Still nursing my wounds

menyelenal has so far stayed mum on his current love life and has been seen going home early. His phone however has been busy and close friends under conditions of anonymity have said he often goes for hours on end talking to this mysterious woman. Family and friends have so far maintained that the current change in behavior was due to a case of cold or flu which is quite common during ths season.

Cupid got me!!!

Yes it is a sad day for bachelors and party animals around the world. Menyelenal has been ensnared by cupid’s trap to squash resistance towards his vision of a world of love and couples, popularly known as a cynic towards courtship, love, romance and all things associated Meneyelenal battled cupid at every turn often having to dodge cupid’s unfair onslaught of arrows. Bachelors around the world especially those in Addis, where Menyelenal is based expressed their sorrow by wearing blank bands on their arms.

Pubs and Bars where menyelenal would often hang out with friends debating and theorizing on the problems of monogamy and love have been left to idle talk such as the World Cup matches, the weather, childhood pranks and similar talk that are unfitting to establishments of such repute.

Menyelenal has opted not to make any public apperances but word has reached this blog that an antidote is being sought the world from yet another man in his prime form becoming a love sick poodle. friends and family are bracing themsleves for possible love ballads, songs, dinner parties and [God forbid] cuddling that meneylenal might be going through. The world anxiously awaits word of any change of teh state of affairs. In related news menyelenal’s friend & buddy who has been afflicted with Cupid’s continous onslaught and have succumeed to it seems to be bringing on some form of resisitance towards love with continous fighting and arguing with his loved one.

Industry experts are divided over the outsome with modest prediciotns stating that there is 50 -50 % chance of finding an antidote. Follow this blog for breaking news about meneylenal’s fight against love. GOD HELP US ALL!!

I’m feeling really happy

after more than three yeras on the job my bosses have finally taken me seriously [of course the fact that most of the managemetn had to go overseas was a factor] to manage teh newspaper for a week. This is probably a big step proffessionally I have shunned party for a week and already there is a rumour going around that either that i’ve died or in jail. For once I’d like gossip to think the best rather than the worst case scenario one reason I suspect is that i promised a certain lady that I’d call her everyday of this week to call her. i had to she was telling me how she had been nursing my love for months I think I have been doing the same as well. Believe me this is a first. Can’t talk now see you later

Some Lyrics I’d like to share with you guys

"Samson"

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
He ate a slice of wonder bread and went right back to bed
And history books forgot about us and the bible didn't mention us
And the bible didn't mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the stars came fallin' on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light
Your hair was long when we first met

Samson came to my bed
Told me that my hair was red
Told me I was beautiful and came into my bed
Oh I cut his hair myself one night
A pair of dull scissors in the yellow light
And he told me that I'd done alright
And kissed me 'til the mornin' light, the mornin' light
And he kissed me 'til the mornin' light

Samson went back to bed
Not much hair left on his head
Ate a slice of wonderbread and went right back to bed
Oh, we couldn't bring the columns down
Yeah we couldn't destroy a single one
And history books forgot about us
And the bible didn't mention us, not even once

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first
REGINA SPEKTOR LYRICS
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/reginaspektor/samson.html

Waiting in a line: a game of wits part II

before I continue on the peopl ethat irrate me I'd like to share with you this slide show that was circulating before the start of the World Cup http://mail.telecom.net.et/attach/Tactic_of_Football.pps?sid=fwsoegaGIOE&mbox=INBOX&charset=escaped_unicode&uid=1323&number=12&filename=Tactic_of_Football.pps

Now that is setteld let me continue:

standing at number three is the "artful negotiator": this one is no different okay is different in his approach he/she will slowly approach you usually putting his/her best puppy face and politely ask to cut the line.  I call these people artful because they know only a few people would refuse a polite request.

