Venting off

The authorities in Ethiopia allowed an opposition protest to take place in Addis Ababa yesterday. Perhaps this is the first legal protest held in Ethiopia since 2005, I am not sure. Regardless, it should be regarded as a positive development if the ruling elite may have come to the realization that allowing their subjects to vent off their grievances in a peaceful way is a good thing for all concerned. 

And then there are subjects who hold scary thoughts like the view expressed by a young person quoted in the article at the above link. Here is what he said:

"I don't care about politics. I don't care if they (the ruling party) rule forever but I would die for my religion," said a young protester who would only identify himself as Ahmed. "I am here to demand the release of our representatives . we won't stop until they are free," said Ahmed.

I am afraid this is not an uncommon sentiment in the Muslim community. The young man is totally justified in protesting against the unfair imprisonment of his religious representatives, but his talk of "I will die for my religion" while at the same time he shows no concern at all to the political condition of his country should be a big concern to all Ethiopians.

US vs. China in Africa

The Benghazi-IRS-AP scandals

This cartoon by Jerry Holbert cleverly captures the scandals that are engulfing the Obama Administration. Here are some good reads on each scandal: Benghazi, IRS and AP. All these scandals arose out of the re-election campaign of Obama. Here is an article that ties the Benghazi and AP Phone Records scandals: A Tie of Two Scandals.

Konso: Terracing and Moringa

I had seen pictures of Konso terracing before, but never a video documentary on it. There is a lot other people can learn from the Konso about terracing and the medicinal value of the Morinaga tree. This video comes to you courtesy of the Konso Cultural Centre.

Lelisa is the man!

Lelisa Desisa Of Ethiopia Wins Boston Marathon Men's Race

What is marriage? Seriously!

It is truly a sad moment in human history that we are forced to debate what marriage is, but here we are. This paper from the Heritage Foundation titled "Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It" gives a thorough answer to the question, and I highly recommend that you read it in its entirety. Here is a quote from the paper:

Marriage is the fundamental building block of all human civilization. The government does not create marriage. Marriage is a natural institution that predates government. Society as a whole, not merely any given set of spouses, benefits from marriage. This is because marriage helps to channel procreative love into a stable institution that provides for the orderly bearing and rearing of the next generation.

This understanding of marriage as the union of man and woman is shared by the Jewish, christian, and Muslim traditions; by ancient Greek and roman thinkers untouched by these religions; and by various Enlightenment philosophers. It is affirmed by both common and civil law and by ancient Greek and roman law. Far from having been intended to exclude same-sex relationships, marriage as the union of husband and wife arose in many places, over several centuries, in which same-sex marriage was nowhere on the radar. Indeed, it arose in cultures that had no concept of sexual orientation and in some that fully accepted homoeroticism and even took it for granted. 

As with other public policy issues, religious voices on marriage should be welcomed in the public square. Yet one need not appeal to distinctively religious arguments to understand why marriage—as a natural institution—is the union of man and woman [emphasis mine].

Abstract

Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need a mother and a father. Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage; it rejects these truths. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. By encouraging the norms of marriage—monogamy, sexual exclusivity, and permanence—the state strengthens civil society and reduces its own role. The future of this country depends on the future of marriage. The future of marriage depends on citizens understanding what it is and why it matters and demanding that government policies support, not undermine, true marriage.

Coronal Rain

NASA released this beautiful video of the solar flare that happened in July of 2012 a couple of months ago. Enjoy!

A Talk by Raymond Jonas on the Battle of Adwa

Prof. Raymond Jonas is author of the book The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire from Harvard University Press.

Physicians Galore!

This report by PRI from a couple of months ago is very surprising to me. The last time I checked (which was about ten years ago) there were only 3 medical schools in Ethiopia: Addis Ababa (Black Lion), Gondar and Jimma. Now there are 13! Ethiopia was producing about 300 doctors in 2005 and that number is slated to rise to 8000 by 2015. This is a 2567% increase! It is good that the government is trying to expand healthcare training, but this level of expansion will only come at a huge cost to quality of training as the report alludes. I guess the golden days of Ethiopian medical education is history.

Kudos to Mekane Yesus Church!

http://www.eecmy.org/

EECMY Terminates her Partnership Relations with ELCA and CoS

The 19th General Assembly of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, held from January 27 to February 2, 2013, passed several important resolutions related to the life and ministry of the Church including election of leaders, formation of a Judiciary Commission, establishment of new synods and above all, fellowshipping in prayer and worship. Among the agenda items that received endorsement of the General Assembly were issues related to marriage and human sexuality – topics that extensively called the attention of the Church’s policy-making bodies at different levels, over the past several years.

