^^Classy. This is what I'm talking about. Hear hear nomads when manly men engage in the spirit of advancing cyber friendship, they come through Johnny (call me garaad again sonny), watch out for 7 of 9. She is the one that dismisses what you have outlined as a BULL 7 of 9, Nothing wrong there.

Amigo Castro, Have you honestly read the article in its entirety? What is the thesis the author seems to be advancing in this piece? Btw, what is the difference, as the author sees it, between manliness and maleness? Many of us hold the Holy Book in high regard. I expect you to show respect for our convictions. It's deep held conviction and no amount of cyber exchanges will come near to settle the disputes we may have on this score. Politeness, respect, and gentlemanly engagement is in order here. This is brotherly request from my part.

Amigo, race is def a factor but not the only one as many seem to be asserting. I'm too old and too smart to take offence from the cyber skirmishes. No, none is taken especially from amigo Castro. As to conservatism you referred to, If I were you I wouldn't be so judgemental. Now, I'm a Muslim and I embrace Muslim values wholeheartedly. Sometimes my tastes get better of me but generally I like to stay within Islamic norms. Because of that I agree with the conservatives in certain issues.

Race perhaps. However, class and abject poverty seems to be the unifying factor than race.

^Classy. I like your style

Horeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! the forum is alive again. Views are different as always, opinions are strong, and unfortunately, irrelevant speeches penned to refute the straw man are indeed long and many. This makes me wonder how many of nomads have actually read the article in question? Rahima, abaayadiis the points you have raised are on the money. However, it seems to me that you have misread the piece and nomads’ responses as well - especially the proponents of the so-called manly man. Aero, baayo cidlaad ka diday ee easy with the been guurka. If you read the piece very carefully, the author is for women’s rights 100%. However, in his estimation, (and the man’s credentials of being from Harvard should give some of you a pause in dismissing his opinions as being silly), he thinks that the women’s participation in aggression and other activities men are known to engage in are not “equalâ€. Now you can disagree everything he had said in the piece however for the interest of good discussion on the subject please cut the cyber aggression to tolerable limits. Castro, you are something sxb. I can see that you are a great defender of women’s rights. I commend you for the thoughtfulness. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that you have somehow overlooked the distinction the author seems to be making between maleness and manliness. Is there a difference? Khayr and Xiin, I can see where you are coming from. I also see our friends here are desperately trying to put you in a box in which you hardly fit. Because of your religious orientation, I am sure you would agree with what our cyber acquaintance penned in her post. If that is the case, this loud noise our friends are making is in vain for you are 100% for the rights and honor of women. Where is the misunderstanding stemming from? Il Capo di Capo Signore Ngonge, stars and other cosmic objects are unisex. I don’t recall instances where they are exclusively designated to females. 7 of 9, the burden of proof so to speak is on you dhuubo. You see phrases and statements quoted out of context and in isolation won’t cut it. At this point, it will be beneficial for all of us to agree on what the author is actually saying here.

Good topic. The recent hikes are due to the Katrina impact on oil refineries and pipelines which they said accounts of 40 % of total distribution of oil in the states. Gas gauging is a factor too, according to media. As to oil decline, I think that is not a new revelation. I remember watching a NOVA program on PBS not long ago on this subject. In addition I've scan read a book called "Hydrogen economy" on the same subject. Yeah the decline is real.

Ducaqabe I left Kismayo in early eighties. U were a todler if not naas nuug Whatever happened to the man? Has he made it through the civil war?

Aero and 7's protestation is understandable for they are woman and this kinda article can provoke their feminist side even though the author made it clear that he's not for reversing whatever rights women have gained in the past (their beenguur iyo kees iska waal is totaly unjustified). What's not so clear to me is where Brown is getting the inspiration to strongly protest against the mere mention of manly man! In any event, I politely decline to get on a program the likes of Brown are piloting Now, my boy Stud the one and only Mr. Johnny B is talking about something the good old prof @ Harvard has shied away I figure street smart like Johnny who has an impeccable reputation of being man in sync with the times can persuade nomads about the need to restore the qualities real men are known to have before the onslought. My guess is he would use anything necessary to succeed the task at hand even if his newly acquired arsenal - philosophy - has to be brought to bear Go get it stud If need be Shyhem the businessman is at hand.

No problem Castro. I accept the verdict. Just so you know this is a true story. Aduunyo is true character and anyone from Kismayo around my age know Aduunyo existed and will confirm my account of the man. The Arabic sentences that you are complaining about is his hal-ku-dheg along with the word "Aduunyo". I'm surprised that u r this much sensitive I will have u in mind next time I have to share nomads with something like this. By the way, if I have to haphazard a guess, Kashafa is feeling sorry for the man for some other reason. More like what the sentence is implying than anything else. Aduunyo!

