D.O.C;957465 wrote: I guess that is less than one sentence regarding to Mosquitos affairs.......mr burton talked about ***, ****** etc and then described them into details and subsections. Even specific tradition each clans posses hope you finished the whole saffy;) Of course. I'm just remarking on the type of gaze this man had towards Somalis and their beliefs and practices.

Alpha Blondy;957305 wrote: You were NOT missed Alphow.

D.O.C;957460 wrote: Dear friend, it is NOT myself to disrespect or look down on anybody here or there in somalia, but this information about khatumites is a fact. Why would I boost my ego on this particular narrative, I mean what buzz would this offer me? Mr Richard Burton has even illustrated this issue (dhaqan somali ) in book titled... " first footsteps in East African". This book is about different clans in Ethiopia, somalia, jibouti, Kenya, and other East African countries. Unless you thinking that Richard is taking sides;) He called Somalis s.tupid for believing malaria is carried by mosquitos in that book, I don't believe that racist voyeur is the best source

lol Haatu that cartoon reminded me of my childhood love for manga and anime. Like Sailor Moon dee

This thread is hilarious.

Haatu;957388 wrote: Safferz, that one was rubbish. I don't like rubbish rock songs. Waa ku sidee dee . We've already established that you have a horrible taste in music, so I am not at all offended by this comment

I'm back, b*tches.

They sound way too much like MGMT

Aw I love that She's not that old.

^^ I do look something like that SomaliPhilosopher;957204 wrote: Abaartii Dabadheer, I feel a powerful movie can be made off this. Wiki: "Between 1974 and 1975, a major drought referred to as the Abaartii Dabadheer ("The Lingering Drought") occurred in the northern regions of Somalia. The Soviet Union, which at the time maintained strategic relations with the Siad Barre government, airlifted some 90,000 people from the devastated regions of Hobyo and Caynaba. New small settlements referred to as Danwadaagaha ("Collective Settlements") were then created in the Jubbada Hoose (Lower Jubba) and Jubbada Dhexe (Middle Jubba) regions. The transplanted families were also introduced to farming and fishing techniques, a change from their traditional pastoralist lifestyle of livestock herding." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubaland#1974_resettlement I'm sitting at the table with my dad and asked him what he remembers about those years, and he said it's one of the few good things Siad Barre did lol. He said at the time Barre made a speech where he said, "ruux Soomaaliyeed gaajo u diman maayo." That same drought also helped topple Haile Selassie, whose state was unable to respond effectively while his people starved. I was struck by that bit of history during the famine we had in 2011, where some 260,000 Somalis died... there is a direct link between famine and political instability/weak governance, and we once had a state that could mobilize resources and deal with drought. The economist Amartya Sen went further to argue that famines don't happen in democracies.

Good luck SP So since my phone broke (fixed now but the camera somehow disabled itself so I'm taking it back to the shop), I've turned into one of those douchebags who uses an iPad to take photos, including selfies. I've laughed at people for this before. Have I become a hypocrite?

SomaliPhilosopher;957194 wrote: wait a minute is that saffy? how do you talk out a youth from joining the military? lool SP That's a tough situation, I'm not sure... talking to this young person and finding out their reasons for wanting to join is a good start, and from there perhaps presenting other options to them? Young people also had a distorted sense of their own mortality, make sure he/she understands the reality of military life and war.

Coofle;957158 wrote: Saffarz, Inaadeer that was some nice plane (not sarcastic) You should have seen planes back in the late 90s or early 00s. Coofle it's the same plane that was flying then, this one is larger than most so it looks better than some of the smaller planes I've seen in the Horn. An old man I sat next to on the flight told me that the plane used to carry raw meat and live animals next to the few passengers who were seated on the other side, and he said it wasn't unusual to wake up to a hanging slab of meat smacking you in the face lool

This is the plane I took last summer from Djibouti to Hargeisa, it's an Ilyushin IL-18 turboprop (1959-1978). I was only able to take photos in the area I was sitting, at the front row of the plane. I had no seatbelt, of course, and my carry on suitcase was sitting in front of me.

