ya subxan allah! arr dadka aan mocawanad waydiistay eiga o bahan cid wax la qabta!! ana waxan edin ka sugayaay enaad igo tedhaahdan af somaligo waa "rich language" oo aad i tustan woxo afko "rich" ku noqday..idinka na afkaad dhulka la dhacdiin oo wax "blue", "orange" eyo "green" idin turjubana ayaad raadinaysan.. ya muslimeen, talo ya af somaliga o heelin doona..dadkaan wax waydiistay eiga baa turjuban o baahan :confused: (Apologies in advance for my total destruction of the Somali language above)

Last night, I decided to go out and sit in the garden. I made me a cup of tea and took a small bucket. I turned the bucket upside down and sat on it. It was dark, quiet and very nice. It wasn’t a cold day. It wasn’t a hot day. If it weren’t nighttime already, I would have described it as a pleasant sunny day. There was no sign of the moon but there were plenty of stars dotted across the sky. A bird flew past. A bird? At night? I sat wondering why was it awake that late and how is it going to find its way home? Maybe it’s an emergency in bird’s world. Maybe one of its chicks chocked on a worm bone and the daddy bird had no choice but to leave in the middle of the night in search for a doctor! It wasn’t a small bird. It was some sort of flying duck or swan. It kept circling round and finally landed on the roof opposite. I felt sorry for it. Tried to communicate with it. I thought of trying sign language but knew that that would scare it away. I tried to whistle but didn’t want to wake my neighbours up. I went in and got some bread. I started throwing bits of bread in the garden. As I was throwing the bits of bread, my eyes kept following where they were landing. There was some sort of dim light at the bottom of the garden. I throw a bit of bread towards it. It almost moved! I panicked. I picked up a rake and moved forward slowly. It jumped up. I jumped up. I got ready to strike it with my rake. The dim light kept following my eyes. I focused on it and was ready to strike it when I noticed that it was nothing but a tiny black cat. I relaxed and eased my grip on the rake. The cat got startled by the movement and tried to jump up the wall. I got startled by the movement and tried to back off. The cat fell off the wall. I stumbled on the rake. The cat tried again but failed and fell back towards me. I tried to get up but panicked and stumbled on the rake again. I sat still. The cat sat still. We stared at each other waiting for someone to make a move. The bird was watching all of this. It flew off. The cat got scared and ran towards me. I got worried and tried to move out of its way. The cat stopped and turned around running the other way. I stumbled on the rake again. I gave up and lay back on the grass looking up at the sky. I saw a face at my neighbour’s window. I looked the other way in embarrassment. I saw another face. My wife opened the upstairs window and asked me what all the noise was about! I heard someone giggling. I’m going to buy me a cat trap, man. :mad:

Waar be glad that this time it was a human being calling himself Somali. Usually, it’s the cats that are called Somali!

^^^ waar you're trying to reason with a guy named after a gun, saaxib! :eek:

^^ maya, gabadh kale ayaan ka hadlayaay. mid yar oo qorox badan oo lix eyo toban jir la moodayo. lakin talo jumatatu meyo ka helaya? :rolleyes:

^^ Meaning? :mad:

Stop crying about the lone DJ girl, people. It’s the usual horn of Africa style. I think I would have done exactly the same if I were in that team. Why bother get bored and tired standing around and hearing the names of every country in the world being called out when I could be taking it easy and relaxing in the Olympic Village? I bet you the Somali and DJ participants were wondering why all the other countries sent most of their teams out in the parades “dhib jicilaaa! Hiblaaayo, adaaa noogo yar, bal calanka qaado oo orod adoonka usheeg en aan meshaan joognoâ€

^^^^ loooooooool I knew she was not right for you, saaxib. Waar anaa gabadh ku haya laakin waa en aad 18 years sugtid!

^^^^ He walked into that one WD, take a deep breath and start again, saaxib. This time lets get some good reasons why you think C/Y is the man for the job. Blind loyalty is not likely to convince anyone else other than yourself.

