People, Stuff and Things We Like.
"What kind of world has this become?!!" is the common bewailing heard from SELEDA aleqoch these days. Ever since the Martha Stewart verdict/merdo came down, they whose extravagant man-alebiNinet seems to know no boundary have being going through temperamental bouts of frash awrido U U ta maqleTing: what likift is this that someone who owns a Birkin bag can be treated so shabbily?? For us though, this is the prophesy we've been waiting for: upper management getting a glimpse of their own mortality. Ahh, the sweet thoughts of seeing them hauled off to KerchelE!! Mn y'sanewal?
But we digress...
Your calendar might tell you that this is Zemene Yohannes, dear SELEDAwiyan. But it is also undoubtedly the era of excellence, intellect and... excellent intellect in the Ethiopian Diaspora-Zemene Qum Neger, if we may, thanks to a growing cadre of ETs hell-bent on shedding the old modus operendi and ushering in an epoch of no-nonsense, well, qum neger.
We once thought we could be the official igr aTabiwech of this movement towards kostara relevance. But the dream of elevating SELEDA from astonishing mendacity? ... Esumma moto ketegeneze qoyet ale. Even our own Qulibiew Mike sent us a sinibit wereqet that, we couldn't help noticing, was chock' full o' exclamation marks and other punctuation we just know have sem-inna-werq undertones. (" ... I regret to inform you %^##@!@@... don't ^&%$$% call me, I'll call you... asking that you @#!%*&* refrain from further communication...")
Oh, well. That won't stop us from admiring people who've done their share towards making this a better world. Our new motto is: "yemaysera lElaw sisera ‘a-ariff' y'bel". And so, with pride and admiration, ineho, the folks who we one day hope to be, and/or breed with.
ESAi and Its Fourth Annual Ethiopian Students Association Summit
Where do they get the energy, and why weren't there drugs like whatever keeps ESAiers going available when we were being kicked out of college? Tadiya mn teshale?
Oh how we love them, let us count the ways...
The indefatigable Tribe of ESAi is at it again! The Fourth Annual Ethiopian Students Association International Summit was held on March 26-28 at The University of Minnesota. Didn't we tolded you? Didn't we tolded you that these were good folk? Not only are they continuing their legacy of cooperation, consciousness and enlightenment, but it would take an august organization like ESAi to prove to the world that Minnesota actually has a university and that it's not just a barren glacier land where polar bears go to die. Tadiyyyaa lEla mn yasfeligal? Hey, if it's good enough for Ethiopia's best and brightest, then it's good enough for us.
But anyway, here's something interesting: if you had joined ESAi four years ago, you would, by most SELEDA Staffers' collegiate timetable, be halfway to graduation this year.
Even though we were once again snubbed an invitation to make our yet-to-be-lauded (or completed) show-and-tell presentation on our role in cyber illiteracy (working title: "Putting the ‘hole' in Ang-hole: a Cliff Note Approach on the Fast Track to Nowhere"), we still remain ESAi's numero uno fans.
We salute you, you youth whose spirit can still dream sweet dreams! Thank you for giving us hope that one day, we, too, shall dream in color. Congratulations on your fourth birthday... Happy berrrizzday to youuuu... happy berry-zday to youuuuu....
Check out their revamped website, browse through their discussion forum bloated with cerebral heft, and join the posse.
Dskmariam.org
Further proving that Ethiopian websites are no longer a haphazard collection of flags and "Well-comme" signs bliCH drgm-ing with such ferocity that someone ought to look into making it illegal, dskmariam.org stands out as the beacon of all that is superb work, breathtaking beauty and unsurpassed class!
Ring-a-ding-ding!
Ethiopian Orthodoxy, we see, is comfortably menserafating in the 21st century, b'lo baCHiru medemdem. In the kind of transparency that makes us bristle with excitement (you can see the bylaws and the church's financial books online), you can find everything you need to know about running a lean and stunningly efficient organization in this, the web page of the future.
From several documents on the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, to a multimedia section where you can listen to several mp3s and live and past webcasts of qdassE and teachings; from a gorgeous photo gallery to an on-line pledging and prayer request device, dskmariam combines so perfectly the ancient with the superbly modern.
Its page for kids is nothing short of a Godsend for those of you who wish to school your children in the traditions of the church. Ilif b'lo, you'll find information on their community tutorial program held every Saturday from 2-6 p.m. "The Saturday Afternoon program is intended to help high school students achieve better results in their academic studies, assist students with their homework, give them the opportunity to study for their tests and gain knowledge." Pa!
We are speechless and immobile with the kind of respect and admiration we usually reserve for people who change their own tires.
The webmasters of this site need to be commended, tegelabTew messam-ed and then pointed to in public as pioneers who have set new standards in excellence. The future is most definitely bright. Washington DC , hands down, is home to some of the most innovative, inspired and sharp Ethiopians, and half of them, it seems, are in the Debre Selam Kidist Mariam community. There! We've said it!
Take a few hours to browse leisurely, fall in love... and then pledge!
Ethio Networks
Steadfast capitalists that we are, we can now say that we are borderline frantic proselytizers of small business and getting a slice of the American Pie a la mode. (And don't go confusing us with logical questions as to why, then, SELEDA isn't a commercial entity.... As per standard upper management issued reply: Whatever!)
