Abtigiis, I'm not sure Norf and many of us could be really classified as "dogmatic secessionists" per se, your friend is just saying let's proceed cautiously. Of course, the better the state of the South, the less "hard core" secessionism among the masses. It's a fact of life most men care more about practicalities and safety than ideology ("why take risks? show me the money!") and you win friends through diplomacy the easiest way. All our current intra friends fadhi-ku-dirir is quite frankly misplaced and much harder theoritical issues are even more pressing (shariah interpretation, federalism, socio-economic model etc).

waliba "xera awr" (JB office?) waaba buuraleey oo kale; on top of a hill, the relative's place rented by the vice president in early 90s (our summer 92 retreat): that city is addictive though, idinkuba caasimda guryihiina ka dhisaysiin nooh PS: Cubans stretch resources much further in urbanism too: Havana.

salam all, So now burco ayaa xaafado kala leh? looked better planned than hargeysa on google earth.

Let's define qurbo-joog first; are people in jabuuti/Ethiopia etc considered as locals? In that case, I'd say I've been very close to burco all along. We were on the phone with part burcawis cousins, saw pics and the town has indeed progressed looking like a city. You guys from there, apart from being fierce and cultured, form cliques like other Somalis whereas our qodal people in Gabiley hardly know each other

salam akhyaarta Lots of reer burco on the seas caught in jabuuti etc, imisaad ogoshahay for a fake ID?

Imperial was favorite by relatives and run by an ex diaspora; the outward look simple yet stylish for a Somali building. This area was our neck of the wood in 96/97 long summers as we rented just in front of the british ODA villa, ours being next to a Sool MP and the PM, hinself sharing walls with the madaxtooyada. You could see Igal, aun, in his old dark land cruiser, his bodyguard chatting with our maid and the area felt secure and free, almost as like anyone could have tea with anyone. Mind you we even accessed the ODA villa for our daily sega megadrive in 96, the batman returns game my elder bro got from his friend just the night before the flight to hargeysa and we finihed it quickly as good players (the session was at around 6-8pm save the day they chewed qat; an excited young diaspora exclaimed once "Sland ayaa video games lagu ciyaaraya" before the older guard corrected him "waa reer jabuuti", as if there was any difference); they had a generator and our orion tv set was in the guards room (the gameboy was on batteries). Yet very ironic again in those innocent days, we could easily access the guns left there but when a british visitor came, I prefered to practise my "hello, how are you" all smiling and the middle-aged, steven spielberg look alike with glasses, replying smiling and very touched "I'm fine, thank you very much" that morning on our adjacent street somewhere around september 1996. So many memories, funny or mad things like the one my visiting cousin reminded me 3 years ago or how we run back to the villa climbing over the wall pursued by the "madman" we provoked near the biriij, the stolen horse left by a man in our villa and for which I used to care for not long before our return back in 28 sept (was so fixated by dates, it was a 2 months and 14 days stay exactely), making him drink sometimes at the doox, near the mini wooden pedestrian elevated bridge "biriij liicliic". Crazily, I enjoyed repeating shouting at bored nights "Foziyaay hayaay hajaay hayaay" or the gossip by our maid ("waar aamu yaan lagu xirin") about the MP habits or him seeing them through the "quraarad" or calling his wife etc when back in his red simple toyota (people even accused Igal, aun, of drinking). How mad we went when the younger bro back in 2007 reminded me: "fooziyaay hayaay hajaay" (my favorite ever slogan) Are all our old friends alive? I doubt it PS: I remember Hadraawi used to be hosted by the RTD cultural program (tixmaal?) back in the early 90s as hooyo attended it once, but I think a Somali anthology book was published around back in 2004 with maybe his poems.

You are welcome sis and ok; courage and determination to serve the needy or stay back home is always inspiring. N.O.R.F wrote: Phone fixed and got some acupuncture done on foot/ankle (feels better already). I suspected the battery; foot acupuncture lol glad you feel better. Now, I'm searching for my Tmobile Sim card as I use the others to call some numbers, africa etc. I don't know why but I much better like Solers than many vulture-like people, their sheer hypocrisy, lies & backbiting. Let's found a Sol colony somewhere back home...

wcs Ibtisam and all, we were talking about the conditions back home yesterday with brother T. etc and your work despite the corruption etc; your blog was appreciated too (wasn't alone in finding it interesting) : ) ps Norf, it may be the battery instead of the phone (weakest link in electronics)

salan; waxaa loo wada waashey siyaasad iyo xisbi, old, pseudo wadaads et al. Those older northern chaps were following sland parties endless saga and changes in loyalty yesterday, we are way too politicised for our level of civic consciousness and general/scientific litteracy and this takes away focus from all those urgent issues... Have you guys noticed nothing of what really matters is debated: taxes, jobs or healthcare? Or countless parties yet no substantive ideology or program whether it be achieving equality or socialism, etc (apart from half-baked NGO-like development blabla)...

