Can't wait for the new football season. This "no football" thing is disrupting my routine and forcing me to have conversations with the wife and kids. Grrrr!

Duke volunteering? Samir iyo imaan, Somalia.

^^ So kuma odhan si kale ayaad o qaadanaysa? It was the visit, saaxib, the visit.

xiinfaniin;731269 wrote: ^^Precisely my point, Jacayl. We like Siilaanyo's response, they are much, much better than Riyaale's. They came with the knowledge and confidance that he was democratically elected by his poeple. I bet even Riyaale would have changed his tune after the epic events of this time last year.

^^ I was misled about my own proficiency and I blame the same group of people. Somaliland ha noolato ban odhan lahaa, lakin si kale o qaadanaysaa.

^^ War Xiin ha isku daalin dee. Waxaanay dadka kale arkin ayaa u mooqdaa; had iyo goor ceesaan uun ayaa hor duusha.

^^ It wasn't a protracted or flowery speech dee. I can handle those but I struggle with the ones that include references to poetry or are loaded with symbolism.

^^ I don't think they're all "political chancers", saaxib. There is an issue here and a clear grievance and it’s evident by the large number of SSC household names, Garads and celebrities (if we include our favourite singer) joining this struggle. Of course, I don’t fully dismiss the political chancer accusation (in the same way that I don’t dismiss it within the heart of SL’s ruling classes). However, I also believe that both sides have people who make their political view points out of principle, what’s best for their people and/or belief in the ideas they follow. On the other hand, there is a much larger number (on both sides again) that follow the herd and fall for the most sensationalist options. Keyse Yusuf’s supporters, Xaabsade’s supporters and those that will now support the Khasuusi chairman (all SSC bred and born) do so out of emotional attachment (if not the C is E). Once they were out of the bubble of SSC struggles, they could easily rationalise the position their leader(s) have taken. Likewise, those remaining in the SSC bubble (mostly) do so out of the same emotional attachment. Again, they too rationalise every mad argument and it makes full sense to them (Kaashale xaasuuq and in the same breath the SL army being defeated in Kaashale; No reconciliation meeting in Widhwidh and, again, the Widhwidh meeting failed, etc, etc, etc). But the worst of the lot and the ones that stretch such emotional attachments to their breaking limits are Xaaji X and his ilk. Hada waa one meeting and (though it is good progress) is one that did not include many of the heavyweights of the SSC! Hadana waaka la soo cararay “Did Xaglatoosiye Fail?” and conclusions to a story that is still in its early chapters.

xiinfaniin;731003 wrote: ^^The speech was not about Faroole, NGONGE. Continue your original queries, so Duke can expand on what the prime minister said on a host of issues facing Somalia. It is good that way awoowe I can read, saaxib. Knowing Duke's affliations, I highlighted the part that concerns him the most. AND, the speech was about Faroole, saaxib. Dee naga daa.

It all depends on how long he's in the job for and how long this transitional period is going to last. Because of the short time limit, he actually has to concentrate on numbers three and four rather than the two you're speaking about, saaxib. Needs must and all that.

^^ Faroole is not Puntland dee. The Imam stands alone. He's a freak of nature, even in the crazy world of Somali politics.

^^ It is a good speach that touches on all the important areas without the risk of any questions being raised. A nice easy start that will hopefully give him some space to work in. But he's wasting time on the Imam and you know it, Duke. Faroole wants to dictate to everyone and I am not sure how much this new PM will accept.

I thought you said there was no "shir" to begin with. Quite amusing that it now ended with no result!

^^ Oh I agree. I just don't expect the powers that be to see it that way. I mean these are the same people that line up at the airport whenever the president leaves or returns to the country. They don't do it out of love, loyality or even brown nosing (much), they do it for total and utter fadool.

^^ Yes. But as you recall with Campbell, he even got his nose into Cherie Blair's business. Bal ka waran an SL Spin Doctor telling Siilaanyo that his Mrs should not make a speech on a particular subject or that his choice for party chairman is a tad iffy?

^^ You know he will fall out with the Imam, don't you? EVERYBODY falls out with the Imam.

^^ The thing about a spin doctor though is that they weild absloute power and I can't see many in Siilaanyo's cabinet (or circles) that could get away with it. The only one I could think of (unless there are others behind the scenes) is the FM but he already has his hands full.

^^ You mean "wasiirka warfaafinta" is not good enough?

