Joke of the day

A biology teacher wished to demonstrate to his students the harmful effects of alcohol on living organisms. For his experiment, he showed them a beaker with pond water in which there was a thriving civilization of worms. When he added some alcohol into the beaker the worms doubled-up and died. "Now," he said, "what do you learn from this?" An eager student gave his answer. "Well the answer is obvious," he said "if you drink alcohol, you'll never have worms."

J'Accuse!

By Alemayehu G/Mariam No alternative in the opposition," they whispered anonymously. What a disgusting phrase to use in justifying support for a ruthless dictatorship? That is apparently the scuttlebutt on Embassy Row in Addis Abeba. Reuters' Barry Malone reported last week, "Most Western governments want Meles to continue because there is no alternative in the opposition. As long as the elections are semi-democratic, they'll probably stay quiet, keep giving aid, hope for liberalisation of the economy and leave full democracy for later." Is this the ultimate proof of the triumph of Western moral relativism, hypocrisy and skullduggery in Ethiopia and Africa? Is this the new 21st Century Western paradigm of moral capitulation and appeasement of evil? Is the West going to a moral hellhole in a hand basket?...Read more

Joke of the day

Two farmers were discussing politics and the first one says: "I believe in a share and share alike policy. One where we are all equal." "Well" replied the other farmer "I'm not sure about that. What you mean is that if you have two horses you'd give me one?" "Of course" says the first. The second farmer continued: "and if you had two cars, you'd give me one of them too?" "Absolutely" "So" says the second farmer, "if you had two pigs then you'd give me one of them?" "Ah, now hang on a minute" says the first, "you know I've got two pigs!"

Joke of the day

My husband, Phil, and I had stopped by my father's house on the way to a friend's funeral. During the visit, my husband spoke about the man who had died, saying, "You know, I had a feeling I should have called him last week, but I didn't. The next time I have that feeling, I'm going to do it." Later Dad saw us to the door. As we said our goodbyes, he muttered to my husband, "And don't call me."

African Desert Rift Confirmed As New Ocean In The Making

African Desert Rift Confirmed As New Ocean In The Making Scientists from several countries have confirmed that a 35-mile-long rift in the desert in Ethiopia will eventually become a new ocean, according to LiveScience . Researchers discovered the gigantic crack in the desert in 2005 . At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. A new study, published in the latest issue of Geophysical Research Letters , suggests the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea...

Ethiopia opposition says nearly 450 members jailed

* Parties say arrests are politically motivated * One party says seven members murdered in a year * Government says it will investigate names By Barry Malone ADDIS ABABA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Ethiopian opposition parties say nearly 450 of their members have been jailed to stop them running as candidates in national elections in May next year. Documents given to Reuters by four opposition parties listed the prisoners' names, the dates on which they were arrested and the jails in which they were being held. One party, the All Ethiopia Unity Organisation (AEUO), has recorded seven murders of members over the last 12 months that it says were politically motivated. "These jailings are to stop our members running in elections," Gizachew Shiferaw, deputy leader of the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party, told Reuters. "It has become a strategy for the ruling party. Ethiopia is a one-party state." Most analysts say the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) will easily win the 2010 elections -- but opposition parties say that is because government harassment will stop their members contesting. The authorities strongly deny the claims and say only criminals have been arrested. "Nobody has been imprisoned or killed for political activity, to my knowledge," Bereket Simon, the Ethiopian government's head of information, told Reuters, adding that the authorities would further investigate the documented names. "Our preliminary investigation indicates that these people are engaged in real crime," he said. "We can't release criminals because they are opposition members." NO CHANCE OF WINNING Bereket said the opposition was trying to discredit the electoral process because they realised they had no chance of winning in 2010. This week, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and three opposition parties agreed a set of rules for the elections. Police and soldiers shot dead about 200 protesters after the opposition accused the government of rigging elections in 2005. Along with the AEUO and the UDJ, the other two parties who gave Reuters lists of detainees were the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) and the Oromo Peoples' Congress, who have been refused permission to form an alliance. Most of those listed are ethnic Oromos who, despite being Ethiopia's largest group, have not held power in modern times. Meles comes from the Tigryan ethnic group, who make up only 6 percent of the population but dominate the political elite. Another three parties told Reuters members were regularly arrested and held briefly to scare them off registering for the polls. Those parties have not yet begun documenting the cases. Photographs seen by Reuters show vandalised buildings in small towns outside the capital Addis Ababa that the opposition says are their regional offices. Ethiopia has never had a peaceful transition of power. Meles took over in 1991 after a rebel group led by him and others overthrew a communist regime. (For related analysis, click on [ID:L1641132] For a factbox on the Ethiopian opposition, [ID:nLT93901]) (Editing by Daniel Wallis)

Alemayehu G. Mariam: Famine and the Noisome Beast in Ethiopia

Alemayehu G. Mariam: Famine and the Noisome Beast in Ethiopia

Posted using ShareThis It is hard to talk about Ethiopia these days in non-apocalyptic terms. Millions of Ethiopians are facing their old enemy again for the third time in nearly forty years. The Black Horseman of famine is stalking that ancient land. A year ago, Meles Zenawi's regime denied there was any famine. Only "minor problems" of spot shortages of food which will "be soon brought under control," it said dismissively. The regime boldly predicted a 7-10 percent increase in the annual harvest over 2007. Simon Mechale, head of the country's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency, proudly declared: "Ethiopia will soon fully ensure its food security." For several years, the regime has been touting its Productive Safety Net Programme would result in ending the "cycle of dependence on food aid" by bridging production deficits and protecting household and community assets. Famine and chronic food shortages were officially ostracized from Ethiopia. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/famine-and-the-noisome-be_b_339467.html

Ethiopia's Meles agrees to election rules

Ethiopia's Meles agrees to election rules

Joke of the day

Farmer A bus load of politicians were driving down a country road one afternoon, when all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer's field. Seeing what happened, the old farmer went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians. A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus, and asked the old farmer, "Were they all dead?" The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them politicians lie."

RFI - Ethiopian troops cross border into Somalia

RFI - Ethiopian troops cross border into Somalia Several hundred Ethiopian troops crossed the border into neighbouring Somalia at the weekend, accompanied by Somali pro-government fighters. They arrested villagers and kept them for questioning. The Ethiopian army was withdrawn from Somalia in January. Shared via AddThis