Saturday, March 31, 2012

Ethiopian wins Bridge Run

A 21-year-old from Ethiopia won the 35th annual Cooper River Bridge Run Saturday.

Solomon Deksisa crossed the finish line with a time of 29:37.
The women’s winner was 33-year-old Janet Cherobon-Bawcom of Rome, Ga., with a time of 33:01.
The race started nearly an hour late because of delays transporting runners from Charleston to Mount Pleasant.
It was one of the more bizarre days in the race’s 35-year history. The 10K race began in 1978 and is the sixth-largest road race in the country.
Bridge Run officials capped this year’s race at 43,000 participants, including runners and walkers. That’s up from 40, 0000 last years, and from 766 finishers in the race’s first year in 1978
Complete Bridge Run results will be available on www.postandcourier.com, and in the print edition of the Sunday Post and Courier.
http://www.postandcourier.com

Kenenisa Bekele becomes longest record holder


The Ethiopian-born kenenisa Bekele has become the 5000- and 1000-meters’ athlete to keep the records for the longest time in history.

The Ethiopian-born kenenisa Bekele has become the 5000- and 1000-meters’ athlete to keep the records for the longest time in history.



Last Wednesday, Bekele had kept the records for 2850 days thereby beating the Finish Paavo Nurmi record’s of 2849 days.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist is 29 and he said he wishes to remain at the higher levels for at least seven years.

Ethiopian Great Tirunesh Dibaba Leads Women's Field at Carlsbad 5000


Carlsbad, Calif. -- March 30, 2012 -- Reigning Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 meter gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba will return to the Carlsbad 5000 for the first time since 2005 when she equaled the world record at the 'World's Fastest 5k'. On Sunday, Dibaba will take another step in her bid to repeat as a double Olympic champion, leading a strong international women's field at the 27th running of the Carlsbad 5000.

The 26-year-old Dibaba took home a bronze medal at the Olympics in the 5,000m in 2004, has won world championship gold in the 5,000m in 2003 and 2005, and also captured world championship gold in the 10,000m in 2005 and 2007. Off the track, she's won five IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

This will be Dibaba's fourth Carlsbad race, and like in most of her other competitions; she has had good success here. She made her Carlsbad debut in 2002 as a 16-year-old and finished an impressive second to Deena Kastor's then world record of 14:54. A year later, she placed third when Berhane Adere equaled Kastor's world mark. In 2005, Dibaba finally won at Carlsbad, breaking the tape in 14:51 and matching Paula Radcliffe's then world road record.

Dibaba's mark was the 15th world record broken or tied at Carlsbad since its inception in 1985. The total now is 16, including Ethiopian Meseret Defar's current world record of 14:46 here in 2006, along with eight U.S. records, and numerous national and age-group marks, hence why Carlsbad is known as the "World's Fastest 5K." Defar established the current world mark of 14:46 in 2006 and Kastor set the U.S. mark of 14:54 in 2002.

Despite the presence of defending champion Aheza Kiros of Ethiopia (who also won in 2009 and was the runner-up in 2010) and a contingent of other strong international competitors, Dibaba is an overwhelming favorite in Sunday's race.

"This is a very important year for me as I prepare to defend my Olympic titles," she said. "I'm very excited to be returning to Carlsbad this year as I build up to London 2012. I have great memories of racing here. It was one of my first races outside of Ethiopia back in 2002. Carlsbad has had many great champions and I'm proud of my win here. I'm so happy to return as an Olympic champion and world record-holder and I will try my best to win another title. After a tough 2011 with injuries and setbacks, it's been great to get back to racing. I'm happy to be back on track again. Carlsbad is perfect for my next step back."

In addition to Kiros, the women's field includes Kenya's Pauline Korikwiang, who finished second at Carlsbad last year; Ethiopia's Gotytom Gebreslase, the World Youth Champion over 3000 meters who recently finished second to Defar at the New Balance Boston Indoor Games 3000m in February; and Ethiopia's Werknesh Kidane, who was third at Carlsbad in 2002 and has five bronze medals from the World Cross Country Championships.

"There are four or five women who can challenge Dibaba, but if she's at the top of her game, she'll be tough to beat. She's always tough to beat," said Matt Turnbull, elite athlete coordinator for the Carlsbad 5000. "The pinnacle of the sport is to get the Olympic champion to come to your race and she's the undisputed No. 1. It's a great feather in our cap to get her to come to our race. She's a true global champion."

The elite field of world-class athletes will be joined by the best masters runners in the U.S. for the 27th running of one of the marquee events on the international road race circuit. Race day begins at 7:05am with the Masters Men 40 and over, the first of nine races that will take place throughout the morning. The elite women's race starts at 12:17 pm.
http://www.runnersweb.com

Ethiopian Servant Fails In Her Bid To Commit Suicide


KUWAIT CITY, March 30: An Ethiopian housemaid attempted in vain to commit suicide by jumping from the second floor of a building in Salmiya.
Securitymen and paramedics rushed to the scene to revive and referred her to Mubarak Hospital for treatment.

የአለም ደቻሳ ቤተሰቦች

 
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ጥላሁን ገሰሰ

 
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Thursday, March 29, 2012

95 illegal Ethiopian immigrants arrested and will serve 6 months jail term


Ninety-five Ethiopians were arrested on Wednesday morning near the Namanga border as they tried to cross to neighbouring Tanzania.

The middle-aged men were in a lorry, which they had abandoned in favour of walking as they tried to escape detection by border officials.

When questioned by police, they revealed they were headed to South Africa for ‘greener pastures’.

Kajiado deputy OCPD David Mburugua said the men were nabbed by police and Kenya Wildlife Service officials on patrol at the Amboseli National Park.

"They wanted to use a different route through the park into Tanzania when they were arrested. They do not have documents to legalise their presence in Kenya," said Mburugua.

Two of the foreigners escaped on foot as police approached them in the 2am incident. The rest were later driven to Kajiado where they were expected to face charges of being in the country illegally.

