Is "manliness" in decline? If the answer is affirmative, what caused this decline? If the answer is negative, how can one explain the rise of "girly men"? By definition of what manliness in the article is.. YES. Why? Its called evolving/advancing societies.. Like Brown said... get with the times

Baashi, only you can patronize and call me a feminist so elegantly, it hardly seems insulting Anyways, the article is a primitive shoveling piece of crap! It equates manliness with being aggressive, insensitive and heroic. As if these traits are to be restricted to one gender and dismisses other qualities like sympathy as womanly. Manliness can be heroic It insists women should be strong and aggressive--like men. There is an abundance of manliness in action in America today. Young males still pick fights, often with deadly weapons . Manliness offers gallantry to women Manly men are romantic about women; unmanly men are sympathetic . Manliness is a quality that causes individuals to stand up for something. Manly men defend not just their turf but their country. Manliness is best shown in war And then there is the cheap Feminist rhetoric. As if feminism is one solid concept. Contemporary feminists, and the women they influence, have essentially a single problem with manliness: that it excludes women The “sensitive male†who mimics many female emotions and interests, while discarding the small favors men have traditionally done for women, is mostly just a creation of contemporary feminists who are irritated with the ways of men Feminists find all sexual roles objectionable. According to feminists, any traditional notion that the different sexes complement each other serves merely to justify the inferiority of women. The author seems like one of those deluded men who think anything related to the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues is driven by want/jealousy of the penis. LoL. I find it hard to believe intelligent men like Baashi read these articles and nod their heads in agreement… but hey.

LoL@Strawman...its straw-woman. But no. Its just that the article generally makes a reference to “choice†(led by raging feminists) as the cause. Anyways, point taken.

Viking, What I’ve deduced from your point is feminists are advocating for “choice†and denouncing socially constructed roles. In doing so, they are making men androgynous/loosing their manliness/become effiminate? Is that your point?

Frankness, confidence, courage are used in place of ‘manliness’ eh? So basically the author is equating the above traits with being a man? Fascinating. (ok, my sarcasm isn’t top-notch… so lemme just say BULL ) Oh those poor misguided Muslim women eh @ Viking. I suppose having a “choice†makes one androgynous. (I see you’re still upset from last nights programme. ) An Emory University study found that an alpha-male monkey had, as expected, high testosterone levels, but that placing him in an environment with hostile females lowered his testosterone levels to those of submissive males

SKY, you mean this one? It slipped to the second page.

I don’t know what they did… but it shouldn’t be a Trojan. It should be a downloadable software if its to be given any credence. That way, it can the Islamic equivalent to NetNanny/CyberPatrol/ContentProtect for those who want. In Muslim countries, there is already a lot of filtering and proxy ban that goes on… so they are saved from all this. It could be quite useful for the Muslims in the west who want to teach their impressionable, curious prepubescent children a lesson or two. I doubt it would work on adults. All thoughts of morality go out the window when some1 is in heat.

Once the message is displayed the malware performs a variety of other actions before forcing infected users to shutdown Kix kix kix << bad Somali laughter. Oh the wonderful ways of technology! You gotta love the ingenuity and persistence of the bearded bunch…. They are are moving up with the times.

Much Thanks. Its in half an hour

Raf, enjoy your time. Muscat is fabulous – present/modernism harmoniously mixing with the past. InshaAllah I may see you guys in december. I bet you like the roads. WOL, I love carre-four. Food. Entertainment. Shopping. All in one. NG, I moved. What a meanie!

Will a Muslim friendly, women only version of Miss World do it? I don’t want to attempt to answer that. I don’t think I can match your anecdotes or funny quips. Why don’t you tell me what a Muslim-friendly-women-only pageant aught to look like.

I've read in the paper that it was $270 million. It isnt fair to compare tragedies... but it does turn a few heads as to the logic behind such discrepancy. Are American lives more worthy? Or is this a political game for the Arabs? :rolleyes:

Orgi, my father is only there for a few days. Besides, he wont teach you. He likes being one of the best (if not the best) player on that side of the continent. Have a safe trip to Somalia too. I envy you in more ways than one.

LoL@NGONGE. You’ve become the Mutakalim of this thread. How cute! I guess every great thread deserves its scornful and melancholic critic. Final_Say, is your new weapon emoticons? There is a limit of 8 per post btw. The full stops and caps have been noted. Zeph (not used to this new nick yet).. excavate the ‘Monday blues’ and you can tell us all about it.

*Cheers* is more English than Australian. Get over it. Final_Say, sure you can join us... if you loose the rude-girl lingo

Orgilaqe, howdy? Its good to know you have reached Dubai safely and had the good manners to check in with the troll corner! My father is currently in Dubai.. perhaps I can hook you two up if you’re bored . The man is always up for a game of turub. And as reward, you too would have to get me some xariir diruuc (wanted colours = pink n orange).. . I also hear ipod mini’s and digital cameras are slightly cheaper over there… but no worries…I’m not asking this of you. Foxy, 7 of 9 dear. Hopefully all is good at ur end too. You really took advantage of the bank holiday W’end eh? Seeing it as you didn’t show up here for a while… Lexy, dont fret. You're still leading the easy-life.

