The 44th President: A transition to Power Above:Obama with Rahm Emanuel (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
NYT
Published: January 6, 2009
The following is a rush transcript of President-Elect Barack Obama’s media availability as provided by the Obama team.
Obama: When the American people spoke last November, they were demanding change, change in policies that helped deliver the worst economic crisis that we’ve seen since the Great Depression, but they’re also looking for a change in the way that Washington does business. They were demanding that we restore a sense of responsibility and prudence to how we’d run our government.
One of the measures of irresponsibility that we’ve seen is the enormous federal debt that has accumulated, a number that has doubled in recent years. As we just discussed, my budget team filled me in on - Peter Orszag now forecasts that, at the current course and speed, a trillion-dollar deficit will be here before we even start the next budget, that we’ve already looked - we’re already looking at a trillion-dollar budget deficit or close to a trillion-dollar budget deficit, and that potentially we’ve got trillion-dollar deficits for years to come, even with the economic recovery that we are working on at this point.
So the reason I raise this is that we’re going to have to stop talking about budget reform. We’re going to have to totally embrace it. It’s an absolute necessity.
And it has to begin with the economic recovery and reinvestment plan that Congress will soon be considering, that we’re going to be investing an extraordinary amount of money to jump-start our economy, save or create 3 million new jobs, mostly in the private sector, and lay a solid foundation for future growth.
But we’re not going to be able to expect the American people to support this critical effort unless we take extraordinary steps to ensure that the investments are made wisely and managed well. And that’s why my recovery and reinvestment plan will have - will set a new higher standard of accountability, transparency, and oversight.
We are going to ban all earmarks, the process by which individual members insert pet projects without review. We will create an economic recovery oversight board made up of key administration officials and independent advisers to identify problems early and make sure we’re doing all that we can to solve it. We will put information about where money is being spent online so that the American people know exactly where their precious tax dollars are going and whether we are hitting our marks.
But we’re not going to be able to stop there. We’re going to have to bring significant reform not just to our recovery and reinvestment plan, but to the overall budget process, to address both the deficit of dollars and the deficit of trust. We’ll have to make tough choices, and we’re going to have to break old habits. We’re going to have to eliminate outmoded programs and make the ones that we do need work better.
That’s the challenge that I’ve handed to Peter, and Rob Nabors, and the rest of my budget team. That’s the challenge that the American people have handed me. They know that we’re at a perilous crossroad and that tinkering in the margins will not do.
I’m going to have more to say about this subject tomorrow, but today I wanted to lay out an early marker with those that I’ve entrusted to help bring the changes that the American people voted for. We are going to bring a long-overdue sense of responsibility and accountability to Washington. We are going to stop talking about government reform, and we’re actually going to start executing.
That’s the charge that I’ve given the members of the administration. That’s the charge that was given to me by the American people. And we are ready for the challenge.
So with that, I’m going to take some questions. And let’s start with you.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President-elect. Do you think that you’ll be submitting a budget larger than the $3.1 trillion that President Bush submitted for fiscal ‘09? And, also, what are you doing to address concerns from other Democrats about deficit spending and increasing the deficit with the stimulus package? Read more at NYT.
———– Who is Donating to Obama’s Inaugural Festivities? See the List Obama raises $27 million for inaugural
The Associated Press
By SHARON THEIMER –
WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite the economic hard times, money keeps pouring in for President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural festivities.
The inaugural committee has raised at least $27 million, donor information on its Web site Tuesday showed. Most of that has come in over the past three weeks.
If fundraising continues at that pace, Obama’s inaugural committee will have no problem reaching or exceeding the roughly $40 million raised for each of President George W. Bush’s two inaugural celebrations.
More than 2,000 donors are helping to finance Obama’s Jan. 20 swearing-in festivities. At least 378 gave the maximum $50,000.
Top donors include financier and major Democratic donor George Soros, actors Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson, Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, directors Ron Howard, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and actor, singer and director Barbra Streisand.
The inaugural committee is releasing the names of those who give $200 or more. It is refusing money from labor unions, corporations, political action committees, foreigners and Washington lobbyists. Read More.
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) — Ethiopia declared its two-year occupation of Somalia a success as its forces began the last stage of withdrawal, leaving behind one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and a government close to collapse.
“Mission accomplished,” the Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. “Our defense forces have carried out a successful mission to eliminate the clear and present danger that our country had faced two years ago.”
U.S.-backed Ethiopian soldiers invaded Somalia in December 2006, ousting the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist alliance that had briefly controlled much of the country. Its attempt to reinstall the United Nations-backed transitional government in the capital, Mogadishu, was met with an Iraq-style insurgency by Islamist and clan-based militias.
More than 800,000 have been forced from their homes by the fighting, while an estimated 3.2 million people, more than 40 percent of the country’s population, are in need of humanitarian aid. The seas off Somalia have become the world’s most dangerous for commercial shippers as the anarchy has led to rapid growth of piracy and kidnappings.
