^haye, moododaada oo wacan ayaan ka helay. Laakiin, ha iga bilaabin sidaad istaagaysaa; waxaa la yaqaan inaan tahay nin liibaan leh oo dhibaato, dandarro iyo ilxumo weligees arkin. Orod, laankaruusarkaaga sii wad. LOL.

^^^War ninyahow, runta noo sheeg. This photo is you, isn't it? :-D It seems you have an endless supply of 1980s photos so I am sure these are not random photos from gaalada.

^LOL@giraffe! Too funny. But, yes, I can see how that can be read that way. Next time we can flip it around and use caddalaad, xaq, garsoor, etc. PS: The maahmaah I liked was nin soojoog laga waayo, soojiifso aya laga helaa. I used this other one just a few days ago:

Berbera photos are best; celebrating on the sea. Lakiin, sawirkaan ayaa iga yaabey: Should the President not be in the centre or at least have his own seat? It looks looks like he is being sidelined, literally. LOL. Miskiinka, he always looks uncomfortable in photos.... Now the man on the right looks to be in charge...not sure who is he.

^^The above is one of my favourites! Probably use it too much. :-P Gari ilaahay bay taqaan - Justice knows only God or Justice is blind to influence. :-)

Biyo fadhiya, biyo socdo ayaa kiciya. I believe this maahmaah is older (and more eloquent) than Sir Isaac Newton's first law of motion: The velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force. Once again, our contribution to the world is not being recognized. :-)

The whole Horn region is one of the last 'untapped' areas of the world. The world has taken notice. Somalis are just beginning to setup mineral and resource companies....it would be prudent for them to take part in this scavenger hunt before all of the real scavengers dig in their hooks. At the very least there should be partnerships so we are not completely dependent on foreigners. This is 2012. We cannot seriously say that there aren't any Somalis with capital to invest, with know-how, and with extended reach. If 600 Somali investors can setup Hormuud Telecom, I am sure something on a similar or grander scale can be accomplished outside of the telecom field. And setting up an oil rig to drill for oil does not cost millions of dollars (if they tell you this, run the other way!); the technology is NOT sophisticated or innovative. It is more about the know-how and you can import engineers from Asia, Africa or elsewhere; not to mention the Somalis with this training around the world. Yes, I believe there is oil, but it will take time to find commercially viable quantities. In the interim, we should be careful not to give the house away. Salaam.

I vote for the one on the right. The one in the middle is 45+ easily, while the one on the left is looking GREEN.....LOL

Interesting discussion. I've got a couple of questions: 1. Archdemos and Ibti: Can I ask what you do/did for employment? How are prospects for those who from abroad? What is the range do NGO salaries, and does it include housing? 2. How many construction companies are there? And how easy is it to build a house by hiring staff yourself and buying supplies? The only expensive staffer should be the designer/engineer.

ElPunto;831300 wrote: Not bad. How much are these villas? Better than anything I've seen in Somalia. Wouldn't agree; I've seen some good work in Somalia. The design seems plain and the colours are quite unattractive. But I would still be interested to know the builder and prices...LOL.

The breadbasket.

Hate to burst the bubble, but this is the latest on the drilling. Exploration in general is a long, drawn out process so it's best to wait it out final results (still pending and too early to call). Let's not put all of our eggs in this basket. ************ Horn Petroleum, Africa Oil, Suffer Losses after Lackluster Somalia Report Horn Petroleum (HRN.V) is down more than 46%, to 87 cents, on volume 3.55 million shares. The company, today provided an update on the drilling program in Puntland, Somalia. The Shabeel well has reached a total depth of 3,470 meters and has encountered metamorphic basement at a depth of 3,430 meters and is currently being suspended for future testing. The well has encountered additional potential net pay sands in the Jurassic Adigrat Formation at a depth of 3,246 to 3,430 meters, several of which exhibited oil and gas shows. Petrophysical analysis of the well log data indicates up to 3 meters of potential hydrocarbon pay in several thin sand units, Africa Oil said. They are not considered to warrant testing at this time, but do further confirm the existence of a working petroleum system. The Shabeel well is operated by Horn Petroleum Corp (HRN.V). Africa Oil holds a 51% equity interest in Horn Petroleum which in turn holds a 60% working interest in the Dharoor and Nugaal permits in Somalia. The other partners in the blocks include Range Resources (20%) and Red Emperor (20%). AOI is now at $6.60, down 9.6%, on volume 2.3 million. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. Read more: http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-05/update-horn-petroleum-africa-oil-suffer-losses-after-lackluster-somalia-report.aspx?storyid=142139#ixzz1vBAMFnIw

Seems they are accomplishing more in a year than in the last decade! This should lead to more economic development, greater access, and some revenue for local officials. Ku dadaal, ku dadaal.

