Haday sheekadu ugub tahay, what is special about it. Arintani waxay ku dhacday nin darawl ka ahaa xafiis aan ka shaqeeyn jiray. I have sanitized the language taagaas!

Wexee Dabshid?

Waryaa Ngonge; Afalaa Tacqiluun!! Waa maxay sheekadan carabiga ahi labadan bari. Waladat Ifriiqiyah is reforming for the fasting season.

Sixid: ....Ka dibna is difaaca! dheh. Cabaadku away? Soo diga arka meeshaan rag la maray! Foodley xiiqsan unbaa hebel macawistii buu laabtay markaad tidhaa sawiran amuuro dhacaya! iyo doob dareen dilay oo meesha ka buuxa. Nothing sexual really! Ninku waxba ma bi'ine gabadh irmaan unbaa u dhuumatay!

Right JB. Sometimes your head works correctly.

JB Adiga kolka la igu afuufay kuugu baxdaa. I guess you must be having a big party! What is the toast for the day? Ngonge More importantly, what do the 'virtually dead' like to haunt me so readily? Is this the 'thriller?' I swear folks who sat for Tacsiyo because R Kelly was put in prison, pretend to be angry by mild tales here. What a world?

Saaxiib Bantured; Let us not exhaust ourselves on cyclical exchanges which I had had for the last couple of years. I saw your other reply to the supposed victories of the ONLF. That confirmed my suspicions. Dad ONLF ka sheekeeynteeda shaqo ka dhitagy baa jiraa. The real issue is should we continue fighting or should we stop it? Should we relinquish the aspirations for secesstion from Ethiopia? If we must stop the war, on what terms and after getting what? Any other discussion at this point on how the leadership could have been improved or the organisation could be more inclusive is secondary. And to be frank purely hypothetical. It is parochial in assuming that the other non-ONLF elements in the Somaligalbeed politics [kuwa leh wax hala saxo] have the best of intentions and are genuine. In any case, you and me - as cyber warriors can debate here. But what you think about ONLF is inconsequential, because evil or good, whatever they are, those men are walking the walk and are busy with more important matters. Meela ma gaadhayaan hadayna sidaan rabo yeelin haday tahayna, It shouldbe their headache. And I am not mincing my words when I tell you you are deadly wrong about 'xanuunka' waa la wada qabaa. It may be politically correct to assume to that the man in Shinile and the other one in Shaygoosh are equally victims; but it is not fair. I hope this poem will sum up my feelings about the value of having such a debate. Have you heard of the man who said 'Samri maayo anigoo arka sararta reer Qaasim 'Simaa balaw' da maqal saakaan seexan karayaaye' This was a somali man who rejoiced the entry to one town of Axmaaro army chanting 'Simaa balaw' (Listen to my chants of victory). Are you sure there are none among us who are not prepared to shoulder the burden of Ethiopian occupation instead of seeing fellow reer-hebel achieving something?

Good to see your true colours Bantured. I guess this will close the 'objective' discussion about the ONLF. You are clearly partisan. Why belittle the sacrifices and the gains. Let us assume it is 'ku dhufoo ka dhaqaaq'. How many others in the region are capable of doing that to the Ethiopians? Adeer, boodhka ha isku qarin'e war kaaga caddeyso. I am capable of seeing the blind among the bees!

Order!Order!Order! People, What is the fuss about fetishes and sexuality? Guess what, I think the sick are the readership not me. Of 12 paragraphs detailing: - The loquacious all knowing poltician and anthropologist - The behaviour of some 'elite' girls and the reality of opportunistic dating by both sexes - The Uselessness of differential Xeer treatment as exemplified by reer Suldaan - The daily games being played by men and women to outwit one another Your attention has focused on the last paragraph of the pain in the breasts by the cheat. Quite telling, I would say. No wonder they say the "eyes see what the heart desires to see". How come save for Valenteenah, no one really saw the substantive parts of the tale, and not the sugar-coating? How come no one saw the other characters??? Even the good man of SOL -XINN has to miss it? Where is the nudity in the story? Where is the fetish? Having said that, imagine what 'Face off' would have been without Nicholas Cage (the bad boy) ululating Haleelujah while lustifully hitting the swagger after that beauty? Imagine what SOL would be without the bad guy? Must it be filled withe good guys? We have enough of them. Xinn et al! And by the way, can the act in the movie be indicative of the real lifes of Travolta and Cage? For the wise to ponder! To Sabaax- While in University, I had a friend called Axmed-nuur (Tension). Three days before any exam, he will rampage the libraries to come up with the fanciest theories or expressions that are there. And even before he sees the questions, he structures an outline of the answers he will put down in the Aggregate Economics or Financial Management exams. He tells us "today I am going to use the words ' inexplicable phenomena' to impress and bambozzle the instructor!" I think you just found a bipolar study and was desperate to spew out somewhere. I happened to be the Dikdik that was caught by the flying stick. otherwise, can you take the time and substantiate your claims? I hope you won't say bipolar's don't know they are actually bipolar!

