Seems as though the slap was also felt by a few nomads! BAC!

Originally posted by Hunguri: Northner, how about meeting at Hargaisa restaurent tomorrow, we can simply have a hand talk bakoorad fight than virtual text ! I cant wait! Waayahay

The principle here is for you (and others) take post a picture taken by you. Ma fahantay? Edit: Waad salaamantahay saxib

^^I probably know him

Marc, Is the Mosque open these days? Ie has the renovation started? I remember looking at the proposed scheme back in 2003!

OK. You obviously don't understand the principle here.

Don't hijack the thread please.

LoL The Italians were beaten at their own game saxib. The goals were not a fluke and Liverpool deserved the result. As the saying goes, its harder to beat 10 men than it is 11. Inter had nothing to offer. I don't even remember a counter attack! There best player was sloppy and their over-rated midfielders were shown up by SG and co. Inter are overated! 5 months unbeaten? My ar&e as a scouser would say ps remember what Milan did to Man Utd at the San Siro last year?

Originally posted by J.a.c.a.y.l.b.a.r.o: I think UDUB needs to learn from Siilaanyo and Siilaanyo needs to learn from UDUB ,,,,,,,,,,, Very good. Have you registered yet?

Me, it is funny.

I was laughing at your street fight anology. Yeey getting slapped is funny though.

Originally posted by me: At first I laughed, then it was sad. No matter how much we may dislike AY. He represents Somalia today. And him getting slapped no matter now dishonourable he may be. It is dishouner to all of us. Even if you don't like AY, see it like this. Its a Somali man being hit by a non-somali. Imagine if you see a Somali guy who is being attacked by non Somalis on the streets would you just walk by or do something about it (if you can)? In todays world some somalis would just walk away, other would help those non somalis that are attcking the somali and others would do something about it (if they could). Wich one are you? how you feel after you read this article, shows you which type you are.

