boo hoo, Somali Gays and Lesbians exist! Gasp Surprise! Seriously dude what do want us to say. The first time i saw a homosexual Somali person was in Sweden (two together at the same time, oh the things i have seen in that country :eek: ), i was shocked, but soon realised it was non of my concern, and a matter for them alone. Sure it was interesting seeing a fellow nomad wearing pedal pushers (remember those ) and mascara, but the novelty soon wore off. I don't approve or accept of their chosen lifestyles, but i also don't believe in the right to disparage them. It must be really hard being a Somali Gay/Lesbian person, we tend to be extremely Xenophobic and homophobic people. So imagine how hard it must be for them to find 'love' in the their own communities. PS, Most of us don't live in Muslim countries, and we live in an era where Islamic law isn't widely practiced in the Islamic world. So let them be on their way and remember they are the ones who will be held accountable for their actions come judgment day.

Yeah, he's a good lad (Ibrahim), has come through the ranks at city, i bet in 3-4 years time we will see more and more youngsters breaking through. The only issue is most of these players will choose to represent their adopted countries rather than their country of origin. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with representing your adopted land so long as its not to the detriment of a Somali national team. Would be nice to see some kind of Somali team in ACON. Does anyone know of more up and coming bright prospects for the future besides Ayub Daud?

To Peacenow; I apologise if this has been asked before on numerous occasions, but could you please explain to me the meaning of your signature “A hairy arab coward in a cave is not my leader. That is how low they are.” You see i don’t want to speculate as to what it may mean when you yourself can answer i hope. Whilst i agree with many of your sentiments with regards to the Arab world and their useless Arab League, could you please do yourself the favour of separating the actions of Muslims from Islam itself? Many thanks

African ingenuity no longer surprises me. I've seen allot of amazing things on the continent, but this one takes the cake

web page if this is true then its disgraceful. Absolutely horrid and alien to Somali culture, history and traditions.

Redsea, Whilst agreeing that Hargeisa is probably the most densely populated area in Somaliland, i nevertheless have to question these estimated UN figures. Now i could be wrong here but the last time i was there 2009, i travelled greatly and found the country to be sparsely populated. Given Hargeisa’s staggering exponential growth during the last decade i still have to contend with the notion that the entire population of Somaliland is in the region of 3.5 million. Just because Hargeisa has seen rapid growth doesn’t mean the rest of the country did. However i accept you point, perhaps if we had more reliable statistics from the Mayor’s Office, then we could put this debate to bed once and for all. I just have my reservations that’s all. PS! UN estimates are not necessarily kosher facts and the end all in themselves.

“Its like asking a mental patient in china what the population of finland is” I’m lost, a mental patient in china presuming he is an average china-man, will have no idea about the population of Finland, especially a deranged one at that. “you kids have no idea” Actually I’m not a kid, and I’ve been back many times including last time which was 2009. “so be as bitter as you like” Who is bitter, I was just simply correcting this misinformation that’s spread about like it’s a fact. I’m from Somaliland telling another socalled somalilander that his numbers are wrong when it comes to population of Somaliland and its major cities. “oh yeah... these kids..crying about hargaisa, loool...boooo hooo hooo. I rebuilt my entire nation in 16 years saxib.” Again what you on about here, its like your making shit up, who is crying about Hargeisa, and it sounds like we have you to thank for the developments of hargeisa. Chill out man and think objectively and rationally. Once you do you quickly realize Hargeisa doesn’t have a population of 1.5 million. Just think about it for goodness sake. its bloody obvious to anyone who's been. Peace

Where do people get this estimate of 1.5m people? I’ve been to many cities that are a million+ , and Hargeisa doesn’t compare. And i can guarantee you that the population of Hargeisa is around 500,000 max. A more conservative estimate would be in the range of 400,000. And the entire population of Somaliland would be in the region of 1.9 million. Where people get this figure of 3.5m is bizarre. I mean you can drive from one side of the city to the other in a half hour. Berbera is a ghost town literally, and Burco is a mini Hargeisa. Plus if you visit you’ll see for yourself. This isn’t a bad thing of course. PS! Before someone accuses me of speaking nonsense, let me just say I’m from Hargeisa and have visited many parts of the country on numerous occasions.

