Ms Moons, apology on my part, if my posts seem like an attack, not my intention. I read recently an article about the Somali band Aar Maanta giving a small community concert for mothers and their children and some BOZO tried very hard to ruin their fun day, this left a bad electrical taste in my brain. I don't like silly limitations based on gender, or based on expectations, that's what creates polar opposite extremes(Ayaan, Shabaab). If I have daughters, I'm going to have them wear cute little "Sweet lolita" dresses, since from my point of view they are fully-fledged princesses in every sense of the word lol. Expectations and limitations makes us one-dimensional. When I lived in a small Dutch town where we were the only Somali family; at age 10, I passionately pursued gymnastics(turner) and could do the split, while mastering the Pommel Horse perfectly. Then we moved to a large Somali community and like a brick it trashed my aspirations for good. Give Somali teens, a violin or a piano or a chance to become a sports-driver and they will surprise you. Plant the idea, and see it come to life. I tried to do this a few posts back but failed disastrously lol. Juxa, the women I know with the perfect body for these type of dresses are Somali, lakiin now I dare not share my idea with them. I think i'm already weird enough in their eyes kkk.

^I shift genres periodically = rain-check:o. What an adventure:

Vans, I'm sure somewhere in the archives there is a topic, but be fresh and post your own one (or in the words of Marx/Alpha-Blondy create your own niche on SOL).

Ms Moons that's some good stuff there, I really like Jason Chan;

Yes, a paradise we can easily reclaim as ours, and make it far grander and more beautiful than before. Im confident we will achieve this one day in the near future!

Naxar, but they keep your toes warm during winter-time, and that's the main objective! KK, Axmed sees huunos & honeys everywhere he goes; be they trees, cars or goats, so i'm not surprised. Thanks!

Somalina;708878 wrote: Wuu diidey already, marka save your energy. Dekeda iyo airtportka ayaa ku filan mushaar haddii laga hadlaayo, taxes laga aruuriyo suuqyada iyo ganacsadata kumaba jiro. The government's budget is larger than those of all of the regional administrations combined, the sea-port and the airport have alot to do with that. I reckon when more of the Capital is reclaimed, the government will be in control of an economic center generating $billions. Plenty of opportunity there to tax. I fully support this rare moment of Somali self-respect & dignity coming from the Prime minister and his team! The UN has become an obstacle to peace, those third-rate African Island-ian politicians need a good dose of reality; Somalia is a full member-country of the UN and a sovereign state, regardless of what shady-entities would like to project.

I think any type of tasteful fashion could interest 'Somali girls', they are girls after all. I asked you to elaborate because in your previous post I sensed a hint of the dreaded "specialization syndrome"; where you put all the sisters in a particular box very different from the one containing all the other girls on the planet. There is nothing more affectionate to a man/husband than a woman/wife that has the cuteness factor. Innocence and purity are great virtues, and I see no reason why our sisters shouldn't wear the type of tasteful clothing that refreshes their lives on multiple levels. (this doesn't necessarily have to be the clothing-style I proposed). On a summer-day, this: with this: Is elegant and beautiful!

, Alright Sons of Wilwaal let's discuss our wardrobe. Due to processed food, a flourishing gym culture and mainstream occidental influences; the new generation of Somali men is bigger built and more fashion-inclined then their fathers and those before them: Standard Levis with: and: = me

Why only them?

I don't like these different mini-states, but if they result in long-term stability for the people there then I'm very much a supporter! Though this initiative should have been established in the early 90s/2000s, as it would have prevented alot of destitute people from having to flee to a camp without running water in a neighbouring country, or drown at sea. A new regional city should be established in the area they control now, similar to Garowe. bilan;707593 wrote: Goodluck to them, I hope they can do something for the people in these regions laakiin I doubt anyone can solve Kismaayo issue, I believe that city will be the last place to be sorted out, but I never understood what is so good about Kismaayo, qandho kulayl iyo huuno badan, no offense to real reer kismaayod people. Not from Kismayo, but that city is very important; it has a a sizable population and relatively good city-planning, not to mention an advanced seaport, and an established airport. The extremists knew this when they rolled in, which is why they decided to place their HQ there. It's very vital that the government reclaims that city if it wants to achieve permanent peace.

Vans;706885 wrote: Why thank you Chimera . I'll pass that on to Liban inshAllah. Visit Somalia and give us a taste of our own motherland ban ku dhaha. Vans, make sure you pass him a few pics posted in this topic of mine, so he'll have a preview of what is to be found back in the motherland. BTW: what type of Camera does he use for his pictures?

