Deleted thanks but its like 4 am and I need to just take a sleep tab and get some shut eye before work JB, I will stop tormenting you for today. Perhaps when my work day is over I will find a better response to my query

JB you mean you will pretend to give in when you in reality you have no arsenal in your cache .......What a load of croak! Why does being a certain gender have anything to do with a discussion? Explains the state of the world at the moment Hello deleted

Lol......Rewind dude. You are the one who brought up IGAD to back up your point. Now all of a sudden I have beef with them because I questioned their relevance in the discussion :eek: hence why I don't comment on politics on these boards. When you make a claim be ready to irrefutably support it with concrete points not flimsy abject assertions.

Originally posted by Jacaylbaro: Seeker, madaxa gidaarka la dhac niyow ... :cool: niyow = connotes you think I am a man? lol

I just have a headache......can someone swap heads with me? 45 mins to kill

^And you know how old I am how? Don't go around in circles JB, the question still remains......what has IGAD accomplished since its inception.......in other words whats another a$$ to warm a seat going to do in an organization that doesn't do much? :confused: I am liking how you are moving this discussion in terms of strategic jockeying of countries. It puts me in mind of an article I read at the beginning of the year about states that are in limbo. Countries that have declared statehood in some form or another but are not recognized. Its a bit long but gives you an idea of the political terrain secessionist reside in. I hope you read it in its entirety Ps:- Could you explain what interests Kosovo presented to be recognized by other countries? You know, just to illustrate your theorem

Mommy Dearest by Amy Addington She is my mother, that indomitable unattainable goal. A woman of iron and silk and unforgiving praise, she is the measure of all that I will never be. She sees me and looks right through me. She loves me with a barbed wire heart, chaining me to a relentless yearning of approval. I will beat my head endlessly against a brick wall if you simply say you love me; say you're proud of me; say I'm good' All measure of self-worth is wrapped in the one woman who loves me enough to tear me apart.

No I just call a spade a spade hon. I have been on this board long enough to know where certain allegiances lie, even though I don't comment I take the time to read the posts. All I did was ask you to be transparent about your angle..... You say its not there, its not there mmmkay :rolleyes: As for new countries being added to the IGAD.......what exactly has the IGAD accomplished since its inception? Power in political circles is only in the hands of the one who has the most leverage and understands how to use it. Recognition due to interest isn't enough to make or break a nation. If South Sudan is to make its mark as a stable entity it needs to recognize that it has the leverage here and negotiate the terms accordingly, but knowing Africans they will be bleed dry. I hope they don't fall in those trappings Ps:- please don't call me adeer. I have a disdain for adeers as a whole sub-category. Much appreciated

^ a lil bit of transparency goes a long way my friend. I take it this shift of power has a somaliland slant? As for supporting an independent South Sudan, I think Kenya is hedging its bets on a mutualistic venture. Southern Sudan, if Bashir keeps his word, should definitely look any gift horse in the mouth be it Kenya, China, Japan or Uganda. We live in a capitalistic world. Everyone wants to make a dollar out of a penny. What Kenya is doing is looking out for numero uno and there is fault in that? If you do find fault in it please show me any country that hasn't signed a deal that didn't cater to their needs first.

And what is your point JB? Be interested to see how you spin this into something controversial :rolleyes: I, for one am happy that southern Sudanese are pro-secessionist. I have met Northern Sudanese who have made my blood boil due to their POV. Ps:- If you are going to do a copy and paste job don't do a hack job of it. Post the entire article or provide a link. The article you just posted is only a 1/3 of the article.

^^loooooooooool. That was just what the doc ordered Malika. We can be contradictory.

Che, that explains why phil jackson came and yelled at chris rock. They said he was taunting Kobe throughout the game. I dunno what happened to KG. Maybe he needs to get nigger!zed, but hopefully he will get psyched enough to make a better effort next game. I was having a meeting during the game and towards the 4th quarter I don't think I heard much till eventually the meeting stopped and I just watched the game. I am going to have to rewatch the whole game later on this week

