For those of us who live here in utango barafleey or as they may call the twin cities in Minnesota should demand an apology from the MN media as well as the Minneapolis Police Department because as a community our name has been humiliated without an apparent cause, after one cadaan guy has been killed in a robbery and has been said that the killers were SOMALIS without being so sure of the fact. So my concern is shouldn't we demand an apology?!

I go to Univeristy of Hawdland Majoring in how to herd livestock anyone in this major?

"@ weight shifts to the bottom. You're scaring a lotta chicas here, I bet!" It is true huuno and we can't hide the reality whether the chicas get scared or not..... and hey I am one of them... hehehhehe

"If they build it just exactly as they designed it, it would be very nice fecility to shop . I won't be critical but is there any doubt that the end of the world is near? because from Hargeysa to Galkacayo people are building shopping centers, hotels, villas etc. while many people can't find drop of water to drink for the sake of their lives. May Allah save us" That is so true red sea,there is no doubt about that..The end is near......Alloow noo naxariiso here is an evidence for that....by one of the Islamic scholars.... Construction and Technology: A sign of the advanced technology of the age in which we live and which The Prophet (saas) has mentioned is the construction of tall buildings. The time in which we live, with its tall buildings, and competition in the advancement of building technology, was described in the hadiths 14 centuries ago. There will be no Judgment-until very tall buildings are constructed.(Reported by Abu Hurairah The Hour will not be established-till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings.(Bukhari) If we look at the history of architecture and engineering, we see that multi-storied buildings began to be constructed only towards the end of the nineteenth century. Technological developments, the growing use of steel and the use of elevators accelerated the construction of structures called skyscrapers. Skyscrapers have become an important part of the architecture of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries, and have today become a symbol of prestige. What the hadith says has come true: people do compete in the construction of tall buildings, and nations compete with one another in building the tallest skyscrapers.

1) Ziploc Bags are Male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them. 2) Copiers are Female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again. It's an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can wreak havoc if the wrong buttons are pushed. 3) A Tire is Male, because it goes bald and it's often over-inflated. 4) A Hot Air Balloon is Male, because, to get it to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under it, and of course, there's the hot air part. 5) Sponges are Female, because they're soft, squeezable and retain water. 6) A Web Page is Female because it's always getting hit on. 7) A Subway is Male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up. 8) An Hour glass is Female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom. 9) A Hammer is Male, because it hasn't changed much over the last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around. 10) A Remote Control is Female. Ha! You thought it'd be male, didn't you? But consider this,-it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he keeps trying!