Maximus I’m afraid you have to completely wrong on this occasion. This group is not against Islamic extremism but Islam and Muslims in general. This anti extremism mantra is only for public consumption. Why chant obscenities against Allah when their target is so-called extremists Why demand women not be allowed to wear religious clothing I believe in the right to offend in the freedom of speech debate. But not to abuse and disparage on a mass scale like this.

Dude seriously is there any need for so much hatred. That cant be healthy. I've read a few of your posts and it seems you have allot of hatred for everyone expect somaliland-ers. chill out and relax, stop being on the offensive so much. Blind hatred is not good for anyone. try being more rational and level headed. your hatred is clearly visible as its laced with ever word you type on here. stand back and look inwardly and ask yourself why do i hate other Somalis so much? whathave they done to me personally. peace and love brother.

ha ha, he went on business, something about sourcing parts for mills, who knows eh, that's something he would never admit to me anyway. If i was brave enough i would hire a boat for a week and travel the south coast of somalia, check out Bajuni islands and maybe forage inland and check out this national park I've never heard of(see link). that would be ultimate holiday, i don't think its been done that many times before. Theres so much to discover in somalia why go anywhere else for those of us who have never been to somalia, not somaliland puntaland or whatever else but Somalia. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=somalia&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.0 38806,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Somalia&t=h&ll=-0.86514,42.261658&spn=1.342895,2.469177&z=9

Somaliland will always remain backward so long as it doesn’t face the true realities of its tribal politics. Vote with what your principles agree with and not on clan and tribal allegiances. Until then we will remain backward. And don’t tell me we already do, because we simply don’t. The political climate in Somaliland is fraught with mistrust between the main tribes within Isaak. We even live in segregated neighbourhoods for phu*k sake. North/South hargeisa divide, ring a bell! Burco east/west Political maturity isn’t within reach; our only hope is future generations. Kulmiye- HaberJeclo dominated Ucid- Garxagis dominated Udub- only real federation, but corrupt as hell, and would love to see them go. So i tell you what hope do we have. Rant over

To the Original poster, why RIO and Ethiopia alone? from the two i can gather from your thought process that the holiday may not just be for relaxation, I've been to Addis and my dad visited RIO in the late 80's. Both are known for their sex tourism, and beautiful women. So what was ur reason for such a short short list? i don't expect a reply. PS! Just be careful that's all ;)what may look and talk and even behave like a women may not be a women. Check this out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7374317.stm if it can happen to Ronny well it can happen to anyone.

Hope this is true,the region needs this kind of investment. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aepiGpODItOw

well i saw Avatar in 3D this evening and was impressed on the whole. The story line is hardly original, anyone with half a brain can work out the plot in the first 15mins, and its been done better hundreds of times, the plot that is. Its the usual conflict of interests and loyalties coupled with an alien love story, and some anti hero moments. On the technical front, watching this in 3D was absolutely amazing. I'm not impressed easily, but hand on heart i think its worth it going along for the CGI alone. Had the story line been a bit more original, then i would give this movie 9.5/10. However as i wasn't all too impressed with story, then 7.5/10 would have to suffice. please note i rate it this highly largely thanks to the amazing visuals.

I'm going to see it tomorrow evening at my local multiplex. it will be even better in 3D, and best news of all i will see it for free. The manager is a friend. Will post a mini review tomorrow evening.

I watched The Visitor a couple of years ago and thought it was bloody good. It is very strong on the connection between disparate individuals on a more human level. However I was very touched by the first short film from France. I though the ending was very sad. Apparently it’s the same here in Britain, there are more and more people looking for ‘love’ and instead finding a life of solitude, because they are searching for something that doesn’t really exist. People today have such a distorted view of what to expect from a relationship, partly shaped by the media and the Hollywood normalisation of what to expect from a partner. So there are allot of people holding out for that special one. But i for one don’t believe in that fairytale. Human beings are capable of loving more than just that ‘special one’. What they fail to realise is that love doesn’t just happen, sure you can have an irrational longing for someone, but true love i believe has to be worked on. It’s a partnership between a man and women, built on understanding and intellectual intimacy and most importantly accepting each other’s faults and working on how to help resolve them together. Patience is the key. You’ll soon find that you will become used to the physical attraction and the physical intimacy of the early days. However if you combine them with the rest then you’ll find yourself god willing in a partnership with many golden years.

