stuff and nonsense... or more like kibbles and bits.

eating more doesnt actually speed up the metabolism... at least not on its own. muscles mass quickens the metabolism to create a constant burning of calories, and if you are someone who works out alot and who has alot of muscle mass, than eating 6 small meals will be fine. otherwise, 3 recommended servings with healthy snacks in between should be fine.

hijab is worn not only so women dont get harassed, but also as a marker of our beliefs. the hijab identifies us as believers; id raise my kid to love the hijab, and everything else about islam. they wouldnt be forced to wear it prior puberty, but insha Allah they would be familiar with it. they would definitely be forced to dress modestly in public though (like if i buy them dresses, they should cover the shoulders, and say past 8-9yrs old the legs would be covered as well). at special events like weddings/eids i would encourage them to wear the hijab. i mean, they can take it off and put it on whenever, play with boys, rough house, it doesnt matter, but i plan on raising them in such a way that they would be proud of their deen, and knowledgeable of their obligations. i dont think we have to condition them into islam; id prefer kids who ask questions and think rather than pavlov's dogs. i mean, ideally, we want kids to say, "Islam is my religion of choice", rather than "Islam was my parent's choice".

im butac bombalay--- but im not butac. although i too am trying to be more healthy, cut down on sugar (diabetes), eat more fruits and vegetables and incorporate physical activity in my daily life. health is a blessing, and if we dont take care of it while we are young, it can deteriorate seriously. i mean, i dont want to imagine a time where salat is physically demanding. i have a friend who lost a significant amount of weight within the past year, and she says one of the reasons she feels she was more successful this year was because her niyaa was stronger. she lost the weight for her own well being, and tied it in with her worship as well.

this is so sick... this procedure should be banned, and the doctors who do it should have their license revoked. lunacy shouldnt be humoured.

go see a doctor how extensive were the exercises you did? and how long before you discontinued? i ask because strenghtening your core muscles, and doing flexibility exercises should help at the very least minimize the reoccurence of pain.

i dont know what's gotten over me... i have this sudden urge... Im overwhelmed with feelings... inexplicable... indescribable... RED SEA ,MARRY ME!!!

physical attraction is important in marriage, and sometimes, women actually let themselves go. im sure youve met such a woman who just completely stopped caring about her looks the minute she got married... some men are guilty of this as well and more often than not "let themselve go" in another arena, like they stop giving gifts, being romantic, helping around the house. getting too comfortable, and taking each other for granted is the underlying issue. i mean, if its just a couple of pounds, (or say, half a person) after childbirth, i guess that is not a big deal; but than there are women who keep that extra weight years after the birth. maybe if they had an encouraging partner they would lose the pounds? i dont think its insensitive to remind your wife/husband that they should take care of their appearance. discussing your spouse with others is completley unacceptable.

free seats on the metro/bus. people offering to carry your heavy bags. oh, and the momma's have paradise at their feet

it actually is coming 2 weeks faster. the gregorian calendar is slighty longer than the lunar, so it always appears to be coming sooner.

ive actually heard him in interviews, and although he doesnt hide his identity as a muslim, its also not something he likes to talk about for the simple reason that he (according to his words) doesnt feel like he'd be an example to muslims or islam. even during said interview, he wasnt the one to bring it up, but the interviewer thought it was necessary to talk about.

i support the fanax movement as well as the fanaxi's dental hygiene. for this reason, i present to you my niece's jump rope; you can use it to floss. *hands ngonge a pink jump rope*

the prophet muhammad, peace be upon him, said "the strong man isnt the one who is physically powerful, but, indeed, the one who controls himself when angry." he did the responsible thing by walking away. the link between him not reacting, and the mysoginistic crimes mentionned isnt obvious though.

asalaam 3leykum wa rahmatulla wa barakatu, I noticed that we are approaching Ramadaan, and I thought maybe you guys could post some advice on how to prepare for the holy month. For some people, time management is an issue during the month, so getting a head start in worldly affairs can be a necessity. that can mean fixing your work hours during the month, getting paper work out of the way, or even preparing a time table for cooking. For others like myself, studies can be challenging during the month. one gets lethargic while fasting, and grades can suffer. what have you guys found helpful regarding this? On the spiritual front, there are a number of things we can all improve on, and inshaAllah the month will help cristallyze the sunnah's into our lifestyles; here's what I plan on doing. In preparation, I will try to read more quran everyday, whether its the translation or the original. I will observe as many sunnah fasts as I can, and try to delay witr as far into the night as possible. I cant think of anything else at the moment.

