HOW DUMB DO YOU THINK ARE CANADIAN THUGS TO WAIVE THEIR PIECE INFRONT OF A STRANGER LIKE U?) Did i say anything about him waving a piece? :confused: , he was beating his 'xalimo' I got on at Kennedy and was making my way to the CN Tower, then Young & Richmond

NGONGE says: let me delight you with the fact that I’m now, in my mind at least, almost certain (as much as any of us can be certain of anything in this life) that Somaliland and Somalia do not belong together. At this moment in time? or for good? The current situation is very difficult to say the least. Even if recognition is gained, do you think Riyalle and his govnt will actually do something for the people? All that UN/IMF/World Bank money that will gush into the pockets of the govnt will be shared out quicker than you can say 'waar maxaa dacay'! Villas in Viena mate :rolleyes: Therefore, my theory is that recognition does not necessarily leave Somaliland in good stead. The govnt has proven to be a bunch of incompetent fo*ls who are more concerened with staying in power and limiting the actions of its opposition rather than serving the people. Being passionate about Somaliland is one thing (over coming oppression by Siad Barre etc), establishing a peacful and prosporous society is another, but then we have Riyalle (who is slowly looking like a dictator) so have we 'really' achieved what we set out to do or do just overlook it. In a recent conversation with a xamari freind of mine we considered the following question: Would you say that we from two different countries to a non somali? I could not imagine myself saying yes to that question.

Aha, i see we are getting somewhere, when there is problem your not happy with but others are, you try to persuade them to the contrary by trying to work around the problem rather than repeating 'there is a problem without providing some sort of a solution/. from what I understand, you Northerner and other pro-secessionist sympathizers are stuck in the past, stuck with grievances you had with government that is no longer in power, The present govnt isnt exactly 'better' is it? :confused: What i and others who are neither pro seccesionist nor against are concerned with is this warlord phenomenon which alot ppl have settled for as being the stable Somali political system that many have just accepted. I for one will never agree to warlords governing themselves let alone a whole country (goes back to the engineering problem). There is an enourmous amount of mistrust between all the parties and then this mistrust is even worse 'within' each party. As for now let concentrate on getting these warlords in order. ps 18th 2mrw :cool:

When i was in T.dot last summer, i boarded a train (metro i think they call it), after maybe 5 mins of my journey i see this guy beaating the hell out of his mrs and calling her all sorts of derogatory names. Then he turned to me and says "can you believe this b*tch threw my piece down the garbage shoot" while i was trying to figure out what exactly he meant by piece, garbage and shoot, he motions a gun with his hand, i was like OK. Then he carries on with "i was trawling through that sh!t all morning, lucky for her that i found it", again i was like OK Apart from that, the place was gr8. :cool:

Go barca go,,,,,,,,,,,,, ronnie!!!!!

After the celebrations the night before, Norf rights........................ Northerner said: Baashi, you see, you may believe that 18th May is a "clannish" celebration of independence but would this "clannish" celebration have occurred if the former regime had not have fallen????? hmmm question not answered Bashi, you remind of that kid who used to be at the playground, his favorite ride was the roundabout, he would get on it and go round and round and round. Once he gets off, he would lose his bearings and manage to stumble home. You go about Somaliland this or Somaliland that but never have I seen/read/heard anything from any pro-unificationists, regarding a ‘road map’ to achieve this. Like I have said many times before, asking for re-unification now (with the current situation in Somalia) is like asking a blind folded person to walk across a motorway/highway at rush hour. At least take his blind fold off and wait until the traffic dies down. Imagine an architect The Architect wishes to build a prestigious building on an allocated plot of land. He submits his design to for approval to the main build contractor. However, the contractor did his investigation and came with a major problem. The problem The ground bearing capacity of the plot of land is not enough to sustain the sheer loadings of the building (hence the building is likely to topple) unless a huge and expensive ground improvement exercise is carried-out. But, at this moment in time there isn’t enough money to for the architect to both improve the ground properties and also pay for the construction of the building. He cannot decide to just go ahead with the project as it will be illegal and will endanger the lives of both construction workers and the eventual tenants of the building. Now in order to solve the problem the Architect will need to employ a structural engineer to come up with a scheme which involves strengthening the ground before construction can start. This structural engineer must be competent in his profession with a proven track record. The Question Do you propose he goes ahead with the scheme or should he wait and lay ‘solid foundations’ first? It’s a pretty easy question if you ask me, but then again Baashi, you may just side step the ground problem and ask the contractor to go ahead with it. 'political' my a*se