Brown, Your views are understandable given the fact that you are an open minded fella Remember on the SOL forum, anyone can have their opinion on anything. There is no wrong opinion just a different opinion. I figure the Admin. and Moderaters (bless their heart) understand and appreciate the diversity of opinions posted on this forum. Having said that, I was expecting that you would qoute from the article in support of your open minded post. Actually that's not your fault for I posted a pdf file that is an exact copy of the magazine. As a snapshot scan there are two different article in tandem on the link. Now if u were not tailgating my good cyber acquintance Miss Athena, u would have at least paid attention to the details. Nevertheless, let me engage you on ur own turf. U didn't realize, I suppose, that the qoute u have highlighted is from accredited school and have a whole lot of resource went in deducing the observation the author claims to have researched. Be that as it may, the point and here I'm not defending the thesis is that the qualities that have traditionally attributed to "manliness man" are no more. From there the author is exploring what brought about the prevailing attitude toward masclunity and the forces that helped shape the current views on which qualities are desirable in "modern man". Awoowe berrigaan yaraa gabdhaha si gaara yaa raxmad iyo gacallo loogu muujin jiray. Lalama tirsan jirin, hawsha adag iyo waxii culus waalaga ilaalin jiay, aflagaadada iyaga lala beegsadaa ma banaaneyn, fadhiga waa looga kici jiray oo iyagoo taagan nin ma fariisan jirin...wax badan baa is bedallay hadda. B*tch baa loogu yeeraa girlfriends-ka maanta kolay in the main stream rap music, xisaab foolxun, iyo dhaqan aan inna rag ku habooneyn baa maanta laga yqaan North America. Qoraagu halkaasu ka naqdiyay ee haweenka weerar kuma aha ee hiiluu ugu soo baxay.

^ Now, i have an interesting anecdote to share. It is a story with subliminal message and darn good moral if u can decipher it. Back in the days when I was about eight or nine years old, I run across Aduunyo. Aduunyo was a man with great wisdom. However, he was a mad man or at least folks thought he was mad. The rumor had it that Aduunyo came to Kismayo to make a fortune by exporting and importing goods to and from a far away lands. He had made a couple of runs to and from East Africa markets through Mombasa and then lost everthing he had in a shipwreck. He become a destitute man in an unwelcoming town. He was a new comer or Galti but he decided to stay put. He built a shag for himself behind the Water Ministery. He lived in that shaq ever after. Aduunyo used to come to my auntie's tea shop. That was the only biibito he is known to frequent because my auntie had the wisdom to provide him a free shaah and sanbuus every afternoon. What I didn't realize at the time was that Aduunyo was the sort of man who got by his mouth. He was a good storyteller and because of that the crowd would follow wherever he go. He used to tell stories about Yemen and his adventures. Sometimes he would narrate about his Jinni wife and how he entered the world of Jinni and escaped unharmed. On my way to school I run accroos Adduunyo talking to himself and repeating his logo sentences incessanly: "Caashaq bilaa fuluus, yaniika hawaa" He told me to stop, I did. Now any other kid would have run for his life. I knew the man from my auntie's tea shop so I obliged... He asked me if I have my eraser with me which I answered yes. He then asked me whether I have my pencil, my class schedule, my books, and so on. He then proceeded to examine my "jadwal" of the day. He noticed that my first class was Arabic and Religion. Aduunyo looked at the sky for about a minute as if he is going to talk to someone up there and then he fixed his eyes down on the floor in about two minutes without a word. By now I was freaking out. He then put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me right in the eyes and said "adeer, ijtahid!" and then he let me go and off I went. I walked about twenty feet from where we've been standing when I noticed that a lot of folks had been watching us from a distance and then I heard a loud shout: "adeer ha la yaabin" . Later on he told my father that I am a good kid. When my father asked him what makes his son different from other kids, Aduunyo narrated our encounter and the spectators we'd attracted and how all the time folks avoid him. What Aduunyo didn't realize at the time was that I had been well acquinted with him in the tea shop that I considered him as a normal fella.

Checking back... 7 u r so predictable qallanjo . Time and again, u have rushed in to opine (in defence of feminism) when there is no need for it. The author made the point that "manliness" is becoming obsolete in the modern world. He is not bashing feminism per say; all he's saying is that feminism is a factor in the decline of "manliness man" that we've clearly seen in last 60 odd years. Now, u can disagree with the thesis but again that requires lil more than graemlins. Is "manliness" in decline? If the answer is affirmative, what caused this decline? If the answer is negative, how can one explain the rise of "girly men"? Viking, anytime sxb. I think I'm on the same page with u on this one. Feminization of men is getting on my nerve nowadays. I just can't relate to so called "men who are in touch with their feminine side" Il Capitano Ngonge, my man Sky has come through and did C&P for u. Many thanks Sky.

