"All the warlords were in Parliament or the Cabinet, so there was hope they'd all be rowing in the same direction," said Ali Galaydh , former prime minister of Somalia and faculty member at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. But that unity was fleeting. The president now operates out of the city of Jowhar, about 55 miles north of the nation's capital of Mogadishu, while the majority of parliament is based in Mogadishu . And the president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, has closer ties to Ethiopia than some Somalis are comfortable with, Galaydh said. http://www.startribune.com/stories/722/5770262.html

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: Samaria Warrion, ...you declared your school of thought. Clinging to what time had deemed inadequate tool ( tribal system of governance ), and to that which even defeats its bogus end, signifies the political immaturity of that region... Well said.

An eye for an eye, literally. Did you guys see that? Strangest, "lawful" things do come out of that desert kingdom (only Allah SWT is King). I'm not surprised.

Sounds like a self-inflicted wound. Dude has a high-paying job, is married with kids and owns his own home/car, yet he manages to sink into what they call "a mid-life crisis." What about family men who're raising 5+ kids in refugee camps across the globe: Do they undergo "mid-life crisis" or is theirs more of a "life-time crisis?" Self-inflicted wound, nothing more, nothing less.

LOL The endless cat-and-dog cyberfights continue. A few caught my eye: 6. Bathroom Etiquette II: His Razor is His 10. Driving a Car Safely: A Skill You CAN Acquire 12. Introduction to Parking 19. PMS: Your Problem . . . Not His

A comment is warranted about the Mogadishu based warlords lest this essay is misconstrued as an endorsement of their stance. If the PM and his cabal are incompetent, fraudulent, and disloyal, the warlords of Mogadishu are the mbodiment of avarice . Their myopic, self-serving, and cruel gimmickry is exactly what has exposed our country to Ethiopian exploits, and condemned the Somali people to divisiveness, misery, and humiliation. They are the strategic obstacle to the nation’s cause. Prof Abdi Samater is right on the money. If you actually read between the lines, he's endorsing neither the premier nor the Mogadishu-based warlords. To him, both are two sides of the same coin: inept leaders, who, as he put it, have "exposed our country to Ethiopian exploits." I hope that Premier Ali Geedi can learn from the advice of members of our educated class who were alive during the 1960s and who witnessed a form of Somali self-rule that has yet to be matched. I believe the professor was especially effective in conjuring up Somali heroes of an era long gone - names like Adan Cadde and Abdirizaq Haji Hussein are brought up to remind today's Somali premier, Prof Ali Geedi, that the weight of the nation is on his shoulders, and every sentence or political act will have reverberations for now and for the future. Perhaps Premier Geedi ought to listen to the professor's advice. As far as the source goes, it posted on a couple of websites (Hiiraan Online & SomaliWeyn): http://www.hiiraan.com/op/eng/2005/dec/Abdi_Samater061205.htm http://www.somaliweyn.com/pages/poems/Dec_05/6Dec7.htm Neyruus: You forgot to paste the last paragraph of the article on this thread. I've taken the liberty to post it below: The BBC Monitoring Service reported that Mr. Geedi recently went to Addis Ababa after his visit to the EU, and briefed the Ethiopian Prime Minister before he saw the Somali President, his cabinet, and members of parliament. This was done in secrecy . Conspiracy or credible? Remains to be seen.

An interesting account in regards to the ongoing hijab controversy, in Turkey, the Netherlands and the E.U. as a whole. When did a piece of cloth become so powerful? Pay special attention to the case in the Netherlands and compare it to the E.U. Human Rights Court decision to reinforce the ban on the hijab in Turkey. European Human Rights court upholds Turkish hijab ban by M. S. Ahmed (Sunday December 04 2005) Since it agreed to start accession talks with Turkey in October, the European Union has been highly critical of Turkey's human-rights record, including its treatment of the Kurds, who are concentrated in the south east of the country. But, with the entry talks scheduled to last between ten and fifteen years, it is obvious that the EU does not really want Turkey as a member, although it values it as an economic and political ally – a role which is now enhanced by the West's declaration of the so-called ‘war on terrorism'. It is equally obvious that Brussels is not that interested in securing human rights for the Turkish people or enhanced political rights for the Kurds. If there is one ‘human right' – a highly dubious one in a Muslim country – that the EU is determined to uphold, it is the ‘right' of the secular political establishment to keep at bay the introduction of Islamic rule in a state that was once Islamic. As far as human rights are concerned, little is more basic than the right of a Muslim girl to wear a headscarf in her own school or college – particularly since wearing a hijab does not mean covering up and hiding one's identity. But such a right is denied in secular Turkey, and the EU backs Ankara on this, as a recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights shows. On November 10, the court turned down the appeal by a Turkish medical student seeking to have the ban on wearing the headscarf in Turkish colleges overturned. According to Europe's highest human-rights court, the purpose of the restriction is "to preserve the secular character of educational institutions", adding that the ban met the "legitimate aims of protecting the rights and freedoms of others and maintaining public order." The court made no attempt to conceal the fact that its decision was intended to side with the Turkish secularists against those fighting to have the ban on wearing the hijab lifted. "When examining the question of the Islamic headscarf in the Turkish context, there had to be borne in mind the impact which wearing such a symbol, which was presented or perceived as a compulsory religious duty, may have on those who chose not to wear it," it ruled. It went even further when it added that limitations on the right to wear a hijab could be "regarded as meeting a pressing social need." In 1998 the vice-chancellor of Leyla Sahin's university declared that any students wearing beards and headscarves would be refused entry to classes. Her resort to the Turkish courts failed, so she appealed to Europe's top human rights court, which, not unexpectedly, also let her down by a huge majority : it reached its decision by 16 votes to one. The decision is naturally not an isolated one, since it will affect not only other cases in Turkish courts but also attempts by European Muslims to introduce the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab. Some days after the court's ruling that Turkish law is consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights and with the protection of women's rights in general, a commission in the Netherlands ruled that a Muslim woman has the right not to wear the hijab. The woman in question, 32-year-old Samira Haddad, won her case against the Islamic College of Amsterdam, which insists that all Muslim women wear the hijab. The country's Equality Commission said that the college had discriminated illegally against her on the grounds of her religion. But the dual ruling by the European Human Rights Court and the Netherlands' Equality Commission becomes absurd when applied to give a Muslim woman the right not to wear hijab, while denying another the right to wear it. The fact that the Islamic College of Amsterdam cannot compel Samira Haddad to wear hijab while the vice-chancellor of Leyla Salim's university can force her not to wear it, is more about secularism than about human rights. Small wonder that secular activists in Turkey and those campaigning for EU membership are celebrating both decisions, not least because this has come at a time of intense public debate about secular and Islamic issues in the country. Secularists are particularly eager to exploit the decisions, and the European Commission's frequent criticism of Turkey's poor performance as far as human rights are concerned, to blame Islamic activists for the EU's obvious determination to withhold membership. But the commission – in a transparent attempt to help the secularists and to create the impression that Turkey's Islamic faith has nothing to do with the issue of membership – makes the occasional vague announcement that Ankara is beginning to comply with some membership condition or other. In mid-October, for instance, Reuters quoted it as saying that it would declare Turkey a "functioning market" in November. Since having such an economy is one of the many conditions of membership, Reuters said this would be a boost for Turkey's hopes of joining the EU. But in November the commission issued strong statements on Ankara's human-rights failures and its treatment of ‘Kurdish separatists’. The Turkish government's obsession with EU membership is certainly preventing it from addressing more pressing issues, such as the Kurdish question, its relations with other Muslim countries, the need to resist the virulent war on Islam (disguised as a "war on terrorism"), and the desirability of establishing close relations with the Muslim former members of the Soviet Union, such as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Turkey has closer religious, cultural and linguistic ties with the new states in the Caucasus than either the US or Russia has. Yet it is those two non-Muslim countries that are competing to establish close strategic and economic relations with them, leaving Turkey out. There is an encouraging sign that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, is taking the Kurdish issue more seriously since the recent fatal bombing. Erdogan convened parliament to discuss the bombing, and also paid a rare visit to the southeast of the country. But he and other leaders need to do more to settle this issue, which must never be allowed to divide Turkey, a potentially powerful Muslim country that the enemies of Islam are keen to see split up. http://www.islamicity.com/m/news_frame.asp?Frame=1&referenceID=23709

^^ There are many ways to gain attention and be controversial on this site. This, by far, takes the Olympic Gold. Congrats!

This is most certainly good news, but I wouldn't go as far as call it great news. Its definitely a step in the right direction, for the admins of Garoowe and Hargaysa to swap POWs. But, to me, great news is when the militias of Dahir Riyaale and Cadde Muuse return to their homelands, Hargaysa and Garoowe, respectively. Then, both the SL and PL admins can sit back and let the leaders and civil society of Sool and Sanaag regions decide their collective destiny. When will there be direct, high-level meetings between the two conflicting parties? When Dahir Riyaale and Cadde Muuse - who are both ready to see young Somali men loose their lives for some unknown cause - meet face-to-face, talk about reality and try to find a lasting resolution? When will the Somali citizens of Sool and Sanaag regions be taken out of this political limbo? Good news, indeed. I have yet to see great news emerge out of the pointless border conflict between those two peaceful administrations.

Brother, I don't want to engage in a tit-for-tat debate about Md. Barre Hiiraale, because the argument here is above that of the character of a single individual. I believe this argument reflects on the larger Somali society and has tremendous implications for our core values. Allow me to demonstrate: Originally posted by Kashanre: The man freed Gedo from the clutches of tyranny. As a result, he came to be respected and honoured by his particular social group. He was respected and honoured because of that. Since, as you say, Md. Barre Hiiraale is respected because he "freed Gedo from the clutches of tyranny," then I can safely make an appealing argument for most of Somalia's warlords, for they all profess to having "freed" their social group or traditional land, in one way or another, from illegal occupation or tyranny. That's how they're today's heroes, and are accordingly rewarded with honorable titles like president and minister. I won't debate the fact that Md. Hiiraale is well-respected amongst certain sections of Somali people. So are Muuse Suudi and Ibrahim Xaabsade. But that's precisely the point: all these terrible men exist because some Somalis think they're heroes. P.S. A curious question. When you say Hiiraale freed Gedo from tyranny, are you refering to the invasion of the Tigre army in 1996? I wasn't aware Md. Hiiraale played a key role in the defense against Abyssinian military aggression in those critical days.

Furthermore seyyed hossein Nasr states that “the whole beauty of the Muslim city is turned inward and not outward. The traditional Muslim houses, whether of the rich or the poor, are not that different from the outside. Therefore, excessive inequality in the public eye is prevented. The beauty of the house is to be found mostly within its walls . It is within the house that the joy and serenity which accompanies the worship of Allah and the enjoyment of His Bounties, especially the felicity connected with family life, are reflected.†[/b] That's a very true and meaningful quote. In a nutshell, this ideal challenges the norm of non-Muslim architectural design across the globe, and, at the same time, attests to the true intention of Islamic architectural design. It is an ideal that separates the architectural doctrine of Muslims from that of the non-Muslims, thereby setting the Muslim doctrine in a league entirely its own. A fancy, million-dollar house reinforces the notion of social segregation due to economic standards - and that's not what Islam is about. Islam is about equality and fairness, in matters as diverse as social justice and even architecture. An extravagant house benefits the owner(s); but that same house will undoubtedly attract the jealousy and envy of neighbors and passers-by. Does one really need that? We don’t need to compete for the tallest building in the world as some Muslims are doing, clearly wasting valuable resources of material, manpower and money, for no purposive way as the confession of Twxiid demands of us. The Muslim Ummah is in a sad state of affairs, religiously, socially, economically and politically. Yet, some wealthy Muslims, the relative minority, are busy competing for the world's tallest building or what not. Meanwhile, our Muslim brethren are starving and dying across the globe, in different countries on different continents. Ideally, the Muslim Ummah is supposed to function as a single entity (comparable to the human body) whereby if a part of the Ummah (the body) is reeling in pain, the whole Ummah is supposed to feel that pain and work together to find a lasting remedy. Are we doing that? As a side note and this might help to illustrate one of the author's points, I read an article published by a UK-based paper, The Guardian, following the death of King Fahd and its effect in Spain. Honestly, I was stunned by a revelation I read in that article: "... No wonder, then, that the people of the town grieved the death of King Fahd, declaring three days of official mourning - three more than in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia itself...Yesterday, as the coastal resort got back to some semblance of normality, the locals were left wondering whether Fahd's successor, King Abdullah, would still be needing the family's holiday home - the Nahda complex, which boasts a copy of the White House and several other palaces." http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,2763,1543730,00.html My question, after reading that article, was (and still is): What prompted the late Saudi leader to build an edifice that is the replica of the White House? The late leader was a very wealthy man who could've contracted some of the world's best architects to construct him a building of any kind. Yet, out of all buildings in the world and despite his ability to use imagination, he built a replica of the White House. Did this man believe in America and its ideals so much as to even emulate its base of power? Jazaaka'Laah Kheyr for posting such an enlightening article. I hope it generates more fruitful discussion.

In this Forum, some nomads believe that Cabdullahi Yusuf is not a warlord. Conversely, others attest as factual that Max'd Qanyare and Muuse Suudi don't own roadblocks in Muqdisho. Yet, another set of nomads will defend Barre Hiiraale at all costs, even argue that he's an honorable man. Aren't these divergent and often conflicting views the epitome of the Somali socio-political problem? RELATED NEWS: Wararkii ugu Dambeeyey ee Kismaayo oo Xaley uu isku dhac ku dhexmarey maleeshiyaad Taabacsan Col.Bare Hiiraale iyo ilaalada Col Cabdi cigaal Cabdi-Yare--Allgedo-Muqdisho Ugu yaraan labo qof ayaa ku dhaawacantay,lamina sheegin cid ku dhimatay iska hor imaad hubaysan oo mudo kooban socdey fiidnamadii xaley gudaha magaalada kismaayo oo la xaqiijiyey inuu u dhaxeeyey maleeshiyaad ka tirsan isbahaysiga dooxada Jubba iyo ilaalada Sarkaalka lagu magacaabo Col.Cabdi Cigaal oo maalmahaanba ku kacsanaa siyaasada isbahaysiga dooxada Jubba,oo uu horey ugu tirsanaa,balse mudooyinkan dambe ay soo kala dhexgeleen madmadoow sababey in gacanta leysagu tago. Col.Cabdi cigaal oo saaka u waramayey saxaafada magaalada muqdisho ayaa sheegay in waxii xaley dhacey ay ahaayeen weerar qorsheysan oo lala damacsanaa in lagu qaarijiyo,balse uu ka badbaadey oo labo ka mid ah ciidankiisa lagu dhaawacay,sidoo kale Sarkaal ka tirsan Isbahaysiga dooxada jubba ayaa isna saxaafada u sheegay in arintu ay ka duwan tahay sida uu cigaal hadalka u dhigay,waxuuna sheegay in ciidamo rondo ah oo marayey wadada hormarta gurigiisa ay si kedis ah isugu dhaceen ilaalada Cabdi cigaal israsaaseyn mudo daqiiqado ah socotey. Wararkii ugu dambeeyey ee aan ka helno magaalada kismaayo ayaa sheegaya Col Cigaal uu ka baxay gurigii uu deganaa oo haatan magaalada uu ka degay xaafad kale ,lama oga waxa uu sameyn doono,iyadoo ay jiraan xubno doonaya in arinta wadahal lagu dhameeyo. Iskahor imaadkan ayaa ku soo beegmay xilli seddex maalin ka hor uu Col cabdi cigaal uu wareysi siiyey mid ka mid ah Idaacadaha Muqdisho uu ku sheegay in shir lagu heshiisiinayo labada garab ee dawlada aan lagu qabin Karin gudaha Magaalada Kismaayo,taasi oo la rumeysan yahay inay salka ku hayso iska hor imadkan dhacay fiidnimadii xaley. Allgedo@Allgedo.com http://www.allgedo.com/wararka/kismaayo%20iska%20horimaad.htm

Pay for sex? I believe that service is free across the globe. You just gotta utilize key words that function in an "Open Sesame"-like fashion. Some dudes just aren't born with it. Originally posted by Legend of Zu: I wonder if the similar research was done on Women who pay for sex?... Seems like you're making a difference between those who pay for sex service and those who provide the service.

The truth about the TFG-TopCat deal revealed. Counter-Terrorism Operation:The Politics of the Somali Pirate Hunt December 1, 2005: The proposed cure for the Somali pirate problem has some interesting undertones. An American security firm has been hired, for two years, to patrol the Somali coast and eliminate the pirates. They will probably get some help from the U.S. government. CENTCOM (the American military command that deals with events in the region) has monitored the activity of the Somali pirates closely. There are daily intel updates about it, and U.S. Fifth Fleet devotes a lot of intel to it. Overhead (aircraft and satellites) provides great info. The locations of the captured vessels are known, as are the sites of the pirate bases, which are also known is some detail. Apparently the pirates have actually been seen in the act. There's more than enough info for SEALs or other American special operations forces to take action. So the question is, why not act? Perhaps there's a relative shortage of special operations troops, given the large number of missions they're already doing for the war on terror. Or perhaps it's a matter of policy? CENTCOM may be trying to do more than just remove the pirates themselves, but also develop leads on who's responsible up the ladder (sort of like how the cops often don't bust street-level drug dealers in order to get leads on the distributors). Another possibility is political. Somalia is almost totally broken up into tribal and warlord fiefdoms. The pirates may be bad guys, but the folks they work for may be friendlier to us than some others there. It's a pattern that we've certainly seen in the past. And one that usually comes back to bite us in the *** . Finally, Somalia and "Another Mogadishu," are political hot buttons. No one in DC wants to take the heat for allowing another swing at that tar baby. Spending $60 million to let contract security folks go after the problem seems a safer approach. Maybe the Germans are paying for it was well. One can make a case for NATO doing the anti-piracy work, as there is no taint of Iraq about it, and these pirates have harmed Europeans. Source:Strategy Page, Dec. 01, 2005 http://www.hiiraan.com/news/eng/2005/dec/somali_news01_5.htm

CNN and their pointless polls. It used to be news - now its capital-earning entertainment. Fact remains that this country, America, is today more divided than ever. George has the whole South on his back. They get their news about Iraq from FOX Cable News. Has anyone listened to FOX lately? They went from calling the Iraqi resistance fighters "terrorists" and "insurgents" to flat-out labelling federal prosecutor Fitzpatrick a "liberal sympathizer." As long as George has the media on his side, his seat in the Oval Office will remain well-secured. CNN polls can show growing public discord all they want, but at the end of the day, we have to remember that George is the same cowboy who landed a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier and declared "Mission Accomplished" some years back. Kudos to the Iraqi resistance for giving new meaning to the Somali idiom "ciyaar waa galin danbe." I still stand by my previous comment: That, for George, defeat is not (and has never been) an option. He'll fight till he's the last man standing. The rulers of America don't want another Vietnam legacy to go down in the history books. They've made a mess, true. But they're now more determined than ever to clean up that mess. By any means necessary. White phosphorus found in Fallujah...Anyone? The 21st century, chemical and biological warfare. The science-fiction reality is gradually dawning upon us.

Originally posted by Socod_badne: the same scientist who enabled us to live longer Really? I had no idea that a scientist could make me live longer. But do enlighten me - you seem to know so much, walaal. So, can a scientist (you know, with his "facts" and "evidence") tell me EXACTLY the date and time that I'll die? Better yet, can a scientist (again, with his "facts" and "evidence") prolong my life beyond the pre-set time of death for me? And what happens to a person after he/she dies? We all know that person can no longer breathe. But other than that, what else can scientists with their magical "facts" and "evidence" tell us? There's no soul, there's no God? The same scientists who can cure illnesses, huh. But HIV/AIDS? No cure. Cancer? No cure. Alzeimer's Disease? No cure. Hell...Are you talking about those "same scientists" who can't even find a cure for the common cold? :confused: Don't put too much emphasis on the ability of man. He tries hard, but he always falls short. Just look at yourself. :; Castro: In your latter posts, you asked two interesting questions: Are rich people inherently more intelligent than the rest of us? And: What makes Social Darwinism work in favor of religions (ideologies) and not natural selection? The first question requires some clarification. What kind of rich people - those who worked for the dollars or those who inherited the dollars from their family? I'll assume that you refer to the former. If that's the case, then we have to remember that its all relative. The rich people out here in Western nations are mostly smart Capitalists who know how to manipulate the system to work to their advantage. There are others who are smarter than those rich folks, but who've never had the determination to succeed as they did. That push, that determination, can make all the difference at times. On the second question, "social Darwinism" works more for a religious ideology because that's one of its most basic tenets. In the article above, it says: Social Darwinism was developed some thirty years after Darwin’s famous book by a social thinker named Herbert Spencer. Extending Darwin into a realm Darwin never intended, Spencer and his followers saw society as a competitive struggle where only those with the strongest moral character should survive, or else the society would weaken. Then, one must ask: Where does the notion of morality originate? Who or what system tells humans that one thing is "moral" as opposed to its direct opposite (which becomes "immoral")? The notion of morality itself originates with religion, with the believing in a Higher Being, a universal order beyond the reach and imagination of man. Since the basis and origin of "social Darwinism" is to empower those with "moral" conviction and ultimately render them victorious (against the other, "immoral" humans), then that same ideology doesn't fall short of religion itself. What is a religion without morals? Capitalism, you say?

Darwinism is correct. Because "scientists" told us so? No wonder the conservative movement is gaining momentum. In the Noble Qur'an it says: "Wama khalaqtu aljinna walinsa illa liyaAAbudoon -- I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me." [51:56] All the other crap humans say or write, scholarly or not, is just noise to me. We humans are fragile creatures. When life's good and we're healthy, we're quick to question everything, including existence itself. When we're ill, we're quick to revert back to a belief system, for there's nothing more concrete than Faith.

Originally posted by Rahima: Criticism is of two: constructive and unconstructive. The former will lead to progress whereas the latter just leaves us in the same state. From what I've heard and read, Md. Togane seems to fall under the "unconstructive criticism" category. I'm sure Md. Togane wants his clan to wake up and succeed - but the method he's using is hardly suitable for such a noble cause. Besides, Md. Togane has fully convinced himself (and some nomads here) that "some" Somali clans are living better than others (namely his clan). But last I checked, the whole of Somalia is a dirt poor country of ignorant nomads, drug (qaad) addicts, corrupt "officials" and militia-lords. So exactly how is one clan "better" than any other? :confused: If you agree with Togane's approach and views, then quite simply you need all of our prayers. Need I remind you, ladies and gents, that we're (incl. Md. Togane) all refugees in foreign countries. There are many ways to help our country and our people: we could invest money, go home and volunteer, educate the masses and or fund-raise from the Diaspora. But insulting whole clans of Somalis isn't going to change a single thing. My suggestion is for Md. Togane to find a new approach to express his views.

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: when some one in the caliber of Buchanan Exactly what is Pat Buchanan's caliber? That of a sore loser? The guy campaigned for the U.S. presidency in 1992, 1996, and 2000 -- and lost terribly all three times. So exactly what "caliber" do you speak of? At the end of the day, regardless of what Rep. Robert Murtha, the Senate Dems or the "moderate" Republicans (read: rednecks) say, George will make the final call. He made the call to go to war -- with Congress's approval. And its up to him whether he stays the course or not. I say George, thusfar, has been a man of his word. He'll stay the course -- regardless of whether his popularity plummets and hits rock bottom or internal discord against his regime grows. He's what our Somali people refer to as "macangag." Let's remember relations between George and Capitol Hill: Congressional Relations : Candidate Bush promised to be a different kind of politician as President. As President, Bush has played the hard-nosed partisan and conservative ideologue (on issues other than education). It worked moderately well until Republicans lost control of the Senate. Since then, it has been a formula that has caused gridlock and griping. With South Dakota Democrat Tom Daschle at the helm in the Senate, Bush has been floundering to get anything done on Capitol Hill. And he even seems to be losing control of the Republican House -- mainly because he has shown such little willingness to compromise. How bad are Bush's relations with the Hill? "A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it," he recently joked . Congressional leaders aren't laughing. Hey, Mr. President, "compromise" is not a dirty word. It's the way to get things done in Washington. Overall Grade: D http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/jul2001/nf20010730_347.htm

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005. Has Sh. Ibrahim been brought into court? Nothing about his case in the papers.

"Men Only" topic in the Women's Section. How you figure? :confused:

A very far-fetched attempt to explain a myriad of complex social, political and economic problems spanning over hundreds of years of African history. I think you misunderstood the Professor's original intent. But different people have different ways of looking at things.

ALexus: First of all, those three stories were depressing to read. But since I had the misfortune of reading them, I might as well comment. Your question - "Are these young women addicted to love or are they the products of unrealistic hopes of love?" - is difficult to answer simply from reading stories presented by a third party. The problem is that we (the audience) are getting the story from a one-dimensional viewpoint (yours). But none of us, including yourself, truly knows what's going on inside the minds of those unfortunate girls. However, the way I understand it is quite simple: its life. Sometimes love makes you feel as if you can walk on water and at other times it makes you feel like you want to die. That's life. But if you try to understand love in all its complexities, you'll only confuse yourself more. contrary to popular belief love isn't suppose to hurt. Yet, in all three of the above mentioned cases it's ruining lives. That's because the topic originator only wanted to highlight love stories with negative outcomes. Had she truly looked at love in general, I'm sure many more positive stories would've emerged.

Aniga cid Alla cidii talada wadanka cawaantaan (warlordska) ka qaadeysa waan ku raacsanahay. Tan kale, waxaa mudan in la xasuusto in maanta ay dumarka Soomaaliyeed yihiin laf-dhabarta isu haysta ummada Soomaaliyeed, ileen ragii waxay cadeysteen inay is necebyihiin oona 15 sano kadib diidan yihiin wada-tashi iyo wada-shaqeyn. Allow ragaa naga badbaadi. Aamiin!

Originally posted by Jumatatu: ...but my only question is and was where will the money come from? I have a strong believe that money allocated for rebuilding essential social infrastructure will be derailed in order to meet the cost of the deal. A strong belief, huh. And rightfully so. Let's remember that the man in question here is Cabdullahi Yusuf. Whenever you think that something he's accused of is too prepostrous, then that's when you're actually closer to the truth. Let's also remember that during the warlord-presidential election show in Nairobi, Cabdullahi Yusuf used his status as Puntland pres to fund his campaign, while hundreds of families (all "Reer Puntland") were going through one of the worst droughts in recent memory. And there is no doubt that funds needed for social services and re-construction will be derailed by the Cabdullahi regime. Just as those services were derailed and put into personal use by regimes before him. NONE of Somalia's governments ever worked for the greater good. Don't expect this one to.