Construct a successful career path Demand for graduates in construction is high, but selection is as rigorous as ever By Kate Hilpern 24 April 2003 Westbury Homes is among a fast-growing number of companies within the construction industry that has recently introduced a graduate recruitment programme. Like many such companies, Westbury is after graduates with literally any degree subject. "We run two separate 18-month schemes. One is for people with construction-related degrees who we train to become site managers. The other is for people with any degree subject who we train to work in head office functions such as marketing and finance," explains Ashley Hawkins, training and development manager for Westbury. There is a serious skills shortage within the construction industry, he admits, and graduate training schemes are seen as one solution. "We've always taken on graduates, but by offering a formal fast-track training programme – together with an emphasis on continuous development – we hope to attract a greater number of high-calibre university leavers who we aim to become our future leaders." Although smaller companies within the industry remain less likely to offer specific training programmes for graduates, there are still excellent career opportunities, reports the Association for Graduate Recruiters (AGR). "Such are the concerns of construction companies of all sizes about the lack of interest from graduates that the huge majority seem to be falling over themselves to offer jobs with good salaries, early responsibility and exciting challenges," says Carl Gilleard, chief executive. Ironically, it was the lack of training and career development that led to the original downturn in graduate entry some years ago, says Peter Lobban, chief executive of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). "Now, the industry has woken up and pushed graduate recruitment and development to the top of the agenda – but it is taking time for graduates to recognise that this is happening," he says. Also contributing to the demand for extra employees – 370,000 over the next five years – is the current boom in construction. "This is one of the few industries in the UK that is currently thriving," says Lobban. "In the public sector, for instance, there is a huge commitment to the building and refurbishment of schools. Transport and social housing is also high on the Government's agenda. Meanwhile, in the private sector, there is also a shortage of housing and many new exciting initiatives are underway relating to everything from office buildings to leisure centres." With an output of more than £1bn every week, the construction industry is also involved in both the building – and repair, refurbishment, renovation and restoration – of a huge number of multi-million pound projects ranging from railways to airports and from bridges to hospitals. The Construction Industry Council (CIC) believes that media images of the industry are largely responsible for the shortage of graduates. "There are over 35 occupational areas available, ranging from construction manager, architect and quantity surveyor to civil engineer," says David Cracknell, director of life-long learning. "But the media – particularly television programmes – have tended to focus on the cowboy elements of construction, rather than the mainstream industry which is a world beater. Thankfully, the industry is now working harder at marketing itself from the schoolroom right through to universities. Within a few years, I think we will reap the benefits as many more talented people start to join this exciting sector." Warren Roberts, 27, is among those who have already signed up. "I really enjoy coming to work," says the building manager for Willmott Dixon Ltd. "I get so much satisfaction in seeing a new building completed. It's a real buzz knowing that I was part of it. I also enjoy the diversity of my role." Christopher Odei, 26, a building engineer for Wallis, part of the Kier Group, also enjoys the variation of his day-to-day work. "My role involves organising materials, sequences of work, agreeing programmes and design issues, attending meetings and supervising on-site," he explains. "I liaise with the architects, clients and contractors, which I really enjoy. Near completion of a project, you might need to work longer hours, but there's usually a great buzz too, as everyone is excited to see the finished result." Odei advocates work experience as a good way into the industry. "I did a few months on-site work experience at a local construction company during the summer of my penultimate year at university. It was great experience as well as helping to secure my first proper job." Other rewards of working in construction are the increasing opportunities to work abroad and knowing that you're assisting communities. UK civil engineers, for instance, were last year on hand to help repair infrastructure damaged by the extreme flooding experienced in mainland Europe. "Among the attributes you'll need to work in construction are problem solving, teamwork and communication skills," says Chris Cheetham, senior manager at Hays Montrose, the UK's largest construction recruitment company. "You'll also need evidence of leadership skills." Knowing that there are more positions available than candidates, it's easy to be complacent, he cautions. "But the selection process within the construction industry is still rigorous." 'I can't think of any negative sides to my job ­ I'd recommend it!' Amy Worsell, 24, a civil engineer at the Babtie Group in Preston, was voted by 'New Civil Engineer' magazine as Graduate of the Year 2002 My main advice to anyone going into the construction industry is to gain as much work experience as possible. I set it up for every summer vacation of my degree. It's important to get to see how different companies work and to observe how well the trainees are treated and what sort of experiences they get. In my final year, my work experience was with the Babtie Group, a Scottish multi-disciplinary engineering company. I had a great time specialising in bridges. Straight away, a lot of the work was outside in hoists inspecting bridges and helping to write reports for bridge inspectors. I loved the fact that I wasn't stuck in an office all the time and that it was so action packed. Sometimes I found myself in hoists 30 m high which was exhilarating, albeit a bit scary. Most rewarding of all however was being offered a job upon graduation. It was wonderful ­ it meant I didn't have the hassle of looking for a job in my final year. Since joining in 2001, I've been doing more bridge inspections, as well as assessments of their strength and writing up reports. At first, most of my time was spent outside, but at the moment I'm more office based. That's one of the great things about careers in construction ­ there is this fantastic mixture of being in different locations all the time. I really enjoy the teamwork too. In any construction job, you have to get on well with your team and help each other. Nobody is evasive about what they know because it wouldn't do them any good, so you avoid a lot of office politics. In fact, I really can't think of any negative sides to my job. I thoroughly enjoy it and would recommend this industry to anyone.

