Val What's that stuff up there all about? I'm lost! Are you hiring or being hired?

^^^..as-salaaaaala Heh@Bob..she walked into that one

I can't remember. I'll have to check when I get home. (Are you trying to improve your english?)

^^^ And this is a woman that's getting married very shortly! Something tells me her future cellmate refused to agree with her idea of a wedding pink suit to match her purple dress.

Originally posted by Waaheen: With regards to Peter Tatchel I think any one who read the old piece discussed here and posted by Mansa Musa about a month ago knows full well that Mr. Tachell has only one agenda. And that is promoting homosexuality. So instead of blaming those who brought his agenda to the attention of the public, let us blame those who had invited him to our affairs. It is disgusting to say the least. Peace Waaheen Once more unto the breach..... It all makes sense to me now! So tell me, when Mr Tatchell tried to arrest President Robert Mugabe, was it part of his agenda to promote homosexuality? Or did he just fancy the man? (he tried to perform a citizen's arrest twice you know).

JUSTICE, my fellow foreigner: don't despair. You are not alone. There are lots of foreigners like us. North, Did I tell you what precious jewel I got my hands on last night? A Somali (land) dictionary! It was written by a Somali (lander) resident of Liverpool and is not only a simple dictionary but also a sort of history book. The final two hundred pages or so, talk about Somaliland heroes such As Michael Maryamo, Sultan hebel hebel and some dubious character called Sheikh Bashir (who he?). It also contains copies of treaties between Somaliland and the British government. Not a bad effort really.

way waalatay...

^^ Look at the title of the thread

It is YOU ARE Being, JF Or, You're being.... Yes I am/was

^^ I'm sure the Saudi Royal family can be blamed for many things but this does not look like one of them, saaxib. It's the well-meaning Mullahs. Xanthus, Perverts in the house of god? Surely not! Still, it's unfair that women travelling thousands of miles to perform the pilgrimage cannot even get close to the Kaaba just because of the anxiety of some Mullah for her chastity and well-being! I'm glad the decision has been reversed. Got to give those scholars some credit for changing their mind. Better still, they deserve praise for constantly thinking of better ways to ease the burden on pilgrims.

^^^ Heh. I'm sure she's not the one to give others a bad impression of Islam. Hers is but a minor misdemeanour. Besides, for all you know, she probably uses the word culture to mean faith. Then again.... What age 15 meant for Barlin Ahmed: Dropping out of ninth grade to get married and have children in the war-torn country of Somalia. What age 15 means for Barlin's daughter, Khadro: Reading Barack Obama and playing basketball in the cul-de-sac of her family's Eden Prairie neighborhood. North, Old Berlin is in a better position than you and I. She's torn between only two cultures. We're foreigners wherever we go. In my case, I'm even a foreigner in my own home! I speak Arabic (usually to myself), the wife speaks Somali and the kids speak English amongst themselves and Somali to their mother (they don't speak to me, they use sign language). What's the main language in your household? Ps Sheffenglish is not a language, our kid.

^^ It's called a jilbaab, dear. Don't you have such things in Dawson?

^^^ At least you've been kind and did not comment on the hair

Is he getting married to a real living female? I always suspected him of having an illicit affair with one of these: Mabrook.

OOOOooh! You want my vital statistics: I lost loads of weight you know Neck: 17 Chest: 44 Waist: 34 A bit like him:

^^ Much obliged, boss. Anything you like in return from blighty? Bottled pollution? A bit of rare dry Sheffield soil? Just ask...

Originally posted by Northerner: quote:Originally posted by NGONGE: ps Are you familiar with DHL/FED EX? [Evil look ] Yes why? Glad you ignored the evil look Sheh (much earlier in this thread) talked about Omani sweets. I fully blame her for what's coming next... Two kilos please (usual address, payment on receipt).

^^^ Heh. What are you implying? Half of the Somali events in London are in English. It's the way things work. ps Are you familiar with DHL/FED EX? [Evil look]

That mad Xanthus is amazing! Even when she's not here she manages to cause trouble.

