Originally posted by Samurai Warrior: Gediid - now, we are getting somewhere. SO, you prefer the chitchat, eh? let us for sake of argument presume that Somaliweyn campers are – your words – hating tribalists . Then what? Samurai Stop hating but if you insist then at least have the audacity to come out clean. Lander saaxiib there was a story I heard as a kid and this is how it went......A blind man by some sheer power was given his eye sight for a second and his very first sighting was that of a rat and just as quickly as he got his eyesight he lost it again.He asked the person who was standing by him the thing he saw and they told him that was a rat.From that day onwards when ever an animal was mentioned he would ask whether it was bigger or smaller than a rat.We end up too often in that sort of a situation,making comparisions where there's no to made.

Samurai Intellect to see that your idea of Somaliweyn is one giant farce you are hiding behind? Qudhac Absolutely right saaxiib,in my book there's only a few true Somaliweyn supporters but I wont say who they are but they have my respect.The rest waa in boodhka isku jafayaa thinking they can fool people.

Hello folks Finally people are starting to realize that most of the "Somaliweyn" supporters are just a bunch of Somalilander hating qabiil spitting group who really have nothing going for them except their desire to see Somaliland up in flames.I'm glad that their motives are becoming more clearer by the day and Somaliweyn is just a cover they are using to rationalize their hate.

No vonder ,I hawe been gedding a lodd of calls of peeple vith Indian accends saying dey vas forom Sprind...........

Abu If you guys can afford a plane ticket for me and my booshaaq group here in Virginia we would be more than willing to come and help out.We have never been known to disappoint and we have among other things the big demos that took place during the world bank meeting in DC as one of our achievements. Riyaale wont be able to take a free dump without him hearing one of my drum yielding members.Come to think of you NEED us so drop me a PM and I wont disappoint..........

^^^^^^^^ 719 you asked for it saaxiib

Mobb or is that Ina Morgan now,saaxiib every dog has to have a master and Morgan is no different.In the eighties it was Barre now its A.Yusuf but what I find hard to understand is how Ina Yusuf can trust the very same snitch who betrayed him in 1978. Anyways thats not my point,I always understood why "MOST" Southerners will never admit that there was genocide and ethnic cleansing in the North by Barre and his goons in the 80's,and thats because a lot of them especially those in Qurbe had fathers, brothers ,cousins or uncles who were too close to the action and would/could be implicated in that process.With Somalis you just don't see someone coming forward and admitting guilt when family members are involved do you??????

^^^^^^^LOOOOOOOOOL Thats the Lakkad I know........

