Friday, August 31, 2007

Iraq: The Legacy of Oppression and the Legitimacy of Resistance

We sit here 8000 miles away with our luxuries of electricity and water, while Iraqis suffer in the desert heat with no relief, and we tell them they are disorganized. This is fiddling while Iraq burns. People are dying; the question is moot.

We are not fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq; we are slaughtering people's children. We went in to liberate Iraqis from a ruthless dictator we imposed upon them who allegedly killed 300,000 during his 30 year reign of terror. We’ve accomplished more than triple that in a fraction of the time.

If ever there were legitimate resistance to illegal occupation, it is in Iraq.
[...]
And do you know what Iraqis are saying? I don't speak Arabic, but I can translate for you. They're saying, "Get out!" They're saying, "NO way you're staying for 60 years." They're saying, "Get your oil the old-fashioned way - pay for it!" And why are they saying this? Because they have a dignity and self-respect rooted in 7000 years of civilization.

Iraq is the center of Arab nationalism. Actually, this is what my father says, and I would argue that my father is the center of Arab nationalism. Modern-day Iraqis are the descendents of ancients who devised the first system of writing, the 24-hour day, the bases of mathematics, law, science and medicine. Once corrupt American corporations, the U.S. military, and its death squads, prisons, and bombings are out of the picture, true reconstruction by Iraqis can and will begin.

Perhaps we don't embrace the Iraqi resistance because its fighters are killing American soldiers. What other choice have we given them? From Vietnam to Lebanon to Somalia to Iraq, we have taught our victims around the world that the only way to effect a change in American foreign policy is to spill American blood.

Thousands died in Chile during the CIA led coup on Sept. 11th, 1973. But we only remember 3000 Americans who died on the 28th anniversary of that massacre. Grenadans in 1983 and Panamanians in 1989 were buried in mass graves by the thousands after the U.S. assaults, but the stories of these victims go untold. Between 1,000 and 10,000 Somalis were killed when our humanitarian mission in 1993 turned into military aggression. (We will never know the exact number of our innocent victims, again because of mass graves.) But we left Somalia because 19 Americans fell victim to their system and were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. Time and again, it doesn't matter how many "others" die. The outrage comes when the victims are American.

Martin Luther King Jr. said “silence is betrayal.” In these times, remaining silent on our responsibility to the world and its future is criminal. And in light of our complicity in the supreme crimes against humanity in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ongoing violations of the U.N. Charter and international law, how dare any American criticize the actions of legitimate resistance to illegal occupation? How dare we condemn anyone else as “violent” or “disorganized?” Our so-called “enemies” in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, our other colonies around the world - and our inner cities here at home-are struggling against the oppressive hand of empire, demanding respect for their humanity. They are labeled “insurgents” or “terrorists” for resisting rape and pillage by the white establishment, but they are our brothers and sisters in the struggle for justice.

Dr. Dahlia Wasfi is a speaker and activist. Born in the United States to an American Jewish mother and an Iraqi Muslim father, she lived in Iraq as a child, returning to the U.S. at age 5. Read the whole speech here. It's powerful words, especially in light of this.

EHRCO: Release or Prosecute those Detained in Nekemte

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- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day

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Plea to all Ethiopians regardless of Political Party Affiliation

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(ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - EHRCO)

Urgent Appeal -- Police in Nekemte town, Eastern Wellega Zone in the Oromia Region, detained fifteen people since August 23, 2007 without taking them to a court of law until the date of issuance of this report.

The police came with a search warrant stating that they are suspected of hiding arms and papers calling for violence. However, although they searched their homes and found nothing, they took away the individuals without an arrest warrant and held them in detention since then.

Three of the detainees are Executive Committee Members of EHRCO's Nekemte Branch Office.

*Released on August 30, 2007 around 6:00 PM

EHRCO expresses its grave concern over the detention of its members and other citizens and urges the government to immediately take them to a court of law or release them.

EHRCO also calls on those who stand for the respect of human rights, local and international human rights groups, government envoys and concerned individuals to exert pressure on the government to take the detainees to a court of law or to release them without delay.(MORE...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-EACA chairman’s letter to the UN on the Ogaden (Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy)
-MSF says blocked from Ethiopia's volatile Ogaden
-UN Assessing Needs of Civilians in Ogaden(AUDIO REPORT)
-CUD Accuses Government for 'Mishandling' Inflation
-ETHIOPIA FINALIZES STUDIES FOR BUILDING HYDROPOWER DAMS
-Somali govt. sacks its ambassador to Ethiopia
-Somalia opposition conference in Eritrea delayed
-US calls for urgent deployment of Somali peacekeepers
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

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WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE WORLD’S OLDEST WOMAN DOING IN HOUSTON?
(Alemayehu G. Mariam)

We call her Dinkenesh. They call her “Lucy”. But what’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” said Shakespeare. But Lucy is one of a kind. She is unlike any other hominid fossil ever found. She is the most complete hominid skeleton of the Pliocene Epoch [1.8-5.3 million years ago]....But what in the world is she doing in Houston, Texas?(More...)

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Guinea-Bissau 'to shoot down drug planes'
-Protests Persist in BURMAA, Despite Arrests
-Bush discusses Iraq, China military
-Shiite’s Tale: How Gulf With Sunnis Widened
-UN Says Iran's Cooperation a 'Significant Step Forward'
-Forbes: Merkel most powerful woman

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Musharraf's allies question deal with Bhutto

Allies of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf have raised objections to a power-sharing deal he is negotiating with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, casting fresh doubt on the future of the embattled president.(More..)

