I. MEDITATION. VARIABLE, and therefore miserable condition of man! this minute I was well, and am ill, this minute. I am surprised with a sudden change, and alteration to worse, and can impute it to no cause, nor call it by any name. We study health, and we deliberate upon our meats, and drink, and air, and exercises, and we hew and we polish every stone that goes to that building; and so our health is a long and a regular work: but in a minute a cannon batters all, overthrows all, demolishes all; a sickness unprevented for all our diligence, unsuspected for all our curiosity; nay, undeserved, if we consider only disorder, summons us, seizes us, possesses us, destroys us in an instant. O miserable condition of man! which was not imprinted by God, who, as he is immortal himself, had put a coal, a beam of immortality into us, which we might have blown into a flame, but blew it out by our first sin; we beggared ourselves by hearkening after false riches, and infatuated ourselves by hearkening after false knowledge. So that now, we do not only die, but die upon the rack, die by the torment of sickness; nor that only, but are pre-afflicted, super-afflicted with these jealousies and suspicions and apprehensions of sickness, before we can call it a sickness: we are not sure we are ill; one hand asks the other by the pulse, and our eye asks our own urine how we do. O multiplied misery! we die, and cannot enjoy death, because we die in this torment of sickness; we are tormented with sickness, and cannot stay till the torment come, but pre-apprehensions and presages prophesy those torments which induce that death before either come; and our dissolution is conceived in these first changes, quickened in the sickness itself, and born in death, which bears date from these first changes. Is this the honour which man hath by being a little world, that he hath these earthquakes in himself, sudden shakings; these lightnings, sudden flashes; these thunders, sudden noises; these eclipses, sudden offuscations and darkening of his senses; these blazing stars, sudden fiery exhalations; these rivers of blood, sudden red waters? Is he a world to himself only therefore, that he hath enough in himself, not only to destroy and execute himself, but to presage that execution upon himself; to assist the sickness, to antedate the sickness, to make the sickness the more irremediable by sad apprehensions, and, as if he would make a fire the more vehement by sprinkling water upon the coals, so to wrap a hot fever in cold melancholy, lest the fever alone should not destroy fast enough without this contribution, nor perfect the work (which is destruction) except we joined an artificial sickness of our own melancholy, to our natural, our unnatural fever. O perplexed discomposition, O riddling distemper, O miserable condition of man!

I think "Reformation of Islam" is just a simple excuse used by non-Muslims who want to accept the views of extremists/terrorist s as the only single truth, for what Islam really is. They just find it easier to deal with this type of enemy(i.e, a monolithic violent Muslim culture) instead of engaging and interacting with a very real and complex religion with real and complex followers practicing it. Most non-Muslims, especially westerners, want some very definite answers and extremists/terrorist s provide definite and simple answers. They make for a better headline and soundbite. The reality is that Islam and Muslims are complex and multifarious.

^^^ So how come you didn't also go to Libya? C'mon man, bahasha ha naga kala badinin...

^^^ LOL... Saaxiib caadi matihid!!

^^^ *This has been brought to you by Juje's corny brand of "laughing at M-Society's own misery". Any and all usage of our name and logo other than in this instance is strictly prohibited...* :rolleyes:

^^^ HECK NO--I made Somaliaonline what it is today (Check the politics section)! EXCITING!!! FULL OF GREAT POSTERS TALKING ABOUT GREAT THINGS!!!(Sike) Shyte, I'm bored... someone shoot JB someone please!

^^^ Riyaale is now officially the new King of la-la land. The fake sons of the queen of England have finally accepted their pitiful fate, as loyal subjects of King Riyaale. Anyway, I pray as a fellow Somali, for no violence to result from this. I'm OK with protest, or even protest that may result in him coming to his sense and stepping down. But I'm not OK with violence.

^^^ JB most of the time doesn't know what he is talking about. And the sad thing is this guy is at least 50 years old, if not older. What a shame!

I come on, expecting something interesting.. or at the very least! aggravating! and all I see is Duke trying to promote a movie! an unstoppable onslaught of corny threads, some creepy guy writing about "becoming impotent" because of his wife's "nagging". Norf with a new pic of Dubai's metro...(Actually I shouldn't put this in here, as I've already said, its very nice). Troll corner is.... well it's still for trolls. But the saddest thing of all is..... the topics being posted lately are totally boring... I mean it's about time SOLers in this section became a little more creative in here!!

