Was that it, Congressman?

I see the long awaited H.R. 4423 Mark Up was finally unveiled, such as it is with skimpy cladding but lots of makeup, and paraded to the public being hailed as a great success by the Ethiopian Diaspora. It seems to have done the job for many, but I must say, it didn't do it for me. I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but I wasn't impressed by it at all. From what we heard the last few months, HR 4423 was supposed to practically smoke Meles and his cohorts right out of his palace, but what we got was a whole lot of fluff and no substance. Like they say, 'the devil is in the details.' A close examination of the Resolution reveals that it is nothing more than a grandstanding by Mr Smith. No wonder Mr Payne and the other Dem’s were not too impressed. I suppose the oohs and aahs the resolution received should not come as a big surprise given that we live in the age of instant gratification and all. What was even more shocking than the accolade the proposed Resolution received was how some the Diaspora misunderstood it. Some even concluded that the bill had already passed! Well, not so fast, bubba. Here’s how the Senate Congressional glossary defines ‘Markup’.

markup - The process by which congressional committees and subcommittees debate, amend, and rewrite proposed legislation.

Key words? ’Proposed Legislation’. This jumping into conclusion by some reminded me of a recent incident with my 4 year old who, seeing the sun briefly after a whole day of rain but a sky filled with dark cloud, signifying more rain said ‘See, it’s sunny! We can go for a swim!’.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

I have been meaning to put in my two cents about the Ethiopian community's plea for U.S. administration interference in the current political unrest that has gripped our country.   After reading Ms Meron Ahadu's March 8^th article entitled Forging Alliance with the Democratic Party , I was compelled to respond and make a point or two about the much-maligned Democratic Party.  I also want to use this opportunity to share my views on the current US administration and its foreign policy.  

 IMMIGRATION

My goodness! Did you see all those people in the streets in all major US cities? From NY to LA to Dallas… and that hot bed for undocumented workers... Salt Lake City!!!?? Now, I have seen everything. It was unbelievable!!  I am glad I have been a part of history.  Not even the 60’s Civil Rights march garnered this many people. 

Were there any Ethiopians demonstrating alongside the rest of the undocumented immigrants? I am curious to hear what the feeling of the Ethiopian community on this.  After all, we can learn a thing or two from how these poor brave people made such a huge noise enough to affect policy.  Yes, there is way too many of them compared to our community, but think about it.  They were composed of many different countries, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Haiti etc… How about Africans in the US joining forces and making sure that our voices are heard like this? I realize there is a political component to it, that is more complicated, but we can take this as an example to what people can accomplish when we are organized.   

 Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou

I thought I had heard every tale told about the love of music.   This is as interesting a story as it is unusual. 

Move over Mulatu Astatke and Girma Yifrashewa.  Wake up the echoes of Prof Ashenafi Kebede.  There is an old but new, no, not a sheriff, but a nun in town. Yes, you read right,  a nun. This is the story of Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, a musical genius. Her talent has been compared to Jazz and classical greats like, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, and Jelly Roll Morton, and even Eric Satie as well as Beethoven in some of her works.

I guess genius comes in many shapes and forms.  This unheralded musical talent, however, has such an interesting tale, it almost makes her musical talent the side story.  I accidentally stumbled into her CD last weekend at a store and decided to do a little research on her, as I sometimes do before purchasing the CD.  The short bio I found was absolutely amazing.  Here are a few excerpts.

The latest installment in the Ethiopiques series is a brilliant, gorgeous and captivating record: solo piano compositions from Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, whose warm, gentle touch evokes everyone from the work of Debussy to Fats Waller to Bill Evans. Born in 1923 into a learned Ethiopian family, Guebrou was educated in Switzerland (where she first learned piano) and Cairo as well as in her native country.   Soundfix

http://www.soundfixrecords.com/artists/ethiopiques/vol21/

Meditations on bible themes and the beauties of nature were her favorite subjects and her compositions were often built around recognizably Ethiopian melodic structures. But they also reveal refracted shards of what would certainly be cited as influences if only it could be established she had ever heard the works of Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, Abdullah Ibrahim and especially, Eric Satie. But ultimately, Sister GuÈbrou seems to be a lone reed -- but a very beautiful one.  Christina Roden

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000BU9FOQ/ref=pd_bbs_null_1/102-2135978-6169741?v=glance&s=music 

The 21st volume in the grand Ethiopiques series (not bad for a country that has no musical tradition of its own to speak of) is dedicated to the solo piano works of the outstanding composer and performer Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou , a daughter of Ethiopian high society who chucked it all to become a nun in the nation's Orthodox Church. Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou was educated in Europe. She played violin (under the tutelage of Polish émigré Alexander Kontorowicz ). She took up her piano studies while in the convent and teaching at an orphanage.  Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

http://cdconnection.com/bin/nph-search?part=77826&source=robot

"Not bad for a country that has no musical traditionof its own..."?  Well, somebody done told you wrong, Mr  Jukrek. I think you need to do some homework about Ethiopian music. But that will be adressed at a later date on this blog.  For now, your kind review serves our purpose.

