I'm into business, hell I live breath thru the so called business world, and I get nonsense Bull**** from my Somali brotha's everyday, but I'll say this I use to think it was because of ignorance, the truth is ya'll are intimidated by successful sista's. In the meantime I'd really like to know why do you do this to the sista's. Good for u! Elaborate lil bit more sis...u seem to suggest that your success in business world is somehow drawing wrong and an uninvited comments from us men. So sensitive!..is that it? I don't see any reason that makes any of us feel intimidated by a successful, educated, or wealthy sister, wife, and what have u! Actually that's a plus. Back to the topic, Business is the better option than the Education as we come to know it like getting that diploma perhaps in geography or performing arts or what have u! My point: u are better off if u acquire knowledge somehow(like reading) and save no effort to succeed in business world. I bet u can make a tangible difference in terms of educating kids back home or funding clinics, etc.

I'm into business, hell I live breath thru the so called business world, and I get nonsense Bull**** from my Somali brotha's everyday, but I'll say this I use to think it was because of ignorance, the truth is ya'll are intimidated by successful sista's. In the meantime I'd really like to know why do you do this to the sista's. Good for u! Elaborate lil bit more sis...u seem to suggest that your success in business world is somehow drawing wrong and an uninvited comments from us men. So sensitive!..is that it? I don't see any reason that makes any of us feel intimidated by a successful, educated, or wealthy sister, wife, and what have u! Actually that's a plus. Back to the topic, Business is the better option than the Education as we come to know it like getting that diploma perhaps in geography or performing arts or what have u! My point: u are better off if u acquire knowledge somehow(like reading) and save no effort to succeed in business world. I bet u can make a tangible difference in terms of educating kids back home or funding clinics, etc.

Amin. Post more dua bro and jazaka'allah for that.

Legend of Zu I think u are about right but I would add that if u have these feeling u are in love for real!: Deep affection, warm feeling, strong fondness or enthusiasm, strong sexual desire for another. Now if that feeling is mutual then u are top of the world. If it is only stemming from one side and other side knows but is oblivious to the whole drama then it is a tragic...u may as well become a poet to soothe your pain. It is about desire. Some say love is the emotion of sex and romance...truth comes out the day after! The way i like to look at it(marriage/love) is that every endeavor in this world has a risk factor. if u are a perfectionist type u might get lucky but the odds are u would end up dissappointed. U just have to be willing to take a RISK...remember time is the essence! Don't let ur heart control ur head...Understand what u need comes before what u want.

Kool_kat, Right. But would u agree that schooling is sometimes inhibit success? Loans! especially new graduates who fail to secure an employement...add that with the high expectation to excel...means a crushing dissappointment. Kheyr, I'm with u bro..."inamal acmaal bi niyaat, wa ina likulimri'i maa nawaa.."

Kool_kat, Right. But would u agree that schooling is sometimes inhibit success? Loans! especially new graduates who fail to secure an employement...add that with the high expectation to excel...means a crushing dissappointment. Kheyr, I'm with u bro..."inamal acmaal bi niyaat, wa ina likulimri'i maa nawaa.."

Are u a business type who like to take risks in order to make more money? (in halal way, ofcourse).(Y/N) Why do u go to school? (explain) How do u prioritize ur plans? (Please choose one) 1. Go to school to get good credentials, get good paying job to secure that 'safety net'(medical benefits etc.), safe money, and use that money to do profitable business and make a difference with ur skills and wealth. While u are at it...meet that someone to settle down. 2. Go to school to have enough knowledge to get by, find a way to set up ur own business (traditional/untraditional alike), reach that finantial freedom u strive for, and make a difference with ur wealth. While u are at it...meet that someone to settle down. 3. Settle down (marry the right person to insure success in ur life), Acquire knowledge by reading, Set up ur own profitable business, make difference with whatever u got, and ensure ur kids have the right guidence. 4. Go to school...and postpone other priorities at a later date, If chance comes along make sure u take advantage of it. take one step at time. Nomads, I had a very interesting discussion with a friend @ Barnes & Noble Bookstores in Seattle the other day...my friend dismisses the idea of going school to be one step close to the success. The point, my friend said, is about having that fire in the belly to succeed...and in order to succeed u need to have a vision..something u want to accomplish. I argued that Education is the 'great equalizer' and the absence of capital is very hard to set up profitable business. This is a way of finding out what nomads think about that. (too long! bear with me)

