Interesting.

Tallaabo;955641 wrote: Saffy I doubt you will ever find any information about their funding. They are probably one more organ of the many competing foreign regimes who are there on the ground to influence the affairs of the people of Somalia. I was hoping some SOLers may know or have heard some things

Wadani;955683 wrote: Does anyone else find his son Jaden to be extremely annoying? Both his kids annoy me, although I did like that "Whip My Hair" song.

I see a cultural (and possibly generational) divide in this thread re: perceptions of Will Smith and reaction to this clip. Anyone who grew up watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air (a.k.a 90s kids living in North America) will love it.

ElPunto;955650 wrote: ^Doesn't their coming forward to claim the money create a whole lot of interest from the police - re the drugs issues? I wonder how much the tape is worth to the Ford family - may have been better to shop it around to them. They have a product (an iPhone with a video), and they're selling that product. It wouldn't be done publicly but through the informants in place that have been communicating with Gawker and the Toronto Star, and if they're smart, they'd be in the US right now. Well done Toronto.

Peace Tallaabo

underdog;955642 wrote: But Jaamac and the iphone could be anywhere from Edmonton to Xarardhere Or dead, but I hope not. Gawker should hold on to the funds for 30 days or so to see if the owners resurface once they know the money is on the table. But we do know there are other copies of the video out there, and that the Toronto Star (and I assume other media outlets) are working on acquiring, as the journalists who covered the story said earlier today.

Boom, $200k.

Tallaabo;955630 wrote: Alpha ayaanu ku maqnayn oo aanu quraan soo saaraynay;) Yarku jacaylkaagii ayuu la liitaa lool well I wish you success but I will not return to that thread!

Tallaabo;955632 wrote: I see no difference between them and the countless Somali tabloid websites with "expert" commentary. I'm not an impartial commentator here but I do believe that research, knowledge production and analysis is critical, and having institutions independent of the government (if Somalia is similar to Somaliland in this way, even universities come under the jurisdiction of the government so academic freedom is not guaranteed) monitoring political developments is important in forging a healthy and open political culture and society. But I would like to know more about this particular think tank, especially their origins and funding sources.

Horta where are my beeble?

^^ lool

This would be a big deal for any mayor in the world. But yes, I'm following closely, just like every other Torontonian. It's been the topic of discussion at every party and get together I've been to in the last week.

ElPunto;955597 wrote: Safferz - this scandal is your crack cocaine. The longer the video doesn't surface - the more likely Ford will keep his job. Are you in Toronto? The entire city is captivated by this sh*tshow. Someone just donated $1k to the Crackstarter, which is now $3k short of the goal. Toronto Star journalists also confirmed that there are multiple copies of the video. His aides are quitting their jobs. It's over.

Wadani;955576 wrote: I didn't know that. I thought it was comprised mainly of Somali academics. I know the main face of the group is Abdi Aynte, the Somali-American journalist who worked for Al-jazeera. The fellows seem to be split, but I know there are cadaan researchers behind the scenes too. Haatu;955581 wrote: Horta just what do these self-styled intellectual super weights actually do? They do research on topics/issues relevant to public policy, and release reports on them and make policy recommendations. They're quite new, I think so far they have a report on Somali refugees in Kenya and a review of the president's first 100 days in office.

Cara.;955575 wrote: Horta what is crack cocaine? Why is it smoked, while cocaine is snorted? Which one is better vis a vis getting high, plausible deniability, or fiscally? Crack cocaine = Blacks while cocaine = Whites? I know I can look all this up but I don't want Google adsense suggesting drug paraphernalia for the next year... I just cleared my history of the sex trade industry binge-googling of last month. Crack comes in the form of hard crystals, so it can be smoked, while cocaine is a fine powder that people snort. You're right that it does seem to be the case that crack users tend to be low income (and race correlates with class), but my non-expert hunch is that this says more about race, criminality and what cases are prosecuted rather than actual usage trends. I posted a bit earlier in this thread that I think one of the reasons why this scandal is fascinating is because of the way race and class coincides in this story, because a lot of people deal with crack/cocaine, but only some people face the consequences of doing so, like jail time and death.