Well people, I hope y'all will get a copy of the CD for your listening pleasure and also help the orphange at the same time.

Enjoy!

Dr Strange Love in the White House?

This is too scary people. It could easily be the start of World War III.  Why are people quite about this?  Why aren’t people out in the streets demanding that this man step down?  What is wrong with Americans?  We see undocumented workers marching by the hundreds and thousands on a weekly basis asking for citizenship, we see the young in France marching on an almost daily basis demanding that the new oppressive law be replaced with a more equitable one, which it looks like they succeeded by the way, and we have others around the world making a difference.  And what do Americans do?  Oh that’s right, they’re busy watching American Idol!  What in the wide wide a world of sports is ah goina’ own here? Read'em and weep.

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060417fa_fact

Last Straw?

So, it came down to this with Meles and his cohorts, huh? It's a shame and shameless at the same time. Recently, while listening to my favorite radio program, a caller who has been disenchanted by the 'war on terror' that the US has embarked on mentioned the term ‘Demagogue’ and read its definition to the host.

Demagogue – A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.

It is obvious to many that the Bush administration has been using this tactic for the last 5 years effectively-so effectively in fact, that they were basically given a free pass to implement all their domestic and international agenda's and even managed to 'win' another term. No need to go into detail what these agenda's are, but why does it feel like the Meles regime has taken a page or 2 from America's playbook and maybe even putting the real training on 'anti terrorism' to work. Not the kind of training where a GI captain from Toledo, Ohio trains an Agazi from Adigrat how to shoot an M -16 into a group unarmed civilians and treat them much like the My Lai Massacre where they made a "tactical decision" to "destroy the village in order to save it". I know, it hasn't gotten to that stage yet. I'm of course referring to the training conducted by, most likely by the CIA and custom made for the dictator in the region which happens to be Woyane's in our case.

The recent wave of explosions in Addis are a major cause for concern in that it may lead to a political abyss we may never be able get out of. Who knows, the Woyane regime may have resorted to the backup playbook seeing that it is running out of options. Is it really beyond the realm of possibility, given what they have done in the recent past?

It may be my cynical side which loathes this current menacing US administration, but I have this sick feeling that the recent atrocities in Addis may have some invisible had of the US as it is usually the case. What better way to turn public opinion by demagoguery that screams 'see, what these terrible kinijit people are doing to you? They are killing innocent people in the streets!' Well, haven't we heard that song before? I myself have heard it in a few languages in the short time I followed US politics. It has this strange resemblance to 'Taps'. You know, that American military haunting melody from a bugle? Uh huh! Countries all over have, at one time or another, been victims of a US war machine and the CIA. Now, it may be a little too early to fully speculate on the possibility of a few 'good men' from the office of John Negroponte who is an expert in such chaos, but people, be warned. Wherever America goes with its military, the outcome is often far from pleasant. They say, 'if you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas'.

Sure, the blame game is in full swing jumping from one LF (Liberation Front) to another and even to a neighboring country, but the goal is to keep people in disillusioned and in constant fear. Make 'Big Brother' the unquestioned protector of the people, who are otherwise helpless. Unfortunately for the Woyane's, they once again mis-calculating. They misjudged the intelligence and political savvy of the the Ethiopian people.

WHY?

I blog therefore I am.

OK OK, it is not original, but I did think of it before I found out it wasn't original. Really..I did.. I really really did! ;)

So, what finally did it? What finally made me start a blog? What finally pushed me to place the fingers on the keyboard? Well, why not? I am just as egotistic and full of myself as the next guy or gal. I have something to say too - be it nonsense. But, isn't that what life is all about, nonsense?

OK, enough about me. Please come in and enjoy yourselves by tapping in on any of the several topics listed for your reading pleasure. Did I mention I accept contributions too? No no no, not that kind! What? You think I am Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell? No, I am referring to the contributions in the form of ideas, comments, suggestions etc...within reason, of course. I know I said life is about nonsense, but even I have my limits.

So, enjoy and I hope we will learn from one another.

Chereka

Write?

So I am to write

A Poem, of all plights!

I, who can't create even if I were God!

A discreet, introvert little lad

Why? I ask

WATCH IT!

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become characters.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Unknown