Human trafficking plagues even Minnesota RUBÉN ROSARIOInternational human trafficking in the Twin Cities and Minnesota? No way. Well, yes way, according to a federally funded "victim tracking'' report released this week by a St. Paul-based legal and crime prevention advocacy group. In the past year, Civil Society has identified 24 immigrants brought to Minnesota for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, indentured servitude or "mail order'' sham marriages, which often turn abusive or violent. The group found the victims through outreach efforts and referrals from a host of health, legal and law enforcement entities. The immigrants are from Mexico, Canada, China, Laos, Cambodia and Korea as well as Somalia, Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan and Malawi. Twenty-one of the victims are women, who have a total of 15 children. The others are three men coerced into forced labor and salary kickbacks as the price for being smuggled or brought to the United States. The ages of the victims range from 14 to 40. The report may be a wake-up call for an area of the country not usually associated with such exploitation. It is also the impetus for a first-ever meeting scheduled today by Minnesota Human Trafficking Watch. A coalition of individuals and agencies across the state, the group is seeking to raise awareness about the problem. "We need to understand that this is indeed happening here and that the victims — because of fear of deportation, mistrust of police and harm that could come to family members — do not come forward to report,'' said Linda Miller, Civil Society's executive director. Civil Society, which provides legal services and serves as a victim liaison to law enforcement and social service organizations, recently received a $65,000 U.S. Justice Department grant for education and outreach. An estimated 20,000 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States annually by individual smugglers or organized crime outfits. Most of those brought here through legal or illegal means are forced to work in the sex industry, sweatshops or other jobs and assessed almost insurmountable kickbacks. Minnesota was cited in government studies as a human trafficking entry point because it is a border state. The Twin Cities also are among 13 U.S. metropolitan areas identified as a high-intensity trafficking area by the Innocence Lost National Initiative, a federal effort to beef up law enforcement investigations into child prostitution. A key member of the Minnesota anti-trafficking coalition is the St. Paul Police Department and its Gerald Vick Human Trafficking Task Force, which is named after the slain veteran vice cop. Vick was in the middle of investigating a prostitution ring involving women brought here from Mexico and the Dominican Republic and had set up a meeting with Miller on May 6, the day he was fatally shot outside an East Side bar while working undercover. "I don't think people here really think this goes on here,'' said police Sgt. John Bandemer, a task force supervisor. "They think New York or San Francisco or Miami, but not St. Paul, Minnesota." Bandemer is overseeing the implementation of a $450,000 federal grant police received almost two years ago in an effort to combat international human trafficking. The effort includes statewide law enforcement training, information sharing, multi-agency cooperation on criminal cases, and working with Civil Society and other social service groups in building trust with reluctant victims. Investigators recently uncovered a reverse mail order bride service, in which women from China and other parts of Southeast Asia were paying a U.S.-based middleman to hook them up with American husbands-to-be in order to come here. Miller hopes the public awareness also includes recognition that in many cases, the people trafficked are indeed victims. She points out the lessons learned seven years ago when the FBI busted a Malaysian-based prostitution ring. The nonresident women, and those with children, were locked up, treated as criminals and later deported, often back into the arms of the ring's traffickers. "We may not have the caseload yet as other places do, but even if we identify, let's say, 10 victims a year, it is 10 lives that to me are worthy of being saved and liberated,'' Bandemer said. Rubén Rosario can be reached at rrosario@pioneerpress.com or 651 228-5454. fyi Minnesota Human Trafficking Watch will conduct its first meeting from

From: Agence France-Presse By Matthew Lee and Bogonko Bosire in Nairobi February 17, 2006 AT least seven people have died of dehydration in Somalia over the past month as severe water shortages from a killer regional drought force many to drink their own urine, an aid agency said. In neighbouring Kenya, the drought-related death toll of at least 40 rose as police said four women, including two sisters, on a desperate hunt for water were killed in the collapse of a nearly dry well in the parched northwest. Oxfam International said communities in southern and central Somalia were living in searing 40C heat with only three glasses a day per person for drinking, washing and cooking. "The situation is as bad as I can remember," said Abdullahi Maalim Hussein, a Somali elder who accompanied a recent Oxfam assessment mission to the worst-hit areas. "Some people are dying and children are drinking their own urine because there is simply no water available for them to drink," he said in a statement released in Nairobi by the British-based group. Advertisement: The tiny amount of water available, for which many families have to walk up to 70km to get, is one-twentieth of the daily supply recommended by minimum humanitarian standards, Oxfam said.

Did You Ever Wonder? Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notched edges, while pennies and nickels do not? The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain were not valuable enough to shave. * Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right ... while women's clothes have buttons on the left? When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. And that's where women's buttons have remained since. * Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses? In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous to each other. * Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"? In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility, he would "pass the buck" to the next player. * Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast? It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink from their glasses simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would then touch - or clink - the host's glass with his own. * Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"? Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theater, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of attention. * Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help? This comes from the French word m'aidez -- meaning "help me" -- and is pronounced "mayday." * Why is someone who is feeling great ... "on cloud nine"? Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares. * Why are Zero scores in tennis called "love"? In France, where tennis first became popular, a big round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called l'oeuf, which is French for "egg." When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans pronounced it "love," * Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs? Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense, orange clay called pygg. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks." When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig and it caught on. Contributed by Patti

