^ It's the potential for fornication that worries the authorities. Not the exchange of chocolate. Originally posted by Legend of Zu: I wonder How Xamar will be different to Boorama... No doubt Xamar is different from any city, town or village in the entire horn. I love it and miss it.

Indeed, it is the week of love but some people must be charged with crimes against the heart. Their callous disregard for the feelings of others is unconscionable. Queen B must be stripped of her title as the premier qalanjo on SOL. :cool: Johnny and CG, you both make me sick. :rolleyes:

Juxtapose the following two realities in these articles, if you will: Corruption costs Nigeria and other African countries about $148bn each year, President Olusegun Obasanjo says. Mr Obasanjo said the figure had been obtained from the African Union. The figure amounts to 25% of Africa's official Gross National Product. The president was addressing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Abuja. Mr Obasanjo has promised a "war against corruption" in Nigeria, which is notorious for graft. Mr Obasanjo said revenue from extractive industries - mining and oil production - was "a major contributor to this monumental and preventable loss". "The popular 'paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty' is a daily experience in many African countries rich in oil, gas and minerals," the president said. "The majority of citizens in these countries still lack basic health and educational facilities." 'Collaboration' EITI was formed as part of an effort to oblige governments to open their oil accounts to scrutiny, and to hold them accountable for their income. "Unpatriotic citizens in our midst loot our resources and cart the proceeds away into Western banks with the collaboration of Western financial systems," Mr Obasanjo said, in comments quoted by the This Day newspaper. "When we signed into EITI in 2003, we resolved to implement it through a model of coalition." President Obasanjo blamed the prevalence of corruption revealed by recent audits on the "institutional decay and dislocation that our country suffered over the last two decades". "Our challenge is to use the impetus granted us by these audits to transform our revenue reporting mechanisms, production institutions and human personnel for a more transparent extractive industry," he said. He said civil society organisations could serve as "whistle blowers that can complement our anti-corruption drive". Source Nigeria oil 'total war' warning A Nigerian militant commander in the oil-rich southern Niger Delta has told the BBC his group is declaring "total war" on all foreign oil interests. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has given oil companies and their employees until midnight on Friday night to leave the region. It recently blew up two oil pipelines, held four foreign oil workers hostage and sabotaged two major oilfields. The group wants greater control of the oil wealth produced on their land. Nigeria is Africa's leading oil exporter and the fifth-biggest source of US oil imports, but despite its oil wealth, many Nigerians live in abject poverty. Aims It is the first time the military leader of the Mend movement, Major-General Godswill Tamuno, has spoken publicly of his group's aims. He refused to be interviewed on tape or for his location to be disclosed. He told the BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar that they had launched their campaign, called "dark February", to ensure that all foreign oil interests left. He said that they had had enough of the exploitation of their resources and wanted to take total control of the area to get their fair share of the wealth. Our correspondent says the movement brings together a variety of local groups that had been operating in the Niger Delta before. Their diversity means the group enjoys considerable local support and it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who is a member, he says. Mend's leaders tend to like to be faceless, our reporter says, and they usually send statements to the media via email. Well armed The Niger delta has been the scene of a low-level war in recent months and the government has increased its military presence in the region. On Wednesday, a Nigerian government helicopter gunship opened fire on eight barges allegedly used by smugglers to transport stolen crude oil. The smugglers are believed to be well armed with weapons from eastern Europe brought in to pay for the illicit oil. Mend released a statement immediately after the raid saying the helicopter had fired rockets and machine-guns at targets on land and accused the military of targeting civilians. It warned that its fighters were capable of shooting down military helicopters and accused Shell of helping out the security forces by allowing them use of an airstrip it operates. The military has denied it used the facility. According to AFP news agency, Shell has not confirmed or denied that its airstrip was the base for the attack. Source P.S. Donate to your hungry and thirsty brothers and sisters back home. You have no choice but to do so.

