Another thought, why not a thread highlighting the positive accomplishments and successes in our community? I remember a while ago Chimera had a thread on Somali scientists, perhaps something similar expanded to include academics, business people, activists, professionals, random folks featured in a positive way in the media, etc that everyone can contribute to. That's more constructive than trying to have the criminals thread shut down, which is unlikely to happen at this point.

Complicated;982719 wrote: Safferz: Whatever happened to Innocent until proven guilty without a shadow of a doubt waliba? Some of the links and photos Nin_Yaaban posted online are mere accusations and not proven. Additionally, Nin_Yaaban seems to be hell bent on creating some form of encyclopedia on Somali "criminals", surely even you (defender of the Somali name ... remember the Star case?) see the flaw in the argument that "such information is available on the internet". This would have made sense to me if Nin_Yaaban started this thread with his mugshot (after all he is a convicted criminal) and openly explained that he is/was a "Qashin" as he labels others, laakiin kaygaan qarinayaa kuwa kalana waan fadeexaynayaa seems to me inay tahay epitome of hypocrisy Oh and I dare not talk about kuwan yaryar ee burushka xaarka leh la wareegaya lest they turn on me. There is that possibility, yes. But I'm just not convinced by a lot of the arguments for shutting that thread down. NY isn't doing his own investigating and writing about Somalis getting arrested, he's compiling what's already out there in the news. If he doesn't create the content, how can he be accused of making Somalis look bad? It's the folks who get arrested who are already doing that, I take NY's thread as a sort of media watch focusing on Somalis and the law. It's not the thread's existence that produces these issues, and I think the fact NY makes it visible to us here gives us the opportunity for productive dialogue about the problems in our community. And from what I've seen, Nin-Yaaban has been pretty open about his criminal history.

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Alpha Blondy;982690 wrote: what does that mean anyway? It means nothing should be forced and you should act naturally. You don't need to *try* to be funny or impress people.

Just be yourself, dee

SomaliPhilosopher;982673 wrote: writing a joke is very difficult You reminded me of one of my fav Onion articles, "Frustrated Novelist No Good At Describing Hands" So you're writing now huh SP? I've always wanted to take a crack at creative writing.

In defense of Nin_Yaaban, he posts photos that he finds in the news, unlike other threads here (ie. Mad_Mullah's thread with interracial couples) that actually use people's private Facebook photos. Arrests and mug shots are public records, so the privacy point is moot unless they are minors (whose names and images aren't released by the police anyway). They lost the right to privacy when they broke the law.

So what does this have to do with Hollywood?

Rolled out of bed at the crack of noon

Saalax;982555 wrote: He doesn't have to tell me, we see it in the picture and statement clear and cut. Just because he likes to help other Somalis does not mean he wants his name linked to violent places like Mogadishu. Yes he did say that statement in the past, hence why I said "perhaps he doesn't want to be associated with Mogadishu even if it might be his birth place hence explains the withdrawal". One can change their mind and this new statement in his book proofs it. This is his current stance. The statement is from a few weeks ago actually, obviously he has no issue making public statements about being a Somali born in Somalia in September. Once again, quit projecting your own hatred to read Mo Farah's thoughts and intentions, which is what you purport to be doing. Horta do you know that you're Somali? And that all these stereotypes and negative images of Somalia that you perpetuate actually affect you directly, as a Somali? Perhaps on this forum and back home, you have a specific clan and a state that you can use to differentiate yourself, but to the rest of the world, we're the same people. If the world imagines Somalia to be full of warlords, pirates, religious extremists, etc they are talking about YOU too. There's a complete lack of self-awareness in everything you post on SOL.

Saalax;982549 wrote: How am I speculating when you can clearly see it with your eyes "Me and Hassan in front of the flag of Somaliland, the country of our birth". Meelkasta Saalax baad ku aragta, cajiib. Mo is proud of his country of origin(Somaliland) and sees association with unstable Somalia as a bad rep, that is the fact we see here, it is the choice he made. You don't have to look for scapegoats and try to blindfold yourself . That's the speculation I'm talking about. Did he personally tell you about how Somalia has a bad rep and he doesn't want to be associated with it? Does that not contradict everything we know about him as a public figure in the Somali community, one who is active on Somali issues? I was going to link you to two recent events that come to mind, the Somalia conference and the UK remittances issue, when I came across a statement he made: “I welcome the international support being given to build on the momentum of progress in Somalia, the country of my birth. Unfortunately we are now just one week away from a new humanitarian catastrophe in the country. Remittances have played a crucial role for my family and the Mo Farah Foundation and their sudden cessation will have serious and avoidable consequences, bringing increased hardship, insecurity and instability to the Somali people." C'mon now, Saalax.

