BALLERZ, Thanks for sharing.

Hambalyo...mid wanaag ku waara allaha ka dhigo. Aamiin

Bashe About love, brother you haven’t brought ideas into the realm but you have merely employed words and words themselves mean nothing if the reader does not understand their deeper meanings. Right! I simply employed words, though not as eloquently as u do , to convey my take on what u wrote there. Don't we all do that, use words, to express ourselves? Ideas? It was not my intent to bring forth new idea for it was not a contest of bringing ideas...it was a reply. Logic would dictate that we first employ words to convey what we think of an issue and then the reader would digest it and he/she may or may not understand it...his/her understanding comes after the fact...after the thought is conveyed. Back to what u wrote there, not only it is a hastily written but it is also full of premises and propositions. In two paragraph, you dashed through purity of life, physical beauty, love, effects of modernity on relationships. The reason I'm looking ur piece with such magnifying glass is that I have a high expectation...I'm forced to grab a dictionary whenever u post a piece...with all that trouble at least give us something with substance.

Life’s purity is nothing short of human construction. Nothing in this physical world is beautiful. Our minds seduce us to believing that we are sometimes happy because of the beautiful life we lead. Quite a stretch! It doesn't add up...i guess I am missing something as it is late and am kinda tired! Let me comment on 'Love' It downed on me that the word LOVE is one of the most overused words in our modern vocabulary...just see urself: "I love my mom", "I love basketball", "I love horror movies", "I love that...and this", "I love her" These are phrases we hear several times a day. I don't pretend to know these abstract words but I have a good hunch of what's not a love. Any love that evaporates when which that has caused this 'love' to exist passes is simply not a true, real love. Common sense isn't? What is love then? I would say love takes many forms and has many meanings. Everyone yearns to capture the joy of love in life. Love is elusive, yet it possesses a mystique that is felt by all. It is a blending of affection, ardor, sympathy, fondness, understanding, concern, adoration, consideration, warmth of feeling, respect, and much more. It is what u make of it...I had this friend and I heard he had started drinking liquor again and I confronted him (ofcourse out of love ) and preached him for minutes about its harm and what not and he looked at me squarely in the eyes and said...u know what! I don't do any harm to others, I don't miss my work...I 'LOVE' I jus love drinking cuz I feel so good. Now folks, I don't think my friends love for his liquor and my love toward my mom, my love toward my wife, or Janah for that matter are on the same level. Not only they are different in degrees(assuming is measurable) but these feelings are not to be described by same word. This word needs to be reinvented...for real!

so i guess after all what am asking you is, do you think someone should have the intension of changing the person their with or go with the flow even though it doesnt meet your critia>?....=====--- & if you love someone should something like that break you. Sure! I may wanna go into relationship knowing that my wife-to-be is not so perfect but reasonable...and can be persuaded into accepting what's right for the well-being of the family and the kids...just as I am willing to do the same for the sake of my family. That, practically, amounts changing the person. It's widely assumed that you can't change your spouse. But don't overlook the less obvious truth: that you still have great influence over him or her. Because we're relational creatures, we're influenced through our relationships. I don't mean manipulation. That never works, because the moment your spouse realizes you're trying to exert control, there'll be rebellion. Nobody wants to be controlled. if you love someone should something like that break you? Not necesserily! Love sometimes makes u blind to see trivial things like that or u are so overtaken that u are willing to overlook it. Hope it helps.

Indeed. Ducaa and recitation of the sura would help all faithfull Iraqi victims. And it is something that we are capable of doing.

Mobb_deep, Bro, in all honesty, there were no qabiil fights in that thread! It is their call and we should live with that. But if dialogue, discussion is encouraged in this forum, then somehow, someway we should have some sort of accountabilty lest we fall under the mercy of a moderator that we might have crossed, somewhere, in a heated debate. My hunch is that Admin/Moderators don't have that much time to check, proof read, or edit every line that gets posted. That I can understand. They may rely on the spy icon to do their job...but little checking won't harm u...even if the reporting is from ur friends. Finally, when it comes debates that have direct bearing on events that had happened while ago or are happening now back home...let's not HIDE OUR HEADS IN THE SAND.