Big Baby Davis............I so luf u boi boi! We are tied boys

Final piece for today, I thought I would break the cycle by introducing fictional pieces. This is a piece I wrote for someone a few years back. It had been a year since Mohamed had met Fartun. Their relationship had grown into something beautiful and earthly like a sakura tree. Mohamed had decided to marry this ethereal woman whose eyes hid so much sorrow, whose smile lit a room and whose anger burned whomever it touched. Fartun became his wife a year after the divorce from her estranged husband. Mohamed had legally adopted Kamar and Kay to protect them from their father and to provide them stability. Making our way into the present day lives of Mohamed and Fartun, we walk in on Mohamed staring through a glass door........... Mohamed watched Fartun turn her back to the class and write something out on the board. It looked like an antiderivative with limits. Mohamed cringed internally remembering nights spent sweating over calculus in his freshman year at school. He sneaked a peek into the classroom to see the students staring enraptured at their teacher. He knew the feeling. Fartun was tall and beautiful but more than that she had the ability to capture your attention and keep it. Mohamed supposed this was what made her a great teacher. She made the subject interesting at times even managing to convince Mohamed to help grade papers. "Mama........MAMA!" squeaked his son. Mohamed looked down at the full head of hair turned to the doorway. His son was learning to talk and had apparently recognized his mother through the glass pane. Mohamed bent down to scoop Khadar into his arms. His son had inherited the wide set eyes from his mother and was staring at him fixatedly. His pudgy hands touching Mohamed's face affectionately, Khadar soon lost interest in what lay on the other side of the glass door. **Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrring......................Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring** Mohamed stepped away from the door and let the mob make its way to their lockers. Fartun noticed him standing at the door and rushed over smiling broadly. "Hey baby," she cooed. "Hey beautiful," replied Mohamed. "Erm sweety I was talking to Khadar but I guess you are also my baby," teased Fartun as she plucked Khadar from his arms. As she played with her son, she instructed Mohamed in the collection of her papers. All packed up and ready, Mohamed and his family made their way to the parking lot. The crowd has thinned considerably and Fartun was regaling Mohamed with tales of her students. Mohamed opened the car door while listening and proceeded to strap Khadar into the car seat. From the other side of the parking lot angry voices reached them. A split second later Mohamed noticed that Fartun's voice had stopped. He turned to look over his shoulder to see if she was making her way to the passenger seat, but she wasn't anywhere near the car. Instinctively Mohamed turned towards the angry voices which had now risen to crescendo levels. He saw Fartun's back darting in between the cars in a jog. Cursing under his breath Mohamed started undoing the carseat to get Khadar out. He worked fast as a premonition stole over him. **Crack Crack rang the gunshots** Mohamed's heart skipped a beat. He undid the last buckle and grabbed Khadar from the car. Not locking the doors Mohamed ran towards the far end of the parking lot. Mohamed couldn't believe it was taking him this long. He was a runner and for once his legs were not moving as fast as he wanted. As he got closer he saw a ring of people around a fallen body. Heart in his mouth, Mohamed pushed his way through the crowd. "Noooooooooooooo............" the carnal voice he emitted was primal in every sense. Lying in a pool of her own blood was Fartun. She held his gaze as he knelt beside her. "Call an ambulance dammit! Someone please call an ambulance...........give her space. Move! Move! Baby...........Xabibi you are going to be fine. Stay awake baby" Mohamed looked at Fartun trying to figure out where she was shot. He lifted her shirt and saw blood spurting from a hole near the edge of her ribs. Her hands reached out to Khadar as she struggled to breath. Her face had the parlor of death stealing over it. Mohamed pulled her up so she could lay on his lap. Khadar touched his mother's face in a playful manner. He pulled at his mother's nose as Fartun quietly smiled through her tears. She kissed Khadar's hands everytime they ventured past her lips. Mohamed couldn't bear looking at the scene any longer. He turned to ask if the ambulance had come even though he could hear the sirens as they drew near. He placed his hands over the hole to try to stem the flow of blood but he could still hear the gurgle of air escaping through the blood. He closed his eyes and prayed for the first time for someone other than him. He earnestly held his child in one hand as his wife's head lay on his lap. He asked and he pleaded and he bartered with God, hoping against all hope that his prayers would be answered. "Mohamed, its alright," whispered Fartun. Mohamed opened his eyes to see her smiling serenely at him. She extended her hands to him as she beckoned him to come closer. Mohamed shook his head from side to side not ready to hear anything. He was not ready for her to leave. He had just found her. Fartun tried to raise up on her elbow but she fell back. Her eyes had tears yet she looked happy and at peace. It took Mohamed a minute before he realized that Fartun had breathed her last. Grabbing at her torso, Mohamed lay her on the floor. Setting Khadar on the side he started administering CPR. Everytime he breathed into her, the bubbles emerging from the hole increased. Mohamed lost count of how many minutes he kept pumping at her heart. He felt hands grabbing at him and he fought against them. She was not gone. Fartun was not gone. He could still save her. A needle pricked him and slowly the world dimmed to nothing.