The point we are trying to make is, and since we rarely make one please andE tebaberun with your kind indulgence, the Ethiopian Diaspora is slowly joining the backbone of what makes the sane world so appealing: small business ownership. Ah, we laugh! We laugh at those days when Derg biTE ne'r-do-wells managed to convince some of us of the evilness of the free market system. Qoi b'cha... hulishinim...!
Not only do ET business owners now memal thus: "Ke Warren Buffett feet y'neTileN!" but they are also embracing what makes small business flourish: advertising! Especially on the web! Blessed be the power of slick advertising and marketing.
Enter Ethio Networks.com: "... a great way to establish your Web presence in Amharic and English." Mn-Mn-Mn?
Billing itself as "the leading designer of Amharic web sites that create a cohesive and compelling marketing presence for small and large Ethiopian businesses and organizations," Ethio Networks is the premier gateway for businesses with savvy, new economy sensibilities.
Here's what the folks at Ethio Networks offer you: a tasteful and attractive (and most definitely effective) website that saves you from having to hire high-strung webmasters and volatile designers who siphon off all the Frappuccino and give you lip about something called "graphic user interface". Ethio Networks takes care of it all so that you can uffoyeeee in peace.
Ere qoi... what is this that we read? "Customer service is a priority for Ethio Networks, that is why the company complements all managed websites with a life-long 24/7 support, unparalleled by anyone in the industry"??!! As in they care about their customers? Ay! Essuma sewun maqb'T new!
Lenegeru, they had us at, "creative flair and a relentless pursuit of quality" -- a promise we made, by the way, after surviving an ugly overdose incident when a few wrong-colored pills were taken simultaneously and chased with katikala.
Anyway...
In short, what Ethio Networks is saying to you is you take care of what's in your field of expertise, and they'll take care of what's in theirs. Aleqe. Ethio Networks is hip, fresh, young... the MTV of business-to-business, if you will. Ahh... There is hope. There is good business ethics. There is dynamics and synergy that tickles the mohaheet. There is genuine customer care. And we betcha they don't disappear for months and act all casual and chatty when they reappear without ever offering an explanation: leave that to the experts.
Now, go forth and webisize.
Gourmet Ethiopian Cuisine and Chic Boîtes
Not that it hasn't been fun sitting on dngai-hard chairs, staring at the same Ethiopian Tourism Commission posters plastered haphazardly on cracked walls; and not that the maximum pleasure that could possibly be squeezed from being surrounded by kitsch ET- décor has lost its luster; and not that the daring venture into a bathroom that could be confused for a WMD work station has become any less thrilling... BUT, we at SELEDA are delighted by a new trend we see in the upscale Ethiopian food and restaurant industry.
Temesgennnnn.
Pleasantly gratifying is the fact that one no longer is put in the unenviable position of having to choose between aesthetics and flavor. Ehem. We've been to one too many pretentiously "abet wusTu siyamrrr!" Ethiopian restaurant only to be assaulted with weT that is indistinguishable from a can of discount store brand pasta sauce. You know, the kind of restaurant where the owner shoots you an unapologetic grimace and says without a trace of irony, "yeNa mgib eko le ItyoPPyawiyan alteseram"...
MeTnE !
What was it going to take to dine in chic surroundings and partake in excellent cuisine? Well, a few enterprising souls have apparently been asking the same thing. But unlike us who take comfort only in aqaqeer droppings, they did something about it.
The latest addition to this world of gourmet bistro-ization of the Ethiopian dining experience is Moya Café and Restaurant, a magnificently tasteful eatery in Atlanta. (Yes, Atlanta -generally known as the Jersey of the South, where inbreeding is your abiyotawi gdEta.) One is met with understated elegance at Moya although there is nothing understated about the food. Fantastically creative and beautifully presented (your Tat asqorTami shirro comes in small shekla dists), the offerings at Moya are what discerning gourmands call gastronomical chef d' œuvre. The rest of us call it besmeabweldwemenfessqidus. Sunday brunch (CHeCHebssa be irgo, anyone?) on their terracotta terrace is an ethereal experience. What a perfect combination of style and substance. And they say it couldn't be done! http://www.ethiopianmoya.com/
Of course the mother of all delightful brasseries is none other than the venerable Ghenet Restaurant in SoHo. With a menu that takes Ethiopian fusion cuisine to unparalleled heights (witness Assa Kitfo and Engudai Tbs), combined with an atmosphere that reeks of hip Manhattan sophistication, Ghenet has become somewhat of an institution- the Smithsonian of Ethiopian restaurants. Its spectacular food, ambiance and service have set the bar for mywelawil consistency- lack of which has plagued others. And incidentally, the doro weT, it is a fact, is cooked by angels who descend from genet daily with their own recipes. http://www.ghenet.com
We've also heard good things about Makeda in –gulp!- New Jersey (www.makedas.com ) , Queen of Sheba in Japan (www.queensheba.jp), and the Tsom mgb at Meals by Genet (www.mealsbygenet.com). We are devastated by the closing of House of Lalibella in Minnesota style='font-family:. (Ay, Minnesota. Minnesota yeyazew neger mechase...)
LeTenachin: We who are about to indulge salute you!