GG, i was just about to remark on your frivolous post above when i realised it's Christmas eve tonight, so i thought i'd leave you be , dont want to ruin the spirit of what must be a jubilant and joyous occassion for you Bon Noel!

I'm sure you have DS, here's the site , click on the 'Maqal' links on the right Thats a flawed comparison GG, as you probably know! E: Perhaps i should expand on that, what firm makes the clothes of some Santa is a lot less important than the 'identity' of the iconic theme tune of the longest serving, most listened to Somali radio station.

Read the first part of my sentence Also, not unlike most of us here i've grown up hearing this theme music, and it always sounded beautifully Somali to me.

Undeniably it is the most recognised tune in the Somali Diaspora, but does anybody know what it is, and where its from?

Add enough sugar {PS. It became a question when you decided to answer it.} Have you ever seen a famous piece of art?

what the devil is that? What was the last thing that captivated you?

Seeing my parents smile Have you ever been in mortal peril?

Allah's Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: Allah drew the ends of the world together for my sake. I have seen its eastern and western ends. The dominion of my Ummah will reach those ends which have been drawn together near me and I have been granted the red and the white treasures. I begged my Lord that my Ummah should not be destroyed by famine, nor be dominated by a foreign enemy who will take their lives and destroy them root and branch. My Lord said: Muhammad, whenever I make a decision, there is none to change it. Well, I grant you that your Ummah will not be destroyed by famine, nor will it be dominated by a foreign enemy who will take their lives and destroy them root and branch, even if all the people from the different parts of the world join hands together (for this purpose). However, it will be from amongst them, viz. your Ummah, that some people will kill or imprison the others. *No bloodshed among the people of my Ummah, but He did not grant it * *Sahih Muslim Hadith, Hadith 6906 Narrated by Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas* The state of Muslims worldwide today, is not one to be proud of, yet history metes out both highs and lows, so things will improve IA

So 60% of the population in the capital, and 200 000 in the last month alone have all gone on for a holiday into the countryside?

Lets worry about all this next millenium, this millenium lets concentrate on regaining Somalia .

In the context of Somaliweyn, Dirir Dhaba(along with Jigjiga)is a key city for us in ******ia, Harar on the other hand, belongs to the Harari and the Oromo, even though we have been integral in its history. Both these cities Ethiopia will never relinquish, Dirir Dhaba is the 2nd largest city in the country, and Harar is a world heritage site.

Somewhere down the line, we'll see multiple Diaspora based political groups, but an army is unlikely to say the least.

Do you think there is such a thing as an instinct or a 6th sense? That can vaguely be described as a strong feeling about something that has no explanation behind it but causes you to pause and think hmmmm? Instinct is a strange beast. Your instinct is seldom wrong, yet as it is a subconscious thought process - it doesnt 'get' the whole picture- the underlying issues it merely responds to and provokes emotion (anticipication, frustration, unease etc), nor does it always kick in at the right time. That is why we often doubt our instincts, but i believe they are programmed to kick in response to a concrete (well, what seems concrete by your brain) threat. And if you attempt to think through the problem at hand, then you will probably find a reason as to why your instincts steer you in one direction as opposed to another. Of course the reasoning might be faulty, and that is why it is wise not to blindly follow your instincts.

Science fits nicely in the General/Debates sections. Whilst Somali history is a special topic a Somali forum should have.

yaa sidhaa kugu yiri?

If anything we need a Somali history/culture section.

You're looking at 5 (0r 4 if you already have a degree)years of Medical School, and getting into medical school is one of the hardest obstacles you'll face. Age, is not as big an issue as you might think, the last thing mature students who get into medicine think about is their age. It is not unusual to see 40-something (invariably female) students - with a partner & children. once you graduate- you're set loose on Hospitals, where you simply join the medical workforce, albeit at the bottom of the foodchain. 2 years of foundation(4 month-rotations between different areas of Medicine), followed by specialisation, which can be between 3-8 years, depending on the speciality you wish to pursue, it takes 4-5 after Medical school to become a fully qualified GP, it takes double that if you're going into surgery. So if you want to go into Medicine, thats the route you will be taking.

I'm highly skeptical. In his first exposure to the media he hasn't taken the opportunity to tell the public that he wants the Ethiopians out at the earliest opportunity(he could have used that to goad opposition to enter talks), nor has he indicated reconciliation is his first priority. The developments in the next week or two will tell all.