How many bricks? When? Where? At what cost? A quantity surveyor will tell you, says Nick Jackson 12 May 2005 Most of us are spectators of our built environment. We see our cities full of eyesores or wonders, and convenient or cramped places to live. Quantity surveyors, on the other hand, are construction's athletes, seeing in buildings the interlocked muscles of capital and labour, the balance sheet on which they are built. Quantity surveyors have two main roles: costing buildings, and working out contracts. While architects decide what to build, the quantity surveyor works out how to build it: who will do it, when, and for how much. So you need to understand how a building is built, from the first brick up. A Higher National Diploma (HND) in construction and quantity surveying will get you into the industry, while many go on to do a specialist degree in the field. Salaries average about £40,000 a year, with many in private practice going on to earn between £80,000 and £100,000 a year. The highest fliers bring home up to £200,000. The accountancy-level salary should not fool you. Costing a building requires some accounting skills, but you won't just be counting beans, and you don't have to be a maths boffin. "I was no lover of maths at school," says Ian Wilkie, 45. "I chose quantity surveying because I didn't want to work in an office. As a surveyor, you're out a lot on site." Wilkie did a sandwich-course HND in building and quantity surveying while a trainee at Wimpey Homes. He's now regional surveyor for the residential developers Octagon Developments, providing monthly assessments of costs of projects such as building 124 houses on the grounds of Wall Hall, Watford. Many quantity surveyors work in residential development, where today's buoyant market ensures plenty of work and solid pay. It is a fiercely competitive field, and one that's in constant flux. "We're always investigating new contractors, new products, new technologies," Wilkie says, "always trying to keep ahead of the competition by making the houses more attractive to buyers, while working out ways to save the company cash." Keeping ahead of the competition can take its toll. Launce Morgan, 44, is a director of Northcroft Ltd and runs a company out of the Czech Republic. On average, he reckons he works 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week, and has to work up to 18 months at a time away from home. "It can be a marriage wrecker," he says. "We have to work whatever hours the project needs." But he enjoys the work, and believes that his degree in quantity surveying at Portsmouth University has given him a good life. "You can make as much as you want to make of it. It's a qualification you can use around the world." In 15 years, Morgan has worked in 22 countries, building everything from hospitals to hotels. Most buildings, residential or business, require the same skills, he says. The big difference comes if you work for the public sector. In private practice or contracting, you're simply looking for value for money. In public-sector projects, it is just as important to adopt political initiatives, such as Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects, and to implement government guidelines on best practice. Some quantity surveyors specialise in public-sector work, either as contractors or as civil servants. "You need to understand the political environment, the interaction between central and local government, and how ministers' minds work," says Alan Jones, 50, a design manager at the Department for Education and Skills. Jones manages the development of school building guidance, which decides best practice on everything from sustainability to the furniture. In recent years, the Government has increasingly contracted out building projects, and there are now far fewer public-sector surveyors. Those that remain work more on dealing with contractors than costing projects. With less work around and lower pay, it may seem hard to understand why anyone would want to work in the public sector. But Jones says: "You are able to influence national policy in a way you won't be able to anywhere else." So, whether you are interested in nine-to-five or you live to work, are attracted by the money of private practice or the influence of the public sector, and whether you want to work on high-class flats or on hospitals, there's sure to be something for you in quantity surveying. Source

