RR doesn't know Djibouti conviniently wanted a skirmish with Eritrea to please Ethiopia at a time Ethiopia was getting angry over Djibouti's support to the ICU. He doesn't know that Ismael was given prime land aorund Nazreth and the US had a hand in all these turn around. Belial, I suggest you halt discussion with someone who is reading the media news in its colours. He may be recovering on the romantics side, but it is clear RR is still in deep abyss when it comes to his political wit.

The guy mixes two types of styles in his writing. Paragraph that starts with Mr.Riyaale doesn't flow with the rest. In fact, he is wasting too much words to describe a given situation. He has the English but needs to take few more creative writing lessons. Where did I read "avoid cliches like a plague", which sounds funny because it is a cliche itself. On the content, well, above showing the finger to riyaale, it doesn't say much.

o!naphisa ma nooshahay? ee bal waran waa lagu waaye? Salaams inadeer. Don't waste time on the fatuos rants of the fake general. He is a tribalist to the bone.

Originally posted by Meiji: Defeating Ethiopia means defeating those self-seeking socalled ''brothers'' amongst us: political and religious pretenders. More importantly, we have to change the current environment that nurtures and supports those self-seeking socalled leaders. You have all of these in Ethiopia and in plenty. Waryaa, unlike what you think, Ethiopia is an empty shell. When kenenisa Bekelle won the olympic and Ethiopian flag was put on his back at the celebrations, most Oromos fumed and threatened to disown him. They hate that flag as much as you do, or even more. Ethiopia is not as strong as you think, and as united as you think. To answer me's quesion, the starting point of our solution is to have a credible government in Somalia. A credile, functioning government will frighten Ethiopia by its mere existence. And can promote self-determination for somali's elsewhere peacefully in global fora.

looooooooooool@dhina caasi waa ka magaalada naga saaray!!!!!!! NG, soo daa. You somali is impeccable, don' listen to xaasidiinta.

Unfortunately the strength of the insurgent groups is not something that threatens the regime at least in the short run. The most organised is ONLF, followed by OLF. OLF are not causing any problems yet but can do so potentially. ONLF's issue is more or less a periphery nuisiance to the regime. The amxaara's has a small group of people fighting in the North called Ethiopian people's Patriotic Front (EPPF). There is even a gurilla group from the Tigray region, the Tigre People's Democratic Movement. TPDM is armed and supported by Eritrea and have ben aquite active on small scale. These are supporters of the splinter group from the TPLF after the end of Ethio-Eritrea war when several of the key party leaders were dismissed and arrested by Meles. There is also a tribal issue as most of the TPDM are from South Tigray and they oppose the domination of Adwa region (meles) and Adigrat (Siyoum Mesfin). Jilib jilib ayey isu haystaan, and the enemity is enormous. I mean the one-eyed hero of the Tigre liberationa nd the supreme ideologue Towlde (who basically used to give Meles letters so that he can read as a Prime minister) is still in prison. Former Tigary region president Gebru Asrat is in exile. So, what really threatens the regime is not so much armed groups for now, but the division within the army, police and security forces. All are not Tigre's and most of those who came from the amhara and oromo nationalities are not loyal to the system. So if riots are to start in one area, fighting can erupt in Addis over night. This time, the fight will not be a protracted gurilla war where the rebels will gradually march to the capital. Moreoover, it is becoming virtually impossible to rule the country for the Tigre's without instilling fear and without repression. The more they do so, the more others are getting fed up and the latest development is the call for arms by Ginbot 7 ( this is led by a gurage professor/who is an associate professor in one of the universities in America/)- Dr. Birhanu Nega. A unionist and from a super-rich family in Addis, his party CUD (which is outlawed now) won the elections in 2005, and he was elected mayor of Addis. Only to be arrested and charged with treason. He was later pardoned and fled abroad. He has a huge following, and the Amhara's love him. By the way in terms of population size look here: - Oromo - nearly 34 million - Amhara - 28 million - Gurage - 4 million - Tigre - 3.5 million - Somali - 4.5 million The South region (where 45 various ethnic groups live) has a population of 13 million. Political alliances: - Oromos - with no one (kaligood) - Amhara are very much allied with gurage and 75% of the southern people nearly 9 million will vote for Amhara's if free elections are conducted. Only Sidama's will not. Because Amhara's inter-marry and are assimilative, most Southererns who are christianised are in favor of them. - Somali's - divided (Ogda.den fighting, the rest waxay iska ilaalinayaan Ogad.en hegemony) - Tigre: are surviving because Amahra's and Oromos's are watching each other. Ironically, despite being the undisputed majority, if free and fair elections were to be held in ETHIOPIA, I am sure the AMHARA willl win comfortably. They will get votes from Amhara,Gurage, Most of the Southern regions, Even Some Oromo's (the Shewa oromo -whoare all but Amharized), and some from each region by virute of assimilation. Only Dire Dawa town will give them more than 200,000 votes.

