Ok, we all agree that somali is the right word..but where did somalien(an) come from? i wonder!

Haniif, true. we had a similiar exodus some few years ago in which many somalis have been airlifted from refugee camps in kenya. (I guess people called them Fligh13) I have no idea where that flight number came from, but there is a similarity with today's so called somali bantus. I remember reading somewhere then about somali(something being resettled in western world). The so called somali bantus are somalis and if differentiating them from other somalis would help them get a better life, waa allah mahadi. They have been opressed by other somalis (we are very prejudical) and I just hope that they would stick to the somali traditions and enhance somalinimo. so, in short use the bantu name to get sharci but on arrival call yourselves somali.

Thank you(Teneg yu to borrow a line from Qabyo)! very appreciative of the warm wlc and the relatively "civilised" manner of the discussions. I have alot to learn before I fully commit myself to some of the threads (as a novice, I have no idea what the icons stand for LOL) and I have realised that most of you have signature, some images beside your names etc. I have to learn how to do that! LOL Mahadsanidiin mudanayaal iyo marwooyin sida sharafta leh ee aad iigu soo dhoweyseen meeshaan. WAAN ISKU LEENAHAY!

salaama, jamaal I agree 100%. as long as a country has the capacity to feed its people, through agriculture, wax kale waa suubis(luxery). A nation's wealth does not depend on export/import quota but the homegrown produce.. that is of course if it managed well!

salaama, Very true, indeed a third of the world's single Tuur camels (promedeur) do live in somalia. But what do those statistics really say? I would assume that half the world's warthogs live in somalia too! I think it is time we rethink the camelasation of somalis!

one comment to this heated issue: I realised that most of you used the sentence "allah ha u naxriiste, marxuum etc". How on earth would you ask for mercy for people who are responsible for the deaths of many innocent somalis? I would say "God rot them that killed innocent victims to a life in burning hell!". all of them idiots who betrayed the somalis! I think you could end up in hellfire if you ask allah to forgive warlords and brutal dictators! Anytime we mention the name of past and present warlords (we should add "naarta allaha haka waraabiyo)!

Salaama, I am aware that there is a marketing aspect to calling ourselves nomads. Indeed the world appears to view nomadism and camel herding as exotic. This love for nomadic way of life (which ironically was seen by many somalis as a primitive way of living back there in africa) is visible in this forum. (we proudly display ourselves as nomad- look at the name of this thread for instance1 ) chances are that not many of us have had the honour to taste camel milk! yet again we pride ourselves with four legged animal. but let us take a few minutes to reason here: Is somalia really a nation of camels? My guess is that most somalis are either farmers or entrepreneurs (LOL), small business. In addition there are some fishing societies. indeed camel herding is practised in various parts of our huge land area, but it is arguably not as widespread as cattle herding or sheep/goat herding, and in essence comes a poor four! The camel in the somali culture has contributed to the many myths such as what our cultural heritage is. if you don't use a term that incorporates camel herding in your lyrics, for instance you would get the rebuff of WAXAASI MURTI MA AHA? What do you people think? why are we fascinated by the camel?

salaama, thanks for the warm welcome. Yeah, I am a kind of cyber refugee who left somalinet! Hope to be given asylum here! Thanks Entrepreneur

Cajiib! No comments Mr.medical student. Ok truce

A doctor to be using foul language? ceeb calayk! My theory is that you are a hoax sxb! no offence

Holly Dameer! and you are in your third year in a medical school!!! Povero somalo! Don't they teach you how to reason sxb- no offence! just wondering!

I have denounced it years ago! I don't beleive in the F,......... crap. It is like st clause (father xmas) only the mentally retarded beleive in it!!!!! The qabil aka geneocology tree is a baren one...statistically invalid!!! it does not add to rationale. I think the somali qabiil must be the hoax of the century! How could the qabiil be used positivly when its foundation is built on negativity?