Today, I came to work feeling tired and mentally exhausted. I had a very busy weekend and didn’t look forward to coming to work. The journey to work was not fun and once I arrived at my office I discovered that the air-conditioning was not working! It was promising to be a long, hot and irritating day. I decided to grit my teeth and suffer in silence. I made me a cup of tea and picked a collection of various biscuits and got on with working. In the space of one hour, I managed to do most of the days work. My colleagues and manager started grumbling and complaining that I’m working them too hard but I promised them that if they worked hard enough and met all the deadlines and targets, I’m going to ease up on them and maybe even dirty my hands with some work myself! They seemed satisfied with this deal and got on with their work with renewed zest and commitment. I on the other hand, found myself getting bored again. It was only ten o’clock in the morning and I had nothing to do! It was MONDAY too! My boredom didn’t last long though. As is usual with every Monday morning, my colleagues came in and started updating me on their private lives and asking for my help in solving their problems. The girl who broke up with her boyfriend left my office willing to give him another chance. The old man nearing retirement and wondering what he’ll do with all the spare time he’s going to have, left my office content and planning to get on with arranging his funeral plans. The insecure young man who his parents decided to marry him off to his second cousin in Pakistan, which he didn’t even know or meet, left my office planning to locate her phone number and talk to her to see if they’re compatible. My manager who loves and adores his 25 year old daughter and tries to shield her from the outside world, left my office feeling confident that she’ll be ok to go to the cinema on Friday and still make it back before ten in the evening! I was totally spent. I had no more words of wisdom to impart. I was getting tired of the fake smiles, pretending to be interested and my amazing patience in the face of the most idiotic of complaints and worries. I decided to share some of my thoughts and anxieties with one of my colleagues. I told him how tiring my weekend was and how I thought I had no strength to carry on anymore. He told me to stop being melodramatic and that I’m just being SILLY! I protested, argued, stuck my tongue out at him and walked out. PS VIKING, I remember watching that film a few years ago too. Can’t remember how the plot went though. I keep mixing it up with fight club for some strange reason.

^^^^ loooooooool

Professor, Are you trying to define social class in relation to Somalia and Somalis or are you talking in general terms? As I understand it, in general terms, social class can be broken into three main categories (working, middle and upper), the upper classes are the easiest to pinpoint, it relates to the aristocracy. The working class is mainly populated by unskilled workers and the middle class is, well, everything in between. This of course is a very simple description of the different classes, it does not take into account all the new different definitions and additions such as, lower middle class and upper middle class, etc. The rise of social classes can be argued to have originated in the UK during the Victorian age. It was a direct result of the industrial revolution. Prior to that, there were only two social classes, the rich landowners (with old and well known family names) and the poor workers. The industrial revolution facilitated the emergence of a middle class, a class of entrepreneurs and businesspeople who made use of the expansion of the empire and grew and expanded politically and economically. Some made so much money they became richer than the aristocrats. They bought estates and land but could not be regarded as aristocrats because they did not have the family name to go with their wealth. Still, they got themselves a better sounding name (alas, not better received). They’re what Karl Marx referred to as the Bourgeoisie! Nowadays, social class can be determined by education, values, heritage and income. Some people chose to ignore it while others would tell all and sundry about their pride in being “middleâ€, “upper†or “working†class! I’m at work right now and I really don’t have enough time or material to explain more about modern social classes and the different ways they’re measured. I hope the quick (and probably faulty) history lesson was of some benefit to some of you. I would like to add that the only reason I wrote the above was because I wanted to show what my definition of social classes was so as I don’t have to explain it again in subsequent posts (i.e. you know what my starting point is now). Going by my above definitions, I can’t really say that there is a vibrant middle class in Somalia. Some would even argue that there isn’t an aristocratic upper class either! Regardless of our education, income, values or heritage, it seems that we’re a working class nation.

WD, There is no smoke without fire, saaxib. Lets assume you’re right and that C/Y is as innocent as the Wolf was from Nabi Yusuf’s blood, it still doesn’t mean that people don’t believe these stories about him. He’s damaged goods, saaxib. If you’re going to support someone for the leadership, at least do it with someone who is going to get support from most factions of the Somali population. C/Y can’t command the full support of Puntlanders, never mind the rest of Somalia. If you want to spend your time on this thread defending him and refuting the accusations made against him, that’s fine and very noble of you. Just know that these accusations (regardless of their truthfulness) render him ineligible as a Somali leader.