Denmark: Qubuuro ay Muslimiin ku aasan yihiin oo La Jejebiyey Isniin Feb 13, 2006 25 Qabri oo ay ku aasan yihiin Muslimiin oo la jejebiyey Afhayeen u hadlayey Booliska (Denmark) oo magaciisa la yiraahdo Anders Hansen ayaa sheegay in la jejebiyey dhagxaanta qubuuraha Muslimiinta ee ku yaal magaalada Esbjerg. Esbjerg waa magaalada shanaad ee ugu weyn dalka Denmark waxayna qiyaasti 250 km galbeed ka xigtaa caasimada Copenhagen. "Ma ogin cidda arrintaas ka dambeysey" ayuu yiri afhayeenka booliska, oo intas ku daray weerarka qubuuraha loo geystey in uu dhacay gelinkii dambe ee Sabtidii ama ama gelinkii hore ee Axadii (Feb 12). Aagga qubuuraha waxaa ku yaal qubuuro Kirishtaan iyo kuwo Muslimiin ah, waxaana la jejebiyey qubuuraha Muslimiinta oo keliya, ayuu yiri Afhayeenka Boolisku. Arrintani waxa ay dhacday xilli xasaasi ah oo carada Muslimiinta daafaha dunida ay ku wajahan tahay sawir gacmeedyadii uu daabacay wargeys ka soo baxa Denmark. Qoraa aad looga yaqaan dalka France oo magaciisa la yiraahdo Eric Geoffroy ayaa yiri: waa laba wajiilayn habka ay reer galbeedku u maareeyeen sawir gacmeedyada lagu aflagaadaynayey Nebi Muxamed NNKH. Waxana uu intaas ku daray isagoo la hadlayey IslamOnline in ay reer Galbeedku ilowsan yihiin oraahda falsafeedka caanka ah ee ah xorriyada qof waxa ay dhammaataa marka ay bilaabato xorriya qof kale. AKHRI Ra'iisul wasaaraha Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, ayaa arrintaas si kulul u cambaareeyey, waxana uu yiri "waxaan si xoog leh u cambaaraynayaa ficilkaas foosha xun, waxaana ka xumahay in la xumeeyo qubuuraha Muslimiinta." Dhanka Faransiiska wararka ka imanaya waxa ay tibaaxeen in magaca Nebi Muxamed NNKH uu noqday kan loogu hadal haynta badan yahay. Waxaana wargeysyada dalkaasi ay bogagooda hore maalmahan ku qorayeen cinwaano ay kamid yihiin "Xaqiiqada Islaamka France," "Kor u kaca islaamka", "Islaamnimo... Maxay diintani sidaas degdega ah ugu faaftay?". Waxaa kale oo dalka France aad kor ugu kacay raadinta Tarjumada Quraanka Kariimka iyo buugaagta ka hadlaya Islaamka, kuwaas oo dadka Faransiisku ay danaynayaan in ay wax ka ogaadaan. Dhanka Ciraaq waxaa maanta Telefeshinada Caalmka hareeyey Video lagu sheegay in laga duubay Askar British ah oo garaacaya dhallinyaro reer Ciraaq ah (magaalada Basra). Halkan ka daawa Vedio-ga... CBC ISHA: CBC, IOL, Aljazeera »Bannaanbaxyadii Mombasa iyo Nairobi... »Mudaaharaadyo kadhacey Capetown & Pretoria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Sept 2005: Joornaal ka soo baxa Denmark (Jyllands-Posten) ayaa daabacay sawir gacmeedyo aflagaado ku ah Nebi Muxamed. 20 Oct 2005: Ambaasadoorada 11 dal ee Muslim ah u fadhiya Denmark ayaa waxay warqad u direen ra'iisul wasaaraha Denmark ay ku weydiisanayaan in ay la shiraan, ayagoo ugu baaqay in uu wax qabato wargeyska daabacay sawir gacmeedyada, waxana uu ra'iisul wasaaruhu diidey kulankaas. Oct 14, 2005: Lix iyo toban hay'adood oo Muslimiin ah Reer Denmark ay ayaa cambaareeyey wargeyska Jyllands-Posten, waxana sheegeen in Muslimiinta la daan-daansanayo. 20 Oct 2005: Muslim Safiirada Muslimka ayaa waxay cabasho u gudbiyeen ra'iisul wasaaraha Denmark. 10 Jan 2006: Wargeys reer Norway ah oo lagu magacaabo Magazinet, ( Christian newspaper ee Norway)ayaa daabacay sawir gacmeedyadii wargeyska Denmark ee aflagaadada ku ahaa Rasuulka NNKH. 25 Jan 2006: Muftiga dalka Sacuudiga Sh. Cabcicasiis Aala-Sheekh uu soo saaray fatwo uu ugu yeerayo shirkadaha sacuudiga, iyo guud ahaan ganacsatada muslimiinta inay jaraan xiriirkooda dhaqaale ee ay la leeyihiin shirkadaha laga leeyahay Denmark, 26 Jan 2006: Saudi Arabia ayaa u yeertay safiirkoodii u fadhiyey Denmark. Waxaana sucuudiga ka bilowday joojinta alaabta laga keeno Denmark. 30 Jan 2006: Waxaa weerar lagu qaaday xafiiska Midowga Yurub ee Gaza ayadoo la weydiisanayo raali gelin in ay bixiyaan 31 Jan 2006: Joornaalkii Denmark ayaa bixiyey wax u eg raali gelin 1 Feb 2006: Wargeysyo reer Yurub ah ayaa mar kale daabacay sawir gacmeedyadii iyagoo ku taageeraya Denmark iyo waxa ay ugu yeeraan Xorriyatul Qowlka, wargeysda daabacay waxaa kamid ah France, Germany, Italy iyo Spain . 3 Feb 2006: Dad mudaharaadaya ayaa isugu soo baxay meelo badan oo k amid ah dunida, sida London UK, Ciraaq, Pakistan, iyo Indonesia 4 Feb 2006: Waxaa dad caraysani weerareen,dabna qabadsiiyeen safaaradaha Denmark iyo Norway ee dalka Suuriya. 5 Feb 2006: Waxaana mudaharadyo lagu qabtay 25 dal. Dad mudaraadayey ayaa gubey safaarada Denmark ee magaalada Beyruut, Lubnaan. Waxaa is casiley wasiirkii arrimah agudaha ee Lubnaan. 6 Feb 2006: Ciidamada Booliska Afganistan ayaa rasaas ku furan dad mudaharadaadayey halkaas waxaa ku dhintay afar qof. Magaalada Boosaasona waxaa ku dhintay wiil 14-jir ah. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nope it is not funny at all, it'z amazing how some ppl post things thinking that they could be FUNNY :rolleyes: and make people laugh! God stop acting childish and start acting like an intellectual! by the way since when did u happen to know YMCA prior to coming to the US. The fellow may not have known the existance, so saa u baratey lee u baranaa someday so in that note we "Somalis" all came from a place where there was no YMCA and it'z advanced techs ok. The idea is new to us. so next time you try posting something funny think hard as it may not be funny!