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Picture of the Day

(An Ethiopian reggae fan looks at photographs of Bob Marley at an exhibition in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.(Antony Njuguna/Reuters)

In February of 2005, MARC LACEY of the New York Times, who at the time Was covering the celebration of Marley’s birthday in Addis Abeba wrote, “If he had been onstage, Bob Marley would have waved his graying dreadlocks in the air and beseeched black people to continue struggling. In that lilting voice of his, he would have sung of love, of unity, of his beloved Ethiopia.

Ethiopia held a special place in Marley’s heart; he regularly expressed his interest to move there permanently. Unfortunately, the emergence of the DERG hindered Marley’s wishes from becoming reality.

-MARLEY IN HIS OWN WORDS (VIDEO)



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Thursday, August 30, 2007

Save our TTC

guitar player on the subwayToday I will narrow my usual global scope to my city of residence: Toronto. As those of you who live here know, our beloved public transportation has been dying a slow death in the past several years. Service has gotten worse, buses and subways more crowded, fares far more costly. I am a die-hard anti-car person, and yet... and yet... lately I've been getting fed up with the TTC ("The Bitter Way"), which as they say, should stand or Take The Car. And now, faced with an ever-worsening budget disaster, the city proposes insane service cuts. Yes, insane. Don't believe me, read about it here, or just look at this map of the proposed cuts.

Oh how far we've come since our naive and hopeful discussions of this

Culture CrossingI won't go into the details of the terrible things that will befall our city if the proposed cuts happen, but consider the congestion now, and then consider it if even 25% more cars were on the road. Those who choose the TTC for their daily commute will simply go back to their cars, because what middle income earner in her right mind would sardine herself with strangers for half an hour twice a day when there's a comfortable air conditioned car ride as an alternative - especially when the sardine rides cost her 50 cents more each day. Those who have no choice but to take the TTC, predominantly school children, poor people, carless people, the elderly, and students, will be screwed. Having no alternative, they will pony up the extra money. For middle class college students, perhaps it means a little less beer or coffee, but for many of the city's poor, it means a little less food in the tummy. This is outrageous in a city with so much wealth.

Although I believe the TTC needs increased public funding, if we must pay higher fares, it is preferable to service cuts. I propose along with the higher fares, a system of subsidized passes and tokens for those of low income. At minimum, the tax credit for bus passes should be refundable, since right now many of those who need it most don't even make enough money to use the credit.

Anyways, the TTC cannot cut service without public consultation, so they have devised a meagre and pitiful survey. However, if you live in Toronto, it is important you take this survey. Fill in the comments, since that is the only real forum to express your opinion.

When you are done, check out this much improved survey at Torontoist.

Norway to cut aid to Ethiopia

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- Today's Top HEADLINES
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Plea to all Ethiopians regardless of Political Party Affiliation


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30 Aug 2007 Report - Ethiopia's decision to expel six of nine Norwegian diplomats from the country means Ethiopia will lose around NOK 30 million in Norwegian development aid.

"This isn't a punishment, but a consequence of the fact that so many people at the Norwegian Embassy are being kicked out," Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told newspaper Aftenposten. That will leave a staffing shortage at the embassy, that will hinder its ability to handle foreign aid.

One of the diplomats' most important jobs involved monitoring the use of aid funds that are sent through the embassy. The total amounts to around NOK 100 million (about USD 16 million) this year alone.

With only three diplomats left on the embassy staff, capacity to handle aid funding is sharply reduced, and the aid itself will be reduced as well.

Most of the aid Norway extends to Ethiopia is channeled through the United Nations, and it won't be affected. Norway donated a total of NOK 268 million to Ethiopia last year.

Støre wouldn't say exactly what led to the expulsion, noting only that "we need to go through our experience." He expects to meet his Ethiopian counterpart in New York next month, at the US General Assembly. (Source)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-Ethiopia: The Annual Great Run postponed
-Chicago firm opens first IT Outsourcing Center in Ethiopia
-Exile at all costs for many young Eritreans
-Ordinary people, extraordinary deeds! (ethiomedia)
-African free-for-all? (Analysis)
-Coffee Price on the Rise: Who’s Going To Profit?(Analysis)
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

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SOMALIA PEACE TALKS TO WRAP UP WITH NO PROGRESS

Talks aimed at ending 16 years of conflict in Somalia were due to wrap up Thursday, with diplomats saying the parley had made no progress after six weeks of marathon negotiations.(More...)

Also see: Somalia peace talks fail as UN roots for all-inclusive dialogue

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Canada expels Sudanese envoy
-VIDEO: Castro picks Clinton and Obama
(In an editorial Cuba's Fidel Castro said a Clinton/Obama ticket would be best for the U.S.)
-Sarkozy calls Chavez for help on Colombia hostages
-Musharraf rejects pressure to quit
-US Congressional Report Finds Little Progress in Iraq
-Mafia suspects arrested in Italy
-New York's ‘Queen of Mean’ leaves $12 million to dog

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Liberia discovers 7000 'ghost' workers

Liberia's government says it has found more than 7,000 'ghost' workers on its payroll - employees who do not actually exist, or do not work for it. The discovery was made when the government embarked on a civil service overhaul to improve efficiency. (More..)

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Picture of the Day

(King Tona of Wolaita)

(The last king of Wolaita King Tona, reigned from about 1890 to 1900. He was reputedly the seventeenth monarch of a dynasty which traced itself back to a chief from Tegray. Tona himself succeeded his grandfather Gobie, and traced his line back, through his mother, to a noble Oromo family from Arsi.(Richard Pankhurst).........Yes, we Ethiopians are all interconnected.


