Thanks for the responses. But I'm not sure they're creating the type of discussion I wanted to pursue. The question I asked was 'Do Somali-owned newspapers know the difference between journalism and opinion'? And secondly, are they mere mouthpieces of the various political groupings/factions? QUDHAC - I know you like to defend Somaliland sxb. However, on Jamhuuriya's website, the right side of the site is where they publish opinions. The piece above is found in the middle section, which qualifies as 'news.' Try to look at this objectively for a second. And nowhere in my post did I compare Jamhuuriya to AllPuntland.com. I personally don't like those liars - they're known to fabricate and make-up news items as they see fit. But I tended to have a higher regard for Jamhuuriya, until I saw that above-mentioned piece used as a news item.

I was reading the online version of Hargeisa-based Jamhuuriya Newspaper when I came across an interesting 'news' article about the 'feelings' of Reer Laascaanood on the recent Puntland presidential election. http://www.jamhuuriya.info/index.php?art_id=1334&categ=1&expand=1&file=view_article.tp HIGHLIGHT: Si kastaba ha ahaatee doorashada ka dhacday Puntland waxa ay u muuqata mid wax weyn ka bedeshay aragtida shacbiga reer Sool, ee markii hore in badan oo ka mid ahi ay si weyn u taageeri jireen,balse ay hadda u muuqatay inaanay jirin wixii ay ku riyoon jireen , oo ahayd inay isu sharixi karaan Madaxweyne ulana simanyihiin Beesha M********n. The writer of the piece overtly adds his opinion - for how could he know the 'dreams' of Reer Laascaanood? Sites such as AllPuntland.com, RadioLaascaanood.com, GedoNet.com, HobyoNet.com, RadioSomaliland.com and many others - are fiercely loyal to the political agendas of whatever territory(ies) they supposedly represent. Do Somali-owned newspapers know the difference between opinion and journalism? Or are they mere mouthpieces for the various political groupings/factions? P.S. I used the Jamhuuriya piece only as an example because its the only newspaper based in Somalia (or Somaliland, if you prefer) with a daily online version that I could find. Feel free to share more examples.

Originally posted by waayeel: 8-Wasiirka Maaliyada Wasiirka Lacagta Wasiirka Hantida Qaranka iyo qalabaynta Wasiirka Ganacsiga isn't this the finance ministry? Wasaarada Maaliyada should be Finance (Treasury) Ministry. Wasaarada Ganacsiga is Commerce Ministry. But all the other ones are right on point. Originally posted by waayeel: my gosh- is Gheedi really a professor of vetrinary science? I think Ghedi being a professor of animal science makes him the perfect candidate to deal with animals (the parasite Parliament). He should have used the 4.5 formula to divide up the Cabinet as well. Award 4 ministries to all the 4 major clans and 2 to the 'others' - for a total of 18 (at the most)! This 'others' crap is really inhumane and unnecessary but its what 2,000+ delegates opted for. How could we expect good and justice from this group of parasite politicians who've labelled an entire Somali people as 'others?' :confused: What a joke - a joke on the Somali people by a handful of morons! They're stealing history and we're letting them do it. How pathetic.

Noble bloodline? Seriously, some people need to stop that nobility crap. This is not Victorian England! I think its best to judge this character on his performance as leader of Puntland regional adminstration. Garad A/qani's dissapproval of the Puntland administration began with Abdullah Yusuf's ascension to power in 1998 (he was in the pro-General Max'd Abshir Hamaan camp). Now that Ina Yeey is out of the picture, it only makes sense he opens the door for dialogue.

As a symbolic show of solidarity between Reer Puntland and Reer Galgaduud, this seems like an excellent idea. Realistically, it has many flaws. How can Galgaduud join Puntland when there's no border? :confused: I'm with Duke (Smith?) on this. Its hard to unite a non-continous piece of land.

I still don't understand why 25,000 people have to demonstrate. So, I'm gonna ask the same question: what can a group of Ugandan child soldiers do? JUMA - If you don't mind me asking - what's the 'truth' you speak of? And where's the 'Promised Land'?