Feysal, good luck with your studies sxb! I agree this is better than somalinet and some other sites! I joined it today and from what I have seen so far it appears to be good! let us keep our fingers crossed that our expectations would not be crossed!

Hold on there!!! do you think higher education is significant in shaping the future of a country? I get this feeling that most of you are overwhelmed with joy at the mention of university. Indeed somalia has many universities and the one in bosaso is not unique. I think what somalia needs is lower level of education- perhaps some vocational courses- somali universities would only contribute to the loads of bogus Dr(dottore) that has shaped our landscape. Infact, when I looked at the picture about EAU and could not help but think how many people the invested money would have fed in a day. .........or how many children it would have helped through primary education! Let us not celebrate in earnest about the establishment of a university!

Caano-geel: I think the answer lies in the arabic names somalis use. Most of these arabic names like Cali, Maxamed, ahmed, etc are names that are known to westerners- and their equivalent names are ali, mohamed, ahmed. etc. But I agree with you, the turks, the bosnians and the people's of the former soviet union use their arabic names with a touch of their own heritage like mohamadovic, aliyevic, ahmet etc. So I don't see a reason why we should not do it. As a matter of fact I still use my somali name- but when my non somali friends prounouce it it souunds like an alien name! I have got used to that now and ironically I might not respond if a somali utters my name in the somali manner! In your case for instance, if you keep caanogeel (pronounced by many europeans as KAANO-geel, that would sound like the italian word cano (dog)!

Salaama, I don't know whether you have discussed this before my advent to this forum. As you may have noticed I am a kind of novice contributor: I have a thirst for knowledge pertaining to the adjective somali- I have always used the word somali (plural somalis) to describe an ethnic somali. infact in many of the books, papers etc that have been published before the 1990:s the word somali was used by all authors. However, lately we have witnessed the emergence of somalian (somalien) to describe somalis! OOPs. I have asked people on several occassions why they use it. It seems (and this is a calculated assumtion) that people in north america embrace this word more than any other group. Could any of you shed some light on this issue please: because the somali name appear to be shaded! Do you call yourself somali/somalien? Do you find it rather offensive if you are adressed as somalien? Thanks