Police and immigration officials have decried increased cases in which Ethiopian nationals are nabbed in the country while on transit to either Tanzania or South Africa.

merchants

Most of them are brought to the country by merchants at a fee. Police often face difficulties in dealing with the foreigners because they cannot speak in Swahili and English.

In February, police in Taveta arrested 17 Ethiopians for being in the country illegally. Witnesses said the foreigners had been driven through illegal routes outside Taveta town at night to evade police arrest.

In January 26, more Ethiopians were arrested in Mariakani inside a container on a truck as they were being transported. What has puzzled police is that some of the foreigners are found in possession of Kenya national identity cards.

Police in Nairobi said on Wednesday that they had instructed commanders in the field to ensure the trade was stopped and foreigners returned to their country.


http://www.standardmedia.co.ke

Berklee College of Music to Bestow Honorary Degree to Mulatu Astatke


The Berklee College of Music in Boston annually bestows honorary doctorates to some of the most influential artists in music. This year, they have chosen the Eagles, Alison Krauss and Mulatu Astatke, known as the father of Ethio-jazz.
"> Per Berklee's press release, the degrees are given to recognize artists "for their achievements and influence in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Aretha Fran
klin, Quincy Jones, Juan Luis Guerra, Paco de Lucía, David Bowie, the Edge, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, Ahmet Ertegun, Kenneth Gamble, and Leon Huff."
The degrees will be given at the May 12 commencement ceremony at Agganis Arena at Boston University. In addition, the students from the school will present a commencement eve concert performing the music of the honored artists.

The Berklee press release biographies of the honorees are after the cut:

Mulatu Astatke is an Ethiopian musician (piano, organ, vibraphone, percussion), composer, and arranger. He is known as the father of Ethio-jazz, a unique blend of pop, modern jazz, traditional Ethiopian music, Latin rhythms, Caribbean reggae, and Afro-funk. Born in 1943, Astatke was musically trained in London, New York, and Boston, where he was the first African student at Berklee College of Music. He went on to work with Duke Ellington and other acclaimed jazz artists, found a music school, and open his own club. Astatke's work shepherded in a golden age in Ethiopia's pop and jazz circles from 1968 to 1974. In 2004, he began collaborating with Either/Orchestra, and in 2009, he released an album with the London-based collective the Heliocentrics. Since 2010, Astatke and his band have toured regularly behind Mulatu Steps Ahead, his latest release on Strut Records. For more information, visit Astatke's Facebook page.

The Eagles—Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, and Timothy Schmit—have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, with five No. 1 singles, six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and six No. 1 albums. Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 is the best-selling album of all time, exceeding sales of 29 million units. The band's Hotel California and Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 have sold more than 16 million and 11 million albums, respectively. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Alison Krauss is a bluegrass virtuoso who effortlessly bridges the gap between roots music and country, rock, and pop. A highly sought-after collaborator, she has worked with some of the biggest names in popular music, including James Taylor, Phish, Dolly Parton, Yo-Yo Ma, and Bonnie Raitt. Since signing with Rounder Records at 14, Krauss has sold over 12 million albums and won 27 Grammy Awards, the most for any female and the second most of any recording artist in Grammy history. Her work on films such as Cold Mountain and O Brother Where Art Thou contributed immeasurably to a renaissance in American roots music. Her latest album—recorded with her longstanding band Union Station—is the endlessly impressive Paper Airplane (2011), which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Album charts upon its release earlier this year.
http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/

Yemen frees Ethiopians held by gunman seeking ransom

Ethiopian migrants sleep out in the open near a transit centre where they wait to be repatriated in the western Yemeni town of Haradh, on the border with Saudi Arabia, March 29, 2012.

SANAA: Yemeni police have freed 21 Ethiopian illegal migrants who were tortured by armed men to force their relatives in Saudi Arabia to send ransom money, the government said on Thursday.
The group, which included 14 women, were held in a house in Hajja province near the border with Saudi Arabia, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
"Security forces stormed the building, arresting three of the kidnappers, including two who were torturing the Ethiopians with electric cables and iron chains," it said.
"The Ethiopians said during investigations that their kidnappers wanted to force them to contact their families who are in Saudi Arabia to send money to secure their release."
It said the Ethiopians had been transferred to a U.N. refugee center ahead of repatriation.
Yemen, which has been in turmoil over the past year as protesters forced veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh from power, is a destination point for refugees from Horn of Africa countries although it is one of the world's poorest nations.
Many hope to cross the porous mountain border with Saudi Arabia, an affluent Gulf oil producer.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Scientists discover 3.4 mln year old partial foot in Ethiopia, Newly discovered pre-human walked near 'Lucy'

This is one of the eight foot bones of the new species found in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 2009. (Yohannes Haile-Selassie/Cleveland Museum of Natural History)

Lucy, that starlet among ancient human relatives, may have shared the stage with a hominin very different from herself, a newly discovered fossil suggests.

Out of the Ethiopian desert, researchers have unearthed a rare, 3.4-million-year-old partial foot that resembles those belonging to Ardipithecus ramidus, a species thought to have roamed East Africa a million years before Lucy and other members of her species, Australopithecus afarensis.

The findings, published in Thursday's edition of the journal Nature, provide the first good evidence that another bipedal human relative was still climbing trees at the same time that Lucy and her kind had their feet planted on the ground.

Foot bones are seldom found intact because they're usually too delicate to survive in harsh environments, said Bruce Latimer, a paleoanthropologist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who worked on the study. This makes the new fossil, made up of eight bones from the front part of a right foot, a valuable find — particularly since it has several toes intact, allowing scientists to get a better sense of how the foot operated as a whole.

Lucy's foot shares many fundamental qualities with those of modern humans. Our big toes are large and parallel with the other four, and all are able to bend and push off the ground, making Homo sapiens an excellent walker.