Waqtiga aan heysano aad buu u yar-yahay, mashquulka aan ku nahay soo celinta amniga iyo la dagaalanka kooxaha argagaxisada ah waxey keentay in dhammaan Xukuumadihii naga horreeyeyba aysan waqti u helin in ay xoojiyaan xiriirka Dowladda Dhexe iyo maamulada dalka ka jira. Sidaas daraadeed, waxaan ku dadaali doonaa sidii aan xiriirkaas dib-ugu soo nooleyn lahaa oo aan u saari lahaa waxii mugdi iyo kala aragti duwanaan ah ee jira. What is he talking about here, Duke?

Is there a spin doctor in the house? In May Somaliland celebrated its independence. It's not surprising if this fact passed you by – the lack of a government communications unit means the country missed out on getting its story told in the international media. Much as we might deride the heavy-handedness of certain government spin doctors on the continent, the fact is they perform a vital function in facilitating government-press relations. Last month, the little breakaway republic of Somaliland celebrated 20 years of de facto, if not legal, independence from Somalia. The country has a lot to celebrate, particularly in the context of the complete breakdown of the state next door. Where Somalia has civil war and pirates, Somaliland has a functioning government, a thriving business community and, those most elusive of commodities in this part of the world, peace and security. I was in Hargeisa for the independence day celebrations, covering them for one of the major newswires. It wasn’t easy. Despite the fact that the events were pointedly directed at the international community, with long speeches outlining why Somaliland should be recognised as an independent country, and huge banners printed in English, French and Arabic rather than Somali (so the international community could understand, I was told), there was almost no international media coverage of the events. And it’s not as if there was no news hook. It was the opportunity for some rare good news to come out of Somalia, on a significant day for the country, with plenty of good images and the opportunity for good interviews. Every publication I spoke to about the events was keen on covering them in some form or another. And the Somaliland government wanted coverage - it really did. Cabinet ministers would come up to me, shake my hand and thank me for being at the events. My presence was so exciting that the state-run TV interviewed me for their news bulletin, and I was front-page news the next day in one of the newspapers, misspelled name and all – that or there was another bloke with bad hair running around Hargeisa named Seminal Elson, who looks a lot like me and holds similar views. Everybody wanted to help. Thing is, no one knew how to. Media management, particularly in today’s frenzied media environment, is an art form, and it is one that most governments get wrong, sometimes spectacularly (South Africa’s chief government spokesman Jimmy Manyi being the best current example of this). But there are a few basics that every government should observe if it wants to retain even a modicum of control over the stories being published. And by control, I’m not talking about censorship, but rather the ability to exercise the rights that every government, institution or individual should have: to have their side heard, clearly and fairly, to be given the chance to put their position across, to correct facts and provide relevant information. To do this, somebody in the government has to be responsible for the media. This was Somaliland’s problem. While the ministers and the civil servants were all enthusiastic about my presence, none of them really knew how to go about getting me what I wanted (facts, interviews, access), which meant that getting hold of this stuff was a lot more difficult than it should have been. Moreover, the government was working to its own deadlines and didn’t really take news deadlines into account. For example, after much pushing and prodding, I eventually got myself an interview with Somaliland’s President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo. The only problem was, the interview was four days after the independence day celebrations so the news hook had been lost, and the interview was picked up by only a handful of publications rather than the significant number who would have used it if they’d received it on independence day itself. Having said that, Somaliland was lucky it received any coverage at all, having taken no steps to make sure the international media even knew about the event. Again, not because they didn’t want to, but because no one in government – people who are all specialists in their own fields, and doing a pretty good job by most accounts – was familiar with the processes by which media attention is generated. Doing so would not have been difficult: A press release takes about 10 minutes to write and it’s a pretty fundamental part of how most media outlets operate. Unless the media know something is happening, they can’t report on it. And, given Somaliland’s rather obscure location, and how difficult it is to get here, the government should have been on top of providing international journalists with materials to help them cover the story – photos from the day, audio and translations of speeches, basic historical information, telephone interviews and so on. These are the basics organisers of most international events will arrange to make it as easy as possible for journalists to cover a story, and Somaliland – for which media coverage is a vital part of its quest for international recognition – needs to drastically up its game. In short, it needs a media office, headed by a media officer who understands how journalists and the media operate. Although government spin doctors are frequently derided in the press, particularly when they overstep their remit and start trying to manipulate the news rather than merely facilitate it, they perform an essential function in any government or institution that wants to get its story out there and are vital in allowing journalists to do their jobs. As I was shunted from office to office around the government buildings of Hargeisa, I wished dearly for a spin doctor who had the authority to get things done, and who understood that what I needed – quotes for my story and a good location for my photographer – was also in the best interests of a government desperate for international attention. Somaliland missed a trick because of its nonexistent media management. The question is: How many other stories are being missed because governments don’t know how to communicate with journalists? South Africa's Manyi is fond of complaining that journalists don’t bother covering all the good things the government is doing. He’s missing the point. The news priorities of overworked journalists and editors are first and foremost what is interesting, and secondly what is easy to cover (it shouldn’t be so, of course, but too often it is). This is a particular problem for African governments, whose media management is often unsophisticated. Governments who want better coverage need to improve their communication with the media. A great example of this is Rwanda, which has so mastered the art of public relations that the country enjoys a stellar reputation in the developing world. No coincidence, this; the country employs a high-powered London public-relations firm to burnish its image, and the results have been impressive. In a 2009 report, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative noted that Rwanda has an excellent PR apparatus that has been successful in “persuading the key members of the international community that it has an exemplary constitution emphasising democracy, power-sharing, and human rights which it fully respects”. Rwanda, of course, is the other extreme. The report went on to note that “the truth is, however, the opposite” of its projected image. Rwanda’s slick PR hides a multitude of sins, but it nonetheless demonstrates how important it is for governments to have a proper media team for getting stories out. And as for how those stories are covered – well, that’s where good journalism is supposed to come in. Simon Allison http://www.freeafricanmedia.com/opinionista/2011-06-28-is-there-a-spin-doctor-in-the-house