This is such a sad news, coz it seems that our so called leaders are busy with their own interests while our beloved country is turned into a dump of toxic waste, so the question is can we do something about it, as Somalis, without any qabiil affiliation, interest, but for the sake of our people, land and most of all our pride, by the way what happened to the Somali pride, as I was growing up I used to hear that Somalis have their pride intact no matter what, so my question is what happen to the SOMALI PRIDE! walahi this is really a sad news, i mean it is not something that is new to me, but I am amazed how anyone is not concerned about it,,, or even if they do they are not doing anything about it..including myself.. So I urge all of us........to wake up and remember our motherland.....the lost beloved forgetten, war ravaged,Somalia! Somalia's secret dumps of toxic waste washed ashore by tsunami From Jonathan Clayton in Johannesburg THE huge waves which battered northern Somalia after the tsunami in December are believed to have stirred up tonnes of nuclear and toxic waste illegally dumped in the war-racked country during the early 1990s. Apart from killing about 300 people and destroying thousands of homes, the waves broke up rusting barrels and other containers and hazardous waste dumped along the long, remote shoreline, a spokesman for the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) said. “Initial reports indicate that the tsunami waves broke open containers full of toxic waste and scattered the contents. We are talking about everything from medical waste to chemical waste products,†Nick Nuttal, the Unep spokesman, told The Times. “We know this material is on the land and is now being blown around and possibly carried to villages. What we do not know is the full extent of the problem.†Mr Nuttall said that a UN assessment mission that recently returned from the lawless African country, which has had no government since 1991, reported that several Somalis in the northern areas were ill with diseases consistent with radiation sickness. “We need more information. We need to find out what has been going on there, but there is real cause for concern,†he added. “We now need to urgently send in a multi-agency expert mission, led by Unep, for a full investigation.†An initial UN report says that many people in the areas around the northeastern towns of Hobbio and Benadir, on the Indian Ocean coast, are suffering from far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages and unusual skin infections. “The current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region,†the report says. Toxic waste was first dumped in Somalia in the late 1980s, but accelerated sharply during the civil war which followed the 1991 overthrow of the late dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Local warlords, many of them former ministers in Siad Barre’s last government, received large payments from Swiss and Italian firms for access to their respective fiefdoms. Most of the waste was simply dumped on remote beaches in containers and leaking disposable barrels. Somali sources close to the trade say that the dumped materials included radioactive uranium, lead, cadmium, mercury and industrial, hospital, chemical and various other toxic wastes. In 1992, Unep said that European firms were involved in the trade, but because of the high level of insecurity in the country there were never any accurate assessments of the extent of the problem. In 1997 and 1998, the Italian newspaper Famiglia Cristiana, which jointly investigated the allegations with the Italian branch of Greenpeace, published a series of articles detailing the extent of illegal dumping by a Swiss firm, Achair Partners, and an Italian waste broker, Progresso. The European Green Party followed up the revelations by presenting to the press and the European Parliament in Strasbourg copies of contracts signed by the two companies and representatives of the then “President†— Ali Mahdi Mohamed — to accept 10 million tonnes of toxic waste in exchange for $80 million (then about £60 million). Abdullahi Elmi Mohamed, a Somali academic studying in Sweden, told The Times that this worked out at “approximately $8 per tonne, while in Europe the cost for disposal and treatment of toxic waste material could go up to $1,000 per tonneâ€. Mr Ali Mahdi, who then controlled north Mogadishu and who worked closely with the UN during its disastrous 1992-95 humanitarian mission to the country, has always refused to discuss the issue even though an Italian parliamentary report subsequently confirmed many of the allegations.