Waryaa Xinn, been in a long meeting all this time guys and your other-half Nephtys have been ravaging my good name. You sell what has a market! I see the young fillys and bulls here are fascinated with that stuff. I was doing them a favour. Hadayba iyagii naceen, waa la joojin! Mida kale, sheekadu waa run. Waa nin tarisaad xumaa halkay la gashay! CHE- Go Sigmund and tell me what you think Che. For a believer in the determinism of the dialectical materialism, you are suspect on those grounds, I know.

Che Forget the old stories, tell me what is nasty in this one? War anagaa wax aragnay, with all these sanctimonious people!

I don't know Xinn. It is getting into addiction. This will be the last!

The Zack Maybe, his goal is to keep the occupation and settle for the bones they throw to us in the name of Federalism. I shouldn't judge him, but something is fishy about this Bantured. Adeer, as we speak villages are razed to ground and our elders are languishing in prisionsin Zeway. ONLF might be right or wrong about their strategies, but it is not the right time to start debate on that issue, least in public forums which will not change the situation. Of course, we can all lobby efeectively with the people who are concerned if the real deal is to get a change of direction. Hadii kale, enough dicrediting of the heroes who are resisting occupation has been on-going and if you are intersted in chewing on more of their entrails, may the road be full of water and roses for you. Go to Kilil5.com. There, you will find enough 'debates' about ONLF!