This new fossil, however, has more apelike features and closely resembles that of A. ramidus, whose most famous member is the specimen known as Ardi. These creatures had some adaptations for walking on the ground, but they also sported a foot with a grasping big toe that wasn't very convenient for walking but was excellent for climbing trees. On the ground, Ardi would have shifted her weight to her outside toes, making for an awkward gait in comparison with Lucy.

And, perhaps most surprisingly, the metatarsal bone of the fourth toe was longer than in the first toe — a feature that hadn't been observed in Ardipithecus before.

"When I first saw this, I was shocked by it," Latimer said. Though other hominin species are known to have coexisted at other times, the discovery reveals an unexpected diversity among hominins during Lucy's time, roughly 3 million years before anatomically modern humans first emerged. The fact that different hominin species occupied different niches — one in the trees and one on the ground — may have accelerated Lucy's adaptation to walking rather than climbing, Latimer said.

Still, more bones are needed to get a better sense of how this creature traveled, scientists said.

"You want the rest of the foot," said Daniel Lieberman, a paleoanthropologist at Harvard Universitywho was not involved in the study. "We also need to do research and understand what these variations mean for performance. ... How did these animals walk?"

For now, the scientists can't say for sure that this foot belonged to an A. ramidus because species classifications are determined by looking at skulls, not feet.

But perhaps that's just a matter of time. The geology of the dig site where the foot was found makes it ideal for fossil hunting, said study coauthor Beverly Saylor, a Case Western Reserve geologist.

Sediment first flowed into the Afar region of Ethiopia, burying bones deep in the earth. But as tectonic forces in the region pushed the land back upward, those layers eroded away, leaving the bones under a thin layer that often just needs to be scraped away.

Sooner or later, in that relative abundance of bones, more feet — and perhaps even skulls — should crop up, the researchers said.

"You have to go back and find more fossils," Latimer said. "It'd be beautiful to find a skull or a jaw or a knee or a hip. Any of these things will tell us more about this animal."Lucy, that starlet among ancient human relatives, may have shared the stage with a hominin very different from herself, a newly discovered fossil suggests.

Out of the Ethiopian desert, researchers have unearthed a rare, 3.4-million-year-old partial foot that resembles those belonging to Ardipithecus ramidus, a species thought to have roamed East Africa a million years before Lucy and other members of her species, Australopithecus afarensis.

The findings, published in Thursday's edition of the journal Nature, provide the first good evidence that another bipedal human relative was still climbing trees at the same time that Lucy and her kind had their feet planted on the ground.

Foot bones are seldom found intact because they're usually too delicate to survive in harsh environments, said Bruce Latimer, a paleoanthropologist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who worked on the study. This makes the new fossil, made up of eight bones from the front part of a right foot, a valuable find — particularly since it has several toes intact, allowing scientists to get a better sense of how the foot operated as a whole.

Lucy's foot shares many fundamental qualities with those of modern humans. Our big toes are large and parallel with the other four, and all are able to bend and push off the ground, making Homo sapiens an excellent walker.

በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ስትደበደብ በፌስቡክ የታየችው ሕፃን ማንነት ታወቀ

ትናንትናና ከትናንት በስቲያ በርካታ ኢትዮጵያዊያን የፌስቡክ ተጠቃሚዎች በእናቷ በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ስትደበደብ በቪዲዮ የታየችው ሕፃን ማንነት ታወቀ፡፡

ባለፉት ሁለት ቀናት በበርካታ የፌስቡክ ተጠቃሚዎች የታየው ይህ ቪዲዮ፣ / ሐሊማት መሐመድ የተባሉት ግለሰብ የሦስት ዓመት ሕፃን ልጃቸውን በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ ሲደበድቧት ይታያል፡፡ እናትየው ‹‹ያለቀሽበትን ምክንያት ንገሪኝ፣ አንቺን ብሎ ተማሪ፣ ውሸታም፤›› እያሉ በተደጋጋሚ በጥፊ ፊቷን የሚደበድቧት ሲሆን፣ ደረቷንም ሲመቷት ይታያሉ፡፡ ከዚያም ከፊታቸው ከነበረው ጠረጴዛ ላይ ጀላቲ አንስተው ይመጣሉ፡፡ እንደገናም በጀላቲው ይመቷታል፡፡ በዚህን ጊዜም ሜሮን አስናቀ የተባለች በሞባይል ድርጊቱን የምትቀርፀው ወጣት ከትከት ብላ ትስቃለች፡፡

ከፍተኛ ድብደባ የደረሰባት ሕፃን ግን ድብደባውን የለመደችው በሚመስል ሁኔታ ምንም ዓይነት ለቅሶ በፊቷ ላይ አይታይም፡፡ ሆኖም እናቷ / ሐሊማት ከፍሪጅ ውስጥ በወጣ በረዶ ደጋግመው ፊቷን ይመቷታል፡፡ ከዚያም በዚያው በረዶ ግንባሯ ላይ ያለውን እብጠት ለማጥፋት ሲያሹላት ቪዲዮ ያሳያል፡፡

ለስድስት ደቂቃ አካባቢ የቆየው ቪዲዮ ለሚመለከተው ሰው ከፍተኛ መሳቀቅን የሚፈጥር ነው፡፡ በፌስቡክ ተጠቃሚዎች መካከል ሲንሸራሸር የቆየውን ይህን ቪዲዮ የአፋላጊ ኩባንያ መሥራችና ሥራ አስኪያጅ አቶ ኤፍሬም ተስፋዬ ሪፖርተር ዝግጅት ክፍል ትናንት ጠዋት አምጥተው ሰጥተዋል፡፡ ይህን ድርጊት የፈጸሙትን ግለሰብ ላሳወቃቸው ግለሰብ አሥር ሺሕ ብር እንደሚሰጡ በማስታወቅ በሬዲዮ ማስታወቂያ አስነግረዋል፡፡