As a result of the insurgency, the transitional government controls only parts of Mogadishu and the southern town of Baidoa, while Islamists from the al-Shabaab militia, a faction of the Islamic Courts Union, control much of southern Somalia. On Dec. 29, the president of the transitional government, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, resigned following a power struggle with Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. Read More.
———————————- Ethiopia Leaves Somalia With Many Questions Unanswered
VOA
By Joe DeCapua
Washington D.C
05 January 2009 Ethiopian soldiers in
Mogadishu, (file photo)
As Ethiopian troops withdraw from Somalia, the Ethiopian government has released a statement saying its mission in Somalia has been accomplished. It says Ethiopian forces, during their two year occupation, have eliminated a clear and present danger. However, Ethiopia leaves behind a country in turmoil and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.George Washington University Professor David Shinn, a former US ambassador to Ethiopia, spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about whether Ethiopia can declare “mission accomplished.”
Four Ethiopian Soldiers Killed in Somalia By VOA News
04 January 2009
Witnesses in Somalia say at least four Ethiopian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb near Mogadishu.
The blast took place Saturday on a road west of the capital where troops were searching for explosive devices.
Several other soldiers were injured in the blast.
Ethiopia said Saturday that the withdrawal of its troops from Somalia will be completed “within days.”
A foreign ministry statement said military commanders are handing over their responsibilities to African Union peacekeepers and Somali transitional government troops.
A ministry spokesman, Wahde Belay told VOA that sufficient precautions have been made to prevent a power vacuum in Somalia after Ethiopian troops are gone.
About 3,200 soldiers from Burundi and Uganda make up the AU mission in the country. Burundi’s Defense Minister, General Germain Niyoyankana. said Sunday the two countries would consider withdrawing their forces unless more troops and supplies are sent to the country.
Islamist insurgents have taken control over many towns in recent weeks and moved to impose strict forms of sharia (Islamic) law.
Ethiopia sent troops to Somalia in late 2006 to help the government oust Islamists who had taken over Mogadishu and much of the country. The offensive was successful but sparked a bloody insurgency that has killed thousands of Somalis and displaced more than a million others.
Some information for this report was provided by AF and Reuters.
—————
Ethiopia to Complete Somalia Withdrawal ‘Within Days’ Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu.
(file photo)
A spokesman says Ethiopian troops will complete their withdrawal from Somalia “within days,” and that sufficient precautions have been made to prevent a feared power vacuum when they are gone. Troop convoys have been seen pulling back to positions across the border in Ethiopia’s Somali region.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying military commanders have completed handing over their responsibilities in Somalia to African Union peacekeepers and soldiers of the country’s transitional government. Ministry spokesman Wahde Belay told VOA in a telephone interview all precautions have been taken to provide security for the AMISOM and TFG forces.
“We believe there will not be a vacuum. That is why we consulted with those forces, the AMISOM and TFG forces,” he said. “We made sure that we have not left a vacuum there. They are ready to take their responsibility in assuring calm in Somalia. This is all I can say for now.”
Wahde declined to elaborate on what measures have been taken, but the press statement noted that both Uganda and Burundi, the two troop contributors to AMISOM, had confirmed their willingness to boost the size of their forces. AMISOM currently has a strength of about 3,400 troops but they are ill-equipped and under-funded and have been unable to restore much stability in Somalia.
The TFG is also believed to have several thousand soldiers.
African Union officials are known to be actively trying to solicit more troops contributions.
Spokesman Wahde confirms that the Ethiopian withdrawal is well under way, and should be completed soon.
“We have specifically said it will take a few days in order to complete the withdrawal. I don’t want to comment on what will happen next,” he said.
Ethiopia had earlier said it would provide security for the AMISOM forces if they decided to join the pullout, but African Union officials have indicated they will continue their peacekeeping mission. African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping last month told reporters, “a withdrawal from Somalia is something we cannot accept, not only the AU but also the rest of the world.”
Several western diplomats, who declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly, have expressed fear of a bloodbath unless the peacekeeping forces are substantially reinforced to replace the several thousand departing Ethiopian soldiers.
Reports from Somalia over the past few days have spoken of clashes between rival Islamist factions vying for control as Ethiopian convoys head back across the border. Both western and African analysts have voiced concern that extremist forces might overrun the AMISOM and TFG troops and capture the capital, Mogadishu.
Ethiopia sent troops to Somalia in December, 2006 to drive out an Islamic Courts Union that had imposed Sharia law over parts of the country. The Ethiopians installed a U.N.-backed but feeble transitional government, but were not able to provide stability in the lawless country that has been without an effective administration since 1991.
——————– Somali police stations taken over Ethiopian forces are leaving after two
years in Somalia
Islamist militiamen have taken over a number of abandoned police stations in the Somali capital as Ethiopian troops continue to withdraw from the city.
The militiamen said they were moving in to prevent an explosion of violence.
They are thought to support a faction that has signed a peace deal with Somalia’s transitional government.
A more militant group, al-Shabab, is continuing the insurgency. Ethiopia has said it aims to ensure there is no security vacuum after it withdraws.
Separately, at least six people are reported to have died in fighting between rival Islamic factions further north.