Bal Soomaalaay hoogan ila arka, since when did our children and the dogs eat the same food. Hoheey Afrikooy hurudooy;;;;;;;;; walahi this is really sad news! May Allah have mercy on our continent and our people! Dog food destined for starving children Mighty Mix Dog Food Products 30 January 2006 By JO MCKENZIE-MCLEAN A Canterbury woman's plan to send powdered dog food to starving Kenyan children has not been given the thumbs up by Oxfam New Zealand. A shipment of 6000 emergency packs of dog food mixture is bound for Rusinga Island on Kenya's Lake Victoria as part of a relief effort for the area's starving children. Christine Drummond, founder of Mighty Mix dog food, said she was working with a Kenyan aid agency to provide the raw ingredients for a special nutritional food. A shipment is due to leave Lyttelton in March. But the scheme has failed to get the thumbs up from at least one international aid agency. Drummond said the relief food, called NZ's Raw Dry Nourish, used the same ingredients as Mighty Mix dog food biscuits. "The first plan was to send dog biscuits and change the vitamins then when I heard there were so many little children I could not send them a bicky," she said. Instead she developed a powder that she says just needs water added to form a sustainable meal. The formula was packed with freeze-dried meats – beef, mutton, pork and chicken, deer velvet, green lip mussel, kelp, garlic, egg, whole grain cereals and cold-pressed flax seed flour, she said. "I made it out of ingredients they are used to eating, so the main bulk product is corn." Drummond said she was exporting the raw ingredients to Kenya where it would be mixed by charity staff according to her recipe. Drummond was devised the mixture after talking to North Canterbury woman Lois McGirr whose daughter had recently returned from a poverty-stricken village in Kenya. The pair had teamed up to get the food to Kenya. McGirr said she was distributing the food through the Mercy Mission charity, based in Kenya, and was promoting the food as a "nutritional supplement" rather than dog food. "I do not think it's deceitful. I would be happy to tell them the full story but as long as the doctors she (Drummond) has been working with have been okaying it, I don't think it's an issue. It's not just a dog food." The Press tried to contact the Mercy Mission through a number on its website, but calls were met by a recorded message. Mighty Mix dog food agent Gaynor Siviter said that if the dog food mixture helped the Kenyan children as it helped dogs, it would be "marvellous". "The dogs thrive on it. They have energy, put on weight. It's bizarre but if it's edible and it works for these people then it's a brilliant idea. It beats eating rice." Oxfam New Zealand executive director Barry Coates said he had not heard of the scheme but it was unlikely to achieve the desired outcome. "I think it is much better to get food supplies from within Kenya rather than sending it around the world. "Sending food shipments from New Zealand to Kenya does not seem to be the best use of time and effort and the fact it's coming from a dog food manufacturer could make people suspicious." Drought, crop failures and massive food shortages in parts of the east African country have left millions of people without access to adequate food supplies. Oxfam International estimates the number of people at risk is between 2.5 million and 3.5 million. Source: stuff.co.nz, Jan. 30, 2006

