calan suubanoow samada u ekoow maalintii la suray saan u doonayow sama ku qaadnayoo sucdi baa tehee waa inaan u sarakacnaa salaan la hoostagnaa markii la saarayee U sacab tumaay *clap clap* U sacab tumaay *clap clap* rolling waves of nostalgia pull me under and I drown in memories

Alle-Ubaahne, Your head is so far beneath the sand, you wouldn't recognize sexism if it came and bit you on your cute stub of a nose. the author forgets to mention hynes, lemurs, and many other mammals including certain chimpz where females are head of the clan, and males are merely powerless and submissive subordinates. I think the author has gone over enough studies to know what she's talking about. I myself have been a sad witness to alot of animal to animal abuse going on right in my backyard, yet there is nothing I can do.

Pull up a chair dear. I simply adore psychos. Why, they're the spice of life. The most interesting, facinating people in the world. Normal is so 1845.

Hi there, Thanks. Yeah I try to write in little scraps of paper which I promptly throw in the garbage. Me and my pen have a love hate relationship but its something I enjoy. I saw that image while surfing the net and it wouldnt go out of my head until I wrote some kind of story behind it. It has a sort of haunting, mysterious quality about it - or I'm just hallucinating. P.S Welcome to SOL. I see your a poet...look 4ward to contributions from you.

SAN DIEGO —According to a University of California–San Diego study released Monday, sexism is rampant throughout the natural world, particularly among the highest classes of vertebrates. One of the millions of lionesses trapped in abusive relationships. "When we first decided to examine attitudes and behaviors toward gender roles among non-humans, we were wholly unprepared for what we would find," said Jennifer Tannen, leader of the UCSD research team, a joint venture between the school's zoology and women's studies departments. "Females living in the wild routinely fall victim to everything from stereotyping to exclusion from pack activities to sexual harassment." Nowhere is the natural world's gender inequity more transparent, Tannen said, than in the unfair burden females assume for the rearing of offspring. "Take the behavior of the ring-neck pheasant," Tannen said. "After mating, the male immediately abandons the hen, leaving her responsible for the total care for the chicks. For the single mother-to-be, there is no assistance, either in the form of a partner or child support. Nor is there any legal recourse. It's despicable." Tannen said pheasants are typical of the natural world, where a mere 5 percent of animal species mate for life. Among species that do form lasting pairs, the situation barely improves: Females must remain close to the nest to incubate eggs, nurse, and keep watch over the burrow while males are free to go off hunting and fishing with their friends. "The sexist attitude that child-rearing is 'women's work' is prevalent throughout nature and has been for generations, probably since reptiles first developed mammalian characteristics in the Triassic period," Tannen said. "Sadly, most creatures never pause to challenge these woefully outdated gender roles." Tannen stressed the need to hold high those rare examples of species that do form caring, mutually supportive relationships. "Wolves, beavers, gibbons, and a small African antelope known as a dik-dik all live in stable, monogamous pairs," Tannen said. "Other animals need to look to them as positive models if we are to have any hope of one day creating an ecosystem of understanding and respect." More seriously, in addition to an unfair division of labor, nature is rife with sexual abuse and harassment. The UCSD study estimates that in 2001 alone, more than 170 trillion cases of abuse occurred in the world's forests, grasslands, and oceans—all of them unreported. "During the act of mating, the female moose is subject to excessive biting, nipping, and herding," Tannen said. "The male has no qualms about using sheer, brute force to overpower his sex partner, and the female, accustomed to this sort of rough treatment after millions of years of it, doesn't even realize there's something wrong." "Then, when it's time for the bull moose to complete the sexual act," Tannen continued, "it's over in about five seconds, with no regard to female pleasure whatsoever. Typical." Adding insult to injury, Tannen said, the bull moose then heads off to mate with dozens more females over a period of two to three weeks, justifying his behavior as "part of the Mardi Gras-like atmosphere of 'mating season.'" With other species, darker situations unfold. "To mate, the male Galapagos tortoise simply immobilizes the female with his weight, which, as far as I'm concerned, qualifies as non-consensual sex," Tannen says. "Female southern elephant seals gather in large groups during mating season, and each group has a small handful of males who control them like a harem. It's sick." A cock reinforces the poultry world's sexist, male-dominated social hierarchy. When female animals refuse to play along with prescribed gender roles, Tannen said, they are demonized. For example, female foxes, known throughout the animal kingdom for their aggressiveness, are labeled "vixen." "We've all heard the lurid tales about the female black-widow spider, who kills and eats her mate," Tannen said. "The truth is, male spiders encourage their partners to kill them because it increases the time spent mating and, thus, the number of eggs fertilized by his sperm. But no one condemns the male for his part in this destructive relationship." UCSD researchers identified 24 distinct male behaviors designed to perpetuate gender inequity and preserve the prevailing power structure. Among these dominance-asserting behaviors are chest-puffing, plumage-spreading, and antler growth. The UCSD study is not without its detractors. Glen Otis Brown, author of Forced To Strut: Reverse Sexism In The Animal World, countered that male animals are victims of "the beauty myth" as much as females. "When given a choice, female green tree frogs gravitate toward males that call the loudest and most often," Brown said. "Female Poecilia reticulata [guppies] go straight to the most brightly colored males. But when males evolve exaggerated secondary sexual traits to attract the opposite sex, suddenly they're the bad guys." Tannen conceded that both genders have suffered as a result of sexism. "Other than sexual size dimorphism due to same-sex competition, males benefit little from the gender inequity that so strongly favors them," Tannen said. "In a world where interactions are rooted in competition, not cooperation, both females and males are being denied the right to form meaningful relationships." Annie Secunda, a Boston-based females'-rights advocate, said swift action must be taken to address the problem of sexism within the animal kingdom. "We need to provide tigresses, hens, and all other females in nature with outreach programs and support networks," Secunda said. "We also need to impose standards through intervention. The males of all species need to hear loud and clear the message that this kind of animal behavior is not acceptable." Secunda conducts numerous workshops aimed at creating female-friendly biomes and promoting the health and positive self-image of females on both land and in the sea. She also strongly advocates the legalization of infanticide, which would enable females to devour their newborn offspring when resources are limited. Secunda spent much of 2001 in the Amazon rainforest, working to create safe spaces for female animals. These efforts, however, yielded mixed results: Females have avoided the lighted walkways she built in several dangerously dense areas, and leaflets encouraging females to learn how their own bodies work were ultimately used to line dens for the rainy season. Far from discouraged, Secunda said she plans to embark on an intensive study of the sexuality of flora. "Multicellular plants alternate sexually reproducing and asexually reproducing generations, with each plant producing both male and female gametes," Secunda said. "It seems many plants have moved past conventional notions of male-female gender altogether. It's so liberating, I can't help but have hope for all those so-called 'higher' species of animals." Source