In answer to the question posed in the title of this thread I would say ABSALOUTLY! I can almost sense you shaking your head and losing interest in what I’m about to write next. Come on, be a sport and suffer me a little longer. Personally and in theory, I am not opposed to an Islamic State. It’s a great idea and, as a Muslim, it would be absurd for me to reject it. Having said that, it really is not concepts that we’re talking about here but actual, perceptible and practicable systems of government. Here, is where I fear that the Islamic model is failing (today at least)! Were I to ask anyone on here how a secular western democracy works I am sure that I would receive a satisfactory and (almost) correct reply (once I’ve sifted through the venom or praise of course). The principles of it are clear. The practice is understandable. The majority of the members of a democratic community know (most of) their rights and understand their obligations. An average member of a democratic society is confidant that he will be treated fairly and that this system of government is the finest model available. Still, the system itself might be imperfect, rickety and needing various amendments in the laws to constantly correct earlier oversights (see the abortion arguments, civil rights laws and the various other laws that are continually revised and queried). However, since the citizens believe in the suitability of the system they are happy to turn a blind eye to all these revisions and adjustments. In their eyes, the system is perfect, as long as it does not interfere with their rights. And, when it does, they know they can question it and demand that it to be reviewed (see the poll tax riots in the late 80s early 90s in the UK). In short, the citizen understands his role in this system and (mostly) knows what to expect. An Islamic model on the other hand, is an actual mystery! Almost all people you ask would tell you that there is no such model in practice today. They will point to Iran and Saudi Arabia as being the nearest things to an Islamic system of government. They’ll hark back to the Taliban and various Islamic movements that managed to temporarily rule Islamic lands and apply a so-called Islamic model. But, when pressed, all will virtually agree that these systems were (are) not applied perfectly and could not (really) be true Islamic models of government! The harsher critics will even volunteer to point out the shortfalls of these systems and list all the main errors within! I’ve already agreed with the Islamic model (in theory), so why am I questioning the practice itself, I hear you ask. Well, the theory is always good because one never needs to go into details when discussing it. It is like a business that decides to sell computer games to an affluent society. The business believes that its product is an ethical product that will benefit this society and cannot envisage any problems arising from the sale of such a product! Yet, as soon as it begins mass production and the product becomes popular, the management starts receiving irate letters from customers complaining about the side effects of those wretched games! Where the company believed those games were beneficial in that they’ll help youngsters concentrate, learn to solve complex puzzles and expand their mind (or even their eye-hand coordination)! They discover that parents are complaining about the effects these games are having on the children’s concentration, appreciation of time and health (since they’ll be sitting in front of those games for hours on end)! Such issues and outcomes could never really be anticipated if the company had not had previous experience in the gaming world! Being a business of course, it will attempt to find way to appease the customers without losing its profit. If it can’t, it will just (usually) concentrate on making profit. Luckily, if the problem is a serious one, the customers can seek government help in making the company see sense and improve its products to meet the customer demands and needs! The problem with an Islamic system of government is similar to the story above. In theory it is great but, since there has not been any proper Islamic governments in the recent past, in practice it is awful! If we compare the Islamic government to the company above, one can say that it is trying to sell a product that it believes will be very popular (and it is). The customers will be falling over themselves to buy into that product and, initially, will treat the faults they see as simple teething problems. However, when the faults are major ones (such as the Taliban’s banning of the education of girls, etc), the customers will fire the irate letters to the ‘company’ and ask for these errors to be corrected. Here, is where my example above and Islamic government part ways. Where a business can be challenged and taken to court if it refuses to listen to its customer’s genuine complaints/demands, an Islamic government IS the law! The most people can do is curse it and hope that god would replace this bad government with a better one! Not much of a great system, is it? Still, the system itself is not that bad. The real problem is with those applying it and those affected by it. When I wrote earlier about a citizen in a democratic system, I spoke about how such a citizen knows his rights and understands his obligations. In an Islamic system, most citizens don’t really know their rights or understand their obligations. For the most part, it is all (sadly) about: If Mullah says we should do this then we should do it and if Mullah says we should not then we wont! An Islamic system does not fail because those in charge are corrupt (they are human and are prone to sin). An Islamic system really fails because there are no sufficient checks and balances that would prevent a potential corrupt/self-righteous government from abusing its powers. The biggest of these (checks and balances) is the UNDERSTANDING of the general population of how such a system should work. Only when people understand their own rights and responsibilities in an Islamic society, and when they also KNOW the privileges and duties of an Islamic government could such a system work. Alas, not many do and the Mullahs are, simply, always right. I think it is time to separate religion from politics. Because, in all honesty, unless we all understand what we’re wishing for, all we will keep having are political animals masquerading as Islamic governments. Might as well ditch the duplicity and root for secular democracy instead. With any luck, the freedoms, responsibilities and rights it confers on individuals will pave the way for an eventual and viable Islamic government.