-Must ReadCOMMON FACTORS UNITING THE PEOPLES OF ETHIOPIA (by Fikre Tolossa, 1994)



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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

UN to send a fact-finding mission to the Ogaden

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- Pictures of the Day

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The United Nations plans to send a fact-finding mission to Ethiopia's Ogaden region where separatist rebels who killed 74 people in an April attack say they are facing the toughest government crackdown in years.

The mission, due to start on Aug. 30, will assess allegations by the rebels and rights groups of human rights abuses as well as the food, water and health needs of Ogaden's ethnic Somalis.

The remote region bordering Somalia has come under growing scrutiny since the government launched a campaign two months ago to flush out Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels after they carried out one of their bloodiest attacks on a Chinese-run oil exploration field in April.

Rights groups accuse soldiers of shooting civilians, burning homes and seizing livestock in its hunt for the ONLF, which wants more autonomy for the area believed to be rich in oil and gas.

"The information coming from the Somali region since the beginning of the Ethiopian government campaign against the ONLF has been secondhand, and it has been worrying," Paul Hebert, head of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia, told Reuters on Wednesday.(More...)

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UNITE THE PEOPLE: DIVISION AND FRAGMENTATION HAS NOT AND WILL NEVER WORK

(NES: Professor Mammo Muchie)

“Where there has been racial hatred, it must be ended. Where there has been tribal animosity, it will be finished. Let us not dwell upon the bitterness of the past....rather look to the future....If we can create this sense of national direction and identity, we shall have gone a long way toward solving our economic problems.” - Kenyatta.(More...)

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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Happy New Year! Govt. moves Homeless Out of Capital
-Ethiopia: Water - Tomorrow's Oil
-UN Says Many Ethiopians, Somalis Risk Lives to Flee
-Failed states think alike? (Opinion)
-Clinic treats abused donkeys, the Ethiopian 'family car'
-8 months on, Somalia's government cannot tame Mogadishu
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Mandela statue unveiled in London
-Burma (Myanmar) rulers try to crush dissent
-12 South Koreans freed in Afghanistan
-Firefighters gain upper hand over Greek fires
-US Troops Release Detained Iranians
-Sadr 'freezes' militia activities
-Minister Says Musharraf-Bhutto Alliance Nearly Complete

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Ghana U17 stun Brazil at World Cup

Ghana knocked tournament favourites Brazil out of the under-17 World Cup in South Korea with a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Isaac Donkor scored the only goal of the game, played in Gwangyang, on 51 minutes.(More...)

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Pictures of the Day

The patriotism and devotion to country Ethiopian athletes possess is legendary. When Tirunesh suffering from terrible stomach pain, won the race in Osaka last Saturday, she said “I did it for my country. I was struggling but I told myself to hang in. I didn't want to let down the people back home in Ethiopia.”

This sentiment is not new to Ethiopian athletes. Just see the conversation below between Mamo Wolde and Abebe Bikila, as Abebe realized he was too sick to finish the race and defend his title at the 1968 marathon in Mexico City.


As narrated by Mamo Wolde

(Ten miles into the race), he (Abebe) turned and beckoned teammate, Mamo Wolde,

Abebe: "Lieutenant."
Mamo: "Captain."
Abebe: "I'm not finishing this race."
Mamo: "Sorry, sir."
Abebe:"But Lieutenant, you will win this race."
Mamo: "Sir, yes sir."
Abebe:"Don't let me down."

when Abebe Bikila emerged from an ambulance (just after Mamo won the race), He caught Wolde's eye, came to attention and saluted. Wolde, mission accomplished, crisply returned it. Wolde's victory meant his country hadn't produced a lone prodigy, but a succession. Wolde had made the marathon Ethiopia's own. (Excerpted from ‘The Ordeal of Mamo Wolde” by Kenny Moore)

(Mamo Wolde wins Olympic Gold in Mexico, 1968 )


(Legendary Ethiopian athletes, Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde)




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Pro-Iraq-War Ads Featuring Wounded Soldiers

Lies, and manipulation.

Note: "We're dealing with the safety of our country, of our sacred United States of America."


She says she lost her husband to al-Quaeda. He died in Iraq. Most soldiers were killed by insurgents, Iraqis, certainly not al-Quaeda, who haven't been there for very long.


Note: "They attacked us, and they will again." This is simply false. Iraq did not attack America. Iraq was attacked by America.


Her son "sacrificed for their freedom". Yes, I'm sure the Iraqis are thankful for his sacrifice. I suppose it depends what one means by "freedom".

Via IraqSlogger, which is reporting that MSNBC and CNBC are refusing to air the ads. Of course, CNN and FOX are running them.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Blue is for Boyz, Pink is for Gurlz - It's Scientifikal

From Bad Science:

This week every single newspaper in the world lapped up the story that scientists have cracked the pink problem. "At last, science discovers why blue is for boys but girls really do prefer pink" said the Times. And so on.

The study took 208 people in their twenties and asked them to choose their favourite colours between two options, repeatedly, and then graphed their overall preferences. It found overlapping curves, with a significant tendency for men to prefer blue, and female subjects showing a preference for redder, pinker tones. This, the authors speculated (to international excitement and approval) may be because men go out hunting, but women need to be good at interpreting flushed emotional faces, and identifying berries whilst out gathering.

There are so many things wrong with this study, most of it covered over at Bad Science. And yes, this is Very Bad Science.

