Originally posted by STOIC: Why do i have to care about there religious or their coporate affilation when all they doing is helping a poor people. That may appear so to the untrained eyes. However, as they say "Nothings is free", so they have at least some agenda beyond all they doing helping a poor people.

Originally posted by NGONGE: Southern again? juba is still struggling with Sudan's geography. Fact of matter is, many Somalis know something about the decades-old conflict in South Sudan, but heard about Darfur only recently and mix it with the conflict in the South. That's what being a follower (instead of being assertive) leads to.

Originally posted by OG_Girl: Are Somalis Perfect? It's not necessary to question Somalis' "perfectness" in order to rebut the pro-US views in this topic. You might rebut with Somali Bantus' genocide and what "Somali Arab militias" have done to them; still, it won't be necessary. This hoopla about Sudan, Darfur, genocide, Arabs, Janjaweed and etc is on its way to fade*. It has served its political objectives, which were Bush's reelection, refracting some attention from the Iraq quagmire, Powell's legacy in history and other secondary objectives. The coming weeks, Iraq's elections will dominate the news, and Darfur will be forgotten. *There're now +7,000 results in Google News about Darfur (Iraq has +140,000 results); check the coming weeks/months how much it will decline.

Originally posted by juba: who are the Somali Bajunis? They are a minority group who live in Southern Somalia (especially in Kismayo and the islands further south). Along with af-Soomaali, they speak a dialect of Kiswahili. There are also Bajunis who live in Kenya and other East African countries.

Originally posted by NGONGE: We need to know the roots and causes of such hatred. The roots and causes of such hatred have a historical background. I have a feeling it's buried deep down in the subconscious, maybe even lost. Most of those who express such hatred cannot come up with a reasonable explanation. Originally posted by OG_Girl: I am really intrested to know why Somalis , well let me not generize here, have so much hate toward Arabs!!? It's my observation only certain groups of Somalis have personal issues with Arabs. For example, the Somali Bantus, the people who live around Baydhabo region and the Somali Bajunis have no personal issues with Arabs. There are some individuals from those certain groups of Somalis who got no personal issues with Arabs.

Originally posted by wind.talker: I trust what's between my legs This discussion has nothing to do with pornography.

Originally posted by juba: don't be so trusting of ur arab "brothers" At the very least, they're Muslims. I wouldn't trust a non-Muslim source, no matter what.

Originally posted by juba: (before u do i warn u that these r "western views" and might be misleading I was hoping for unbiased links, like Aljazeera.net.

Originally posted by juba: i was stating that some sudanese in the north(like the janjaweed) believe that they are arab or of arab decent and do not associate themselves with africa or as being african. They believe that they are superior to the ethnic sudanesse in the South of Sudan like the Dinka which is one of the bigger tribes. Well, I haven't heard or read what you have stated (care provide a link or two about it?) about what some Sudanese believe about ethnic superiority and their association with Arabs. That's not to say there aren't such Sudanese, but such people are found among every ethnicity or race (although they're minority). I have some Sudanese friends from various regions (Darfur, Kurdufan, South and etc), and what they state about what's happening in Darfur differs a lot from what the West report.

Originally posted by juba: One happens to be believe they are arab!!! (north sudan) and the other are just trying to live (south sudan) it is brother against brother and that is perhaps the saddest part You got it wrong. Darfur is located in the West. Check this map: If you observe the map, Kurdufan (Khartoum, Omdurman and etc) is located east of Darfur, not North.

Originally posted by Viking: Wasn't Klitchko the dude that kept hitting Riddick Bowie under the belt in their heated bouts? No, that one is Andrew Golota. His career is plugged with hitting his opponents under the belt.

Originally posted by OG_Girl: all their information is from FOX, CNN..etc . Indeed. No wonder the poster and other simpletons believe such networks that tout "Fair and Balanced" and "The Most Trusted" coverages. Even the local Americans have lost trust in such networks, but what do you know? It might take a while for those who still trust it to distrust it.

I have beaten the system. I have had the bulk (all except 1) of my moving violations dismissed by personally contesting them. But, those tickets via cameras will be nearly impossible to contest. Besides, $190 is hefty. I will definitely heed your advice. Thanks for the tip.

Originally posted by rudy: First cousins are somewhat more likely than unrelated parents to have a child with a serious birth defect, mental retardation or genetic disease. First cousins are somewhat more likely than unrelated parents to have a child with a serious birth defect, mental retardation, genetic disease or serious problems like spina bifida, cystic fibrosis or blood disorders which i have no cures upto now!! There are medical/scientific proofs that state first cousins marriages are comparable to regular marriages. Originally posted by rudy: i havent seen any somalis married to their first cousins so far!! Well, you haven't seen, but I know a number of Somalis (of the pure stock) who are married to their first cousins.

Originally posted by Nationalist: I meant half a million dollars mate. Well, in that case, you can do something. You need to do some explorations, readings and searchings. You also need to take precautions from posssible fraud and business deception. With the current state of worldwide economy (slow, recession and etc), the potential to be duped into fraud and manipulation is greater. In these times, you wouldn't want commit a substantial capital into business and/or investment. With the figure you have mentioned, I would start with several/tens K's, and expand it when I see profits. You also wouldn't want commit to one kind/type of business/investment; diversity is the key. Prior to doing anything, you need to become a scout (or send scouts) to study the potential market.