Are u a business type who like to take risks in order to make more money? (in halal way, ofcourse).(Y/N) Why do u go to school? (explain) How do u prioritize ur plans? (Please choose one) 1. Go to school to get good credentials, get good paying job to secure that 'safety net'(medical benefits etc.), safe money, and use that money to do profitable business and make a difference with ur skills and wealth. While u are at it...meet that someone to settle down. 2. Go to school to have enough knowledge to get by, find a way to set up ur own business (traditional/untraditional alike), reach that finantial freedom u strive for, and make a difference with ur wealth. While u are at it...meet that someone to settle down. 3. Settle down (marry the right person to insure success in ur life), Acquire knowledge by reading, Set up ur own profitable business, make difference with whatever u got, and ensure ur kids have the right guidence. 4. Go to school...and postpone other priorities at a later date, If chance comes along make sure u take advantage of it. take one step at time. Nomads, I had a very interesting discussion with a friend @ Barnes & Noble Bookstores in Seattle the other day...my friend dismisses the idea of going school to be one step close to the success. The point, my friend said, is about having that fire in the belly to succeed...and in order to succeed u need to have a vision..something u want to accomplish. I argued that Education is the 'great equalizer' and the absence of capital is very hard to set up profitable business. This is a way of finding out what nomads think about that. (too long! bear with me)

Goodness! Very weird. I don't know what to make of this...coincidence?

Is maqal wacan. Aad baan ugu xiisey SOL iyo dhamaan nomads. Madadaalo iyo maaweelo hufan.

GOVERNMENT: Dowlad (Xukuumad) TEMPERATURE: Kul FREEDOM: Madax-banaani SYSTEM: Hab/Qaab TRANSPORTATION: Gaadiid COMMUNICATION: Is-gaarsiin/War-baahin CIRCLE: Goobo SQUARE: Afar-gees TRANSLATION: Erey-bixin/Tafa-tirid SCHOOL: Dugsi STUDENT: Ardey GOVERNER: Gudoomiye

Two points: 1. Narrator changed from first person to third; for instance, narrator was Nalaye (u and hence "I") and story was told from his point of view...and suddenly it changed as if third person was narrating the conversation of Nalaye and Fahiye...consistency is needed there. 2. A century and half ago English standard prose was ornate and diffuse but it changed to simplicity and compactedness...do the same thing. Please continue and take my comments as positive criticism.

