^^ Naah, it's the same Xaaji. As for the topic; it's a brilliant demonstration that Clan is Everything. I mean what are the chances that both A&T and Zack are both "in the know" when it comes to the inner dealings of the ONLF? On a serious note, could it really be true that the entire 'halgan', the shuhada and the hardship were all for the sake of a promise? A PROMISE! You see, I don't beleive any of this is true, however, should it prove to be true I hereby invite my friend Jacaylbaro to utter his famous words again; MASHROOC! Naga daaya dee.

^^ Yes, very good. But it's early days. Norf, Lets continue our talk about Carroll badow yaho. Before I begin though, I have to give you (and all readers) a bit of advice about watching the game. When you can (for you're hardly watching it LIVE) try to view the entire image on your screen and do not follow only the ball (which has always been your downfall, saaxib). Now, is it a coincidance that a player costing 35 million and another costing 50 million are both labelled flops by know-nothing football fans? Why would Torres suddenly turn into rubbish and why is Carroll not scoring similar goals to those he scored in his Newcastle day? Norf and those that follow British media will argue that one lost his touch and the other did not have it to begin with. But I beg to differ. Torres is still the same lethal goalscorer he's always been but the poor man has swapped the brilliance of Gerrard & Alonso with the plodding play of Lampard & Malouda. Carroll replaced the direct play of Newcastle with the mechanical play of Adam's Liverpool. But have both players been playing badly? I don't think so. A number nine's job is to occupy the defenders, win headers and link up play. Granted that Torres (being Spanish) does not play in the classic style of a British number nine (e.g. Shearer), however, the main requirements still apply. Now, a number nine alone can not create and score his own goals. He requires a NUMBER TEN to create the play and present him with the opportunities. Failing that, he requires the rest of his team to make the space for him or even benefit from the space HE MAKES. Carroll for Liverpool, has been occupying oppostion defenders and keeping them busy by simply appearing in the box. However, none of his team mates (apart from Suarez) ever burst into the box or run into spaces to confuse the opposition defences. Liverpool's style of play is mechanical and predictable (though very good at times). It is why we create all those endless chances, but are these chances clear cut ones? Actually, for the most part, they are not. They are hurried shots or lucky bounces due to defenders mistakes. So why does Carroll look bad, you ask? Well, I personally don't think he does. I believe him to be a very good player who has been playing well but not scoring. Those that follow the ball would beg to differ and I understand where they're coming from. But I also would like them to understand how football works. Riena passes the ball to Agger. Agger passes it to Adam. Adam passes it to Enrique. Enrique gives it back to Adam. Adam passes it to Downing. Downing takes his time before crossing the ball into the box where only Suarez & Carroll are trying to compete with four defendrs and the keeper. The ball gets kicked away! Notice a problem? See why Carroll can't do it? Again, those that follow the ball argue that Carroll does not move! How does he not move when more often than not Suarez is the furthest player forward when an attack starts yet Carroll is found in the box when an attack is repelled? How does he not move when he is almost always in the box when crosses come in? I mean have you not heard of OFFSIDE? The man does not sit in that box waiting for the ball to return, you know (this is not park football) In his Newcastle days, Carroll scored plenty of goals because Barton was quick in making the crosses that allowed Carroll that couple of seconds head start over the defenders. Nolan was instantly in the box to benefit from the knockdowns that Carroll made and the rest of the midfield players would attempt to burst into the box at every given opportunity thus occupying an opposition defender and allowing Carroll the space to do his thing. Today, becuase there are no runners from midfield and becuase the playmakers are not quick enough or subtle enough with their passing, Carroll finds himself surrounded by the entire backline of the opposition and is accused by the likes of Norf of lacking in skill, intelligence or ability. But that's not how football works, saaxib. It is a team sport and the team, for now, has not yet worked out how to quicken the pace in the final third. Adam, Downing, Henderson & Enrique need to give the opposition the run around and keep them guessing as to the next pass. That's when Carroll is going to start scoring for fun (which he will). p.s. Chelsea's AVB seems to have worked that one out and has been dropping Lampard & Mikel as much as he could. The team's attack play (with and without Torres) has improved as a result. In addition, with Mata, Meriles and Ramierz willing to run into the box, opposition defenders have been given plenty to think about thus allowing Torres/Drogba and that young kid the time and space to create (like the goal this weekend) or score goals. Bahasha barta.