Anyone wanna bet if they found out men had a preference for pink, they would say it's because men are programmed to seek out womens' flushed emotional faces and pink labia? (Don't forget the first law of evolutionary psychology: men are motivated by the desire for sex, while women are motivated by the desire for security). And if women showed a preference for blue it would be because of our innate attraction to blue eyes - really, no foolin'! This is fun. We could play this with every color. Men like orange - quick, what does it mean?

Well, I suppose I should get back to gathering my pink fruits and vegetables (how many pink gatherables can you think of?). And my male readers should go hunt us up some blue meat. No excuses, it's in your genes.

Ethiopian govt. accuses Norway of 'destabilizing' region

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ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Ethiopia on Tuesday justified its decision to expel Norwegian diplomats arguing that Oslo was interfering in its internal affairs and destablising the Horn of Africa.

"The reason for their expulsion is Norway's repeated and widespread interference in destabilising the Horn of Africa, and Ethiopia in particular," Bereket Simon, a top aide to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, told AFP.

"This decision is not sudden, we have repeatedly raised the issue with Norwegian officials. We had warned them to refrain from interfering in our internal affairs," he said.

Norway announced Monday it had been informed by Ethiopia on August 15 that Addis Ababa was "dissatisfied" with Oslo's diplomacy in the region and was demanding the Scandinavian country downscale its embassy staff.

Norwegian Junior Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen told AFP on Monday that Addis Ababa had accused Oslo of favouring its arch-foe Eritrea in regional mediation efforts.(More...)

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MR. OBANG METHO ADDRESSES OGADENIS IN MINNESOTA

"The first step is for all Ethiopians to get to know each other as unique people and as fellow human beings, to acknowledge whatever pain and suffering we might have caused each other and then reconcile....I believe that some of these liberation fronts do not really want to break away, but are doing it because their rights are being rampantly violated and they have been denied countless opportunities that are reserved for those few in power."(More...)

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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Govt. orders 6 Norwegian diplomats to leave country
-Norway 'shocked' over diplomatic expulsion
-Homeless being moved out of Addis Abeba in time for millennium
-In Ethiopia Flood survivors struggle one year on
-Horn of Africa neighbours renew border talks
-Texas museum to show Lucy fossil amid criticism
-US Relations with Eritrea continue to Sour
-Gun battles rock Somali capital (BBC)
-Top Ethiopian distance runner Dibaba pulls out of 5,000m
-Ethiopia: A Simple Life? (Opinion)
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Emergency threat in Sierra Leone
-Taliban Agree to Free S. Korean Hostages
-Olmert, Abbas meet in Jerusalem
-French President Calls for Timed Troop Exit From Iraq
-Greek fire drama
(Video)
-Armed forces issue warning on eve of Turkish presidential vote
-'Massive' gem dug up in S Africa

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PACT COULD END ANONYMOUS BLOGGING IN CHINA

Internet companies including Yahoo and MSN have signed on to new government guidelines on blogging in China. An international press-freedom watchdog says the pact will lead to censoring and silencing of those who post their words on computer Web logs.(More...) - [Click here for audio report]

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Video of the Day

A Trailer of an upcoming Documentary Film about the wonders and mystery of Lalibela Ethiopia. By Addis Art & Culture, L.L.C.in collaboration with Addis Film Production - Ethiopia







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Touched by an Athiest

With George Carlin on MAD TV

Monday, August 27, 2007

Three Things to Read - Especially for Women

I'm back in town and trying to catch up on my reading and these three articles crossed my path within a few minutes of each other, and they are tossing around in my head, in a magical cosmic salad of sorts.

I'm too tired to write anything coherent about them at the moment, so without further ado (plenty of ado tomorrow, I promise) I direct your attention to these three posts:

Firstly, check out Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Misogynist, Wrong, from Fundie Watch (who somehow always manages to turn these fundie rants from freaky to funny).

After reading that (yes, I think the order is important), visit a cat and twenty, for in defense of male-bashing... because, well, she's got a point.

And the multifaceted Poor Bashing...the sexualization of poor wimmin is actually the erotic oppression of ALL wimmin from Dark Daughta. This is of particular interest to me, as I'm currently trying to navigate all the political implications of sexuality in my own life.

men... women... relationships... power... sexuality... anger... fear... There's a lot in these articles. So grab a hot drink and get readin'.

Human Rights Group Seeks Accounting of Ethiopian Food Aid

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- Today's Top HEADLINES
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- Video of the Day

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OSAKA - Our athletes, as usual, are dominating the world athletics championships. At the moment Ethiopia is ranked Number 4. Kudos to our athletes!

[See Medal Table]
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Report - An Ethiopian human rights group is demanding that the United States and other international donors monitor the food and financial aid they give to Ethiopia for its impoverished Ogaden region.

As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi, activists say the government has blocked food aid to the Ogaden as it tries to quash a local rebel group.

[AUDIO report]

The Ogaden Human Rights Committee says Ethiopia's government has sparked a humanitarian crisis in the Ogaden and is asking nations from around the world to contribute aid. But it says they must make sure the donations get to the people who need them most.

Last week, the United States announced it is providing nearly $19 million in food assistance for the Ogaden through the U.N. World Food Program. Some money also will help pay for health, nutrition, and livelihood programs.(More...)

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ETHIOPIA SAYS IT WILL ATTEND ERITREA BORDER TALKS

Ethiopia said on Monday it will attend a meeting next week in The Hague to discuss its disputed border with Eritrea, but said its neighbour had made demarcation of the frontier impossible.(More...)

