Heh. Oodweyne, as always, beautifully done, saaxib! This is not an issue of being neutral or even a fence sitter. This is about what makes or does not make sense. The argument being forwarded here (by you and others) does NOT make sense. I am not sure if your blinking myopia is borne out of passion (unexpected to say the least; you're a Somalilander after all. These are, according to you, Southern people!) or if there is some political benefit/interest in being so biased! It sure is not your undying love for the ICU that compels you to support them in this fiery way. I shall come back to the outrageous comparison with Somaliland and Cassandra's laughable remark later. But first let me deal with the so called other side of the coin! The TFG might indeed not wish to negotiate as long as they can utilise the weight of the Ethiopian army. At the moment they are in a position of strength. But that position is not as solid as it seems nor is it one that can be argued to be fully sustainable (as I am sure you realise). Only when the TFG completely crushes local resistance could they claim not to have a need for negotiation with exiled opponents. As things stand, this is clearly not the case. So what obliges the TFG to negotiate, I hear you ask. Well, for a start, the fact that the resistance is still at full blast and has not been totally defeated, after almost a year of fighting! In addition, the TFG (as would any other government) realises that in order for the world to regard it as legitimate and extend it a proper helping hand, it will have to pacify the resistance and appear to be in full control of the country. Thirdly, time is of the essence when it comes to the TFG (unlike in the case of the resistance). There is the 2009 deadline to begin with. There is also the fact that international politics ebbs and flaws in accordance with American foreign strategies. Bush shall soon go and his replacement (Republican or Democrat) is very unlikely to follow the same mad policies; Ethiopia may find itself suddenly abandoned! That's one scenario and one risk the TFG stands to encounter if it allowed things to remain as they are. Any rational person would agree that it is in their interests to negotiate wit the Asmara group (if for none of the reasons above then for the simple reason of appeasing international donors). It is in the TFG's interests to negotiate. You believe that they have noting to negotiate about but, as a student of politics, you surely realise that negotiations are not always about agreement or compromise. Sometimes, it is about APPEARANCE. Have you not been observing the way Israel has been negotiating with the Palestinians all these years whilst still building its illegal settlements in the occupied territories? As for the comparison with Somaliland, with all due respect of course, I think you’re just being silly there. In fact, some rabid Somalilanders will feel offended that you're comparing nobodies such Indhacade and Aideed to their exalted mujahids . It was a different fight with different variables, players, influences and even terrain. Now lets go all Greek and value that tiny nugget you dropped us in your last raid on this discussion. Of course, just like with the comparison with Somaliland your unexplainable passion also served to confuse you as to the real position of Cassandra in the Iliad. She was indeed a naysayer and begged the people of Troy not to receive the wooden horse but nobody believed her! Shall I tell you what happened when people ignored the advice of Cassandra? Ps This is not about taking sides, saaxib. Neither you nor I have much of a stake in what is taking place in that part of Somalia. Emotion and passion should not cloud our judgment. When we see a nonsensical argument such as the one about 'negotiating only when the Ethiopians leave', we must call it as we see it. Again, it is not about taking sides, it is about the strength of arguments presented. Pps You'll be pleased to hear that after seeing the difficulty of the situation in the Somali capital, I have decided to take my Somaliland flag from under my bed and keep it under my pillow instead.

^^ But if the Ethios leave, A/Y wont matter much. Surely you realise that! Why then would the resistance sit and negotiate with him when he's weak? Saaxib, I know you are against the TFG and that's a perfectly legitimate position to have (some would argue it's the only position) but you dishonour it by agreeing with weak propaganda such as "When the Ethiopians leave, we shall negotiate". Saafi el niyaaah, saaxib, saafi el niyaaah...

