whats so big deal about this. Is the mention of our prophet's name in the Quran not enough. If for example, something that look like the name Bush as George Bush appears in the sky, then what you gonna do about that, believe him as chosen? Some people want you to believe and not question anything that helps to farther their idealogy even if is gonna cause disaster in this earth.

well, not by a popular vote. But their clan representatives and warlords agreed to have the TFG to lead them. The problem was not that they agreed to have the TFG as their government, but the TFG leadership have failed them. It is just like letting hyna to be the caretaker of your sheep once it promises that it no longer eats them.

This is shame! Innocent people are getting killed by the government they thought will bring stability in their country.

How many more civilians have to die in Mogadishu before the TFG supporters, not the blind TFG supporters, will say enough is enough and withdraw their support from the criminal government. However, this does not mean to topple the TFG because she is already going down the drain. IT will be some foreign troops that want to linger around for a while.

" Hussein Aidid’s work of art If a war would start between Eritrea and Ethiopia, it should be partially called the masterwork of the Somali genius DPM Hussein Aidid. Once labeled as one of the most loyal figure to the transitional government and to the Ethiopians, now he almost single-handedly broke the back of the transitional government when he switched sides late in this Somali crisis and went to Eritrea." He knew that the boat carrying the TFG is about to sink, or he is going to help sink the boat as the following paragraph shows. "For example, after the Ethiopians and the Somali government forces defeated the Islamists, Hussein Aidid unexpectedly called Ethiopian troops heroes and erratically contemplated about Somalis & Ethiopians using the same passport. Thus he effectively sent a nation wide rage, suspicion and more hate towards the Ethiopian troops. His comments also made other Diaspora Somalis, who are extremely nationalistic, distrust the transitional government even more. Such “shock effect” was what was really needed to take the mistrust & skepticism between the transitional government and the people of Mogadishu into a higher and more dangerous level." He is sort of the mastermind... of whatever you wanna call it. I think most of the Somalis agree that some sort of conference, for a temperary council to rule the country before the creation of a government in Somalia, should start immediately inside the country since the death of the TFG is coming sooner than expected.

^ it is in the article, so read the whole article.

I was just talking about the reliability of different brands. Usually, Kia, even brand-new, wont last as good used toyota. So, all I am saying is be careful of the sales people when buying a new car!

with just few tune-ups now and then, you need to buy a good old husband first that will carry you and the future kids and the kids from the previous marriage. just kidding ok. But I agree with bada cas, a good toyota camry, even if used one, is reliable as good used husband.

Elysian, what do you do at the lab. I am guessing that you're not talking about a clinical lab. Because you do not usually find liquid nitrogen there unlike fertility laboratories. Is that were you work, a fertility lab?

1. Put on a rubber surgical glove with a hot dog then stick in one of the fingers. Put the hot dog in the liquid nitrogen and then, to the amazement of your friends, smash your finger with a hammer. 2. Get a boiling water and pour some liquid nitrogen in it. Enjoy the hell of clouds shrouding the floor. 3. This is fun: Freeze a banana in liquid nitrogen and use it as a tool such as to hammer a nail.

"Artillery shells are landing everywhere." AFP "The UN humanitarian office said government forces were choking relief supplies, UN aircraft were being shot at, corpses were lying in the streets of the capital, while a cholera or diarrhoea epidemic was taking hold and new flooding was likely soon." AFP "More than 200,000 people have fled Mogadishu since February, the UN refugee agency said." The Boston Globe IF that is not a genocide to you, then you're probably a heartless individual. I am hoping those politicians who are still in the TFG ranks would leave the regime and condemn the cruelty of the TFG against the Mogadishu population. What happen to the Somali clan leaders and elders of not condemning these genocide that is happening under their noses. Their silence could be taken as a prove of support to the indiscriminate killings of the Mogadishu residents. This is a genocide that is sponsored by foreigners and being committed by the TFG which is an internationally recognized government like the regime of Siyad Barre.

^^ shame on you! Everyone here is avoiding you because you do not seem to have wanting a healthy depate. I will advice you brother, think before you write on SOL white-board. We do not have a Somali clan that owns another clan. No clan is superior than another, so we need to respect each and every clan of ours. Remember, we are here to depate not to belittle each other.