Af Soomaaligu waa af lahjado kala duwan leh sida uu Farah u xusay. Laakiin midka idaacada laga sii daayey iyo kan manaahijta dugsiyada loo dejiyey lagu qorey waa mid ku yimid go'aamo siyaasadeed oo nidaamyadii jirey ay qaateen. Annigu waxaan qabaa in ay run tahay abwaaniinta Soomaaliyeed ee kor lagu xusay in ay dhamaan magac iyo maamuus ku leeyihiin Somaliya. Laakiin sidoo kale ayaa waxa jira kuwo badan oo aan nasiib dadweynuhu u helin in idaacada laga dhageysto. Lahjadaha ay ka midka yihiin Maaymaayga, Jiidada, Garaha, Dabaraha, Tunida, iyo Baajuunta idaacdada waligood lagama sii deyn. Waxa suurto gal ah in akhyaar badan oo halka maaweelo u yimaada in aaneyba waligood maqal lahjadaha aan ka sharqamiyey. Waxay ku dhacday arrintaas waa nidaamyadii awoodu gacanta ku dhigay baan u arrag in ay muhiim tahay in cod la siiyo dadyowgaa saa iyaga laf ahaantooda baan afgaraneyn ileyn e. Dulucdu waxey tahay: haa af Soomaaliga leyna barey ee sida caamka ah u hirgaley waa lahjad looga hadlo degaanka Gaalkacyo waqooyiga iyo galbeedka kaga aadan. Haa oo abwaanda sida caamka ah xigmadooda loo maqley halkaa ayey ku dhasheen. Haa oo BBC-du qudheeda yaa ilaa lixdameeyadii shaqaalahoodu waxey isku heysteen lahjada ay ku baxeyso idaacadu ma kan Waqooyi Baribaa, Nugaal, iyo Mudug sare yuu noqonayaa mise waa midka Waqooyi Galbeed iyo Hawd; ilaa la isku dhafey oo lagu heshiiyey. Hadaba gidigeen waxaan ku hana qaadney afkii dadka awooda hantiyey ay saani ugu hadli jidheen. Waxa aan qabaa in hadii gobolada koonfureed sida Hiiraan, Jowhar, iwm ay ku badnaan lahaayeen nimankii majaraha inoo hayey ilaa berrigaa in maanta arragtida aan ka qabno afka Soomaaliga ay ka duwanaan laheyd mida halakan lagu soo bandhigey. Buuga Suugaanta ee dugsiyada dhexe waxaa ku badnaan lahaa guuroowga oo hadahaa waxa aan qeyb sanaan laheyn: Ya minii fatuuro fiiq tiraa, Ya nikii fadhaaya maa fiyow.

Darman, Grown up men always step up to the plate and have balls to admit their mistakes. I commend u that. 1. The victim; I advise u to go to that poor little girl and tell her that u were a jerk in playing head games with her. Apology is in order bro. Tell her that u are a very confused man who is in love with some1 that seem out of reach and that u are incapable of committing another relationship at the moment without coming to terms with the previous one. 2. The lovely girl who dissed u; I advise u to forgive her and move on. There is something called 'calaf' and if it meant to be then she will be urs. It is an ackward position to be in. Ask urself what can u do about this today and if u exhausted all options then accept that outcome and move on and don't live in vain over that childish girl's rejection. Use Carnegie's formula: Yesterday is dead, Tommorow is unborn, live ur life TODAY. BTW those types of girls who listen their friends and act on their advise don't make good wife anyway. It is this time when external situations seem to dictate ur life that u need to use reason and rationale not emotion.

Ameena, U have point there sis...and mansha'alaah why can't we have more of u...pple with 'miyir' and forsight. Northerner, Let me dream please! U may have heard the lyrics of that song: ta ta and then it goes "..u may say i'm a dreamer; but i'm not the only one; i hope one day u join us; and world w'll be one" by John Lennon. See it is a fantasy for powerless and pple like me who hate the warlords but can't do a darn thing about them...they rule us! That won't stop me to have an opinion about our affairs, however. My view on this happen to be different than yours...I like to see a united, inclusive, just, and strong Somalia. I got a great kick out of that possibility and it makes my day.

SafiaLuul612, For once stop worrying what others think about u lest they guide u forever!

Hussein, 1. Take a risk! and approach her with a confidence. 2. Do ur homework about her and start preparing a follow up comment that may ilicit how she really feels about this. 3. Lower ur expectation and be ready to accept the final outcome. 4. Convince urself the fact that she has her own preferances and she might already been sought after by someone else. If she objects the idea of cousins getting married as she may, u should be able to emphisize that it is very valid in our culture, religion, etc. If she is the type of Nomads who look West as their lighting guide just mention that most European monarchies had been doing this for ages; Darwin married his cousin, Einsteins parents were cousins and he himself married his cousin, so was famous Brown the inventer of space rockets in NASA. In any case, don't blame her if she opts not to engage this sort of relashionship. Take a risk!