So there you have it, SOL is the reason why all marriages fail :rolleyes: Insecurity is a key word here

Liverpool to wear red in Istanbul Liverpool will wear their traditional red home kit for the Champions League final against AC Milan on 25 May. Milan were due to wear their usual red and black stripes after being drawn as the 'home' team. But the two clubs have agreed that the Italians will play in white - which they wore while beating Juventus to claim the Champions League in 2003. Liverpool's four previous European Cup victories have come while wearing red against teams playing in white.

@NG, warya that aint funny ^^Soma, the whole country was behind Liverpool mate, an Italian style education in football was dished out to Mourinho and his blues. It will be a great match and i'm looking forward to it very much (as you would expect). In 2 weeks time i will either be sobbing my eyes out or jumping with joy. i hope its the latter

Really? So all the of the sudden May 18th is a celebration of the fall of the former regime? The fall of Afweyne's regime (in the north at least)resulted in May 18th becoming a day of celebration for more reasons than one. An end to a war, independence from a brutal regime (in the north), the success of the SNM against a more heavily armed govnt forces with 'war planes' vs klashnikovs :eek: , one wishing to persue his own destiny (rightly or wrongly but one can and should understand the other's reason as to why he wishes to part company) If the former dictatorship regime had never fallen (at that time in the north), then all of the above would never have occured. I'm i right or i'm i right? Baashi, you see, you may believe that 18th May is a "clannish" celebration of independence but would this "clannish" celebration have occurred if the former regime had not have fallen????? Go ahead and twist that mate Therefore, the significant reason as to why we (Somalilanders) celebrate 18th May is for (in my order): 1) The fall of the regime 2) Victory over the former regime 3) Independence from the former regime (a chance for re-unification is still there) 4) A free Somaliland emerges (not 100% fool proof but there you go) 5) Seeing freinds and family draped out in red, Green & white is beautiful (so is Blue and white by the way) add more if you wish FACTS vs theories mate! I wonder why these sort of topics bring out the best you Baashi? But you never seam to realise that there is'nt much in your sleave to appease those you are trying to appease. A snake is not a recommended appeasement. Peace and i'm out!

^^i have a meeting with someone wishing to sell 2 tickets 4 £1000, he thinks i have some money (spoke in a distinguished english tone over the phone), i'm not going to pay more than £250 for the pair

^^I see, what i said was not to say that nobody apart from S/landers suffered, if my comments offended anyone then i whole heartedly apologise. What would have been a better comment would have been: According to some, S/landers portray this image that they were the only ppl who suffered, but then when a S/lander wishes to celebrate, its oh we suffered aswell. We know that, we never said that S/landers were alone in suffering. But we are the only ones who have a day of remebrance/celeration/independence (May 18th)and i'm criticised for being proud of Somaliland?. Yes problems still exist but thats for the politics section. You will see a Somaliland flag in Istanbul

Perhaps u thought my characterization of this up coming celebration (e.g. jingoism or clannish-nationalism) as denying one's right to constitute a memorial day for one's clan. Not at all! There will be more than one clan celebrating the fall of afweyne. But somehow for some reason I think I know, you and other secessionist sympathizers are caught up in the sentimentalities! Perpetual grievances and never-ending mourning for not all Somalis that perished in the civil war but those who hail from one particular clan, sinister propaganda against the South, self-congratulatory that goes beyond the pale, and guilty by association that points the finger at one particular clan (not those who orchestrated or was in power at the time – nay some of them are now empowered – talk about hypocrisy) and the next generation from that particular clan has now become part of the political lexicon of the secessionist. We shall mourn those nearest and dearest, we shall mourn the heroes of the SNM, we shall remember the lost souls of our cities/towns/villages. If others wish to criticise us for that, whatever the reason (and 2nd hand demented information) then so be it. If others do not wish to celebrate the end of a brutal dictatorship (maybe the dictator was a tribe member) then one understands. As you rightly said mate, many tribes suffered at the hand of afweyne, but they wish not to have a day to 'remember'. That their choice. The ppl of Somaliland choose to. Now without connecting your political theories, i do NOT see anything wrong with that. as for all the other political/tribal stuff take that to the politics section where you can discuss with many a nomad. Its not my cup of tea lately. More concerned with trying to get flights and match tickets to Istanbul