By Lewis Page Published Monday 2nd July 2007 14:53 GMT Analysis The "car bomber" hysteria gripping much of the British and international media over the weekend has had a bucket of cold water (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/29/more_fear_biscuits_please/) from the Reg already, but just one bucket doesn't seem enough for this kind of outbreak. To recap: an exceptionally incompetent group of troublemakers, unknown to the plods or spooks, decided to bring a spot of terror to old Blighty starting last Friday. These people had no actual explosives, and were apparently too lazy and ignorant to learn how to make them. Instead, they decided to load cars with petrol, domestic gas cylinders and "containers holding nails (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/29/nbomb329.xml)", and then set fire to them - either manually or using a cellphone-initiated remote rig of some kind. Some selected headlines: "Police avert car bomb 'carnage' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6252276.stm)" - BBC "London on the Edge (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2723625.ece)" - Belfast Telegraph "Terror in Theatreland (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/news/tm_headline=terror-in-theatreland--&method=full&objectid=19383066&siteid=66633-name_page.html)" - Daily Record Normally reputable news sources used phrases like "explosives-packed cars (http://news.google.co.uk/news/url?sa=t&ct=uk/5-0&fp=4688c63858318dbd&ei=l9KIRuLGLaGcowKPqeXIDA&url=http%3A//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/30/AR200706300007 5.html%3Fhpid%3Dtopnews&cid=1117677488)", "Qaeda Tactics (http://news.google.co.uk/news/url?sa=t&ct=uk/0-0&fp=4688c63858318dbd&ei=l9KIRuLGLaGcowKPqeXIDA&url=http%3A//www.nytimes.com/2007/06/30/world/europe/30britain.html%3Fem%26ex%3D1183 435200%26en%3Dd46fef2f5f166ca3%26ei%3D5087%250A&cid=1117677488)" and "a third attempt to create terror mayhem in Britain in under 36 hours. Only luck saved lives (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2115970,00.html)". This isn't just rightwing hacks pumping up fear so that the evil securocrats can steal money from hospitals, aid, road safety etc, as our own Thomas C Greene has suggested (As an aside, for UK readers, the health-service budget alone is around three times that of the Defence ministry - and the Defence budget is the big fish in the UK securocrat pond). Regrettably, alongside the usual mongers of terror fear, more liberal journos have also sought to exaggerate the significance of these rather pathetic attacks. In the case of the lefties, the idea is to suggest that had we Brits not mounted recent wars in Southwest Asia, we would be spared this kind of devastating "terror mayhem." Frankly, if this kind of thing is the only backlash the West experiences for Iraq, we've got off pretty much scot-free: we should indulge in a spot of military adventurism any time we feel like it. Conversely, if this is all al-Qaeda have to offer, we should never have lost a moment's sleep over them - let alone shoved our valuable appendages into the military meat-grinder of Afghanistan (I'm choosing to assume here that al-Qaeda only became a serious presence in Iraq after we invaded the place. Argue among yourselves as to whether Saddam was more or less threatening than Osama). Getting back to here and now, these have to be some of the most pathetic terror attacks ever - difficult to distinguish from minor accidents. For goodness' sake, a car is full of petrol anyway; and gas cylinders too often enough. People drive cylinders of gas around all the time. Now and again - oh my god! - they probably carry boxes of nails, bolts, tools or whatever in the same vehicle. (Aiee!) Sometimes these fiends crash their cars, and sometimes the vehicles burn out. It's one of the costs of living in the industrial world; if people couldn't get fuel - portable energy - easily enough to have accidents with it, most of us would still be dirt-poor, illiterate, shovelling muck for a living and dying like flies from disease - rather than dying very rarely in car crashes or gas explosions. This kind of event happens on the motorways almost every day, at least the petrol fires and often enough with the other hazards added. The roads get closed off as a result, sometimes for hours - just like the Haymarket did on Friday morning. It causes massive inconvenience to lots and lots of people. But the perimeter is manned by firemen and traffic cops, not bomb teams and terror-feds. And so this weekend a minor news story - one injured in bunt-out car / suicide attempt causes travel chaos - becomes a big international media frenzy, a "test of the new Prime Minister's mettle," if you please. It might be a test of ministerial mettle if thousands of British Muslims were burning cars every night, as has happened in France. But what we seem to have here is some foreigners burning just one car and failing to burn two more owing to almost unbelievable incompetence. The mindset of a man who's willing to set himself on fire to make a point - as one of the Glasgow terror-clowns seems to have done - but not to spend any effort at all on researching methods is a difficult one to understand. Even if these jokers were illiterate or had no internet access (seems unlikely, one of the suspects is apparently a doctor) they could have at least done a test. In my part of town, fun-loving teenagers burn out a car or two down by the canal every week or so: nobody would notice another one with some nails in it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Such a test would have told these ****** what every bomb-disposal operator and Hollywood effects guy already knows: that petrol, gas etc make for an excellent, photogenic fireball which you can normally be quite close to without ill effects. Too much real, killer, shrapnel-throwing blast will actually prevent a fireball