I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to, I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman You can bend but never break me 'cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin' arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long long way to go Until I make my brother understand Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman Oh, I am woman I am invincible I am strong by Helen Reddy. This song was adopted by the UN in 1975 to represent the International Year of Woman

For Hooyo by BOB **One of my fav poems** September 27 is my dark moment I dread to remember yet your memories bring peace to my disturbed soul your pretty face is engraved on the concrete walls of my conscience your words guided me through my journey of adult life you brought joy to my world and happiness to my universe I pray for your safe passage every time I bow down to his higher being your name I sing with pride from the most sacred place in my inner being your legacy I shall carry to my grave with the grace you instilled in me your blood flows through my veins with the dignity you taught me your praise I spread with my tongue you schooled from infancy your soul I carry within me and your spirit I relive through me I place you below none but above all for you’re my beloved HOOYO I owe you my life and your unconditional love I breathe your memories I hold in the most treasured organ inside of me your light shines through the darkest nights my eyes ever knew your message thoroughly massaged my stubborn yet kind mind I thank you from the depth of my heart for the beautiful name the world you left behind is overflowing with souls of lame you empowered me with the vision & the wisdom to tame I thank you for ISLAM and in the name of Allah I pray may the creator of our souls be merciful to you & reward you with Jannah for you deserve more than my life with my heart & soul.

I always wanted to give birth Do that incredible natural thing That women do-I nearly broke down When I heard we couldn't And then my man said to me Well there's always adoption (we didn't have test tubes and the rest then) and well even in the early sixties there was something Scandalous about adopting Telling the world your secret failure Bringing up an alien child Who knew what it would turn out to be? But I wanted a baby badly Didn't need to come from my womb Or his seed for me to love it And I had sisters who looked just like me Didn't need carbon copy features Blueprints for generations It was my baby a baby a baby I wanted So I watched my child grow Always the first to hear her in the night All this umbilical knot business is Nonsense-the men can afford deeper sleeps That's all. I listened to hear her talk And when she did I heard my voice under hers And now some of her mannerisms Crack me up All them stories could have really had me Believing unless you are breast fed You'll never be close and the rest My daughter's warmth spills over me Leaves a gap When she's gone I think of her mother. She remembers how I read her All those newspaper and magazine Cuttings about adoption She says her head's an encyclopedia Of sob stories: the ones that were never Told and committed suicide on their wedding nights I always believed in the telling anyhow You can't keep something like that secret I wanted her to think of her other mother Out there thinking that child I had will be Eight today nine today all the way up to God knows when. I told my daughter; I bet your mother's never missed your birthday How could she Now when people say ah but It's not like having your own child though is it I say of course it is what else is it She's my child I have brought her up Told her stories wept at losses Laughed at her pleasures she is mine. Yes. Well maybe that is why I don't Like all this talk about her being black I brought her up as my own As I would any other child Colour matters to the nuttters But she says my daughter says It matters to her. I suppose there would have been things I couldn't have understood with any child We knew she was coloured They told us they had no babies at first And I chanced to say it didn't matter What colour it was and then they Said oh well are you sure in that case We have a baby for you To think she wasn't even thought of as a baby! My baby my baby. Mother poem by Jackie Kay

Beautiful woman- Fion Lim Beautiful woman, come out and play, reveal your inner treasures. The sparkle in your eyes, the natural swing in your walk, you radiate excitement and enthusiasm. You need no latest fashion, No expensive hair cuts, No blinding big accessories. You glow in your passions, passionate in your pursuits, you know what you are made of. You are not easily bothered, by the mindless opinions of others, you know very well where you want to go. you are a joy to watch, an inspiration to others, your pure soul an endless marvel. Beautiful woman, let your brilliance shine through, your eyes speak of true inner beauty.

Originally posted by Oz: Seeker, wacha ku kondowa macho. For reals how did you see me? lol........Quagmire is the BEST character on family guy .......right after stewie

^Why don't you join in the female fest BOB, I know you have a few poems of your own abt women. You will be the only rooster in the coop Cara, I know.......I was wondering that when I posted some but I will try to look for happy ones or at least funny. Blessed* its my pleasure. Sometimes what we seek has already been discovered by someone else

...... so which one did you do not that it matters because you are in limbo in both scenarios i.e no resolution.