Members of al-Shabab clashed with local supporters of a rival group - Ahlu Sunna Wal-jamaah - in Guriel, about 400km (250 miles) north of Mogadishu.
Ethiopian military forces began pulling out of Somalia on Friday after two years helping the transitional government fight insurgents.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s spokesman said the withdrawal would take several days.
About 3,400 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers from the African Union in Somalia are taking up positions vacated by the Ethiopians.
There are fears the withdrawal of the 3,000-strong Ethiopian force could lead to a power vacuum and that violence will continue despite a peace deal between Somalia’s transitional government and one of the main opposition factions.
However others say the pullout, together with the resignation of President Abdullahi Yusuf, could make it easier for a new government to be formed.
——————-
By MOHAMED IBRAHIM and JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: January 2, 2009
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Ethiopian Army trucks, packed with soldiers, tents, mattresses and other gear, began to pull out of Mogadishu, Somalia’s battle-zone of a capital, on Friday in the first signs of the expected Ethiopian withdrawal.
Many Somalis in their path immediately fled, predicting that the departing Ethiopian troops would be attacked by mines and insurgents. Almost as soon as they began to move, the Ethiopians hit a roadside bomb. At lease nine civilians were killed, and an unknown number of Ethiopian soldiers.
Thousands of Ethiopian troops stormed into Mogadishu two years ago in an attempt to shore up Somalia’s weak transitional government and to wipe out an Islamist administration that the Ethiopians considered a terrorist threat.
But the Ethiopian occupation mostly failed. The Somali government is as divided and weak as ever. Islamist insurgents, many of them quite radical and violent, have seized control of much of Somalia. Thousands of civilians have been killed in relentless combat between Islamist militants and the Ethiopians, with European Union officials accusing the Ethiopians of war crimes. And millions of Somalis are now on the brink of famine, the victims of war, displacement, drought and disease.
The Ethiopians were never popular in Somalia. But as people in Mogadishu watched the first convoy of 18 heavily loaded trucks chug down the bullet-pocked streets and head toward the Ethiopian border on Friday, many said they feared what would happen next.
“If the Ethiopians leave, there is a possibility of war among the Islamist fighters,” said Jamal Ali, a student at Mogadishu University.
It is not clear whether the Ethiopian troops are leaving Somalia entirely or simply redeploying from Mogadishu to other areas of the country. Western diplomats estimate there are still several thousand Ethiopian troops inside Somalia, and many Somalia analysts have predicted that the Ethiopians will linger for some time inside the country or along the border as a buffer against Islamist militants.
“We have already started to implement our withdrawal plan, “ said Bereket Simon, a high-ranking Ethiopian official, according to Agence France-Presse. “It is a process and it will take some time.”
Around 3,000 African Union peacekeepers are still in Somalia, trying to protect the few fortified enclaves that Somalia’s transitional government controls. On Thursday, a little-known Islamist group called the Ras Kamboni Rebels attacked peacekeepers in two locations, though it was not clear how many people, if any, were killed.
Mohamed Ibrahim reported from Mogadishu, Somalia, and Jeffrey Gettleman from Nairobi, Kenya.
The 44th President: A transition to Power Above:President-elect Barack Obama, right, listens as Commerce
Secretary-designate New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson speaks
during a news conference in Chicago on Dec. 3, 2008.
(Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)
Richardson Withdraws Name as Commerce Secretary-Designee
The Washington Post
By Michael D. Shear
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration as commerce secretary for President-elect Barack Obama, citing an ongoing investigation about business dealings in his state.
Richardson, 61, who competed unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination, was secretary of energy and U.N. ambassador during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and also the first high-profile Latino named to Obama’s Cabinet.
But a grand jury in New Mexico is currently looking into charges of “pay-to-play” in the awarding of a state contract to a company that contributed to Richardson.
The importance of the inquiry was apparently dismissed when Richardson was first nominated. But it may have taken on more weight in light of the “pay-to-play” allegations involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“It is with deep regret that I accept Governor Bill Richardson’s decision to withdraw his name for nomination as the next Secretary of Commerce,” the president-elect said in a statement released early this afternoon. “Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office.
“It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time.”
Obama added that he would “move quickly to fill the void left by Governor Richardson’s decision.”
Richardson said in a statement that: “Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process. Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the President-elect and his Administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done.” Read More.
Obama family moves to Washington The Obama family spent the holiday
period in Hawaii
US President-elect Barack Obama and his family have arrived in Washington in preparation to take up residence at the White House later this month.
Mr Obama’s wife and their two daughters are staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel, which overlooks the White House. He is expected to join them later.
Malia, 10, and seven-year-old Sasha are due to start classes at the exclusive Sidwell Friends School on Monday.
The Obamas will move to the official presidential guest home on 15 January.
Blair House, which is located opposite the White House and has previously housed presidents-elect before their inauguration, is booked solidly until then, Bush administration officials said.
The Obamas arrived back at their home in Chicago early on Friday, following a 12-day family holiday in Hawaii, and began the move to Washington less than 48 hours later.