Love this thread :D Adding on: Arthur STILL has the best theme song ever:

Rob Ford crack video scandal: More staff quit mayor’s office By: David Rider Urban Affairs Bureau Chief, Published on Thu May 30 2013 Chaos gripping Mayor Rob Ford’s office is continuing with the resignation of two more staffers, bringing to five the number who have quit or were fired in a week. Brian Johnston, Ford’s advisor on council relations, was walked down a second-floor stairwell and out of city hall by security in the latest evidence of chaos gripping the office of the mayor of Canada’s biggest city. Ford’s executive assistant, Kia Nejatian, also quit early Thursday morning. That brings to five the number of staff who have walked out or been fired from Ford’s office in a week. His office now has only 12 employees; many councillors believed it was too lean even when it still had 17. Councillor Frank Di Giorgio, Ford’s budget chief, urged Ford to hire “a minimum” of six more employees, “if not more”: “Hopefully not just young people, but some experienced people.” But he said he suspects the cost-conscious Ford might not do so. “Knowing the mayor the way I do, I wouldn’t be surprised if, for two leaving, he brings back one. So how many have we had leaving, five? We might be lucky to get three, in total, to replace the five,” Di Giorgio said. “I’m hoping that he – not necessarily abandon that, but certainly become a little more flexible. Because he does have the budgetary space; I don’t want to see costs go up, but he does have some leeway there to have some more staff, and he would be well-advised to bring in some more staff.” The latest news prompted Premier Kathleen Wynne to say she’s “worried” and won’t rule out the unprecedented move of stepping in to bring stability to Canada’s biggest city. “The mayor needs to deal with his personal issues,” Wynne said, adding she “will take action if and when it's appropriate . . . There are actions that we can take and actions that we cannot.” At city hall, the mayor, his brother Councillor Doug Ford and security officers entered the glass-walled staff office on city hall’s second floor around 1 p.m. They stayed there for a long time, with various people entering and leaving an office, before Johnston emerged. He walked out the back door alone but a security guard joined him in the hallway and walked him to the stairwell. As Johnston was walking out through the underground parking lot, Johnston told reporters: “I chose to leave on my own terms . . . The timing was right for me,” and there are other things that he would like to move on to. Asked if Ford can recover from the scandal, Johnston said: “He’s recovered from a lot of things already.” Asked if Ford can survive this, Johnston said: “Anything is possible.” TTC Chair Karen Stintz said of Johnston: “Brian was a consummate professional, well-read and prepared. An asset to council.” The parade out the mayor’s door began with Mark Towhey, Ford’s chief of staff, longtime right-hand man and policy guru, who was fired and marched out by security last Thursday. Then on Monday Ford’s two spokespeople, George Christopoulos and Isaac Ransom, tendered their resignations and slipped out before they could be marched out by security. Towhey tweeted Thursday afternoon: “Kia @kianejatian and Brian @BJohnston42 are both exceptional young pros with great integrity. I was privileged to work with both of them.” Towhey sent similar messages of support to Christopoulos and Ransom when they followed him out the door. The two latest departures come on the day that the Star reported that sources said Ford told senior aides in a meeting not to worry about a video appearing to show him smoking crack cocaine because he knew where it was. Ford then blurted out the address of two 17th-floor units — 1701 and 1703 — at a Dixon Rd. apartment complex, to the shock of staffers at a city hall meeting almost two weeks ago, the sources said. The mayor cited “our contacts” as the source of his information, according to insiders familiar with the unusual May 17 session in his office. Staffers were alarmed by the implication of hearing so precise a location, sources said. Earlier Thursday at city hall, councillors accused Ford of “waffling”, being “evasive” and even calling for him to resign as he refuses to fully discuss crack video allegations. “He’s the chief magistrate — the ducking and weaving and waffling just won’t work around here,” said Councillor James Pasternak, a former Ford ally. “Clearly it’s a distraction, it’s damaging, it’s knocking us off our message. We need a full-time mayor who is focused on city building and building a better community . . . and these are just allegations. “They’re unproven but they have legs and that’s damaging . . . The longer it lasts the more destructive it becomes and it’s not healthy for the city.” Centrist Councillor Josh Matlow tweeted: “Toronto needs a new mayor.” Councillor John Parker, a conservative voice of calm on council, accused Ford of being “evasive” and grew emotional talking about how Toronto needs leadership. Parker praised heartfelt words he had heard from hockey hero Paul Henderson at a morning prayer service. Ford’s current staff has little expertise in policy. The 12 employees include three recent hires: JC Hasko, a 21-year-old Don Bosco Eagles assistant football coach and a personal trainer; Brendan Croskerry, a 27-year-old singer-songwriter with marketing experience; and Ford friend and former businessman David Price. Special assistant Tom Beyer has been the mayor’s receptionist and the manager of his Twitter account. Amin Massoudi, a communications assistant appointed Monday, is a young Queen’s University graduate who had been Councillor Doug Ford’s executive assistant. Chris Fickel, another young aide and now acting executive assistant to the chief of staff, has done constituency work and helped the mayor run his football teams. Carley McNeil is an event coordinator. Michael Prempeh, a special assistant, is also a recent university graduate. Earl Provost, a veteran, is acting chief of staff. Ford also has a senior policy advisor, Sheila Paxton, who had worked for Councillor Mark Grimes; a policy advisor and council relations official, Brooks Barnett; and an acting press secretary, Sunny Petrujkic, who has been his chief liaison to council. With files from Daniel Dale