Originally posted by Norfsky: Yiiihaaaaaaaa!!! Now I can ditch the car now and then :cool: Looks dope!

To ThankfulSP: That guy in the video is full of sh1t and lies. Granted, the morons who gave him the platform to speak on SABC don't know any better either. The problem with these secessionists is - regardless of the silliness of their arguments, they still insist on persisting on their nonsense. They're all a bunch of worthless, uneducated and uneducatable bunch of goofballs.

^^^ Generally speaking, IF you foment a secessionist movement, it would be considered a rebellion and may even be considered as treason. But that's indeed a VERY BIG IF! But just in case it did happen, I think it would lead to an eminent disaster and cause another chapter in the civil war in our country. I've got money and a gun. and I'd gladly come find you in the marfash you chew at and blow your brains out(which wouldn't cause much of a mess, after all we all know how empty your skull is)...

^^^ It won't. So perhaps you should rebel against being so naive. Or maybe go get a job. Either would be a good start for you.

Originally posted by SeeKer: ^^^ I don't think I have ever come across this poem before. Vivid images though Yeah, Cummings is awesome! Here are two more favorite poems of mine by him... since feeling is first by e.e. cummings since feeling is first who pays any attention to the syntax of things will never wholly kiss you; wholly to be a fool while Spring is in the world my blood approves, and kisses are a better fate than wisdom lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry —the best gesture of my brain is less than your eyelids' flutter which says we are for each other: then laugh, leaning back in my arms for life's not a paragraph And death i think is no parenthesis ******************** ************** what if a much of a which of a wind by e.e. cummings what if a much of a which of a wind gives the truth to summer's lie; bloodies with dizzying leaves the sun and yanks immortal stars awry? Blow king to beggar and queen to seem (blow friend to fiend: blow space to time) —when skies are hanged and oceans drowned, the single secret will still be man what if a keen of a lean wind flays screaming hills with sleet and snow: strangles valleys by ropes of thing and stifles forests in white ago? Blow hope to terror; blow seeing to blind (blow pity to envy and soul to mind) —whose hearts are mountains, roots are trees, it's they shall cry hello to the spring what if a dawn of a doom of a dream bites this universe in two, peels forever out of his grave and sprinkles nowhere with me and you? Blow soon to never and never to twice (blow life to isn't:blow death to was) —all nothing's only our hugest home; the most who die, the more we live

^^^ Disgusting indeed! Always get my feathers ruffled when you post such disgusting textual vomit. That guy just doesn't seem to be able to add 2 + 2 very well at all in my opinion. It just makes him look dumb though, and you for posting such utter hogwash... Get over yourself, JB! No one will EVER recognize your pitiful troglodytes den.

^^^ No. Government forces should fight the illegal fishing trawlers. This will prevent the pirates from using this as an excuse.

^^^ As long as he never "knows peace", do you think Somalia will in return get peace?

^^^ Dr Ligle, piracy must be eradicated! Piracy is a crime, it's wrong and it only benefits a few and it hurts many more. For instance, because of the boom in piracy monies, all the AIDs infested prostitutes from Hargaysa, Djibouti and Zone 5, have come to Puntland to spread nothing but disease. Therefore it is paramount that the Puntland authorities create alternative employment opportunities for the youth and to prevent the pirates from recruiting them. It should also develop a strong Coast Guard capable of protecting our shorelines from illegal fishing vessels and toxic waste dumping . I know President Faroole has his hands full, but I think, piracy is the biggest issues confronting his government and we will hold him accountable for how he deals with it, come the next elections.

^^^ NOOO, the EU flag is blue! But I guess it will be like, I say TOMATO and you say TOMATOE...lol

^^^ Are you brain-dead, JB? WTF :confused: Why are you suggesting that I, personally, killed my own people and am now blaming Ethiopia?

Originally posted by Meiji: Dukey and his clones: You can play blame games if you want, but do not degrade this forum with your constant calaacal and cuqdad. The MODS should tackle these clones or come out of the closet (i.e. supporting their views etc). ^^^ You can fight imaginary phantoms of Duke all you like--but you're at this very moment, sadly, humiliating and embarrassing yourself with these wimpish cries for help from the "MODS". The damage is already done, and irreversible, Mr M Society's finest! My only concern is that you could have handled yourself more maturely, that's all!