It is recalled, earlier in 2006, two of the major partners of the EECMY, namely the Church of Sweden and later, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, passed decisions that favor Homosexual practices and blessing of same sex marriage. The EECMY noted this as a surprise and immediately reacted against and earnestly requested for reconsideration of their decisions. To the contrary, these two Churches, going further, resolved to legalize same sex marriage and calling of gay persons into ordained ministry. As a result of this, the EECMY was compelled to engage with an intentional theological reflection and deeper search of Scripture as well as legal and cultural perspectives of the Ethiopian Context. The outcome of this study was critically reviewed and taken as the basis for the decisions of the 6th Church Council — which resulted in the writing of Pastoral Call to the two Churches to reverse their decisions, lest the EECMY would be forced to terminate her relationship, with prior notification of one year as per the Standard Partnership Agreement. Sadly, the repeated endeavors of the EECMY on this line, failed to obtain the expected positive response from the two Churches.

Subsequently, the Council of the Church at its 8th regular session held in July 2012, was obligated to implement the decision of the 6th Council, i.e. termination of the partnership relations and setting of exit strategy to realize the decision. Having heard and thoroughly reviewed the report presented on the actions so far taken on this Issue, the 19th General Assembly of the Church unanimously endorsed the Resolution passed by the 8th Council.

Being cognizant of the fruitful and long-standing relationships with the ELCA and the CoS, the EECMY expresses her very deep and sincere appreciation of their historic contributions in God’s Mission.

We will continue to pray that, one day, the relationships will be restored.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)
February 11, 2013
Addis Ababa

When Dr. Ben Carson speaks...people listen

The Armenians of Ethiopia

Sheka Forest

Only less than 3% of Ethiopia is covered with high forest! A greater portion of this forested area is found in the south west part of the country. This is where Sheka Forest is located, and the story in the video below is about how the Shekacho people, assisted by a local NGO, are attempting to reclaim and rejuvinate the forest.

This Music is Good for You - IX

A great song, a beautiful video, a superb delivery. This is Eyerusalem (Jerri) Negiya, a rising star in the Ethiopian Christian music scene. Simply the best Ethiopian song of the past few years!

America will survive this bad decision

Congratulations to the redistributor-in-chief and his supporters. They campaigned on more of the same policies of the last four years that did not bear fruit, but they have won. What this means is that, with two distinct choices in front of them, Americans chose more government dependence and higher taxes as a solution to their problems.

Mitt Romney would have taken us on a different path, a path where the government's role is limited in size and scope and a government that stays clear of stifling economic growth. Romney had the experience which uniquely qualified him to help rekindle the animal spirits of the American economy, but that was not to be.

There were many other important issues on which voters based their decisions, but the economy was the most important. We shall see what happens in the coming months and years, but I believe America will survive this bad decision by an electorate that has increasingly become more dependent on government. One way or another, this trajectory must and will be reversed. May God Bless America!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (The Bible)

A little lesson from the Gipper

A little lesson from the Gipper on why socialism (redistribution of wealth) does not work. Funny and instructive.

To my Wisconsin friends...

A week from tomorrow, you will be casting your vote to help decide who our next president will be for the next four years. There are a few states, including yours, where the incumbent (Mr. Obama) and the challenger (Mr. Romney) are closely contesting the election. All of them are important, but Wisconsin is more important for the same reasons that you re-elected your governor, Scott Walker, a few months ago in that closely watched recall election. By giving Mr. Walker a bigger margin of victory than he got when he was first elected in 2010, you gave him a clear mandate to continue his reforms efforts to bring fiscal sanity to Madison. It's now time to bring that kind of fiscal sanity to the federal government in Washington, DC.

Thanks to your decision, Wisconsin has become a model state in reforming the role and size of government. You showed the nation that it is critical to check the power of labor unions and reign in on their unholy alliance with politicians. You have also made the principle of living within one's means a cool idea and gave us hope that our elected officials will embrace this principle as their governing credo. Isn't it immoral for our governments at all levels to spend far beyond the ability of its citizens can afford? America needs your help to reverse the out-of-control spending habits of our federal government. Help us by voting for the challenger on November 6th. As a bonus, you will get your favorite son, Paul Ryan, to be our next vice-president and play a critical role in reforming our national government.

Same speeches, same promises

The old proverb "Fool me once, shame one you. Fool me twice, shame on me." is apt for those of us who voted for this guy in 2008.

Quotes from Thomas Sowell

A disorganized opposition

Ambassador David Shinn, a former US ambassador to Ethiopia, and Jennifer Cooke, Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies discuss the leadership transitions in Ethiopia and Somalia. Find it here.

I am in agreement with their analyses that the Ethiopian opposition is disorganized and is unable to present a cohesive alternative vision for Ethiopia.