Ok your right, so now we nominate and when is the actual ceremony and are there prizes that can be won? Who will maintain this thread? I want that this becomes an annual ceremony, but can you guarantee us that next year around this time we will have the ceremony again? Why cant we have a POLL, so that everyone can nominate one person. Well, i thought the first post was self-explanatory. This WILL be an annual event (I.A), and will be organised, not a collection of random posts where people nominate each other. I will receive PM's with nominations, after 1st of March i will create a big Poll with all nominees in each category. And then we shall discover who really is the funniest, friendliest and soforth. Prizes? Isnt the title of SOL's 'Best male' of 2007(or whichever title attracts your fancy) a prize enough, me? About Nominees, i'd like to hear more opinions, shall we limit no of nominations in each category each person can make?

Original? I'm enhancing an idea many here have had, including me, to another level. Not stealing someone else's idea, like i said i've participated in this kind of thing in a number of forums, and i think its about time SOL had it.

A number of SOL members have been suggesting monthly awards and such, but an annual award is far more glamorous. I have participated in this kind of thing before in other forums, so i have decided to kick start it here on SOL. It is about time to start awarding those who deserve it by their contribution (in a wide range of meanings) to SOL. Now you have your opportunity to nominate your candidates. Here are the rules: 1: All nominations shall be done by PMing me. If you want you can also post them here, but they won't be official unless you PM me. I'll try to keep my mail-box free, but if it is full don't dispair, and try to vote another day. oh, and do try to post me all your nominations in one go! 2: You have until the 1st of March to nominate. That day the nominations will be closed and the polls will be created next day. All those nominated will be in the polls (unless there is no place). 3: You may nominate up to 2 citizens for each category. The order doesn't matter. 4: You may choose to nominate for some categories only, or nominate only one person if you wish so. 5: Once your vote has been cast it cannot be changed! And so far the categories are : Best Citizen Best Male Citizen Best Female Citizen Best Newbie Most Knowledgable Citizen Most Eloquent Citizen Friendliest Citizen Craziest Citizen Funniest Citizen Best Poster Best Poster in the Politics forum Best Thread Craziest Thread Funniest Thread Most Useful Thread Best Screen Name (nick) Best Thread Hijacker Most Helpful Citizen SOL's Best Duo You can use this thread to suggest more categories, or even argue against the inclusion of others.

Sad to hear it, holland was a great place to grow up/live in, but it isn't the place to settle.

lol, ik dacht nooit dat er zo veel 'nederlanders' op SOL zatten. Ik woonde in 't Gooi.

Dave, obviously the people who (if ever) migrated from Somalia to Egypt weren't called Somali, but they were from Puntland, and thus our ancestors. Here's an interesting thread you might want to read here Regarding Hiernaux, i'm dealing with the Somali Genome, not comparisons of nose lenghts. Are you refuting the fact that the Somali genome is different to that of the Amxaaro,Oromo and Tigray? For that is my main point i keep reiterating, followed by my view that an average Somali (Neither Bantu or Rer Xamar) is distinguishable from amongsts his Cushitic brethren. Although i am patriotic to a fault, i think this is more than just a fancy, i think its a known fact. An Amxaar is not a Somali up to the point he opens his mouth. Of course the Cushitic branches blend to create folk who are simply undistinguishable from Somalis, but more often than not a Somali has a distinctive look! Disambigious origin? I dont remember questioning the origin of our people. And you accuse me of not reading your posts! any Germanic subgroup member(belgian in this case) will claim he/she can spot their belgian compatriot from a German but a Somali would not know the difference between them just like a Non East African would not know wether those people in the images are either Afar or Oromo or Somali Listen, its straight forward really. It is a fact that our genome isnt identical to that of other Cushitic branches. As the Genotype causes the Phenotype, Somalis must be phenotypically different. Now we look very similar to Amxaaro/Oromo because our genome is very similar to theirs, but there is a difference! So it follows logically that phenotypically (even if slightly) we must be different, whether this is clearly identifiable is another issue. Your refute the 'lame myth' of Arab/Asian influence in the Somali genome? lol,You think Islam is the only thing they left us with?

You sure do litter the place with a lot of scientific 'data' for a non-scientist. Okay, let me start with your use of Hiernaux, whose research dates back from 1975. Hardly modern, and on top of that, the table you have added is very crude, there are distinct genomic differences between West/Sudanese and Cushitic Africans. Hence tabling them in the same category of 'long Africans' isnt acceptable. We need to understand what we are discussing first. You are too keen to highlight indigenousness of Somalis, and miss other things. It is irrefutable that 90% of the time one can tell a Somali from a non-Somali. Hence, there must be a significant phenotypic difference between Somalis and other Cushitic branches. Somalis are predominantly Cushitic, there is no doubt about that, you CAN argue that Cushites are the first people ever to walk the earth, and therefore we are as indigenous as indigeous can be. That would be a valid argument. In fact it is even believed that the ancient egyptians were ancient Somalis who migrated to Egypt! My point however is that, we are different from other East Africans, due to generations of interbreeding with Arabs and other races, the primary factor contributing to this being the Sea which has for hundreds of years exposed us to other ethnic groups, Oromos, Amxaaro and Rwandese have always lived in landlocked areas. The Levant and 'The seven daughters of Eve' have been on my Anthropology booklist for a very long time, i will get round to reading them. Lets cut to the heart of the matter, shall we? Nobody on this planet is pure that is my point so one should not isolate Somali people as being mixed and others as not cause Genetics destroys these myths My point was that Somalis are different from Amxaaro/oromo/tigray, genomically and significantly enough in phenotype to allow them to be indentified. I did not imply that they are the only ones who have external influences in their genome.