^ We all change on the outside ninyahow. Hopefully the (good) core remains the same. I've no desire to have enmity with anyone, saaxib. Definitely not with mighty Alle-ubaahne. Originally posted by Caano Geel: dont know whats being argued. but the man has a point. How do you do it saaxib while still looking good? if nothing else, we are to blame for not having a nation to atleast launch aid from. A lot of good nationhood did for Kenya and specially Ethiopia. The poster child for African poverty, drought and starvation. Remember LiveAid and Live8?

naden, here's how Alle-ubaahne and I met. It was on a similar topic. It seems that both he and I are mysteriously attracted to such matters. After some trials and tribulations, we are now at peace with one another.

^ You don't think this drought is a theodicy, good naden?

^ The really big influence came from Exxon, Chevron, Shell and the likes. First with the start of the war, prices would skyrocket and they'd make profits never before seen anywhere (they did). Second, they'd have unfettered access to Iraq for decades to come (in process). Mission accomplished.

^ I'm a girl.

^ What's a mouse? J. Lee, I believe you.

^ LOL. Walee inaad reer Burco tahay hadaan ogaaday. Ready for a$$ whoopin at the drop of a hat. Ok, one day is enough. I'll talk to the elders see what they have to say. I'll also stop trolling your great topic. Sorry.

Liban, still not good enough. We need a video that shows you with your SIN. Saaxib you don't have to do this for the "non-believers" ( ). Your word is bond. 'Nuff said.

^ I'm a troll? Haa, markaa waxaan kuugu heesa: "geelaa markuu daraaranyahay laba nin.....". Your grazing rights have just been unceremoniously revoked. :mad: The US is pretty corrupt but probably at the very high level. As in government contracts to military-industrial outfits and other tax-payer gouging entities. In the lower levels it's ok, I think.

Hey, speaking of fighting, I just beat you in the post count. They should have just said N/A for Somalia. I mean come on, just how many organizations (even government) that exist to gauge their corruptness. It's probably done on Afweyne's government. Also, the US is surely more corrupt than number 15. No?

Originally posted by Red Sea Casse: I haven't said anything to make the story of Liban a lie, however I just need few more posts from Liban to tell us more and I will believe the story. Step a way from the keyboard. Hands where I can see them. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?

It's a gauge of perception, not actual corruption. Hence the discrepancies.

Liban converted 4 years ago. And being married to a Somali, he probably has inlaws (and outlaws) still wondering if he's for real. Yours is an inspiring story saaxib. Just gettting over the weed is no small feat.

If I were Liban, right about now, I'd take Zafir and beat Red Sea Casse with him. Are you people serious?

^ That's a white dude alright. How did your parents/siblings take the news? How are they now?

^ May be they were giving out Valentine party invitation cards. Are these police forces indiscriminantly arresting people? Sounds like Afweyne all over again.

^ Emotional tirades atheer. Don't pay them no mind.

^ There's also western media's bias and hype. For example, in the lead up to the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the demonization of the Afghanis reached fever pitch levels. It makes things easier when you're invading a monster, see. Not that the Taliban are choir boys.

^ That's great news atheer Generalow. Now we can have these mijo yar Arab bast@rds in our own backyard and beat the shidh out of them for raping our refugee women in their bloody country. Embassy kulaha. Appreciate the news though atheer. Your dedication should be an inspiration to all of us. Sometimes though, my anger and frustration take the best of me.

Originally posted by Khayr: Stop blaming Muslims all the time saxib, you're one to BLAME TO, especially since all you do is LOOK FOR FAULTS and CRACKS in the UMMAH and exploit them. i.e. hijab=tent, al azhar fatwa etc. I didn't say "hijab=tent" and neither did I write that al-azhar fatwa. That dress, particularly the one resembling the tent, can be referred to as a tent. And if you didn't like the fatwa from al-azhar, you can take that up with them. Saaxib don't solicit responses from people to your questions then turn around and question the motive of those who answer. That's brotherly advice from me to you.

^ Love the name you gave him. Atheer Laba X, waan indha beelnon dhago cuslaanay. Providing the source means giving others the opportunity to read the article/op-ed/site for themselves by way of providing a link to that source. Saying "Wararka naga soo gaarey magaalada Boorame" is not providing the source. I hope you know the difference now. As for macaluul, well, I now see what you mean and I don't disagree with it. Though you do know hadal waa margi. Anyhow no harm done, we're cool.

^ Something or the other about Liban. Indeed, Liban is the man.