ማስታወቂያው በሬዲዮ ሲነገር የቪዲዮው ቀራጭና ቦሌ መድኃኒዓለም አካባቢ በሚገኘው ሴሌክት የምሽት ክበብ ዳንሰኛ የሆነችው ሜሮን አስናቀ ትሰማለች፡፡ ከዚያም ወደ ሸገር ኤፍኤም ሬዲዮ ጣቢያ ታዲያስ አዲስ የዝግጅት ክፍል ሄዳ ቪዲዮውን የቀረፀችው እርሷ መሆኗን ትገልጻለች፡፡ / ሐሊማት መሐመድ፣ ልጃቸውንና ሜሮን አስናቀን መነን አካባቢ ፖሊስ ጣቢያ በሚገኘው ቪዲዮ በተቀረፀበት ቤት አግኝተን አናግረናቸዋል፡፡ እንደ / ሐሊማት ገለጻ፣ ድርጊቱ የተፈጸመው የዛሬ ሦስት ዓመት አካባቢ መሆኑን ተረድተናል፡፡ በወቅቱ ከባለቤታቸው ተለይተው እርሷን ብቻቸውን እንደሚያሳድጓት የገለጹት / ሐሊማት፣ ከምትማርበት ትምህርት ቤት በተደጋጋሚ ወላጅ አምጪ በመባሏ የምትባረር ስለመሰላቸውና ቀን ቀን የሚይዝላቸው ባለመኖሩ ምክንያት በንዴት እንደደበደቧት ገልጸዋል፡፡ በጊዜው በከፍተኛ ንዴት ውስጥ ስለነበሩ ሕፃኗን መደብደባቸውን ገልጸዋል፡፡ ‹‹ከሳምንት በኋላ ንዴቴ ሲበርድልኝ ወደ ሐኪም ቤት ወስጄ አሳክሜያት ጤነኛ መሆኗን አረጋግጫላሁ፤›› የሚሉት / ሐሊማት፣ በወቅቱ ስለተፈጠረው ጉዳይ የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብንና ቪዲዮውን የተመለከቱ ሰዎችን ጭምር ይቅርታ ጠይቀዋል፡፡

አሁን የኬጂ 2 ተማሪ የሆነችው ሕፃን በመልካም ጤንነት ላይ የምትገኝ ስትሆን፣ ምንም ዓይነት ሕመም እንደማይሰማትም ለሪፖርተር ገልጻለች፡፡ ስምሽ ማነው ስትባል፣ ‹‹My name is . . . ›› በማለት የምትመልሰው ሕፃን፣ ከዚያ በኋላ ብዙ ተገርፉ እንደማታውቅና ስታጠፋ ብቻ እንደምትቀጣ ገልጻለች፡፡

ቪዲዮውን የምትቀርፀው ወጣት ሜሮን ሕፃኗን ለምን ከድብደባው እንዳላስጣለቻት ስትጠየቅ፣ ‹‹ብዙ ጊዜ በስልኬ ቪዲዮ የመቅረፅ ልምድ አለኝ፡፡ በወቅቱም ቪዲዮውን ቀርጬ ለእናቴ ለማሳየት ፈልጌ ነው፤›› በማለት ምላሽ ሰጥታለች፡፡ በቪዲዮ ላይ በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ የምትስቀው ወጣት ሜሮን፣ ‹‹ደብዳቢዋ ጀላቲ እየመጠጠች ምን ያህል እንደተቃጠልኩ አንቺ አታውቂም?›› በማለቷ ነው የሳቅኩት ብላለች፡፡ ቪዲዮውን ከስልኳ ውስጥ የወሰደችባት የሥራ ባልደረባዋ እንደሆነችም ሜሮን ገልጻለች፡፡

ሕፃኗን ከእናቷ ጋር ባገኘናት ወቅት ተደባዳቢዋ እናት፣ ‹‹በአዲሱ ሚሊኒየም የሕፃናት ደህንነት የሁላችን ኃላፊነት ነው፤ የሚል ቀይ ቲሸርት ለብሰው ነበር፡፡
http://www.ethiopianreporter.com

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Jah Lude HagerBet ጃ ሉድ "ሃገር ቤት"


          ወዳጅ ወዳጇን አብዛው…ጃ ሉድ “በሃገር ቤት”



Jah Lude Feyamo ጃህ ሉድ ፋያሞ



Ethiopian Engineer Yonas Tadesse Developed Robot Jellyfish that Runs on Hydrogen, Oxygen in Water


Researchers at University of Texas at Dallas and Virginia Tech in Blacksburg have developed an autonomous undersea vehicle inspired by the common jellyfish that runs on hydrogen and oxygen in the water. The team, led by Dallas engineering professor and first author Yonas Tadesse (pictured left), published its findings this week in the journal Smart Materials and Structures (free registration required).

The Robojelly, as they call the vehicle, is constructed of two bell-like structures made from silicone that fold like an umbrella. Connecting the structures are connectors acting like muscles that contract to move. These “muscles” are made of a nickel-titanium alloy wrapped in carbon nanotubes, coated with platinum and housed in a pipe.

The new self-powered Robojelly is an upgrade of a previous invention that was battery-powered. In the new device, the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen atoms encounter the platinum in the muscle-connectors, with heat and water vapor created as a result. That heat causes a contraction that moves the muscles of the device, pumping out the water and starting the cycle again.

“We’ve created an underwater robot that doesn’t need batteries or electricity,” says Tadesse. “The only waste released as it travels is more water.”

The U.S. Office of Naval Research funded the study. The prototype device is expected to evolve into a system used for surveillance and detecting pollution. Tadesse says the next step in the project will involve refining the legs of the Robojelly to move independently, allowing the device to travel in more than one direction.