At number four comes the "friend/acquaintance/ relative or colleague" of he service provider. This fellow can also really get on your nerves. he/she would come throug hand shakes, kisses, crash shoulders or ever throw teh odd anecdote or joke enter teh booth [if possible], get his/her business doen and go as if nothing have happened. I decided to dwell on this peculiar topic because now is the period fro paying taxes, withdrawing from school, buying tickets fro flights etc etc . good Luck everybody      

Waiting in a line: a game of wits

No matter how much I try I cannot help finding myself in some sort of a line mostly with people that test your patience. I understand that lines are necessary to create order out of chaos but some people try all manners of manoevers to avoid standing in line. I've listed soem below nad tell me if they sound familiar:

• the really rude: this individual really has no qualms that people before him hvae been waiting in line for hours. He/she comes pushes people aside and tries to get what they want. Mind you frowns or stares are not deterrant the best remedy that comes to mind is physically bloc their path.
• the subtle evader: this is probably one that keeps you on your toes. His/her actions are not fast but effextive they usually come say to teh middle of the line or way upfront they meet this acquaintance that just happened to be in the line where they should be at. They come exchange greetings and get engrossed in a mundane chat that you will forget out of fatigue starig or frowning at them.  

I think I am finally growing up

After partying like there were no tomorrows [believe me there are plenty of them] I decided to take breather this past weekend. I went to the office on Saturday did some paperwork, played spider solitaire [the stats do not work] , went to my friends office helped out and started taking a short walk because thanks to the World Cup most of my friends were busy glued either to TVs or projectors [I love it since I'm not big on soccer]. On my short walk I run into my ex, an interesting experience that still keeps me smiling we chatted and parted promising to call each other [its been two years since we last saw each other].

I then went home had doro wot, loved every morsel of it and started playing with my little cousin he’s six years old and a very good conversationalist, he scares me a bit because he imitates adult talk a lot. he is soon going to be a big brother and his parents decided that he spend time with me to help him adjust to kids [mind you I'm 25 years old and my family takes me for a kid, ironically that makes them look out to be in their 60s or 70s]. The kid finally goes to sleep and I start watching movies it has been really a while since I last spent Saturday nights at home and did not have any beer. So, I’m hooked on the TV [the soccer games have finally finished and the family decided to call it a night] cruising 29 channels almost everything is cheesy, one channel was showcasing the lives of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, another channel had this wacky sci-fi movie called “Event Horizon” that was not even scary except for the sudden bursts of the music.

After probably hours I listen to the Church bells yes you guessed it it was 5:00 in the morning i drag myself to sleep wake up and do the same thing all over again [except for the part where I do any work]. I think I should make a habit of this. I did also have time to brood over whether I should intervene and tell a kid from my neigborhood to start being smart i keep seeing him drinking and hanging around with the wrong crowd frequently. he’ll probably tell me that its not my business and stop snooping [i know because I used to that] oh the follies of the youth [Just kidding] I think he will eventually do the right thing I have faith in him, I really do.

There are more than 20,000 brands of beer

Worldwide, 20,000 brands of beer are brewed brewed in 180 styles, from ales, lagers, pilsner and stouts to bitters, cream ales and iced beers.

Beer has been a popular beverage for a long time. Babylonian clay tablets show detailed recipes of beer making in 4300 BC. Beer was also brewed by the ancient Chinese, Assyrians and Incas.

An Egyptian text of 1600 BC gives 100 medical prescriptions using beer. A few years ago, the New Castle Brewery in England brewed 1,000 bottles Tutankhamun Ale from a 3,200-year old recipe found in the sun temple of Queen Nefertiti.

Commercial beer making was established in 1200 AD in present-day Germany. In 1506, the German Purity Law is issued, specifying that beer ingredients must only be water, barley, wheat and hops. Bottling of beer started in 1605.

Making beer
Brewing is the process of changing water and grain into beer through a yeast catalyst. The quality of the water is extremely important. Hard water produce a bitter ale, soft water produce bitter lager. Barley or hops, or a combination of them, is used for the grain.

Getting dry grain ready for fermentation is called malting. The grain is steeped in water until it sprouts. The sprouting or germination is not allowed to end naturally but is interrupted either by drying or roasting in kilns.

Barley
Barley has been a grain of choice for thousands of years. The longer the roasting of the malted barley, the darker the beer. Barley, or wheat beers have a sweet taste.

Hops
Hops are herbaceous climbing vines and look like a cross between pine cores and artichokes. The bitter, dry flavour of hops counterbalance the sweetness of malt.