Originally posted by Qorshel: We should leave the Arab league, and never to be associated with such creatures.... :mad: :mad: :mad: [/QB] What a brilliant idea! But who's 'we'? You don't even have a government to speak of - so how can you leave the Arab League?

Originally posted by Jumatatu: Nationalist I dont see you waving the flag sxb....guess this side of 'reer-maxamudsyleyman' was not your ideal choice... Correct if I'm wrong, but doesn't this violate the anti-qabiil laws of SOL? Maxamuud Saleeban is a qabiil, not a person. On the issue of DEMOCRACY, the idea is really simple. There is no population statistics in Puntland, or Somalia in general. So the best option for Puntland is to elect their leadership through a represenative council (representative of the clans) - i.e. Parliament, selected by the qabiils, approved by the Issims and distributed amongst the various regions of Puntland. M.A. Hashi lost because he didn't campaign hard enough in the regions (Nugaal and Sanaag) that voted for A/raxman Faroole. Did he take their vote for granted?

Originally posted by x_quizit: The main danger in being too tribalistic is that ideas of superiority and inferiority enter the picture. Ppl thinking their tribe is better than another, killing solely for that purpose,forgetting that b4 anything, we should identity ourselves as muslims, part of a larger ummah and shouldn't fall prey to the divisions mostly created by the colonizers. Well said.

What's the role of the 61 MPs from the Northwest? What role? They're as useless as the rest of this so-called (parasite) Parliament. They're just looking for more blood (and public funds) to suck dry in the name of 'Soomaalimo.' Hang tight - it'll be a long, conflict-ridden ride back to 1991!

Originally posted by Kowneyn: Here we have a black African, moderate Islamic country with has a positive attitude toward the West, True, true. But then he went wrong and said: Originally posted by Kowneyn: that protects women's rights The dude must be very knowlegable, indeed.

The article is available here: http://www.islamicity.com/m/news_frame.asp?Frame=1&referenceID=18496 HIGHTLIGHTS: "Edward Said...was one of the most remarkable thinkers and intellectuals of our time." "His major break with Arafat's leadership came with the signing of the Oslo Accord in 1993 that had "nothing about the end of occupation [and] nothing about settlements of Jerusalem. 'According to Said, Arafat had simply stopped caring for his people and Oslo was nothing more than a "victory for Zionism.' Arafat answered back by banning Said's books in Palestine." "...his analysis of Palestinian society. For him the main problem lies in the fact that the 'intellectual class - teachers, doctors, and lawyers - never stood up to Arafat.' There are study centers in the West Bank "but people aren't taught about Israeli society." With the absence of role models and understanding of their occupiers the Palestinian people are also at fault." "Said spent 30 years as a professor in English and Comparative Literature at New York's prestigious Columbia University..." "No matter how utopian it is, Said presses for living side by side as citizens, not separate nations." Were this ideas about Palestinians and Israelis living together in a Utopia a bit far-fetched or realistically possible? And of his fallout with the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat - was Said correct in rejecting the 1993 Oslo Accords that later became a 'victory for Zionism'?

Let the fireworks begin! I'll have two Ugandan soldiers' heads and their tanks with that. Thank you! Originally posted by Saxardiid: quote:Originally posted by wind.talker: What can a bunch of Ugandan child soldiers do? Nothing except join their likes in Mogadishu. LOL Their 'likes' aren't only in Mogadishu homie. They're everywhere in Somalia. Take a good look around..

Originally posted by SmithNwestern: Michael Schumacher oo 10 Milyan ugu deeqay Asia, Carabse maxey ku deeqday? Maxay deeqi karaan? All their money is stuck in Swiss banks - waiting for the U.S. State Department to label their richest men as 'terrorists' and freeze (read, take) their money! Maxaan ka sugayne rag oo ka maryo wayn dumarkooda? :confused:

^^ Most things tend of have shaky scientific explanations. But one thing you can never explain is faith. Either you got it or you don't. Simple. It's truly a miracle - one of many that will signal that the End of Times is nearer as each day goes by. Allah SWT has clearly stated in His Word (the Holy Qur'an-al-Karim) that: "And be ye not as those who separated and disputed after the clear proofs had come unto them. For such there is an awful doom" (3:105) If this doesn't qualify as clear proof, I don't know what does. Be careful what you wish for..