NGONGE and Legend say: Just imagine, if I was a genius then, what am I now? I got 3, the caps lock obscures the F in the OF, your not genius' you just have good eye sight. Vision express NGONGE?

^^there is an old African saying (Mathew in Desmonds would say ), it involves an elephant and another elephant's dung think about it. Not in any way implying that Phanta is an Elephant

^^oh you mean Sky's post, but i would like to know your answer to the question posed as i do value your opinion , or are you going to use the 'i'm a Mod' therefore i remain neutral?

^^^there is simple question here and not related to politics. The question is: Can one deny the other his/her right to remember/celebrate the end of a brutal dictatorship in which many ppl (from all regions/areas/gobols) suffered? A simple yes and no answer is needed without bolting on any other discussions, they are for the politics section. peace

^^With all due respect sister, you did NOT answer the question. The question relates to why is one denying another for the simple fact that he wishes to remember his/her lost family/freinds during the conflict. Now, not in any of my previous post have i mentioned anything about S/landers being the only ones that suffered. Its is however, a fact that S/landers are the only ones who 'remember' their deceased. Is that a crime? Does that give an excuse to bring up all the cr*p (politically/historically etc etc)? I do not wish to go into the current political situation or the history of previous conflicts and who is to blame etc etc. Those discussions have been exhuasted before. As for why slander a former dictator when ever his name is mentioned (even though he is dead)? Well, yes that is wrong (for bouthmouthing the dead) but..........................+..............(enter as you wish) I choose to remember!

^^showing any sort of support or appreciation for Somaliland's achievment (however limited)from fellow Nomads can be a BIG ask. Certain nomads will never acknowledge the progress made by Somaliland, it will like a taking a bitter pill without having any water to wash it down with. This thread may have stirred up some to be a 'little' patriotic as some with S/land flags has triggered others to adopt Somali flags. However, this 'us' against 'them' mentality and calling it a clannish celebration (even though many of his fellow tribe and others who reside in the Bari, will also be acknowledging 18ka May)is only 'really' amongst those seem to be inclined to jump at everything pro-somaliland with the somewhat predictable view and short sightedness :rolleyes: Like i said before 18ka May is not 'designed' to be a celebration but rather 'simply' represents the day that saw a dictatorship eradicated. Now if someone is not appreciative of that and is constantly sniping at it with reference to how its a "clannish" celebration (even though that clan have the right to defend themselves against an oppression)then i can see why one may paint them with the same brush as the oppressors. The reasoning behind why 18ka May should NOT be a day of 'Remembrance' first and small celebrations second, have NOT been expressed as far as i'm concerned. The age old argument of Somaliland being a one clan entity shall be brought up again no doubt. But surely the question to be answered is: Why deny those who have suffered the right to remember their lost loved ones? Their lost homes, their lost land, their insecurity, their lost business? Ps, dont come back with......my family suffered also etc etc. Answer the above question!

missionmary@earthlink.com Oh oh, lets go and represent the church and show how much success the missionaries are having in Africa

Jamal says what are you saying? Like Harrold Shipman of a surgeon? Hehe..in good hands then.. The guy botched 10 operations in 2 years, i would advise the President to go else where Faraxo, The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel is my advice. The Somalis there should make him feel welcome JOKE JOKE JOKE Farah says: then again you might argue sheepishly that you hail from another State LOL, then again i may want the best for all Somalis, north/south/east and west, but also recognise that all the current leaders are a bunch of a$$holes and do not place much hope in them, hence the jokes. Dont take it the wrong way, i will one day be the president's spin doctor (alistair campbell mould).

^^^Bashi in Dirac? :eek:

Lets let the jury decide my fate. Lets have a vote, those who think i'm guilty of the charge say 'Yey' and those who think i'm not say Ney. puts on his macawis for court appearance