Alpha Blondy;934116 wrote: Adams, hargeisa is a big pathetic joke. its dirty, the people are cruel and animalistic, its expensive! why would someone like you, who uses a PH neutral moisturiser......even bother to come here, ma istidhi? it takes a certain type of personality to survive, here in the nations capital. i'm certainly NOT of them but i've found inspiration from the most unlikely sources. this has been my saving grace. sometimes, you're down, other times you're in good spirits but you take what good you can salvage and ignore the negative. Adams, i hope, you can come here, one day, and see this hell-hole for what it is, inaar. if you can hack it or not, its still worth giving it a try. go for it. laakin, don't come with high expectations nor hopes of changing things here and achieving quick results. don't ever delude yourself by thinking your opinion has any value in their eyes. they've already prejudged you and regardless of your aims,...to them, you'll always be an outsider ee sida uula soco, inaar. LMAO, what's the problem dear Alpha, is the pond to small for the both of us? Are you afraid I will land in H-town and free all of your oppressed maids? Why are you selling me this nonsense? We both know your doing fine with your Givenchy scent and tight jeans, nobody is messing with you somaha? Bloody saqajaan, trying to deter me from living in the mother country, so selfish. Its only you who is allowed to create beautiful Somali gardens, eh? The rest have to rot in Qurbaha? When I come its going to be a blast, I don't care about your psychological warfare lol.

*Ibtisam;934104 wrote: Somali well lets hope the bubble burst soon or it would be another Angola. Adam- not that I know of- with that in mind you shall be perfectly fine in Hargeisa or anywhere else- dont let the Diaspora online fidi ku diri scare you. The reality is Somali's true to their nomadic nature roam all over the place. Juxa was amazed when she came to see me- I think she was expecting in la shiido or dhagax lagu turturo :D but aside from crude honesty- there are no other risks to your wealth, health or safety. LOL, some of the trolls have done an injustice to Hargeisa indeed, what about Sheikh, that place looks very serene.

*Ibtisam;934089 wrote: It depends on what you are doing- if you are a unionist advocating for the destruction of SL or have Political voice and motivation dont come, but regular folks walk around with diverse views and go on about their business. In the 7 years I have been here on SOL, have I ever called for the destruction of SL? That's not my style. Garowe- all I know about that place is they cook beer with water rather than frying it and full of ultra-religious vocal men- girls always come back complaining about how many layers they have to wear in the heat. lol When you think of going? After Ramadan, around Sep/Oct. There is a unique company I want to start but I need some experience and connections on the ground first. A cousin of mine is based in Puntland, so I probably will crash there and visit the other cities by staying at hotels.

Cheers.

*Ibtisam;934070 wrote: Per month- but Im sure a few more months- 6-7 anf those prices will become weekly!! Huge price rises. OF course if you have local connections you can rent in the none secure areas for $150-$300 but only for the brave souls willing to cross to the side where the normal community lives with all its risks. Lol @ Notting Hill- Well it wont be the same luxury as notting hill. Nah, everything about me shouts Qurbojoog and I have a habit of infuriating hardcore thugs just by breathing air here in merry old London, let alone recovering Mogadishu still dealing with insecurity, to big a risk. I might settle in Garowe, since I'm not sure how well Hargeisa welcomes an ultra-nationalist of the Blue pursuasion lol, especially with Alpha and his ma istidhi crew wandering around.

*Ibtisam;934062 wrote: It is an expensive time to go Adam. Places with high security and filled with Diaspora is around $3,000- $2500 rent for the whole house- so depending on how many people sharing- $500 is a good estimate. That's crazy, I could rent something in Notting hill for that same price, they are taking the piss.

Anyone know? Something close to the beach, somewhere with cosmopolitan minded people.

Welcome back Dr.

^Definitely!

