^ are you proposing a mutual appreciation society Ghanima?

Ghanima, your kinda cute too

The Badass in reference Run for glory Somalia native shows dedication to faith and speed Posted: Tuesday June 12, 2007 12:39PM; Updated: Tuesday June 12, 2007 5:25PM By Christopher Parish, Special to SI.com, source [-- EDIT CG the ultimate statement --] "It's kind of hard to run when you can't drink water." -- Hassan Mead Hassan Mead has not allowed his fasting to slow him down in his quest to become a successful high school runner. Minneapolis South senior Hassan Mead crossed the finish line at the 2006 Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 23 with a pained expression on his face. He had just won the prestigious cross country race and his whole body was burning after navigating the grueling course in 15 minutes, 48.15 seconds. It wasn't the first race Mead won in the Gopher State, and it wouldn't be the last. But that day marked another significant occasion for Mead, a Muslim from Somalia who since arriving in Minnesota as a junior has become one of the best long-distance runners in the U.S. It was the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, a holiday in which Muslims fast between sunrise and sundown. For the next 30 days, the talented runner trained and competed on a near empty stomach. He ran as many as 15 miles per day, not to mention dozens of hill repeats. He also won the Swain Invitational on Oct. 7. And through it all, nobody could tell what Mead was going through. "There were days when the training was hard," he says. "We had to do repeat hills, but my stomach was empty. That's when I had to have the mindset to mentally push myself." Mead came to the United States with his family in 2000. After living in California for a few years, he moved to Washington for a year to live with his uncle while the rest of his family went to Minnesota. After finishing 10th in the Washington Class 4A cross country state meet as a junior, Mead transferred to Minneapolis South in time for the 2006 track season and finished sixth in the 1,600 meters and fourth in the 3,200 at the Class AA state meet. Then during last fall's cross-country season, Mead won the Class AA state title with a meet-record time of 15:10.7. He also won the Foot Locker Midwest Regional and finished fourth at the Foot Locker National Championships. Mead's initial success stemmed from natural talent. By his own admission, he didn't take the sport too seriously until recently and instead focused on his other love -- basketball. During the offseason, Mead would hit the hardwood instead of the roads. But in the midst of Mead's first track season at South, coaches Mark Gross and Melvin Alvarez started to notice what a talented runner they had. So they encouraged Mead to train, which he did. "People told me that if I run fast I could get into college for free," Mead says. "So I trained like I had never trained before." Mead entered his senior cross-country season in the best shape of his life, but his coaches made sure not to get too far ahead of themselves. Meet by meet, Mead ran through some of the best competition in the state and region before finally taking his success to a national level. "We really just took it one step at a time," says Gross, who like Alvarez also coaches the cross-country team. "Then he just shattered everybody. By the state meet we knew he was going to win that title. We took him to the Midwest Regional, where he destroyed the field again. Then we just looked at each other and said, 'I guess we've got to go for a national title.'" Mead finished fourth at the National Championships with a time of 15:28, eight seconds behind the winner. With such success, it's no surprise top colleges showed interest before Mead ultimately decided on the University of Minnesota. The accolades Mead received following his performance in the fall were a big honor, but the work is far from finished. "There's part of me that feels like I'm not there yet," he says. "I'm still hungry to run more and improve more." Mead has made it no secret that he wants to win an NCAA cross-country championship. Gross, for one, thinks he can do that -- and more. "I see him as an NCAA cross country-champion," the coach says. "In track, I don't know. With him, it could be anything. But I do see him in the Olympics, and he will represent the USA. But first thing's first." That first thing for Mead is finishing his high school career on a high note. Not only does Mead have his sights set on breaking the 9-minute barrier in the 3,200, but he's also shooting for the state record of 8:56.4. With several formidable competitors in the area, he has plenty of people to push him. Mead is also gunning for a state title in the 1,600 and hopes to finish in less than 4:10. Coach Alvarez has seen runners come and go. He's coached hard workers and state champions, but he has never seen anyone quite like Mead. "At the beginning, we didn't really know what kind of talent we had," Alvarez says. "We kept training with him, and we kept looking at each other like, 'Man, we really have something here.'" Besides the training and races, the hill repeats and intervals, and the 15-mile workouts and 70-mile weeks, Mead is a normal kid. He still enjoys basketball, though he now watches rather than plays. He also loves spending time with friends, and his teammates love him -- they nicknamed him "State" after he won the state cross-country title. Even his opponents have enjoyed his polite, good-natured attitude. After Mead finishes his career at South, he'll likely fit in nicely as a Golden Gopher. Of course, he'll certainly be missed. "We both had a lot of fun coaching him," Alvarez says. "It's too bad it's coming to an end."

