'Out of Ethiopia' - We are all Ethiopians

DNA studies map human migration
The pattern of genetic mutations offers evidence that an ancient band of explorers left what is now Ethiopia and went on to colonize most of the world.
By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Scrutinizing the DNA of 938 people from 51 distinct populations around the world, geneticists have created a detailed map of how humans spread from their home base in sub-Saharan Africa to populate the farthest reaches of the globe over the last 100,000 years.
The pattern of genetic mutations, to be published today in the journal Science, offers striking evidence that an ancient band of explorers left what is now Ethiopia and -- along with their descendants -- went on to colonize North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, southern and central Asia, Australia and its surrounding islands, the Americas and East Asia. A second analysis based on some of the same DNA samples corroborated the results.

http://www.waltainfo.com/EnNews/2008/Feb/24Feb08/44008.htm

Ethiopia National Palace calls original architect for remodeling

Francesco Saverio Antilici, l'architetto e designer italiano che ha creato gli interni dell'Ethiopia National Palace nel 1972, è arrivato ad Adis Abeba per un progetto di riqualificazione. L'amministrazione del palazzo ha rintracciato Antilici invitandolo ad andare ad Adis Abeba per studiare una ristrutturazione degli interni da lui progettati trentacinque anni fa così come di una nuova ala del palazzo costruita nel 1955.

By Kirubel Tadesse

Source: Capital

Francesco Saverio Antilici, Italian Architectural and Interior Designer, who created the Palace's interior and supervised the construction of the Jubilee Palace in 1972, is in Addis Ababa for a renovation project. The whereabouts of Francesco Saverio Antilici was traced by chance by the Palace Administration through the Internet and he was invited to come to Addis Ababa to help in the study for the renovation and the interior designs of his thirty-five year old work as well as the original wing of the palace which was built in 1955.
Antilici told Capital that he has spent months preparing the survey of both the two wings of the Palace starting from the end of October 2007. "We looked everywhere for the designs of the Palace," explained Antilici," finally, I found some of the designs in my archive and those are what we are referring to now. For the 1955 wing, which was designed by another person, no plans were found so I had to draw and study it thoroughly for months."
He has now submitted the results of the survey and a renovation program to the Palace Administration and is optimistic about the approval of a budget for the projects, which is estimated to last two years. "I was told that the news of an approval of a budget should come in quite a short time," Antilici told Capital. "We will first start to renovate one of the wings, leaving the other to resume service and move to the other wing," Antilici added.Going back to the first time when he was called in for the job, Antilici said "I can say it was by chance I got the job. Back in 1969, I was talking to my uncle, an engineer, and acquainted with the people who were looking for an architect. That's how I came to spend three years working on the Palace. I was 27 at that time and it was a great experience for any young architect."
According to Antilici's recollection the interior designs and finish of Jubilee Palace cost USD 5 million, a budget made available by an export credit by the Italian government. He added he was put in charge of the project after the foundation and basement were completed. Most of the materials were imported from Italy but now Antilici believes that many of them should be available locally.
"The condition of the palace is really amazing; the Palace Administration accomplished a miracle in preserving it. The 1955 palace is also in fair good condition. However, every house needs maintenance after thirty five years of service, particularly in what concerns the technical installations, i.e. electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems, the restoration of wooden floors and the general interior decoration" explained Antilici. Even if the current state of the palace is quite satisfactory, Antilici comments that for unknown reasons, the exterior of the Jubilee Palace has been repainted and has a different look and color." Now we have to undo that and correct it. I don't know why it was made to look like limestone but it was redecorated and now we will change it back to its original look," Antilici added.
Antilici told Capital that he has met some old friends who still work at the palace. "I heard that Engineer Mekonnen Mulat has passed, he was the one I was working with mostly," said Antilici referring to the then Vice Minister of Public Works. "The Emperor too was closely following the palace construction. We were working like mad and eager for the completion day. At the end of the project, the Emperor was satisfied."Renowned architect, Francesco Saverio Antilici, was born in Rome, Italy, in a family of Italian and German descent. He took the final examinations both at the State Art School and at the Technical School in Rome getting the architectural designer certificate. He also studied architecture at the La Sapienza University in Rome.
He started practicing in Tunisia as assistant architect at the Ministry of Public Works. He set up his own Architectural and Town planning practice on authorization by theTunisian Government. He completed successfully a number of projects, as designer and project manager in North Africa, Middle East and Europe sometimes in collaboration with major Italian and foreign offices, or on his own. His portfolio includes clients like Dr G.-R. Flick, the heir of the Daimler-Benz fortune, two daughters of President Bongo of Gabon, Prince Mansour b. Meteib b. Abdulaziz, a nephew of former King Fahad of Saudi Arabia, Mr. C.-J. Tourres of Adidas and many more important private clients and institutions. His experience going from town planning to architecture, interior design, restoration of antique buildings and garden and landscape design. "It is a special moment for me; it isn't always that you are called to do a project you did 35 years ago," said Antilici," the budget required isn't that high since the Palace is just old and not an antique which usually costs a huge amount of money."