^ Interesting Link While the Prophet (P) did not explicitly ban this practice, his words project a great deal of sensitivity to the instinctive needs of females and their matrimonal happiness and legitimate enjoyment. Reference to the brightness of the face and to better relationship with the husband are clear indications of his senstivity and compassion. They also stand in contrast to the arguments that female circumcision "controls" the woman's sexual appetite and hence contributes to sexual morality and virtue in society. It is true that Islam requires adherents of both genders to be chaste. Yet, there is no text in the Qur'an or Sunnah which requires selective curtailment or control of the sexual desire of one specific gender. Furthermore, chastity and virtue are not contingent on "cutting off" part of any sensitive and crucial human organ. Rather, they are contingent on spiritual and moral values of the person and the supporting virtuous environments .

Ngonge, You silly man. If he claims to be my 'brother' than how am I to be an only child? qix qix qix. Ramadhan is making you dizzy. P.S. Anyone who claims to be related to ME is a bold faced liar. My relatives are all computer illiterate. [Edited] Sheh. That was very low . Your lucky I was currently reading '101 ways to rise above insults and be the bigger person'

^She neither had the pleasure of sticking a fist in someone's face on a daily basis, always knowing that there is a person to blame, someone to go with you places when you feel alone, someone to wrestle and 5 seconds later still be best of friends. Someone hand down the responsibilites when your tired. Were only 5 but sometimes I wish it was 10. The bigger the more fun. Really. Can't wait till my lil sis is older. I'm training her now to take care of the whole house.

