Originally posted by liibaan: Besides,what does it really matter if sea level rises 6 metres?I sure as hell ain't gonna drown(insha Allah)!! A rise of 1 meter in sea level is near catastrophic. A rise of 6 is definitely catastrophic. The rise in temperature may or may not be man made but the rate at which it's happening suggests it's man made. Weather forecasting is not the same as measuring sea level. The former may not be accurate all the time for there are too many parameters to that equation, but the latter is measurable and it is consistently, and rapidly, on the rise. And even if you're in Calgary and land-locked, Liibaanow, you will feel the effects. England Girl is right. Some of us worry too much about the after life that the current life is off the stove and back in the freezer.

Originally posted by Aeronwen: Like anything else, the three rules of partying at Somali dens is 1) wear as little as possible, 2) put your nose up in the air as much as possible, 3) know your niiko/whining. :rolleyes: Aeronwen, it matters not how thinly clad a xaliimo is as long as she's unable (or unwilling) to niiko.

Congrats to the newest members of the military-industrial complex. Enjoy your reign.

Originally posted by Complicated: Btw I have a question for the gurus, I recently got hold of a massive electronic dictionary (on mysql database, 20,000+ words) consisting of Somali > English translation and vise versa which was compiled by University of London (Dont ask me how I got it) and I was planning to write an application (front end) for it, but I cant decide what language to use (Java, VB, PHP ASP etc), and for the sake of portability what db I should use file based or one of them DBMS's? Complicated, what you have in your hands is a treasure. Make sure you have it backed up, mutliple times. It's nice to see y'all organize this thing. Although it's burried in the Student section, which means current non-students may not find it. I was a CS grad once many moons ago. I've also been making a living CSing (or BSing if you prefer) for about a decade now. Just so you know I'm not talking out of my a$$ here. Here's what you need to know before you embark on your noble and worthy endeavour: 1) You already have the dictionary on a RDBMS (relational database management system). MySQL is free (something you have to consider for your platform) and it's essentially the defacto RDBMS for personal or commercial use without having to buy from Microsoft, IBM or Oracle. So you're in perfect shape there as support for MySQL (drivers and connectivity software, e.g. ODBC and JDBC, is readily available, free nonetheless). 2) Obviously the front end you'll be building is for the web. In other words, a browser will be your client. You're not going to build a fat-client for this to be installed on anyone's desktop. Too many variables with home users and their systems. You just want people to type www.someurl.com and get the dictionary, right? There's only one possible answer to that question. 3) Get yourself a domain from one of the vendors out there (with hosting as a package). Get something catchy like www.somalidictionary.org or some such variant. 4) Now comes the tricky part. Not so tricky really but you need to be careful in the begining so as not to redo things over later. The platform the host company provides will more or less decide what language you will use. If the hosting company uses Windows IIS, you will use ASP, ASP.NET that uses VB, C# or some other Windows friendly (if not exlusive) language. The better option (the one I'd take) is to find a Linux based hosting company. You can ask them what they have. With this option, most hosting companies already provide MySQL support. So you're existing db will just be "dropped" in their system. Zero set up. Will save you a lot of headache. They also provide support for its connectivity. Which is a also awesome. Now, you can pick between PHP, JSP or some other non-Windows based language to code your pages. For PHP, the hosting company will have to support it. Most do. For JSP (Java Server Pages, which will allow you to harness the power of Java in the back end), you will need a hosting companies that has Apache Tomcat (or another application server) support. Most hosting companies do this as well. To summarize, your optimum option, the one with the least cost and greatest flexibility, would be the MySQL-JSP using Tomcat in a Linux environment. This is what I would use. Find a hosting company that provides support for all of the above and you're more than half way there. Do remember however, if you're well versed in VB-ASP, it makes no sense going the Linux, JSP route (unless you wanna learn it that is). Use what you know best. It will make it easier to develop and maintain in the long run. But even if you breathe VB, learning something else will enhance your skills overall, depending on your goals. Ask any questions you may have. You should have a few. A good person to talk to about this is one of the Admins on SOL (Libaax-Sankataabte, for example). He can help you get off the ground pretty quick. They have the hosting capability I spoke of earlier and I'm pretty sure they support at least PHP. Just one last question, what copyrights, if any, does the University of London have over this work? If they developed it, then there must be some rights they hold. I'd be careful putting proprietary work out there without their knowledge. You will not survive the legal proceedings and all of your work will have been for naught. Other than that, good luck with this great endeavour and ask any questions you have. P.S. The interface will be very simple and the text search (word meaning lookup) will be done by the MySQL database. So there will not be much work to do. A text box to enter the word and a button that says "Fetch". It's pretty straight forward really. Once the database connectivity and other administrative tasks are complete, development should take you about a day. Good luck, again. Originally posted by Caano Geel: ok, i'll admit it just this once, yep, i'm one of u loser geeks CG, there's nothing bad about being a geek, saaxib. It keeps you out of trouble (hasn't worked for me), helps you earn a decent income doing what you love and nowadays, chicks love geeks. There's a whole movement going on. It's chic to be a geek.