Tonight, I was bored again. I couldn't sleep. I decided to switch my TV on and watch a couple of News Channels. The News depressed me. I changed channels and decided to see if I could find a film to watch. I didn't. I switched the TV off and sat thinking of things to do to alleviate my boredom. I finally decided to switch my Computer on and serf the net. I logged into this site. I clicked on the latest threads. Some made sense and others didn't. I saw some sort of cyber fight; surely not another one? I read the thread to the end. I was amazed by the different styles of writing. Some were full of emotion while others were subtle and more venomous! I found the exchanges very amusing. I was dying to join the discussion. I wasn't sure which side to take. I'd read a post and find myself agreeing with the author and wanting to take his side, then I'd read the reply and find myself agreeing with his foe too. The game of ping pong continued. I forgot all about my boredom. I found myself getting angry for no reason. I wanted to wax lyrical about Bantus, the people of Galkacayo and Muslim women in Mosques. I wanted to skin and de-skin Dijubuti. I wanted to ban the "baro" family. I wanted to ban Mutakalim. My anger rose furthermore. I wanted to pick up my monitor and smash it against the wall! Then I remembered how expensive it was and what a waste that would be. I berated myself for worrying about monitors and material goods when I didn't give a hoot about myself and my mental health by getting angry over words on a screen. I started to calm down. I decided to read the threads from a neutral point of view. Promised myself not to get angry anymore. For a good while, I managed to stick to my promise. When I read something provocative, I'd smile. When I noticed someone getting emotional, I'd find it amusing and think to myself "poor souls don't know what I know". I was still in my happy and jolly state when I stumbled upon a comment criticising this post as being trivial! This was it, that monitor was going to hit the wall any minute now. It took a Herculean effort to control my emotions. My great mental strength and superior intellect helped in taming my anger. I decided to reply to the charge. I decided to tell whoever it was, that I was doing them a great service by sharing my most private of thoughts with them. I was about to tell them that this was a great opportunity to learn from a better, wiser and more experienced person and that they should not let this opportunity pass them by. I was confused, lost and bewildered. Surely my greatness is as obvious as the Saharan heat? I started wondering that maybe it's my writing style that's at fault. Nay, it's not my writing style. How could it be? With my short sentences and minimum punctuation, even a child would be able to accumulate a pocketful of my pearls of wisdom! I decided to read my words again and see where the "trivia" charge arose from. I did. My words were still as great as they were the first time I scattered them into my keyboard. Doubt started to creep in. Maybe I'm not as great as I thought I was? Maybe I'm deluding myself? I liked the idea of deluding myself. It made me feel oridnary, modest and really down to earth. It didn't last long though. I found myself floating up again and thinking that even the most educated of mice, would still have difficulty understanding the language of lions. I sniggered to myself, roared loudly and got ready to post this trivial post.

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi ! Welcome aboard, mate I’m glad that you’ve noticed how respected and revered I am on these parts. Start as you mean to go on. ** Feigns false modesty ** :rolleyes: You’ll probably find this place a bit slow at this time of day, that’s because the European and American night owls are not here yet. Only a couple of Londoners and Arab country dwellers are to be found at this time of day. Still, you’re not missing much. When you’ve got the cream of nomadville to converse with, I doubt the absence of the stale milk will bother you that much. Welcome again, mate. Go on, dive right in!

I agree with Rainbow, this is a very tricky question to ask. There was a time when the only answer a girl wanted to hear from her prospective husband was “ Yes, I love you, darlingâ€. Now, the whole idea of marriage has been turned into some sort of business deal. They discuss the place they’re going to live in, the type of furniture they’ll have, the duties of cleaning the house, the children they’re going to have and when should they start planning for that. If they don’t’ plan to have kids straight away, they discuss the sort of “protection†they’re going to use. Is it going to be a condom or the pill? Is she going to stay at home and look after the kids or is she going straight back to work after her maternity-leave ends? They talk about sex and how they plan to do it and in which rooms, styles and poses! They swap details about their previous experiences and fain shyness. They talk about everything and anything but HIV TESTING. They’re not likely to talk about that either. I can’t imagine many men asking that question. The implications and connotations attached to it are huge. I also can’t think of many girls who would “dare†ask that question. But, even if some people have the courage to ask it, the majority are likely to be satisfied with “No, I don’t think I have any diseases, don’t you trust me, baby?†Then again, I’m probably too old for the “dating†scene and have no idea of what new developments are taking place there.