Neither option works.

I am honoured to congradulate Aeronwen on this monumental accomplishment. She is a one of a kind trail blazer who has paved the path for us and broke many records on the way. Way to go dear. May we be blessed with many more tidbits of wisdom from you, I'A.

Um. Hes white. Super handsome. Soap Opera actor. Non Muslim. He just doesn't know I exist yet. First I'll have to convert him, then we'll see where it takes us.

Violence is not the answer Xoogsade. I thought ya'll Somali men should have learned the lesson the hard way. :mad:

Modesty, are you saying that YOU are not judgemental?

^Thats a miracle considering I could neither read nor write 2 years ago! How am I supposed to keep on improving if snobby people like you keep on putting me down! Naa naga tag! P.S. Hold the claps Naku please.

MMA soomali mah maah baa jirto 'god walaashaa ka qodin hadaa qodina ha dheerin ku kufi dhoontidaa ma ogidey' and another one that goes 'markuu qof ku xumeeyo dhaanka kale u jeedi'. I hope you sit down and think seriously about those two. Mar baan ku arki adoo guurguuranyo oo ilin kaa dhadaneeyso markaas intaa ku caawin lahaa hadaaana laadh beerka kaaga dhufan yaa traitarun kabiirun. Adii kuu dharantahey ilkaha aad taagtaagtey. RAMADHAN KARIIM

Awwwwwwww. This might apply to siblings too. When I come home after a long day at school and work I like to be left alone for at least an hour because I'm usually accompained by grumpy and grouchy. Yesterday I was in my room and my little sis barged in all excited...I was so tired and screamed at her 'get out of my room!' Her face crumpled and she left. I felt guilty after a while and went to apologize and inserted under my door was a heart shaped card she made for me. I opened it and inside was a bunch of heart shaped glitter and the words 'Femme I love you so much...you are the bestest and prettiest and kindest sister in the whole wide world. xoxoxox". I almost started bawling then. Good stories. Heres one: F-A-M-I-L-Y by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown I bumped into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh, excuse me Please" was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me too; Wasn't even watching for you." We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye. But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My daughter stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked her down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown. She walked away, her little heart was broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, But the children you love, you seem to abuse. Look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers she brought for you. She picked them herself: pink, yellow and blue. She stood quietly not to spoil the surprise, and you never saw the tears in her eyes." By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her bed; "Wake up, little girl, wake up," I said. "Are these the flowers you picked for me?" She smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue." I said, "Daughter, I'm sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." She said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, "Daughter, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue." Are you aware that: If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family - an unwise investment indeed. So what is behind the story? You know what is the full word of family? FAMILY=(F)ather (A)nd (M)other, (I) (L)ove (Y)ou! Fill life with love and bravery and we shall live a life uncommon.

How can you not know that your child is pregnant? So the parents have a share in the blame, for I think they might either use pressure or go along their child's request for abortion to save face. And Liibaan . Women are not hermaphodites who impregnante themselves (uh like in the plant word). And its not fair or right that one person gets 95 percent of the blame for doing 50% of the deed. Its the truth. Doesn't matter how many times its going to be replayed. And another thing Somalis are notorious for two things: exaggeration and gossip. So approach this with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Bless you Muslimah! Jazakhallah Kheyr sis. I actually found a website with some of the nasheds (although not as many as this) but it required that I register and post at least 50 posts before I was allowed to listen to them. Thank god for this. And my little sibs say thnx! They love Yusuf Islam.

Quran Recitation: Ali Ibn Jaber - I love his voice, Mashallah its beautiful. A list of audio lectures (some Jumca lectures...including some by Siraj Wahaj) by many different Imans & Speakers. Interesting. Please provide links for Islamic Nasheeds if you have any. I tried looking for it but no luck so far. Esp. those by Yusuf Islam, Dawud Wharnsby, Sami Yusuf, and Zain Bhikha. My little bro and sis will adore you. 'Those are in english'

Originally posted by Nazra: Some of the non-sense garbage :rolleyes: is just a waste of time to read or respond to. Indeed. Does anyone else find this funny?