I don't know if you meant $500.000 by $500.00. I suspect you meant the later. In that case, I am afraid there's little you can do with $500.00. But, if you find 5-10 partners who are willing to invest with you the same amount, then you might be able to do something. My idea is to buy a second-hand (or semi new) machinery that processes food or soft drink. The ideal place to buy from is Western Europe (especially Germany whose technology is dependable) or China. These machinery will produce food or soft drinks that's widely consumed (or familiar) in Somalia. It will not produce mass quantity, but sufficient amounts that supply several hundreds or few thousands. It will employ several (or tens in part-time) workers. One idea is a machinery that produces pasta (spaghetti, macaroni and etc), like this one: producing various kinds, like this: The idea is to produce locally and compete with imported products at a price of less than 50% (at the same time making very decent profit). There are a lot of ideas to explore. For example, I am exploring setting up a small shop that builds photovoltaic panels, install, maintain, and repair it when needed. The estimates for such a business doesn't exceed more than a few tens thousands. Maintaining and repairing those panels is minimal. And it doesn't require a degree or lots of training to start such a business.

Nothing is wrong with first cousins getting married to each other. By that, I mean from religious, ethical, and medical standpoints. The later standpoint contradicts many taboos and inaccurate informations we have about such marriages; besbaaso's extracts is one of many medical/scientific articles I have read that prove such marriages are comparable to regular ones. Having said that, I personally prefer to marry from distant circles.

This is indeed a thought-provoking article. I concur with the analyses made.

What you have read about Elijah Muhammad in X's autobiography is in the past, and has no relevancy in the present. What is important in the present is the small remnants of the Nation of Islam (headed by Farrakhan) are moving towards mainstream Islam. At the very least, those remnants have abandoned the bulk of Elijah Muhammad's teachings.

Originally posted by Sue: Walahi it's sad to see that Muslims are being sujected to this in the name of freedom. The good news is, this will pressure Muslims into adaptation. That's human nature. What is being subjected to Muslims has a limitation; it will not continue for a long time. Besides, injustice will come back to haunt its doer. In the end, this will make Muslims stronger. Originally posted by Sue: Is this how intends to deal with the rest of the Sunni heartland? Does it matter how the US deals with Muslims, especially those of the Sunni heartland? Why does it shocks someone how the US is able to do that? Americans are human beings, just like others, capable of doing anything. Americans aren't intelligent peaceful extraterrestrials; anyone who thought so got it wrong.

You make some valid points. I am not sure how "dont have tv or satelite" is practical, because it's part of this modern life, although I myself am in favor of no tv or satelite (also cinema). Those entertainments are practically a waste of time & money, plus it's a form of mental colonialism. Of course there are the exceptions; documentaries, educational works and etc.

Originally posted by juba: Iran, in my opinion, is no better off and maybe evern worse than iraq when it comes to humanitaries and saudi arabia in modernization. Well, that's your opinion; the facts say otherwise. If your idea of "modernization" is skyscrapers, expressways and etc, then you're wrong. At the very least, Iran produces automobiles and a wide range of weapons and arms; Saudi Arabia doesn't. I don't have to say anything about Iran's "humanitaries" and how it maybe worse than Iraq's; you didn't give any example, plus your Western sources have credibility issues. Originally posted by wiilo: ...the question is, will Isreal strike first and if it does, what will Isreal's motives and objectives be? And if that happens, how will the rest of Arab countries react? {I'm sure if they cann't react what is happening in Palestine they will not react an attack from Isreal to Iran} Isreal's "motives and objectives" are irrelevant; it needs to strike Iran for there to be "motives and objectives." I don't know what you mean by "Arab countries", you probably meant that by Arab governments- in that case, they won't be able to react. Why? Because they lack decision-making powers, which Iran enjoys. You talk about Arab governments as if they're assertive and independent; they're not. If they try to be so (by defying the West, among other things), the fate of Saddam Hussein or bin Laden awaits them.

Originally posted by QUANTUM LEAP: Do Somalis follow their culture than Islam? It would appear many follow culture. But, there are those in every family who follow religion. In the end, it depends on the individual, though the environment can have great influence in steering one towards either way.

In practice, Iran is already a nuclear power; it needs only one test to confirm and become a member of the club. I think it will take Iran a few years to make a test. The world's reaction to that doesn't factor. It will not affect much the geopolitical map of the Middle East; nuclear warheads mean little or nothing. Proof? Pakistan; it's about the same, just like its pre-nuclear status. Today, wars are won with conventional weapons/technology, like the Shahab missiles. Israel and/or the US cannot strike Iran; it will be counterproductive, plus Iran's reaction will be devastating to Israel and the US forces in the Gulf. Iran doesn't want to dominate the Mideast and control over Makkah and Madinah; that's bad and flawed analysis. Iran wants to empower Muslims, kick out the crusaders/invaders from Muslim lands and work towards cooperation between Muslims in many areas (economy, military and etc).

Originally posted by xaaji_18: what is INTELLECTUAL and who is considered one? There are two interpretations for "INTELLECTUAL" (Somali intellectual). The first is, a person educated in the West, with a Western ideology, who emulates Western people & lifestyle, and believes the West's superiority in technology denotes civilization, humaneness, progress and etc. The other interpretation (mine) is, a person educated in Islam, with an Islamic ideology, who's assertive and independent from emulating Western people & lifestyle, and believes Western technology has little to do with civilization, humaneness, progress and etc.