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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Kinijit VP Bertukan presented with 90,000 birr Toyota
-Sekota Businesspeople Want Tamrat Layne Freed
-UN agency warns of flood risks in Ethiopia
-Microsoft Keen to Expand Market in Ethiopia, Africa
-First car assembly in Ethiopia to roll out Abay (Blue Nile)
-Somalia: the most deadly country in Africa for the media
-Wave of attacks launched in Mogadishu
-Kenenisa wins third straight titleKudos to our athletes!
-Mesgana Dancers celebrate heritage, life
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-72 people killed in eastern Uganda
-Embattled U.S. Attorney General Resigns
-Rampaging fires threaten birthplace of the Olympics
-Iraqi leader lashes out at his critics in US Senate
-10 held over Russian journalist's murder
-Narcotic khat dominates Djibouti life

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MERKEL'S CHINA VISIT MARRED BY HACKING ALLEGATIONS

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to China has been overshadowed by a report claiming that the Chinese government has been hacking into computers in Merkel's chancellery and three other Berlin ministries.(More...)

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Video of the Day

Dibaba wins in miracle fightback

"That was the hardest race of my life," Tirunesh Dibaba told reporters. "I had terrible stomach pain and then I was so far back I thought it would be impossible to come back. "But I did it for my country. I was struggling but I told myself to hang in. I didn't want to let down the people back home in Ethiopia." (Aug. 25, 2007)



(VIDEO - This past Saturday, Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia made an astonishing recovery to win a dramatic women's 10,000 metres)





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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Ethiopian govt. to press Ogaden campaign despite criticism

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINESUpdated
- INTERNATIONAL newsUpdated
- Special Coverage: Burma Crackdown**
- Picture of the Day
- Tribute to Aleka Ayalew Tamiru (Tewodros Abebe)

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NAIROBI, Aug 23 (Reuters) -The Ethiopian government, facing low-level, armed opposition in most corners of the country, shows no sign of letting up in a ruthless drive against rebels in the remote Ogaden region.

Government soldiers are accused of burning homes, seizing livestock and killing civilians in the toughest crackdown yet on insurgents in this near-forgotten part of the vast Horn of Africa country.

(Picture - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi)

Rights groups say abuses escalated in Ogaden when the government launched its campaign two months ago to root out separatist insurgents who attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration field in April, killing 74 people.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has branded rebels of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) as "terrorists" bankrolled by arch-foe Eritrea.

Shrugging off pressure from the West, which fears the conflict may further destabilise the Horn, Meles asserts his right to rid the region, bordering lawless Somalia, of the ONLF's "cold-blooded murderers". "No stone will be left unturned," he has vowed.(More...)

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ETHIOPIAN AMERICAN CIVIC ADVOCACY (EACA) CALLS FOR A SENATE HEARING ON THE OGADEN

The Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA) calls upon the international community to demand for the immediate halt to the atrocious and gross human rights abuses taking place against Ethiopian civilians in the Ogaden by the Ethiopian authoritarian regime.(More...)

[Request a Senate Hearing on the Ethiopian Ogaden Crisis]


[AUDIO] NPR'S IN-DEPTH REPORTING ON LUCY’S (DINKINESH) TOUR

The Lucy exhibition has been praised by some as a coup for Texas and denounced by others as the reckless exploitation of one of humanity's most famous ancestors. Renowned paleontologist Richard Leakey even called it a form of prostitution.[Listen]

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Today's Top HEADLINESUpdated

-US Announces Emergency Aid to Ethiopia's Ogaden
-Hugo Chavez to visit Addis Abeba
-Ethiopian govt. upset by U.S. bill
-Statement from the US state department
-Pakistan appoints new envoy to Ethiopia
-Gunmen kill another journalist in Somalia
-Ethio-Eritrea Conflict Fueling Somalia Crisis
-Insurgents Attack Mogadishu Police Stations
-Ethiopian find pushes split back millions of years
-Ethiopia's Dibaba seeks slice of history in Osaka
-Ethiopia's millenium and Chinese technology

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STOCKHOLM: CELEBRATION OF THE ETHIOPIAN MILLENNIUM EVENT SCHEDULE

RESPONSE TO GARY KLEIN OF DLA PIPER
(Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam)

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INTERNATIONAL NEWSUpdated

-Sudan tells EU and Canadian envoys to leave
-Firms Helped US Government's Warrantless Wiretaps
-Ex-Pakistan PM aims to bring down Musharraf
-ETA marks end of ceasefire with car-bomb
-Iran shuts barber shops for 'Western' hairstyles
-Rich Russian tries to buy U.S. bomber at airshow
-Kibaki refuses to sign proposed media law (Admirable!!)

Special Coverage: Burma Crackdown**

-US Condemns Burma's Crackdown - AUDIO
-BBC: Junta break up Burma protests - VIDEO
-Junta squashes more protests in Yangon
-Reuters:BURMA demo crackdown - VIDEO

Picture of the DayPosted again by popular demand



Click to enlarge
(Traditional court in the oromia region where the Oldest Man Serves as Judge. Ethiopia. L Herbert 1966)

Ethiopia, long considered the cradle of mankind, is also credited by scholars as having developed one of the first egalitarian systems in Africa, thanks to the rich culture of the Oromo.

Professor Donald N. Levine writes;

"The institutions of the gadaa system promoted an ethos of egalitarianism in many ways.....Gadaa structures political relations in an anti-authoritarian direction. It does so through the regular circulation of elites, such that no ruling class is in power for more than eight years....In the gadaa system, hereditary and elected leaders serve complementary but separate roles. Leaders are elected for a single term of finite length, with the expectation that they will turn over the reigns of governance smoothly to a properly appointed successor cohort.(OROMO NARRATIVES)

-Learn more about the 'Gadaa' system

Tribute to Aleka Ayalew Tamiru

(By Tewodros Abebe)



Dear reader, as you probably have heard by now, Aleka Ayalew Tamiru, the renowned theologian and scholar, passed away last Sunday at age 83. Click here to read tribute to Aleka Ayalew by poet Tewodros Abebe.