Men are tired of their portrayal in advertising, according to a new book by Michael Buerk. But images of men behaving stupidly is not the only cliche which irritates writer John Camm. Dad in muddy boots walking blithely across a kitchen floor just cleaned by an exasperated mum who just gives a frustrated but loving smile to her giggly children, who cry out: "Da-a-ad!". Just one advertising cliche, and just one where no-one behaves like people really do. It's the kind of thing which irritates John Camm. "It's tiresome to see male characters in adverts who don't resemble anyone you know," he says. "But what's perhaps worse is the absolute reliance of advertising on its own regurgitated cliches." He has drawn up a list of seemingly unwritten rules which, he concludes, might as well be the Advertising Bible. Add your views to his list at the foot of the page. 1. Men are obsessed with sex but will forego sex in order to watch football or drink beer (maybe khat for our men). 2. Women are locked in a constant battle with their weight/body shape/hairstyle. 3. Career success is entirely based on your ability to impress your boss. 4. Mums are often harassed but NEVER depressed/unable to cope. 5. Any act of male stup!dity (e.g. walking across a clean floor in muddy boots, putting the dog in the dishwasher, etc.) will be met with a wry smile, not genuine annoyance/anger. 6. Married men will flirt with other, younger women but NEVER act upon it. 7. Anyone with a scientific career will have a bad haircut and dreadful clothes. 8. If you work for the emergency services, you are a better person than the general population. 9. Elderly relatives NEVER suffer from senile dementia. 10. Scandinavians are, without exception, blonde and beautiful. 11. Women have jobs they never do in real life, e.g. dockworker (who looks like a model). 12. Children will not eat fruit or vegetables. Ever. 13. Both men and women find driving deeply pleasurable, never boring or stressful. 14. Men are inherently lazy/slobbish; women are the reverse. 15. Chocolate, however, will cause women to immediately fall into the languor of the opium eater. 16. High Street bank staff are (A) friends of the customers, and (B) of slightly above-average attractiveness (only if female). 17. Modern men own a cat. 18. Hot beverages have miraculous rejuvenating effects. 19. Professional people have strangely trivial preoccupations, e.g. a female barrister who is morbidly obsessed with finding a healthy snack bar. 20. All women (except stay-at-home housewives) have interesting and enjoyable careers. 21. Any over-the-counter medical product will work instantly and 100% effectively. 22. Children know more than adults. 23. Women never merely hop in and out of the shower, instead preferring to act out some sort of soapy Dance of the Seven Veils. 24. School is a happy experience for all children. 25. Tortilla chips are the most exciting experience any group of young people can experience. 26. Playing bingo is THE number one pastime among 18-25 year old British women. Link

Xaaji-Duul-Duul, much thanks for you kind words. I cant say I don’t admire the intelligent , diplomatic and pleasant natured nomad by the nick of Xiinfiniin. All those nomads you mentioned truly make SOL a place worth visiting. Let me extend your list and add the many other honourable members of SOL that always make me read their posts …. Animal Farm Brown Castro Caano Geel Ducaqabe Kashafa MMA Salaxudiin Sheherezade Stoic Zephyrine Zu Warrior And your partners in crime (who I often read with most amusement) Tolstoy HornAfrique Wind.Talker And the newbies Yoonis and Coomay. You're all wonderful people to be around and although we may not agree all the time... atleast we realize that even respectable people can disagree. p.s. This is the only time I'll ever say something nice about ya all.. so savour the moment

^ Dont flatter yourself dude. I didnt take u at 25...I wont be taking u at 75. Ladies, no need to get ur knickers in a knot. I never responded to Zu’s licentious advances and I don’t intend to in the future. p.s. I’ll keep the green weave. Matches with my high-heeled boots.

Lo0oL. C what I mean X. Even Zeph got one. Although I sincerely believed there was an age limit on Zu’s prospectives and that didn’t include the two of you… I see standards are dropping like flies for the indhayar man. Zu mountains must be going through a rough patch. Zu, you have my well-wishes.

X, that’s a standard batch letter Zu has admin send to all the females and newbies for a modest fare of $9.99. a month. Surely, you didnt fall for it.

2 more hours... just 2 more hours. I've had half of a large sized sizzler dominos pizza. *goes back to nap on her desk* Great weather.

Zu, I said I liked one person. There really isn’t a lot of love here to go round.

I dislike newbies and will continue to dislike them with the same passion I dislike oldies. As for SOL confessions(read: Infatuation). I had one. I'm just glad he writes little or in the politics section(where slowly and surely, I’m bound to find something I dislike about him) so it doesn't become an obsession and full blown unrequited love.

What holds you back is not a lack of resources. For even when you start with almost nothing, there is a sure pathway to the goal. What holds you back is not an absence of opportunity. For even in the most desperate situations, there is always the opportunity to make a valuable, positive, powerful difference. Most likely, the thing that holds you back more than anything else is the lack of a firm commitment to move forward. And that's great news, because that is something you can most certainly change. Whatever you truly decide to do, will get done. Where you truly decide to go, you will be. When you decide to, you will find what it takes to work through any challenge. When you decide to, you can take whatever may come and dig the real value out of it. Decide to, and you unleash a powerful, focused, creative force. Decide to, and you will. -- Ralph Marston