Wadani;955570 wrote: Think tank by HAG for HAG interests..that's how they r viewed by some. Not me though. I like the idea of Somalia having a think tank that can potentially set the agenda for public policy. But is it really a Somali think tank though? It seems to be full of cadaan researchers and academics. I'm also really curious about where they get their funding.

Haatu don't make me add you to my sh*t list too :mad: I have a clearer state of mind and I'm more emotionally balanced than that manic depressive, dhaqan celis internet troll. Watching the news now, looks like a few of the mayor's aides just resigned.

What do you guys know about this group? Where did they come from and who funds them? What do Somalis think of them? And why did they choose a name so similar to the awful US-based Heritage Foundation?

I'm around D.O.C, just not in that jerk's thread dee.

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 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

malistar2012;955482 wrote: sounds like Jewish are miss leading the Americans , Throwing them of the cliff while same time Jewish themselves see Homosexual evil Practice . Huh?

underdog;955464 wrote: Why hang up? sounds amusing. you could miss out on prince charming blind-dialing in the middle of the night. I find it strange, and a little sad.

Ummm WHAT: Toronto police spoke to Mayor Ford’s senior staffer after tip linked killing to alleged drug video PATRICK WHITE AND ADAM RADWANSKI The Globe and Mail Published Monday, May. 27 2013, 3:00 AM EDT Last updated Monday, May. 27 2013, 10:07 AM EDT A senior member of Rob Ford’s office was interviewed by police last week about a tip linking a video allegedly showing the mayor smoking illicit drugs to a recent Toronto homicide, two separate sources have confirmed. The staffer felt compelled to share the tip, which came to him from someone else in the mayor’s office, with police because it could constitute evidence in a homicide investigation. Two officers interviewed the staffer away from City Hall, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting. The mayor has repeatedly denied the existence of a video. Toronto police refused to comment on the interview. The mayor’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on the story. The tip came into the mayor’s office shortly after reports surfaced in the Toronto Star and on Gawker.com regarding the existence of a video allegedly showing Mr. Ford smoking crack cocaine. The informant in the mayor’s office purported to know the address and unit number where the video was being held. They went on to say that the video originally belonged to an individual who may have been killed for its potentially valuable contents, according to a source. The video clip was allegedly offered for sale to the Star and Gawker by men involved in the drug trade, according to reports in both outlets. Gawker is trying to raise $200,000 for the video through an online campaign. Both media reports were accompanied by a photo, provided by the men selling the video, that allegedly shows Mr. Ford standing with a man believed to be Anthony Smith, a 21-year-old man gunned down in downtown Toronto in March. Mr. Ford broke a seven-day silence about the allegations on Friday. “I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine,” he said in a speech at City Hall. “As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.” On Sunday, he was more unequivocal about the video’s existence, telling a caller to his weekly radio show, “There’s no video, so you can’t comment on something that doesn’t exist.”

Haatu;955414 wrote: Blackflash, I can only speak for myself but then I also know that nearly all Somalis are Muslim and are not happy to see a religion other than Islam propagated in their country. One question you all seem to be overlooking is, why does Christianity need to be propagated in Somalia in the first place? Because proselytizing is a key part of the Christian religion, and they look for places that have few Christians to go spread their message. They believe in the truth of their religion and falsity of Islam in the same way Muslims feel Islam is the truth and other religions are in error. They also believe their religion teaches them to help those living in poverty and hardship, so places like Somalia provide the best of both worlds for those seeking to do charity work while teaching others about their religion. I agree with Tallaabo's comments, but with qualification. I have never liked the missionary enterprise, particularly for how destructive it has been historically in an African context. I have no issue with Christianity and Somali Christians should be free to practice their religion in peace and security, but I am hostile to an institution that has always been an extension of Western hegemony in Africa and has traditionally taken advantage of the helpless and vulnerable in society.