So far, the media turns a blind eye on what is the single most disturbing routine act of cruelty: the torture or burning alive of "thieves" which is almost seen as normal in some places. I can not fathom why does the Kenyan government allow routine "panga" hacking, burning alive etc instead of making a ban on such levels of savagery as the top national priority. Warning: this is an extraordinarily shocking video as two young unsuspecting, tied suspects are suddenly burnt down. http://vimeo.com/29606116

^ Norf, I know it's not fun playing with beginners; now, if you invite we are not fussy you know Alpha, sxb, Africa is the future; as per the recession, the reckoning is still on the horizon as fundamental contradictions are not getting adressed...

Turkish Airlines inaugurates service to Djibouti... Turkish Airlines' network continues to expand with the addition of Djibouti. Our flights began on September 4th, operating Istanbul--Djibouti--Mogadishu--Djibouti--Istanbul, operating from Istanbul twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the return from Djibouti on Wednesdays and Fridays. Introductory fares from 593 Euros are available for a limited time.

^it was for socialising laaking kubad is great haddii aad rabtid, the park is nearby, I'm beginner but love it for exercising or fun just as with running

Hi Norf, you are welcome to tag along with our friend tomorrow should you get time. ama update that "feel good" thread.

^You already have the biggest influence as mothers; plus women are often much richer or as influential as men in many families. It's not like they are prevented from business. though "equality" is a minefield debate.

^I understand NORF, Islamic schools have different strenghts, Somali ones are not necessarily less good. What matters is if you share the same Islam (home counts more from purely academic grounds). Still, the single most crucial factor is for kids to sit next to and befriend decent kids...

Ngonge, peer influence has been shown to be the determining influence beyond parents: another reason to consider islamic schools or other alternatives. Its ironic but I hear so many complaints about daughters when you thought boys caused more trouble; but then again they are more vulnerable with much less room for mistakes. Norf, they sure are very perceiving; let's hope you force them to speak Somali, all your english dialogues like Ngonge get me worried

I'm not sure those usual high number of children may be sustained by the more affluent in Hargeysa or those marrying lately (many leaving for exodus or study abroad). I somehow can not fully picture them as those born (way) before 88-91, the recent arrivals in town or those underprivileged. They share more characteristics with jabuuti, seen as role model, their late marriage and birth controls.

Doesn't all this points out to a maximum of 1- 1.5 millions at most (assuming massive rural exodus and lots of IDPs)?. With stability and re-balancing the population count may stabilise for some time. This is one of the greenest and scenic arena outside the far South and part of Sanaag, hence my preference for less expansion (better land use and planning is so urgent). Thanks again Chimera for being one of the very few "neutral" patriots with interesting data. PS: Burahaader, I'd guessed that 1.2 millions indirectly with the circumstantial data; it may have doubled within 10 years or quadrupled since 1996 (I'm into that period).

Interesting veering; jabuuti is denser than hargeysa and do IDP counts btw? natives in hargeysa can not exceed around half a million since other towns are booming and the country is still very nomadic/rural with sland totaling roughly 4 millions at most (even if we accept 4 millions and marked rural exodus). I guess at least half of those if the 1 million figure is true are not natives to the area/western sland/hawd extension, plus much of the elite has emigrated too. Lastly, huge villas or plots are often half empty and diaspora owned, again a unique factor. Shocking to see how open or green spaces shrinked so fast! All those buildings are irrelevant as the focus should be taxes and efficiency to fight illiteracy and lack of primary healthcare or basic nutrition that are perpetuated by taxes shy elites and unregulated corporations.

Chocolate flavoured camel milk is readily available in the middle east in supermarkets. Now theres an idea. Its doable with the right planning and execution true but processed milk is no longer potent or healthy; raw camel milk has been found to help with diabetes etc (it's always better to choose stricter lifestyle over commercial insulin in many cases). Ngonge, how about we go together and find it out for ourselves sxb

^I just really love it now I realise how much safer and healthier it is than the powder or pasteurised, homogenised "milk" (the dutch etc powder milk was repackaged in plants, diluted, as "milk" in Jabuti/Yemen/saudi etc). For us, apart from Hargeysa, we had trips to Arabsiyo/Gabiley (we were sent by 4wd without warning to Arabsiyo as a "coming of age" initiation); all in qodal land, not fully geeljires. Now, do you know camel milk was sold at Doraleh, right around the new Dubai built port in Jabuuti or how to raise camels next to world-class facilities or not far from town centres.

N.O.R.F;864647 wrote: If you're going to drink milk from those camels then good luck authentic geeljire noqotay for a diaspora man mashallah; caano geel was for shaah cadees, the lo'aad was boiled too for the afternoon round. How I miss such great things.

daabacay/daabacsan/ carabi madbuuc: published; accomplished (as done): dhamaystiran do you still suspect me sxb btw?

subax baxsan; why the most basic thing already done in other ways is hyped when done by foreigners "saving lives, innovating": http://www.growthafrica.com/novo-nordisk-launching-project-in-kenya-16-04-2012/?