Originally posted by NGONGE: ^^ Time to provoke Djibouti and get the Ethiopian army to invade and recognise Somaliland you think? Djibouti's small army is no match for the battle-hardened SL defence force. But I doubt SL would be prepared to anger the French Legionnaires stationed there. Without invading anyone Somaliland is destined to securing its recognition. It is a matter of when my friend.

Mr. Christian Eidem is founder of Grassroots Soccer an NGO which is active in a number of African countries. If they can bring that NGO into the country that would be a possitive thing for the Somaliland youth.

President Dmitry Medvedev has declared that Russia formally recognises the independence of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The move follows a vote in both houses of parliament on Monday, which called on Moscow to recognise the regions. Mr Medvedev defied a specific plea from US President George W Bush not to go ahead with the move. BBC NEWS

Excellent Jacayl Baro. Thanks for sharing this. About a year ago I got my hands on the book "Hal Ka Haleel" by Mudane Baashi. It is a wonderful book full of timeless classic poems, some of which I never heard before. He covers every little detail and history of each peom but I find he hasn't quite covered well about the legend Hadraawi's personal side. But anyways, wonderfull book for any Somali literature enthusiast. I want to get "Dhaxal Reeb" by Mujaahid Boobe, do you think I can buy it online? If so which website?

Originally posted by nuune: ^^^ Bad deal waaye sxb, Daallo management could have replaced their planes, is a matter of leasing lee wax weyn maba ahan if you know the business, they could offer cheaper fares which can attract more customers, not the so 300+ dollar one way which is ridiculous, Ethiopian Airline ayaa ka faaiideesatey kana raqiisan which operates less money to Hargeisa about 100 or 150 dollar. Is all about customerka la soo jiidanaayo, and Daallo guys don't know anythign about that waxoodana waa fixed price going up lee, they never offer any discounts to frequent flyers etc, always waxooda expensive luu ahaa. The Daallo days are over anyway, more regional airlines are on the way competing. Indeed Daallo had a bright future for growth, specialy in the Horn region where there is huge room for growth in the aviation and tourism industries. I wouldn't have sold the airline unless the money was too big to refuse. I mean, at least USD250M or over. Anything less than that, is a sell out of a great business.

^^ New aircraft and all that might be good but I think the Airlines' "Somaliness" of doing business is lost forever. I mean, the airline used to fly to anywhere in the country regardless if there was skirmishes or fightings. The management had contacts with all different people who guaranteed the safety of the aircrafts. But it looks like the new management is taking an "outsiders" view of things. Consider what happened in Hargeisa recently, the small public demostrations. Daallo Airlines suspended its flights to Hargeisa. I think that is the sort of new thing we are going to see in the near future. And if that becomes the norm, Somalis are doomed.

New Management takes over Daallo Airlines. CEO's MESSAGE Thank you for taking the time to visit the Daallo website. Earlier in 2008 Daallo Airlines was bought by Istithmar World Aviation Holdings, one of the investment arms of Dubai World. It is the intent of the new management to turn the Daallo, as the National Airline of Djibouti, into one that meets international standards of quality and reliability and I’m very pleased to say that process has begun. We have already doubled our operational tempo and brought our on-time reliability to new heights. Over the coming months we will be phasing in new aircraft and equipment in order to expand our network and your comfort in and out of Africa. Djibouti represents an unspoiled destination with unrivalled opportunities as a strategic hub and a holiday destination for diving and many other activities. From the friendly people of Djibouti to the 5-star Kempinski Hotel, we believe Djibouti will become a jewel at the entrance to the red sea, and Daallo will seek to serve the needs of our passengers whether transiting to Paris, London or Dubai, into Africa and beyond. As we move to new tomorrows and horizons, I hope that you will join us on our journey. Sincerely Howard Leedham MBE Chief Executive Officer

^^ I think this was his way of saying "hello world". I mean, he is still a rookie in this event. I think the best of him is yet to come.

Originally posted by Thierry.: Amazing stuff he could have done it at 9.64-9.65. did you see how he was warming up this, The guy is in a league of his own. He was the most confident most composed of all during the heats. I was disappointed with Powell's performance though. I though he could prove a challenge to Bolt but he couldn't even make it to the top three. I think Bolt could have easily done it 9.65 or even below that.

The men's 100m is the race of all races in the Olympics. This is the flagship event of the 2 week long competitions. BBC SPORTS

I don't understand why someone if he knows that he has done nothing wrong as far as the rules of the law is concerned, would runaway from the police when they came to question him?? I think whoever he is should come to the police and give as much information as the police require. Running away from the police will not solve any issue. The worse that could happen is for the police to put him behind bars in which case the government would need to justify the arrest otherwise if would backfire like when they arrested the Haatuf Journalist and the Qaran Politicians.