^^ No Juxa. It's this stuff:

نقطع الدروب ........نفر ح القلوب و لنا في كل شارع صديق نقطع المدى ............. لانؤذي أحدا نزرع الأفراح في طول الطريق نحن فرقة تهوى الفرح نرتجي الى القلب الكبير وأنا أحب ساعات المرح أنا صاحب الأحزان ريمي رغم حزني وهمومي ... رغم من في الأحزان رماني أنسا عندكم أحزاني ......أنا ريمي فاضحكوا لريمي ........................ تقدموا وقاموا....................... وهاجموا وأتحدوا قد دقوا ناقوس الخطر ..................... هيا يا أبطال الدينصور بينا بنا ...................... الدينصور عدونا يا لميس ويا كمال .......................... انتما درعنا جسدا سحر الخيال ......................... حققوا النصر وانشدوا عبر المحال .....................كونوا قوة كبرى الى الامام ..................................... الى الامام الاتحاد قوة ............................. في وجه الاخطار الى الامام .................................... الى الامام اتحدوا ..........اتحدوا ......... اتحدوا ........ اتحدوا .................هيا اتحدوا يا أحرار ................... .......................... يا ببيرو يا خير البنين في وفائك صادق أمين راسخ شامخ عالي الجبين تريد خير الناس أجمعين صالح ناجح... ببيرو نسرك الذهبي في الأعالي حصانك الأبيض في الجو يطير ببيرو.. ببيرو... سفرك طويل فعليك بالصبر الجميل عاهدت أن تساعد المظلوم هيا انطلق وبدد الغيوم أنطلق ... هيا انطلق ببيرو... ببيرو ..... عدنان ولينا عدنان ولينا جمعتهم اماني جمعتهم اماني جمعتهم اماني جمعتهم اماني أماني حلوة حلوة حلوة و ثمينة حلوة حلوة البرائة حلوة حلوة الصداقة حلوة حلوة وثمينة حلوة وثمينة عدنان عنوانه محبه عدنان عنوانه حنان عدنان يتخطى المصاعب عدنان يتحدى الثعالب عدنان عدنان عدنان غالي عدنان عدنان عدنان غالي ..................... حان الموعد حان الموعد حان موعدنا جاء البطل جاء البطل يفرح شاشتنا اهجم اهجم لاتغيب نحن معك معك أجمعين حطم الأشرار ساعد الأحرار جونكر جونكر البطل الجبار حطم الأشرار ساعد الأحرار جونكر جونكر البطل الجبار

Alpha Blondy;730856 wrote: self-reflection is key in seeking change. london2012 is a somali indeed. this is forum, expect opinions which may differ from yours. the internet is a forum for self-expression somaha? :D

^^ It's like the stuff that Ayoub and Che keep doing to Duke every time he changes his political position. Duke for PM, says I.