I am not sure what Mr. Farmaajo was referring to. I am of the opinion the case against the 4.5 is not to dispose of power distribution based on clan (what else is he going to do? name all ministers from one clan?), but rather the bellyache is directed at the humiliating 0.5 allocated for "others". Most Somalis view the 0.5 tag itself as the true manifestation of all that is defective of the current TFG.

He should start with the Foreign Minister and name a woman. That would be a bold move. Horaa loo yiri, hadal badani haan ma buuxsho. Mr. Prime Minister, since I know you read SOL, take my sincere advice and name a woman for that senior position. It would be earth shattering.

This has all the hallmarks of Nairobi. Can't be Burco awoowe. Ciyaarta jooji Mujaahid.

Originally posted by Jacaylbaro: WAY DUUSHAY HADANA ,,,, WAY DUUSHAY The video demonstrates the strange predicament a segment of our community finds itself in. Always full of contradictions! Where is that JB?

This is a good educational tool boys. Next time someone asks you about how big AFRICA is (I get those question every now and then), just tell them Africa is bigger than all of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, USA, China, India and Japan combined. It doesn't hurt to put things in perspective.

It is sad, isn't it? What on earth prompted him to be off topic and reference the secession issue in the first place? Another one bites the dust.

Ilaahay ha u naxariisto, dembigiisana ha dhaafo. Salaad Gabayre have asked the Somali people to forgive him right before his death. Early in the morning of October 21st, 1969, Gabayre, Gaashaanle Dhexe at the time, was the energetic operative who led the infantry that overthrew the civilian government at a period when Ibrahim Egal and his team were caught up with picking the next government. A brave young military man , Salaad Gabayre detained anyone who had any part in the civilian administration, including Ibrahim Cigaal who was at the time, only few days away from forming a national government. Gabayre even arrested the retired former president Aadan Cadde, his own inlaw. When the “Afgembi group” took a quick vote for a leader, the best part of the 26 plotters selected Siyaad who was the most senior and oldest. Gabayre, an ambitious young man, would later regret his failure to enlist enough supporters of his within the initial 26 maniacs who took the vote. Eventually, Siyaad Barre executed this young officer for the precarious crime of “plotting a coup”, the same offence that propelled Siyaad Barre to the top. Most Somalis remember; “sama-diidoow dabin baa kuu dhigan lagugu dili doonee”. Right before his death in 1972, Gabayre was privately asked what he wanted to say to the nation. He begged the Somali people to forgive him as he was the man who, in his own words, “executed the coup and gave their nation away to Siyaad Barre”. Ironically, the execution of Gabayre and his men is what initiated the nation’s downward spiral towards ruin. This is the period when politics of fear and tyranny, the hallmark of the old regime, became institutionalized for good. Everything else is history.

Congrats to the new PM. Ilaahay ha garab qabto. He has a tough task ahead of him. A note to the few spin masters here revelling in the same old contradictions --- The selection of Farmaajo by Shariif from a litany of other candidates, is by no mean a harbinger of doom for any specific region, clan or character … fadlan isku xishooda. We don’t have to turn every opportunity for the country into the same old “us vs. them” malaise. Let the new Prime Minister serve his country. It hasn’t even been a day.

Originally posted by Gabbal: reer Koofiyad Cadde xiriir aad u dhaw inuu idin ka dhaxeeyo ayaan garoowsaday. lool@Gabbal. Jingeli is family indeed. Lama hadlin odayga anigu, laakiin I know he received a call from Shariif when odayga was in Italy. The President asked him to come to Nairobi. Shariif likes him, but family knows his lack of enthusiasm for the PM Job is a negative that will work against him. He is the man who personally asked Shariif to satisfy few conditions if he is going to serve as his PM. Odaygu nin iska ordaya maaha. It is highly expected Shariif will take the easy way out and appoint someone not setting conditions.

Abu-S, salaams awoowe. What are the chances of Jingeli of Seattle? He is Nairobi now.

$3000/month is not a great pay indeed. But then again it all depends on your situation.