Sorry for missing this part of the question. The Amhara Nation Democratic Movement is nothing but a condom of Meles. In case you didn't know, the ruling EPRDF is composed of - TPLF (tigre) - ANDM (supposedly Amhara's -laakin waa moahmed dheere iyo Cabdi qaybdiid style- ay Tigregu samaysteen si ay u yidhaahdaan qoomiyada kale ayaa nala haya talada -OPDO ( led by a former prisnoer of war who is not a real Oromo - He is the current Oromia region president Abadula Gamada (whose real name is Minase Woldesamayat- a typical tigre name). He admits that Abdaulla is his name de gurre, but says he is still an Oromo. - South Nations and Nationalities Democratic Party (led by Kassu Elala, a Gurage- these are from the various communities who live in the South, but still loyal to the Tigre's and not to their communities.) I was talking about those. But if your question is will the real Axmaro oppoition in the form of CUD, Ginbot 7, EPPF and others do us more harm if they were to come to power, I think yes they could, although I think they probably can't do more harm than the Tigre's did. Thet are the same. But it is unlikely that the Axmaaro will come back to rule again if the Tigre's fall. They tigre's know what they did to them and will most likely let the Oromo's take Addis Ababa. I don't think the axmaaro can fight as one group because they are not organsied as the Tigre's and they also are disperesed. But they can mount a fight under the name of 'ethiopian unity' and given that most are fearful of the Oromos might be able to put up a fight. I think the oromo's will take Addis this time around. if so, the issue will be not about fighting oromo hegemony, but how to deal with them as they will try to annex somali areas that borer oromo lands. It is a different challenge, but the oromo's will keep the watch on bigger adversaries. I think we can than stand by the side and watch. The end of the balkanization in Ethiopia, which will continue for some time, will usher the start of the unification of the Somali's with the motherland.

RR What issues do you have as a somali with Eritrea that will cause problems for you if Eritrea goes for a search for a hegemony?? Do you share border? In fact, what you said is what those who wanted to justify ethiopia's aggression used to utter. I have agreed that Eritrea is getting at Ethiopia (specifically at Meles's regime), but I also happen to know beyong that, they have no issues with Somalia. Can you prove they have one? Or can you say Ethiopia's issue with us is temporary? Focus on the big picture. Speaking of ethinc relations, sheikh sharif is the cousin of Hassen D. Aweys. It is naive to bring that into the discussion.

Dhubad, That falsehood had been spread like a wild fire that it almost is difficult to race after it. But, nothing could be further from the truth. Infact, no one has done mORE HARM and damage to the somali people than the Tigre's have done. I give you a comparative synopsis of what the succesive regimes had done to the somali people. Under his imperial majesty, lion of Judah, Teferi Mekonin also knows as Hailesellasie, the somali's in Ethiopia were very much were oppressed just like the rest of other communities in Ethiopia were. The king appointed governors from the Axmaaro or other ethnic groups but mostly these people were supported by local Somali elders given different titles and material benefits. Save for some killings in Degahbour, Cayshaca and other areas, there were no large scale massacres. As far as governace is concerned, the whole country was semi-feudal state and the somali region lived the same fate as well. No development, no civil service and no much persecution as well. The military Derg regime came to power and immediately went to war with Somalia. The people of the region were fighting along side their fellow somali's. Interstingly, after the war ended, the local populations by and large lived peacefully because most of their elites went to somalia and never wanted to continue a war of liberation. Maybe that has reduced the tension on the part of the regime, but there were no systematic killings. But there were many instances were people were killed simply because they were associated with Somalia. Much worse, most somali's did not have any opportunity, but this was also for most of the people in the country. In fact, somali's were spared from the bloody 'red terror' campaign where millions of other ethnic groups were killed.This time, governance was through appointed somali and non-somali officials, but local elders were at times consulted. The Tigre's came and in 1991-1993, they promised all kinds of things, and relatively gave some powers to the somali's, but when the ONLF-led parliament decided to go one step ahead and asked for full independence all hell broke loose. They started to inplement a policy of dividing the somali's into "O" and "non-O" groups, effectively used Dr. Abdimajid to do this. Since then, the region is red by "Somali- faces" but real power is with "advisors" who are all Tigre's. There is no Self-governance at all, and in fact, save for Jigiga, all other districts are run by military commanders who are the final decision makers. Not much has changed beyond rethoric and symoblism. Where things changed is that there are many somali's who are working as civil servants and to some extent people are getting education opportunities. This again is a windfall that has come for all people in Ethiopia in which the somali's are comparatively still on the disadavantaged side. Now, this slight improvement pales to insignificiance against the litany of injustice and massacre meted out against the people of ******, who are seen as campaigners of Somalia's 'expansionism'. Since 1994, over 20,000 people have been killed, more than 50,000 have been arrested,hundreds of thousands fled their homes and many villages were burnt. rape was used as a weapon and the sight of hunged youngesters in the streets of wardher , Dhagaxbuur, fiiq and other areas is common. Now you tell me, or you ask any expert, and who has killed as much somali's. The notion of "kuwanaa noo dhaama kuwii hore" is spread with people who clearly see the war as being fought between the TPLF and the Ogad.en people. Cheif among these tribalists is Mohamud Dirir who is a minister in the federal government. He is on record for saying "dawladani ******'ka unbay laysaa oo iyadaa noo roon". So, that assertion is correct or incorrect depending which definition of somalinimo we follow and depending on one's scope of thinking.