What about Gabre who is now on the side of Nur Adde? Now Gabre is openly on the side of Nur Adde and against Abdullahi Yusuf. Was Gabre not the man who came to Somalia because of Abdullahi Yusuf? When your whole dream and aspirations rests on the actions of external actors (read the Ethio this time) you are bound for a very big disappointment. I think crunch time is approaching for those who thought a Castle of Cards would stand a chance against an ever changing weather.

Russia has not brought any new technology in this war. This was an opportunity to shock and awe the West with new armory and what have you. But what we have seen so far is the use of old and aging aircrafts and artillery batteries. There wasn't any doubt that they will win the skirmishes hands down but in my view waa is ceebeeyeen. Check this footage out (source). The Russian air attack misses its target by mitres. There is no precision guided missiles or anything like it. They are still using 30 year old technology first introduced in the MiG17.

^^Sxb, this is a new "thing" as far as folks in eastern Sanaag is concerned. Lets be honest here, the local boys are no foreigners. They are known and they can be caught and dealt with any minute. So why isn't it the case? The only explaination that I can come up with this newly emerging problem in Eastern Sanaag is that the traditional elders might be loosing their strong role in society. And hence, local boys are not answerable to anyone and know that they will get away with the criminal activity they are in.

These kidnappers need to be pay a price for their criminal enterprise. Good luck to the Gen. Abdullahi Siciid for he seems to be working hard for mproved security unlike the rest of Punltand administration. The kidnappers are local boys. Waa ina Hebel iyo Ina Hebel oo qudh maan loo garanaayo ilaa lafahiisa cadcad. The clan elders, if they were sincere about it, could stop this without much of trouble. But as long as the boys are delivering the goods (read ransom money) and the tolka is right behind them and The Elders are playing the "middle-man" in the deal, this will continue.

The preceding analysis makes clear that the T.F.G. was never more than a notional government that covered with a facade held up by external actors a socially destructive ineffectuality. Any life that the T.F.G. had was given to it by Western donor powers using the U.N. as an instrument, keeping the transitional institutions barely on life support and placing performance tests on them that they could not pass precisely by virtue of the faulty structures that the external powers had imposed. As an actual political force, the T.F.G. had no resources except for international recognition, which placed it in a posture of resentful dependency, with attendant fawning, spasms of rebellion, empty shows of serving the donors' interests, and most of all attempts to play the donor powers for suckers as each of its factions vied for preferment This quote sums it all up. The government that was formed in the pigfarms of Kenya by the warlords never really stoodup on its own legs. The TFG was brain-dead from the day the warlords and thugs hand picked each other and gave themselves fancy names like "Presidents" and "ministers".

