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If the Somalis maintain producing websites at the current speed, they would soon have more websites than tribes and whether that is good or bad I will leave others to judge but I am taking liberty on judging their quality and sadly the greater number are “Qashin” that denigrate especially the groups and the clans they supposedly tout and a miss-guided effort that demeans all Somalis in general. In this information age, where the cyberspace is jammed with such low-grade websites that are mostly nothing more than tribal flag bearers; that demean and insult the intelligence of the reader; that spout and spew foul language; that appeal to the gossip mongers; that are void of coherent editorials, the new kid on the block, “WardheerNews” have demonstrated eloquence, professionalism, discrimination and reasonably well argued editorials and that is a relief. News is everywhere and that isn’t why I visit “WardheerNews”. I visit it to learn from my peers and access their brain. For example, when I get the urge to read, rather than picking up Shakespeare, I turn to Ismail Ali Ismail’s articles that are posted on “WardheerNews” and even scour the archives to reread the old ones and the more I do, the more I crave as one craves for chocolate. They are delicious, rich, smooth, stimulating, well prepared and packaged and more. They are literary showpiece to learn from: focused, balanced, persuasive, well articulated and meaningful and that isn’t all; I pick the brains of Professor Said Samatar, the multi-talented Bashir Goth and others no less eloquent than Ismail like Mohamed Mukhtar and Rashid A.Yahya Here are some of the articles that appeared on “WardheerNews” which got me hooked: The murky Somali history of Ethiopia and Somalia: Missed opportunities and some challenges by Ismail Ali Ismail; the unhappy masses & the challenges of political Islam and my favorite “Sarbeeb”: The art of oblique communication in Somali culture by Prof.Said S. Samatar; signing into a vacuum: The torment of a Somali playwright by Bashir Goth; True Patriotism & Nationalism by Mohamed Mukhtar. Also, I visit it for another reason. Amidst the despair and the hopelessness that gripped Somalis, “WardheerNews” have turned to some role models and inspirational figures by profiling members of the Diaspora that have accomplished something and reached at the highest level of their profession like the most recent ones with Dr. Afqarshe and Ali Fatah, Chief of the GIS Division – D.C. Washington. I find it informative and inspirational and that is what I need. I am tired of warlords and I hope you are too. No editorial is free from bias and slanting and “WardheerNews” is no exception but whether I agree with it or not is irrelevant but what is relevant is whether it supports its premise or not and that I find it adequate for most of the time. I don’t know about you but to me it is the diversity and the depth of the content of “WardheerNews” that appeal to me and I hope venues like this where people can have a healthy dialogue would flourish. Happy anniversary “WardheerNews” and many many more
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