^^^^ He's not Somali, saaxib. Nothing to be "bitter" about.

^^^^ He's not Somali, saaxib. Nothing to be "bitter" about.

^^^^ He's not Somali, saaxib. Nothing to be "bitter" about.

Today, I woke up feeling great. I got dressed and left for work. I don’t know what made me happy but I was. I wasn’t even walking; I was floating all the way to the bus stop. When I got there, I decided that it would be a waste to wait for a hot and stuffy bus and that I should walk to the station. So I did. On my way there, all the women looked extra beautiful. The streets looked extra clean and there was hardly any traffic on the roads. My good mood started to change! Surely things couldn’t be THAT perfect. It’s the quite before the storm. Something is bound to go wrong now. I started to slow down, I thought of taking the bus. I worried that I might be late for work if I didn’t. Then I changed my mind. What if I took the bus but it broke down on the way? What if at the precise minute I got on the bus, lots of traffic materialised out of thin air? I better carry on walking. What if it started raining? I better take the bus. It took me twenty minutes to walk to the station (instead of the usual ten). When I tried to get in I discovered that I forgot my Travel card at home. I knew something was going to go wrong, I knew it! I rushed back home, got my travel card and went out again. This time, I was not feeling happy at all. The streets looked dirty, the women were all old and haggard and there was lots of traffic. I took the bus. The central line had problems, the Piccadilly line had problems and I got to work late. I went to my boss to apologise for my lateness and give him some made up story about some accident on the way to work. He looked surprised to see me and said “ I thought you were on holiday today?†Now I know why I woke up happy, man.

The Japanese point is a bit more complex; they stood up to the might of America and almost succeeded for a multitude of reasons not intelligence alone. Not intelegence? Have Somalis acting like raving mad men come close to empire? List the reasons if you dispute please. If we go down the root that says the Japanese are more intelligent than the Somalis, we’ll inevitably have to ask for the criteria used to define “intelligenceâ€. This might then lead to discuss the old age argument of nurture versus nature. I mean not to be crual but the Somalis have shown no signs of natural intelegence. They have the ideas you dont. The N VS. N can be applied to things like scateboarding but not this. If Somalis think like anyone else were is the proof? There is no proof of a serious attempt and i think Somalians and the Japanese face the EXACT Same problems but in different ways so there is deffinently no nurture because you need nature to begin with to get nurture. If you couldnt naturaly think how would you be able to nurture your natural thoughts? Keep in mind it can be any date in Somali history but a bunch of old hags in the desert talking about Russia just doesnt cut it... With all due respect my friend, that post does not show any signs of intelligence either. I’m assuming that your questions are asked in a rhetorical sense (really giving you the benefit of the doubt there). But, lets say they’re not and you genuinely mean them. You need to expound them a little more so I know what I’m dealing with here. While you’re at it, don’t forget to expand on your understanding of the definitions of intelligence, nature and nurture. Much obliged.