N.O.R.F;768218 wrote: ^You're happy to be back at work? Thats a first Suarez has been banned for the Newcastle game. A blessing in disguise as Carroll will play with a bit more freedom. Suarez get in his way at times (they can't play together). Suarez never was Carroll's problem, saaxib (though his greediness does not help sometimes). Adigu waxaad o bahantahay cashar in football and the way it works. Bal let me go and write it somewhere else before Juxa explodes with rage.

^^ A job is normally something that pays the bills, saaxib. Nothing to wonder about. Hobbies are something different. Of course, the lucky ones are those that combine their jobs and hobbies. Then again, I would hate it for my hobby to turn into a job. Go for it and blog away. N.O.R.F;768211 wrote: ^No wonder text message inaad igu waashay. Show reerkaa maqan No they're not. War I am enjoying the peace and quite at work, away from the family dee. p.s. I was right about the football. You really need to stop watching the ball and instead pay attention to how the game is being played.

^^ Me don't understand waht you're saying.

Fuq warya. Everything starts and ends with SL it seems. War SL had the Buro & Borama conferences in the 90s and got the agreement of all the clans to declare independence. That a minorety of the clans decided to go back in their words later is neither here nor there. In your ONLF case, you don't have agreement within yourselves never mind the rest of the clans. Warya, SL ka hadh ban ku idhi..فغض الطرف انك من نمير, فلا كعب بلغت ولا كلابا

Aah.. a lovely silent office and no kids or wife in sight. Haye, what's new?

^^ Remember, when I listen to these songs I can only pay attention to the melody and the voice of the singer. Bi Shakila is good but does not have the richness of voice that the old lady has. Bi kidude's voice is addictive and very soothing. God knows what sort of impact it has on someone who understands the words. Heh.

^^^ Awful. Awful.

Heh. Nice "everyday" sort of report. But, to tell the truth, the stuff they sell there is not tea. It's sugared water.

^^ You're so sensible and cute you messed up my attempt to annoy the rest of the sijuis. I've always been a taraab fan (though I hardly understand most of it). But, like the Arabs in the video, the jokes are a sort of back handed compliment to this amazing lady. p.s. There was one song of hers that I listened to where she does a "mawaal" in Arabic (and not any old Arabic but straight fusxa). Great lady, I tells ya.

You should have started with this thread first then, when things got heated, moved on to the one where you tell us that our women are whores. This stuff is as convincing as a kid with a painted on moustache. Naga daa dee.

I don't know about the stories being told but I do strongly object to the over representation of wadaads on Somali TV. It is for that reason that I stopped watching the whole thing altogether. Somebody needs to make a show lampooning the whole lot of them.

And here is a crazy arab making fun of the great old lady....

And again..the rest of the office are off for a party and I'm off to wander the streets. Happy new sannad to one and all... p.s. I didn't get a single card this year. I must have upset someone.

I didn't vote. I was busy watching Chelsea draw with Spurs. Did Mo come third? Good for him. Now he should go and win the Olympics.

Abtigiis;766983 wrote: Third, Ngonge’s jab that any poetry lines get me titillated is not supported by any empirical evidence or precedence. As such, it remains a speculation on his part. The rest of his talk about the wonders the SNM has achieved or is achieving is a hearsay he was fed by overzealous uncles from the stone-throwing village. It is not his fault. Lastly, the manufactured annoyance about women insulted comes because debating SNM’s moral paucity is too painful to face for those who call this abode of infamy (SNM) home. As the result, a safe escape route is to regurgitate the ‘women are insulted’ non-issue with sickening prurience. The hard-core SNM elements like Ace of Spadez know the dilatory defense-lines they have built over this issue. But the sad thing is they are using the gullible as fetching dogs. They throw the stick with ‘women are insulted’ and say fetch; and off goes Abokor and Jacayl yapping happily. I thought I was being exteremly creative when I came up with the poetry excuse, saaxib. It were a nod (or wink if you like) to my fellow S.Landers that says "kan ii daaya, waa saaxiibkay". Alas, with the empty applaud of Xiin and his like ringing in your ears you didn't get the hint and carried on with your hopeless crusade, so much so that one of our younger throughbreds (as Kasha would call them) wondered if you were actually drunk! So I repeat; A&T ii daaya, he's not a mad or drunk man. He's adult enough to realise the error of his ways when it's put infront of him and, like Jacaylbaro already guessed, he will come back and apologise in due time. p.s. The rest of the nonsense about what my uncles "fed me" or what SL believes it's due is neither here nor there, saaxib. You don't need to act like someone who has not been to that blessed land and seen it with your own eyes. This is why I don't bother in regaling you with what my uncles have said about it or bombard you with pictures of "progress", as the kids do. Today, waa lagaa sariyaa saaxib, look up with respect and pray to Allah to give you like he gave us rather than the misery-loving duca of wishing for it all to burn.