Eritrea's agenda is clear to everbody. It is to get at Ethiopia. But that doesn't shadow the general good-will and love Eritreans have towards the Somali's. I think that too needs to be understood. This is in contrast to the hatred and disgust many 'main-stream' Ethiopians (amhara, Tigres, Gurage etc) have for Somali's.

RR Before you throw a wobbly at Belial for disclosing what he knows, have you been following sheikh Sharif's public pronouncemnets? Or are you in any doubt that the Sheiks's patriotism doesn't go much beoyon Mahadaay and suuqa bakaaraha?????

The mediocre former dugsi-quran teacher Sheikh Hotel, the pirate Faroole, the former spy Riyaale or any other self-seeking politician from Somalia can do no damage to the people of Oga.den by signing papers and peace which they can not deliver. There will be no peace until our ladies could sleep free from the fear of rape and until our men could come back to their land and rule it by their own terms. Indeed, if it were for those 'borthers' of us beyond the border, there would have been no resistance at all. The somalilanders and Puntlanders are on record for kidnapping our fighters, sympathisers and leaders on a broad daylight and handing over to the regime in Addis. What more could they do to us? As far as Shiekh Sharif and his clan in the south is concerned, who was taking bribes and commissions out of any gun or ammunition that comes to the ONLF from the south? And who at times even shot dead our fighters after taking the money? The liberation of our people will have to come from within and there is enough force that can deliver if all somali's in the occpuied areas come togathers. The focus has to be there and ONLF has to make a lot of political changes and compromises to bring them onboard. Tii kiisa daryeelaa taadad daryeela goes the cliche. Savages who could not save their own country can not save anyone else.

It is increasingly looking like Meles will quit in 2010 along all of what he says 'the old guard'. He is a smart guy and wants to give the facade of a real change while still continuing his reign as the chairman of the ruling EPRDF party. Insiders say Meles is busy picking loyalists and one name is coming up again and again. It is not a surprise that he will pick a Tigre as a successor but many people thought that man will be the former Addis Ababa mayor and current minister of public works - the young and handsome Arkebe Equabay. It now looks Meles is set to annoint the equally handsom current Minister of health, Dr. Tewodros Adhenom, who got most of his eduaction in Asmara. This rules out speculations that Meles might go for other partner parties in the EPRDF, and not for the TPLF to pick very much a stooge. If from the Oromo parnters in the form of the Oromo People Democratic Party, the front runner would have been Girma Birru. If from the Amhara Nation Democractic Movement, it would have been the either the ailing Addis Legesse, the current deputy PM (a former Sport teacher in Asebe Taferi -200 Kms west of Dire dawa) or the demagogue Tafara Walwa, a powerful minister in the current government. If this information, which is what insider's leaked to the media turns out to be true, then it will be intersting to see how much it will fuel the already fever-high hatred and disgust to the minority Tigre's who basically have taken every key position in the current government. Many people believe that even among the Tigre's, Meles's choice of Dr. Tewodros (a more academic than political person) ahead of the highly rated intellectual and politician Arkebe has to do with the latter's known degree of autonomous thinking. Such mentality of going his way put Arkebe in collision course with Meles when the former was the mayor of Addis Ababam, leading to his unceremonious 're-assigning'. In any case, nothing will really change as long as the EPRDF is in place and we can very much expect the continuation of the policies and adventures of Meles after 2010, whoever comes to face the camera's as the new face.