The boom in Somalia’s roadblocks By Mohamed Mukhtar Thursday, February 21, 2008 Since the collapse of Siad Barre’s government in 1991 roadblocks controlled by unscrupulous men have been the hallmark of Somalia, especially South Central Somalia. It was only during the short-lived tenure of the Union of Islamic Courts that this part of the country experienced life without roadblocks. When the Courts had disappeared, anarchy returned and roadblocks started to appear. Ethiopian forces drove the Islamic Courts out of power in December 2006 and South Central Somalia regained its lawlessness. According to Swiss Peace, six months after the Islamic Courts was defeated 238 roadblocks appeared in South Central Somalia alone and after one year that number reached almost 340. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in Dec 2007, “Ad hoc roadblocks that charge taxes ranging from US$70 – US$500 to move in and out of Mogadishu have caused huge hindrances to the humanitarian community in accessing vulnerable people. In November, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) reported delays and payment of taxes of up to US$ 475 at eight roadblocks on the Mogadhishu/Afgooye road – a major area of humanitarian operations. The highest number of roadblocks since the beginning of 2007 – 336 in total – was recorded in November.” OCHA produced the following chart which shows the increase of roadblocks in Somalia in 2007. Mogadishu spun out of control after Ethiopian forces supporting Somalia's interim government took control of the city. Hundreds of thousands of its residents fled the city. Most of the fleeing residents initially sought refuge in a near by town called Afgooye. Others still live in makeshift shelters on the road between Mogadishu and Afgooye. Steve Bloomfield of the Independent writes, “More than 600,000 people fled Mogadishu last year. Around 200,000 are now living in squalid impromptu refugee camps along a 15km- stretch of road outside the capital. According to UN officials it is the largest concentration of displaced people anywhere in the world. Those same officials now consider Somalia to be the worst humanitarian catastrophe in Africa, eclipsing even Darfur in its sheer horror.” As a result, the road between Mogadhishu and Afgooye has become an artery for internally displaced people, humanitarian organisations and others. Unfortunately, this road is fraught with difficulties as it is peppered with roadblocks. Let us take a virtual tour of this road from Mogadishu to Afgooye and see the major roadblocks but first let us start with some operational details. Groups that run roadblocks have certain rules that are strictly adhered to. Disobedience can be fatal. All road users are expected to pay according to the vehicle they are driving and at the main roadblocks there is no room for bargaining. However, there is room for negotiation at minor roadblocks. Regardless of the nature of the roadblock, anyone who fails to pay may be turned away or worse may be incarcerated or their car keys confiscated. According to the government, some roadblocks are legal while others are illegal. If the collected money goes to the government, that roadblock is considered to be legal. Otherwise it is considered to be illegal but it is impossible for road users to tell which is which. The government controls several roadblocks within a distance of less than 30 kilometres of Mogadishu and the following ones are legal in the eyes of the government: Ex-Control This roadblock, known as Ex-Control, is about 7 km from Mogadishu. It used to belong to a militia loyal to Osman Atto, a former warlord who is currently a Member of Parliament of the Transitional Federal Government. Now the Police manage this roadblock. Ironically, the commander of the Police Force is Abdi Qeybdiid, who is a former warlord and an archenemy of Osman Atto. This roadblock is manned by 20 to 25 policemen equipped with light weapons. There are also Ethiopian troops nearby as the roadblock is situated between two Ethiopian army positions, one in KM6 and the other in the Correctional Division’s former headquarters. The following table shows how much a vehicle is charged every time it passes the roadblock. The exchange rate at the time of writing 1USD (one US Dollar) equals 21,000 Somali Shilling. Biil Biil is another roadblock, situated just before Siinka Dheer. This roadblock also belongs to the Police and they charge the same amount as at Ex-Control. Fewer policemen control this one. Siinka Dheer This roadblock is about 15 km from Mogadishu and used to belong to Abdi Qeybdiid, the current commander of the Police Force. This roadblock is staffed by three separate groups – one from the Ministry of Finance, another from the Ministry of Transport and a third from the Mogadishu Administration. The mayor of Mogadishu is a former warlord. There are about 50 to 60 men at this roadblock and they charge different rates. The following table shows how much each group charges. KM 16 KM 16 is another roadblock controlled by the Administration of Lower Shabelle Region. There are about 50 to 65 men equipped with light weapons and two gun mounted vehicles. The following is their tax chart Hotel Ismaacil This roadblock is about 28 km from Mogadishu and is also controlled by the Administration of Lower Shabelle Region. Before the Islamic Courts, Indha Cade, a former warlord used to run it. This roadblock is located at the junction of two major roads, one from the Juba area and one from the Baydhabo area. Vehicles are charged the same amount as at KM 16. There are about 80 to 100 men operating at this roadblock equipped with light weapons and 3 to 5 gun mounted vehicles. Luckily, this virtual tour does not cost us anything. Had we been travelling from Mogadishu to Afgooye driving a typical pickup vehicle, we would have paid about 250,000 So Sh, which is equivalent to $12. And if we were delivering humanitarian supplies using a Fiat truck, we would have paid 1,090,000 So Sh or $52 assuming that there were no other roadblocks. Finally, just imagine how much it would cost to travel from Mogadishu to Kismayo, a city which is 500 km south of the capital Mogadishu. As the number of roadblocks increases the harder it is going to be for economic activity to continue and for humanitarian organisations to serve the needy. Source

^^What do you think of the piece JB?

Rules 1. No flickr pics (I can't see them) 2. One picture in each post (but you can post as many pics as you want). 3. Each pic to be personalised (description of where, when, why, meaning etc) 4. A decent size (not too big) 5. Closing date Sunday 9th March 2008

^^What are the rules saxib?

Skiekh Sharif is on Al Jazeera English being interviewed

I went to the English speaking mosque in Sharjah today (waan yara fogaaday) and the khateeb was talking about the importance of learning the Arabic language

When will we have a winner?

Local? Are ou in Hargaisa?

Good turn out!