Ethiopia & Egypt: It's The Water, stupid! - Part II

The article posted below was written by G. E. Gorfu

It is not only the policy of Khediv Ismael from a hundred years ago, as sated in Part I, but also of Anwar Sadat who in 1978 warned: ‘Egypt would go to war if Ethiopia made a move to build a dam on Lake Tana or any irrigation projects that would affect Egypt’s agricultural and settlement programs.’ (1) He was stating that ancient, aggressive, and ever ongoing policy of belligerence towards any progress and development of Ethiopia.
Sadat was not making an empty threat. Soon after signing the Camp David Accord with Israel in 1977, his first order of duty was to purchase long range missiles from the US. Why did Egypt need long range missile if Israel, just across the Sinai, was his arch enemy? The enemy Sadat needed the long range missiles for however was not Israel, but Ethiopia. He must have acquired those weapons in his arsenal when he made the threat.
In 1987 Ethiopia applied for a loan from African development Bank to build a dam for water conservation and to increase its water storage facilities due to repeated drought and famine. But in 1990 Egypt blocked the loan (2) and killed the project. Ethiopia has never harmed Egypt, nor has the intention to do so, but Egypt’s policy always harms Ethiopia.
In September 2007, BBC reported Mubarak’s announcement of plans to build several nuclear plants: “…making it clear there were strategic reasons for the program, calling secure sources of energy an integral part of Egypt's national security system…”(3) Wow! Nuclear plants with reasons of ‘strategic national security’? What could that mean?
What is Mubarak talking about? We have no doubt the strategic national security means not secure electric power, but ‘secure source of water’. It is interesting to note that no one raised an eyebrow when Egypt announced its plan to build the nuclear power plants, but when a poor country like Ethiopia builds hydroelectric dams, they cry of ‘environmental concerns’ and start letter writing campaigns to block the loans! Is that a double standard?
For the first time in centuries Ethiopia is attempting to rise from the dust and take control of its waters and is building dams. For the first time we see some signs of progress and development however meager these may appear to be. And already our enemy seems scared to death that we will dry up the Nile and turn Egypt into a desert. That is baseless. But Egypt is not only relying on nuclear power, but has enlisted our educated elites to do its dirty work, and push HR bills through the US Congress. What a shame!
Mubarak, who took power after Sadat’s assassination in 1981, has ruled Egypt with an iron fist, arresting some, and banishing other political opponents into exile. He has won every election since then, by a landslide victory of 90% or more. There is no democracy, no transparency, and there are no opposition political parties in Egypt. In spite of that, it has remained the largest beneficiary of US Aid, receiving more aid than all other African countries put together. So, where is the HR bill on Accountability Act for Egypt, uh?
This enemy is proactive, always planning and staying several steps ahead, but all the Ethiopian elites can do, appears to be: fight among themselves, or push stupid HR bills through US Congress to aid the enemy, and entangle their country in an indirect control by foreign governments. Some are so obsessed in divisive ethnic politics and their own Chauvinistic stand that they fail to see the real enemy behind all these machinations.
Many Ethiopians are so foolish as to join these political schemers and operatives, and even give their monetary support, while some of the elites leading the legislation of HR Bills are outright traitors in the payroll of Egypt’s Mubarak and Eritrea’s Issayas. What a dastardly and heinous act! Is that what your motherland deserves? Is that how you repay the poor peasant who worked hard, tilled, and sweated to get you educated? How sad!