You're far too young to lose hope, saaxib. For you, it should be a fine and rosy world out there. You should be working and studying (preferably as an astronaut) so that you can go back home and use your space travel expertise to rebuild the country (most of those chewers will appreciate the wisdom of someone who has been to places higher than they). Somalia is beautiful. It's green in places and arid in others. It has lovely rivers, a great ocean, a Red Sea and lots of camels. In fact, waxa la yedhi, the Somali language is one of the greatest in the world, the people the nicest and climate the best. Again, you're far too green to lose hope, my friend. Yes, Somalia will probably stay in a state of war for another fifty years but that does not mean young people like you should lose hope. Get a grip, son.

^^ Mostly their back gardens (bloody convicts)

No talks until the Ethiopians leave, the argument goes! But, why would there be any need for talks once the Ethiopians go/are defeated? How could anyone believe and attempt to pass such nonsense as some sort of legitimate argument?

^^ Psssssst (come closer) Ayoub was praising her there not hating. Shuuush! Don't protest now or someone might hear us. Ooops! I hear footsteps coming. Quick, lets run into that tiny closet. Hmmmm, this is cosy! (You had garlic for lunch, didn't you?)

^^^ What does 'wah' mean? Is it some sort of Canadian slang?

Heh. Silly mare. Sounds like you pulled but were too sleepy to notice. Incidentally, I recently realised that I was on nodding terms with half of the people on my carriage. I am sure they're all mad.

Could you see yourself resisting this one?

I think the correct somali expression here is: xaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax

^^ City Gold? Don't go, saaxib, don't go.

The way you describe it, it looks like being a midwife will be harder in your situation. I have a feeling that the two years working experience and midwifery training will be done whilst you're still doing your course (or at least that is how it is done in the UK, I think). For a young mother with child, I would expect the study of medicine to be more convenient in the short term. By the time you're done and are ready to work, your child will be old enough to go to school (if not already there). With midwifery on the other hand, you'll probably have to do some practical work within the first two years! Being a midwife (as with being a doctor) requires flexibility and working alternating night/day shifts. But, my guess is that you'll probably be faced with such work patterns much sooner if you were a midwife than if you were a student of medicine! All depends on how many aunts, sisters, cousins, third cousins removed and helpful neighbours you have I suppose (not to mention a husband that works flexible hours himself).

^^ He's coming to get you

She got 15 days in jail!

Ok. Ok. Here, feast your eyes

^^ It's not a fence. I'm just trying to be in the right place at the right time.

^^His ex was from Xamar. Therefore, custom, precedents and traditions would dictate that he should be an avid TFG fan but I think he's not.

Phowaaar girls! Eh? Eh?

Originally posted by Zenobia: ^Thanks honey. It's freedom like no other, wallahi. Lol@ the gutter. I was surrounded by so many cute children today that my mind did wonder to melahas, too. People were unusually nice to me too… and , I was within inches of a dangling snake, I was actually starting to thinking about how cute it was (it was dark green and black) till the owner started walking my way.. I ran for the prayer room. A memorable day. Snakes and the chance to drive in the jungle that is Dubai? You do live a dangerous life ayeeyo ps In your driving test, is it a requirement to keep your hand on the horn as you drive? Or is it just a Dubai craze that never goes out of fashion? pps How many seat cushions did you need? Be honest now

^^ They possibly don't get as much publicity nor are they an urgent case. You should have used Kosovo as your example. I am sick and tired of having those two cumbersome flags under my bed. Get recognised already so that I can ditch the blue one.

Was talking to a friend recently about a cousin of his that went to Ethiopia and was snatched (along with many other Somali refugees) and sent to fight the Eritreans - who were seeking independence at the time. His family lost hope of him ever returning but he managed to get away and resurfaced a couple of years later in Sudan. (I realise that this is a waxa la yedhi story)

Originally posted by -: This is farce.We have a Chinaman nominating a white man for Somali of the Year.Here are true Somalis of the year. web page Heh. Love the way that masar is part of the uniform.

^^ Exactly. Which is why I thought Zafir's explanation would have annoyed you? (He was being sexiest too). Bite his head off.

^^ Warya, are you trying to annoy eedo Ghanima? Waxan aad qortay masax ban ku edhi

It was for you, saaxib. North is still quietly itching