its called POLYGYNY!!!

salaam 3leykum akhi, as you know you received alot of good advice here, and i have something to add, although it may sound like repetition; either way, i think this is something you need to hear more of. you are actually quite a catch, and im not saying this out of pity, but because it is true, and you need to hear it, and believe it. however, you do need to work on your self esteem, and if that means changing some things in yourself, than so be it. you're a catch because you are a smart, funny, sensitive and sincere muslim man, who cares about his family and who makes the well being of his children a central focus in his life. the only thing deterring you from marriage is Allah's will, and your outlook; and akhi, your outlook, or more like your insight on your self worth, is so negative that it is likely to doom any relationship. think about if you were to marry right now; of course you have a lot to offer, but if you feel as though you are not worth the attention or time of a good woman, she is going to think so too. be confident, know your self worth, and if someone (male or female) cant see it, than its their loss. as it is, there are no women biting, but that doesnt mean you are the problem. a huge factor is the community and elders not helping young muslims to get to know each other in the halal appropriate manner; like others have mentionned, many other muslims are in the same boat as you. another factor is how you see yourself; be confident. humility is good, but not when it teeters on self deprecation. if you feel as though your job is limiting you, than you know what, take some night classes. if you feel that your weight is an issue, than take some steps to enhance and preserve your health, and ask your kids to help you. you're 29, you potentially have a lot of time ahead of you, so make some preparations for the future (this is advice for me too), like take care of your health, exercise, eat healthy, learn more, travel and enhance your relationship with Allah subhana wa ta Ala. call on Him for help, whether its about your job, health, living arrangements, whatever. you have two kids, masha Allah, and if you thought outside of the box more, you would see there are many ways you can still be a good father, and grow as an individual. like you said in your original message, you know what steps to take to get married (good, cause i dont ) and you can do it on your own like everything else, however, just know brother you dont HAVE to do everything by your self. dont be shy to ask for help whether its from your ex wife (i dont know about the other sistes, but a letter of recommendation from an ex sounds awesome), or local islamic leaders. so akhi, focus on your positives, and look at the negatives as a chance for growth. being a good muslim isnt just praying 5 times and fasting, its also improving yourself so you can contribute to your community and general society. its good that you want to marry, and your reasons are good, but Allah decides when and where you will marry. keep yourself open, but don't make marriage overrule all of your thoughts. do a little more self inspection, you're on a roll. how about you sign up to projects that would allow you to meet new people (whether muslim or non muslim)? like a group sport, volunteering, cooking classes?

is anyone going to try this?

oh yeah...

i like your writing style.