Now the Pentagon Tells George Bush – Climate Change Will Destroy Us By Mark Townsend and Paul Harris in New York Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters.. A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world. The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents. “Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,” concludes the Pentagon analysis. 'Once again, warfare would define human life.' The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defence is a priority. The report was commissioned by influential Pentagon defence adviser Andrew Marshall, who has held considerable sway on US military thinking over the past three decades. He was the man behind a sweeping recent review aimed at transforming the American military under Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Climate change 'should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern', say the authors, Peter Schwartz, CIA consultant and former head of planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Doug Randall of the California-based Global Business Network. An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is “plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately”, they conclude. As early as next year widespread flooding by a rise in sea levels will create major upheaval for millions. Last week the Bush administration came under heavy fire from a large body of respected scientists who claimed that it cherry-picked science to suit its policy agenda and suppressed studies that it did not like. Jeremy Symons, a former whistleblower at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that suppression of the report for four months was a further example of the White House trying to bury the threat of climate change. Senior climatologists, however, believe that their verdicts could prove the catalyst in forcing Bush to accept climate change as a real and happening phenomenon. They also hope it will convince the United States to sign up to global treaties to reduce the rate of climatic change. A group of eminent UK scientists recently visited the White House to voice their fears over global warming, part of an intensifying drive to get the US to treat the issue seriously. Sources have told The Observer that American officials appeared extremely sensitive about the issue when faced with complaints that America's public stance appeared increasingly out of touch. One even alleged that the White House had written to complain about some of the comments attributed to Professor Sir David King, Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, after he branded the President's position on the issue as indefensible. Among those scientists present at the White House talks were Professor John Schellnhuber, former chief environmental adviser to the German government and head of the UK's leading group of climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. He said that the Pentagon's internal fears should prove the 'tipping point' in persuading Bush to accept climatic change. Sir John Houghton, former chief executive of the Meteorological Office - and the first senior figure to liken the threat of climate change to that of terrorism - said: “If the Pentagon is sending out that sort of message, then this is an important document indeed.” Bob Watson, chief scientist for the World Bank and former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, added that the Pentagon's dire warnings could no longer be ignored. “Can Bush ignore the Pentagon? It's going be hard to blow off this sort of document. Its hugely embarrassing. After all, Bush's single highest priority is national defence. The Pentagon is no wacko, liberal group, generally speaking it is conservative. If climate change is a threat to national security and the economy, then he has to act. There are two groups the Bush Administration tend to listen to, the oil lobby and the Pentagon,” added Watson. “You've got a President who says global warming is a hoax, and across the Potomac river you've got a Pentagon preparing for climate wars. It's pretty scary when Bush starts to ignore his own government on this issue,” said Rob Gueterbock of Greenpeace. Already, according to Randall and Schwartz, the planet is carrying a higher population than it can sustain. By 2020 'catastrophic' shortages of water and energy supply will become increasingly harder to overcome, plunging the planet into war. They warn that 8,200 years ago climatic conditions brought widespread crop failure, famine, disease and mass migration of populations that could soon be repeated. Randall told The Observer that the potential ramifications of rapid climate change would create global chaos. 'This is depressing stuff,' he said. “It is a national security threat that is unique because there is no enemy to point your guns at and we have no control over the threat.” Randall added that it was already possibly too late to prevent a disaster happening. “We don't know exactly where we are in the process. It could start tomorrow and we would not know for another five years,” he said. 'The consequences for some nations of the climate change are unbelievable. It seems obvious that cutting the use of fossil fuels would be worthwhile.' So dramatic are the report's scenarios, Watson said, that they may prove vital in the US elections. Democratic frontrunner John Kerry is known to accept climate change as a real problem. Scientists disillusioned with Bush's stance are threatening to make sure Kerry uses the Pentagon report in his campaign. The fact that Marshall is behind its scathing findings will aid Kerry's cause. Marshall, 82, is a Pentagon legend who heads a secretive think-tank dedicated to weighing risks to national security called the Office of Net Assessment. Dubbed 'Yoda' by Pentagon insiders who respect his vast experience, he is credited with being behind the Department of Defence's push on ballistic-missile defence. Symons, who left the EPA in protest at political interference, said that the suppression of the report was a further instance of the White House trying to bury evidence of climate change. “It is yet another example of why this government should stop burying its head in the sand on this issue.” Symons said the Bush administration's close links to high-powered energy and oil companies was vital in understanding why climate change was received sceptically in the Oval Office. “This administration is ignoring the evidence in order to placate a handful of large energy and oil companies,” he added.n Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

I second that Lander....

^^^^You are not doing justice to the people you say you represent.You say you are not into qabill but you reek off it.This issue could have been discussed in more better ways and I strongly suggest that your blind hate for one group should not be masked in tragic events that took place somewhere else. The whole world was witness to this moment live as it happened and a thousand tears were shed in every form possible but the victims of the genocide in the North were not so fortunate and people like you will do all that is possible in their power to hide the truth from coming out.

I pity those above and wish that the perpetrators of this heinous crime be brought to court.Its utterly despicable to say the least what MMA is trying to do here by equating the 2 tragedies.Its totally childish and his only purpose of posting the pictures was to take a very cheap shot at Somalilanders without any thought of remorse or a thought pattern compatible with a such truly sad moment not only in Somali history but all mankind.I think it shows how childish you are in your thoughts and selfish in making a point where there's none to be made.

How come I miss the mind stimulating debates that end up in near fist fights....I think there should be some sort of a bulletein somewhere that brings our attention to such debates in the future..... esp the ones where Opinionated is involved.I enjoy her line of reasoning and I guess it has some in here a lil threatened when she exercises her right to debate.

I agree with you 1000% Lady Mo.It should be not only banned but stiff penalties imposed on those caught in the act of trafficking this menace.Idil said something to the tune of a girl doing her GCSE or O levels chewing,It totally shocked me.If this thing is at a point where a 16 or 17 year girl chews when doing her O levels then its reached epidemic levels and the sooner we act the better.......

Spadez I have no intention of having this kid thrown out he sounds like a good sport I could push around later on but my old great grand father (Allahu Naxariistee) who raised horses once told me when you get a stallion out of the wild before you ride him waa la jara bixiyaa.Ina Bootanka yarna intuuna af dilaacsan baan jarabixinayaa

Mana walaan mise Cadan baa laga hesayaa what you are doing is not in the rules, but I'm sure snakes are not allowed in SOL. When you call a person a snake you are saying that person is a worthless treacherous fellow... Thats now BIG TIME CAY and CAY and CAY.....I just cant define it any other way........

