A very interesting read about future sustainable economic growth and consumpion as an engine of growth. http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/data/files/publications/pwg_summary_eng.pdf Here is an excerpt: This report sets out a critical examination of the relationship between prosperity and growth. It acknowledges at the outset that poorer nations stand in urgent need of economic development. But it also questions whether ever-rising incomes for the already-rich are an appropriate goal for policy in a world constrained by ecological limits. Its aim is not just to analyse the dynamics of an emerging ecological crisis that is likely to dwarf the existing economic crisis. But also to put forward coherent policy proposals (Box 1) that will facilitate the transition to a sustain able economy. In short, this report challenges the assumption of continued economic expansion in rich countries and asks: is it possible to achieve prosperity without growth?

Tillamook;921516 wrote: Nuune , while your intentions are noble I believe a centrally planned economy would be disastrous for Somalia. Unlike many other countries, Somalia has a great opportunity to get things right from the get go once some modicum of lasting peace and security is established throughout the country. The last thing we want is a big government that will pick winners and losers in the economy of the nation. I believe such government involvement will stifle economic competition and promote favoritism. But a free market economy on the other hand will free the people and thereby unleash innovation and generate prosperity for all. I believe, if there is a demand for any of those development projects outlined in your Vision, some enterprising fellow will rise to the task and provide it for the public--- and in return become filthy rich. So the only thing the government should involve itself in is to ensure justice for all and equality in front of the law...the rest am sure the Somali people can do for themselves way more effectively and efficiently. I think that active government involvement and strategic planning is crucial to achieve substantial, equitable and sustainable economic development in any country. You have to remember that the purpose of privately owned profit-seeking entities are to achieve private objectives, which often revolve around the enrichment of its owners and no other purpose. Such entities do not, per se, seek or intend to achieve good quality products/services, affordable prices, good quality jobs, sustainable operations/minimal impact on the environment, long term investment, innovation or the furtherance of the public interest/danta guud. In principle I do agree that we have learnt from our recent history that the private sector has worked well in many areas - even when a stable macro-economic and political environment has been lacking and there has been no legal framework to speak of. The evidence shows that there the market has capacity to efficiently and sustainably fulfil needs for a number of services and products and to do so at affordable prices. There are clear benefits of enabling willing investors - small and large - to reap a profit by offering products and services to others whilst creating jobs by the same action. In Somalia, the evidence of the market doing its job is evident in the construction, telecommunications, retail and services sectors. Having said that, the current Somali economy is not underpinned by stable fundamentals and there are significant imbalances in the economy of the country. Government has a clear role to play and unique capacity to correct those imbalances in the economy. The state has a unique role and capacity to correct structural inefficiencies and negative market externalities and in having a mixed economy we shouldn't leave the government without teeth to act and intervene where it is required. Only the state can by exercising its political, financial and legal hegemony, successfully address the following constraints to economic development and ensure that substantial, equitable, balanced and sustainable economic growth is achieved. 1. The country is experiencing an immense and unsustainable balance of trade deficit as most of the consumer spending that is fuelling the growth in many sectors of the economy is funded by remittances from the diaspora. These remittances are spent almost exclusively on imports and very few goods are produced within the country, which means that the economy is drained of billions of dollars each year and 100's of thousands of potential jobs are lost to the countries from which we import goods that we could easily produce ourselves. If the profit-seeking privately owned companies can cheaply source goods from other countries and sell them at a profit in the domestic market, they have no incentive to encourage or invest in domestic production, especially if relatively high up-front investment is required. The government can play a role to encourage and facilitate such investment. 2. You mentioned competition? Market failure and negative externalities (examples: monopolies, cartels, price-fixing) are ubiquitous and evident across all sectors of the economy and yet remain uncorrected and consumers are, on the whole, getting a very bad deal. For example, a small number of privately owned entities control the export-import activities of Somalia and control the prices of basic foodstuffs and consumer goods, which are set at extortionate levels. Although this is good for their personal-enrichment objective, this is at the cost of the wider populace who cannot gain access to basic goods and service. Another example is the telecommunications companies whose services are not interconnected. So this means that if you want to make calls to others with sim cards from other operators, you will need 3, 4 or 5 different sim cards. The reality is that an unregulated private sector will result in monopolies, cartels, price fixing and on the whole a bad deal for consumers and government can play a role to discourage such activities. 3. Market actors have shown that they are not able or willing to self-regulate or to standardise their products and services. Consumer and worker rights are non-existent. Contracts are unenforceable. Pollution is damaging the environment and the people. Substandard products which will falter in a matter of days after purchase are ubiquitous etc. Again government has a role to play. 4. Fourthly, there are certain sectors of the economy with immense potential and demand, where the market has been unable or unwilling to provide the services/products that are sorely needed because those services/products are difficult to price or to fund or otherwise not viable to provide. Examples are the education, health, infrastructure and energy sectors, which are clearly strategically important sectors. Depending on whether these sectors are given the due attention and investment they require, they can be either a catalyst for, or constraint to economic growth. So far in Somalia's history and especially in the last 20 years or so, these sectors have presented an immense obstacle to economic growth. Government has a role to play to encourage and facilitate investment in these sectors and even fund investment into sectors with high barriers to entry e.g. energy, infrastructure. This is where strategic planning by government comes in. 5. Whereas profit-seeking privately owned entities have no reason to work for the common interests of the community and often work in silos, the government has a unique incentive, capacity and role to provide strategic leadership to co-ordinate the actions of individual organisations, companies or sectors of the economy to achieve the maximum economic growth possible. This is where strategic planning by government comes in.