The following video shows the Robojelly in motion.
http://sciencebusiness.technewslit.com

Ethiopian Student in Seattle Gains Computer Skills to Make a Better Life for his Family


Tuesday, March 20 was a special day for 28-year-old Mesfin Yeshewawerk, and not just because it was the first day of Spring in Seattle. Mesfin was celebrating his completion of the Airport University computer skills class he took with 19 other logistics and transportation employees who work at Sea-Tac International Airport.
Mesfin was born in Addis Ababa, located in the center of Shewa state of Ethiopia. He moved to Seattle seeking work in 2010, and soon found himself employed at Sea-Tac Airport. To make ends meet, he works two jobs: as an aircraft cabin cleaner and as a wheel chair attendant, giving arriving and departing passengers a cheerful lift around the busy airport.

iv class="MsoNormal"> Mesfin found that the classes offered by Airport University were easy to attend, because they were offered at his workplace and during convenient times. Airport University, a program of Port Jobs, is a partnership with Highline Community College and South Seattle Community Colleg
e, and is funded, in part, by the Port of Seattle. Airport University’s classes are offered at no cost to income-eligible airport employees, and provide students with college credits as well as valuable workplace skills.
This isn’t the first time Mesfin has reached an educational milestone. He first graduated from college in 2006 from the Harer Kombolcha A.T.V.E.T College in Ethiopia where he studied animal sciences. Mesfin’s Airport University instructor, Mary Turla, says Mesfin is a strong example of the type of highly motivated individuals who attend Airport University to acquire the skills they need to make a better life for themselves and their families. Turla and Highline Community College instructor Susan Taylor were thrilled to see 20 students earn Business Technology credits this quarter.
“Mesfin is well on his way to reaching his goal of improving his computer and English language skills,” says Turla. “I am excited to see Mesfin walk in the Highline Community College’s commencement ceremony for their Business Technology certificates in June. He will end his Airport University coursework with 15 college credits under his belt – that represents a full quarter of transferable college credit! There’s no doubt in my mind that our investment in him will produce an asset to his employer and a stronger economic future for his family.”
Mesfin is leaving his future career options open. “I do want a different job in the future. Maybe with computers, maybe nursing or health. I am learning computer skills for the future ... I used to be scared of the computer. Before this class, the computer and I are strangers. First class, we say hi to each other. After next class, we are cousins. Now, computer and I are brothers!”
The next round of Airport University classes begins on April 3, 2012. Turla encourages Sea-Tac Airport employees to drop in during their lunch hour to find out more or call 206-787-7501 to sign up. Students may join classes as late as April 17.
Port Jobs readies workers for the Port of Seattle economy, including SeaTac Airport. Their mission is to make good jobs easier to get and good employees easier to find within the transportation, logistics and construction sectors. Since its creation in 1993, Port Jobs has served more than 78,400 community residents, helping fill more than 12,300 job openings with airport employers and in the skilled trades.
http://www.prweb.com

Liya Kebede: from Desert Flower to queen of the jungle


Ethiopian top model Liya Kebede is to star in a French film for children set in an imaginary South American country.
In what is perhaps an effort to counteract all that posing for cosmetics giant Estée La
uder, top model Liya Kebede has put the serious pouting on the backburner and made a film for children.
Sur La Piste Du Marsupilami (On The Trail of Marsupilami) is a French film based on a series of Belgian comic books set in the fictitious South American country of Palombia (a portmanteau of Colombia and Paraguay, geddit?). The marsupilami is also an imaginary animal - or is it? That's what characters Dan Geraldo, reporter, and his local guide Pablito are on the hunt to find out.
But who should they encounter on their trip? None other than the beautiful Queen Paya, played by 34 year-old Kebede.
There was no language barrier for New York-based, Ethiopian-born Kebede while making the film, as she studied at a Franco-Ethiopian school in her native country, and kick-started her modelling career in Paris. The movie premiered in the French captial last night, ahead of its April 4 release. Naturally, the statuesque Kebede towered over her comic co-stars.
L-R: Liya Kebede, Aôssa Maôgan, Alain Chabat and GÈraldine Nakache at the film's Parie premiere
No stranger to the silver screen after taking a starring role in the 2009 adaptation of Desert Flower, the autobiography of Somalian model Waris Dirie, Sur La Piste Du Marsupilami is arguably perfect entertainment material for her two young children to see their mother in action.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Mahfouz charged in contributing to death of Ethiopian worker


BEIRUT: Beirut’s general prosecutor has charged Ali Mahfouz with contributing to and causing the suicide of Alem Dechasa-Desisa, the Ethiopian domestic worker who committed suicide after a widely publicized beating outsider her consulate.

A judicial source told The Daily Star that Mahfouz was charged Thursday, adding that he is not currently in custody.

A video released by LBCI earlier this month showed Dechasa-Desisa moaning as a man, later identified as Mahfouz, dragged and forced her into a car. Mahfouz reportedly owns her employment agency.

Another man helped Mahfouz, as others stood by. According to Ethiopia’s consul general in Lebanon, Asaminew Debelie Bonssa, the incident took place two weeks before it became public on March 8.

Doctors told Bonssa that Dechasa-Desisa hanged herself using strips of her bed sheets on March 15 while at to Pyschiatrique de la Croix Hospital, known as Deir al-Salib. Police took her to the hospital after the incident.

Mahfouz has told media outlets that Dechasa-Desisa had previously attempted suicide.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Ethiopian girl in Yemen waits to go home -- others are not so lucky


Every day on World Now, we choose a striking photo from around the world. Today we were arrested by this shot of a little girl waiting to be evacuated from Yemen and taken back to her home country, Ethiopia.

Others may not get that chance. The International Organization for Migration says it is short on funding to help stranded Ethiopian migrants return home, forcing it to stop unless new money is found.

Ethiopians and other East African migrants pass through the town of Haradh, where this girl was photographed Wednesday, as a stepping stone to Saudi Arabia, the group said. Many end up being stranded in Yemen or deported back there from Saudi Arabia or other Arab destination countries.

