BTW, this is an amalgamation of medieval Somali history and architecture superimposed upon a recognisable fantasy world of Men, demons and other beings. Should I opt in this case for something more Somali, like a Pillar Tomb or a Mihrab? These would have doors ofcourse, but the style would be different from anything on the market today.

I'm stuck with my writing because I fear a door way into another world has been done over so many times in fantasy novels, so please brainstorm with me other ways to get to another world, which should be easily explainable, since there is next to no magic in this series.(A Song of Ice and Fire type of series); - Gates? (Would fit my story very well because a secret Sisterhood are the guardians of the different dimensions) - Mechanical devices? (similar to how everyone today has a watch or a phone, in my world they could have a device to enter a different dimension) - Potions? (Too Disney, unlike my story) - Tunnels? (I'm leaning towards this one, since that's how the demons already move through the realm beneath the human cities and citadels) - Riding a living creature? (Too gimmicky and redundant, fit for only one character) Any more suggestions?

Great suggestions, especially the potential for a Honey producing sector. I made a related post on the "We must re-invent ourselves" topic in the Camel Milk Debate section. This is the type of stuff I will be investing in one day Insha-allah, with guaranteed high returns: Chimera;709465 wrote: Somali Marine fleet : Trawler - $424,359 We need 10 of those = $4 243 590 Fish Freezing Vessel - $1,800,000 We need 2 of those = $3 600 000 The returns on such investments is enormous. The Tuna fish industry has the potential to bring in $6 billion annually. Somali Agricultural Army: Combines - $40 000 We need 10 of those to gather the bumper harvests = $400 000. Farm Tractor - $20 000 - $30 000 We need 10 of those = $200 000 - $300 000. Milk Cooling Tank - $2000 We need 100 of those to become a real heavyweight exporter of Milk = $200 000. Silos - $10 000 / $15 000 The most important component of the post-Harvest period. It is estimated by the Somali Agricultural Technical Group that around 80 000 tons of food falls victim to bad storage facilities every year. That's a significant chunk of the Somali harvest that could be used for a less rainy day. 20 of those would be sufficient = $200 000 / $300 000. 1.7 million Coffee seeds = $426 000 Coffee plantations are a must for Somalia's fertile soil, which can grow anything. Its a mega-industry that keeps on growing, especially now that China is rising on the scene and its people are becoming more cosmopolitan with Cafe's popping up left and right. The figure I have used is from an initiative spearheaded by our Indonesian kin in Bali. All of the above is roughly 15~ million dollars. The dream of creating a self-sufficient Somalia that is a heavy-weight exporter of agricultural products is absolutely within our reach. . In Somalia you can establish farms or deploy fishing fleets anywhere in the country because the soil is perfect, and our seas are rich.

I think it was a success, strictly for the fact that none of the politicians-iskusheeg signed off on a temperorary trusteeship, that thought gave me nightmares twice this week. The Istanbul Conference is in June, and this will be the more interesting one from a development & reconstruction point of view.

I don't have a dream job, the whole concept of specializing in one specific occupation is a big turn-off, since I'm clearly not an insect. My ambitions are multi-dimensional and diverse. That is the only way I can release my fountain of creativity.

Depends, in Samajama's case; she grew up in a social-construct that isn't genetically uniform; i.e modern Arabs are majoritively Arabised Ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Berbers, Nubians etc, so it's easier for her to melt into that pot if she speaks the language fluently. However if she were to adopt let's say Japanese culture, and married a Japanese person, her children wouldn't be Japanese, be it in looks or in the eye of society. In a similar homogeneous society like that of Somalia, both constructs play an equal role. It was our racial vision of ourselves as being unique that prevented us from going the way of countless other ancient peoples in the face of foreign agression, and you have Somali cultural complexes like the clan-system that continue to unite and disintergrate us. Only when we have destroyed the latter system and have adopted Somali as the only self-identifyer can we really look at the situation from a racial persepective, but even then Pan-Somalism is also a social-construct. My answer; Neither!......Both!

Race and culture are social constructs, both however are subordinate to the mind. It's the latter that determines whether you will take those categories - that geneticists and society has put you in - and make it a part of your being and legacy. Pre-2006, I was pretty much a Dutch Muslim boy, forward to 2012 and I'm now reconstructing and reshaping my own being into what I would most likely have been in Somalia had the war never happened; an ordinary Somali guy.