Turki's Jihad is not needed in our land. The courageous ONLF is doing the job pretty well and insha-allah with the colascening anger of other ethnic groups in Ethiopia, the tide will change against the Woyanne Tigre minority group. They are now panicking and arresting their own soldiers who happen to be from the axmaaro nationality. They will indeed be finsihed but the challenge is how to make sure what happened in 1991 is not re-lived. This time around decisive measures will have to be taken to change the facts on the ground before any regimein Addis tries to expand. It is simple. The key is the Oromos. Let Oromo's get control of Harar and all the way to Addis Ababa. If Ismail Cumar Geele continues to tell the Cissa somali community not to resist the woyanne occupation, then perhaps it will make sense to stand-by and see how he will deal with the Oromo annexation by Oromo's when the TPLF is done away with. It will be a tricky issue, one which I believe should not be allowed to dengenrate into a fight for the twon between the muslims people's of Oromo and Somali's. I think both can co-exist and I don't mind if ownership is shared. Certainly,it is the Jerusalem of the horn and no one (somal's or oromos) can claim it alone.

In a Bangkok temple: IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN. Cocktail lounge, Norway: LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR. Doctor's office, Rome: SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES. Dry cleaners, Bangkok: DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS. In a Nairobi restaurant: CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER. On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi: TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE. On a poster at Kencom: ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP. In a City restaurant: OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS. In a cemetery: PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES. Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations: GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED. On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR. In a Tokyo bar: SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS. Hotel, Yugoslavia: THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID. Hotel, Japan: YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel near a Russian Orthodox monastery: YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY. A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE. Hotel, Zurich: BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE. Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand: WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ***? Airline ticket office, Copenhagen: WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS. A laundry in Rome: LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

Meeday mahayee meeday meeday? Those of you who have any information please share. Did we lose her to one of this men who would ban internet after Nikah or is she on a mission somewhere? Warkeeda ha loo soo gudbiyo abtigeed at tolnimo@tooyosho.kac

Originally posted by xiinfaniin: ^^ nuune abtigiis iyo tolkuuu dhaama. Abitigiis iyo tolka is a geeljire with a university degree laakiin abtigiis iyo tolka wuxuu dhaama nogonge. Ngonge is a cazeer boy who could never be taken serous. sadexduba Oodweynay dhaamaan. oodweyne is a clannish man who speaks perfect english. wax isaga ka liita Kashafa jira. kaas tilmaan uma hayyo, aad baan ugu kacanahay waa wax dhintay Your intention notwithstanding, I actually thank you for this flattery. For to be somewhere between Ngonge and Nuune is truly fulfilling. For to be a man rooted to his self and the self of his ancestors, a true geeljire, is a big accolade. Surely, I can't roll up my sleeve for a fight when I know the man I face is the mighty sage, the all-knowing, all-conquering Xinn. The witty and sauve Xinn. Not when I know if character analysis were to kill, Mintid Farayar would have been below the soil and SOL prodigy Kashafa would have vanished into thin air! For what should I fire back then?

Horta, it is long time since I kept pondering over this. Over the definition of a basari (the closest english translation can be a disorganised, untidy woman). Something like that. And why is that it is recommended you avoid them when looking for a life partner? From early days, I thought people were unfair to these basariis. I thought a basari could actually be a self-aware woman who realises the limits of her abilities and decides to do what she can. Basari's I know from my childhood days (I often heared from mom and aunties gossip) actually looked very pleasant to me. They greeted me warmly and asked about my families. Then, at adulthood, I noticed another thing. That basari's are invariably beautiful, or almost in most cases. If my statistics teacher hadn't told me that correlation doesn't actually translate into causality, I would certainly have concluded that it is a curse, a minus from God on these pretty women; the same God who granted them such a beauty. I would have viewed it as a sort of divine social justice. Bu, I also started noticing something equally perplexing. Again, almost always a Gari woman (the opposite of basari) tended to be ugly. And I asked why this so. My answers were the same. It is also part of the divine distribution of justice. The same God that gave them unattractive looks decided to boost these creatures of him with duty-boundedness, tirelessness and extreme organisation. So that a man whose heart feels unfulfilled at night and gets red eyes over envy over the next man in the neighberhgood gets some solace when the day breaks, and he shines among the crowd with ironed shirts and oiled mustaches. So that he knows the futility of marrying a tall pretty girl when he sees the unclean state of his neighbours children and the shit strewm on all corners of his neighours houses. This is for olden days, I guess. Modernity has changed things a bit I will assume. As it is upto the municipality to collect garbage or private servcie providers and rarely does families of the man or freinds come to one's houses. This is mainly so for those of my people who live outside. Even worse, it is now considered one's own privacy and therefore problem what happens in his/her house. That denies men with ugly wives the tranqulizers in the form of comaprative advantage. Too bad for my types. But again, it won't hurt to know what was the reasons why art and society has descriminated so harshly against women who merely made a rational decision in trying to survive amid a misognist and cutthroat society? The pretty one knew she would 'sire' good off-springs and the man will look at her when he comes back home not at the dirty closes by the corner. The ugly one knew he will not look at her but at the boys home and what is on the table for lunch. She, therefore, made sure that it looks pretty. If some of you people don't agree with this, don't get upset. Just ignore this drivel as the rediculous rants of a very foolish man.