The Day of the Milky-Girl Jimmy was solely focused on the keyboard as his head rhythmically oscillated with the song. He played ‘Rainy nights in Georgia’ with such fervour that you would think he was the one who thought ‘it was raining all over the world’, to take a line from the lyrics of the Song. The diners in Aladdin’s restaurant clapped softly from time to time in appreciation as they continued to sip from their drinks and eat the sizzling Armenian dishes on their tables. At table six, the man who invited the five others to a get-together dinner dominated the discussion for the night. All others around the table seemed to follow his endless stories with a mix of frayed acceptance and disguised contempt, as he morphed from unrivalled political pundit to accomplished anthropologist who can dissect like a surgeon the intricacies of Somali tribal lineages and inter and intra-clan historical feuds and alliances. Lessons on heuristics abounded and the loquacious man went on in details how he once saved a prominent Somali politician from embarrassment in a foreign land only to be betrayed by the same man later. The men found little humour in the inexhaustible prattle but none protested. Abdi Sulub, in the adjacent table has a more serious business to attend to. Tonight, he has to undress and sleep with this pompous self-declared independent girl, who kept on criticising Somali-men for not being this or that, and for doing that or this. The thirty-two year Cudbi was not particularly good-looking; in fact, Abdi-sulub was wondering about his fate and how he ended up picking her from all the beauties in the streets. According to her, she was a very confident lady, who proved wrong many others who took her for granted. ‘The pursuit of love is like falconry’ says Gil Vicente. For Abdi-Sulub, Falconry entails an element of randomness and adventure. That is why for him, it is more of grab whatever you could lay your hands on. From the street tea vendor to the widowed naag-dhexe who is better off economically because the deceased husband left her a fortune; his preys are heterogeneous in looks, age and status. Only a year ago, his wife hit his heard with wagar when she found him in their kitchen molesting the new young maid. For someone who is the son of the Suldaan of a big family like reer dooxa-Garasley, it was despicable he often finds himself in such positions. And he often gets away with his sexual plunders courtesy of the local Xeer. 'Let us not shame the reer Suldaan' was the advice often given by toady clan members whose real interest was to continue to receive the pilferages the rich Suldaan often gave them in exchange for recognition. The Suldaan-ship was not bequeathed to him by his parents; instead he bought if after having been a local successful exporter of Xoolaha-nool. Yahye, Abdi-sulub’s friend encouraged him to go for her, repeating the cheeky slogan ‘cover the face and attack the base’, when the latter grumbled about committing a sin for the sake of an ugly girl. Yahye told him she will be departing to overseas soon and this might open up the coveted opportunity of going to the ‘paradise’ across the seas for Abdi-sulub. That is why Abdi borrowed some cash for this high-profile entertaining night from friends. Should he land his bird, it should be a good investment. Cudbi was also susceptible, Abdi thought. Although she talked about how she is determined to pursue her career and how she is not preoccupied with anything as silly as untimely marriage; untimely because her officially known age was 25, he guessed what she really coveted was for a nuptial proposal from a decent man. Abdi-sulub didn’t know about that, but during the course of the discussion he nonchalantly implied to something like it. From his point of view, he thought it was dictated by the exigency of saying something nice about her. Surely, he couldn’t have talked about her beauty. ‘What could I say about it’, he thought. He briefly toyed with making reference to ‘timahaaga dheeree, dhufashadda dabayluhu…’ [the only part he hasn’t seen yet] and the thought made him laugh involuntarily. Should he take a chance and try it? He could be right and the doors might open for him. So as advised, he hit hard on the ‘kartideeda’ and how he is impressed with her achievements so far. And also ‘how she cares about people’. But, he quickly realised that the passing remarks he made about ‘how wonderful it would have been if two people who understand each other live together’- which to her was about him and her, was having a delightful effect on her. He then suggested they go to his home and have more robust discussions as the place was getting crowded and noisy. She obliged, after some initial hesitation. She sat in front of him in the tiny room and they continued talking for a while. Then, suddenly, she started grimacing with pain, and gasping for breath. He run around frantically asking what is wrong with her? He thought she is feigning illness to delay the inevitable onslaught, as was apparent from his preparations. He had already removed his shirt, claiming it was too hot, and was on the edge of the bed, scratching his eyes and rubbing his sweaty palms erratically. She stood and cried in pain holding her breasts and begrudingly asked him to escort her home. At first he was bedazzled. Then, finally, he saw the wet thing on her chest. Milk was flowing from her breasts unremittingly. With teary eyes, she finally asked “Please take me home and let me breast-feed my baby. I can then return and we can have fun”. Cudbi was not who he thought she was. He was dealing with a professional, who could have destroyed him financially had it not been for that moment of biological outburst. All the talk she calculatedly told Yahya when they met in a Taxi and exchanged addresses was a lie. Abdi-sulub still talks about it as the day he dated ‘the lactating mother’, or simply the milky-girl.

Malika Salaan sare Ugaaso. Waan wareeray dee! Women in Sol and those at home are giving us hard time. Hate walac women! looking for salty food the whole day. Waryaa Xinn Bayhan maxaad igu nacday. Ma xadhkahaan kuu siidayn halagu wada arka'e baa xaalku. Waryaa I need your advice and guidance. Ha igu haleyn ninkan wareersan ee Carabka ah!

Unkonwn Afro (nuuriya) masaakiintay waashaa ee iska ilaali. Anigaba siday ii lahayd ragga iska celi bay qaw dheer iga tuurtay!