Painted me-Elisa M. Norris i touch my skin obsessed with imperfection painted lips extending lines on coal eyes that make my look like i've lived a summer in tuscany plucked eyebrows half moons that pay no mind to the cycle straw eyelashes heavy with mascara i am a clown no barbie dolls for ken to love barbie never looked like me brown plastic instead of peach still blonde still blue still barbie the toxins have made me ill permeating my skin staining my soul my eyes feast on the image in the mirror spiced with c7 mac foundation c-thru lip glass chestnut lip liner look at the clown, ladies & gentleman spotlight in the ring look at me

Out of money looking for a snack Then I see little Debbie's face on a pack Smiling enticing me inviting me to have a taste With haste I race to the destruction of my waist As the sugar sets in so does the disgust I feel Wishing I had the power of will or hoping someone Would kill this gluttonous Monster which rules my eyes Which is bigger than my stomach so we fill my belly with pies and cakes by-products additives and other shit It's hard for me to quit sweets are a quick hit My diet includes fried everything all kinds of pork People asking if I've been visited by the stork See it's looked at as a sin to be fat without children or a medical condition So it leaves a girl fishing for an excuse to stop the abuse I endure everyday in every way through ridicule and personal shame Unwanted attention and fame from the group of young men who holler "Big Drawers" as I pass by I start to cry the wind dries my eye But nothing can heal this scar left on my esteem Praying this ordeal is a dream or better yet a nightmare For it's too hard to bare this constant scare as my reality. A complete disregard for humanity Not seen as humane more like insane or having no self control She can't even pass up a jelly roll Not seen as beautiful. Look at the folds and gut the cellulite thighs and out of shape butt Not seen as strong ,She can't go long. She'll be down before the end of the song. My personal demons are hard by themselves Comparisons to pigs, elephants, and whales You might look at me and see lazy and weak giving no second thought that before you, an angel may speak You can't see the beauty besides the pretty face You don't see the warmth of my heart which provides a safe place or home where not only love grows for myself and others who light has not been shown See I realize that I am more than a body I have a spirited mind which the divine knowledge told me its about time for me to love who I am Those devils who try to steal my joy I'm conquering my souls like Helen of Troy and with this same spirit I will make the world hear it. Love who you are Be the best that you can be and your spirit will soar The world will see your strength, your beauty and your heart. The ignorance of others won't pierce like a dart Let those who worship aesthetics lead a pathetic life no substance, no feelings, self afflicted strife! It they can't see the beauty of my soul I know I am beautiful in the eyes that God beholds Now see I know at times I may get knocked down or even doubt my ability But I'll look in the mirror and say I'm wonderful With humility Now we're supposed to respect everyone with Different choices beliefs and hues But who gives a damn about a fat girl's blues? Full Figure Potential-Georgia Me

POW by Alicia Keys I'm a prisoner Of words unsaid Just lonely feelings Locked away in my head I trap myself further Every time I stay.....quiet I should start to speak But I stop and stay silent And now I've made My own hard bed Inside this prison of words unsaid P.O.W. thats what I am Not a prisoner of war A prisoner of words Mostly I only say What you wanna hear Could you take it if I came clear? Or would you rather see me **sniff sniff* Stoned on a drug of complacency and compromise M.I.A. I guess that's what I am Scraping this cold earth For a piece of myself For peace in myself It'd be easier if you just put me in jail If you locked me away I'd have someone to blame But these bars of steel are of my making They surround my mind And have me shaking My hands are cuffed behind my back I'm a prisoner of the worst kind, in fact I'm a prisoner of compromise A prisoner of compassion A prisoner of kindness A prisoner of expectation A prisoner of my youth Run too fast to be old I've forgotten what I was told Ain't I a sight to behold? A prisoner of age dying to be young To my head is my hand with a gun And it's cold and it's hard Cause there's nowhere to run When you've caged yourself By holding your tongue I'm a prisoner Of words unsaid Just lonely feelings Locked away in my head It's like solitary confinement Every time I stay quiet I should start to speak But I stop and stay silent And now I've made My own hard bed Inside this prison of words unsaid Her performance on Def Poetry

Children of a Lesser God by Deb Young. She talks of a how an uncle rapes a girl and how she is confused. Touching delivery in her Jamaican accent she makes you want to hug her and protect her.