Originally posted by Meiji: In many ways the Northeastern groups are turning into becoming the Northwestern groups. Constant cuqdad, calaacal, cudur-qabiil and constantly threatening with ''breaking down from Somalia''. Get over the past, and let us look towards the future. MMMA/MODS, You should lock down this thread, it serves no purpose but for cuqdad-ridden people to air their grievances while the Somali nation is struggling to leave the past behind and stand on its own feet again. Unlike your ealier post, Meiji, you seem to have recovered from your horrific meltdown. But in any case-- Cuqdad or not, the Somali nation CANNOT wish its horrible past away just because of the arrogant APES who helped destroy our nation but still remain quit adamant and refuse to take responsibility for their crimes. Somalia will ONLY move forward through genuine truth and reconciliation for ALL its peoples!

The famous Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, in his work of "The Art Of War", counseled: "A Captain ought, among all the other actions of his, endeavor with every art to divide the forces of the enemy, either by making him suspicious of his men in whom he trusted, or by giving him cause that he has to separate his forces, and, because of this, become weaker. Some 2000 years earlier, Sun Tzu’s stratagem by the same name, advised: "If ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; IF DOUBLE, DIVIDE THEM; if equal, be able to fight them; if fewer, be able to evade them; if weaker, be able to avoid them." Throughout human history, political, military and economic tacticians have appreciated this simple philosophy: if your enemies are fighting each other, or otherwise bickering amongst themselves, then (a), they are doing your work for you and (b), they will be less effective in attacking you. Clearly, all Somalis alive today are witnessing the effectiveness of this classic strategy being played against our country. When the Ethiopian army marched into Somalia in 2006, their many years of pitting one Somali faction against another had finally paid off. While, we simpletons, fought each other and ripped our country apart, Ethiopia was able to consolidate its control over our nation. Each and every warring faction in Somalia may believe otherwise, but they ALL have gone-- or are going-- the whole length to assist Ethiopia in its diabolical ambition to suppress our nation and its peoples. Ethiopia, in fact, in one form or other, supports these warring Somali factions and plays one group against the other-- so as to keep Somalia firmly in its domain of influence. They have worked hard to disorientate and split our collective national psyche because they know that, divided and split by factional struggles, Somalia will be unable to create, either at home or abroad, the ideological platform and unity which is essential to cope with and oppose their hostile attacks against our nationhood. Now, let us consider the demise of the Somali people. When we were united under one government, neither Xabasha nor Shaydhaan was capable of undermining our former government's authority. But Addis Ababa and its treacherous allies from within our ranks knew perfectly well how to engineer split after split. First the SSDF led by Abdullahi Yusuf, through abject foolishness or treachery, formed a militant uprising and begun to fight the government. Then came the foolish SNM and USC militias under Silanyo and Aideed, together with a truly amazing number of idiotic Somali rebel movements, such as the SDM, SPM,SNF; each priding itself on its authenticity and objectives and each blissfully unaware of how it was furthering the cause of our terrible nemesis, Ethiopia, which in fact helped in the splitting up of our peoples along armed and opposing clan militias: Well we all know what happened next, which is still evident today. They used every trick in the game to precipitate divisions amongst us-- blatant bribery, arming certain groups against others but with strings attached, discrediting individual leaders, and so forth. Each faction has been set at the throats of the others with never ending conflict on the horizon. Even the so-called islamists of today are kept hopelessly split by Ethiopia. Thus Zenawi's policy in Somalia remains unchallenged and his soldiers slaughter our people with impunity. This, then, is the difficult scenario we must confront. We have a shrewd regional power, Ethiopia, with bigger political, financial, military and intelligence resources at its disposal. Against this, we have a very fragmented Somalia with weak and divided factions and groups with little, if any, ability to counter the strategies used against them by Ethiopia. How, then will this Ethiopian aggression be opposed? How should we overcome this dreadful "Divide and Conquer" strategy? What should we do as a people?

^^^ This truth deserves a whole topic...

I am strongly against shifting the capital to any puntland city for the sake of our people, i believe that the capital remain outside our regions and we can go to their backyard and piss in it!!! ^^^ Lol. My thoughts exactly: Capital cities are over-rated, especially in this day and age where globalization is the norm. Moving the federal capital to Puntland will be of no tangible benefit to us and will only cause us some major headaches. All it will ever amount to is a hellish bureaucratic nightmare where our citizens will have to be beholden to the whole of Somalia and the federal government. And I feel, that's just utter rubbish. All we want to do is, develop our state peacefully but continue to send our representatives ( not to go "piss" ) to the national capital, whether it will remain to be Mogadishu or not.