I peg to differ! and like to see united Somalia. And yet I'm proud of the fact that there are Somalis who can put aside their tribal differences and still differ on their political affiliations and still go polls to vote who they want to govern them. One big step ahead of the rest of the country. Oh! how I long! to see us all replicate that model. Congrats! Northwest.

Wiil-Nugaaleed, Well, my gut feeling answer is that it is very hard to get 'all-inclusive and justified government' but assuming we do get that I would like to see them choose a republic in the sense that elected reps will govern the state. We should down play the idea of confederacy and embrace, with caution, federal form of government in which union of regional provinces recognize the primacy and authority of central government while retaining certain powers of governmemnt. Isimo, duubab, and malaaqyo should be considered as politicians. If they want to be the official reps of their constituent they should run in their geographical sphere of influence e.g known demarcated districts where their constituent reside. Finally, the supreme law of the land should be Islamic Sharia. We should also have an official body of knowledgable and cognizant Uluma whose sole function is to safegaurd the primacy of Islamic law in the context of the legislations that are passed. Application of criminal law should communserate the dissemation of Islamic literature through channels of communication and degree of knowledge public have about Islam. I would wait about ten yrs before implementing that so that State can recover from the anarchy. I am dead opposed to the idea of clan confederacy or federal triblism. It just plays right into the hands of warlords and their clanish rationale. I'm kind of open-minded to restrained regional autonomies if they confirm the territorial integrity of Somalia in their constitution. My only concern about that is the layers of bueracracies it will create and price tag that comes with knowing how meager our resources are. I agree that peace is first milestone we all should strive for.

"Baridu dumarka wey bishaa, hadey ku badatana wey bi'isaa" Old school Somalis used to qoute when confronted with politically correct statement like size doesn't matter. True. Beauty is the eye of the beholder. But fellas do I hear u say size doesn't matter? Ofcourse size matters! In my book, body size is relevant feature of our understanding of beauty and beauty, even though it is subjective, is this attractive symmetry in size and shape that attract us. What is not relevant to body size is Love. And love is a gut feeling phenomena when it is a sincere, real one. And sincere love is blind to the physical attributes (fat/thin, short/tall. etc.) Charm, intellect, honest, piety, and other desirable characteristics that we truly yearn are not easily read in the short encounters with our potential mates. Thus the physical appearance are next best thing that our eyes naturaly scan through in this hasty life and crowded world to find someone so we can do some shukaansi...and see if they possess the qualities we are looking...why would anyone select the unknown unattractive mate over unknown attractive one. If u are aproached then humility is in order! In short, I wouldn't characterize those who seem to have taste for 'dhuubo-dhex yar', 'qorran' and 'qallanjo' nomads as "dumb". They are just excersizing their God given freedom to select their mate among potential mates out there.

Jaaluut u r right that he didn't discriminate his traitors. No dispute there at all. He did ordered summary execution, the legend has it, of a whole villages simply because their chief was not on his side in conflict between him and other tribe. Look, I don't pretend to know what happen back then but according his poems it is undisputable how he carried himself when he felt some tribes were not supporting his cause...even pregnant women were not spared from the 'toorey'...hence 'umalo doox' were among his legacies. I like the guy and I'm proud of his crusade against Xabashi and whites but it doesn't do justice to history if we pretend as if he was an angel...yes the great Sayid was coward by being complicit in horrors dervishes committed under the disguise of nationalism. After a decade his famous liuetenent Ismacil Mirre lamented: Kaakici wadaadkii Jihad laguna kaalmee e Kun wada duub cad buu keenay Beer-dhiga e Waxse kadabkii go'ey kolkuu kohay reer Kheyre e EE Ragow kibirka waa lagu kufaa kaa ha lo'ogaado. Corrections are welcomed

Inna Abdille Hassan was poet, patriot, revolutionary, and statesman who stood up our freedom and challenged the white and black invaders by fighting...in that he was one of the greatest of all. In the some token, he was spinless coward whose dervishes killed innocent Somalis at will, committed rape, summary execution, and stolen herds by the thousand. "wey xujoobeen" from none other than Mr. Sayid was all they needed to hear. Somali victims' crime was they shared tribal affiliation with his Somali enemies or dissidents of his rule...thereby guilt by association. My favorite is Aden Abdulle Osman and SYL, SNL, and USP generations.

