I think what this article attempts to elucidate is the need for more naunced and sophisticated approach to corruption and governance. People too often make spurrious connections or correlations where none exist. For example, most people will you that the reason many African countries have poor governance is corruption. The truth is little bit more complicated. For one thing corruption is by-product of poor governnance not the other way around. So the antidote to corruption is better governance. But more importantly, corruption is not a hinderance to economic and political progress. The greatest example of this is China. China had the lowest corruption measures prior to embarking on economic reforms in the late 1970s. Since then China's economic rise was accompanied by corruption to the point that it got so bad the Chinese government had to resort to draconian measures such as executions to curb corruption. Since there is a demonstrable, positive correlation between economic progress and corruption in China, would it be appropriate to state corruption causes economic progress? Of course not. So why establish the reverse relationship in countries with poor economic growth?

Dr_Osman;853300 wrote: Wallahi I love Puntland Lool... haye, maxaa Puntland ku jeclaatey? Don't tell me horumar. Because if Puntland made progress they'd become Somaliland and if they regressed they'd become Reer Koonfur. Marka meeshiina iska fadhiya.

You're begging the question because your question presupposes that morality is derived from "God" when we have no good reason to believe that at all. Instead, you should ask: where do we get our morals? Now, that is a good question meriting serious discussion.

Abwaan;852294 wrote: Majority of Somalis might not understand English or this message I should say, why not talk to your people with a language that you both can understand? The majority of Somalis are incapable of understanding in any language. Waxee ku quman yahiin in dhenged madaxa laga la dhaco.

Some of my fondest memories of Somalia are from Soonqaad. There was something special about Soonqaadka: the conviviality, the sweet aroma of afur food wafting through the air, the dulcet voice of Magool et al singing common Soonqaad songs blaring through the airwaves (yes, we music was integral part of Soonqaad in those days), the food, helping the poor and disadvantaged, even mind-numbingly dumb Wadaads were some what tolerable during Soonqaad. Those days are long gone nowadays. A long dark night has descended on our nation taking away from us our very own unique Islam and Soonqaad. In their place we got soulless, heartlees, sinister version of Islam that allots no room for individuality, fun, or personal freedoms. Today Soonqaad is more of a inquisition to ferret out and harrass "weak" Muslims. Modern Soonqaad lost its aura of spirituality and allure that it once had. So, to answer your question, this Balaayo Qabe won't partake in Soonqaad today. But if we can somehow reconstitute our old Soonqaad I will even though I don't believe in higher being or hell and heaven schemes. Ramadaan Kariim

This can only mean the world, overall, is becoming less intelligent. No glory in being the tallest among dwarfes, now is there? Anyways, intelligence is wasted on women. No man is interested in a smart woman. Afterall, we don't make love to your intelligence or knowledge. It is your body we make love to. After that, the two most coveted female "talents" are cooking and housekeeping. What would a man do with a Phd Physicists pontificating on Quantum Mechanics? Boring! Unsexy! Ugly!

Book Fair in a city where the vast majority of its residents can't read or write? Only Somalis can come up with crap like this. Reminds of a time when a dude claimed Mogadishu Seaport was "world class" despite the port lacking sufficient storage space, no container cargo handling capacity including complete absense of a single crane to unload container ships, a standard fair in most haf-decent ports.

I initially wanted to choose Gaaxnuug but decided against as I figured some of the more straigh-laced SOLers may misinterpret it. Raamsade because I'm always chewing something.

Maash'allah, Ilaahey ha na dhowro inanta... inkasto aa garaneen why she chose some dumb Asiatic dance routine.

I thought girls got over broken heart/cheating boyfried or husband by raiding his bank account and maxing out his credit cards... now what's this business about marriage? Am I getting too told or are people getting weird nowadays?