The Hay-Adams Hotel, built in 1928, stands across Lafayette Square from the White House, where the Obama family will take up residence following the inauguration ceremony on 20 January.
The Hay-Adams Hotel
Security has been tightened around the hotel, with parking restricted in nearby streets until 15 January, according to city officials.
The Obamas are expected to stay in one of the historic hotel’s luxury suites, which cost several thousand dollars a night, as their daughters start school.
Other children of prominent politicians to have attended the private Sidwell Friends School include Chelsea Clinton and the daughters of President Richard Nixon.
In the coming days, Mr Obama is expected to spend time with Congressional leaders, as they work on a multi-million dollar stimulus plan intended to aid the country’s embattled economy.
The president-elect has also been invited to lunch at the White House on Wednesday, along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George Bush Senior.
Blagojevich row
Meanwhile, a row continues over the appointment of Roland Burris to fill Mr Obama’s now-vacant Illinois Senate seat.
Mr Burris was picked by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is the subject of a criminal inquiry and has been charged with attempting to “sell” Mr Obama’s seat to the highest bidder.
The governor - who denies any wrongdoing - has defied pressure from party leaders to step down and last week chose Mr Burris, the state’s former attorney general, to fill the position.
Senate Democrats have said that while there are no questions about Mr Burris’s personal integrity, they will reject anyone appointed by Mr Blagojevich.
The president-elect has said he agrees the Senate “cannot accept” a new senator chosen by Mr Blagojevich, adding that Mr Blagojevich himself should resign.
New Senate members will be sworn in on Tuesday, as the new session of Congress opens.
Mr Burris said on Saturday he still planned to go to Washington on Monday to take up the Senate seat, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Special to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Repps Hudson
01/02/2009
Driving a cab is almost a stereotypical way for immigrants and refugees wanting to get started in their new country to earn a living and put down roots.
One who has done so successfully is Ezezew Biru, who left Ethiopia as a teenager and now runs a small taxicab company that is struggling against the system to get larger.
Despite his frustrations, Biru is a happy man with a growing family — he just adopted three relatives from Ethiopia.
Ezezew Biru
Position: Co-owner and operations manager, Metropolitan Taxicab Corp.
Age: 45
Career: After leaving his native Ethiopia at 19 in 1982, he worked as a laborer in Khartoum, Sudan, until immigrating to the United States in 1987; hotel worker in Washington, 1987-1988; factory worker and cab driver in St. Louis, 1988-1995; founded Riverfront Cab Co., 1997; joined with fellow Ethiopians to create Midwest Cab Co., 2001; which became Metropolitan Taxicab Corp., 2004
Education: Studied computer science at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Personal: Lives with his wife, Meselu Shumye, and three boys and three girls in St. Peters
Above:Image from “Invisible Children”, a documentary
inspired by photojournalist Dan Eldon, who died in 1993
covering the violence in Somalia.
(courtesy of Invisible Children, Inc.)
Source: Ethiopia - Daily Monitor
By Fikremariam Tesfaye
2 January 2009
Addis Abeba — The National Photo Journalists Association (NPJA) said on Wednesday it was looking for ways to boost photo journalism as a profession in the country.
Photographers do exist in state as well as independent media, but the lack the know how and the skills to be photo journalists, required Binyam Mengesha, founder and director of NPJA said.
The photo journalists have the ability to document society and to preserve its history through images,” he said at a half day panel discussion organized at the Bole Dashen building hall..
“Professionals should also abide by the code of ethics.” Beniam explained that photo journalism was not just about taking photos, but it is beyond that.
“Being accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects; resisting manipulated by staged photo opportunities; avoiding stereotyping and individuals and group and treating all subjects with respect and dignity are among the most ethical code of conducts exercises by professionals,” he said.
On the other hand, most of the times don’t seen in most of photo journalists, he added.
According to Binyam, the association encourages and supports members to work together to make sure that the profession is developed in reference to its level of development worldwide for which he said “relentless” efforts would be required.
Relentless efforts will be exerted to make sure that the people in the profession get opportunities to exchange experiences among themselves in the country and with professionals and their associations abroad as well as benefit from short-term trainings.
NPJA has also plan to organize exhibitions annually and the best photo journalist could show their works and are duly credited. The professionals as well as reminded that they bear double responsibility as a citizen in promoting positive image of Ethiopia worldwide and support them to realize.
The NPJA was established by few professionals ten months ago who thinks that the professionals have to work under the umbrella of an association to develop the profession of photo journalism; to create strong links between the professionals and to facilitate experience sharing forums among the professionals and arrange trainings for them within and outside the country.
Beniam said the establishment of the association would play a pivotal role in propagating the standard of the profession.
He says however that for the moment, it is possible to say no ” there is no professional in photo journalism.”
Above:A photo of Yosef Tadele, taken from his Facebook page.
By Ruben Castaneda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 31, 2008; Page B02
A judge ordered yesterday that two men accused of abducting a Prince George’s County family in a failed bank robbery scheme be held without bond, and Maryland State Police investigators searched for a third suspect.