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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Media Watchdog Criticizes Ethiopia's Press Freedom

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day

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Response to Gary Klein of DLA Piper
(Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam)
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International media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, has criticized the Ethiopian government for its inconsistent approach to press freedom. On Saturday, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi conditionally pardoned four journalists who had previously been given long prison sentences.

As Malcolm Webb reports from Nairobi, the media watchdog say that the journalists' release does not suggest a move toward more press freedom in Ethiopia.

[Click here for AUDIO report]

The Paris-based group says it welcomes the release of the four Ethiopian journalists. The journalists had been convicted in July of crimes relating to their coverage of the post-election unrest in 2005. They were given prison sentences ranging from four to 15 years after waiving their defense and pleading guilty, in anticipation of being granted a pardon.

But the group says it is regrettable that they were freed because of what the group believes was the prime minister's wish, not because of the outcome of a fair trial. A senior researcher at Reporters Without Borders, Vincent Brossel, said the Ethiopian government's inconsistent actions are destroying the credibility of the country's justice system, and that their release does not signify any move toward press freedom.(More...)

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GLOBAL WARMING MAY EXACERBATE WATER CONFLICTS

(Washington Post) - "The potential for conflict is more than theoretical. Turkey, Syria and Iraq bristle over the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt trade threats over the Nile. The United Nations has said water scarcity is behind the bloody wars in Sudan’s Darfur region. In Somalia, drought has spawned warlords and armies."(More...)

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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Study says Ethiopian volcano killed 5, displaced 2,000
-Amnesty criticises Czech weapons sales to Ethiopia and others
-World IT Forum opens in Ethiopia
-Cisco to Replace ETC's Poor Broadband Connection
-Ethiopian Jews situation draws look from federation reps
-Missing link fossil extends family tree
(A team of scientists in Ethiopia have uncovered fossil evidence for a new species of great ape)
-Puntland, Somali Government Rift Grows over Oil Resources
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in review)

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STOCKHOLM: CELEBRATION OF THE ETHIOPIAN MILLENNIUM EVENT SCHEDULE

Democratic Uncertainty in Ethiopia (Report/Study by Lahra Smith, professor at Georgetown University, for The United States Institute of Peace, USIP)
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

-Some 10,000 flee Congo to Uganda
-Iraq Prime Minister Rebuffs U.S. Criticism
-Olmert bans mobiles in meetings
-Venezuela Congress OKs Chavez's Reforms
-Democracy Rally Held in Myanmar (Burma)
-Myanmar (Burma) arrests dissidents, squashes fuel protests
-Georgia says Russia again violates airspace
-Paging Mr. Indiana Jones


Picture of the Day

Yes, we here at ETP can't get enough of the ‘Awra Amba’ story. This is because it offers a glimpse into what Ethiopians are capable of and could contribute to the world, if given half the chance. Ethiopia’s untapped reservoir of history, knowledge, culture and natural resources have the potential to benefit not only its citizens but also the entire world. The purging of guns from Ethiopia's political system is what the country primarily needs to really blossom.

(Picture - Awra Amba Kids MOTO)
Kids in Awra Amba are well educated in ethics and morality. The above roughly translates to: " MOTTO: We, kids, will not touch other peoples money. If we find it on the ground, we will return it to the owner. By working together with unity and compassion, we will be productive. Our peaceful lives will nourish.")

-More pictures from AWRA AMBA
-AWRA AMBA: ONE MAN'S MODEL FOR A JUST SOCIETY
-Ahmed Teshome's single - 'AWRA AMBA' (Music)





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Monday, August 20, 2007

AWRA AMBA: ONE MAN'S MODEL FOR A JUST SOCIETY

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day

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Democratic Uncertainty in Ethiopia (Report/Study by Lahra Smith, professor at Georgetown University, for The United States Institute of Peace, USIP)
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AWRA AMBA, ETHIOPIA - He can't read or write, but Zumra Nuru created a society that would have made Karl Marx proud. The 60-year-old Ethiopian farmer founded and cochairs Awra Amba, a commune where men cook, women plow, and religion has no place.

His inspiration came from his childhood: He was sent to the fields instead of to school and beaten for eating meat at his Christian neighbor's home.His mother had to work much more than his father.

"It made me sad," says Mr. Nuru. "When I asked my parents about it ... they acted as if I were foolish."

In the 1980s, Nuru finally launched the egalitarian society he dreamed of with 19 other people who adopted his vision. Today Awra Amba has some 400 members and is lauded as a model to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality in a country where women generally hold a subservient status to men.

The experimental community first came to national awareness when Nuru gave an interview on national television a few years ago. Since then numerous camera crews have driven out to the northern village. They are not alone.(MORE...)

Also:
-Enjoy Ahmed Teshome's amharic single - 'AWRA AMBA' (Music)

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TWO ANTI POVERTY CAMPAIGNERS REMAIN IN ETHIOPIAN PRISON

Two civil society activists, Daniel Bekele, 40, of ActionAid Ethiopia and Netsanet Demissie, 29, of the Organisation for Social Justice in Ethiopia, remain in prison in Addis Ababa despite the release of 31 opposition supporters.(More...)