Yeast
Sugars in the malted grains are converted into alcohol by yeast. Different yeast ferment sugars into different flavours. For ales, top fermentation yeast is used, while bottom fermentation yeast is used for lagers.

The beer making process starts by germinating the grain, then steeping the resulting malt in hot water to get the wort. Base wort contents means the percentage of wort in the beer before fermentation. The alcohol contents is roughly one third of the base wort contents.The wort is boiled (brewed) and hops are added. After brewing, fermentation starts by adding yeast. After fermentation, the wort is drown into tanks where it is allowed to condition or age. Yeast and hops are sometimes added in a secondary fermentation process.

Ales and Lagers
Ales, stouts and several other types of brews, like porter, are top-fermented. The top-fermentation yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, usually produces stronger alcohol contents than the bottom-fermentation yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergi, but the latter produces more quality-consistent brew. Lagers are bottom-fermented.

Ales usually are heavily hopped, and include bitters, brown ales, cream ales, mild ale, pale ale, India pale ale, barley wine and several other types. There are two types of the aboriginal ale still brewed in Europe. They are Belgian "lambic" and Finnish "sahti", which is brewed from rye malt. They are brewed on wild yeast and spontaneous fermentation. Both have very distinct tastes.

The word "lager" is German and means "storage", which refers to the lager (storage) fermentation. The main fermentation of both ales and lager are done on the similar temperature for 7-14 days. After that time the ale, depending on the type, may be ready for bottling. With lagers, this is only the start. After the main fermentation the beer is pumped into lager (storage) tanks with temperature some 10 deg C lower than room temperature. It is then let to mature and ferment for several weeks, usually 6-10 weeks. At 270 days, the longest lager fermentation is for that of Budejovicky Budvar brewery's Bud Strong.

Best taste
The best taste usually is acquired at an alcohol contents of 4.7% ethanol per volume. Less than that results in a beer with a bland taste. More than that and the higher alcohols (butanol, pentanol etc) become overpowering and spoils the taste.

The strongest beer type by alcohol content is doppelbock, which is usually 8%-10% ethanol by its volume content. The strongest beer brand in production is German "Eisbock", with some 14% ethanol by volume.
                                  http://www.didyouknow.cd/beer.htm

Ethiopic SMS makes debut, ETC continues stoppage of SMS service

 The ancient Ethiopian script, Ethiopic – one of the world's oldest living alphabets – has now been mobile-enabled allowing users to send Ethiopic SMS anywhere around the world.

"Coming at the time when many web blogs and English SMS have been banned by the government, we think our technology which actually breaks the barrier and enables users inside Ethiopia to use SMS (this time with added advantrage of using Ethiopic script) has an interesting solution", writes Samuel Kinde from Feedelix.

The earliest use of Ethiopic lettering has been traced to before the fourth century, reports Wired. Today the letters are shared by a range of languages spoken by millions of people across the Horn of Africa and hundreds of thousands of emigrants settled in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe:(

Much Ado About Nothing

Ethiopia: Oil Exploration Well Turns Out Dry

May 27, 2006
The oil exploration well drilled in the Gambella region in, west Ethiopia has turned out dry, it was learnt.

The Chinese Petroleum Company, Zhougyan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB), which has been contracted by the Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas, has been prospecting for crude oil in the Gambella basin for the past two years. Petronas, one of the top ten leading international oil companies in the global oil industry, signed a petroleum exploration and development agreement with the Ethiopian government in June 2003 that enabled it to explore the Gambella basin, near the Sudanese border.

Ethiopia: Major oil exploration deal

 ADDIS ABABA, 16 Jun 2003 (IRIN) – Ethiopia could start exporting oil within four years after signing a multi-million-dollar exploration deal, Minister of Mines Ambassador Mohamoud Dirir told IRIN on Monday.

Ambassador Dirir said the newly signed agreement with Malaysian oil giant Petronas would provide a major financial boost for the country. “This would be a breakthrough for the Ethiopian economy,” the minister told IRIN. “This will also bring about a positive change in the image of Ethiopia.”

“This is a region closely related to the Sudan oil fields,” added the minister. “The potential is obviously there.”

