aqumada

As many other well intentioned people, the only way I have been contributing to help alleviate poverty (specific consequences of poverty) has been through the minute amount of funds that I donate through civil society groups or other organizations. I am not sure, however, if the money I donate actually is able to make an impact on the lives of those I intend to help. I am sure many have felt or feel the same way as I do. I have started to question the role AID plays to improve the livelihood of the poor. My feeling is that AID that does not go for capacity building and self sustaining long term investments will only play the role of keeping recipients dependent on others.  

What got me to think about this topic? I just started reading "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits" by C. K. Prahalad. Prahad argues that the majority of the people in the world who live in poverty (4 billion of the world population lives on income less than $1500 a year) are latent market opportunties that multinationals and investors have failed to recognize. He further argues that this potential market with a huge aggregate buying power offers investors who think outside of the box a perfect opportunity to generate profits. In return, the poor can benefit from the investments and will be able to improve their lives. Prahad offers many statistical information as well as case studies to support this argument.

Coming back to me...

For the past few years I casually have been thinking of owning and running my own business. I have come to realize that businesses or organizations founded for a purely altruistic reasons  may not be enough to motivate me to do my absolute best. There has to be something for me, the investor as well.  I would like my investment to have enough rewards to let me take total control of my life. At the same time, I would like my work to impact the lives of those who are less fortunate than I am in a positive way.

As I progress through the book, I will post more stuff...

I managed to write a rudimentary Amharic enabled chat client/server application. This was an experimental program I wrote to investigate how to programmatically process Ethiopic scripts. The chat client has the capability to accept user inputs via a graphic user interface and broadcast the message to all the chat clients that are connected to the server. My next step is to translate one of the more popular inter relay chat (IRC) clients into Amharic.

If there is anyone who is interested in developing an Amharic enabled software application (or has an idea for a project), please feel free to contact me.I will soon have something to download and use.

Here is the screen shot of the chat client. There are two users (yekolotemari and Meri-Geta). This is the view Meri_Geta would have.

American beauty is one of my favorite movies. It is a story of an extreme case of a mid life crisis. I am sure many have felt the way Kevin Spacy was feeling in the movie at some stage in their life. I am now at the point that I feel my life is turning into a series of predictable routines.  I haven't, however, quiet reached at the stage where I smoke pot, work at McDonoald, and, listen to Pink Floyd… although I think Pink Floyd rocks;-)

For most of us, what dictates our existence is the pursuit to acquire more and more material wealth. The idea of measuring the quality of life based on the amount of wealth we manage to acquire, has been engraved in our conciseness. Most of us do not even question such a tenuous notion. What is the wisdom of working 8 to 5 until half of my teeth fall off? Energy, that could have been, wasted on a cause without purpose. Is it to own a 1400 square feet shack at some obscure corner of the world that will only prevent me from venturing out and experiencing life? Perhaps, I am one of the billions of people who live to facilitate such a life for others higher up on the wealth echelon…

I should start taking a risk. I should start believing in the power that I would be able to survive anywhere anytime. This is where perhaps lessons learned in school and life should come in handy. Such lessons should not be used to enslave myself. They should be tools used to facilitate even more dreams and happiness.

Happy Birthday To me!

Shut up…. I am still youngJ

Tagel Seyfu is one of my favorite Ethiopian poets (along with Yoftahe Negussie and Kebede Michael). The first time Tagel's talent made an impression on me was when he was a regular on the radio's Sunday morning  program ("ye ehud program") in the 1980's.  Tagel was no more than a high school age then…Even then, his poems had this unique power to transcend age and sex. Not only younger kids such as myself were mesmerized by them but I remember adults admiring his unique talent.

Tagel's poems have gone through a major transformation since then. While his humor has become more subtle, the messages and technique of his writing have immensely matured. The way Tagel manages to assemble simple words to describe his ideas reminds me of  the famous poet Kebede Michael. What makes Tagel unique from most other Ethiopian writers is his ability to relate to a wider audience (be it poetry fans or others) through his humor and simplicity.

Tagel has recently started producing "poetry videos". This, in a sense, enables him to reach an even larger pool of fans who would not have read his poems otherwise. A piece entitled "Japanawi Hamer" is the only piece I actually had a chance to watch and I thought this piece was extremely creative and funny. Other than poetry, Tagel is also a very good writer of short stories. I have read a couple of these in the "efeta" (compilation of writings by famous writers) series of books and I thought they were fantastic.