The Internet has certainly given most of us a tremendous opportunity to access knowledge, exchange views, to chat with families and friends, to communicate instantly with our brethrens that are scattered throughout the world. But it has also certainly become addictive to many Somalis. Have you, a family member, a friend that stays into the wee hours of the night chatting online? Spend most of your time replying to what people write in forums? Use Internet jargons such as LOL to address your older relatives. You may have symptoms of Internet addiction. Yes, that's right, I said Internet addiction. The idea is creeping into popular culture, too. Parents are warned about how long they should let their children stay online, and college students are lectured on appropriate Net use. Your employer may be monitoring your e-mails, or keeping tabs on how long you are spending surfing the Internet. Addiction clinics around the world are fielding calls daily regarding excessive Internet use. Whether you believe in the idea of Internet addiction or not, the phenomenon is gaining acceptance as a bona fide psychological disorder. At first, I was also sceptical of claims that people are addicted to the Internet. After several years of studying how people behave on the internet on an amateur basis, I still couldn't see how people could actually be addicted to the Net. Sure, people can be 'addicted' to chocolate or shopping, but is this really addiction? Some people are simply using the Internet too much. How can we explain these people who seem to spend so much time on the web, often to the point that it interferes with normal functioning? The answer lies in the fundamental nature of the Internet. First, however, I must settle a semantic disagreement. People are not addicted to the Internet in the same way that they can be addicted to alcohol or cocaine. However, they do exhibit pathological behaviors, much as a compulsive gambler does. Therefore, a more appropriate term is pathological Internet use, which describes the individual who uses the Internet in such a way that there are psychological and behavioral implications. However, if that is too much of a mouthful for you to remember, let's stick with Internet addiction for the sake of simplicity. So, now that we have that settled, what is so 'addictive' about the 'Net? Well, let's begin with why we use the Internet in the first place. First and foremost, the Internet is a tool for communication. We communicate ideas and information for the most part. As a communications and information medium, we use the Internet at work, school, home, and office. We find information for a class project, do a marketing research report at work, e-mail dirty jokes to each other, and instant message our co-workers warning them when the boss is just about to arrive. The reason that the Internet has become so popular is that it is extremely efficient as a communications tool. It allows us to be anonymous when we want, or to stand on a virtual soapbox and let the world know just what we think of it. However, more than a mere communications tool, the Internet is also a tool for entertainment. It is, simply, fun. We can play games, role play (i.e. pretend to be anyone we want), meet other people, listen to music, poke fun at political leaders, and watch dancing babies to our heart's content. Sure, there are annoying banner ads all over the web, and people send you strange e-mails once in a while, but for the most part spending time online is an enjoyable experience. When we mix communication with entertainment, we are left with a medium so incredibly interesting, that it captivates some people to the point of what I call, "Information masturbation." There is so much out there on the Internet that allows us to have fun communicating with others, that we can always find a way to (metaphorically) stroke our collective intellects. In some cases, people will take this to the extreme, and lose themselves into their Internet world, to the detriment of their 'real' world offline, which invariably results in problems with daily life functioning. What are the symptoms of Internet addiction? They include: academic/work or interpersonal problems, neglecting friends, family, and job or personal responsibilities, withdrawal when away from the Internet, irritability when attempting to stop using the Internet, staying online more than originally intended, lying or concealing how much time you spend online, drastic lifestyle changes in order to spend more time online, la general decrease in physical activity, disregard for one's health as a result of internet activity, and sleep deprivation or a change in sleep patterns in order to spend time on the net. People with Internet addiction not only behave differently, they also think differently. They have obsessive thoughts about the Internet, diminished impulse control, and feel as though the Internet is their only friend. There is the feeling that the Internet is the only place where they feel good about themselves and the world around them. Other symptoms include thinking about the Internet while offline, anticipating future time online, and spending large of amounts of money on Internet time and other such expenses. The person spends less time doing otherwise pleasurable activities than before the condition began. What used to be fun is no longer enjoyable. A further complication arises when the person eventually isolates himself or herself from friends, in favor of friends online. Finally, people with Internet addiction have a sense of guilt about their online use. They often lie to their friends about how much time they spend online, and consider their Internet use a secret to others. While they understand that what they are doing is not entirely socially acceptable, they cannot stop. This results in a diminished self worth and further symptoms of Internet addiction. So, there you have it. Quite a laundry list of symptoms, huh? It might seem hard to believe, but people do actually have this condition. There are people out there who are otherwise completely normal, just like you and me (well, maybe just you), who fit into this pattern of thoughts and behaviors perfectly. What can they do about it? Although they will likely be somewhat reluctant, the best thing they can do is get professional help. Tell them to talk to their doctor or seek out a psychologist who will help them address their Internet addiction and identify a strategy to conquer it.

salaama, I kind of agree with the many people who replied to this thread. Knowledge is usually divided into codified knowledge (which comes as a result of education) and tacit knowledge (which is the outcome of experience based non codified). Education is the process of achieving codified knowledge through a process of learning. I want to illustrate this with two examples: 1: Imagine the somali mother of 12. Obviously she is knowledeable than many PHD- holders in the art of birth giving and fostering- but she can not write(codify) how the process evolves. she is therefore knowledgeable but not educated (literally)! another good example that is often cited is the riding a bicycle (many of us can ride it but we don't know how) 2: education comes as a result of knowledge that is taught. Actually another word for it is "learning through the intake of codified knowledge". Take the example of maths ..unless you go to school and practice you would be able to do a simple equation! So knowledge is a double edged sword- tacit knowledge and codified (which comes as a result of education)!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself to the members of this forum. My name is entrepreneur and it is the first time I join discussion forums! I am looking forward to participate in the threads Thanks in advance