Sisters you're drifting away from the innovative path of your female ancestors. I sketched a few Somali-Espana dresses a while back and they make sense. Its a bit like Japanese-Lolita: A peaceful cosmopolitan Somalia would grab my idea with two hands and dub me Fashion emperor, but alas that's a different reality.

Aaliyah, what's your opinion on my suggestion to include the cute Espana dresses to Somali Fashion? They are full of character and life. Most of the Spanish sisters (depicted in the stamps) in less than a second can accelerate to top speed when in a hurry or when in danger(like from a herd of bulls), because the dresses are designed that way. As beautiful as the Dirac & guntiino dresses are, in the end they are not designed for everyday life, and mobility is highly reduced.

Somali sisters wearing Somalified 'espana' dresses = mighty cuteness: They're elegant, brightly coloured, and the mere sight of them would put a smile on your face.

Warya, Alpha-Blondy, are you trying to create a niche for yourself on SOL? Shame on you!

People who drink Coffee 11 of 10 times have smelly breath, bad teeth and resemble crack-addicts with their weird twitches. Me? I drink a magma-shake - derived from the volcanoes of Iceland - every morning with my cornflakes, because it makes my chest go rock-hard.

Did you arrive safely sis?

There are currently 9 users browsing this thread. (2 members and 7 guests) Chimera *Ibtisam+ Michael Jackson Gandhi

Paragon;400570 wrote: I once had a conversation with a friend who is not afraid to extend the boundary and horizon of analytical thought. This friend and I had talked long hours about the essence of (real) life and dream. The contention of our conversation, I confess, was an offshoot from common belief and conception of the roles of dream/s and reality. I started the conversation by indicating that life in essence is one figment of a continual dream and that dream is the true and permanent status of man kind. The purpose of my saying so becomes clear if one considers carefully the already existing evidences. In all revelations to humanity, one trend of describing life has been common in all belief systems. The common thing in all monothystic religions is 'pre-destination' of events and actions in our lives. First, there was predestination. Second , creation. Third , there would be death. Forth, there would be resurrection. Fifth , there would be permanence. So in this order, although it could mean that we were not created first as flesh and bones, our souls existed before the creation of bodies and minds. But with creation came what is called life. If life wasn’t there then it would mean we would have existed as a soul only and in dream. Paragon, you should watch LOST, great series that will leave you wondering at times whether it's all a dreamworld, or not. There is a story that I periodically work on set in Gondershe, Somalia that goes through the Five steps that you mentioned above and revolves around a Somali couple that are blessed with twin-boys. One however is enticed by the devil, the other son is near perfect, yet they are inseperable and therefore feel when the other is in pain or in joy, hence the Fifth destination tests their bond to the fullest. btw how is your writing project progressing?

Great contributions Vans, you're a very interesting new member! It's a pity guys like Liban Yusuf can't visit any of Somalia's epic landscapes and historic cities and make the same type of amazing panoramic images. One day, Insha-allah!