Another fantasy by a Somali author: Book Description Publication Date: April 30, 2013 Jevick, the pepper merchant's son, has been raised on stories of Olondria, a distant land where books are as common as they are rare in his home. When his father dies and Jevick takes his place on the yearly selling trip to Olondria, Jevick's life is as close to perfect as he can imagine. But just as he revels in Olondria's Rabelaisian Feast of Birds, he is pulled drastically off course and becomes haunted by the ghost of an illiterate young girl. In desperation, Jevick seeks the aid of Olondrian priests and quickly becomes a pawn in the struggle between the empire's two most powerful cults. Yet even as the country shimmers on the cusp of war, he must face his ghost and learn her story before he has any chance of becoming free by setting her free: an ordeal that challenges his understanding of art and life, home and exile, and the limits of that seductive necromancy, reading. http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Olondria-novel-Sofia-Samatar/dp/1931520763/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365007551&sr=1-2&keywords=somali

Something with a Somali flavour! Product Description When the harmonious and quiet life of the 'Chosen bride' Rumeisa was disturbed by creatures of the darkness in ancient Merawa, nothing could have prepared her for the journey ahead. In a bid to learn more about her past, and stay out of the claws of her malevolent pursuers, Rumeisa goes beyond the old city gates of Merawa and explores the contrasting landscapes and cities of Somalia, a country ruled by demons. Rumeisa's enemies are many, and the challenges ahead are daunting, but with her young protector Samatar on her side, she finds the courage to fight, to inspire and to survive as they make their way to Citadel City before Lord Hoohhh! and his army of demons can arrive to claim her as a bride. ----- HOOHHH! Volume I: Night of The Golden Moon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00C4G1X86/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_H3Awrb1W0SJWZ

A case of an unstoppable force (Jubbaland) meeting an immovable object (Federal Government). The story of Somali politics.

Cara.;933248 wrote: Chimera, I haven't yet, thanks for reminding me! What did you think of A Dance with Dragons? Was a bit disappointed by the writing quality...I think Martin could use a ruthless editor sometimes. I liked it, and it was much better than A Feast of Crows, but not on the same level as the first three books. I consider ADWD to be a prelude to another badazz book that could rival A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords in the form of The Winds of Winter. All of the characters are heading for Winterfell; King Stannis and his army, Queen Daenerys with her Dragons, unsullied knights and Khalessar, Prince Aegon and the Golden Company, Jamie Lannister, Euron Greyjoy and even little Arya the assassin will head north. On the other side you got the Others heading south towards them. Its going to be a beautiful mess. Wait, Arianne is a POV?? She is now.

The Dark Mastermind!

Waranle_Warrior;933224 wrote: It would be good if we add 'people' in there... someone come up with something that has people in it. C'mon guyz brainstorm, you never know SOLers may be inventing the name that's implemented. You want to revert to communism?

Waranle_Warrior;933222 wrote: ^All that infrastructure will be put to use by this government and future governments but that does not mean it has to be the capital. All capitals in the world are not the most populated, most built or has the most infrastructure. Islamabad is a small insignificant city in Pakistan yet its the capital also Nigeria made Abuja the capital but the most populated and most infrastructured city is Lagos. Baraawo is small town and has a beautiful coast, it can be built with the best design and city planning to the host the seat of the government as the capital of the country. A capital is the heart of a country, it will attract the best and the brightest, it will attract students, entrepreneurs and businesses, it will attract entire households from across the country, it will attract diasporans, it will attract immigrants, it will attract corporations and international brands, it will attract global institutions and organisations. Barawa does not have the infrastructure to carry such a large population, the city would collapse and the Barawans would be absorbed by the much larger population of new residents. Only Mogadishu was and is capable of carrying such a large population from all walks of life. Islamabad and Abuja are both planned cities with appropriate infrastructure to be deemed a capital, Barawa doesn't, and we don't have the money today and the next 10 years to give it such a status. What shall we do then?

SAF - Somali Armed Forces- that is the name of the new military.