Yosef Tadele, 23, of Silver Spring and Yohannes T. Surafel, 24, of the District are charged with multiple counts of kidnapping, attempted robbery and first- and second-degree assault. In charging documents, authorities identified the third suspect as Beruk Ayalneh.
Police allege that Tadele dropped off Surafel and Ayalneh Friday night in Clinton, where they forced their way into the home of an assistant bank manager and held her, her husband and two boys — ages 8 and 11 — overnight at gunpoint. Read More.
————— CNN VIDEO
A bank robbery scheme was cut short by a quick-thinking family man. WJLA reports.
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — The US embassy in Addis Ababa on Wednesday voiced concern over the fate of an opposition leader who was jailed after her pardon from a life sentence was revoked.
Birtukan Midekssa, head of the Unity for Democracy Justice party, irked the regime when she reportedly claimed during a recent visit to Europe that she had never voiced remorse or acknowledged any mistake to obtain her pardon in 2007.
“The United States is concerned about the government of Ethiopia’s arrest of Unity for Democracy and Justice Party leader Birtukan Midekssa,” the embassy’s information officer Darragh Paradiso told AFP.
“We are particularly concerned by reports that Birtukan’s pardon has been revoked and she has begun a life sentence in prison.”
The 35-year-old woman, who was detained with dozens of opposition figures and supporters in the aftermath of disputed 2005 elections, was last week given a three-day ultimatum by the authorities to confirm or deny the reports. Read More.
————— Bloomberg.com Ethiopian Police Re-Arrest Opposition Leader Mideksa
By Jason McLure
(Corrects attribution in sixth paragraph.)
Dec. 29 — Ethiopian federal police re-arrested opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa a year after she was released on a pardon following her arrest during the country’s disputed 2005 elections.
Mideksa, a leader of the now-dissolved Coalition for Unity and Democracy, was taken into custody today, said Temesgen Zewde, a lawmaker, who is a member of Mideksa’s new party, Unity for Democracy and Justice.
“She has been arrested,” Zewde said in an interview in the capital, Addis Ababa. “No charges have been made public yet. We don’t know exactly where she is being held.”
Mideksa was arrested after refusing to acknowledge that she had requested a pardon that led to her release from jail in July 2007, said Bereket Simon, a spokesman for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. She and dozens of other opposition leaders were initially jailed following the 2005 elections and sentenced to life in prison following a May 2007 trial on treason charges. Read More.
Above:President-elect Barack Obama appears on stage with his
daughters Sasha, center, and Malia, right, for his Election Night
victory speech in Chicago on Nov. 4, 2008.
(Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images file).
The Associated Press via MSNBC
Dec. 27, 2008
NEW YORK - They’re only 10 and 7, and already designers are angling to dress them. They’ve been on the cover of People and Us Weekly. And there’s that standing invitation — unlikely though it is to be redeemed — to the set of “Hannah Montana.”
Malia and Sasha Obama are unquestionably the world’s most famous tweens, and they haven’t even moved into the White House yet. When they arrive, do they have even a chance at the normal existence their parents have often said they want for them?
A look at history suggests that the media, at least, will keep their distance. Chelsea Clinton, 13 when she entered the White House, was largely left alone at the request of her parents. Amy Carter, who came at age 9, was allowed to live a fairly normal life. And the much younger Kennedy kids were kept from the public glare by their mother, Jackie, who even set up a school for Caroline at the White House.
But this is a different world, one where photos and video can be snapped not just by mainstream photographers but anyone with a cell phone, and uploaded to the Web within minutes. It’s also a world where kids, now a powerful consumer force, eagerly devour news about celebrities closer to their own age: Miley Cyrus, for example, or the “High School Musical” bunch.
Are the Obama girls celebrities in their own right?
“If you’re talking about people who fascinate the public, then yes, absolutely,” says Larry Hackett, managing editor of People, which has featured the Obama family on its cover three times. “But if you mean celebrity in the sense that we can cover their every move, then no. These are kids.” Read More.
New York (Tadias) - Tadias Magazine will announced its first annual listing of the top ten websites on New Year’s Eve Wednesday, December 31, 2008. The listing will include Ethiopian American related websites (not all Ethiopian) in several categories including news, business, art, fashion, entertainment, music, internet radio and non-profit organizations. If you would like your website to be considered for inclusion or have ideas or suggestions to share, please contact us at info@tadias.com.
In the mean time, here are Alexa’s top sites in news and media under the following categories: Society, Ethnicity, African, and African-American. See if you can find Tadias.com.
Source: Alexa
All listings in the ‘News and Media’ category and its subcategories ordered by popularity.
1. Vibe Magazine
Covers hip hop/urban culture with a focus on music. Articles, interviews, and subscription information. More site info for Vibe
7. TheSource.Com
The online version of the popular Hip-hop music magazine that provides news coverage of urban music, African American issues, youth culture and politics. More site info for thesource.com.
9. Ebony Magazine Online
Ebony magazine is one of the oldest African American magaznes and most successful. It provides business, health, fashion, sports, entertainment and general news about African Americans. More site info for ebony.com.