There have not been many good writers coming out of lately. I hope the works of Tagel Seifu and other talented writers will encourage others to follow Tagel's path.

http://www.zincbar.com (the bar)

http://www.kofothewonderman.net/index.htm (the band)

An intelligent and reasonable friend who just got back from Ethiopia gave me some insight into what has happened in Addis during the past week. I inquired about who was behind the initial AAU students protests and this was her response…

It was most likely not CUD who instigated the students to rise. The students felt that they had to hold protests early because they thought that once they left Addis after their finals, it would be difficult to speak with a united voice. According to her, leaflets were dispersed [by the students] expressing the intention to hold a peaceful protest. CUD officials who learned these developments were urging the students to show restraint via the Voice of America (VOA), Deutsche Welle (DW), and, the private news papers. Apparently those were the only media outlets that the opposition had the opportunity to voice its views and communicate its messages. That explains why journalists from those news services were stripped of their license to work in Ethiopia. According to my friend, many people felt that the students gave EPRDF the excuse to justify its crackdown on the opposition and those who regarded the early election results with suspicion.

According to the latest reports, an MP-elect (UEDF) from Arusi Negele has been fatally shot by the police. I read that the constitution requires another election to be held if an mp dies before taking office (not verified). Five dormitories at Gondar university were set ablaze earlier… Ethiopians are still in a tense mood…

I will come back with more updates after I speak to other friends who just got back from Ethiopia.

I originally wrote this poem in 2001. The recent killing of 36 students makes this poem even more relevant now. For those who forgot this story, I have attached an article that was published on 27 of April 2001 to remind  readers the cicrumstances that led to the killing of innocent students then. It is not to say there were not other killings between 2001 and now. For example, many were killed in awassa and later in Gambella. I think we should denounce those killings as much as we are denouncing the killings in Addis.

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Ethiopia: Students killed in brutal police attack

By David Rowan
27 April 2001

Ethiopian Special Forces police opened fire on a peaceful protest organised by students at Addis Ababa University (AAU) on April 18, killing at least 41 people and wounding 250.

Reports state that most of those who died were students and unemployed youth who had joined the demonstration in support of the university students' demands.

Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the police for using "excessive force against students and demonstrators," and said that hospitals in the city were finding it difficult to cope with the number of injured.

Tensions have been high since the University Administration disbanded the Student Council last December and banned the student newspaper.

On April 10, around 4,000 students began boycotting classes and demanded their right to freedom of association. They called for the removal of armed police stationed on the campus, for the reinstatement of the Student Council and the resumption of publication of their newspaper. The students told reporters that they felt intimidated by the police presence on campus, and that the police would order them to disperse if they attempted to gather in groups to discuss issues.

The students' boycott on April 10 was followed by days of police violence directed against peaceful demonstrations that began to spread across the city to other universities and schools in support of the AAU students.

One report by the Reuters news agency described how some student dormitories "were spattered with blood after the clashes, with gunshot holes in the walls".

Another eyewitness report said that the police action at the Menelik Secondary School was "brutal" and stated that the police "engulfed the school, beat students and fired shots".

Clashes between police and demonstrators continued over a number of days outside AAU, with demonstrators directing their anger at government buildings, smashing windows and setting fire to cars with government number plates.

A meeting took place on April 16 between student leaders and the Minister of Education, Genet Zewdie. At this meeting, Zewdie, who is also the President of the University Senate, issued an ultimatum ordering students to resume classes by 12 noon on Wednesday April 18. If any student refused to comply with this order, she stated, it would be seen as an act of "voluntary withdrawal" from the university and such students would not be allowed readmission.

It was agreed by the Education Minister that police would be withdrawn from campus and be replaced by security guards, but students were angry that Zewdie would give no specific date when this would take place.

Before the noon deadline had expired on April 18, Special Forces police stormed the AAU campus, beating and firing at students. Police also raided surrounding churches and mosques, dragging students out who had sought refuge there and loading them onto military wagons. Press reports also state that the police stormed the homes of workers living in the Arat Kilo area that is situated near the university, and beat women and children.

Thousands of students were arrested and are being held in a police training centre in the village of Sendafa, 38 kilometres (25miles) northeast of the capital Addis Ababa. Hundreds of parents have travelled to the village from all over Ethiopia in a desperate attempt to find out if their children are alive or dead.