^^^^^Unfortunately Igal passed away but he was very generous with the $$$$.Surprised your old man never knew that

^^^^^Another Golden rule broken 7 - Flaming: absolutely no personal attacks (direct or indirect). Criticize ideas, not people. Flaming will not be tolerated in any way. This includes any material which is vulgar, profane, defamatory, harassing, hateful, threatening, invading of others privacy, sexually oriented, or violates any laws. Gediid, any chance your nickname is squeeler? Why didn't you send me a PM and give me a chance to edit it. Now Squeeler was the nick name of one of the pigs in Animal Farm tho I dont quite rememeber what his character was all about but I bet he was a basaas.The word itself means an informer or a basaas which in Somali is derogotary in nature.......Now thats is CAY in every sense of the word........ Now thats not the way to stay around for long on SOL

LST Waa kii fara laqaadka ahaa ee Lakkad ka rasmiga ahaa.

I have a totally different take of who we are.....Lemme explain. As a kid I happen to travel with my dad on a trip to Afghanistan and a few hundred miles from Kabul we came across a nomadic tribe known in Afghanistan as the Nuuristaanis.These people are natural nomads like the Somalis raising all sorts of animals whose milk they depend on for survival.As consistent with nomadic cultures they are both very tribal and very fierce.Diet wise they eat a lot of bariis and instead of qaad they smoke JARAS which is a softer version of weed.Traditions very very similar to Somalis.Even the language is so similar to Somali except for a few mispronounced words. Now on based on those observations I conclude that we are neither Arabs nor Africans but NUURASTAANIS.

719 Ma laba mijood oo barixi ah baa kugu tagey.....Manaad la socon sheekada mise weli qaadiro baa ku heyso

Ameenah Ana waxaan islahaa Ameenah sidey Moderator u noqoteyba common folks like Gediid wey ilowdey jk Been busy with work walaalo and no time to log on SOL......... LST Women chewers are relatively new to the Mirqaan stables and will suffer lil or no serious withdrawal symptoms,its the Farax's who I fear might try other things to achieve a high......

Any chance this guy broke any of the SOL Golden rules :confused: Examples: 1 - Qabiil: absolutely no qabiil talk. Not even a mention of any qabiil name. No qabiil discussion of any kind. "We felt on the day of his arrest his supporters, mainly from his Habar Jeclo sub-clan would have taken arms demanding his immediate release. And they have not made any attempts to break into his prison cell and rescue him out either." he added. 5 - Trolling: don't make posts that are inflammatory just to annoy people.

LST I think the sooner the better......