This is impressive piece of reporting that appeared in LA Times. The author exposes, or ridicules American policy makers and their doublespeak . Here it is, take a look: An Era Worthy of Orwell For starters George Orwell is the author whose novel "1984" introduced us to the words doublethink and newspeak. A word he didn't use - but which combines the two - is doublespeak. Doublespeak is saying one thing and meaning another, usually its opposite. In 1984 when BIG BROTHER and the Party say PEACE they mean WAR, when they say LOVE they mean HATE, and when they say FREEDOM they mean SLAVERY.

I think this war is coming short of divine intervention. My heart and prayers goes to innocent muslims cought between Saddam and this domineering, overpowering bully. What else can we do just pray...Rabbanaa la yukalifanaa man laa yakhaafaka walaa yarxamanaa.. ii saxa ducadaas fadlan.

Amiin yaa Allah.

Maan! this OYUNGA PALA guy has done his homework...He must be a womenizer to know so much about them. He covered all the basis...this eternal truth cought my eye: Rule number 1, it would be a soundly great idea, if you made more money than she did because no matter how accommodating she is at the beginning, it will be an issue.

disregard this.

"Rag hadaad colowdaan asaad ciidan badan weydo Hadba waxaad ku ciil bixi kadho yaa kuu cawo adduun ah" Overpowered and overrun by his rival tribe, Somali poet once lamented. He meant anything will be done to exact a revenge! Ameenah, Abaayo the law of the jungle follows a simple logic and that is to survive u have to struggle. If u elevate that logic and apply to states, religions, and nationalities then u would have to just accept the fact that pure instinct takes over. U either sing the songs of John Lennon and start imagining a world of no wars or Rag waxuu ku xaali jidhey yaa kuu banaan and that is "Lix halkaad ku joogtaan dagaal laabta ka ogaada. Hadii luqunta leydin jadho lugaha meermeersha" What terrorist gained is more defeat. They facilitated the implimentation of long planned strategy. Having a military bases in all oil rich Islamic world, US have to thank them. Ur point is well taken but I will assert that would have happen no matter what according Neoconservative thinkers led by Wolwovits (did I spelled right)..He issued that paper in 1991. The Point! Well powerfull nations have nukes and they like to be sole owners. Nukes effectiveness is measured in human lives...that is how many lives can it take per seconds and how much destruction can it bring upon the target. They will not hesitate to use it if other nation had done to them what Palestine had endured and had to put up with. Hizbullahi you mentioned as if they were a terrorist organization. They want to be left alone and they think of themselves as freedom fighters..others disagree they called them terrorist! Horrors at Shatila were not broadcast around the world as sept 11...victims were both civilians but one had a nation that cares about them and the other helpless warriors. Who will write the histoty and whose value should be propogated? That is what is at stake. Bush said civilized nations will write the history and it will prevent Evil doers (meaning ?) to have any say in that. Bush's logic is simple and his Neocons articulated in the so called 'preemptive doctrine' and his religion just confirmed its support and issued a justification for his effort the so called 'Just War' manifesto. Your premise is flowed (I said that with respect sis Ameenah) because American Entreprise Institute had been talking this way before that oval day. It just strengthened their hand. Almost all convictions and moral standards agree that civilians should not be harmed in any way. That will happen only when all civilians are protected. When powerfull nations protect theirs and disregard the fate of other civilians...reactionery elements will strike back. In his famous essay 'The Moral Equivelent of War' William James talk about war and its moral. History is a bath of blood. The Illiad is one long recital of how Diomedes and Ajax, Sarpedon and Hector killed. No detail of the wounds they made is spared us, and the Greek mind fed upon the story. Greek history is a panorama of jingoism and imperialism -- war for war's sake, all the citizen's being warriors. It is horrible reading -- because of the irrationality of it all -- save for the purpose of making "history" -- and the history is that of the utter ruin of a civilization in intellectual respects perhaps the highest the earth has ever seen. Those wars were purely piratical. Pride, gold, women, slaves excitement were their only motives. In the Peloponesian war, for example, the Athenians ask the inhabitants of Melos (the island where the "Venus de Milo" was found), hitherto neutral, to own their lordship. The envoys meet, and hold a debate which Thucydides gives in full, and which, for sweet reasonableness of form, would have satisfied Matthew Arnold. "The powerful exact what they can," said the Athenians, "and the weak grant what they must." When the Meleans say that sooner than be slaves they will appeal to the gods, the Athenians reply, "Of the gods we believe and of men we know that, by a law of their nature, wherever they can rule they will. This law was not made by us, and we are not the first to have acted upon it; we did but inherit it, and we know that you and all mankind, if you were as strong as we are, would do as we do. So much for the gods; we have told you why we expect to stand as high in their good opinion as you." Well, the Meleans still refused, and their town was taken. "The Athenians," Thucydides quietly says, "thereupon put to death all who were of military age and made slaves of the women and children. They then colonized the island, sending thither five hundred settlers of their own . Bush envokes God and so often said he is doing a humanity a favor by getting rid of the evil doers and forcing them to accept our values. Do u see how history repeats itself.