The Japanese point is a bit more complex; they stood up to the might of America and almost succeeded for a multitude of reasons not intelligence alone. Not intelegence? Have Somalis acting like raving mad men come close to empire? List the reasons if you dispute please. If we go down the root that says the Japanese are more intelligent than the Somalis, we’ll inevitably have to ask for the criteria used to define “intelligenceâ€. This might then lead to discuss the old age argument of nurture versus nature. I mean not to be crual but the Somalis have shown no signs of natural intelegence. They have the ideas you dont. The N VS. N can be applied to things like scateboarding but not this. If Somalis think like anyone else were is the proof? There is no proof of a serious attempt and i think Somalians and the Japanese face the EXACT Same problems but in different ways so there is deffinently no nurture because you need nature to begin with to get nurture. If you couldnt naturaly think how would you be able to nurture your natural thoughts? Keep in mind it can be any date in Somali history but a bunch of old hags in the desert talking about Russia just doesnt cut it... With all due respect my friend, that post does not show any signs of intelligence either. I’m assuming that your questions are asked in a rhetorical sense (really giving you the benefit of the doubt there). But, lets say they’re not and you genuinely mean them. You need to expound them a little more so I know what I’m dealing with here. While you’re at it, don’t forget to expand on your understanding of the definitions of intelligence, nature and nurture. Much obliged.

The Japanese point is a bit more complex; they stood up to the might of America and almost succeeded for a multitude of reasons not intelligence alone. Not intelegence? Have Somalis acting like raving mad men come close to empire? List the reasons if you dispute please. If we go down the root that says the Japanese are more intelligent than the Somalis, we’ll inevitably have to ask for the criteria used to define “intelligenceâ€. This might then lead to discuss the old age argument of nurture versus nature. I mean not to be crual but the Somalis have shown no signs of natural intelegence. They have the ideas you dont. The N VS. N can be applied to things like scateboarding but not this. If Somalis think like anyone else were is the proof? There is no proof of a serious attempt and i think Somalians and the Japanese face the EXACT Same problems but in different ways so there is deffinently no nurture because you need nature to begin with to get nurture. If you couldnt naturaly think how would you be able to nurture your natural thoughts? Keep in mind it can be any date in Somali history but a bunch of old hags in the desert talking about Russia just doesnt cut it... With all due respect my friend, that post does not show any signs of intelligence either. I’m assuming that your questions are asked in a rhetorical sense (really giving you the benefit of the doubt there). But, lets say they’re not and you genuinely mean them. You need to expound them a little more so I know what I’m dealing with here. While you’re at it, don’t forget to expand on your understanding of the definitions of intelligence, nature and nurture. Much obliged.

Thanks for the reply. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Now, lets get serious. Your argument seems to be that a land belongs only to its original inhabitants and that any new additions to that land are nothing but long term “guestsâ€! There are so many loose strands in that argument I’m not sure which one to pick first. Ok, lets talk about the matter of RACE. Is it genetic or cultural? In the case of the Sudanese, it can be argued that the two sides are of different “races†but since they’re both Muslim the cultural argument is instantly discarded. So, we’re left with the argument of genetics, right? This is a more complex argument, however, since most scientists agree that the Human Race originated in Africa, many Caucasians could use that argument to claim their African lineage. Incidentally, most scientists also agree that genetics plays a negligible part in determining race. The similarities in the DNA of White Europeans and Black Africans prove it! You seem to argue that Arabs (or white Africans for that matter) have no right to live in Africa. Following your logic, Americans have no right to live in America and Australians don’t really belong to Australia. The whole idea of migration and looking for pastures new to settle in is totally overlooked. This idea, just in case it escaped your attention, is an intrinsic part of African life. To ignore it is to ignore Nomadic instincts of humans. The Darfur crisis is more a result of politics, greed and economic mismanagement than mere genetics and race. Reading between the lines (and I’m not usually good at that game) I sense the disturbing argument being peddled by many African nationalists about this great Arab conspiracy to control and pillage Africa! Please tell me it isn’t so.

Discreet, There is no such thing as an “original†term for new words. Like you said, language evolves and new words are added everyday. Words such as FATWA, Madrasa and Intifada are Arabic words that can be found in the Oxford English dictionary. They’re English words now. Words such Kursi (chair), Qalin (Pen) and TV are widely used in the Somali language and not thought of as being foreign (even though they’re Arabic words). They’re new words that don’t have an equivalent in the language and therefore they’re used as part of the language (with slight adjustments here and there – Think Xawayan as opposed to the Arabic Xayawan). The Somali language is only stagnant and not evolving because it’s not much of a written language. The poets recite their poems but there has been no great effort to compile them into great volumes. The journalists write their articles but there is no huge archive to keep them all and fiction is in very short supply.