The Times reported on the flight of Somali and Ethiopian refugees to Yemen two years ago:

The roughly 200-mile passage to Yemen from port cities and fishing villages in Somalia and the shorter voyage from Djibouti are treacherous. For two days, refugees are crammed shoulder to shoulder in creaking boats -- nothing more than 30-foot wooden dinghies.

Along the way, they face high winds, deadly storms, pirates and possible detention by the Yemeni coast guard or international anti-piracy patrols. Many are women and children. Some are raped, beaten or thrown overboard by smugglers wary of being caught if they deliver their human cargo too close to shore. Untold numbers disappear at sea.

Some African migrants have been kidnapped and tortured in Yemen until their families send money, the humanitarian news network IRIN recently reported. A local Yemeni news website published some photographs of the victims earlier this month. (Warning: These images are graphic.)

The migration group says that more than 400 people are now packed into a transit center for migrants who want to go home. The shelter was built for 150. It estimates that 12,000 stranded migrants, mostly from the Horn of Africa, remain in Yemen, suffering diseases and wounds inflicted by smugglers.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

First Generation Ethiopian American Wins North Carolina Spelling Bee


A first-generation American, whose mother came to North Carolina barely speaking English, bested 31 other students Sunday to win the 72nd annual Winston-Salem Journal Regional Spelling Bee.

Nejat Alkadir, a seventh-grader at Ledford Middle School in Davidson County, spelled "suggestible" correctly to clinch the win and earn a trip to the national finals in Washington, D.C. She went back and forth with second-place finisher Dharani Govindasamy of Guilford County. Then he tripped over "twoling," which is a type of crystal.

"He was really smart," an ecstatic Nejat said after the contest. "When he missed the word, I knew that was my chance."

Nejat and her family will head now to the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals. Perhaps just as important: Her dad's going to buy her a cellphone, he said, as a reward.

"She's got a good mind," said father Aminu Alemu, who also noted that, in Ethiopian culture, children take the father's middle name instead of the last.

"God give it to her," Alemu said. "I'm very proud."

So were Nejat's self-described "American grandmothers," Judy Austin and Jane Schrum. They met Nejat's family through a church program more than a decade ago and beamed as Nejat hugged her new foot-and-a-half trophy.

"We were just amazed at her ability to pick up reading," Austin said. "At 3½, she was reading."

Students from 32 school systems, including home schools, area private schools and charter schools, competed in Sunday's competition, which was sponsored by the Winston-Salem Journal and Truliant Federal Credit Union. Bee words ran the gamut, from the fairly simple — "condor" was the opening word — to the downright arcane.

"Sansei," a Japanese-based word for the "son or daughter of nisei or kibei parents who is born and educated in America" was a word in the fourth round, according to the spelling bee's list of words and definitions. "Quisling," a Norwegian word for traitor, popped up four words later.

Spellers got both of those right. But "batik," an Indonesian method of hand-printing textiles, spelled the end for one contestant.

There were an unusual number of words this year of Japanese and Arabic origin, according to pronouncer Robin Richards, who has been reading words to local spelling bee contestants for nearly 20 years.

Odd words with Greek and Latin roots are expected in spelling bees.

But this year "hafiz," a Muslim who knows the Quran by heart; "Quatari," a native of Qatar; and "mihrab," the part of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca; all came out within 13 words of one another.

"I was surprised," Richards said.

None of this particularly helped Nejat, whose family speaks Amharic, not Arabic. Nejat speaks only English, though she said she understands Amharic. She said she studied two or three hours a day to prepare.

Other spellers said they kept to a similar regimen, which made it that much harder to go home early. Returning champion Amanda Arenella was particularly disappointed.

Her first, and only, word: "grabble." It means to "move the hand in a groping fashion," and several people in the audience thought the word was "grapple."

Arenella, who represented the Iredell-Statesville school system, spelled "gravel," even though Richards read her the word's definition.

Arenella said she didn't understand what word she was supposed to spell, and she hoped the judges would give her a second chance. After a short conference, they did not.

"Harsh," she said.
http://www2.journalnow.com 

Ethiopia seeks full investigation into suicide of maid beaten in Beirut


Ethiopia is lobbying Lebanon to investigate fully the death of an Ethiopian housemaid who killed herself after being beaten on the street in Beirut.

In the video, Dechasa is seen being violently dragged along the street by a man and forced into a car. One man screams at her, "Get into the car" while another is seen helping to force Dechasa into the back of the vehicle.

She was taken to the Pyschiatrique de la Croix hospital, known locally as Deir al-Salib, after the incident, and was found dead there last Wednesday morning, apparently having hanged herself using strips torn from her bed sheets.

The Ethiopian consulate has launched legal proceedings against the man identified in the video as the owner of the employment agency who brought Dechasa to Lebanon. The man was questioned by police but later released. The consulate is pressing the authorities to carry on investigating her death.

"We had a meeting with the general prosecutor," Asaminew Debelie Bonssa, Ethiopia's consul general in Lebanon, said. The consul visited Dechasa in hospital a few days before she died.

"We urge [the authorities] to co-operate and to investigate this case," Bonssa said. "We have requested the highest body possible to investigate, and are asking for the investigation to be done as soon as possible. He should not have used force on her. I am just so deeply shocked and sorrowful about her death."

Dechasa, 33, left her hometown of Burayu, a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, in search of work overseas. According to Bonssa, her husband had left her for another woman, and had taken custody of her three children.

"There are not many ways to earn a living where she is from. She was not in a good situation there, and left to try to make her and her family's life better," Bonnsa said. "She arrived here about two months ago via Sudan. The owners of the agency who brought her here came to us and said she was mentally unstable, and that they wanted her to be sent her back. When I saw her in hospital, she was very upset about this.

"She had borrowed money from a neighbour in Ethiopia to pay to come to Lebanon, and she came here with the ambition to send money back to her family. She was worried if she was sent home now she would not have been able to repay her neighbour."

The hospital did not return any calls regarding Dechasa's mental health.