Student protests in Addis Ababa are one expression of deep and widespread discontent felt by the Ethiopian population towards the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and its dominant party the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).

<snip>

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/apr2001/ethi-a27.shtml

I am a big fan of Elvan AbeyLegesse. Along with Meseret Defar, Tirunesh Dibaba, and, Gelete Burika, I think she is one of the most phenomenal young middle/long distance runners of the time. Elvan made a name for herself when she set the 5000 meters world record to light two weeks after running 3:58:28 in the 1500 meters. This was an incredible performance considering the fact that many thought no one would even come close to it after the Chinese runner Jian Bo originally run the distance in the world record time of 14:28.09 (controversial circumstances). Not only Elvan broke it but she shaved a whapping 4 seconds off of it. 

Elvan is extremely unpopular among many Ethiopians in Diaspora as well as in Ethiopia. It is remembered that the Ethiopian federation went as far as banned her from training in Addis prior to the Athens Olympics (even though her whole family resides there). Many Ethiopians view her choice to represent Turkey as unpatriotic.

I do not think Elvan is a traitor or unpatriotic. In fact, I consider her rise to success to be an incredible source of pride. I think her story is an Ethiopian immigrant success story.  I do not hold the belief that athletes have a special obligation to Ethiopia. She, as many of us in the Diaspora, made the most difficult choice of abandoning her homeland to seek for greener pastures that would give her better opportunities in life. In Elvan's case, it is perhaps this difficult choice that paved the way to her success. 

The bouncy petite girl from Addis will always remain an Ethiopian. She never indicated otherwise. In the mean time, no matter who she represents competing in athletics, I will continue admiring and supporting her.

Here is a snippet of Elvan's bio…

She was born as Hewan Abeye on September 11, 1982 in  Addis Ababa. She began her career in running cross country. In 1999, Hewan started for the Ethiopian junior team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Belfast. There, she was invited for a meeting in Istanbul. She liked it there very much so she stayed. "My track club in Turkey gave me all the support I needed. So I decided to move to Turkey. The support was much better in Istanbul. I thought it would be easier to reach my goals in Turkey."

Personal best time:

Discipline Performance Place Date

1500m 3:58:28 Moscow, Russia May 30, 2004

2000m 5:33:83 Istanbul, Turkey June 7, 2003

3000m 8:31:94 Brussels, Belgium August 30, 2002

5000m 14:24:68 Bergen, Norway June 11, 2004 world record

10000m 32:29:20 Tunis, Tunisia September 12, 2001

It is a ghastly hot and humid afternoon. The weather channel website says that the temperature is 93 degrees around where I live.  I went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and I can say that it feels more like 120 degrees. There is an extreme heat warning from 12 noon to 6pm I do not want to go home as I am afraid my air conditioner will not be enough to cool down the whole apartment…What a bummer! I was just starting to enjoy the weather!

I have been thinking about buying a house for the past year and half. The cost of housing in northern New Jersey has soared to ridiculous levels. I have finally decided not to spend unreasonable amount of money to own a home that I would not be happy with. I have done quiet extensive research that led me to hold on to buying a house.

1. Most current buyers (as much as 25%) are investors who are looking to make profit rather than use the houses as primary residences. This has created a higher demand for housing driving prices up.

2. The current mortgage to rent ratio is higher than its historical value (2.7 vs 3.4 ???). This implies that one actually can rent a property for a lot lower amount than he/she would have to pay by purchasing it. Buying based on the speculation that the house would appreciate in value may be risky (look at #3). Even if the value appreciates, the amount one would save by renting a similar property is so high that one can put the difference into an equity market and be able to come out with greater amount of savings (taking tax saving into account as well).

3. Most buyers assume that real-estate values could never go down. This is a fallacy. As witnessed in Japan real estate values could go into decline for many continuous years. Thus, no one knows if there is a real estate bubble around the corner. In Japan's case, real estate values have been in decline since the early 90's.

4. Even if all my assumptions are wrong, I could always move to a less expensive city and buy a descent house for an amount I could easily afford. Atlanta, where the headquarters for the company I work for is situated, would be an example.

You should look at the so-called half a million dollar houses in Bergen county. The house that my parents paid under 200,000 for in a small vibrant city in Illinois is a lot bigger and nicer than most. If I pay half a million, I better be living in heaven ...