Sounds like I took the same plane as this guy. I looked up the model of the plane later and found it was an old Soviet plane that has not been allowed to fly in most countries for decades, and the last planes of this model were manufactured in 1978. A crack opened up next to me upon landing. I took photos inside the plane, I'll post a little later when I'm on my laptop.

Police press conference going on now, they announced charges against a 23 year old man named Hanad Mohamad in Fort McMurray, Alberta for the murder of Anthony Smith.

Tallaabo;956881 wrote: You are not doing this, are you? Haha no way, I didn't take much off and it looks good! I prefer to dust my own ends after a bad haircut with a new stylist a few months ago, never letting someone new touch my hair again :mad:

Tallaabo;956880 wrote: How do you know he is the first Somali who received a PhD from Princeton? There could be others who settled in American long time ago, assimilated into the society, and not only obtained doctorates from Princeton but probably became professors at the institute. Well, he's the one who says it and I'm assuming he's aware of the institutional history. 1962 is very early, especially when you consider black students were not allowed to go to Princeton until the 1940s, and the first black PhDs there were in the 1950s. I'm sure Mire is also one of the first Somalis to receive a PhD (from anywhere).

Safferz;955547 wrote: The timeline is more like this: 1) Rob Ford smoked crack 2) Rob Ford was recorded smoking crack, with Anthony Smith present among others ( Smith was killed in a targeted shooting on March 28th ) 3) Gawker is contacted by a Somali informant in Toronto who is helping the owners of the video shop it around to media outlets, it is then viewed by a person from Gawker and when Gawker mentions this in an email to a contact, the word spreads to Rob Ford's office 4) Gawker breaks the story, officially starting Crackgate 5) Toronto Star releases a story, after two of their journalists view the video. They use the word Somali as many times as they use the word crack, and later edit and apologize to the Somali community 6) Gawker launches the Rob Ford Crackstarter campaign to raise funds to purchase the video, it is currently at $192k and set to hit the goal tonight. However the video owners have gone underground and it is feared Gawker will not be able to make the purchase. 7) Rob Ford fires his chief of staff for telling him to go away and get help 8) Rob Ford, who smoked crack, denies that he currently smokes crack in a press conference 9) The Globe and Mail releases a story they have been working on for 18 months , saying that it is irresponsible not to share this information now. It is an investigative report that shows the elder Ford siblings' involvement in the drug trade in Etobicoke 10) Toronto Star journalists confirm the existence of multiple copies of the tape 11) The Globe and Mail learns that a Ford staffer was interviewed by Toronto homicide detectives after he/she tipped them off about a connection between the video and a homicide in the city. This staffer and others know the exact apartment building and unit where the video is/was held, and alleges that the video originally belonged to someone who was killed for its valuable contents Adding to the timeline, for those who haven't been following: 12) Gawker raised the $200k to purchase the crack video, video's owners are still MIA so Gawker will hold the funds for one month and plan to donate to a substance abuse related organization if they don't turn up 13) Two aides from Rob Ford's office resign, "on principle" 14) We learned that after the story broke, Ford's operations and logistics director asked the now fired chief of staff "what would we do" if they knew exactly where the video was located. He also tells him that the video may be the reason why Anthony Smith was murdered. Alarmed, the chief of staff tells him he would contact police. He does, telling Toronto police about the conversation. 15) An apparently unrelated shooting takes place in the apartment building and floor where the video is known to be held, injuring one man in the leg 16) Reports that the email and phone records of the former staff members at the mayor's office were ordered destroyed 17) We learn Rob Ford told his staff after the story broke that they have nothing to worry about, he knows where the video is (and he says the exact apartment building, floor and unit)