I know plenty of gorgeous sisters who consider me a genuine male friend, but there is something in a human body and a fully developed psyche called self-restraint, loyalty and the neutrality factor that one would for example feel for a good-looking sibling(i.e you would never see your own brother or sister in a sexual light), similarly as gorgeous as the aforementioned sisters are, something really dramatic would have to happen for me to cheat with any of them ( like an omen or a prophecy lol). If your single then there is a high chance you will naturally gravitate towards your other-gender friend, because you already love them and enjoy being around them which can result in the neutrality barrier breaking down, but if you are already in a relationship then its much easier to maintain friends with women, (in a healthy relationship the man and woman are supposed to be best friends in the first place) , unless ofcourse you have weak will-power in which case you will most likely cheat, but not all men have pathetic will-power, nor do all men cheat (those who do usually do it with strangers).

Bob, you should have double-checked with Abtigiis, he has an entire modernised 'state of the art' database on SOL sisters. That would have spared you the embarassment lol.

This is why the general section needs a new and more active moderator. Posting private images of women and asking dumb self-righteous questions is becoming an annoying trend lately on SOL.

Funkiest song I have heard, and I'm so damn, so damn glad about it!:

A good relationship has a small celebration day every week, a medium one every year and a massive one every two years, like going to Al-Andalus, or Istanbul, or Tokyo, or Dubai, somewhere new, somewhere exotic. If you have kids below the age of 5; dump them with your close relatives, and only let them join when they are above 5. That will keep the marriage fresh and exciting.

Mahubo is cool, I realised sometime back we need someone like that; to lit the fire under our asses every once in a while. Her video after the Ethiopia-Somalia football match is humiliating and hilarious, maybe that will inspire us to select better players. We need a male version of her to keep the pressure on our sisters as well.

I oppose because: - They are a significant human asset we need to compete with the rest of Africa, many businessmen and many growing companies are located there, a unified Somali Brand would gain us alot in the international markets. - Many historical heritage sites and iconic buildings are located there, from the ancient towns, to the modern ones like Hargeisa. If one combines this with the heritage across the other parts of the country, its clear that we are truly blessed as an ethnic group. - Important major infrastructure not found in the majority of Africa was built there in the pre-war period, we need that to spur the economy forward and it will help us industrialise much faster. - According to the original Union only a country-wide referendum can legitimise any region in Somalia from seceding. The legal issues have not been sorted out(the south having been in a coma for two decades didn't help). Its apparent large parts of "Somaliland" wish to remain part of the Union, this can't be swept under the rug. - Valuable resources from oil to gem-stones are postulated to be in the ground in large quantities, I would be lying if I said I didn't want the rest of the country to have a share of this, much the same way I want the agricultural and mineral resources of others parts of the country to be shared with the Northeast. - They are our people; our children, women and men with the same genetic code, who speak the same language and who practice the same culture and religion, so why would I want to them to seperate?

Jacaylbaro;58882 wrote: What happened to the Moderators ??? ,,,,,,, i thought they don't allow such pictures Hahaha, five years later this comment makes me laugh out loud, it's hilarious. I actually thought at the time that you were a modest type of guy Jacayl, but you were simply testing the waters, and seeing what was allowed, all to secure your future masterpiece; the dirty mind thread.

Emotional.

All drugs dealers are drugs users. If you work in a pie-shop; one way or another you going to eat pies!

Bluelicious;788651 wrote: I'm permanently leaving this place for good. Goodbye everyone! :mad: You shouldn't leave, just don't take the dynamics and comments on SOL to heart. NGONGE used to say; they are just words on a screen, words on a screen, have that as a motto.

Hague confirmed what I have been suspecting the moment the conference was announced, it will be a severe humiliation for the Somali people. No mention of a strong Somali military to replace Amisom, instead they want to keep the embargo in place while funding the AU, rendering the Mogadishu government weak and dependent for a considerable time to come. No mention of the 2012 election, only a vague ''transition must end'', hinting that they have something else ready. Britain sudden interest didn't sit well with me either, this conference was supposed to be in Ankara, but through political wrestling by Britain and the United States it was agreed to have it in London. The foreign superstructure imposed on Somalia in the last decade will become fully transparent by the end of this month, mark my word.

Queenly...............btw, yes I am lol.

Yeah, I prefer babyoil, it smells nice too!

Schizo!

Nerd

Friendly

Castor oil is thick as hell, its like putting glue into your hair, and afterwards you need 15 blocks of soap just to get it out of your hands. Someone told me it would make your hair extra shiny but its tranforming my curls into a wavy straight disaster, causing me to look like some Sicilian mobster.