Let me see: 1) they have been 2gether so long.. 2) they understand each other...even can predict each other... 3) they respect each other. 4) But they do want to break-up cuz they find out that their love is not deep enough to go on and get married... 5) There are no problems worth mentioning in this relationship... 6) They want to be friends even if the inevitable break-up happens. Give another shot...since both got much in common and invested too much time in this relationship. If that advise has no chance..I don't know!...if my interpretation of the gist of the post is true especially (4)...and there are irreconciable differences then I would say the MAN should initiate the break-up cuz I think he would be able to anounciate with less difficult than the lady...plus she is anticipating the break-up anyway...and the whole drama is mutually played by both sides...so spare the lady for the emotional departure and the guilty-feeling baggage that comes with it! So that if time comes when u realized that she was too good to let her go...then u would be in position to swallow ur pride and be MAN enough to persuade her back to the relationship...and offer better incentive like marriage all the way...and belief me the lady will accept...it is their nature to be in selection mode...just be what real man should be...always in control, willing to take a blow especially from a lady, willing to say we were both confused and I come back with clear head and I know now what it is out there and what I had...she will melt like an ice unless she is already taken!

I voted for Republic! I'm against the idea of the institutionalized triblasim plus I think Somalis are not matured enough to embrace federalism...and if u really pay attantion to the political discourse of the current reconciliation effort u will notice this creepy process of legitimizing a system of governence in which the tribes(they hate each other) are debicted as the main political forces that will shape the incoming government. Thus the federalism is reduced, in this context, a union of tribes...each tribe is composed of sub-clans, and by the time these sub-clans settle their diffrences...we will be left a ineffective, polorized, and disintegrated polity, where every project in regional importance is seen as a one that benefits to a particular sub-clan and thus blocked by other sub-clans. In my book, federalism is a disaster in the waiting...it may be seen as temporary solution to these hard-headed warlords (who are presenting themselves as the spokesmen to their tribe and asking the share for their respective clans) so we can move on to reconstitute a functioning state. A republic will not cure every problem but it will be a vehechile that could establish a population that do not think along the lines of collective entitlement just because they are from particular tribe e.g. president is for tribe X, secod highest office goes to tribe Y, PM office is put aside for tribe Z...this pre-ordained entitlement is a disaster. Republic will encourage regional autonomies where districts are contested for political office. Regional autonomies will submit to the will of the strong central government that has power to enforce contracts and its empowered to regulate property rights..etc. Instead of tribe being office gaurantor, district will take that helm...and districts or 'degmooyin' will be awarded to regional governments by the central govt. by set of criteria...1)must have poplution of 100,000. 2)must be able to provide basic social services to its citizens. U know what will happen..all the nomads will build their respective districts and join forces to win as much district as they could to have shot in political offices...even if the tribalism goes through new metamorphesis it will be to the better and will have tangible benefits and positive contribution to the citizens. I don't pretend to know the complexity of our predicment but I know one thing which is that Tribalism is so destructive and it has no STOP sign..it keeps dividing to the sub-sub-sub clan. And anyone suggesting to give real legitimized incentive to work over time...does not see what i think I see...it seems that everyone embraces federalism...may Allah help us.

Tamina, If u are interested in buying a copy of the documentary here is the link. i beliefe it is $29.00 for non-members. MUHAMMED: Legacy of a Prophet The reviews: from Iviews.com