Chew On This The Guardian — London,UK — 04 March, 2004 As the government considers banning qat, Alok Jha exclusively reveals new research on the drug Thursday February 5, 2004 The Guardian There are no signs outside the house, nothing to make it stand out on the rundown north London high street. Soft voices drift out from behind the faded black door. Inside, a man wearing a dishevelled beige suit stops whatever it is he has been doing and asks if he can help. We are hoping to buy some of his product. He pauses for a heartbeat and turns to pull out a box from beneath some plastic covers at the back of the room. "How much?" he asks, handing me a sample bundle of leafy twigs wrapped in a moist banana leaf. This is qat. And it's perfectly legal - for now. Qat has been used for centuries in countries such as Yemen, Ethiopia and Somalia to enhance relaxation or even to lubricate social gatherings. It is increasingly popular in Britain and is seen as a relatively safe high; an alternative to the west's favourite drug, alcohol. But new research on the plant, seen by Life, could taint this cosy image. It shows that qat's main psychoactive ingredients, cathinone (which is almost identical in chemical terms to amphetamine) and cathine (much less potent) might not be alone in causing the plant's buzz. There could be dozens more chemicals involved and no one knows what long-term effects they could have on the brain. The government's Advisory Council on the Monitoring of Drugs is considering possible classification later this year amid concerns from doctors and counsellors that qat is at the heart of increasing psychological problems and a breakdown in social relations in communities that use it. In the United States, Canada and most of Europe, qat (also known as chat, jaad, or khat) is illegal; penalties for trafficking or dealing it are equivalent to those given out for cocaine or heroin. In the UK, I managed to buy it for £3 a bundle without much difficulty. Qat is an evergreen shrub that grows naturally on the mountain sides of many parts of Africa. In Ethiopia, Yemen and Kenya the plant is cultivated and several tons a week are bundled up for export; the majority ends up in Britain for use by the Somali community. Around 90% of Somali men in Britain are thought to chew the plant. The biggest population of chewers is in Yemen, where the plant is used as a social stimulant. Peter Houghton, a professor of pharmacognosy at King's College, has been studying the chemical constitution of qat for over four years. "We're still not very sure what is actually happening when people chew qat," he says. In the first meeting of its kind in the UK, he decided to corral the latest scientific thinking. A group of chemists, pharmacologists, doctors and counsellors came together to share what they knew and what concerned them about the possible effects of qat. A report of the meeting will be published tomorrow in the Pharmaceutical Journal. Houghton had new research to share with the group: one of his students, Muna Ismail, had found a new class of psychoactive chemicals in qat. Known as cathedulins, Ismail had shown that these chemicals, like cathinone, make the brain release dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter chemical. Ismail presented her work to fellow scientists at a conference in Seattle last week; Houghton hopes to get a paper on her work published in a scientific journal as soon as possible, hopefully leading to further work on the cathedulins. "We do need to find out more about biological activity of these cathedulins because it adds another dimension to the analysis," says Houghton. "There need to be more medical surveys to see what adverse effects there might be and try to tease them out from other factors." Those abusing qat tend to be young Somali males who feel stranded in the UK."They've come from a war-torn area away from their families [and] with less support and constraints than a family environment would impose," says Elina Palazidou, a psychiatrist at St Clement's hospital in east London, and a seminar participant. According to the scientists, there are several potential results of excessive qat use. It raises tolerance to the chemicals in the plant and this, in turn, raises the user's blood pressure and risk of heart disease. Studies in Yemen showed that the incidence of heart at tacks among chewers was 49% higher than in non-chewers. Regular users had bad gum disease and a tendency to lose teeth and there is a high incidence of oesophageal and gastric cancers among users. The plant has also been linked to a reduction in sperm quality and impotency. There are also issues of hygiene. "Qat rooms are traditionally kept dark and hot - in Yemen and Ethiopia observers report that the windows are closed to keep the heat in as this is believed to raise the potency of the qat," says Axel Klein of Drugscope. "Tobacco smoke hangs in the air, qat leaves are placed on dirty carpets and chewed without washing; tea and water is drunk from cups that are not cleaned properly and, as some chat chewers have internal lesions in their mouths, infectious diseases can be passed on." Perhaps the biggest issue is what the plant is doing to users' heads."The main reason [qat's] causing concern is that quite a lot of people who chew qat regularly get psychotic episodes," says Houghton. "They can become agitated, aggressive and their psychotic state will worsen. Or they can become manic and reckless," says Palazidou. "While they're chewing qat they're aroused, they don't feel like sleeping, they're hyperactive and they may become psychotic. When the effects have worn off, they feel worn out, they are sleepy, they can be depressed and can even feel suicidal." The extreme psychological effects of qat abuse do not seem to mirror problems of cannabis use, where psychosis appears to develop only in those with a history of it. "The evidence available so far suggests that the majority of people who develop psychosis while taking qat had no previous history of mental illness and had no family history of mental illness," says Palazidou. It's not all bad. There has never been a record of an overdose due to qat use and there is no evidence of addiction to qat in the sense of physical withdrawal symptoms. "There is some evidence that there is psychological dependence in that it's been claimed that people do have cravings - they go out seeking qat," says Palazidou. "In smaller amounts, there may be very mild withdrawal symptoms like a bit of trembling sweating and feeling a bit euphoric. But people who consume larger amounts, they can have a more serious withdrawal state which can happen a few days after they stop chewing." The government has decided that the potential dangers of the narcotic plant need further examination. The Home Office's drugs and alcohol research unit began its own investigation late in 2003 and will report in the autumn. If they conclude that qat is dangerous, they may well recommend that it should be classified along with other illegal drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines, bringing UK law into line with the majority of western countries. But without a definitive smoking gun that