Waranle_Warrior;933214 wrote: ^The point is not whether it can be rebuilt or not, for if it can be so can Baroowe. If one can demolish a rundown house and rebuilt it so can he build an empty plot too. The main issue here is whether it will resume its status as the capital after and when the federal government secures the whole country from Alshabaab and the rest of the member states' formation are completed. You see majority of the Somali people, almost 90%, have left and fled Mogadishu in 91 to different areas of the country and made a life there, built their mansions and business so it will take a lot of convincing to get these 90% Somalis to return or decide Xamar to be the capital of the federal Somalia. The only city with Mogadishu's infrastructure in the country is Berbera, and that city is too hot to be a capital. Any of the other places you would need billions to get it to the level of even "current" Mogadishu. Destroyed buildings aside (that are being rebuilt as we speak), the airport with its long runway, the deepsea port, the miles and miles of road that only need to be repaved, the size of the city and the power-generating capacity of the shut down power-plants means that Mogadishu is far ahead of any city in the country. We don't have the billions to mimic Brazil or Kazakhstan and built a capital from scratch, that's wishful thinking. The rightful owners of Mogadishu's properties will return eventually, be sure of that.

Safferz;933151 wrote: lol well I've only recently started posting regularly on SOL, so I'm only just starting to get a sense of the different personalities on here. Alpha has been trolling me since finding out I'm a doctoral student, hence all the comments about me being "uppity," "arrogant," a "pseudo-intellectual," etc. Nah, I think its a pheromone issue for him lol.

AfricaOwn;933194 wrote: You mean people will not be making excuses for them for failing like the blacks in America? The issue now is the language barrier as you say, and I hope that you wont pull the race card in 10 years to explain why they're still failing. I won't have to, the lovely Somali parents of the new generation are pro-active, they are educated and they are determined to see their kids become productive citizens: “What we find,’’ she says, “is that the [somali] parents are extremely focused on education. They will show up and bring their kids to our advantage centers for any program that will help their children be successful learners,’’ says Ruff, vice present of resource development for CommonBond Communities, the largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing with services in the Upper Midwest. Among those services are preschool programs, including Early Childhood Family Education programs provided by Minneapolis Public Schools. http://www.minnpost.com/community-sketchbook/2011/10/report-shows-somali-kids-test-kindergarten-ready-why There is no doubt in my mind the earlier generation was at the same level as the Spanish, because of the language barrier and it was an uphill struggle.

No city in the aftermath of war mirrors its prewar status. Beirut, Luanda, Warsaw, Manilla, and countless others didn't achieve their prewar status overnight, so give Mogadishu time, it just got out of a terrible nightmare, and there is capacity building going on with regards to institutions that will result in the city becoming the capital it once was. Lol@ Xiin, tell them big bro, this is a new era, enough is enough.

Cara.;933197 wrote: As someone who read all the books but only watched an episode of the show here and there, this song best encapsulates my feelings about all you Johnny-come-latelies. Have you read the preview chapters of Theon and Arianne from Winds of Winter? The best is yet to come.

Waranle_Warrior;933141 wrote: Chimera, you are a young passionate man who believes everyone who questions Mogadishu as our capital a hater of Somalia. No one hates anything, Mogadishu was made a capital in 1960 by the Somali people after we gained independence when our first government assumed office. A civil war broke in 1991 and Somalis disintegrated, civil unrest and conflict ensued, the government fall and every Somali went back to their respected regions. Efforts have been going since that time to get the Somalis together and establish a proper Somali government, these efforts have failed many times before but now, for the first time, we are seeing a glimmer hope as a new republic is born again, a new federal system is introduced, a new government which most Somalis are willing to work with was selected and once everything goes to plan the new capital of Somalia will be decided and agreed upon by all the Somalis that disintegrated before or returned to their respected Somali regions. I would have respected your opinion had you not posted those images as examples of Mogadishu, as if to dismiss the massive reconstruction and return of expats that has happened in the last 20 months. Its difficult to take someone's love for a city, or country serious when they degrade it in such a fashion. I always said that Somalia should have a 3-capital system, and multiple 2nd cities all across the country and with Mogadishu of-course being the paramount metropolis.

Loooooooooool

oba hiloowlow;933130 wrote: ^^ :D :D :D Thank you Chimera LOOOOOOL Adaa mudan, now I'm out of this silly stuff.