^^^ Give it time.

Originally posted by 7 0f Nine: I dont really want any proof. What? And all this was for naught?

Originally posted by Baashi: Or still better question would be where does Castro fall on the spectrum I invoke my fifth Amendment right against self incrimination.

Originally posted by 7 0f Nine: But truly, how many rural Africans/asians do you know to embrace this ‘lifestyle’? Come on 7, that's not even worthy of a response. Are you saying farmers can't be fags? Whatever happened to senor Laxwas? The rules of the game have changed. Either back up what you say with convincing evidence or don't say it at all. Capisce? People who ‘think’ they are non-heterosexuals should be treated with respect or compassion, but they should be discouraged from acting on their immoral sexual desires. The above statement is the undisputed winner of the annual "sitting on the fence" award. Please! Do you really mean what you said or you said it because it satisfies the majority of people on both sides? No doublespeak please. I dont pride myself in spreading hate or harm, laakiin sideed qof aad jeceshahay ugu ogalaan lahayd in ay *meeshaa* tagaan? My ogolaasho is not even an issue here. Focus on the matter at hand. I will concede your observation that I've "changed" my tone over the posts. That shift, however, is not for the reasons you stated but for clarity. Sitting on the fence is not an option so get off!

Originally posted by Viking: Castro, Mighty dauntless of you to take on the slippery slope. Cut it out, Viking. Can't you see the opposition has tapped the mighty Mutakalim to head the philosophy desk and convinced, even mit-ier, cRitiCa out of retirement to head the science desk? I've my hands full for weeks so please, no smart aleck remarks my way for a while. Capisce? Runs out of the room screaming: "they'll never catch me alive!"

^^ It shouldn't saaxib. I've got nothing to lose but pride (puny to start with) and much to gain. You're misreading Castro, I believe. Edited: If nothing else, I'll sleep just a little better knowing I've almost recruited mighty cRitiCa into the one-line-trolling-brigade.

Originally posted by Animal Farm: what say you on the act of Abortion ? Waarya AF, colkaan wadhaf ku dayayaa ee maalin kale haynoo ahaato saaxib. You do understand, don't you? I'd hate to open another front when the insurgency in the first remains good and brave.

Originally posted by cRitiCa: Put forth any convincing scientific evidence that shores up your “homosexuality is not a choice†standpoint and I wait. Fully recognizing the poser may not be qualified to judge, may use a sliding scale to judge or may even reject such evidence altogether based on prior knowledge of the score, I accept the challenge as put forth. P.S. I noticed, good cRitiCa, you've changed “homosexuality is not a choice" to “homosexuality is genetic" while I was writing this response. I hope you're not mistakingly trying to make it any harder than it already is. It's obvious from my tirade in this topic that one begets the other, in my view. Edited: At least, unlike good and brave Mutakalim, you didn't dismiss psychology as quackery. The locomotive at the end of the tunnel is stationary.

Originally posted by cRitiCa: Scientific integrity? biased research? Suspicious? Motivated. You see, good, brave, kind, cRitiCa, there are two competing interests here. One, the legitimization of certain aspects of bahavior using scientific means. Two, the struggle to reconcile the tangible with the intangible. LeVay could be of the flaming variety as you are suggesting, but the obvious fervor of which he would be accused is shared with those, who having been told the final score, must ensure the play conforms to that score. For if it doesn't, hell (bad pun) has no fury as a "firm" believer vacillated in the wrong direction. And seeming like a prosecutor who brought to the stand a witness with ties to the mob, neither taints my motives nor moves my thoughts into the "sagging" corner. What it does show is that when asked, you would give me the final score, and I will tell you what's happening on 2nd down and 10.

There is no reforming Islam. What defects are to be removed? What errors can be corrected? What improvements can be made? Islam v 2.0 is an option many other religions have pursued. But that defeats the purpose of following the divine words. So what to do? Renunciation? Abstention? Rushdie and Manjie have essentially renounced Islam but just can't get themselves to say it publicly. But before you start applauding Castro, think long and hard what that means. Why it only means they're aware of their renunciation. Just how many people you know (including yourself), even those who are "practising" muslims, have renounced it as well but have quarantined those neurons in their brain that reached the conclusion. Faith is a moving target. It comes and goes. But sometimes it goes and it stays gone. Many of us, including myself, imagine the almighty, the day of judgment and other intangibles, in the exact same way they did as toddlers. I mean, really, how much further has your understanding of the intangible world improved since the age of 4? Reform is a fork in the road. It separates those who have held their bets with their faith and will live watching their stock in the afterlife rise from those who have bet the afterlife is just after with no life and will reform Islam to remove the nuisance it has become in their lives. P.S. I've read no conclusive scientific research to support the above statements. They are entirely my own "heartfelt intuitions or emotional inclinations".