It looks this issue is a religious one. If it was a satety issue they would have introduced other safety procedures such as more drainages and nonslippery floors on bathrooms. ps. I hope sister hawdgirl wont hit me on the head for saying that.

Because 97% of Somaliland people voted for secession. Brother xiin, if that is not enough, I don't know what else more grander than this you want to hear.

Good solution wouldn't you say, since Somalis aren't complex thinkers to begin with? This reminds me why each guy who was elected as president in Somalia for the last sixteen years has not succeeded. We saw Ali Mahdi followed by Abdikasim Salat and now A. Yussuf. They all share one thing, short sightedness. I liked Abdikasim but he committed a political suicide once he talked like Qadafi. He could have pulled Somalia out of the mess if he could have strained his tongue and talked more about regional cooperation instead of war. He was a nice guy but he understimated Ethiopia and the western countries. He went straight to the trap when he started to act like Sudan. Nothing wrong to be a firm leader but not when it leads you to a political suicide. Abdilahi Yussuf is the opposite. He knows what the regional powers and western countries want to hear. But, he is soft to nepotism. He does not act as the president of Somalia, but sees himself as an uncle and concerns more about the legacy of his clan than his legacy as president of Somalia.

This notion of Somaliland declaring independence is something I thought hard on and attempted to rationalize , but it really does not make any sense. xiin, you do not need to waste your time to think about why Somalilanders want to secede. This was an issue that cencerned only the people who reside in Somaliland. Once all representatives of different clans gathered in Burco, it was the right decision and an easy one to make. Since then, Somaliland people are enjoying the fruits of their hard-worn peace, competing each other for getting ahead fairly, and joining political parties. In contrast, Somali children are dying from strayed bullets, women are being raped, and innocent people being killed for belonging to the wrong clan if not for their cell phones. Don't you guys see such obvious contrasts between the two. Somaliland would not Join Somalia cuz it would be a politically suicidal. But I hope you guys will soon see the light!

The Somali resistance includes people from many different clans and a diverse range of backgrounds. However, the TFG and its foreign armies are selectively bombing certain areas in Mogadishu.

Miskin, Where are the young Somali nationalists? I am not hearing any young nationalist groups that are actively invoved in Somali politics. May be you talking about the 'fadhi ku dirir.'

The people's resistance is growing stronger each day while the TFG is getting weaker. Be honest my friend, don't you think calling the TFG death as imminent is an informed guess, especially when the TFG is resisting to change their tactic of selectively crushing resistance from certain subclans? I am hoping that southern Somalia will once again have a peace as it happen under the brief ICU rule. However, I hope this time the group that will rule Somalia would be a group that would not be dominated by extremists.

Ngonge, first, TFG death is imminent cuz its leadership relied only on power to crush resistance. They ignored the advice from the world powers to not only subdue the resistance but to negotiate with them also. Secondly, the ICU resistance has changed to clan resistance and that shows the TFG failed to address the greivances from the subclans that were opposing the foreign invasion. Now, we know that crushing ICU does not bring any more legitimacy to TFG. They are less popular and getting weaker. I wont be surprised to see the withdrawal of foreign troops in the coming months cuz of frastration and lack of progress.

^ I think Somalis have learned a lesson from all those conferences mediated by foreign bodies in foreign lands. I believe majority of the Somali people are now aware that a succesful reconciliation depends on a balance of power sharing. It is all about 'give and take.'

Would the Somali leaders, politicians and elders once again come together for a reconcialiation inside their country to sort out differences and create a representative government?

Changing your point of view when realities on the ground change is a courageous act. That does not mean you deserted the people you once supported but it means they deserted you and your consciousness wont let you to follow them any longer unless they change.

I am sure Somalis have done their best to create a representative government for their country. However, the TFG leadership have destroyed that hope by serving the interest of some and ignoring the majority of the Somali population. Instead of taking advice from elders and Somali educators they relied on power and foreign army. This was a political suicide committed by the TFG, and now its death is imminent.

Hope other criminals who hide behind the religion to kill other muslims and innocent people would see this as a lesson that SL people wont tolerate such acts and ask Allah for forgiveness before it is too late.