^^I see. Well, there should have been resolution of title/ownership before part or all of the property was resold. Hopefully this will spur better land laws and dispute resolution. Nabad iyo barwaaqo reer Hargeysa.

I have family in that xaafad so insha'allah cooler heads will prevail. Xaaji, is the problem that reerka xaafadaas degan don't recognize the previous sale to the business man under Siyaad Barre mise wax kale weeye?

Oil shows is not an oil discovery. Yet. Patience.

Innaalillahi wa'Innaa ileyhi Raajicuun

Dowladnimo jir, dowladnimo joog. :-)

^Last photo is beautiful. The city is very impressive, particularly the sea port. Thumbs up Djibouti.

Alle soomaalidu adkeysi ma aqaan. Doloosha, raadiska iyo wax soo saarka muudo badan ah ayeey qaadaan.

Cabdijabaar Al Khaliiji waa fanaan qatar ah oo ummada soomaaliyeed jecel yihin. Aniga waan kahelaa heesihiisa macaan iyo codkiisaba. :-)

Very interesting discussion. I fully agree with the value of good road systems and networks, and their ROI to local communities, anti-poverty efforts and wider aggregate economic development. Shell Co. has it's own "instapave" that is marketed as being much cheaper as well. It was interesting to read some statistics and evidence-based analysis of the direct and indirect impacts of these seemingly less than urgent investments. Shell Instapave Systems offer rural areas a number of attractive advantages to conventional paving systems. Whole lifecycle analysis within Shell has shown that Shell Instapave Systems are cost-effective paving systems for a medium to long term surface lifespan. In El Salvador, Shell’s results taken over a 10-year period show a total lifecycle cost, including construction and maintenance, significantly lower than that of alternative road paving technologies. Based on these results, Shell Instapave Systems can be up to 40% cheaper than gravel road options, up to 50% cheaper than hot mix asphalt and up to 110% cheaper than concrete paving systems. The value that good rural roads provide is supported by facts from the World Bank (2009): -Impact studies have proved the benefits good rural roads can have on local health and education -In just one area of India, the average household income rose from $375 to $700 p.a. and literacy rates increased from 32% to 43% following investment in local roads Pakistan alone is spending $3 billion on rural road development over the next 5 years In fact, the World Bank concludes that Rural road investments are found to reduce poverty significantly through higher agricultural production, higher wages, lower input and transportation costs, and higher output prices. Rural roads also lead to higher girls’ and boys’ schooling. http://www.shell.com/home/content/bitumen/products/shell_instapave/ http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTRURALT/Resources/515369-1264605855368/IDA_tr.pdf http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/IW3P/IB/2006/03/29/000012009_20060329093100/Rendered/PDF/wps38750rev0pdf.pdf

If the leaders of Somaliland had been politically astute, they would have hosted an Carta-styled conference in the 1990s when the world had turned its back to Somalia. This would have allowed Hargeisa to maneuver to install a puppet regime in Xamar Cadey; one which would have recognized the renewed republic. But hindsight is 20/20. And who knows, the current exercise may prove less than fruitful in the end. To play devil's advocate in today's context, would the break-up of Soomaliyaa be so unfortunate? Would it be so different than the 22+ Arabic speaking countries? While Carabta are not as politically advanced or strong, it has not hampered their economic development. And there is nothing to prevent future (re) integration with the other lost lands as well, as we’re seeing with the EU model. Unity for unity’s sake, or unity at all costs would not be very wise. Waxaa la yirahdaa, nabad la'aani waa nolol la'aan. For those who say, 'midnimada Soomaaliyaa waa muqadas'.....waa in aan xasuusnaa waagi 1960-ka hore. The question in the end may be, would Hargeisa accept one of the following resolutions: 1-Independence, but without those troublesome Easterners (mise midnimada Soomaalilaan waa muqadas...); 2-Enshrined power-sharing agreement for the aggrieved party for XX years (e.g., PM or President); OR 3-Very decentralized system of federation, based on a model such as the EU or Cimiraatis. The latter's model is outlined below: As a federation of seven monarchies, whose rulers retain absolute power within their emirates, but with a UAE president, it is neither a constitutional monarchy nor a republic. The emirs choose one of their members to be the president of the federation, but this does not alter the monarchical character of the government of the individual emirates. The constitution is concerned solely with the relations between the emirates as members of the federation, and does not prescribe a constitutional system of government.

Beautiful area. Looking forward to next week. A few videos. This area is known for its dates, fish and fruit farms (including bananas).