Originally posted by Mutakalim: What conclusive information have you come across that I am guilty of not reading. LeVay, Simon: The Sexual Brain. Xq28 Conclusive? Please. Research for a college paper. Just enough, however.

Originally posted by Shukri Rabi: ^How did you reach that conclusion? Like viking said, what is your support/evidence of your claims? You're not really interested in how I reached that conclusion, are you? If you were, you would know this isn't the forum to extract conclusion making (or breaking) knowledge. What do you care any of what I believe? What do you care further how I reached that belief? And finally, what do you care of the evidence when none of it will be of use to you. Please, crawl back under the rock whence you came and spare me the oblique interest in my evidence, my claims and my beliefs. Better yet, have Kashafa add you to the list of those against homosexuality and you can sleep better knowing that the whole world (or SOL) knows you to be a faggot hating, god fearing manly man or woman. Capisce? I'm done here.

Originally posted by Viking: Castro, Simple question mate, do you believe that homosexuality is wrong? Just a simple yes or no would suffice. Homosexuality is not a choice, so no.

All this Starbucks nonesense is making you all miss a very interesting matter over in another section. Something or other about reform in Islam. And some new kid on the block called Rushdie.

Originally posted by Naku Penda Piya: If Muslims are not able to live under Western secular law, they shouldn't be living in the West (Period.) That's not practical, Naku Penda Piya. What is more practical is transforming the west to become the east. You see our east is not a dynamic place, it's quite static and stagnant. Change comes at a snail's pace and one would often die of old age, or be killed at a young age for using the word reform. And one of the oldest of human traits is the desire to have one's cake and eat it too. So enjoy your cake.

Originally posted by Muhammad Howell - Niinka Cadaan: “Whoever has intercourse with an animal, kill him and kill the animal with him.†(Narrated by Ahmad, 2420; Abu Dawood, 4464; al-Tirmidhi, 1454; al-Haakim, 4/355) And what might the sin of the animal be? Solicitation?

Originally posted by Naku Penda Piya: Long live Fidel! Indeed, comrade. He is the revolution.

Originally posted by Katrina: Miracles do happen :rolleyes: , I've been thinking about buddhism lately. Careful there Katrina, with statements like these, you will be accused of being in a celebratory mode and condoning something or the other. Members of the elite prevention-of-vice-and-promotion-of-virtue squad will then be dispatched to eliminate you. By the way, my fatwa statement was not a serious one. I know of no such fatwa. I was referring to the fly-by-night google articles that fit every claim made on SOL.

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: What I have issues with, however, is your celebratory mood and how you employ your vocabulary with no care at ll. War ma anaa waalan mise Cadan baa laga heesaya? Xiin, ma sariirtaad xalay ka dhacday atheer? What celebratory mood are you talking about? And how is that unacceptable around here. Oday, waxa kucunaya garan maayee, alle ha kuu sahlo. I would even entertain the possibility that you may as well tolerate and refrain to ‘judge’ the sheer immorality and the wicked nature of sexual intercourse between moms and their sons or dads and their daughters as you could always argue that they are ‘two consenting adults’ Would even..? May as well...? Could always argue...? Dude, if you wanna be like Castro, acquire a spine and just do it. Don't entertain anything. Calling those reject your assertions as hounds is over the line, me thinks. There's a lot of extrapolation and much conspiracy theory in the statement above. If you feel like a hound I can't stop you. I called no one a hound and if you understood the meaning of the phrase, you wouldn't have jumped the gun like you did. I owe you neither an explanation nor apology. Instead, I will refer you to form S103, Petition to remove vile alien. You can fill out that form, have 20 people sign it, then send it to the home office with a check or money order for $100. And if you think I'm in a festive mood, I am. And little you can say can change that, brother.

Originally posted by 7 0f Nine: Here There And Everywhere ! Ah, forgot about Google. That last link had me collecting my jaw off the floor. You can do that around here? And all this time I thought: can I possibly collect any more sins?

Originally posted by Le Femme: Do you realize what deep shidh you could be in calling those God fearing men hounds? Ah, well, they're gonna have to take a number. The line is against the wall, single file. checkmate, I never said anything about wine. I can't stand that munkar. It's nice to know folks remember what I say. May be I should start making sense.