the phenotype you see today in Somalia is not due to foreign contributions and therefore i'm correct to call it indiginous Thats were you are wrong, distinct differences are seen between Somalis and Oromos, or Somalis and Tigrays. Since all of them have at least 80% Cushitic genes, it must be the other 20% which causes the subtle differences in physical appearance or phenotype. The average Somali for example is taller than his East African counterparts, i'm not saying that is the cause of 15% eurasian genes, but height is certainly something Somalis are better known for than our neighbours. The high frequency (77.6%) of haplogroup E3b1 was characteristic of male Somalis. The frequency of E3b1 was significantly lower in Ethiopian Oromos (35.9%), Ethiopian Amharas (22.9%) From your own quotes, evidence shows we are significantly unlike our neighbours the Oromos and the Amxaaro, so how do you prove we are 100% indigenous? 80% percent of our genes are certainly indigenous, but my point is, that we are not wholly indigenous like for example the amxaaro is, we have distinct differences in appearance, height, and hair. Any Somali can more often than not tell a Somali from a non-Somali. About the Cameronese, what evidence do you have to make that assertion? And anyway, there are dozens of ethnic groups in Cameroon, so you'll have to be more specific.

lol, zijn er nog Somaliers daar?

This guy is almost as weird as some SOL members check the 'panther' enjoy

incorrect! our phenotype is indigineous If you're a scientist you should understand that the phenotype is what appears visually, our genome however is different to that of the Ethiopians, who have a greater percentage of Cushitic genes than the 80% in Somalis. The Somali genotype is not indigenous, because our genome contains 15% eurasian genes.

Dave we are 80% Cushitic, 15% Eurasian, and 5% bantu. So, you're not as indigenous as you might think. Yes, the Rwandan president looks uncommonly Somali, even for a fellow Cushite, for usually one can distinguish between Somali,and other Cushitic branches such as Tigre, Oromo etc.

The purpose wasn't to deny the undeniable African heritage, but to discuss the other influences in the somali genome which make us just that bit different to the average bantu African.

Yes, i discovered the same thread a while ago, i actually registered under the pseudonym 'Somali Poet' (see last page of the thread) because i found it so curious, some of those on that forum discussing our racial heritage are Somalis themselves, and well educated Somalis at that.

Well, Oodweyne, thank you for the pile of verbal refuse you were so kind as to direct to me! Red Sea, if you read some of my earlier posts in the Pol forums, you wouldnt have been so hasty as to name me a 'supporter' of the TFG.

Ah Oodweyne, Your english vocabulary is no doubt extensive, but if one goes through the torment of reading your sad excuse for enlightened prose, its contents amounts to naught, zero, zilch. But i'm sure that won't hinder you in anyway, and by all means do continue to indulge us with your delightfully written nonsense. Oh, and by the way, do get your facts right before labelling people, i am no TFG supporter.

What we are also saying is that Ethiopia should come out of this shell. Ethiopia let Eritrea go because of self-determination. If it decides to recognize us irrespective of what the other countries would say, it will demonstrate leadership to the continent. By the way, I think you have a leadership that can do that. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is very courageous and I believe he has the capacity to do that. He is one of the few African leaders who can take a serious issue and deal with it and leave a name and a legacy in the continent. A lesson for all you anti-TFG seccessionists here in the Politics forum; the TFG is not the only one seeking Amxaar support.

lol, its enough to make any man nauseous

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 13 (Reuters) - South African police used stun grenades to quell anti-Somali rioting in a black township on Tuesday, the latest in a wave of violence that has killed over three dozen immigrants from the eastern African nation. Police arrested 27 people in the Motherwell township in Port Elizabeth in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province after dispersing an unruly crowd that was pelting Somali-owned shops with stones, according to SAPA news agency. The unrest followed the shooting of a 15-year-old boy, who was wounded when an armed gang attempted to rob a Somali shop. "The Somalis allegedly opened fire at the men and a 15-year-old boy, who was not involved in the robbery, was shot and wounded," Police Captain Ernest Sigobe told SAPA. More than 30 Somali shops were looted or vandalised after the shooting. Attacks against Somalis have become more frequent across South Africa in the past year, especially in the poor townships in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces, where many of the immigrants have settled and opened businesses. About 40 Somalis have been murdered in the Western Cape province alone in the past six months. The government and police in the province have been trying to determine whether the killings are part of a plan to drive out the immigrants. The Somalis' success with so-called "spaza" shops -- small stores that sell soft drinks, snacks and clothes -- has engendered resentment from some locals, who accuse them of undercutting local shopkeepers and stealing trade and jobs. Widespread poverty combined with the influx of large numbers of refugees and immigrants from other African nations also has led to rising tensions and xenophobia in many of South Africa's predominantly black townships. Zimbabweans, believed to be the largest African immigrant group in South Africa, frequently complain that they are targeted by criminals and harassed by police in Johannesburg and other major cities. source

I was born in Ramadan

I was born on the same day as Adolf Hitler So was i! However all the young (and slightly older ) ladies on SOL should note, i am a lot younger than Ngonge!

It actually reminded, runtii, this guy aan saaxiibo nahnay, who in 2002 used to ask me if I had seen this alleged "Soomaali" girl qaawan on the net, whose naked picture circulated through the Soomaali cyber world in late '01 and throughout the 2002. Unfortunately i was a recipient of that email as well, it was more like a set of pictures. It was in '01 if i remember correctly and it left me shocked. But it shouldn't have, because all is possible in this day and age.

Afxumada loo baahneyn maad naga daysiin?

Of course, my dear Taliban, i was desperately awaiting your no doubt epic life story.

Lol, Taliban i thought you were sharing your life story with us, until i saw the last line.