2007-06-12 20:50:40, source, The angry T I don’t care if you are the guy from “Over the Top” that chugs motor oil before a match, Hassan Mead is tougher than you. I don’t care if you are Chong Li from Blood Sport, Hassan Mead is tougher than you. I don’t care if you are Malibu, Hassan Mead is tougher than you. Hassan Mead is the best high school distance runner in the state of Minnesota. Hassan Mead won the Roy Griak Invitational with a time of 15:48 for 3.1 miles. This is impressive, because he ran pretty fast, but it is more impressive because he could not eat or drink before or after the race. (Hassan finished 4th at the High School national championships, also impressive) Mead is a Muslim, and it was the Holy Month of Ramadan. This means that Hassan did not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset for 30 straight days. Have you ever run three miles in under 16 minutes, and if so, have you done so on an empty stomach and not ingested water following the race? I bet you haven’t, and that makes you less tough than Hassan Mead. This dude would run up to 15 miles a day and around 70 miles a week without eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset. I won’t finish typing this article without slamming a bear claw and a milkshake, so I am pretty damn impressed with this kid. If we ever except to beat those pesky Kenyans in the distance events in the Olympics, we need more people to convert to Islam, or at least celebrate Ramadan. Apparently you have to be very hungry to run fast. If that Sally Struthers is successful, America's Muslim runners may win every track and field medal in 2012.

Well done maxamed

^put them up online first, use flickr or imageshack

what does 'HE' mean in the title?

... and hindus have been meditating on notions of movement, change and uncertainty that quantum physics is only beginning to grasp now -for well over 5 millennia, so does knowing that make you wanna find the right path in hinduism? .. in effect what is the point of mixing physical science and theology/spirtuality?!

Grab them Charlie!

maaannn you people have no taste in rap (aside from mobb deep)! I'll let Dr Octagon (AKA Black Elvis) and the Automator have the last word

Xantus, sweets, thats a good step forward, extra points for using another mans words against me, but the feebleness of the 'Hate' quotient in that comment is letting the side down! you must try harder and add venom next time

^ sorry i had to to cull negativity from the list in favour of incompetence ... there's space for 7 only

I'm sure that we would shine with the following national treasures 1. Hatred 2. Mistrust 3. Bigotry 4. Nepotism 5. Corruption 6. Incompetence 7. Greed

Centurion, I can recall 5 murders, 3 of which are somali on somali in the past 2 years .. its sick

more nigerians with wild life! .... Goat trees are coolest tho'

what is it with africans and hyenas .. the poor creatures.... i think you've seen the nigerian take on the hyena game.

Boy guilty of footballer murder A teenager has been convicted of murdering a schoolboy footballer by stabbing him in the heart. Kiyan was a striker for QPR's youth team Kiyan Prince, 15, was killed by Hannad Hasan when he intervened in a mock fight outside the London Academy school in Edgware, north London, in May 2006. Hannad Hasan stabbed Kiyan Prince with a penknife Hasan, 17, of Colindale, north London, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming it was an accident. It was the third trial in the case - jurors could not reach a verdict in the first and the retrial collapsed. Hasan was remanded in custody until 27 July when he will be sentenced. Following the verdict Kiyan's father Mark Prince thanked the jurors for "eventually coming to a decision". "People don't recognise that a knock on effect that happens when someone is ripped from your life in the way that Kiyan was taken from our family... everyone gets affected in a deep and devastating way," he said. Mr Prince said the family would start a campaign to reduce gun and knife crime. Jasvant Narwal, spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Knives, including penknives, are not toys and we the CPS prosecute for murder as we have done in this case as we would if a gun had been used." Jurors heard how Kiyan, a striker for QPR's youth team, had stepped in when a friend became involved in a play fight with Hasan, who was then 16. Hasan turned on Kiyan, putting him in a headlock before stabbing him with a penknife. Hasan later told police he had been trying to scratch Kiyan in the arm, "but it went deep in... cos I never used a knife before". It has emerged that the first retrial was abandoned two days after the jury retired, because Kiyan's distraught father approached a woman juror on her way home. Away from the jury, lawyers revealed that Hasan had been excluded from his school six days before the attack on Kiyan for assaulting pupils and urinating in front of a teacher. Less than two weeks before the stabbing, he had allegedly threatened to stab a girl during a trivial dispute over a bus seat. He disputed this allegation, and charges were never brought. The judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, criticised a "catastrophic" failure by the prosecution to give the defence sufficient notice of evidence it wanted to submit. He said this failure meant the jury was never told about his previous violent outbursts. In a statement the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it could not rely solely on the bad character of the defendant to prove the charge. The CPS and the Metropolitan Police have launched a joint review to identify any shortcomings and take steps to rectify them. Speaking after the verdict, Det Ch Insp Alistair Tully said the prosecution team felt murder was the appropriate charge. "The verdict should be a clear message to all those young men and women who choose to carry and use weapons of the consequences of their actions," he said. source

the guy cant even read the news cast!

Cushendall-born photographer Cathal McNaughton took this picture last October of a pelican eating a pigeon in St James Park, London. He has been named Fujifilm Photographer of the Year at the Picture Editors' Awards.

Kreepy, havent been able to listen to portis head since '98-99 i they defined an era for me too.. any massive attack fans here

Ina Lilahi wa ina Ileyhi raajicun. Ilaahay ha u naxariisto adiga iyo reerkana xoog hadinsiiyo saxiib. London hada majoogi, isniinta markaan imaado baan ku soo raadin.

Right, were are ngogne and Zu, looks like the sol-womanizing training has failed me .. i need salvaging here guys.

Originally posted by Valenteenah: It looks starved. Was just probably looking for some food, poor thing. It looks like a juvenile, you can tell by the small spots on the belly .. Jabhad, The sand storm pic is amazing ... been trapped in one yet?

^ looks like i peddled all over that free dinner