Age is not the issue here. I mean you have Fiska and Dini, you have Nimco Dareen (from my village), and Fuad Omer. All new crop of wonderful singers. By the way, I agree with Farax Barawn, I don't like too long songs and two way exchanges between he and she. Certainly not long introductions. But those old guys had voice. Real voice.

Shame; the land of Guddudo Carwo, Baxsan, Shara Axmed, Saynab Cige, Cumar dhuule, Kuluc and the legendary Moge brothers have to find ears for the screeching Ubax Dahir, the tedious Sahra Ileys, a tall man who utters something to the effect of ‘why was your mobile phone off?”, and Faysal Tashi, who despite his modest voice, you would be forgiven for thinking he must have been told bout the death of someone dear to him before he stood in front of the camera to sing. Don’t even talk about a man they call Jaajumo. It is more of a fun to look at his face than to listen to his music. And of course, the pretentious Nuuradiin, the man-teenager. I mean, this is a big insult to the reputation of the North. You will have to run out of options to listen to even the rather bucolic Jamac Riyo, whose acceptable voice is undone by morose looks and the face that is more in match with a middle-weight boxer. I mean the rhythm of “Alaaleeyey, alaaleey” is fine, but again who will care to watch on Video? He should have released it only as an audio. What is going on there, JB? “mee,mee fankeenii maxaa dhacay miyuu gudhay??” Time was anyone with a horrible voice would be laughed at and ridiculed. In this atrophied profession, men and women whose voice is good enough to sit in the toilet and shout “waa lagu jiraa” whenever they feel someone is knocking on its unlocked door parade as real stars and win accolades. As an aside, what has got hold of Maryan Mursal lately? Yes, I know she has always been a keen waver of flags, but what is this new fixation with the Land business? What is the implication of her new found love for this new flag? Has she rescinded her stance on Somalia’s unity or is it just a case of artistic acumenship on what has a market? When she tossed upside down, frantically chanting “Hana-Haabaa!” with that face of hers, may my former colleague Caraale die of syphilis if my young son hadn’t run away from the TV!

Waan la socdaa, and I am not demanding her to be lynched. It is her choice. It is also my choice as well as right to state the facts. In this case repeat what Adam said.

Ismahan, Adam is right. She is indeed getting naked to succeed. Do you doubt it? FF - roob weyn. Adigu ma sidii baad daydayga u lugooysaa?

Duqda hooyadii la'eg maxaa iyadda dajiska u geliyey ee suuqa keenay?!! Iman iyo Michelle isma dhaamaan, waa laba faasiqiin ah, laakiin in Gabadh Soomaliyeed islaan jareer ah oo Baantu ah la ag dhigo damiirkay danqaysaa. Ahey ah! I don't like Iman iyo noocyadda jidhkooda ka gancsada literally. FU-FU salaams

The title race is done. Man U is the champions. They need one point and they will get at least three. Not that it is impossible for Hull and Arsenal to cause an upset, but from what I have been following lately, with easy goals, favourable decisions, late comebacks, it looks as if their name is on the cup this year. I have given up!

Malika, I hate Islii but always used to go there when I was in Nairobi to see my compatriots. I don't like the food in somali restraunts at all. They don't cook well. The night life is a bit shocking. Naago xijaaban oo dayday ah ayaa meesha ka buuxa. I stayed in Barakat hotel for three days, come down to the reception and sat there. Every time, naag xijaaban soo gasho ama we meet on the elevator, I was going to the corner and saying "salaamu calyakum". Maasha allah sidaan u lahaa, this friend came and killed my innocence. Apparently, I was giving all that reverance to naago nigiska katabaanka saarta!! Since then wixii xijaaban salaanta kama qaadayn. Kuwa aan xijaabnayn ayaan ii waramada hayey.