Talk about ignorance! Mark Twain was once qouted saying that " The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so " Bro u are so misinformed urself and u giving advice to us. Go to http://www.nsbe.org and read what this organization is all about. Tax payer money! please NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. FYI It is paid membership. There are Seminars to take advantage of; About 11000 attend every year; With ur card u get discounts and free Black Enterprise magazine subscription; And we help high school kids by mentoring them and by scholarship award out of fees paid by us. Networking; and Socializing cuz it is March Break! Look before u leap...we don't gather to get qoutas from uncle Sam as them biased folks would have u think.

Talk about ignorance! Mark Twain was once qouted saying that " The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so " Bro u are so misinformed urself and u giving advice to us. Go to http://www.nsbe.org and read what this organization is all about. Tax payer money! please NSBE's mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. FYI It is paid membership. There are Seminars to take advantage of; About 11000 attend every year; With ur card u get discounts and free Black Enterprise magazine subscription; And we help high school kids by mentoring them and by scholarship award out of fees paid by us. Networking; and Socializing cuz it is March Break! Look before u leap...we don't gather to get qoutas from uncle Sam as them biased folks would have u think.

Xassan nasru aalah, I will diversify my portfolio...that is if I have any. Ameenah, Thanks for trusting me for that...but in light of 'Joe the millionere phenomena' I will send a list for ur choosing...I say trust but verify. I'm considering to sue FOX Network by basing their plot in our trade mark "Naago been baa lagu soo xero galiyaa, runna waa lagu dhaqaa" it gave that trick a new popularity...any volunteers to join me. In modern society, a degree of some sort is extremely helpful in building the credibility necessary to gain access to capital. It is not the only way, successful businesses have been created through a vareity of means. Exactly. mahadi u nail it! P.S Thanks for asking, Alxamdulilahi I'm fine. I'm coming to Anaheim Convention Center March 19-23 for the NSBE gathering. Since it is ur neck of the wood consider to come...besides Berkley Somalis need to be represented there. Call me.

Xassan nasru aalah, I will diversify my portfolio...that is if I have any. Ameenah, Thanks for trusting me for that...but in light of 'Joe the millionere phenomena' I will send a list for ur choosing...I say trust but verify. I'm considering to sue FOX Network by basing their plot in our trade mark "Naago been baa lagu soo xero galiyaa, runna waa lagu dhaqaa" it gave that trick a new popularity...any volunteers to join me. In modern society, a degree of some sort is extremely helpful in building the credibility necessary to gain access to capital. It is not the only way, successful businesses have been created through a vareity of means. Exactly. mahadi u nail it! P.S Thanks for asking, Alxamdulilahi I'm fine. I'm coming to Anaheim Convention Center March 19-23 for the NSBE gathering. Since it is ur neck of the wood consider to come...besides Berkley Somalis need to be represented there. Call me.

I had the opportunity of meeting Xajji Mohamed Abshir at his house(his daughter's house)in Eden Prairie. He is God-fearing, upstanding Somali citizen. I am very humbled by how he carries himself. He quotes the Quran every now and then in our presence...and he prays for Somalis. I decided not to call him a politician or General from that day on. Shame on us...now our elders have to face this humiliation. I wish him for the best.

Muslim philosophers started their adventure in defending Islam against other religions as well as other critics. They find necessery to use Greek logic/rhetoric rational as a way to prove the existence of Allah. Al-Kindi, Al-Farrabi, and Avicenna are hailed by the West cuz they bowed to Aristotelian school and Neoplatonic 'logical conclusive decuctive' reasoning. They scrutinized Quran?Sunnah under these standards. Among subjects debated were Metaphysics and Fate. Especially 'Fate'. Except Al-Ghazali who held the preeminence of Islam and went from there to held at bay the likes of Al-Kindi, etc. Haniif is absolutely right in saying that thier argument lead people astray.

