethiopia to Addis Ababa to compete. Contestants like Natinel are drawn by the prospect of winning a local record deal and as-yet-undetermined cash prize. The yearlong program scheduled to end in September was put together on a budget of $100,000. Local songs, and a licensing fee Medina Mohammed, a 17-year-old student who made it through one elimination round after traveling some 180 miles from the Afar region to compete, said her family watches the show in a bar. "We love it," she said. "Feleke wasn't too tough, but his reputation made me nervous," added Medina, who has tribal scars on her cheeks and performed in the multicolored beads and red cloth of her Afar ethnic group. She sang a traditional love song, "I'm So Glad You Came." Judges described her voice as "honey-like," and her appearance was rebroadcast on a special for Ethiopian Christmas. Some contestants tackle songs made popular by Whitney Houston and Britney Spears, but most sing local love songs and appear draped in the traditional national dress of white cotton or fabulous ethnic costumes. After the four judges whittle down the original 2,000 contestants to 96, the winner will be decided by the public by a phone-in ballot. This is the first time such polling will be used in Ethiopia. That and other details were copied from the "Pop Idol" original without permission from its British producers, Fremantle Media, acknowledged co-producer Jamal Ahmed. Fremantle, which own the global intellectual rights, said it does not want to force "Ethiopian Idols" off the air but does intend to charge a fee per episode. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.