Walaalayaal, I hope that you have all seen on TV what is going on in Northeastern Kenya No wonder it has been said that "life is not fair", some of us here in qurboland throw food everyday while others starve to death! It is really a sad news Muslims are supposed to help each other in times of drought and famine. East African children survive on a meal a day Rodrique Ngowi | Nairobi, Kenya 13 January 2006 01:20 Women and children in arid north-eastern Kenya are begging along roadsides for water and food from motorists, the United Nations's World Food Programme said on Friday as it appealed to donors to help about five million people affected by drought across East Africa. Governments and international agencies have tried to draw attention to the worsening impact of drought in the region. Preliminary assessments show those affected include an estimated 2,5-million in Kenya, 1,4-million in Somalia, 1,5-million in Ethiopia and 60 000 in Djibouti, according to the UN food aid agency. The health of children getting just one meal a day is deteriorating. The livestock on which many families depend for food are dying in large numbers from exhaustion and lack of water and food. "While final figures on the number of people in need of urgent assistance are still being established, donors must respond now if we are going to avert a humanitarian catastrophe," Holdbrook Arthur, WFP regional director for East and Central Africa, said in a statement. "Pastoralists living in these arid, remote lands have very few survival strategies left and desperately require our assistance to make it through until the next rains," Arthur said on Friday in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. On Thursday, the head of the UN environment agency linked the impact of the drought to environmental damage to forests, grasslands, wetlands and other critical ecosystems as well as global climate change. "Drought is no stranger to the peoples of East Africa. It is a natural climatic phenomenon. What has dramatically changed in recent decades is the ability of nature to supply essential services like water and moisture during hard times," Klaus Toepfer said, according to a statement from the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme. "This is because so much of nature's water and rain-supplying services have been damaged, destroyed or cleared." There are indications that the number of people in need in Kenya could rise as the year progresses, the WFP's Arthur said. "This is of grave concern, especially as WFP's current emergency operation is inadequately funded, and without additional contributions, we could be forced to halt our much-needed food assistance in February," Arthur said. Somalia is headed for the worst cereal harvest in a decade and cattle herders in the south are forced to concentrate along rivers and in the few remaining green pastures. The WFP plans to feed one million people in Somalia until June this year, while the aid agency Care will assist another 400 000. However, UN food stocks are already low and it needs an additional 53 000 tonnes at a cost of about $46-million to provide much-needed food to the most vulnerable, according to the statement. Piracy has complicated the WFP's efforts to help. In 2005, two ships carrying relief food were hijacked of the coast of Somalia, which has had no effective central government since 1991, when warlords ousted a dictatorship and then turned on each other. In Djibouti, the food aid agency currently assists more than 47 000 cattle herders. With the worsening drought in this smallest of the Horn of Africa countries, it is feared that this number will increase in the coming months to more than 60 000 people. In Ethiopia, initial findings of an assessment of the main rain season show that about 1,5-million cattle herders in the southern Somali region and perhaps an estimated 250 000 in the Borena zone of the Oromiya region will require food assistance from January to June this year. -- Sapa-AP