New York, 1932

Like something out of the movie Avatar Rice terraces in Vietnam.

China

China

Tokyo

Any other Somalis on the list? And post your source dee, see waaye.

The city that needs no introduction.

I'll believe it when I see it.

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you're welcome Fazliyah. And thanks Safferz. But how does it work exactly... does one have to sign up first before being allowed to access the content?

I've just tested my theory and I have concluded that the latin alphabet much better suites the Sooomaali language. There are certain noises that (I think) you can't present using the arabic alphabet like oo (goorma) unless you slightly change the pronounciation and property of the word = جوْرْمَآ ee (dabadeed) ii (iigu yeedhi) o' (go'ay) i' (ri') etc. Here is my pathetic attempt at an example text: Walaaleyaal waxa aan idin leeyahay waa inaynu ka fikernaa sidii aynu dadkeena u barilahayn sidii ay wax u qori lahaayeen. وَلَلَيَآل وَحَ آنْ إدِنْ لييَهَيْ وَآ إِنينُ كَ فِكيرنَا سِدِيْ اَيْنُو دَادّْكَينَ ءُ بَارِ لَاهَيْنْ سِدِيْ اَيْ وَحْ ءُ قرلَهَاين.وُ قرلَهَاين.ي

Gheelle.T;990408 wrote: Waryada, if the whole idea is to educate the population, then kids will need to go proper school. It doesnt matter what script one use to educate. Even if the Arabic script is introduced today, it will have to be structured(grammar, style,etc) to suit the language. And this will bring us back to square one, that proper schooling is needed for one to be literate and educated. Just ask yourself how many Somali speaking kids (third grader and up) in the West can read and write the Somali script. Naga daaya. The modalities and practicalities of it would have to be carefully considered. But I wouldn't think that the use of the Arabic scipt would require the alteration of the grammer of the Somali language. :confused: I do agree though that a functioning and effective education system is required to achieve literacy. But initially, I think we could possibly make some quick gains by using the Arabic alphabet... recognition of the letters, knowing how to pronounce/read the letters, the ability to write the letters - just as you would do when reading the quran. So that at least you are able to read/write your name and other names, recognise signs, compose and understand short/simple pieces of written communication. The logic being that if a good proportion of Somalis are able to read the Quran (a book), then using the same letters and similar pronounciations they would be able to read written pieces of information in Af Somali but using the Arabic alphabet.

But perhaps those initial difficulties are surmountable...?

One thing that I do agree with is that the Arabic Alphabet is more "difficult" to learn to read/write. And that is without even having adapted it for the soomaali language. At least in the latin alphabet letters don't change every time depending on their position within a word relative to the other letters within that word. Arabic is inefficient to write... IMO it requires a lot more effort to write.

To those who are proponents of the latin script I say that is fine but we have to be pragmatic and work with what will be most effective in our situation. We have to put our pride and any anti-Arab sentiment aside. The reality is that most Somalis can read and write the Arabic alphabet. Why waste money time and effort teaching them a nee alphabet that is completely new and alien to them?

Bumo! Safferz. I say 26 ish

Bump! X-mas is around the corner. And once again there will be the question of X-mas parties. This time I am attending a X-mas party. I suppose people change in their attitudes.

I did not mean to suggest that there is anything wrong with the Latin Somali alphabet. There isnt. But the reality is that we have very limited resources and we are not able to fund or deliver far reaching education projects to ensure that everyone is literate. What we do have in place are existing structures and institutions. From a very young age all Somali children, poor and rich, are taught to read and write in Arabic so that they are able to read the quran. These same skills they are taught could be used to help them write and read Somali by using the Arabic alphabet which they are already familiar with and which they are already able to read. It just seems the most logical and cost effective method to achieve mass literacy in a matter of months.

BUMP! Do some reading folks: Aqoon la'aan waa iftiin la'aan. Waxbarashadu waa hubkii Baahida lagu reebi lahaa

And the sad thing is that although Somalis on this forum recognise the gravity of the abuse and injustice that the woman in the video is being subjected, if we were to were to discuss the atrocities and abuses that took place in Somalia over the past 20 years, all reason and human compassion goes out the window and they would defend the purpetrators for no reason other than being from their qabiil. Sad walahi. Such a self distructive attitude.

magicbird;988763 wrote: Somalis have been killing, raping and maiming each other over clans for over two decades. Now some 'Ethiopian' (its actually a kurd kid) gets a beating, then its Arabs this and that. What about the millions that have passed away due to the civil war and the drought subsequent to it. What about our mothers and sisters living in the refugee camps in neighboring 'countries' and those internally displaced. No sense of loyalty. Shhhh! Today we are worrying about Ethiopians (and Syrians and Philipinos), we our own people are experiencing suffering to a far greater extent of poverty, abuse, oppression, war... things which many of these somalis seem indifferent to as they revel in Qabyaalad.