Ethiopia banned domestic workers from travelling to Lebanon three years ago because of the lack of legal protection, but many still come, through agents that help them travel through third countries to bypass the regulations.

There are around 200,000 foreign domestic workers in Lebanon, and reports of physical, sexual and mental abuse are widespread. Ali Fakhry, of Lebanon's Anti-Racist Movement, which campaigns for better rights for migrant workers, says many pay as much as $3,000 (£1,900) to agents to get here, and then find themselves kept as virtual slaves. There is no law protecting domestic workers in Lebanon.

"They are told to come to Lebanon, a multicultural country where you can practise your religion freely. They are told it is more like Europe here than the Middle East, and they will get Sundays off for church," Fakhry said. "When they get here, their passports taken away from them, their wages are withheld, and they are often kept as prisoners, not allowed out of the home. Many are physically and sexually abused, and there is nothing to protect them. It is a system of slavery."

A report by Human Rights Watch found that one migrant worker dies in Lebanon every week, from suicide or other causes. "The police do not investigate any reports of abuse," Fakhry said. "The authorities must take responsibility for domestic workers in this country. This just can't go on."

A source from the ministry of justice in Lebanon said a case against the man identified in the video was pending.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 

Video footage of Alem Dechasa being attacked outside the Ethiopian consulate in Beirut was broadcast on Lebanese television two weeks ago, causing outrage in the country about the mistreatment of the thousands of migrant workers in the country. 

Monday, March 19, 2012

Ethiopian raped by taxi driver


Kuwait: A search is currently ongoing for a taxi driver accused of raping a female customer in Kuwait City. The Ethiopian woman said the suspect stopped at a remote location instead of taking her to her destination. In her statement to Salhiya police station officers, she said he sexually assaulted her before kicking her onto a street nearby. A case was filed for investigations.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Firehiwot Dado win NYC Half Marathon


New York City Marathon champion Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia won the NYC Half on Sunday.

Kenya’s Peter Kirui was first in the men’s race.

Dado finished the 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 8 minutes, 35 seconds. New Zealand’s Kim Smith was second, 8 seconds back. American Kara Goucher was third in 1:09:12.

The 24-year-old Kirui is best known as a pacesetter for professional marathoners. He won in 59:39, beating Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga by 9 seconds. Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia was third.

Meb Keflezighi, who won the U.S. men’s marathon Olympic trials in January, was 13th. Desiree Davila, who along with Goucher qualified for the London Games in the women’s race at trials, was ninth.
http://www.nydailynews.com 

Friday, March 16, 2012

Vigil for Alem Dechassa Outside Lebanon Embassy in D.C.

A vigil to mourn Alem Dechassa’s death was held outside the Lebanon embassy in Washington D.C. on Thursday, March 15, 2012.

Washington, D.C (TADIAS) – A crowd of Ethiopians gathered in front of the Embassy of Lebanon here in Washington D.C. on Thursday morning for an hour vigil to mourn and protest the death of 33-year old Alem Dechassa, the Ethiopian woman that was violently mistreated outside the Ethiopian embassy in Beirut as shown in a viral video last weekend.
“I admire her resilience in resisting her abusers,” said Ephrem Amsalu, who drove with his friends from northern Virginia. “She is a true hero who put a spotlight on this enormous crisis.” He added: “I am here to show my deepest gratitude to her heroism and to express my concern about her sudden death a few days after the attack.”
Ms. Meseret Hassen of Silver Spring, Maryland also attended the event. “I am confident the Lebanese government will do the right thing,” she said. “I hope this uproar will continue until we come up with solid solution and I would also hope that the Ethiopian government would strengthen its relationship with its citizens abroad, particularly domestic workers in Arab countries.”
Ato Teklemichael Abebe spoke on behalf of the crowd. “Thank you for giving us this opportunity to listen to our issues,” he said. Addressing Lebanese Embassy staff he added: “We would like to thank you for primarily arresting the man who is behind this. However the Daily Star just announced that the man who is responsible for this action has been released. We would like you to explain to us the details surrounding the news.”
“We strongly condemn the tragedy that has happened to your fellow citizen Ms. Alem Dechassa,” Mr. Toni Frangie, Lebanese Embassy’s first secretary told the crowd. “What happened is unacceptable by all human rights standards and we can assure you that the Lebanese government is fully and strongly committed to take all the necessary steps and measures to hold accountable the offenders and to prevent any kind of human rights abuse.” He added: “I will convey your demands and your concerns to our government.”
http://www.tadias.com/

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Ethiopia sues Lebanese man over beating of domestic worker


Ali Mahfouz - the man seen in the video abusing the Ethiopian domestic worker
BEIRUT: The Ethiopian consulate in Lebanon has filed suit against Ali Mahfouz, the man who was caught on tape beating domestic worker Alem Dechasa outside her consulate. Dechasa, 33, committed suicide Wednesday.

Asaminew Debelie Bonssa, Ethiopia’s consul general in Lebanon, told The Daily Star Thursday that “we have already sued him [Ali Mahfouz].” He declined to give the details of the lawsuit, saying it was “a legal issue that cannot be made public,” adding that the suit was in process before the consulate was aware of Dechasa’s death but that with this development “everyone is expecting something out of this.”

In a video released by LBCI last week, Dechasa was seen moaning as a man, later identified as Mahfouz, beat and tried to force her into a car outside the Ethiopian consulate, aided by another man.

Security and judicial sources told The Daily Star that Mahfouz was briefly arrested last week, but was released after leaving his address with the magistrate. They were not able to immediately confirm the consulate’s lawsuit.

Bonssa said that he has not received any police or medical report regarding Dechasa’s death, but said “we need the whole autopsy as [is] internationally acceptable,” adding that this was necessary especially given “when somebody dies ... under the care of the hospital it is really unexpected.”

Dechasa was taken to the Psychiatrique de la Croix Hospital, known as Deir al-Salib, after the incident around three weeks ago. She died in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Bonssa said doctors told him she hanged herself using her bed sheets.

