This just in from our correspondent in Addis Abeba...

"Selam, selam! This is Zena Serawitu coming to you live from Gojjam Berenda with the latest in...ysemal? YSEMAL? Hallo?! Hallo?! ...the latest in our likes and dislikes.

C [thumbs up] to DJ Kin for revitalizing the sound waves with his too-hot-to-handle show on FM radio in Addis. We even saw him sign autographs one day (gud! gud! gud!)

D [thumbs down] to that very same DJ Kin for his mayaQwarT lflefa through EVERY SINGLE SONG. Now, it's not that we don't understand and even sympathize with his need to protect the integrity and uniqueness of his CD collection, but bennnnat'h, does it have to be EVERY song?

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C for the ex-London cafe that now has half the shell of an Ethiopian Airlines plane hanging out its front door. It's a great conversation piece...and have you seen the kickin' advertisement? Zmmmmmm new!

but...

D on the new name for such a cool place. What?...you couldn't think of something better than "Satellite Cafe"? What about Ayer-B'ayer? Better yet, we really like the idea of Min'm DV BayderseN. Isti as'bubet.

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D to the Ring Road construction crews who keep getting reassigned somewhere else. What, the potholes aren't deep enough yet?

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C and Don the first real TV talk show in Addis...yeah, he had some cool guests early on, and it started out pretty funny, but lately it's become the YelebE Show.

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C on the new TV channel that's been introduced in Addis. It's true that some of the shows are dumber than lint, but hey! we can at least use the TV remote now!

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D on the hordes of dollahhhr yezerezeru expat Ethiopians who have already started to descend on us during the holiday season. We are sick of the deafening "Wasssup!"s, the gfya at the best clubs and azmari bets, and let's not even get started on the horrible decline in the service to us locals at the already hostile establishments in town. Minew jal... how about the Caribbean for Christmas k'ahun wedya?

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C to Iletawi Addis for including interesting and thought-provoking articles from the internet as part of their Monday features...

but ...

a BIGD for several of the overly chatty commentaries on the articles they conveniently "forgot" to properly cite. We hear the Humble Editors at one unnamed e-zine are calling it Yezareytu Seleba at their Board meetings.

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That's it, folks. Bidding you Melkam Genna wherever you are, this is Zena Serawitu ... live from Merkato right outside the famed Gojjam Berenda. Stay tuned for next time when I return with...IndE! SewyE!? Where the hell do you think you're going with my micropho...(crackle...crackle...bleep..bleeeeep....shhhhhshshshshshshhhhhhhhhhhhh)

[Are you living in Addis or have you been there recently? Send in your thumbs-ups/thumbs-downs to Zena Serawitu.]