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Today's Top HEADLINESUpdated

-FREED ETHIOPIANS DESCRIBE THREATS (Washigton Post)
-Chancellor Merkel to visit Ethiopia (Capital)
-PM Meles’s Interview with Dimtse Woyane radio(ethiomedia)
-Statement on the Ogaden (Civic, media organizations)
-Preventable diseases kill 300000 children in Ethiopia (UNICEF)
-Expelled Eritreans seek damages from Ethiopia
-Eritrea says U.S. must change policy in Horn of Africa
-Mogadishu blast wounds four near peace talks venue
-Will AFRICOM be an Impetus for Changing US-Africa Trade Policies? (Analysis)
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in review)

INTERNATIONAL NEWSUpdated

-Gaddafi son unveils reform plan
-Obama Calls for End of Cuba Embargo
-U.S. academic held in Iran freed on bail
-EU agrees to resume fuel supply to Gaza
-Anger At Plight Of 181 Miners In China
-Greatest Mysteries: Where is the Rest of the Universe?
-5,000-year-old piece of chewing gum discovered


Picture of the Day

(Asegedech Asefa, the First Ethiopian Woman pilot)

The First Ethiopian Woman pilot Asegedech Asefa, in an interview with Talk Show host Nigist Abate, shares incredible experiences from her fascinating life as a pioneer in the aviation field.

[Video] Asegedech: First Ethiopian Woman pilot




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Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Week in Review

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Also:
- Weekend News and Updates

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The Week in review

TOP STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK

Weekend News and Updates

31 MORE CUD MEMBERS FREED

The Ethiopian authorities have pardoned at least 31 opposition members detained after post-election violence in 2005. They were jailed along with 38 senior figures - who were freed last month - from the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy.(More...)

CUD Leaders Forging a United Front

Talks between Temesgen Zewdie and the party's recently released former leaders led by Birtukan Mideksa ended up in agreement to work towards realizing the unity of the party and strengthen it further.(More...)

-CUDP LEADERS EXPECTED IN THE U.S. AUGUST 29 (Via EMF)
-Eritrea rejects US accusation of terrorism
-Armed clan feud in Somalia kills 16
-East African Nations Creating Regional Peacekeeping Force
-Chinese flocking in numbers to a new frontier: Africa






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Friday, August 17, 2007

Visiting the East Coast


lighthouse in maritimes
Originally uploaded by liyen (Incognito till August 24th)

Trippin to Halifax and area, leavin' today. Likely this will be a 10 day blog break, barring visits to internet cafes. Everyone play nice while I'm gone and if you have suggestions about where I should go, leave 'em in the comments. :)

-U.S. CONSIDERS PUTTING ERITREA ON TERRORISM LIST

(How would this affect ERITREA? -- Countries determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws: section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. Taken together, the four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions. Designation under the above-referenced authorities also implicates other sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors.) Source: US department of State

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Papua New Guineans Apologize for their Ancestors' Killing of Four Missionaries

Is it just me or does this make you angry too?
The descendants of cannibals in Papua New Guinea, who killed and ate four Fijian missionaries in 1878, have said sorry for their forefathers' actions.

They held a ceremony of reconciliation, attended by thousands, in the East New Britain province where the four died.

The missionaries were part of a group of Methodist ministers and teachers who arrived in 1875 to spread Christianity.

Their murder three years later, by the Tolai tribespeople on the Gazelle Peninsula, sparked angry reprisals.

The head of the mission, English pastor George Brown, avenged the killings by taking part in an expedition that resulted in the deaths of a number of tribespeople and the torching of several villages.

Ten commandments

Candles were lit in remembrance of the four killed missionaries as thousands attended the ceremony in East New Britain.

Fiji's High Commissioner in PNG, Ratu Isoa Tikoca, accepted the apologies on behalf of the descendants.

"We at this juncture are deeply touched and wish you the greatest joy of forgiveness as we finally end this record disagreement," he said.

PNG's Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane praised the early missionaries for making the country Christian - and called for more people to follow its guiding principles.

"I wish many people could follow the 10 commandments, but they still steal today and commit adultery," he said.

"There is a big increase in HIV/Aids cases in the country because of adultery, despite knowing its wrong."


I wonder if the church ever apologized for what it did to the peoples of Papua New Guinea? For one thing, missionaries were heavily involved in the colonization of the island, helping to open up the island to Europeans. From the US Department of State: "Traditional Christian churches proselytized on the island in the nineteenth century. Colonial governments initially assigned different missions to different geographic areas."

Papua New Guinea has been passed around from colonial ruler to colonial ruler, broken up, stitched together, broken up again. Informal racial segregation was the norm until recently. It still has some of the most intact indigenous cultures left in the world, and one of the lowest rates of urbanization. The vast majority of the population depends on subsistence agriculture; they live off the land.

Unfortunately, the exploitation of the people and the resources of the island continue. Mining and mineral production make up a huge portion of the economy, but this is devastating the land and the indigenous peoples who depend on it. A good old Canadian company, Barrick Gold, is just one of those pursuing destructive gold mining.

Oh, and about HIV/AIDS... From Human Rights Watch:
Public shaming of sex workers as 'AIDS carriers' prevents people from seeking HIV-related services for fear of being stigmatized. Police continue to harass persons possessing condoms, including by forcing individuals to chew and swallow condoms and their plastic wrappers. Such responses deter condom use and undermine desperately needed HIV/AIDS prevention work by NGOs and the government.


And a group of indigenous Papua New Guineans is made to apologize for killing 4 missionaries over a hundred years ago? People, this is a prime example of the internalization of colonialism through humiliation and shame.