Saalax;982546 wrote: The keyword was. The ordinary people who don't know his family don't know if he was actually born there or it just fake birth place. Perhaps he doesn't want to be associated with Mogadishu even if it might be his birth place hence explains the withdrawal. Well the keyword is "was" because his birth isn't in the present or future lol. Quit speculating and assuming he's trying to distance himself from Somalia as you try to on a regular basis, not everyone is as consumed by hatred for fellow Somalis as you are. The fact is that regardless of where he's born, his passport will either say Mogadishu, Somalia or Gabiley, Somalia.

Saalax;982541 wrote: His close relatives say his actual birth place is Gabiley, Somaliland while his fake birth place is Mogadishu, Somalia. So his actual birthplace was Somalia.

Except he was born in Somalia...

Abbaas;982515 wrote: ^ Uuuf, hees lagama weynaado, leave habo alone :mad: :mad: I agree, but she needs to get rid of those awful braids

Alpha Blondy;982505 wrote: i see you've chosen the way of Angelia Jolie in that classic american blockbuster SALT. excellent film by the way. i'm not surprised by your hormonal driven BS. we clearly have information on you. we shan't release this, lakinse. Double basaas :cool: I have even more dirt on you so let's not threaten qarxis, ee sida ula soco.

Alpha Blondy;982499 wrote: double agent Safinova, please report your finds of the enemies activities. please use the S.A.L.U.T.E as taught in the academy. I don't snitch and I don't like snitches :mad:

Thanks YoniZ

A really disturbing short documentary on racism against African migrants in Israel that's worth watching. It was initially commissioned by the New York Times, but they refused to publish it and the Nation picked it up instead. You can read about that controversy here.

Tallaabo;982477 wrote: Somaliland used to have a number of high quality schools like Sheikh which were very similar to the private schools in Britain. Those schools also had a lot of British and Indian teachers. I don't like the way the French peddle around their language to feel a sense of superiority. Yes, but they didn't even go to the old 'elite' high schools - my dad went to 1st July Secondary School, which is now the University of Hargeisa I believe, and my mom went to a girls' boarding school in Berbera and then a high school in Xamar. Hope things get back to that point. The French are snobs about their language, you're right. They even make fun of our French in Canada :mad: It's a language that is growing outside of France, and most French speakers are in Africa, so it makes sense that they're trying to extend their influence in the Horn too. It's almost noon here, so time for me to head to the library and get some work done. Will return to crash this bro-mantic thread periodically.

Tallaabo;982470 wrote: They came to Somaliland a number of times and have explicitly said they want to promote the French language and culture. I'm a biased Canadian on this, but I don't think French being offered in schools is a bad thing. It opens a lot of doors, but since English is the more important language internationally, I hope Somaliland puts more emphasis on English. I was a little surprised by the limited English skills university students back home had, and schools like the University of Hargeisa claim to instruct students in English. It wasn't too long ago that students like my parents were able to become fluent English speakers without ever leaving Hargeisa.

Tallaabo;982464 wrote: And the French want to join the re-colonisation club too as they want French language taught in our schools. Caruurtu waabay ku carrab beelaysaa luqaddaa foosha xun. Hmm interesting, do you have more info on this? Where do they want French taught? French is a useful language to know depending on where you are, but I would hope Somalis prioritize English for second language learning.

Khayr;982450 wrote: What a great piece of "unbiased and factual stats based" research article that Saff posted. I saw shackles, a black slave and a hyena waiting to eat him. After all, Somalis feed there mentally ill kin folks to the hyenas. So take it up with the BBC, send them an email from the comfort of your home and tell them what the Xamar mental health hospital staff and other mental health professionals are dealing with doesn't actually exist.

Tallaabo;982452 wrote: This exactly what those fitness trainers tell their descends of fat @ss clients to do in London's public parks. And I am sure they don't pay any tax on their income:mad: Tallaabo leave them alone dee, I love seeing people working on their health and getting into shape, regardless of size. I cheer for them in my head when I see larger people outside running and being active But you're right, boot camp style stuff is the trend right now. Here in the States, are getting really popular, almost cult-ish in its fan base.

*Ibtisam;982449 wrote: Safferz- that is wonderful- congratulations- We are a little different- it is easy to get into the institutions but extremely difficult to then find funding. So most be find the funding and then find what ever institution you want and providing you can find someone with interest in that institution to tutor you, then you are good to go. Most European Universities- including the very best are always looking for Phd on most African and Aisan countries when it comes to development - Somalia is also a recent obsession- so they are welcoming but finding funding is still challenging. Best of luck with your application, we definitely need more Somali academics as a counterpoint to Western narratives of Somali politics, history, development, whatever it may be. Academics who don't go on sabbatical and try to run for president, I mean