Note from the Editors Guest Editor Dr. Raselas

Hello readers of this SELEDA computer literature page.

As we all know, my name is Dr. Raselas… I have been invited by the editors of this outfit to be their guest editor, or star editor…I think they said Star Editor, which I think is a more… it is truly a great term. After much contemplation, I have decided to accept. As we all know, editing comes naturally to us Ethiopians. We are great warriors and great editors. In fact, when I edit my papers… papers I present all over the world in educational institutions… I always recount the days I spent editing my several theses.

Now, ke negeru bizu sanirq… let us define what a thesis is, since I am not familiar with the caliber is of the readership of this Seleda (I will not agree to write it in all caps as if it is an awaj) computer inter-microwaval literary organization. Mrs. Mariam (yenE Mariyamitu) Webster defines thesis as "a position or proposition that a person (as a candidate for scholastic honors) advances and offers to maintain by argument." Esey, esey, esey! I might note that my thesis from the University of Korhogo was on theses themselves. It was called "The Thesis Dilemma: A Thesis on Thesis Concepts and Comparative Theses"… yaw.. by: Dr. Raselas. In those days, we did not have computer technological literature like you do now, as evidenced by this Seleda that warranted me its star editor. (The follow up to that thesis, incidentally, for those of you who don’t know, is "Is the un-Thesised life worth living?" yaw, by: Dr. Raselas. As a point of academic note, I prove that it is not.)

But, suffice it to say that I am very pleased to be here. I would like to start off my starship appointment by defining for you what the word Seleda means. Seleda comes from the word "meseled"… it is an ancient word… a beautiful word indeed. If we take the etymology further, those engaged in reading Seleda would be "seledajoch;" those who are editors "ah-Seledajoch;" it goes on… Selededu, te-Seladedu, Sildu. This might be a good time to confess that I was a student of etymology at the College of Iraq.

So, now that we have a full grasp of the word "Seleda" … I am not sure why the creators chose this name. It is not very pleasing to my ear… I am forming a Task Committee to look into changing this name, Seleda. It is displeasing.

But let us proceed to my Starinet… Ingidih, malet, innE Seldaj.. innantE teseldaj lnihon new.

I am not really sure what the purpose of this binary computer literature magazine is, but I think that it is a concept that should be studied. The study of Seleda, by the way, is called Seledology. The Greeks, in 4 B.C. had a similar community magazine of sorts. The ancient Greeks… marvelous people! Indiaw ya raqutachewin mehEd tnnish q’rr yaseNeNal… , but… that is neither here nor there.

Before I go back to my Star Editing of this complex computer literary endeavor, I would like to say that literature, whether it is in the Web World of Wide (maletim WWW… sostu debiliwech malet new), or on paper form, literature has been a source of great pleasure to a lot of civilizations… except the Romans… enessu… ay yenesu neger ayTmeN… indiaw, they liked confrontation, indE sra fet duriyE ke hulu gar metenakol! But I wrote about that in my third… no… fourth ay! third thesis.. "Ancient Romans: The Paradoxical Existence and Machinations of a Pre-Diasporized Populace, and Their Contemplative Societal Mores Towards Integration in a Self-Actualized Paradigm of Materialism, Liberation, Landed Gentry Classifications and Conformed Existential Premise." I have just finished part 7 of this series. In essence, what I am succinctly saying is, is that… is cyber literature a saber? It is a very interesting concept. Esti hulachinm beTmona inasibew for a few moments.

To get back to matters at hand, I would like to thank the aSeledadoch for allowing me to take a few moments to indulge in my first true love (after Asnu, the bald-headed sefer set in Awassa)... contemplation. Contemplation. To even contemplate contemplation is indeed S’dq. Most of you who know me well know that.

I am told that I should take another moment to welcome you to the "M’Ts" Issue. Welcome. I am not indeed still sure what that means…M’Ts. I am told that it is a transcription of the sound we Ethiopians make, for example, when someone mentions the gara and shenterer of the Great ImmiyE ItyoPPia… "M’Ts! Hager malet!"