More terrifying than death is how you die. When I depart from this world, I wanna go out with a bang not a whimper. Imagine kicking out while making love to the buxom hussy next door?! What an ignominious death. People will think of me as the guy who couldn't finish the job. Or imagine dying in a car accident or collapsing from heat stroke in scorchingly hot day while mowing the lawn. Or for that matter succumbing to some girly illness like cancer. Believe or not some people actually die while taking dump! There is nothing special or memorable or glorious about these run-of-the-mill deaths. So, when I finally kick out, I want me a glorious death one people will talk about and remember for generations to come. Glorious death like sacrificing my life to safe a kid about to be run over by a bus or while zapping Alshabaabis and religous zealots in cause of secuarlism and sanity.

Prof. Samatar is clearly the best candidate and would have my vote. And if he is weary of ostentatious displays of piety as some here are alleging, so much the better. Somalis have had enough of depraved and genocidal wadaads they want sane, erudite and courageous leaders. Failing that, I'd stick with Sh. Cagmadhige who at least has the courage and intelligence to ditch the phony piety and religious rhetoric.

I have both B.Sc and BA (Economics)... clearly I didn't know what I wanted to do so I hedged my bets and went for 2 degrees. My take is this: don't bother with studying Business because you can always get MBA after you do B.Sc or whatever. And don't bother with Accounting (a good field) because to get the big jobs that pay well like auditing, tax planning, public accounting, etc. you need to be certified accountant with CA or CPA or CMA and you get that through professional bodies not through University. Economics is just about the only useful BA but be advised that is math intensive so if math isn't your strong suit, look elsewhere.

^Good advice. But I always envisioned Xaaji Xunjuf as scrawny fella war bal maxaa ku naaxiyey horta? Anyways, losing weight is really simple since it is about balancing your energy consumption and expenditure. If your calories in exceed calories out, you gain weight. Since you're overweight now you need to increase your calories out. There are two ways to do this. One is to lower your daily calorie intake (and if you don't know how many calories you should be consuming per day, there are internet resources). So, if your daily calorie based on your gender, age and height is 2000 calories, eat 1500 per day to lose 1 pound per week as there are 3500 calories in one pound. The other route is to increase calorie out via physical activity. Aim to burn about 500 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week.

burahadeer, looksk and origin have little to do with each other. Take the Andamanese (the people involved in "human safari" scandal) for instance. They look like typical black Africans but they're asian by language and genetics. Tutsi's physical affinity to Cushitic peoples (Afar, Oromo, Somali, Rendille, etc) is exaggerated... most Tutsi are indistinguishable from Hutu. Genetics and language family are objective way of settling these issues.

Nudawn;848272 wrote: Bro as much as I hate when Somalis claim anyone with soft hair and a thin nose to be descended from us ie (p diddy, mya, etc) you can't sit here and tell me all Tutsi are Bantu. Tutsis are Bantu by language and genetics.

Nudawn;848090 wrote: I have many oromo friends and it's actually widely believed within their community that Tutsi are an oromo tribe. But Tutsi is not Cushitic language so the Tutsis can not be related to Cushitic speaking Oromo. Moreover, Tutsi show little to no genetic affinity to Oromo or Cushitic speaking groups. So, to sum it up: Tutsis are Bantu by language Tutsis are Bantu by genetics Tutsis are Bantu by culture and customs Q.E.D. Tutsis are part of Bantu speaking Africans like Hutu Lastly, most Tutsis and Bantus are physically indistinguishable so drop this silly game of citing the odd Tutsi here or there that looks a bit exotic.