And here it is (why would the Star publish the unit numbers?): Rob Ford video scandal: Mayor Ford said he knew where video was, sources say The mayor cited “our contacts” as the source of his information, according to insiders familiar with an unusual May 17 session in his office. By: Robert Benzie Queen's Park Bureau Chief, Kevin Donovan Investigations, Published on Thu May 30 2013 Toronto Mayor Rob Ford told senior aides not to worry about a video appearing to show him smoking crack cocaine because he knew where it was, sources told the Star. Ford then blurted out the address of two 17th-floor units — 1701 and 1703 — at a Dixon Rd. apartment complex, to the shock of staffers at a city hall meeting almost two weeks ago, the sources said. The mayor cited “our contacts” as the source of his information, according to insiders familiar with the unusual May 17 session in his office. Staffers were alarmed by the implication of hearing so precise a location, sources said. This report is based on accounts given by those privy to what was discussed the day after the Star and the U.S. website Gawker published news of the crack-cocaine video shot on a cellphone. Ford has called news of the video “false” and said: “I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine. As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.” Around the table at city hall on May 17 were operations and logistics director David Price, then deputy chief of staff Earl Provost, press secretary George Christopoulos and others. Missing from the meeting was Mark Towhey, then Ford’s chief of staff. Also not in attendance was communications special assistant Isaac Ransom. Towhey was fired last Thursday after counselling Ford to seek help for his health. Christopoulos and Ransom resigned “on principle” Monday, and Provost is now chief of staff. The Star sent emails outlining the allegations, complete with a series of questions, to all people named in this report. As of press time, none had responded to requests for interviews. One of the key questions the Star asked of Ford was how he came to know, the day after the video news broke, of the Dixon Rd. apartment numbers. The Star has visited the units and been told by neighbours that numerous young men are seen coming and going there at all hours of the night and day. Nobody said they had seen Ford. In letters to those at Ford’s May 17 meeting, the Star provided the following scenario for comment: “To all of you who are receiving this letter, please be aware that we are asking these questions in the public interest about a serious matter. We strongly advise you to reach out to us to discuss this story. We want to hear your side of it. Most importantly, if there is anything you believe is not factual, or anything you would like to add, please contact us by this Wednesday at 3 p.m. Here is what we believe transpired on Friday, May 17, the day the story of the video was published on the front page of the Toronto Star: During the meeting, when concern was raised about the existence of a video, Mayor Ford told staffers “not to worry” as he knows where the video is. To the surprise of some present, Mayor Ford then blurts out the Dixon Rd. address, including the two apartment units on the 17th floor, 1701 and 1703.” There were no replies from any of the Ford officials, including his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, who was not at the meeting. The Star’s ongoing investigation of the crack video report shows that later in the day, Price — whose duties include making sure the mayor gets to and from home and work safely — approached Towhey with a question. “Hypothetically,” Price asked Towhey, if someone had told him where the video was, “What would we do?” The straitlaced former military man told Price that nobody should do anything other than contact police. At one point, according to an account of the conversation, Towhey was heard to remark, “We’re not getting the f---ing thing!” His concern was that, if a video existed, someone could be killed for it. Price also told Towhey the video may have been the reason that Anthony Smith, a person pictured in a photo with Ford published in the Star on May 17, was killed. Inquiring further that Friday, Towhey asked Price where he learned the address and apartment numbers. The Star’s research shows that Price replied only “sources” and would not say how he learned the information. The next day, Towhey gave a statement revealing his concerns to Toronto Police. Price was also interviewed. The Star is trying to determine what, if anything, Price did with the information he received from his “sources.” Police have assigned two detectives to interview Towhey and carry out an investigation into his allegations. Several days after these events, early on Tuesday morning at 4:20 a.m., a young man was shot in the leg outside one of the 17th-floor apartments. The Star has looked into this and been told by people in the neighbourhood, and by Toronto Police, that it was an accidental shooting involving people who were drunk and that it is not related to the video. An editor from Gawker and two Star reporters have viewed the video, which is being offered for sale by drug dealers. The Star journalists described a video showing a rambling and incoherent Ford smoking what appears to be a crack pipe and making homophobic and racially charged statements. The Star reporters were shown the video by a man who said it was shot on an iPhone.

*waits for someone to post a pic of the pirates*

This talk is about five years old, but I just came across it and it seems timely and relevant to share. He was the first Somali to receive a PhD from Princeton, in 1962.

Word on the street is the Toronto Star will reveal tomorrow in a front page story that Rob Ford knew about and told his staff the exact apartment number and address where the crack video was being held.