Positive, Somalis were re-inventing themselves in the pre-war era, but bad economic policies combined with a war returned everything to zero. If we take the examples of other previously dis-united groups like the Japanese, the Italians and the Germans, all of them progressed mentally and socially when their march towards unity ushered in vast economical transformations across their territories in the form of a Industrialization campaign. The average Somali man & woman in the prewar era were Africa's biggest nationalists, Pan-Somalism was the most intense movement wishing to change Africa both politically and geographically. Not even Pan-Africanism led by great men such as Nkrumah(who supported Pan-Somalism) came as close to realising their goals the way Somalis were just an edge away from achieving their dreams. These Somali men and women distanced themselves from their petty clans the way a century earlier the Bavarians, Prussians and Saxonians distanced themselves from their petty kingdoms and returned to the international arena as Germans. We shouldn't ignore this important historical episode, for these were Somali men and women who volunteered to become soldiers and sacrificed so much for a noble ideal that transcends "clan & tribal values". They entered battlefields fighting heavily equipped armies including superpowers to free those oppressed. There is no doubt in my mind had the Dervish come out victorious in the 1900s, or had the Bevin Plan been realised in the 1940s, or had the Soviet Union not intervened in the 77' war we wouldn't be in the situation we are now. In the first scenario we would enjoy the same status as the newly founded Turkish Republic. In the second scenario there wouldn't be a reason for us to fight wars, and all spending would be directed to societal programmes and infrastructure. In the third scenario the undisputed victory of the Somali Armed Forces would propel any living Somali into a state of euphoria and solidify the forward looking progress that was made so far. Therefore Somalis are willing to change if there is a real reward. This is where my earlier point in the first paragraph [of this post] comes into play: Industrialization. Somalia's work-force is estimated at 3.7 million, this is based on decades old information. I reckon it's more around the 6 million mark by now, with a population of 11/12 million( many of them self-employed in the form of vendors, shops and groceries). Somali entrepreneurs have the monetary capacity to establish in the next 10 years; 2000 small-medium-large factories & businesses in Somalia( with any person from the Somali Civilizational Network being elligable for the job-opportunities, though Somali Urbanites would profit the most from these investments). Let's disintergrate this a little bit: - If each of the first 1000 Factories & businesses employed roughly 250 people = 250 000 jobs - Another 500 Factories & Businesses employing 150 people each = 75 000 jobs - Another 400 Factories & Businesses employing 200 medium skilled people people each = 80 000 jobs - Another 75 Factories and Businesses employing 400 highly skilled people each = 30 000 jobs - The remaining 20 factories and businesses would be large companies similar to Hormuud & Dahabshiil that employ atleast 4000 skilled people each = 100 000 jobs. - The remaining 5 factories & businesses would belong to Somali conglemerates that each employ around 100k people = 500 000 jobs TOTAL = 1,035,000 new jobs in the Live-stock & farming sector, Telecommunication sector, Energy & resources sector, Transport sector and many others. Such a revitalization of Somalia's economy tapping into the immense potential that can be found in the agriculture, service sector & manufacturing industry, would automatically have a positive domino effect on the transport industry(Ports, air-traffic and truck-driving). With families being able to spend more; the domestic markets would grow immensely too, and it would not be far-fetched to say that in such a scenario atleast 40-50 000 jobs are created annually, which is an extremely healthy rate for an African country. Somalis have another potential ace up their sleeve and that is Tourism. In Morocco, tourism employs around 700000 people. What do the Morrocans have that we don't? - Epic historic cities? = CHECK! (two examples) - Paradisicial beaches and bays? = CHECK! Garacad Berbera - Mysterious sand dunes & other romantic landscapes? = CHECK! 　 Shalambood Calmadow Unlike Moroccans and other Tourist powerhouses we have the potential to draw in more visitors in the form of Safaris by rebuilding the destroyed habitats of our Animal Kingdom, and breeding healthy numbers of elephants, lions, zebras etc to prewar levels. I estimate that from tourism alone we have the potential to generate $8 billion a year( that is more than what Sudan makes from Oil, and oh yeah we have Oil too:cool:). With such a robust economy, the infrastructural landscape of Somalia would change into a modern sophisticated network of roads, highways and possibly railways. The fruits of industrialization; people become more mobile, they see more of the country and the world. They become more cosmopolitan in mind, and begin to understand that there is more to the world than their own little tuulo. The economic fortunes generated in turn gives birth to a MIDDLE-CLASS in our society. The most stable and equal countries in the world are those with a strong middle-class that defend the average person's rights from the upperclass(elite). In Somalia there was always only the working-class and the Elite(government), with nothing in between. I believe this was one of the reasons why everything turned out the way it did. There is however a bright light illuminating itself through the ashes of war, and that is an increasingly self-reliant Somali society with multiple companies and centers of commerce, a bottom-up approach that strengthens the average person, family and society in general. If this could be combined with long term stability and perfect economical reforms, by the end of this decade the average Somali family would be atleast 15 times more wealthier, secure and content in their lives than today. 　 Which should be the goal of every living Somali man & woman.　 　 　 　

5;705686 wrote: Chimera , Mustafa's death was really sad! Perhaps a little too sad for kids even(?) Ever seen "The Land Before Time"? Yep, great film! Still got it somewhere on VHS, but I haven't seen it for a decade or more, and only remember bits and pieces; they lost their parents, a T-Rex stalks them, and they are on a quest to find some paradise type of lake in the midst of a climate change.

Vans;705570 wrote: Python swallows baby in Okada A python swallows a baby in Okada, Edo state Article | March 22, 2011 - 11:35am | By Emmanuel Chidiogo A python, yesterday, swallowed a baby at Okada, Edo State. Witnesses say the snake, measuring about 10ft long, swallowed a six-month-old baby that was left abandoned outside a house. The baby was reportedly left on a mat outside, while the mother went inside. A witness, who claimed to have arrived the scene as the snake was in the process of swallowing the baby, raised an alarm. People rushed to the scene and killed the snake, but were too late to save the baby. Source: http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/brief-python-swallows-baby-edo RIP to the baby! Terrible, terrible fate!

Amazing 3-D street paintings by Kurt Wenner: