Originally posted by Isseh: Lol, Val. No dear. I clearly remember when kids use to say..'booyaka booyaka, fi Shabba Rankin' in his ting-a-ling song... Isseh, oh OK. I was refering to the 'Mr Lova lova'/Boombastic song posted by UD. BTW, I thought 'booyaka' came from jungle music? Was it from by Shabba? LoL.

UD, nice. Haven't heard it for ages. This one is from 89 but it colours my memories of the early 90s. Roses are Red by Mac Band.

Gediid aa? May may...waan ka soo hor taaganahay inuu Gediid noqdo a MOD. You heard his threats. Cidina ka ma baxsanayso, guilty or innocent. Forget about making him a moderator, wuxuu u baahanyahay in la xidh xidho. Of course, I say all this out of love. *Flutters eyelashes @ G*

Originally posted by Isseh: underdog, thats shaba ranks for ya... buyeka! I think that's Shaggy. Nostalgic songs.

^ Yaa yidhi? Although MAR hadaad meesha ka dhaqaaqday waa inaan aniguna wax isku falo. Maaha? 'Am cornered' kulahaa. You mean you laid a trap for the poor girl, don't you? Miskiina. Jokes aside, I'm stoked for you. Finally waa lagu rabeynayaa. Yeey! Big fat congratulations!!!

^ Kaalay, where's Euthopia? LoL @ cadaan. Masha'Allah dheh. Inanta ha cawrina!

Baashi, perhaps you should leave words like 'naagshaneeye', 'dhoocil' and 'foodley' out of your posts for the time being. As I understand it, those labels ignited the previous troubles and could be taken as provocative.

Massive congrats to Nino, and Amiin to all the duas. Originally posted by Faarax-Brawn: L0L, for a minute,i thought someone leaked my 411,Naxdin qac Ah, so do I take it there is a wedding on the horizon for you? Good good...about time. You've been on the shelf too long.

Good on her. I wonder though, is she really the first Somali female archaeologist? If so, it's a grand title!

LoL @ Gediid...ha na soo marin. Drama-laden thread! I have previously wondered why the fastest-moving and most contentious section of SOL is being manned by a lone moderator? That's too much work for just the one person surely? Maybe MMA should get some help?

Originally posted by Xalimopatra: Val, hey sis.Career change eh?What sector are you working in at the moment?Yes I was at both of his events at SOAS.How do you know what I look like?and if you do know what I look like why didnt you kick me say hello? I was at the Somali language event and this really, really tall girl in yellow head-gear barged past me and for some reason I thought that was you. I was going to say hello at the end of the talk and see if I was right, but the Q&A session happened and I left early. Is it me or are the Q&A sessions really annoying? The conduct of the audience was kinda appalling. PS-I'm working in the public sector, in regeneration. But I'm thinking of retraining in a more high-skilled field.

^ Easy there. Inta badan dadku waxay sameeyaan danbaa ku khasabtay. That doesn't mean it's not wrong or illegal but markuu isagu ka shaqeeyo a menial job iyaduna illiterate tahay, siday meel London ah oo kale ugu noolaanayaan hadeyna wax isku dhex qasin?

Originally posted by *BOB: Salam Aleikum W.W Don't you like it when we act like Caddaan and take their ridiculous beliefs seriously? Sorry to disappoint you people I'm the child of first cosuins and Alxamdulillaah I'm as healthy as the next man if not more healthy and so are my brothers and sisters marka I would advice you to refrain from Inaad Xaaraam ka dhigtaan wuxuu Ilaahey Xalaal ka dhigay... hadaadan idinka rabin inaad guursataan your cousins...that's your personal choice but don't give me a rubbish excuse that you've read somewhere or heard from a movie you once watched when you first came to the west. :mad: The wicked west, ey? Actually, in the old days northern Somalis (I don't know about the south) hardly ever married within their tribe, let alone within their clan or family. It was a matter of survival - they needed to have allies in other tribes so they could get safe haven and support if they were attacked or at war. So not wanting to marry your own cousins is not 'unsomali' or western. It was actually part of Somali culture. :cool:

^ Farahaa lagaa falay, ey? You remind me of someone. Feel better soon.

Originally posted by underdog: Tsk tsk tsk.... wouldn't have taken you for one of the shallow ones. Really? Why not? Everyone appreciates a bit of totty, surely?

Hi XP, Clothes designer, ey? That's very creative. Actually, I'm kinda considering a career change at the moment, only problem is am not sure which direction I should head in. Imagine that...having a career crisis before 30. Maybe it's that pesky biological clock ppl keep referring to? As for my childhood dreams, they were pretty staid. I just always imagined myself in a suit, in a shiny office...and nothing else. Not very helpful in terms of direction. And pretty sad, considering I only ever wear suits to interviews. PS: XP, I think I saw you at the last SOAS - Prof Samatar talk. Were you there, or am I mistaken?

Originally posted by Khayr: In a blink of an eye, no questions asked, your child is sent away to a foster home - pending an investigation. It's not that simple. More often than not, child services prefer to leave children with their parents or immediate family, sometimes to the extend where those children are put in the path of harm (Victoria Climbie, among others). It might be difficult to comprehend but, although it's always best to keep families together where possible, some children need to be taken away for their own protection. Speak to any Somali social worker, court interpreter or health/welfare worker and you will be shocked to discover the number of children suffering from severe neglect, mental and physical abuse or living in truly appalling conditions. Sometimes, sometimes it's better that some of these children are fostered for their own safety and well-being. Of course, that's not to say that there aren't major problems with the standard and quality of care provided by foster parents and local authorities and it might well be a case of jumping from the pan to the fire, but what's the alternative? The problem is further compounded by the lack of viable Somali foster parents/carers. However, the absurd thing is even if there were couples or even singles who were ready to adopt or foster children, the application and assessment process is so complex and overly invasive that it puts people off! My mother was at one point very interested in taking in a young Somali boy who was put up for adoption by a London council, however when she applied, the council wanted to investigate the background of not only every single person in our household but also everyone we are related to and everyone we were friends with and anyone who comes to visit! It was a ridiculous demand. I mean, I understand the need to ensure that the applicants can provide a safe, healthy environment for the child, but a criminal, medical and financial background check should more than suffice for the household. The level of invasion being proposed was just too much, especially since Soomaalidu intaa wax qarinayso! There wouldn't be a problem if it was just the immediate family being assessed, but when so much information is required from other people it's not really doable. I'm not sure if all local authorities require that much info, but I think some sacrifices are worth making personally. Opening yourself up to government scrutiny and introducing controls on who enters your house and has contact with the children is a small price to pay for providing a vulnerable child with a safe, loving home.

^ Good. The caveman persona suits you to a T. How are you? Good manners should always be encouraged, but I'm not sure how useful a 'fine' gentleman is if he is not 'fine' looking.

^ LoL...maybe haday jiniyo yihiin.

NG, you're just jealous, admit it. Jan is the perfect time to disappear, I think. Lily, it's not really a break as such, I'm sorting out some personal stuff. Cadaan, urgh @ McDs. Have a good time in BC I'A.

Cool.

Formerly Che - your famous macwiis-strip-tease would fix that situation in a jiffy. Adam, get the film Runaway Bride and check out Richard Gere's proposal. That was a good one.

Gotta luv the troll corner, going from exam parties to shaash-saar to gay marriages in a few hours. Guess who is off this week? Moi! Good luck with the daily grind, people. :cool:

Originally posted by Isseh: ^Yeah, call it what you like Val, I've always pigeon-holed into a category of the receivers. But you are allowed to dream. Clarification: Are you saying I'm pigeon-holed or you are? PS: A lot of people lecture, however the successful ones engage, rather than alienate, their intended audience.

^ Says who? LoL...I don't accept a position, I choose it. There is a distinct difference. BTW, didn't you promise to reclaim J11 and stick to it? What's this Isseh business? Fix up, yeah?