"ma afkaad ku hawl bixi cidlaad ka hanjabaysaaye" Mr Carabay is a kindered spirit (how is that for understanding a poem, Xiin).

^^ Why? Don't you think people fall for these things without the need for a gun? In North Korea (and according to their daily state news) the man was a great man. Check out some of the following: When Jamal Abdul Nasir died, people in the Arab world (including Somalia I bet) came out in their thousands to cry for him... When Imam Khomeini died, the Iranians also came out in huge numbers (how many guns do they need at their backs?)... When Yasir Arafat died, his people also came out in large numbers... The same happened with King Fahad, Sheikh Zayid and others before them (Diana, see below).... The craziest fuenral ever was that of the Egyptian singer Abdul Halim Hafiz. When he died in the 70s (or was it 80s?), girls threw themselves from balconies in lamentations.... جنازة عبد الحليم حافظ وانتحار الفتيات طرب

ElPunto;765858 wrote: Little different from Ayan Ali Hersi and Ann Coulter. I guess even those will have people eulogizing their supposed brilliance and creativity. One thing is for sure - by now he has definite answers about the existence or non existence of God, Heaven and Hell. Lots of difference actually. Coulter and Hersi are simple rabble rousers without the intellectual ability of Hitchens. His downfall of course is in giving in to his doubts and declaring that there is no god instead of carrying on with his (obvious) search for truth. As a Muslim, hell it is I say but he's still no Hersi or Coulter.