"Where would you like us to wire the monies." you UK people will know what this is. Its supposed to be real.

I really didn’t enjoy my two visits to Berbera. The place is a without a doubt the hottest place I’ve ever set foot in. It was around 43 Celsius, YES CELSIUS not Fahrenheit. The sand was so hot you couldn’t stand in one spot for more than a minute. There were no trees or any greenery to speak of. No Shelter of any kind and wild packs of dogs roaming around the place. There were also dangerous rift currents close to the shore, which meant non native swimmers would have trouble. As for a tourist destination i don’t really see the point, I mean if torture is your thing then by all means. The only hope that place has is its unspoiled offshore reefs. My ideal beach is quiet cove, white sand, palm trees, cool and breezy with warm waters and clear turquoise waters, Something Berbera doesn’t offer. There are far better beaches in the rest of Somalia.

thanks man, that clears up allot. the aircraft depicted is most definitely a 400 series because it was the 400 series that first introduced blended winglets. therefore it can't be the ealry 300. Just thought I'd clear that up. sad to see that they never went into service. Hope it returns one day, would be nice to fly non-stop back home for once.

Greetings my fellow Somalis. Last night i discovered Somali Airlines operated or owned at one point a Boeing 747-400, i found a picture at this source: http://www.jaallesiyaad.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130:somali-airlines&catid=3 7:sawirro&Itemid=58 click on second row, second picture. However my father is adamant Somali Airlines never operated such a behemoth of a plane. He even phoned former Somali airlines employees to prove his point. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on Planes and their variations; however i cannot find any information anywhere to back up this photo. All i know is the photo is definitely real, just look at the attention to detail, simply can’t be faked. The consensus out there is that the White Star Service never operated a 747 let alone a 400 series, which was first introduced in 1989. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Somali Airlines Mystery 747

first of all greetings to all the people of somaliaonline, this is my inaugural post. Mr Somalia you are right in most of your comments pertaining to Riyale and and the UK FM misunderstanding between yourself and the original poster of this thread. i myself have never really believed in the Somaliland experiment, and what little chance it had of succeeding has undoubtedly been squandered by successive regimes. it doesn't make sense, we are much weaker separated, politically, economically and even the Somali psyche will be adversely affected. I have visited the motherland on numerous occasions and whilst there i evaluated what the ordinary folk really thought of their Somaliland. Needless to say i encountered a feeling of hopelessness and desperation. The so called government was nothing more then a corrupted tribal leech, that sucked the vitality out of its citizens. It is true to say that if those Somalis of the north west had a better more transparent government then most likely they would have made some significant developments. i know the people of the north west believe themselves to be victims of the late Siad Barre's regime, and his murderous policy which is well documented. But that i believe doesn't give them the right to call it quits whilst some of us are still suffering 20 years on. you don't hear of the tutsi's who suffered unspeakable brutality wanting to set of on their own. Just think how much stronger we will be together if we got it right. The balance of a good civilian government and a strong non discriminatory constitution based on the will of god. yet as this may remain a pipe dream for some the current reality is far more depressing. Our collective name Somali is used daily by the world media in disparaging terms. Its become a byword for poverty, criminality, melancholy. I'm not a romantic who calls for a return to the old days for that is before my time, and comprehension. But where some see no hope i see opportunity, where some see an insurmountable hurdle, i see how we can overcome it together. i find threads like this that quickly descend into thinly veiled tribal attacks, utterly despicable and more so depressing, nothing takes the winds out of your sails then seeing your peers engage in tribalism. you have more in common then you realise, and i'm not just talking about the usual one language one culture mantra. why don't we have threads on the economic and political viability of a future somali state, instead of harmful rhetoric. I wasn't born in Somalia and never claimed to have been, but i keep my Somaliness alive when i get asked on a weekly basis where i'm from. i proudly proclaim Somalia, not somaliland or Puntland or whatever enclave we all hail from. i shame people on a daily basis to think twice about typecasting Somalis into what the media thinks of us. god willing some of you will think twice before spewing implicit tribal attacks, because its the one thing that has the real potential to divide. anyways didn't mean to rant on, but look forward to posting some interesting threads in the near future. we've tried divide and rule, hasn't worked so why not give United we stand, divided we fall a try. I know its a tired old maxim but it represents my ideas.