[Edited]

SKY, Yum. Can already taste it. I don't think I've made malawax since last Ramadhan. But thats the basic meal for every somali family I would think (your list). *Soor *Moos bukeeni Sheh, Sounds mouth watering. Too bad I can't cook to save my life. LOL. Is that from a cookbook or your head? @ the bad fruit story. So sad. So mean. I would've been horrified. That should teach you not to try what you don't know sheh. Xu, Me too kindred spirit! But on Ramadhan we always make it at least enough for two more people, as folks tend to drop by unanounced. Family, friends, and sometimes we share with non-muslim neighbours. They love it.

Perhaps ironically, food is one of the most important elements of this fasting month. It is a must for suhur in Somalia , Esse, of Toronto, Canada, said. Pakistanis enjoy special dishes such as 'pheni', thin vermicelli, and "khajla," chunky pieces made from flour served in sugared milk, which are available only during Ramadhan, Khan said. Countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Somalia, and Algeria have their respective traditional soups every iftar. "The Libyan soup is one of the most celebrated menus in the month of Ramadhan. The rich and the poor both must have it," Ramadan said. In fact, without it, iftar feels incomplete, he said. The Somali soup is called "mushaali" and can sometimes be as simple as milk, sugar and porridge, or as lavish as to include meats and vegetables. No matter which corner of Somalia you go to, you will find this a very important dish for iftar, Esse said. Although the soup is often a meal onto itself, other dishes are also traditionally present, making the meal a multi-course one. Fried foods, such as the Tunisian boreek which are spring rolls stuffed with chicken, eggs, cheese, potatoes and spices, are common almost every day for iftar. Zelabaya, much like the Pakistani and Indian jalebi, maqrood, which is made out of semolina and dates, and other donut-like sweets dipped in honey are desserts eaten only in Ramadhaan or other special occasions, such as Eid, Amr said. The Libyans enjoy Swiss chard stuffed with rice, meat and vegetables, luqmat al-qadi, which are fried dougli balls, zelabaya, qatayef and mahallabiyali, made out of rice flour and milk, Ramadan said. Qamar ad-deen is a traditional Egyptian drink of Ramadhan made out of dried apricots. Desserts like baklava, konafi and qatayef are also very common. In Southeast Asian countries such as Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, fried foods such as pakoray, samoosas, meat or potatoes enclosed in small triangular shapes of kneaded flour and fried, and chick peas are very popular iftar snacks. In Bangladesh, it is customary to have "mourri," rice crispies fried with onions, hot green peppers and salt, Razzaque said. They would also have lemon sherbet or salt lassi, a drink made of yogurt and milk, she recalled. In Bosnia, a lot of cookies were made during Ramadhan, Cokic, of Belleville, N.J., remembered. On lailatul Qadr, they would make "halva," a soft cake-like dessert made from flour and sugar syrup, she said. They also have the special bread, lepina, during Ramadhan, said M.A. Tallawi, Benevolence International Foundation office manager stationed in Bosnia. The variety of foods during Ramadhan reflects people's hope to celebrate it in the best special way. And, part of this celebration includes sharing iftar with those around us. Source ------------------ Yum. What do you guy eat aside from the traditional samosa and burshiilshiil? And does anyone have time for family meals at iftar nowadays? Last year I always broke fast in class. Hopefully this year will be different. Salaam & Ramadhan Kariim

But for those of us in the west and who have the opportunity to gain an education, I don’t need financial security from a man, therefore inshallah I will not stay for food and shelter. If your in the west, education is not the only thing available to fall back on if your in an unhappy relationship and want to leave. You can always take welfare...or just move in with mum and dad*. Not that I'm adovocating divorce. But there is no reason to stay with someone whose betrayed you. Birina gurigu buu kaa tuura. Ladies, just make sure not to choose a loser the first time around. Save yourselves the doubts and headaches later. You have the choice. Exercise it. Don't whine and moan later, its a little too late most of the time. * I am not responsible for any divorces that occured due to my comments. Rahima, I wonder how he took it. I would think most guys would be offended and leave in a huff. Laakin...hadii xanaaqaan ma darkoodii ka badnaanayaan?

What the heck is that supposed to mean? Close to comfort? LOL! Can't believe I'm getting annoyed over something in the jokes section. Whatever...Carry one with the laughs...