scw to all the brothers and sisters of sol, isn't it bizzare how your young people are getting killed everywhere in the diaspora now a days. Ilaahoow noo naxariiso! Aaamiin Customer Killed During Restaurant Robbery POSTED: 5:48 am EST January 10, 2006 UPDATED: 5:46 pm EST January 10, 2006 DEKALB COUNTY -- DeKalb County police are investigating the death of a customer who was shot as he startled two men holding up a restaurant where he went to get take-out food. Police say the man, identified as 28-year old Abdihakim Adam, was a regular at Madina, an Ethiopian-Somalian restaurant on Memorial Drive. They say Adam had gone into the kitchen to pick up his nightly order just after 10:00 p.m. yesterday and came out to find two armed men demanding that the cashier open the register. Adam, a baker, was shot in the head. Police say the register had only $60 inside, and the robbers left without taking the money. Police are still searching for the gunmen. Copyright 2006 by WSBTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

It is indeed, Thanks for sharing! it is just unbeleivable! wow, amazing little creature

Thanks walaalo and jizakallah Khayr, You are ducaqabe indeed!

Salaama Calaykum to all the brothers and sisters of sol, I was wondering if anyone knows where eid prayer will take place tomorrow here in the twincities--- that is in Minnesota. Your help will be highly appreciated by me and by other sol members here in MN CIID MUBAARAK IN ADVANCE!

Allah yaa arxamu to all the deceased xujeeyis, They were at the right and the best place to die. Inaa Lilaahi Wainaa Ilaahi Raajicuun! Report: 23 Killed in Mecca Hotel Collapse By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer 33 minutes ago MECCA, Saudi Arabia - A hotel outside the Grand Mosque in Islam's holiest city collapsed Thursday as millions of Muslims converged for the annual hajj pilgrimage, and Al-Jazeera TV said at least 23 people were killed and 60 injured. Rescue teams pulled bodies from beneath the rubble of the five-story Al Ghaza Hotel. Most of the victims were Arabs from Egypt, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, security officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media. The hotel, named for the district in which it is located, is about 60 yards from the Grand Mosque at the Bab al-Salam, or Gate of Peace. It is surrounded by local markets that stay open 24 hours during the pilgrimage, a major source of income in the holy city. The courtyard of the Grand Mosque encloses the Kaaba, a large stone structure that Muslims face during their five daily prayers. The Prophet Mohammed was born in Mecca, where the Grand Mosque is central to the Muslim faith and the hajj. Daily prayers also are conducted in the mosque's marble-paved yard, which can hold thousands of people. Islam's five pillars require followers to profess there is one God and Mohammed is His prophet, pray five times daily, give alms, fast daily during the holy month of Ramadan and — if financially able — travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. The number of pilgrims to Mecca has increased elevenfold over the past 15 years. During that time, the Saudi government spent billions of dollars to improve accommodations, transportation and medical facilities for the "guests of Allah." But the massive gathering frequently has been struck by tragedy. The worst hajj-related tragedy occurred in 1990 when 1,426 pilgrims were killed during a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca. In 2004, on the final day of the ceremonies, 251 people were trampled to death when the crowd panicked during the ritual stoning of the devil. Three years earlier, 35 hajj pilgrims were killed in a stampede during the same ceremony. In 1998, about 180 pilgrims were trampled to death when panic erupted after several fell off an overpass during the ritual. In 1994, some 270 pilgrims killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual. During an anti-U.S. demonstration staged by Iranians in 1987, some 402 people, mostly pilgrims from Iran, were killed and 649 were wounded in the crash of a Pakistani jetliner carrying hajj pilgrims from Jiddah to Riyadh, the Saudi capital