I must say, it is not so much a subject as it is a sound. But they are telling me it is the "ultimate in platitudes." To which I say, tadiya mn y’Tebess?? Verily I say, andandE the Editors of this multifarious computer literature magazine known as Seleda (for now) are a little bit, what is the technical term, wefefEwech. But they picked me as the Star Editor, so I will indulge them.

I have been able to trace back the first uttering of "M’Ts," by the way, to Empress Tayitu. When Atse Menelik showed her the plans to the new home he was going to build for her, she, after seeing the size of her small closet, is reported to have said, "MT’s… yante neger sillllllchit b’loNal." Ancient and medieval history tells us that the Greeks had a similar sound that was intended to exhibit sadness and pity… "Bgrrr’Ts". What I think happened was that when the Greeks came to Ethiopia to be educated they dropped the "Bgrr" and just used "’Ts." Soon, with the passing of time, Ethiopians adopted that idiosyncrasy and used "’Ts" unsparingly. ItEgay Tayitu, the iconoclast of all iconoclasts, supposedly added the "M" to the "T’s" to represent a special sound reserved for her husband, Menelik. Maletim… ye Menelik "’Ts"… as if the regular "T’s" was not enough for her husband. He needed a special one for her personal use. Therefore, M’Ts. M is for Menelik mallet new.

It is quite an interesting history.

It is very understandable that I have not read the articles pertaining to this issue since I did not have time. I am sure you understand the heavy constraints made… no, IMPOSED upon my time… negeru gn, I am sure some of the articles on this cyber community literary binary computerized intelligence forum are interesting. Tadiya, if they turn out not to be interesting, "Raselas blwal" inymeTa! Yelehubetm. Ezaw indelemedachihut! Wa!

Next, I would like to delve into the issue of what issue will be coming up in the next issue. It is "Modernity". The Seleda computer interactive binarity community people have gone to great lengths to describe what they think is modernity. Mnew tenzazu sewechu? Why don’t they ask MariyamyE? Or, they can ask me… and I will tell them, "Modernity is when an Ethiopian’s wuqabi –through a series of development- ceases to be a wuqabi and now wants to be called Ato Feng Shui." Aleqe, deqeqe neger tefeSemE. They have asked me to convey to you that they are accepting articles about Modernity until June 15, but I told them, esti sewun atakalbu! June 16 is perfectly fine.

My star editorship of this super highway of the informational literary cyber paper is coming to an end, and may I say that I hope I have imparted a little knowledge to it readership, although I am not familiar with any of you. I asked my friends Ato Dinberru, General Dr. Asnaqe and Colonel Dr. Assaminew if they are familiar with this virtual cyber saber Seleda and they said "Mannachew enesu? Ke yet meTu? Seleda maletttt…? Eza.. Nairobi University yetemarut?" I told them I did not know. Who knows about this younger generation? They know nothing about contemplation or etymology! They think that life is served on a silver platter… aydolem!Ayhonim! There has to be a resurgence of young people who must know about the history of etymology. Indihu K-Mart wilew neger yawqu ymesalchewal! Ayhonim blwal Raselas beluwachew!

I can’t give any more to this inter-combined fusion that is a literary dossier called Seleda. My time, as I have mentioned, is limited. I am sure I will be asked again to star edit. By then, I promise to finish my much anticipated memoir: "Are you, my friend, a Sildud? My Life as the Foundation of a Cyber Computer Binary Literature Magazine: How I Saved Seleda, My (and the It’s) Societal Impact, and the Tribulations of Being a Misunderstood Thesisizer." Yaw… by: Dr. Raselas. If you can’t wait until it comes out officially, you may contact any of the markets on 18^th Street and tell the shopkeepers "Eski ante! Dr.Raselas yeSafutin amTa".

With my regards,

Dr. Professor Raselas. PhD. Vintage 1967,1970,1971,1972