Ethiopia among 20 of the best new adventure holidays (Sunday Times)

Lost temples, enchanted forests and poisonous frogs await you on these challenging adventure holidays, says Chris Haslam.

February 10, 2008
If your idea of immersing yourself in local culture involves a yoghurt-based spa treatment, and your concept of an adventure is the latest Wilbur Smith on a sunbed by the pool, you might want to turn the page.
If, however, you judge a holiday by the number of jabs you need and the variety of parasites you pick up, stay with me, because you’ve never had it so good. Mysterious destinations once accessible only to professional explorers can now be booked as easily as a beach break in Benidorm.
To prove it, here are 20 of the newest, most exciting trips on offer, with a rating for fitness. If this is low, and you can walk a mile with a daypack, you’ll be fine. If it’s high, you’ll need to be capable of walking for seven hours a day on tough gradients, lugging your kit, without crying.
And among Brazil, Australia, Nepal and Guatemala is:
IN THESIGER’S FOOTSTEPS: ETHIOPIA AND YEMEN
It’s still rough, and the Red Sea Explorer expedition offered by Wild Frontiers (020 7736 3968, http://www.wildfrontiers.co.uk/ ) is no stroll. Flying into Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, you’ll traverse the Awash to Djibouti before crossing the Red Sea to Aden and plunging into the beautiful void that is the Empty Quarter. The 17-day trip costs £2,300; flights start at £600 with Ethiopian Airlines (020 8987 7000, http://www.ethiopianairlines.com/ ).
Fitness: low
Best time to go: September to March

Ethiopa & Egypt: It's the water, stupid!

I found this post in Nazret.com and I thought some of you would find it interesting. Let me know what you think about it.

File Photo: Ethiopia, Source of the Blue Nile. Tis Abay Falls

Ethiopia - It is the Water, Stupid!

By G. E. Gorfu

For hundreds of years Egypt’s desire, even before its policy was articulated by Muzinger Pasha(1) the Swiss mercenary, has been: ‘to occupy and Islamize Ethiopia, or that failing, to keep it in perpetual poverty and misery….’* This is done to prevent Ethiopia develop its rivers by irrigation, and thereby reducing the flow of the Nile reaching Egypt.
Through the ages this policy has been successfully implemented in various ways and means, and we even saw in our own lifetime how Ethiopia suffered drought, secessionist wars, poverty, and famine, all engineered directly or indirectly, by Cairo. Throughout all that time Egypt has been developing and prospering at the expense of Ethiopia.
Recently a flurry of letter writing campaigns were carried out by some European nations (France, Italy, et. al.), expressing a totally unfounded ‘environmental concern’ with the evil intention of blocking loans earmarked for the Gibe Gilgel III Dam. Behind these letter writing campaigns, we are sure, is our eternal enemy, Egypt! Egypt lives in mortal fear of Ethiopia building dams and drying up the Nile, a fear which is totally unfounded.
The amount in question, $400 million US, a small fry in the scheme of such projects, is for a loan negotiated with the US financial giant, JP Morgan Chase. Unlike coal, diesel, or nuclear power, hydro-electric plants are among the cleanest and most environmentally friendly. So, where is the beef? What concerns could they be expressing? Could it be the environmental concerns of Egypt? What a shameful travesty of justice, truth and fairness!
With the letter writing strategy Cairo is pursuing its long standing policy ‘…of keeping Ethiopia in perpetual poverty and misery…’ So, I personally contacted representatives of JP Morgan Chase and told them I would cut my Chase Credit Card in half and close my account, should Ethiopia be denied the loan. Every concerned Ethiopian should also do the same, and I would be happy to share the address and other relevant information.
What I am interested in here, however, is to ask my fellow Ethiopian Moslem brothers and sisters what they think of this long standing policy of Egypt against our mother land. Is there any justification for it? Has Ethiopia ever wronged or harmed Egypt in any way that our country should forever be hampered in its development, and impoverished?
Famine and poverty are not selective. Both Moslems and Christians, men and women, young and old, starve to death in a famine. So, can anyone make sense of a policy that states: “Egypt should occupy and Islamize Ethiopia or…”? Does Egypt think Ethiopian Moslems are either stupid, or such religious zealots that they would sit and watch quietly as our rivers flow down the Nile for Egypt’s prosperity, while their families starve? Can our Moslem brothers and sisters speak up on this policy?