It's a bit shallow to claim this is a problem with Muslims in particular. You'll notice that neighbouring populations to many of the Muslim majority countries aren't exactly doing too well either. I think a better discussion could be had by debating why certain cultures produce more intellectuals to begin with, particularly in the case of Ashkenazi Jews and Persians. Even in the hayday of the Abbasid empire, almost all of the greatests mathematical/scientific achievements were concentrated among Perisian Muslims rather than Arabs and if consider the number of published and cited research papers, that divide still exists in the present day.

Odey;972766 wrote: Those deciding the awards are?...,,,,..... Exactly! What's your point? The only group of people I've seen who can legitimately claim they were bilked out of recieving Nobel prizes are a handful of Indian scientists. You need only look at the case of the Abdus Salam to know that it isn't non-Muslims who are holding back Muslim scientists.

Nin-Yaaban;972165 wrote: Blackflash, aren't there couple of officers in Ottawa? Last time i was there, i met this one guy who works for Ottawa. I wouldn't know as I have no ties to the Ottawa area. There's one I know of in Toronto and there are likely a few more are scattered about, but there aren't enough for there to be a discernible presence.

Nice to see. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little interest in that career path here in Toronto. Which is sad since a friend of mine has told me that their practically begging for Somali recruits here as there's a large barrier that makes policing some neighborhoods difficult.

It's almost undeniable now that the video exists and it's only a matter of time before it's released.It's unfortunate that it'll come after the by-election, as the deputy Mayor, who was endorsed by the Fords, was just elected to a provincial seat in Ontario.

Socotra is closest to Somalia geographically, but there is little in the way of cultural ties to the island. I can only hope the armchair-generals, who would so easily shed blood over a peaceful island, find little voice in the future Somalia.

Is his face so asymmetrical that concealing one-half of it would make him unrecognizable?

Having smaller families is direct consequence of urbanization, but it's not immediate as there is typically a gradual reduction in the fertility rates of urban families. I'd be surprised if second generation Somalis had anywhere near as many children as their parents. The only reason why Somalia's population is seeing any growth is due to a mixture of food aid and remittance, which is just as much an unnatural social engineering policy as providing birth control and sex education. In the past population booms were the direct result of agricultural and economic progress, what opportunities will be afforded to the children who are born in to a society that has nothing more to offer them then it did the previous generation?

This thread should be embalmed and preserved for future comedic relief

Interesting. There are approxiametely 1.2 million Pakistanis in the U.K, yet they send back less money than their 363,699 American counterparts. Looks like the U.S is importing the cream of the crop.

Alpha Blondy;969719 wrote: why are you instigating where there is nothing to instigate? It's strictly for my own amusement. There's no malice involed.

uchi;969714 wrote: Say again? Arab gibberish? What do you mean exactly? I believe he's reffering to the Quran. Let the rectum-tearing commence!

Marksman;969232 wrote: Zimmerman enjoys white privilege. His dad is a white man from the USA and his mother is a white Peruvian. I understand what your saying, but his mother is not what I'd consider a White Peruvian. She looks like a Mestizo and could even pass as SE Asian.

Not even on manslaughter? That's ridiculous.

The chest pounding in this thread is unwarranted. The collapse, or at the very least a significant downsizing, of Somalia's military was inevitable. Consider the terrible conditions the naval ships of the time were left in shortly after the Soviets were no longer offering their services in maintenance and repair. How can you reminisce about a military that was never under complete Somali control?

I consider Turkey to be unique considering it's Greek, Roman, Persian and Turkic influences. 'Eurasian' is the only term that can be used to describe them racially, but they've always been culturally distinct when compared to their neighbors. Turkey has terrible trade policies in place with the E.U, and considering their relations with nearby European countries, I'm sure most of Turkey's citizens by now understand that they would never see the full benefits of EU membership if they were to receive it (that's highly unlikely).

Saxansaxo;967289 wrote: Good Lord, the nerve of some of these foreign companies.... dadkaas oo kale in ay dhulkaba ku soo degaan ayaaba khalad ah .. I hope the sland adminstration have proper environmental regulations that these companies must follow inorder to operate there. Where are the environmental organizations? The problem lies with the fact that the lack of regulation on industrial practices is why these companies are even in the region. Why would an official risk his kick-backs, just to have the companies move and grease the palms of someone else?

The Somali flag is one of the few things that doesn't need to be improved upon. There will always be naysayers who claim it's a direct copy of the Bonnie Blue flag, even if that were the case, you can't deny that proportions of the Somali flag are pleasing to the eye and that the ethnic connotations of the star itself are more profound. Regardless, it's the people that this flag represents who have brought this blight on the nation, not an inanimate geometric construction.

It's not surprising. Merchants and traders throughout history have never allowed themselves to be limited by national borders, race relations or religion, they simply adapt and figure out ways to use these distinctions to their advantage. It's not limited to any particular race(s). Look at how African-American migrants capitalized on the skills and knowledge gap between themselves and indegious residents of Liberia in the past.

I love how politics in the Muslim world involves accusing anyone with competing view of being a Zionist/American lackey. It's made more entertaining when both sides, as is the case in Egypt, are making that accusation simultaneously.

Mafia;966453 wrote: Hargeysa has 10x better living standard than Mogadishu. Post about that. So Hargeisa is a slightly better shithole?

Do you really think that rape victims are as forthcoming in reporting their in Saudi Arabia as they would be in Canada? I thought spousal rape wasn't even recognized in Saudi Arabia. That graph seems to be rather disingenuous. On topic: It's good to see more people being made aware of the festering problem. I think that with an adequate justice system, many of these rapists can be held to account, but even in countries with the harshest penalties for rape, there exists these class of animals who will prey on others to fulfill whatever compulsion they may have, so self-defense is the only true protective measure, preferable a firearm to level the playing field.

How can anyone placate a quasi-junta country, where young adults make up more than 30% of it's population? I dislike the Morsi regime, but someone, whether it be this current government or the next, has to stand firm and not allow themselves to be continually threatened by young idealists and an opportunistic military.

ElPunto;965557 wrote: ^Your theorizing could be right. But what they're doing now in Africa - is what they did in the past. Make deals, do trade. I don't think they want to dominate African countries politically and have stooges that do their bidding like the USA with the Middle East. True. I don't think they'll follow the western model of underhanded tactics, but there are many fledgling states in Africa who'll be even further stunted in terms of economic sovereignty if they aren't wary of the long term implications that come from sole-sourcing so many projects to one nation/organization.

ElPunto;965518 wrote: ^That is on an individual level. Chinese migrants going there and becoming successful in business etc. But there isn't a state sponsored and military led offensive to colonize and exploit others. The Chinese like to boast of a 5000 year civilization that didn't colonize and dominate others but just traded with them. BTW - have you read World on Fire by Amy Chua - it's an interesting book exploring ethnic minorities doing unusually well in host countries. The lack of Chinese imperialism in the past may be in large part due to the country's size. It's nearly as large as the entirety of Europe. Combine that with the fertile soils, massive glacier-fed rivers, natural barriers formed by the Himalayas, Gobi desert and the steppes and you start to understand why China couldn't be bothered to wage costly wars over resources. There is a greater need today for more resources as the quality of life continues to see increases in China, their large country is no longer capable of solely meeting the demands of the growing middle class. The need for greater sources of commodities is also what fueled the expansion of European powers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Thanks for the book recommendation. I'm surprised that someone as high profile as Amy Chua has written on the subject, I'll be sure to pick it up.