wow, congrats to the sistas and brothas though it seems unreal after 14years of chaos and we have people graduating from colleges Did we beat the odds this time or what? Hurray!

Well Allamagan, I am not really so sure as to how the other sister had perceived her message, She was just answering her question, but u know how some people twisting things around. To Xoogsade, just walaalo there is no doubt that the sista is jelaus... no doubt but I am still amazed @ how she took it it was so bizzare!

I got no point to prove Jimca or Jimce whatever your name happens to be and for your info I aint a mandhoow I am a maandheey Well I guess I have to enlighten you on the reason why I posted this because I just want to know more about this... meaning why would a kid be killed in a such merciless way and my article is only intended for those who had the opportunity to go to dugsi in back home those who know more about this but not diaspora growing kid

Salaam to all the brothas and sistas of sol... I have a question to every and each one of you... so now you are wondering what my question is right? Well, it'z is self-praising allowed in our culture- I mean talking about your achievements, your goals in life, and what kind of life you maintain currently- A while ago, there were two Somali sistas talking and here is how their convo went Farhio: hi sis, how u doing, I haven't seen you for a while what you up to now a days Fartun: Alxamdulilah sis, I am doing fine how about you, I haven't seen you for a while too. Farhio: well I was busy Fartun: with what Farhio: with my new job Fartun: job Farhio: yes Fartun: how about school Farhio: well I graduated this past summer and now I am working full time Fartun: full time? doing what Farhio: As a case manager for ....... county Fartun: I guess you are making a lot of money now Farhio: well...kind it'z about $42,000 annually... it'z not a lot Fartun: what else u upto? Farhio: well I want to go back to school to get my masters insha Allah some where next year So abaayo I gotta go now it was nice seeing ya again-- I'll call ya insha Allah some time... take care abaayo As Farhio leaves-- Fartun starts gossiping the poor hard working sista and saying what a self-praising *****.... So Soomaaliyeey how do u see this scenerio does it sound familiar to you how would u react to this if you are in a similar situation would you listen to the nac-nac and the provoundly jealousy of sis Fartun muxuuse dhaqanku ka yiri this

huh?! Is that some kind of a threat u imposing on me?!

McPharax--- It has been said that when one wants for others to do good heshe starts with himherself.. so why don't you start with yourself and be a role model to all of us who fail to do excellent on all the areas that you have mentioned... perfectionist waaxid! jk

U are right Jimce--- even in Kenya in Utange refugee camp, the dugsi qur'an teachers were more diplomat, eventhough the fear of them was still there but it was not the same as the one I got from macalin garweyne- My sister told me that she had night mares about how he would beat the crap out of her if she misses one verse,.... that is something.... I guess the reason u wouldn't get any physical punishment from the teachers here in the States is that it'z illegal to harm a child... even to spank So what does others think Does anyone recall any storiesexperiences with your macalinka qur'aanka and his inflicting ways of beating ya up