The oil company, which currently ranks among the Fortune Global 500 companies, has to invest US$5 million in developing the infrastructure and employing local staff. A further US$1 million will be spent on boosting the skills of the ministry and another US$1 million on improving the facilities of the local community in areas like health.

Ethiopia will also receive royalties from any oil that is produced in the region. According to Ambassador Dirir, this could mean that if the company is producing 30,000 barrels of oil a day then Ethiopia would receive some 5 percent in royalties – approximately US$1.50 a barrel. If production increases, so do the royalties, under the 25-year licence. Each exploration licence is renewable every four years, he said.

Ambassador Dirir also dismissed claims that ethnic conflict in both regions would disrupt any kind of exploration work. He said that clashes in Gambella had been resolved and that rebel groups in Somali Region posed no threat.
To whom does Ethiopia’s Gambella oil belong
Thursday 9 March 2006 21:05.
"… history amply illustrates that the once oppressed will eventually be emancipated from the grips of the oppressors and become antagonists of those who empowered the oppressors."

By Idris Shaankkore*

…The dire poverty of the Gambella peoples, formerly pejoratively referred to as "Shankella" is a legacy of Abyssinian colonial history and exploitation, and sinister schemes under the Feudal, the Mengistu Haile Mariam and the present EPRDF Governments to settle Northern Ethiopians in the fertile ancestral lands of the indigenous population. Many of the indigenous Peoples of Gambella are internally displaced people and many indeed reside in refugee camps in their own land and in neighboring Eastern Sudan.

The crimes suffered on the Gambella by the Abyssinian colonizers and the and subsequent Ethiopian regimes is nothing short of acts genocide and dispossession of these peoples for the benefit of Abyssinian settlers, who received protection and assistance from the Ethiopian State. The indigenous people of Gambella have often sought, since the birth of the Ethiopian State, to preserve their identity and their land. In Gambella, the agriculturist Anuak minority (also known as Anywaa or Anywak) number over 100,000 people in Ethiopia and Sudan. Anuaks are the predominant landholders in the region of southwest Ethiopia. Anuaks have a long history of sharing the land with the pastoralist Nuer people, even though their relationship has been intermittently problematic.

Multinational corporations have now set their sights on the natural resources of the Gambella region. Petroleum (oil & gas), water, tungsten, platinum and gold are the principal resources in the Gambella region that are of interest to international financial and extraction corporations. Ethiopian government authorities thus have powerful economic incentives to seek control of these resources.

The Anuak situation has grown markedly worse since oil was discovered under Anuak lands by the Gambella Petroleum Corp, a subsidiary of Pinewood Resources Ltd. of Canada, which signed a concession agreement with the Ethiopian government in 2001. In May 2001, however, Pinewood relinquished all rights to the Gambella oil concession and pulled out of Ethiopia and on June 13, 2003, Malaysia’s state-owned petroleum corporation, Petronas, which has been exploring and developing oil fields in Sudan announced the signing of an exclusive 25-year oil exploration and production sharing agreement with the EPRDF Government to exploit the Ogaden Basin and the "Gambella Block".[http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=14457]

I’m back

Hey friends,

I'm back I cannot really say I missed you guys because I was having a blast of course there was a case of diarrhea which I am slowly [painlessly] recovering from. But it the price you pay from traveling and seeing Ethiopia. My first stop was in Mekelle very cool place lots of pubs, friendly people, preety girls the only downside is I went there accompanying a football tem which we were thrashed 3-1 .  But we I'm not complaining because the bosses decided that there was a need to boost  morale so were went o Atse Yohhannes Hotel [a very cool hotel] dined and stayed form three more days you rememeber that I told you I went with a football team so drinking alcohol , smoking or even soft drinks were off limits. Me since my job was to observe and root for the team I would sneak out and party coming late inteh evening. Luckily form me I ran into friends tehre and one of them was chummy with the hotel manager so I was preety much tolerated next stop for us then was to Axum, Adowa, Dessie, Kombolcha and Debre Birhan. After this trip I was allowed to rest for two days and then got sent back this time to the east in Dire Dawa everything was cool I cannot say much because certain things are best not posted but it was really an experience, diarrhea caught up with me on my way back to Addis at Metahara