Morning nomads and Salamu Calaykum dhamaantiin, I had a time to watch a three hour program on C-Span2 called "IN DEPTH" where the presenter interviews notables especially authors in a living room-like setting. I always make time to watch this program whenever possible and so far I have never been disappointed. Anyways, last Sunday (4-day long wkend, btw) they had Harvey Mansfield on, author and a 40 year prof @ Harvard. He has written many many books. I find the conversation between the presenter and the prof to be very interesting. Politics, philosophy, religion, and social issues among others have been discussed. And boom! the presenter, a woman, asked him about his upcoming major work on manliness He was blunt and to the point. I took a note and jot down the name of an article he's written for AEI, a conservative leaning thinktank. Here it is...enjoy it: Manliness of man

^Amin. Hambalyo.

I felt the need to straighten out the point Caano Geel made when he qouted me. I just saw it thanks to JB bold qoutes there. Now again I do accept the fact that things evolve over time including non-material things. Rocks take a beating from elements and that way its shapes got changed. U got the picture where I'm going with this. Living things evolve too in order to adopt their surroundings as a matter of survival. This much I agree! Furthermore, I accept the genes replicating and the fit ones succeeding to last longer and hence propogating their imprints to the next generation. Where I take issue is the assertion that plants, animals, and what have you come about through this process - from one single cell which in turn come about through chemical evolution! I haven't seen the evidence be fossil record or other kind of evidence to support this assertion. Also, at a higher level Darwin claims the process is self-directed, self-designed, and self propogated process. This is not an easy thing to believe unless one is willing to take a leap of faith in Science. I have a hunch that most of you would have a difficult time fathoming the thought of Sony Viao Laptop forming itself over time and all its applications materializing without a programmer and design engineer doing the actual thinking and manufacturing! Theorotically speaking there is a chance this could happen since the basic ingredient are available in nature and given the frequency of chemical reactions happen, there are remote chance that the necessary elements coming together by chance starting in basic molecular level and over time perfecting itself to form a perfect laptop! Of course this not a reasonable poposition since there are not many laptops found in nature. But the point is what the Darwinism is asking us to belief is that organs way too complex than laptop like eyes and brains can appear in nature all by themselves. There is no evidence in support of this. Any way, each of us will ultimately decide, what to believe and what not to, for themselves. I gotta tell you for me, I have yet to see a good explanation from Darwins side of the argument.

Raxmah, True story abaayadiis. I went through a lot in qax and in destitute life in Kenya and later in America as I ventured to tie the knot, work, and take 12 credits (to qualify all the goodies such as grants and subsided loan) every quarter, all at once. In qax months, it was pure survival instincts and the thought of catching up the next boat if and when the opportunities present itself. There were lil choice there really! What can I do TODAY to get on the next boat tommorow kinda attitude! Lo and behold I find myself cruising in the Indian Ocean enjoying the scenery of lil Islands SE Kismayo as if I'm a tourist. In Nairobi destitute refugee life yrs (13 memorable months), it was the other side is greener attitude and the hope that relatives would remember their good old Baashi and sacrifice few things for his sake. A call here and there, waxa la yiri there is good opp that lands u to Australia, Canada, and America dream. That too has done its purpose. As difficult and dire as the situation was, I made it through. Here the land of the brave, things got way too complicated. Bills to pay, charity to send, family to feed, exams to ace, bosses to please, ideas to develop into fruition, I embarked all and many a times fell short. I failed an exam (I'm talking about the F) the very day I had my first baby. Electricity disconnected and bad news arrived from Nairobi refugee camps all at the same month if I recalled correctly. It was tough and couldn't get tougher! What kept me going and succeeding in all of these low moments were the fact that every time you fall, as long as you are healthy, u can always pick urself up, dust off, and try again, the fact that quitting don't improve the situation, and the deep held belief that events are prerecorded somewhere up there. Equally important was the faith in Almighty that events are predestined and what we have to do is try our best and in the event that we fall short take solace in that yesterday is indeed dead and embark what is it that we have to do NOW to try another go. Above the wall on my computer desk I had this English poem. It was called "don't quit". Its stanzes spoke to my heart directly and I find it to be a good darn reminder of what's all about.