12.Tadias
Online magazine that is tailored towards the Ethiopian-American community. Topics covered include business, health, opinions, fashion, art,culture, history, reviews, parenting, diaspora, music and events. More site info for tadias.com.
18. BlackPressUSA
The joint web presence of America’s Black community newspapers and the NNPA News Service - the last national Black Press news wire. The only national website featuring news exclusively from African-American journalists and Black community publications. More site info for blackpressusa.com.
New York (Tadias) - U.S. Doctors for Africa (USDFA) and “African Synergy”, an organization founded by African First Ladies, are convening their first joint health summit entitled “Leadership for Health” at the RAND Corporation in Los Angeles. The two-day summit in April 2009 will focus on HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and girls’ education, as Africa’s First Ladies seek to forge new partnerships with U.S.-based agencies and foundations to tackle the continent’s health crisis.
Over 20 African First Ladies are expected to assemble for their first-ever U.S.-based health summit on April 20-21, 2009, and will be hosted by USDFA, a California based non-profit organization, founded by social entrepreneur Ted Alemayuhu (pictured above).
“These First Ladies recognize their powerful position as role models, spokeswomen and advocates for their people,” says Ted Alemayhu, Founder and Chairman of USDFA. “Through collaborations with our organization and the summit’s other partners, we believe they can continue to inspire and work towards even greater change in their countries.”
The expected dignitaries hail from member countries of “African Synergy”, a health initiative alliance made up of 22 African First Ladies, established in 2002. Participating nations include: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Maurice, Namibia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Central African Republic, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, and Togo.
The April 2009 summit will engage the First Ladies in professional skills-building workshops, identify top priorities for the coming year, highlight key partners on the ground, and name actionable steps towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals related to maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS and education.
“This is probably one of the most empowering initiatives we have ever been involved in,” says Mr. Alemayhu. “What is exciting about this particular partnership is that the entire movement is initiated and mobilized by the First Ladies themselves. USDFA and African Synergy share the common belief that healthcare is a basic human right, and recognize that a healthy population is essential for growth, development, and prosperity in every society and this is a great testimony, commitment, and dedication that needs to be encouraged and supported by all stake-holders around the world.”
The closed door VIP summit is being organized by USDFA in collaboration with the RAND corporation, UCLA, ONE, the Vital Voices Global Partnership and White Ribbon Alliance, as well as General Electric and Procter & Gamble, which are listed as sponsors.
Invited guests include First Lady-Elect Michelle Obama, First Lady Laura Bush, former U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton, Sarah Brown (First Lady of UK), and Maria Shriver (First Lady of California) and several first ladies of Hollywood. The Gala event will be co-chaired by actress Jessica Alba.
Cover photo by Jeffrey Phipps for Tadias Magazine.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are set to spend Christmas in Ethiopia, according to a news report.
The Hollywood super-couple will fly out to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa - which is the birthplace of their adoptive daughter Zahara, reports Britain’s Sunday Mirror.
As well as Zahara, Pitt and Jolie have five other children - Maddox, Pax and Shiloh as well as twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline.
Meanwhile, Brad and Angelina have been forced to deny recent reports they have hammered out a $200 million prenuptial agreement.
It was claimed Pitt wanted something in place that spells out everything - the couple’s finances, their property and who will raise their children in case something happens.
But Tomb Raider star Jolie’s rep said, “There is no truth to any of these claims.”
Above: Dozens of community members rally outside Likud’s
Tel Aviv headquarters on Sunday in protest of party’s decision to
disqualify Ethiopian candidate chosen for one of immigrant slots
on its Knesset list. (Photo: Avi Cohen/Ynetnews)
The Jerusalem Post
By GIL HOFFMAN
Dec 23, 2008
The Likud’s internal court decided Monday to restore Ethiopian-born Aleli Admasu to the 28th slot on the party’s Knesset slate that is reserved for an immigrant, a week after the party’s election committee replaced him with Russian-born Vladimir Shklar.
The committee had decided that Admasu wasn’t eligible for the immigrant slot because he had made aliya in 1983, two years before the year established by the committee as the earliest date of immigration for a candidate to still be considered a new immigrant.
But the court ruled that Admasu had received the necessary permission before the December 8 primary to run for an immigrant slot and that he had not tried to evade the party’s rules by seeking the slot.
Admasu said he was pleased by the decision and that “justice had been done” for the Ethiopian community in Israel.
Shklar vowed to appeal to the Tel Aviv District Court, where “real judges” would rule on the matter.
Kadima MK Shlomo Mula, who was elected to the 19th position on his party’s list on Wednesday without needing a reserved slot, said the court’s decision did not change the statement he made last week about the Likud being “an Ashkenazi, elitist party.”
Mula said he was happy for Admasu and that he wanted to see as many Ethiopian immigrants as possible in the Knesset. But he said he doubted that very many of them would vote for Likud after Admasu’s ordeal. Read more at The Jerusalem Post.