Mahfouz told LBC that Dechasa had attempted suicide three times.

The hospital declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Ethiopian domestic worker beaten on camera commits suicide


BEIRUT: The Ethiopian domestic worker whose beating outside her country's consulate was widely publicized on video committed suicide Wednesday morning, Ethiopia’s consul general in Lebanon confirmed to The Daily Star.

Alem Dechasa hanged herself using her bed sheets between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., Ethiopian General Consul Asaminew Debelie Bonssa said doctors told him. He spoke to The Daily Star while returning from the hospital Psychiatrique de la Croix Hospital, known as Deir al-Salib. Police took her to the hospital after the incident.

The video released by LBCI last week showed Dechasa moaning as a man, later identified as Ali Mahfouz, beat her and forced her into a car. According to Bonssa, the incident took place two weeks prior to its release.” Mahfouz said Dechasa had previously attempted suicide.

Bonssa said he saw Dechasa Saturday and she appeared fine and was making plans to return to her family. He said doctors told him they checked on her at 5 a.m. this morning and when they returned at 6 a.m. she was dead.

He said he did not know her age and had not seen her passport given that she came into Lebanon through Sudan three years ago illegally.

Bonssa said he was “deeply shocked” by the news.

The hospital declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Ethiopia's Magnetic Stripes Hold Clues to Ocean Formation

The Afar Depression in Ethiopia is a point where three of Earth's tectonic plates meet and are pulling away from each other, creating enormous stress on the rock, producing cracks, faults and volcanoes. The pulling apart here will eventually result in the formation of a new ocean basin.

Several winters ago, a team of geophysicists from Missouri flew to the eastern edge of Africa, strapped on bulky backpacks and began walking. They were looking for a set of huge stripes in the Tendaho Graben, a place within the Afar Depression of Ethiopia, where Africa's continental crust is stretching thin and a new ocean will eventually form.

But the stripes they sought — and eventually found — aren't visible to the naked eye. They're magnetic stripes, similar to the ones lining the ocean floor at mid-ocean ridges. David Bridges, a geophysicist from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and his colleagues sniffed them out using a bit of geological detective work, lots of walking and the hulking magnetometers strapped to their backpacks.

The Tendaho Graben's magnetic stripes are important because they're the first ones scientists have documented on land, Bridges said. Even more importantly, because these stripes have formed before the area becomes a water-covered basin, they may change the way researchers interpret the planet's oceans.

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"The really interesting thing is that some of the oceanic basins may perhaps be a little bit younger than we currently believe," Bridges told OurAmazingPlanet.

Stripes and flips

The underwater relatives of Tendaho's magnetic stripes were first documented in the 1950s by geophysicists who set sail to take thousands of seaboard magnetic readings. The researchers eventually began to see that their readings sketched out distinct sets of stripes running parallel to mid-ocean ridges, and that each stripe's magnetic alignment was the reverse of neighboring stripes.

The striped magnetic pattern develops because, as oceanic crust pulls apart, magma rises to the surface at mid-ocean ridges and spills out to create new bands of ocean floor. Ferromagnetic minerals in the hot magma align themselves with the Earth's magnetic field, which completely reverses its north-to-south polarity every now and then, and freeze in that alignment as the magma cools. Later, after the planet's magnetic field flips again, the next stripe of new ocean floor aligns its polarity in the opposite direction.

"For many ocean basins, the timing of their openings has been based on the appearance of these magnetic stripes," because scientists long believed that the stripes first appeared when seafloor spreading started, Bridges said.

Tendaho breaks the trend

But the stripes that Bridges' team found in Tendaho may prove that conventional wisdom wrong.

Tendaho's magnetic bands, which measure 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, are embedded in continental crust, not oceanic crust. And unlike magnetic stripes on the ocean floor, Tendaho's formed through diking: as the African crust stretched thin, streams of magma intruded the continental crust and hardened. Like in the oceanic stripes, ferromagnetic minerals in the dikes aligned with the planet's magnetic field as the magma hardened. Their magnetic signals are very similar to those of ocean-floor stripes.

This all happened sometime between 1.8 million years ago, when the region's continental crust began to break apart, and 780,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic poles last flipped, Bridges said.

Scientists predict it could be as many as 2 million years before the crust in the Tendaho Graben ruptures and begins to form an ocean basin. Altogether, this means that Tendaho's magnetic stripes could predate the future ocean basin by nearly 4 million years.

And magnetic stripes may predate other ocean basins, too.

"Other groups have found evidence suggesting that perhaps the Atlantic basin opened up a little later than what's currently believed," Bridges said. "It's sort of an interesting time in this field."

The team's findings appear in the March issue of the journal Geology.
http://www.ouramazingplanet.com

Monday, March 12, 2012

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Mohammed Aman wins gold medal in 800m


Istambul, Turkey- Mohammed Aman won Ethiopia’s second goal medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championship when he finished first in the men’s 800m here today.
It was an exciting victory for the 19-year-old Aman, who beat a strong challenge from Jakub Holusa of the Czech Republic and Andrew Osagie of Great Britain.
Women’s 3,000m
Meseret Defar’s attempt to become the first woman in history to win five successive World Indoor titles in the same event was spoiled when Helen Ousando Obiri of Kenya won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000m race here today in 8:37.16.
Meseret Defar had to settle for silver, finishing second in 8:38.26 and followed by compatriot Gelete Burka, who came in third (8:40.18).
Men’s 3,000m
Bernard Lagat of the United States defended his 3,000m men’s title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships here today when he run a season best time of 7:41.44.
Lagat’s main competitor Mohamed Farah of Great Britain came in fourth place, while Ethiopia’s representatives Dejen Gebremeskel and Yenew Alamirew finished in 5th and 9th place respectively.
In the women’s 800m final, 19-year-old Fantu Magiso of Ethiopia finished in 4th place.
http://www.ethiosports.com