The recent hullabaloo surrounding Silanyo’s meeting with Jendayi Frazer, the US Undersecretary of State for Africa, demonstrated yet again UDUB government’s complete lack of understanding of the role of opposition in a multi-party democracy. In fact the government often seems unsure and uncomfortable with this whole democracy business and more at ease with the familiar vestiges of typical 70s style tinpot African dictatorship. This is a government that arrests peaceful opposition groups, bans FM radio stations, hounds investigative journalists and considers `bad-mouthing the president’ a criminal offence. But perhaps it is the craving for the kind of kitsch and symbolism that accompanies dictatorships that marks out more than anything else, just how much this UDUB government has its political soul in a bygone era. Whenever the President is leaving or returning to the capital from his ever more frequent foreign visits he expects a red carpet flanked by goose-stepping guard of honour and a brass band in full flow. Hundreds of his ministers; flunkeys and hangers-on swarm the pot-holed airport stepping on ordinary passengers’ feet. Apparently the president gets a little upset if all of this is not capped with hundreds of `ordinary’ well wishers lining the road outside the airport waving green branches from the last two trees left in Somaliland. Things got so bad on this front lately that at some point, a group of UDUB youths were organising busloads of tribesmen from the president’s sub sub sub clan and passing them off as adoring members of the general public. The ploy worked till the president recognised few faces and went back into his gloomy sulk. Even more telling are the sheer numbers of the `delegates’ that goes with him on these trips. Ministers for everything from `Factories’( in a country with no factories) and Tourism( in a country with no Tourists) hop on the presidential flight. So do their deputies, wives and secretaries. The selection process of these delegates seems to follow no comprehensible rationale whatsoever. Why would the Minister for Tourism visit Ethiopia when it is extremely unlikely that hordes of Ethiopian tourists will discover the parched wonders of Somaliland’s deserts anytime soon? Why is the Minister for Livestock not in the delegation going to the Gulf States when all the country’s livestock sales goes to these countries? All this is not only a wasteful use of meagre public funds but often detrimental to the national cause itself. When the President was invited to Washington for his first visit ever he took with him nearly twenty people most of them not overburdened with political or diplomatic talents. But they were also all men. This is despite knowing in advance that the highest ranking official they were going to meet was going to be a woman. It shows fundamental lack of grasp of modern politics and appreciation of the host nation’s cultural nuances. Taking all men delegation to a Western capital these days is as unwelcome as taking a troupe of cancan dancers in a visit to Saudi Arabia’s kingly palaces. Well, unwelcome publicly anyway in the latter. It’s within this unfortunate and incompetent political time warp that UDUB’s ludicrous reaction to Silanyo’s meeting with Ms Frazer must be seen. Apparently they think he should not have mentioned the arrests of journalists and QARAN political leaders and the occasional trampling on people’s freedoms by the government. This would have been laughable if it weren’t so worrying for any Somalilander who cares about the place and its people. Did they really believe that Ms Frazer didn’t know UDUB arrested QARAN leaders? Did they think she was unaware of the constant harassing and the jailing of prominent journalists and the ban on private Radio stations? What, exactly did they think Silanyo discussed with Mr Frazer that she didn’t already know? Perhaps members of the government are unaware that the US State department still has a fairly extensive ways and means of collecting information which includes, amongst other things, reading newspapers. The same newspapers who reported the harassing and arresting of political figures and independent journalists that everybody else read. UDUB needs to learn one basic political lesson: The role of good opposition is to oppose the government; criticise it; poke fun at its shortcomings; expose its flaws to as wider audience as possible inside and outside the country and then demonstrate how they are better – better in people, principles and plans. Which is exactly what Silanyo appears to have done with some panache. In other words he did his job as the Leader of the main Opposition party. For the hapless UDUB government it is yet another unpalatable lesson in heat and democratic kitchens. They never liked either very much. But they need not be too gloomy. If they are wise they will watch and learn from this master politician just how opposition politics should be run in a democracy. After all they may just find themselves on the other side of the table in few months time. Guled Ismail http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2008/feb/udub_needs_to_learn_from_silanyo.aspx

^^Obviously underdog I dont think she would doing anything wrong in bringing light to the issue. Target? Opera/Tyra watchers?

^^so what is she doing wrong in bringing light to the issue? edit: page 11 :cool:

Originally posted by Zafir: quote:Originally posted by Faarax-Brawn: quote: Originally posted by Zafir: Making grown and gangster A$$ men (Me and FB) go "O’aaah, how sweeet of Isseh" have you no shame?? Tell him Ya Zafir. I am so gangsta,i dont even shave my beard. Nor my head. We so gangsta the hairs is afraid to come out. Thats whamtalkinbout, 4shizimanizzi. Ps: Isseh, Nigga-ness means gangsta $hit. We kcool and down with the whole appreciation, consolidation, motivation, conversation, depreciation with the sisters, like we down with OPP(Ontario Provisional Police). But don't make us use funny sounds, because we don't roll like that, because you know who we is. break your self b4 I walk through the door with my Forfor. Peace my niggaz Aar maxaa gangsta filin la daawaday