"Waa na sigay ninkaan" Abu-S, salaams awoowe. It seems the battle to be Shariif’s chum still ensues. Shariif is better off picking a good civil servant he can labor with at the personal level. This whole “axmed cabdisalaan baa wata” iyo “gabar buu naga qabaa”, “waa reer hebel” or “aabihiis baa madaxweyne ahaa” rationalization seems a bid ridiculous. This kind of selection process didn’t deliver anything tangible in the past (Gheedi, Xasan Abshir, Ina Abdirashiid, Galaydh, Maxamed Cabdi Yusuf, Nuur Cadde, etc) and I have no reason to believe it will now turn Shariif’s fortunes for the better. The good Shariif is a poor student of history, indeed. Ha is gurto sheeko Somaaliyeed …

Norf, obviously a new track needs to be laid and it does require some passenger stop infrastructure and charging system, but it is way cheaper than building a subway system in a heavily populated city like Beijing. The proposed “Straddling Bus” seems more superior to traditional “light rail system” when it comes to traffic bottlenecks. It doesn’t require a dedicated lane and cars have the ability to pass underneath. It is a “cheap” solution for a huge problem in a city with 22 million. In Toronto, we have the "street car" system and it is always a headache.

AT&T, being the only guy on SOL with three wives, is always bold and ambitious. It is obvious he still has more tricks up his sleeve. Rageedii inuu yahay la iskuma haysto.

^^ Norf, it is cheaper than the subway system and more efficient than "light rail systems" when it comes to traffic jams. Cara, here is the English version (computer translated) Farax_Brown -- lol@Camry. When did you ditch the Honda Civic?

^^ Yes, it is a straddling bus. It straddles two lanes of traffic and allows cars to drive underneath. The video tells you the whole story.

A Chinese company proposes a new bus system for China's traffic jams. Brilliant!! Cheap, green and cool-looking. Watch the video. http://www.umiwi.com/video/detail1541?utm_source=umv&utm_medium=videoshare&utm_content=1541&utm_camp aign=101007

The video is playing at a normal speed in case you are wondering. This is a video from a Chinese company that manufactures playing cards. These are real workers doing daily work. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTk5MzM2MzE2.html

Somalis live in this isolated island off the coast of Somalia. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619//vp/39556412#39553939

Here is the challenge. Click the following link. A picture will show up. Picture Which famous person do you see in that picture? Hint: E=MC^2 Now move 15 ft away from the computer. If you still see the same person, move further away! Who do you see now? Anyone famous? Hint: "Happy birthday Mr. President!" Perception is not reality. Or is it?

Michelle Obama tops Forbes list of powerful women (AFP) – 2 hours ago WASHINGTON — US First Lady Michelle Obama shot up 40 places on this year's Forbes magazine list of powerful women to claim the top spot, replacing German leader Angela Merkel. Obama's new ranking ends Merkel's four-year reign at the top of the magazine's listing of the most influential women in the world. Her quick track up the list was mirrored by that of her husband's former rival and now secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who moved up from 36th place last year to crack the top 10, taking fifth place. Merkel, who is struggling with a rocky second term in office, was relegated to fourth place behind Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld and talkshow host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Source: AP and Forbes Magazine

Originally posted by Prometheus: The admissions rate for Princeton (#5 overall) for 2010 was 10.2%. To put it in perspective, University of Toronto (#17 overall), the highest ranking university in Canada (according to this study) has a whopping undergraudate acceptance rate of 80%. University of Toronto has an acceptance rate of 19%. Cornell University, an "ivy league" University has 19% acceptance rate. But to use your “selective” argument, one should apply to Rust or Curtis College instead of Princeton when considering a “top college” in the US then. A faulty argument, is it not?. What matters more is "the best and the brightest" in the home country get accepted. At University of Toronto, roughly 50,000 students bother to apply yearly and less than 20% of applicants are admitted. It is the top school in Canada and the most reputable. Like all other schools, university applicants choose programs and some programs are more “harder to get into” than others. Regardless of what the acceptance rate is for specific programs, the overall average admission score is 84% (Average mark in High School). In Engineering (University of Toronto), average student high school score is 89.9%. Engineering Science at the University of Toronto is among world's top in its rank and the toughest to get into. Medical, Law and MBA are top notch. Canada mimics British education system which is generally more rigorous at the high school level, so it is not a cake walk to achieve 80% in Canadian High Schools. Nonetheless, Princeton, is a great school.

Webometrics ranking is not a big deal. It is a mere "web presence" ranking. The scholarly ranking is done by The Times - Higher Education and Somali schools don't make the cut (in fact all of Africa doesn't make it except South African and Egypt). Here is the top 200 for 2010. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: I must admit the Uganda country backdrop is just beautiful. As for the boys, one can read "Stop this madness. Give us a lunch break" written all over their faces.