Originally posted by Caaqil: Aid is a factor that is fuelling the conflict in Somalia. True but some aid agencies do some good. I'll give it a 30% good, 70% useless ratio. They're known to have 'distributed' aid such as expired medicines in many parts of Africa. But that shouldn't let us overlook the fact that they currently employ Somalis by the thousands - men and women who would otherwise have nothing to live on.

Originally posted by JustCause: "You know - being a rich Arab prince isn't so bad. At least you enjoy life on planet Earth - afterlife is something else." Wind, Are you telling us you have knowledge of afterlife now and who will go where? How do you know you are better than the rich Arab prince? Brother dont judge a book by its cover. Don't judge a book by its cover - forget Save the Children, you need to Save the Cliche! I didn't imply to have any foreknowledge of the afterlife - I merely stated that the afterlife for these Arab kings (only Allah is King) and princes "is something else." Which simply places a question mark above their heavily-bearded Arab heads. You can put a question mark above mine - if it makes you feel any better. TO THOSE who wanna talk about "our" house is on fire blah blah - "our" house ma saarna kawaanka on this thread. We already do enough criticism of "our" house. BUT what an incredibly dumb notion: to limit all discussions on SOL to "our" collective affairs (i.e. since we're Somali, discuss Somalia's plight). Talk about creative restriction. Phew!

What can a bunch of Ugandan child soldiers do?

^^ Some want the world to believe that Samsam was an assassin. So bringing her up in every discussion will help ascertain that we get it - that a poor, confused teenage girl had masterminded an attempted assissination. Did someone say Bond, James Bond? Oh. I almost forgot - I'm not ashamed coz I ain't no Arab.

You know - being a rich Arab prince isn't so bad. At least you enjoy life on planet Earth - afterlife is something else. But what does one gain from kissing the oily a$$ of rich Arab leaders? Go figure. Kudos to Japan. GW Bush first proposed $15 million for aid while attending lavish 40-million-dollar venues in D.C. After much criticism, he was forced to change the aid to $350 million. But the $15 million was still better than them Gulf cowards!

Sleeping with his Arab lover, I presume And Caato - prolly sparking mad L's in Nairobi. Is Aideed Jr. even relevant today?

Originally posted by SmithNwestern: “Anigu waxaan tagaa Abu Dhabi, UAE oo hadba waan isa soo jeeg-gareeyaa [medical check up]†ayuu yidhi Qaybe. I sometimes make-up Sominglish words such as the ones above. I guess a 'welcome back' (to sanity) is in order here..

Originally posted by Qudhac: "wasiirka warfaafinta iyo wacyigelinta caabudwaaq" :rolleyes: :rolleyes: LOL The uptight dude has a sense of humor. Maasha Allah.. ANYWAYS, put together a dumb Parliament and you get dumb and irrelevant results. PROBLEM: finding a lasting solution to Somalia's political turmoil. SOLUTION (as they see it): empower all the morons and tribal mouthpieces so they can hold power and presige the way members former Somali regimes did. Originally posted by Nayruus: ...most delegates in Nairobi have been enduring innumerable hardships and insults while volunteering their time for more than 2 years. They don’t live with their wives and children... The members of Somali government deserve our respect. If you can do, go and change the march of history….. Otherwise shut up and salute your masters. We need Somalia to come back by hook or by crook. I do see your need for some sort of peace. But you also gotta think of the long-term effects of letting these moronns run Somali national affairs. If they left their wives, who asked them to? Not me. The way I see it - they're greedy sons of jackals out to get the easy buck. But in Mogadishu, they'll find that the bullet is quicker.

I saw this on the news. An absolute miracle walahi. Peace.

Originally posted by India: Ya allah, what ever next will we hear from Somaliweyn camp. Somaliwayn camp? Perhaps you need reading glasses. I didn't make this up - it was on the Awdal News Network website. Try commenting on the task at hand before jumping to conclusions. Originally posted by India: 1. Why will Abdullahi Yusuf finance the very entity he would shed blood to distory? Don't feel special 'huuno': Abdullahi Yusuf is willing to shed blood for his beliefs - the blood of all opposition. Somaliland is a junior member of that..