Interesting how those with power rarely apologize for horrible past actions and yet those without do.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

India: After 60 Years of Independence, Indians Still Resisting Colonialism

Today, India marks 60 years of independence with the usual: song, celebration and speech.

But despite 60 years of formal independence, India remains burdened by global empire as British capital continues to exploit poor communities in its former colony.
Centuries after Britain's East India Company -- the world's first multinational -- faced protests in London, a group of villagers continue the tradition of resistance.

Read more at Lessons of Empire: India, 60 Years After Independence, a Corpwatch special.

Ethiopian Police Say They Have Foiled Terrorist Plot

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day

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[AUDIO] - RESPONSE from the OLF and the Eritrean govt. on the terror accusation
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Police in Ethiopia say they have prevented a rebel group called the Oromo Liberation Front from carrying out a plan to bomb public buildings and assassinate officials in the Ethiopian city of Nazareth.

VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi reports Ethiopia's government in Addis Ababa also accuses neighboring Eritrea of sponsoring the alleged plot.

[Click here for AUDIO report]

The state-run Ethiopian News Agency reports that members of the national police anti-terrorism task force have detained a number of people they believe had responsibility for coordinating and carrying out the plot.

The news agency says police confiscated nine explosive devices, 12 fuses, and an AK-47 assault rifle during the arrests.(More...)

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SOMALIA TO CREATE IRAQ-STYLE "GREEN ZONE"

The Somali government is trying to create a Baghdad-style safe "Green Zone" in Mogadishu to protect senior officials and foreign visitors from insurgent attacks.(More...)

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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Jijiga - In the shadow of Ethiopia's rebels
-ETHIOPIA TO MARKET NATURAL LOW CAFFEINE COFFEE
-Iodine deficiency threatens mental health of Ethiopian kids
-Israel: ETHIOPIAN KIDS REFUSED admission to school
-Eritrea - how to lose friends and influence people
-Somalia: UN holds back troops
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK
(The Week in review)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

-Rwanda anger at Congo rebel move
-US set to declare Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group
-Israel's Netanyahu wins re-election as Likud chief
-Pakistan warns U.S. on damage to relations
-Mafia Massacre? Six Italians shot dead in Germany
-Fake dentist's 29-year career


Picture of the Day

Picture - Erta Ale ( also spelled as Arta Ale , Herta Ale ) is one of the spectacular and unique places in Afar- Ethiopia ( May be in the world ). It is the most active isolated shield Volcano in Ethiopia famed for its long-standing lava lake activity.This volcano is situated in the Danakil depression of Northern Afar along the NNW-SSE trending Erta Ale range.

Arta Ale Erupts

Arta Ale volcano in northeastern Ethiopia's Afar region erupted during the weekend, leaving two people missing and forcing hundreds to flee, said reports on Wednesday.(More...)

'Picture of the day' archive is now ready for viewing. Click here and enjoy pictures and articles previously posted on this segment.



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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

All The News That's Fit to Draw: A Comic Interlude

A Tribute to our favourite Master of Ceremonies by Tom Toles :


That darn liberal media by Mikhaela B. Reid :


Condom ads to slip by the censors, from Slowpoke Comics:


All this good news makes me feel giddy and gay by Greg Fox:


A meditation on comeuppance by John Cox

Mogadishu fighting kills 31 in 24 hours

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- 'Picture of the Day' Archive

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MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Heavy fighting between Somali government forces backed by Ethiopian troops and insurgents in Mogadishu has killed at least 31 Somalis and wounded 60 in the past 24 hours, a human rights group said on Tuesday.

"The killings were from gunshots and explosions in different parts of the city," the head of Elman Human Rights Group, Sudani Ali Ahmed, told Reuters. "It is totally unacceptable and ... against human rights."

[Click here for Audio report] - Yesterday was one of the bloodiest days in Mogadishu]

In one incident, Ethiopian soldiers opened fire on a bus full of civilians, killing 10 people and wounding several others, Ahmed said. "This was the most ugly attack," Ahmed said. "Six people died instantly and another 14 were wounded, four of whom died."

Ethiopia denied carrying out the bus attack. "This is a baseless accusation, as usual," Ethiopian Information Ministry spokesman Zemedhun Tekle said in Addis Ababa. "We would never open fire on civilians like this."

A European Union security expert and U.N. arms monitors have both said Ethiopia carried out attacks on civilian targets in past anti-insurgent offensives in Mogadishu. At a hospital near the scene of the attack, Deq Hayr Olad, 24, said he remembered the bus being sprayed with bullets, some of which hit him in the left leg.(More...)
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Africa's Future: The "cheetah generation" (Interesting speech by Ghanaian economist George Ayittey)
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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Assault on the Judiciary Contd. (EZ)
-Petronas coming to Ethiopia's Ogaden
-SOMALIA TO CREATE IRAQ-STYLE "GREEN ZONE"
-All sides in Somalia Deny Committing War Crimes
-Somalia: UN holds back troops
-TOP STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK (The Week in review)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

-Deadline to end Malawi deadlock
-Israel warns Europe over Hamas-Fatah talks
-Terrorism suspected in Russian train blast
-Cannons and anxiety as Pakistan celebrates 60
-Aid urgently needed in N Korea
-Cash-Stuffed Suitcase Splits Venezuela and Argentina
-Pot Bellies (BoRch) Point to Heart Risk
-Biker fails to notice missing leg


'Picture of the Day' Archive

'Picture of the day' archive is now ready for viewing. Click here and enjoy pictures and articles previously posted on this segment.



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