Originally posted by NGONGE: quote:Originally posted by shaken and deterred: the english language is changing, as it always is and always has been, but since there is no official standard, and people are open to more medium outlets (tv, billboards, internet), and the increasing mediums of communication involving writing (msg boards, instant msg, txt msg) tend to demand compounding and abandonment of grammar rules. also, because there is no official standard, and classical literature seems to be abandonned by students, and the cultural society we live in today, the accepted standard of english is now what we hear from the pop stars, athletes, and famous actors who are generally from a lower class (and education);their english generally reflects it. writing styles are also changing, and standards from educators are lowering everyday. of course theyre only decreasing if you look at it from the pov that it was superior in the past and that may not be the case. language evolves with how people us it. kids dont read anymore, and what they do read is often from the internet and like it or not, this is a factor in the fate of the english (and all other) language(S). p.s. no edit. Stuff and nonsense, my dear. I didn't want to take this topic seriously because the original author was more concerned with frivolous topics such as Facebook, Somali boys and gapped teeth. However, your reply here is quite misleading and one has to pull you up on it. Your argument is fine when the topic at hand is simplistic, frivolous and trivial. But how would it apply when it's more complex and intricate? Could you truly discuss politics, medicine, physics or even the future of information technology whilst using Ebonics and the spoken language (which is what Serenity, I assume, is complaining about)? Language does indeed evolve, however, not to the extent that your words imply. In English, Arabic, Spanish and many other languages, there has always been a difference between the written and spoken language. Your average resident of London (or New York) does not write in the same way he speaks. There are no Arabs that speak the language exactly as it's written. Neither the French nor the Spanish speak and write in the same way or style. This difference has always existed and will do so for a long time to come. When we speak, our punctuation is usually composed of phrases such as 'yeah', 'you know', 'you see', 'you get me?' and the like. Yet, when we write we simply use a full stop, comma or exclamation mark. On a trivial subject it is easy to discard such punctuation but, when the ideas we try to convey are more complex and laborious, we are forced to use proper grammar and punctuation in order to be understood. In other words, when I'm speaking, I know you'll perfectly understand the point I'm making because I blinked at the right time, raised my eyebrow or even smiled. But when I'm writing, this body language does not exist and I am obliged to follow the usual rules in order to ensure that you comprehend my arguments! That language is evolving is not in dispute here but the use of that fact to excuse poor grammar is. Still, none of this applies to the pointless pastime that is Facebook. maybe i did paint with a broad brush, but i stand by the original argument. when i say there is no standard, i mean british english is different than canadian english, or australian english, but they are all considered, officially as English, and they also have different grammar rules. ebonics, unfortunately, isnt English but a mix of slang and even African languages (so they say). of course people dont write the way they speak, but forms of speech do influence writing, like it or not. im not arguing for an abolishment of rules, but arguing that they are changing. with any language, speech comes prior to writing, and though the written format of a language takes on a more prestigeous or official role, and pains are taken for the spirit of ones words to be conveyed on paper, if speech standards in the upper middle class are lowered, it will reflect in writing. furthermore, i never argued an abandonment of grammar rules, but simply arguing that there is a shift occuring (very small) as we speak, and these popular modes of communication, i think, are a factor. we see poor grammar in msn, emails or whatever private modes of communication, and likewise in academia, where people edit and edify themselves, there is a similar occurence not by discarding the set rules, but sometimes applying them in a secondary usage that isnt particularly common. spelling is the easisest example. how unlikely do you think it will be that "your" and "you're" will be replaced wiht "yr" and "y're"? i dont think its that unprobable(give it 2 centuries), and i also dont think the english language will be losing much with such a shift. its poor spelling now, bt tres avant-garde, imo. so on the topic of physics, science and technology, and what mode of language one uses there, i think you know that the enlish applied in those fields is worlds different than one applied in the fields of social sciences and or the arts. two PHD's in lets say physics and russian literature would probably have a difficult time understanding one another's thesis' despite having used similar rules. you're right, the mode of language one employs depends on the audience, but i think that in a couple of centuries we'll see shift not only in spelling but in format as well, and today's popular modes of communication, i think, is a factor. i edited, but only to add another point.

congratulations?

one of two first somali women admitted to carelton university (i think it minneapolis), which is a very prestigeous school. shes one the first somalis graduating from the school, and she came to the country at 16yrs, was determined to be educated and excelled very well. she is planning to go to grad school, and work for the UN. Masha Allah.

the english language is changing, as it always is and always has been, but since there is no official standard, and people are open to more medium outlets (tv, billboards, internet), and the increasing mediums of communication involving writing (msg boards, instant msg, txt msg) tend to demand compounding and abandonment of grammar rules. also, because there is no official standard, and classical literature seems to be abandonned by students, and the cultural society we live in today, the accepted standard of english is now what we hear from the pop stars, athletes, and famous actors who are generally from a lower class (and education);their english generally reflects it. writing styles are also changing, and standards from educators are lowering everyday. of course theyre only decreasing if you look at it from the pov that it was superior in the past and that may not be the case. language evolves with how people us it. kids dont read anymore, and what they do read is often from the internet and like it or not, this is a factor in the fate of the english (and all other) language(S). p.s. no edit.

but would the reaction be as passionate? there have been a number of high profile attempted murders in the U.S., involving women who tried to kill a cheating partner. the general concensus was that she was "crazy", and a more popular term was the word for a female dog.

hi trollers.