I think it is time to eat. The beauty of poetry and its ability to coin, conjure up and paint mesmerising phrases, situations and pictures has led many an amateur astray. The case of our impressionable A&T is no different. I have no doubt that A&T is a chivalrous gentleman that, should he happen to encounter a group of ruffians physically abusing some poor woman, would put his life (and good name) at risk by defending her. However, I am also in no doubt that should one of these rascals recite a tasty couplet about the thrill of rape, the ecstasy of gang attacks or the sweetness of pleasures attained by force, our suggestible hero would nod with total appreciation and repeat the last verses of the poem as he applauds and happily views the criminal abuse taking place. I don’t choose to make this a personal attack on A&T for, like I said earlier, he was ‘under the influence’. In his defence however, I can cite dozens of situations where a good poem roused simple men (and women) into cheering for, supporting and advancing the wrong cause or argument. A good poem can start wars, break up families or portray cowards as the bravest of the brave. This whole thread came about because of a poem by some nobody (to me at least) who as is the tradition of tribal insults, decided to insult Somaliland by referring to our lack of respect for our womenfolk. Was this nincompoop the first man to utilise his poetic ability in such a way? Was he the best? Does he even matter that much? To me, you and probably most of the readers, no he was not but to poetry-addicted A&T, yes he is. Now I say this to expose A&T’s Achilles heel here and not to argue (as dishonest Xiin does) that A&T is easily swayed. Like a prostitute who demands money, A&T will not take down his intellectual shorts unless you pay him with a juicy poem. In all other cases and situations he’s a sensible and reasonable man. Write him a convincing poem and you’ll easily get him to join you in the open vilification of the chaste ladies of Jigjiga. Talking of poetry and its ability to influence the thoughts of those that partake in it, follow it or practice it, leads me also to talk about words in general and their ability to persuade, bewitch and sanitise. It is the world of “collateral damage”, “extraordinary rendition” or the beautifully phrased “gacan ku hadal”. Words have an ability to defuse a situation, lessen the impact and smooth the sharp edges of any given argument. A&T did not say that our womenfolk are prostitutes, he merely argued that the leadership of the SNM uses some of our women as political tools to oil the wheels of diplomacy. The argument is benign, innocuous and almost eloquent. Yet, like those that argue that the collective uteruses of A&T’s clan-folk females have seen their fair share of Ethiopian intruders, the meaning is never lost on any passing readers. The “hoyada waxa ku samay” is the same but the vulgar say it with smelly mouths and A&T uses mouth-freshener. Of course, beneath all the insults, jealous protests and empty endorsements (see the former sheikh known as Xiin) is genuine fear of Somaliland and its undoubted progress. But none of the recent noises made by all these wailers is new or original. SL’s women are whores, its men are immoral pimps and its children were all born out of wedlock but, and here is the painful part, SL still goes ahead with its progress and the rest still mimic, imitate and follow its precedents. In fact, in the region where every four people are copying SL by starting their own “Something-land”, I will not be surprised to hear that there are grumblings about the lack of local ONLF, PL, TFG (etc, etc, etc) girls to offer to Mahiga (even though the story itself is a fabrication). I told you all before that Q is E and it is no more apparent than on a thread that follows the old age tradition of disparaging the womenfolk of the dominant clans (what can’t be gained by hard work and wisdom cannot be attained by wailing). So hear it clearly and go tell your poets that SL (and particularly the majority clan of that land) is united, strong and progressing. SL has many enemies and, sadly, they are all Somali! But have these enemies managed to win a single square metre back from us? Have they succeeded in derailing our progress, breaking up our DEMOCRATIC society, burning our cities? Well, Al Shabab tried it once but other than the mental scars, no signs of that attempt are visible today in Somaliland. We are still in control of our cities (from Borama to LA), we are still going ahead with our stated aim for separation from the Somali carcass and we are still rising above the petty squabbles of the envious (my guru would call them something else but I choose to be magnanimous). Somaliland is not the richest, strongest, most advanced or most virtuous country on earth but no country in the world works harder at reaching these goals or attaining such perfection. Furthermore, when it comes to comparing Somaliland to the rest of the former Somali republic (and A&T’s occupied wilderness) the comparison clearly becomes unfair. Do we compare the elected president of SL to the unelected chanchers of Somalia? Do we put the wise parliamentarians (and gurti) of Hargeisa next to the “gacan ku hadal” hoodlums of Somalia? Do we equate the hardworking civil society of SL to the downtrodden, abused and oppressed unfortunates of Somalia? History is written by the victors and today those are the ones that control Hargeisa, Burco, Borama & LA whilst their detractors (and in the laughable name of Somali nationalism) make do with poems that disparage the decency, integrity and honour of the SL ladies. Does all of this mean that no argument regarding separation should be entertained? Of course not! The reasons for such an argument exist and will always exist; alas it is unlikely to come from people that attempt to force such an argument through the route of insulting our womenfolk. Worse still, does Somali nationalism exist? How could it when just because an SL lady does not belong to your lowly clan you feel it is not your place to defend her honour and choose to simply refer to this thread as “mala yacni” at best (or even endorse its contents)! Some of our indignant kids chose to retaliate in a similar manner and play the tit-for-tat game but these are simply angry youth who always let their anger rule their heads. Somaliland, though making use of the drive of its youth, was not built, steered or controlled by them. The wiser heads amongst us are simply looking down in amazement at the antics of grey-haired men and women who, regardless of political persuasions and provocations, should have known better. Then again, maybe that’s why SL is always blazing a trail for the rest of the vacant Somali race to follow. Warya Jb, are you full or should I chew on another helping?

^^ Can't come to his rescue with this one, Carafaat. I am not a dayuus, adeer. Rest assured that I'm not silent for lack of words, I hsall have my say in due time.

^^ I know. Lakin tusbax ayuu sitay dee. It's the tusbax and the red sacuudi cumaamad that confused me. Morning all. p.s. Alpha knows of the working of singlemuslim.com? Any success warya?

^^ He was not what, you sponge? Genuine or not?

^^ Salaan sare, saaxib. Long time no hear. Hope all is well with you. Farole pulled a masterstroke there but will he follow it through or let his infamous mood spoil it all by squabbling over some pointless detail? Interesting stuff nonetheless.