———- Israel: Ethiopians protest nixing of candidate from Likud roster
Ynetnews
By Amnon Meranda
Dozens of community members rally outside Likud’s Tel Aviv headquarters in protest of party’s decision to disqualify Ethiopian candidate chosen for one of immigrant slots on its Knesset list
Several dozen Ethiopian protesters rallies outside the Likud party’s Tel Aviv headquarters on Sunday, in protest of the party Election Committee’s decision to disqualify the Ethiopian candidate’s win of one of the slots reserved for immigrants on its Knesset roster.
The party has secured the 21st and 28th slots on it roster for representatives of the Russian and Ethiopian immigrant communities.
The petition against Alali Adamso’s election, filed by two candidates who lost to him in the party primaries held earlier in December, said that since the Likud Codex states that only those who came to Israel after 1985 can bid for the slots, and Adamso came to Israel in 1983, he was ineligible to bid in the first place.
The committee granted the petition saying that “this is a difficult case, since even though Mr. Adamso received a large number of votes, which may be lost if he is disqualified, accepting his bid would be a deviation from the party code.” Read More.
The United States says the power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe will not work with Robert Mugabe as president.
The US would not reverse sanctions policy while Mr Mugabe remained in power as he had “lost touch with reality”, said its top envoy to Africa.
As well as suffering economic collapse, Zimbabwe is suffering from a cholera epidemic charities say is critical.
Talks on a power-sharing deal with the opposition following disputed elections in March have been stalled.
Progress has also stalled over should control key ministries.
The opposition MDC accuse Mr Mugabe of breaking the deal to form a coalition government and abducting its members.
The US had supported the deal that was signed in September and promised to lift sanctions if it was implemented.
Zimbabwe is mine, I am a Zimbabwean. Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans
Robert Mugabe
But US Assistant Secretary of State for Foreign Jendayi Fraser it could no longer fulfil either of those pledges, saying that Mr Mugabe had “reneged on the principle of power sharing”.
“We have lost confidence in the power-sharing deal being a success with Mugabe in power. He has lost touch with reality,” she said during a visit to South Africa.
“We were prepared to use the American influence to negotiate with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to clear the $1.2bn Zimbabwe debt, but now we are no longer prepared to do that.”
‘Mine’
Mr Mugabe has said he is not to blame for Zimbabwe’s situation and has rejected calls from African and Western leaders to stand down.
On Friday, he told delegates of his ruling Zanu-PF at their annual conference that he would “never, never, never surrender”.
“Zimbabwe is mine, I am a Zimbabwean. Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans,” he said.
Mr Mugabe has said that the cholera crisis is over and was being used by the West as an excuse to invade Zimbabwe.
However, aid agencies have warned that the disease, which has already claimed 1,123 lives, could infect more than 60,000 unless its spread it halted.
Ms Fraser called on African leaders to unite against Mr Mugabe, saying that if they were to “go to Mugabe and tell him to go, I do think he would go”.
Above:Ethiopians brought two gold medals each in the
5,000m and 10,000m games in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Angola Press Agency
Saturday, December 20, 2008 9:05
Luanda – Ethiopia is the seventh country to confirm its participation at the 53rd edition of the São Silvestre race, which shall be held on December 31, in Luanda, ANGOP learnt on Friday from a source of the Angolan Athletics Federation (FAA).
The director of the race, Domingos Castro, who did not reveal the names of the Ethiopians, guaranteed that the delegation will arrive with two athletes (males/ladies). To the official, the presence of runners from this country with a great tradition in long-distance races will give more value to the São Silvestre.
Other countries that have already confirmed their participation are Zambia, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Portugal.
With five runners, Kenya shall be the biggest foreign delegation, which will include the titleholders, Elijah Nuyabuti and Grace Momany, who shall be strengthened by the 2005 champion, Margareth Okoio.
These athletes will compete alongside Zimbabwe, with three runners, namely George Majaji Samukeliso Moyo and Sharon Paysnewa, Zambia (Tony Wamulwa and Lizzie Chansa), Cape Verde (Adilson Spencer, Eva Sanches), Mozambique (Joaquim Mateus and Albertina Paulo) and Portugal (Paulo Guerra).
Angola shall be represented by Avelino Dumbo and Ernestina Paulino.
Above:President George W. Bush reacts after a man threw
two shoes at him during a news conference with Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday. (Evan Vucci / AP)
BBC
Thursday, 18 December 2008
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has apologised to Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki, the prime minister’s office says.
Local TV reporter Muntader al-Zaidi wrote a letter to Mr Maliki asking for forgiveness over his “ugly act”, prime minister’s spokesman Yasin Majeed said.
Mr Zaidi has been in custody since he threw shoes and shouted insults at Mr Bush during Sunday’s news conference.
Muntader al-Zaidi has been charged
with “aggression against a president”
His actions have made him a hero in some quarters of the Arab world.
Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful.
Mr Zaidi has been charged with “aggression against a president”, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
‘A lie’
Yasin Majeed said Mr Maliki had received a contrite letter from the journalist.
“Zaidi said in his letter that his big ugly act cannot be excused,” Mr Majeed said.