MMA, Man! Qurboland gave us unlimited opportunities that was not available to us when were back home. But again good comes with all kind of surprises...right! How about opening macmacaan kiosk with shushumow, sanbuusi, xalwo dambiil, etc right there in Toronto...or that business is taken already. Xasan nasra allah, 401k is not sure bet nowadays! After all Enron and Montana utility company were lately in the news. Kool-kat, Are u sure that u will not have to work as an unskilled worker after u had attained ur PHD? Degree waving folks are in line seeking an offer from business men. When the tough get going i would rather be a business man with dough in bank than graduates who put all their eggs in careers basket. Education is important...but people who dream big, risk takers, those who have what it takes always have one thing in common and that is they all work over time to succeed and strive for independence...they see schooling as a means not as end. And if the end is realizable without schooling they go for it...they are entreprenuers.

MMA, Man! Qurboland gave us unlimited opportunities that was not available to us when were back home. But again good comes with all kind of surprises...right! How about opening macmacaan kiosk with shushumow, sanbuusi, xalwo dambiil, etc right there in Toronto...or that business is taken already. Xasan nasra allah, 401k is not sure bet nowadays! After all Enron and Montana utility company were lately in the news. Kool-kat, Are u sure that u will not have to work as an unskilled worker after u had attained ur PHD? Degree waving folks are in line seeking an offer from business men. When the tough get going i would rather be a business man with dough in bank than graduates who put all their eggs in careers basket. Education is important...but people who dream big, risk takers, those who have what it takes always have one thing in common and that is they all work over time to succeed and strive for independence...they see schooling as a means not as end. And if the end is realizable without schooling they go for it...they are entreprenuers.

Kool_kat, C'mon kool...I meant Education "as we know it" and u u yanked that part heh! Seriously though pple get educated in many ways...am kind of, well how i should say this, let me put this way i have reservation about schooling like when folks spend 4yrs majoring geoghraphy, performing arts, etc. As to the possibility of ur business failing. Well that could happen. Failure is not an option but if it comes to that; u can still work as unskilled worker to get the ends meet. U see I wanna own the means of production itself. It is worth trying to strive for that kind of dream. Northerner, To answer ur question, yes absolutely. Ameenah, lol@ finding wealthy husband...taajir kabalaawe are arround...take into account the possiblity.

Kool_kat, C'mon kool...I meant Education "as we know it" and u u yanked that part heh! Seriously though pple get educated in many ways...am kind of, well how i should say this, let me put this way i have reservation about schooling like when folks spend 4yrs majoring geoghraphy, performing arts, etc. As to the possibility of ur business failing. Well that could happen. Failure is not an option but if it comes to that; u can still work as unskilled worker to get the ends meet. U see I wanna own the means of production itself. It is worth trying to strive for that kind of dream. Northerner, To answer ur question, yes absolutely. Ameenah, lol@ finding wealthy husband...taajir kabalaawe are arround...take into account the possiblity.

Let me clear one thing: the aim of education is not to reach financial success, but rather for personal development and practical trades. this is to expand your knowledge and values and teach you problem solving(to empower your society). U r right Xassan. I concede. To clarify though...the way this discussion is framed is not from societal prespective but from personal objective. It is a human nature to look for one's self...and if that is true i for one, would like to reach a finacial freedom, little independence so I don't have to work for anybody. In US, schools are expensive and once u graduate there are no guarantees that you would land a job. What I'm saying is that u could enhance ur personal development and skills without taking this well known route that is to go school to college and then look for job. Instead of that there is another option. That option is for the risk takers..entreprenuers!

Let me clear one thing: the aim of education is not to reach financial success, but rather for personal development and practical trades. this is to expand your knowledge and values and teach you problem solving(to empower your society). U r right Xassan. I concede. To clarify though...the way this discussion is framed is not from societal prespective but from personal objective. It is a human nature to look for one's self...and if that is true i for one, would like to reach a finacial freedom, little independence so I don't have to work for anybody. In US, schools are expensive and once u graduate there are no guarantees that you would land a job. What I'm saying is that u could enhance ur personal development and skills without taking this well known route that is to go school to college and then look for job. Instead of that there is another option. That option is for the risk takers..entreprenuers!