By Hussein Ali Nur and Guled Mohamed HARGEISA, Somalia, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Almis Yahye Ibrahim remembers when he and his friends hit on the idea of building a university in one of the world's most neglected corners, the breakaway republic of Somaliland. It was the winter of 1997, and they were hanging out in Helsinki's cafes, keeping the Finnish winter at bay. That's when they dreamt up the International Horn University. Four years ago, armed with diplomas and savings and driven by a desire to make a difference, the three men and another friend who had been in Malaysia returned home to build their dream. The towering university now stands in Somaliland's hilly capital Hargeisa. "We had better lives and jobs in Europe," said soft-spoken Ibrahim, the university's president. "It was not an easy decision to leave all that and return to a totally destroyed country wrecked by civil war." Investments by returning refugees provide a lifeline to millions in Somaliland, which does not receive any direct foreign aid as it is not recognised internationally. This trend of Africans returning home to do business is taking tentative hold in several sub-Saharan countries. As nations shake off war, adopt better governance and cash in on a commodities boom, former refugees and other members of the African diaspora are coming back, drawn by patriotism and investment opportunities in a region which the International Monetary Fund expects to grow by 6.5 percent this year. In Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and elsewhere, these returning nationals are using skills acquired abroad and local knowledge to do business. "The returnees have transformed Somaliland," said Abdullahi Ali, who drives a taxi for a returning refugee in Hargeisa. BIG DREAMS A former British protectorate, Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 when former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted, plunging the Horn of Africa country into anarchy. Thousands of people left the north during Barre's reign. He bombed Hargeisa to crush anti-government forces in 1988, killing thousands of people. Some refugees began to return in the mid-1990s. Officials say the returnees now number in the thousands, with Somalis from other regions also attracted here by the relative stability. Ibrahim left in the 1980s and first went to Egypt before ending up in Finland. Of his friends, another also fled Somaliland while the two others are from Somalia. Slightly larger than England and Wales, Somaliland has enjoyed relative peace and prosperity and has held democratic elections, with a presidential vote scheduled for next year. Analysts say it is not recognised globally because of concerns that rewriting colonial borders would open a Pandora's box of other secession claims. The enclave's annual budget stands at approximately $35 to $40 million. Analysts say around 80 percent comes from customs duties and earnings from the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden. The diaspora contributes around $450 million annually in remittances. In a move to lure refugees home, the administration has introduced tax waivers on new investments to fuel more growth. Half of Somaliland's cabinet and lawmakers are former refugees, who came back mainly from Europe and America. Former refugees have also become small factory owners or created businesses, for example in telecommunications. Ibrahim, the university president, has even bigger dreams: he wants to fashion future leaders. "We don't have leaders in our country but we have managers. Our aim is to produce visionary leaders in future who can bring back hope and amalgamate our people. There is a huge appetite for such leadership and we hope to be the source," he said. Ibrahim and his friends used their savings to start building the university. After they opened, they won grants from Islamic banks and institutions, mainly from Gulf states. He estimated they had so far spent nearly $500,000. The grants help fund the day-to-day running of the university, including paying staff salaries. Ugandan, Kenyan and Asian lecturers provide tutorials in the the university, which offers master degrees and PhD courses, in conjunction with Malaysia Open University. Around 500 students pay an average of $450 per semester. LIFELINE Despite its poverty, Somaliland and the region offer investment opportunities for those brave enough to return. According to a European Union study seen by Reuters, the area has substantial untapped resources of oil, coal and metals such as gold, platinum, copper, nickel and zinc. Oil majors such as ConocoPhillips, BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron staked out claims in the 1980s in Somalia but suspended operations when the country imploded in the 1990s. Somaliland's 850 km (528 miles) of coastline also offer potential for a fisheries industry. The mayor of Hargeisa, Mahamud Jiir, a former refugee who lived in Britain, says fresh investment has fuelled a construction boom in Hargeisa, a city still speckled with ruins from the 1988 bombing attack. "Diasporas are the heart of our economy," said Jiir, an engineer who also owns a construction company which builds up to 50 new buildings in Hargeisa every month. "We now waive tax on factory parts and other goods to encourage more diaspora investment. The economy is built on them. They are our lifeline," he said, referring both to those who return and those who send money back. Hassan Mahamud Hassan, 32, returned from neighbouring Djibouti in January last year. He invested $500,000 to build the Imperial hotel in Hargeisa. The hotel now employs 40 people and caters mainly to returning refugees and aid workers. "The country depends on us. Our staff are better paid than government workers. There is a need to educate new returnees on the best investment opportunities available," Hassan said outside his hotel, as a group of men drank Italian cappuccinos at a next-door coffee shop. (For a story on Nigerians returning home to work in financial institutions, please double-click on [iD:nL1432230]; For a factbox on Somaliland, double-click on [iD:nL6376386]) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/) (Nairobi.newsroom@reuters.com; +254 20 222 4717) (Writing by Guled Mohamed; Editing by Clar Ni Chonghaile)

I can't imagine someone would actually take the time to spew such rabish. But then again, the one that copied and pasted it in here is even worse. What a waste.

This can't be Duke. Maybe Duke's father. If he actually is Duke himself, then ceebeey-tacaal. :eek:

^ You are in for a very big reality slap to the face sxb if you actually believe that Ceerigaabo is anything of what you think it is. Redka, A good candidate for a purpose-built capital is Sheikh Town. Very nice environs and happens to be in the middle of the country. But I think, at this moment in time, Hargeisa is doing its purpose just fine. We have a lot of other things to worry about.

Mekelle, the capital of the Tigre region. Most of the development aid ends up in this region.

^^ I think the dikdik is Sakaaro. Cowl is Antelope/Springbok. I used to hear "Cowley Badhyo cad".

Originally posted by Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar: quote:Ever heard of Digiiran? Guinea fowl is digiiran. Who can guess waxa deero lagu dhaho Afingiriis? Deer? And who can take to know what antelope in Afsoomaali? Or orygx ? Isku tijaabiya. Looking at the Guinea fowl pictures, I think it somewhat differs from the Digirin that I saw in Hawd. The Digirin that I know had much smaller legs and had greyish feathers with dark spots. Who knows what the bird "Hud-hud" is in English?

Shaydaan ama jinn ayaa la shaqaynaya. How else can this be possible? Quick Change artist