This is the grim reality of anarchy. GALKAYO, Somalia, October 25 (UNHCR) – When the two buses from Mogadishu finally reached Galkayo, everyone aboard felt relieved even though the road had been paved with militiamen robbing passengers at gunpoint and five women had been raped. Once in Galkayo, the second largest city in Puntland in north-eastern Somalia, the women joined the belt of settlements sheltering displaced families that has grown around this city due to a recurrent civil conflict over the past 17 years. But although Galkayo's relative stability attracts civilians, sexual violence remains part of daily life in many settlements where internally displaced people (IDPs) gather. After years of war, rape has become a threat to women in Somalia when they move along roads, due to the presence of militia at illegal roadblocks. They are also at risk in IDP settlements located on the outskirts of towns such as Galkayo, which are too isolated to be secure. In the IDP settlement where 33-year-old Hibo* lives in Galkayo, security has improved slightly since a small police station was built nearby, but she said three women were still assaulted each night. "One evening, armed thugs came and began to beat my sister, trying to drag her out," she told UNHCR. "I shouted so loudly that it attracted several neighbours and the gunmen ran away." As a widow with no man to protect her and no solid door to lock, she was a prime target for rapists. As she talked, a teenager living in the settlement proudly made gestures with a large stick. "The moment I hear a woman shouting, I come with friends to chase away the bad guys," he said, even though his stick would be no match for an AK-47. Hibo was expecting little help from the police. "They cannot do anything and the culprit might take revenge if I dare complain," she said. On the other side of town, 45-year-old Hawa* did not go to the police even though she had been raped the night before while making her way to work at the butcher's before sunrise. Instead, she headed to a local women's non-governmental organization (NGO). As she belonged to a minority clan, she thought the police might be reluctant to act against her attacker, who belongs to a powerful local clan. "The man held a knife under my throat and told me to open my legs," she told UNHCR. "Once he had raped me, he searched me and stole my purse. Then he spat on me and called me a whore." She was found by shopkeepers who brought her to the hospital. "Now my body hurts inside as well as outside and I am too afraid to ever walk back to work." Her rapist tried to enter her house the day after he had attacked her, but left quickly as her neighbours were close by. "I have nine children and no husband, so I came to this NGO hoping they could help me financially now that I cannot work," she said. Softly holding Hawa's hand was Farhia, an aid worker who explained there was not much she could do due to a lack of funds. "All I can do is console raped women and encourage them to describe their ordeal so that they feel a little better," she said, before underlining that rape remained a strong taboo in Somali society. "A young woman who has been raped will not be able to find a husband, while a married woman is frequently thrown out by her husband," she explained. Survivors who have been seriously hurt are sent to Maryan's women's clinic. A nurse, she said that rape had been a Somali disease ever since the central government collapsed 17 years ago. "Women are raped almost daily on the isolated outskirts of the town. We systematically do a tetanus shot; since young Somali women are genitally mutilated and infibulated, rapists always use a knife to rip their vagina open." Blood transfusions are often needed since many victims are stabbed. "We also encourage them to talk because we want to make sure they won't commit suicide. But sometimes we find out the truth only when it is too late," Maryan said. "We cared for several pregnant women who looked perfectly normal. Once they delivered, they killed their baby. This is how we understood that they had been raped." In a society where rape is taboo, perpetrators are rarely brought to justice. Cases are usually dealt with through traditional means, with the attacker having to pay compensation to the victim's father or husband, but never to her. "When raped women come, they are so ashamed that they feel as if they were already dead," the nurse explained. To ensure survivors of sexual violence receive support, a network of UN agencies – including UNHCR, UNFPA and UNICEF – has launched a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) prevention and response plan. It is meant to be implemented with local partners, such as medical providers and civil society organizations, to strengthen health-care capacities, train local psycho-social counsellors and raise awareness about sexual violence in Galkayo. Awareness-raising is being further strengthened to support local efforts to prevent SGBV from occurring in the first place. The plan will build upon local NGOs, where fully committed Somali men and women intend to put an end to sexual violence. Galkayo hosts an estimated 50,000 internally displaced persons. By Catherine Weibel in Galkayo, Somalia * The names of survivors have been changed source: Reuters

Whatever happens, i hope it happens soon. E: Also the Ethiopian role in this is unclear. What are they trying to do? Have they initially wanted Geedi out, and after realizing that Geedi is not about to vanish without putting a fight in the Parliament and has enough cash to buy votes, changed their mind? Or have they realized that this project is a failed crop, and started to commence plan B, which means erecting the third client entity in the post-civil war Somalia, namely Benadirland? Are they crowning Geedi and helping him establish credibility within his community by misleadingly speaking hostile words against what went wrong? Where does that leave the American factor? Have they also reached the same conclusion? The Ethiopians are simply watching how things unfold or rather collapse - they won't hurry to help push the political agenda of the TFG forward. They do not favour their old comrade Yusuf enough to help take decisive action against Geedi, nor are they constructively aiding Geedi whenever he flees to Addis. For them, further discord is even better than propping up a vassal government.

I found this gem of a video on Youtube. It starts of with a brief history of the Sayid's struggle, and more interestingly goes on to talk about social issues in the country (During Siad Barre's reign.

Yep. Some real wisdom from Tyrion there.

The concept of the superior entity and of 'intelligent design' is the only real explanation to the mystery that is humanity and its surroundings. Logic is but a tool,flawed inherently by the simple fact that we humans make mistakes, don't see things, and generally aren't as smart as we think we are. It is interesting to note that fathers of modern logic, the ancient greeks themselves used it to assert the existance of the eternal Creator. Using logic to point to supernatural involvement, is of course a much easier job than using to establish their is no Greater Being- One is like fishing for puzzle pieces which would prove the puzzle isnt of a particular design, and the other like completing a puzzle who's design you already know. And many religious scholars have fallen into the trap of manipulating verses of holy scriptures to fit some shred of scientific literature. What is important is to approach all science with an open mind, because i doubt we will encounter definitive scientific evidence in our lifetime to convince everyone in believing one or the other. Djib, being enamoured with large words and being prone to spelling mistakes don't go well together sxb .

some helpless Muslim Scholar from Cambridge University of all place If only they invited Timothy Winters (a.k.a. Abdul hakeem Murad) a great scholar of that same establishement. Although Jenkins had some valid points.

Jaadka hasnt done their appearances any favours, but their singing wasn't half bad