Who said Makhtal Dahir has failed? That his vision is not yet achieved is not indicative of loss. Liberation is tedious process. We are living in new phase, but largely on the foundations laid down by people like Makhtal. Plus, what are you trying to say here? Forget about ONLF, saaxiib. I gave you all the sides of the argument. Haku mashquulin ONLF, they have decided to do something about a situation. ONLF is engaged in a fight. If you think talking about their mistakes [some genuine, some false] will coalesce opinions and will end up in a unified front, you are mistaken. Polarisation is not coming from the ONLF side. You also seem to impute division on ONLF forgetting Ethiopia has hugely invested in widening the rift. What is going on today in JIGJIGA? What is Abay Tsehaye doing there? Is he not organising meetings for clan X, clan Y, fomenting hatred? What I believe you can deduce from my recommendations to the ONLF. But, I surely won't agree that your argument here is timely. Runta haddii laga hadlo, people who are being killed are from specific clan. Cidda kale ee lalaayo waa'ayo? Why do you pretend all communities in the region are suffering equally? That they don't mean there will be a divergence of interst and prioritis. You need to appreciate this. Nin hooyadii iyo aabihii hortiisa lagu dilayo ayaad lee dahay kaalay aan mustaqbal kawada hadalo adigoon xanuunkii kala qayb-qaadan. Adeer, let us be fair.

Eyaa Nepthys Ka bax dagaalka gabay amaan ah ayaan kuu tirine. Yaan la isugu keen dhiibin.

Cobole, I have already written this about the debate the guy is trying to start here. As far as being informed is concerned, let me assure this is coming from the horse's mouth. The acrimony over the name ‘O.g.aden’ and the disarray among Somali’s Of late, and even for a while, the name ****** has started to generate an untimely dispute and rancor; Untimely, because there should have been other priorities. I can elaborate. Yes, the name is the genesis of the acrimony; but certainly not the most difficult to resolve. I will ask a question here, just to show what the real difference is? What should we do now as Somali’s in the region? For the sake of the argument, let us shelf the name and agree on Somali-galbeed or a generic ‘Somgadenia’ for that matter. Among the likely answers will be: - Let us come together, take a common name and continue the struggle - Let us stop the fight and seek ‘our rights’, ‘peacefully’: this will need a definition of ‘rights’ and ‘peacefully’. That subjectivity and vagueness is bound to divide people further, I presume. - We ended up in this situation because ONLF chose to fight - No, we are here because we refused to be ‘colonized’ again : this time under a ‘sugar-coated’ pseudo-federalism label - Business can be done with the regime in Addis Ababa - No. no more tricks. We should fight for our rights. After all, freedom is earned, not given as alms. - We should unite first, then fight - No, we can’t wait to unite under occupation. The lack of unity is not an exogenous factor. It is an endogenous one. That factor has to disappear, first. These are, by no means, the only answers. I will ask the readers to add theirs. Nor do the questions end there: Each answer will branch out a myriad of questions. The following ones might be some: - If business can be done with Addis Ababa, What business? To what end? - Ought the struggle to be for self-determination or for ensuring rights ‘within Ethiopia’? Can our rights be ensured in Ethiopia, anyway? What are the risks, expectations and fall back plans for shocks? - Who do we define ourselves as? Somalis or Ethiopian? - What vision do we have for our progeny and for posterity? What culture? The intention here is neither to give answers or suggestions to these difficult questions nor to solicit opinions on this. It is simply to illustrate that the divisions are much more deep than the name. Coming back to the name, proponents include those who are adamant that the region was called ‘******’ and should be called so. This group is not necessarily a collection of tribalists. Most of these people argue from historical perspective and the ‘dual’ advantages that name will have for the struggle against Abyssinian occupation: we are not Ethiopian; nor followers of ‘Somali irredentism’. Another group is tribalists who cling to the name ‘to the letter’ and would not like to accommodate others’ concerns: now or in the future. Opponents are equally diverse. Some are those who are the other side of the coin of the latter group of the proponents: ******-phobes who get goose pimples at the mention of that name. And, would rather live under ‘Christian’ occupation; than those they detest. Others are those who don’t understand why another Somali clan would use a name that is not inclusive at the expense of one that is just fit for everybody. These ones are suspicious of a hidden agenda; but not necessarily hostile to the other clan or less ‘nationalists’. A third group is beneficiaries of the current ‘TPLF’ regime and aspirants for the loot in the region: not from any particular clan; but a coterie of opportunists from Liben to Qabridahar. Sadly, some highly educated people belong to the two groups on either side of the coin- the tribalists; and are the blueblood of the opportunists. Their rainbow colours also mirror their arguments for and against the ONLF and the struggle. Not surprisingly, arguments for subordination range from we should ‘develop’ ourselves first; we would have enjoyed more rights had there been no rebellion against the Tigres, and so on. That argument holds little water in the face of the evidence on the ground. The land annexed to Oromia, as an appeasement, is Babile, Chinac-sani, and Diredawa. Not the land of the ‘rebellious’ clans. And Danbal is not much developed than Danan. Yes, most of those killed are from the ‘rebellious’ clan; but also at least it is in this clan’s areas that almost 100% of the civil servants are from the locals-not highlanders; as opposed to Awbare and Shinile. On the proponents side, yes the region was called ****** (which areas were under this name is disputed), but the challenges today are different. A significant level of animosity has been created by a powerful enemy as part of its ‘divide and rule’ policy. Not only that. The disintegration of Somalia and the death of Somali nationalism severely undermined trust among us; and we are in changing and dynamic environment. Intellectual obsolescence is manifested by sticking to ideas or names clearly no more applicable to the facts on the ground. Change of strategy must be in the menu of true freedom fighters and prudent leaders. In that vein, I call upon the ONLF to initiate wide ranging political discussions among the ‘nationalist’ Somali’s in the region with the prospect of changing the name-if it comes down to that. For now, I am of the view, changing the name will only have a symbolic importance as opposed to substantive result. Why? The SNM name didn’t help to propel others to join in the fight in the North-Western Somalia. Many still associated the name with a particular clan. Yet, symbolic moves to accommodate the feelings of the wider public are a manifestation of political maturity and would allay fears of the nationalist sections. The ‘nationalist’ Somalis would do justice to themselves if they play a proactive role in initiating such discussions and most importantly denounce the massacres of their brothers as a good-will gesture. It is one thing to oppose a functioning and in many cases creditable organization like ONLF; it is quite another to sit back and wait who will win the ongoing battle. “…they come for the communist, and then the Jews, and then…” goes the story from Nazi Germany. It could be you next time around. Who knows what would have happened to the people of Somali-galbeed and the flicker of identity they hold onto until today, had it not been for the gallant struggle of the ONLF!! What and who put the Somali nation in the abyss? It is a question for all Somali’s. Let the inquest begin in earnest.