links qat to any confirmed psychological or physical harm, making it illegal may be a step too far. "My view is that banning it would be counter-productive," says Houghton. "At the moment, it's restricted mainly among the Somali community and, although it does cause these problems, it's more a matter of educating people and getting them to tell the health professionals they're working with. Banning it _ would just make it a sort of attractive black market commodity," says Houghton. Whatever the public may think of qat, the plant is an integral part of everyday life in some communities. In a survey of Somali communities' attitudes to qat in 1997, 66% of respondents felt that it helped them maintain their cultural identity. A staggering 90% said they would rather their children chew qat than drink alcohol. The Home Office says that its decision will rest on one thing: whether research shows qat is harmful to human health. As scientists have just begun to demonstrate, however, finding a definitive answer will be far from easy. Getting high on the road to Addis It was going to be a long journey, perhaps 11 hours on stressful northern Ethiopian roads and tracks. My companion Mark and I had seen the shrub called qat - pronounced "chat" - growing widely in the fields but didn't think about it much for the first 100 miles. But curiosity got the better and when we saw an old man selling a huge bunch of fresh leaves, we could not resist. We handed over $2 and - to the hilarity of our driver - began chewing one leaf at a time, followed, it must be said, by three or four, and then handfuls. After 10 minutes there was a slight numbing of the gums. After 15, Mark started jabbering loudly. At 25 minutes we were laughing uproariously. After 45 minutes, Ethiopia's troubles had slipped away and a sense of wellbeing, alertness, euphoria and lucidity took over. Over the next three hours we could report heightened senses, ideas flowing, periods of great calmness, interspersed with spells of reflection and analysis - like, why can't British charities develop a line of fair trade chat chewing gum, and turn round Ethiopia's economy? In fact, Ethiopia does pretty well out of qat. The seedless plant which best grows at 3-6,000 feet above sea level is grown across vast areas as a cash crop and in economic terms is the country's fourth largest export. In upland regions such as Harange, it is the backbone of the economy, employing thousands of farmers, packers, harvesters and traders. Ethiopia is thought to have earned about $60 million from qat cultivation in 2000. It is a popular plant to grow, too. It resists drought, can be harvested throughout the year and suppresses appetite. It is also far more profitable than most traditional crops. Moreover, the trade, transport and price is - theoretically - regulated by the government with responsible producer associations, licensed exporters and traders making large, legal profits. The price is set through inter-governmental agreements, regional government is allowed to tax exports, and huge quantities are trucked to neighbouring Djibouti or flown to Yemen where more than 85% of the adults use it. But although overuse of the drug is condemned in Ethiopia and throughout the Middle East, it is widely recognised to be as important, socially, as coffee in the west. Users say that it has no criminality associated with it, and many people insist that it helps to create a friendly environment, even to help resolve disputes. Many Muslims use it during Ramadan because it reduces fatigue and hunger. Qat is also believed to have medicinal value, being used locally to treat influenza, gonorrhea and asthma. The west, however, is increasingly suspicious of the plant. This largely follows the botched US-led 1992 invasion of Somalia during which many troops used top-grade qat. The drug was blamed by the military for some of the well-documented mistakes made, and the US drug enforcement agency now classes its main active ingredient, cathinone, as a schedule 1 drug, on the same level as heroin and cocaine. Recently, it has been pressurising other countries to crack down on it. Since it was banned in Canada, a black market has opened, and the price has risen tenfold. But in Britain, qat is still legal and can be bought in many markets. However, the leaves available here are seldom fresh. This is important because the cathinone reverts to very mild cathine within 48 hours of the leaves being picked. Rather than a massive Ethiopian buzz, the British user is likely to get only a very mild hit. Although the World Health Organisation says that medical problems associated with qat are "infrequent", governments claim it is addictive and has a negative impact on communities. "People forget about their work commitments and spend hours chewing," regretted one Ethiopian official in London this week. As we discovered on that long road to Addis, the man is absolutely right. John Vidal How to deal with qat and cannabis Friday February 6, 2004 The Guardian The assumption that qat causes psychosis or dependency is largely based on individual clinical observations that cannot be generalised (Life, February 5). While psychiatrists working with Somalis with mental health problems and substance misuse (mainly qat) in London have observed that patients relapse into psychotic episodes once they start chewing qat again excessively, epidemiological studies from other countries did not find any associations between qat and psychosis. So the evidence for the cause-effect relationships of qat is thin and does not warrant a ban, particularly at a time when the government is decriminalising cannabis. The Home Office also needs to consider carefully the repercussions of a possible ban on qat to its integration policy. Many Somali men who chew qat would continue to buy it on the black market and this could lead to the criminalisation of a community that is already marginalised and excluded, with further implications for family income and community fragmentation. Although it is important for clinicians to be aware of the specific healthcare needs of qat users, what is needed is a balanced response to a recreation plant that is causing more economic and social problems than medical ones. Nasir Warfa Department of psychiatry, Queen Mary, London Although, in its evidence to the inquiry into the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act four years ago, the BMA said that some cannabinoids were remarkably safe, we would never make a similar claim about smoking cannabis and essentially this is what reclassification is about (Leaders, February 2). In fact, we corresponded twice with the Home Office, in July 2002 and September 2003. We stressed we were concerned that the reclassification of cannabis might give the wrong message about the drug's safety; we welcomed a campaign to raise awareness about its harmful effects; and we called on the government to carry out more research. We issued a statement on reclassification on January 21 reiterating this. We also highlighted the dangers of smoking cannabis: increased risk of heart disease, lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema. Dr Peter Maguire BMA board of science