effect, if you're interested (When putting on shows for people, we used to use a quarter-stick of plastic explosive taped to a bottle of petrol. Any more bang than that, and you don't get a fireball. The petrol just vapourises harmlessly). There are ways to get a killer blast out of nothing more than fuel and air, but you need a lot more air than there is inside a car for a decent bang and you need to mix the two ingredients thoroughly and in the right proportions. Even flour, well stirred up into a cloud in a closed bin which is partly empty, can form an effective explosive mixture. Domestic gas which has been allowed to spread and mix with air in a confined space such as a house or a boat can flatten buildings. If you're very technically skilled, you can produce a fuel-air explosion without a confining container. Various kinds of "bunker-buster" weapons do this, spreading liquid fuel using a bursting charge to form a fairly-precisely-blended volume of fuel-air mix almost instantly and then touching it off with another flash. But an effective mid-air fuel bang is just for proper weapons factories, really. Even they tend to have a significant dud rate. We used to be constantly disappointed, on the bomb teams, at the consistently rubbish efforts of the ordinary bomber. Many people seem to think that any kind of fire or loud noise will become deadly if you add nails. Your correspondent was once called out to a scene where a teenage cretin, finding that batteries would go pop if heated in a fire, taped nails around D-cells and put them on a camping cooker. Terrifyingly, some of the nails flew as much as two or three feet when this infernal device reaped its deadly harvest. Similarly, having been trained to meet the threat from competent terrorists like the Provisional IRA (PIRA), we would then have to be re-trained out of our paranoia in order to deal with ordinary ****** like the animal-lib crowd. A typical animal-libber bomb in the old days, for instance, might consist of a bottle of deadly petrol with a petrol-soaked sponge taped to it and a pair of burning joss-sticks stuck in the sponge. Full of worry about PIRA, young bomb techs faced with such a device during exams would often faff about for ages with robots and bomb armour and disruptors, whereas the correct response is to slip on some fireproofs, quickly trot down the road and remove the joss sticks. It's technical stuff, you know, bomb disposal. If these guys at the weekend really were anything to do with al-Qaeda, all one can really say is that it looks as though the War on Terror is won. This whole hoo-ha kicked off, remember, with 9/11: an extremely effective attack. Then we had the Bali and Madrid bombings, not by any measure as shocking and bloody but still nasty stuff. Then we had London 7/7, a further significant drop in bodycount but still competently planned and executed (Not too many groups would have been able to mix up that much peroxide-based explosive first try without an own goal). Now we have this; one terror-clown badly burnt and nobody else hurt at all. An event about as significant as the teenagers burning cars down my way - and don't I wish those little sods got as much police attention and jail time. The jihadi threat has seemingly sunk to animal-lib levels. Why, it's almost as if suicide bombing was a fairly dumb tactic. The 7/7 bombers seem to have been one of very few terror groups in the UK who were competent enough to make explosives and weren't under plod/spook surveillance, and now they're all dead. Remember, this country carried on successfully for six years with hundreds - thousands, sometimes - of tons of explosives raining down on it every night for six years, delivered by very competent Germans who often died doing that job. The civilian death toll was around 60,000 according to most sources; the equivalent of 20 9/11s, more than three for every year of the war. Civilisation was not brought down. Germany and Japan withstood even greater violence, and survived it too. Our parents and grandparents stood that kind of punishment, not to mention four times as many military dead, and got on with life. Sad though it is to confirm the oldsters' world view, by comparison our generation - our generation's journalists, anyway - seem a bit lacking in backbone. If all we have to put up with is an occasional 7/7, that's background noise by comparison - it should merit the same sort of headlines, the same political response as motorway pileups or airline crashes. And if all we have to deal with is cluster****s like the one just past, it should merit the same headlines and response as my local youths; essentially none (Maybe some sort of special cop/spook taskforce with sweeping unconstitutional powers to hand out clips round the ear. Yes yes, I know, there'd be some kind of legal problem). Move along; nothing to see here. ® Lewis Page was an armed forces bomb-disposal operator tasked in support of the UK mainland police from 2001 to 2004. He's just bitter because only the crappiest bombers ever operated on his patch - even worse than these ones, usually - and he had to content himself with clearing up old German stuff. Source

^^ Leave her. She's still deep in thought Now she'll have to start again

^^ You're slow but you always get there in the end. And that's why I like you

^^ I used to be good in my teens. I think he remembers that and still believes that like Apollo Creed managed to get the best out of Rocky Balboa in Rocky II, he too can return me to my former one-game-that-was-a-fluke glory

Originally posted by Northerner: ^^ Of course mate, we won with the best ever record in the history of the tournament! Waar kayar maxaad ubixisey? He's three years old today. That Toronto tournment (and a nudge from a pretty infant) reminded me of this Proof if proof be needed that you're way past it, North. War even Zidane retired in the end. Give it up.