Why does everbody enjoy twisting my words? Is it because of a bias? It is clear what I meant there is 86 like you [who are women], the part about enjoying the ride is clearly not referring to you dear Nepthys. I have nothing to apolgise for. Nepthys- hadal waa margi baa horey loo yidhiye dee hanagu qaloocin inaadeer!

Well, I guess there is a room for clarification here. Afro, yes confidence is important when alone with the girl, but I think outside the house [in public places], and in the company of other people, shyness is by far better than being 'confident', if confidence means assertiveness and proactive engagement. I will surely hate a girl who starts talking jokes to my freinds in the first encounters. I assumen the same about my partner's preferance. Xishood wax dhaamaa la wayaa! You may not take this from someone without Xishood- as AT&T; but belive me it is the best thing one can be endomwed with. Also the man behind the screen might not actually be acting like his pen-name in his social conduct.

Maad ka daysid Cabdullahi Yusuf baa odhan anaa badalaye'e.

Which side of the Dumashi? Ma isagaa wax haya misa isagaa laga hayaa? Nuuriya (Afro); Awalba waan ahaayee ilaahay unbaan ku tusin! Sayid It has to do with the different techniques. The Goats shout and are romantic you know. Laakiin waxoodu waa degdeg! The male-sheep instead are not into the business of mollfiying or foreplay. But when they get into it, they do it as it suppossed to be done. I guess this finishes the story here! No Cabdi sulub is much more industrious. Waa ninka ku leh, whenever I go to bed waxaa ii shidan heesta "Haddii aanan dhulkaygoow, Dhiig kuugu fool dhiqin"!! Ibtisam I realised that, and of late I don't think there has been any descriptive things in the stories. But the areas I talk about could be sensitive and a bit nasty. I think some one needs to highlight the realities we all would like to ignore.

Are you talking about transforming ONLF to an all-inclusive organisation that represents all of the people in Somaligalbeed or are you suggesting a miscegenation that ends in being accomdated in the Ethiopian Political landscape? Yes for the first, no to the latter.

Sayid, do you approve of the story I told you {go back to the next page and see]