Caano Geel is right on the money when he adviced Khayr not to use Islamic litmus test on nomads who might have responded in a way contrary to their convictions. This is not a serious debate. It's a cyber discussion on what's essentially a difficult subject. My boy JB, first accept my heartfelt appology (call me garaad again). On a secod look, it turns out that u were somewhat in the ring. However, sxb u r bouncing all over and it's kinda hard to bin ur argument down. I'm very short on time to post a coherent and well researched topic. I figure maybe some of you will fill in for me and cover all the angles of the argument. Having said that, the general outlines of the discussion is clearly presented. For the sake of simplicity and general readership, I think it's prudent not to get the specifics of it or delve too mush into the academic side for this is posted for layman's consumption sort to speak. Now again from where I stand, Darwin's theory has monumental implication on many fronts. It's no secret that its affect is felt on the social, economic, and political circles. As a scientific theory it has its shortcomings (fatal) especially on the fossil, genetics, and missing and unexplained "gabs". I don't know how many are intimately familiar with Darwanism. For starters, Darwin's original treaties has gone through considerable modifications. Today Dawkins and Gould's new-Darwinism theory is what is taught in colleges. Nevertheless, the gabs that existed in fossil records are hard to explain away. I'm an engineer by training and I think I know lil bit about scientific method. I have yet to see coherent explanation or empirical evidences that convinces me that Darwin and the neo-Darwinists know how man evolved from single organism. There are plenty of tales of how man might have originated based on extrapolation from the "creative" powers of the mutation and selection. Without leap of faith, there is no way one can demonstrate its validity using selective mechanism. You guys might have soft spot to uncritical acceptance in anything that bears "Scientific" label but I don't and so far my inquisitive hunger have not been quenched on this one. The other contested issue is the metaphysical aspect of the theory and its adamant or rather active campaign to dismiss the existence of Super Being employing bilogical processes that give shape the living organism. The undisputable fact is that an attempt has been made to explain how life might have originated. Darwin's version has gained a wide acceptance. In the spirit of skeptical inquiry, there are new questions challenging the faithfull followers of Darwin to furnish the empirical evidences to support their claims beyond the diversity of life and how it works and factors that come into play in its course. Mutakalim, Sxb adoo tookha yaraynaya, bal madax iyo minjo u yeel.

I haven't read the piece...time permitting I will def read in its entirety. Now the reason I'm posting this one is to wlc u on the politics section. I'm delighted to have one of original Ciyaalka Xaafada join the section where grown up men sometimes make fool out of themselves Keep it coming sxb and share ur opinions with the junkies.

Reasonable write-up u posted, Zephy. True whatever the cause that sort of barbarity shouldn't signify the legitimate struggle the Chechen resistance are engaged in. I kinda disagree on ur conclusion. If I'm not mistaken, u bought the official line that equates what essentially is a nationalistic war to one inspired by Islamic ideals. On this score, I think what you should have done is forsake the savages, condemn the terror but cut some slack for those weak, subjugated, humiliated, and almost enslaved underdogs to sometimes hit back out of desperation. People cease to be rational beings in these kinda sitautions. This has nothing to do with Islam (I see my good friend Ngonge goin red) and everything to do with human nature. Even cats are known to inflict rather deep cutting scratches when cornered. Man is said to die for three things: family, freedom, and faith. It doesn't matter what kind of man be Arab, Indian, African, or European descent or what kinda religion! Now, I'm not justifying the killing of innocent bystanders. It's an unexcusable act. What I don't understand is those who are adamant to justify the agression and condemn the resistance. Make sense out of this...this is a quick reply.

Zephy, good move from ur part. I just find this out. Four ICE is too many I figure. Parent, sibling, friend and spouse...hmm not bad idea. Nice...I might as well follow suit.

I don't know how many of u are following this event (u can't miss it) but this is the second sunami. A major American city has been innundated by the Hurricane. This morning on my way to work (btw in a vanpool - gas prices too high in these days) one lady said that states of Nebraska and Kansas are offering the New Orleans a free land anyone who wishes to relocate. The thing is the city is inhabitable for some time to come not to mention the folks without flood insurance (poor) have no recourse to rebuilt their homes. Btw, I bet my collectable taano the pic Signore Ngonge has posted is fake

^^ C'mon Brown Politics section rocks! :cool: We political junkies love that place The issues are real, emotions r high, characters emerge from screen screaming and show their real colors, flags are waved...man! that place is so entertaining. I have a hunch that only characters who have something to hide or are so concerned with their cyber image are the ones who avoid engaging their fellow nomads in an open and sincere way. It beats me what y'all got to lose if u say what's on ur mind on the real issues of the day (Somali related issues). Coomey, Sxb get ur plans ready cuz one of these days Somalia will undergo a huge reconstruction period and you and other talent out there who understand the need to contribute to that effort will be in demand. So get ur degree, polish whatever talent u have, stash few bundles of green, and get ready for once the call arrives u gotta be ready to hit on the ground running... Shez, One look from u and I'm history Ma inaan bilaash kuu raali galiyay baad mooday

Gediid, Sxb addiga rageedii aa tahay marka gooni baan kuugu warramayaa. Fadhi ku dirrir maa naga dhamaanaaya hadaan Somali nahay

Wish me luck fellas, one day I will have my cabin in cool environs of Sanaag. A big ranch near Juba river, and vacation home in the chain lil islands of SE Kismayo. That will be the day! and hopefully will be before my retirement.