He said Mr Zaidi added: “But I remember in the summer of 2005, I interviewed your excellency and you told me, ‘Come in, this is your house’. And so I appeal to your fatherly feelings to forgive me.”
However, according to Reuters news agency, one of Mr Zaidi’s brothers expressed scepticism over the merits of the letter.
“This information is absolutely not true. This is a lie. Muntader is my brother and I know him very well. He does not apologise,” Udai al-Zaidi said.
He added: “But if it happened, I tell you it happened under pressure.”
‘Signs of blows’
Judge Dhiya al-Kenani said the shoes at the centre of the incident had been destroyed by US and Iraqi security agents when they were checked for explosives.
“I would have preferred to have had the shoes as evidence for the case but since Muntader al-Zaidi has confessed to his action and that the television pictures confirm it, the investigation can continue,” he told the AFP news agency. Read more at BBC.
Video: Bush Dodges Shoes Thrown by Iraqi Journalist
Above:Hareg Messert of Chez Hareg bakery in Washington’s
Shaw neighborhood (By Dominic Bracco II For The Washington
Post)
Washington Post
By Joe Yonan
Wednesday, December 10, 2008; Page F10
A funny thing happens when people try two versions of the same cookie made by baker Hareg Messert: They often like the vegan one better. “They’ll start off saying, ‘Oh, not me. I’m not vegan.’ But then they taste it,” she says.
She thinks it’s the butter, or lack of it, that does the trick. Without dairy products, her cookies taste clearly of chocolate, ginger or pecans because, as she puts it, “the flavors have not been taken over by the butter.”
Whatever the reason, Messert, 39, may have found her niche. A year and a half after opening Chez Hareg bakery in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood, this former Ritz-Carlton pastry chef is widening her reach. She’s supplying several cafes, and she’s starting to sell her all-natural cookies (in both vegan and traditional versions) in a few area stores.
She credits her growth to the exposure from her debut this fall at the 14th and U and Bloomingdale farmers markets. At her booths, Messert gave out samples of her classic French cookies, biscotti, panettone and pound cake, a smart move for someone confident that nibbles would translate into sales. Between that and media attention, her customer base started to grow beyond the Ethiopian community near the bakery.
The Shaw neighbors have helped her build a following, especially among vegans or sometime-vegans. She and other members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church avoid animal products on their many fasting holidays.
Ethiopia, which was never colonized, has no tradition of desserts beyond fruit and honey. But Messert also spent time as a girl in West Africa, where she was introduced to French-style pastries by cooks who worked for her family. She started baking, but it wasn’t until after she came to the United States at age 17 that she considered making a career of it. Messert, who graduated in 2000 with a culinary degree from Stratford University in Falls Church, worked at the Best Buns Bread Co. and Carlyle Grand Cafe in Shirlington and at the Ritz hotels in Pentagon City and the West End before striking out on her own. Read More.
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and DAVID M. HALBFINGER
Published: December 5, 2008
Caroline Kennedy, a daughter of America’s most storied political family who for many years fiercely guarded her privacy, is considering whether to pursue the Senate seat expected to be vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton early next year, a family member said Friday.
“I believe that she is considering it,” said her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spoken to Ms. Kennedy about the matter during the past week. “A lot of people the last couple of weeks have urged her to do it.”
Ms. Kennedy called Gov. David A. Paterson on Wednesday to discuss the position, Mr. Paterson confirmed Friday. The governor will choose a replacement for Mrs. Clinton upon her expected confirmation as secretary of state next month.
“The conversation was informational,” Mr. Paterson said. “She did not express an interest in the Senate, but we talked about the Senate, so I got that she was just trying to get some information to determine whether or not she would like to have an interest in it. And that was it.”
He added, “I haven’t offered the job to anyone.” Read More.
Above:CPJ International press freedom awardee Andrew
Mwenda of Uganda while in police custody. (CPJ/2008)
Online journalists now jailed more than those in any other
medium
December 4, 2008
New York (CPJ) — A total of 23 journalists remained jailed in connection with their work in Sub-Saharan Africa, two-thirds held without charge, according to an annual report released today by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Thirteen journalists were held in Eritrea, which was the fourth jailer of journalists worldwide behind China, Cuba and Burma. The survey found more Internet journalists jailed worldwide today than journalists working in any other medium.
CPJ’s survey found 125 journalists in all behind bars on December 1, a decrease of two from the 2007 tally. (Read detailed accounts of each imprisoned journalist.) China continued to be world’s worst jailer of journalists, a dishonor it has held for 10 consecutive years. Cuba, Burma, Eritrea, and Uzbekistan round out the top five jailers from among the 29 nations that imprison journalists. Each of the top five nations has persistently placed among the world’s worst in detaining journalists.
Eritrea’s secret prisons held but four of at least 17 journalists worldwide held in secret locations. Eritrean authorities have refused to disclose the whereabouts, legal status, or health of any of the journalists they have been detaining for several years. Unconfirmed reports have suggested the deaths of at least three of these journalists while in custody, but the government has refused to even say whether the detainees are alive or dead.