Valenteenah.;848080 wrote: I don't think religious equality can be forced on to a Muslim State. Of course it can be. Abolitionism was forced on "Muslim States" why can't religious equality especially in the 21st century when everyone including even dictatorships want to appear as endorsing equality and fairness? At one point most Muslims believed, and correctly so if one closely examines Islamic doctrines on the issue, that to enslave fellow human was a religious right. But most Muslims today believe otherwise. Why? Did Islamic scriptures change in the intervening period? Of course not. The only thing that changed is the abolition movement which originated in the West slowly convinced Muslim States, albeit begrudgingly, to accept its merits. Valenteenah.;848080 wrote: Furthermore even in the 'free and fair' European countries, religious freedom and/or equality is somewhat restricted, i.e. you'll never hear the Eedaan in Europe, add to that banning of the hijab in some countries and previous campaigns to ban mosque building in others. The Aadaan is "restricted" because it violates, in most jurisdictions at least, a pre-existing noise ordinance. In my own city that barely audible noise that large vehicles make when they're backing up is prohibited from midnight till 7 AM. You can't seriously expect people in pluralistic society to tolerate some guy wailing at 6 AM in th morning all in the name of religious equality. In pluralistic societies you gotta reach a compromise between diverse people and prohibiting Aaadaan is one such compromise. And no where in the West is Hijab banned, only the Niqab/Burka the ninja looking outfit. Valenteenah.;848080 wrote: Mida kale, dhibaatooyinka dalka iyo shacabka haysta marka la eego, tani maba soo galayso, waayo basic needskii iyo basic rights-kii kaleba ma jiraan weli. I disagree. First, man can not live by bread alone. There is more to life than three square meals and roof over your head. Self-fulfilment, self-actualization, freedom of conscience and thought, etc. are equally important. Second, the reason we as Somalis lack the basics of life is because we lack something called Empathy and Fairness. We are not empathetic or fair people. We don't empathise with the blight of fellow Somalis as we see them as either "those Somalis from region X" or "the enemy of may clan." So, although we may feel for them we really are content as long as our clan (read: sub-clan) is doing fine. The same concept extends to the political arena as each constituencies jostles for a pole position without any regard for the weaker members of our society. Ditto for religious minorities who no body empathises with their suffering or supports their aspirations as long as our religious rights (Islam) are protected. If some Somali believes leaving Islam for Christianity will make him happy, why should you not support him? I don't get it. So religious rights and meeting the basic needs of Somalis are inextricably linked.

aero;847634 wrote: They claim that their saints hear their supplications and intercede on their behalf. If you're very much familiar with the basic building blocks of Islam, that's full blown bid'ah (innovation) and shirk (polytheism, association of others with Allah). And with that said, destroy on! And that is the crux of the matter, isn't it? The people who are frothing at the mouth defending these brutes or quibbling about media bias are actually in agreement with what these Jihadist have done. They're just tad bit too embarrassed to admit so. Anyways, Islam is not a monolith rather it is diverse mirroring the diverse cultures, languages and ethnicities of its followers. If some Muslims believe in intercession of "saints" that is their right. No one has the right to destroy their holy places any more than one has the right to destroy Mosques and Churches.

New Dawn, I wanted to welcome you but then I read your naive posts... now I'm not so sure if I should welcome you. I mean we have way too many naive and impressionable SOLers I don't know if we should increase that rank. I feel we need more discriminating intellects. But what the hell, SOL's resident Gaalraac welcomes you.

A lot of things piss me off like obese people, short people, people taller than me, guys with better looking girl than me, people richer and better looking than me, all girls who don't dig me, girls who cry when they're happy (wtf is up with that shid?), dumb people, the sanctimonious, religious people, people smarter than me, Indians and Chinese actually while I'm at it all people including Somalis save for my subclan I hate them all.

peasant;844996 wrote: The origin of this news is highly questionable. Presstv! Indeed. PressTV is notorious for releasing fake news. I remember reading few months ago on Hiraan Online PressTV article claiming US drone strikes that killed a number of civilians (can't remember the exact figure). I scoured all other reliable news sites including many Somali ones and not one of them had any articles on this incident. Since then, I've been noticing PressTV's fake news stories on Somalia ... 20 Somalis died in a fighting the never occured; Ethiopia capturing a town it never did; Somali army killing and robbing civilians that never took place, so on and so forth. I would take anything PressTV says with a grain of salt.

And Burco is also full of boor and untill reer cagoboorleey arrintaa talaabo ka qaadaan cidna kuma hooyan doonto hoteladaas.

Envy is actually not bad at all. Sometimes it acts as the impetus that propels man to greater heights. Your next door neighbour gets a fancy new car and envy drives you livid. Rather wallowing in envy and self-pity you use this energy in postive manner by striving harder to one day upstage your neighbour with fancier car. How is that bad thing?

The map is not entirely accurate because I know in the Libaan zone Somalis are actually way beyond the Somali region border and deep in traditional Oromo territory.