25.2.3: Miscellaneous
James Brown the God father of Soul himself at the age seventy two said “I've lived every moment as hard and as strong as I could, and I've survived! The world is still at war and there are strong, sometimes hostile political feelings in the air. The main problem, as I see it, is that we're in the same old situation that stems from a generational problem. Music remains the mother of the children of the world “(43) Which I also share his ideas but I cannot sing but write for emancipation.
By 2007, the share of national income accounted for wages and salaries in the US was the same as it had been in 1928. All the gains working people had made in the proportion of the national income that they enjoyed during the post war decades had disappeared. Top executives of major corporations who had made forty times as much as one of their average employment in 1980 were making more than a hundred times as much and sometimes two hundred times as much as those who worked for them.
Thus, democracy is under threat from plutocracy, a political system in which huge sums of money are necessary for the achievement of high office, both at the federal level and at the state level.
Rich men had run for president before as the candidates of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Two wealthy Roosevelt's-Theodore, a republican, and Franklin, a Democrat who had won the nation's highest office were examples of the past. The battle with big money and American democracy became a permanent feature of American life.
In 2004, an African American politician from Chicago, Barack Obama, delivered a stirring address at the Democratic national convention, pointing the way to a political transformation. In 2008 Obama and Hillary raised enormous sums and dispersed with federal funding.
In June 2008 the Obama campaign announced that their candidate would forgo the matching federal government election funds. It was the first time since the funding system went into effect in 1976 that a candidate representing a major party had not taken funds from the federal government for the period of the formal campaign in the autumn of the election year with of course no spending limit on the bid for the white house. Sometimes the big interests were winning and sometimes the great reformers who infused new strength in to American democracy carried the day.
In his campaign for his party's presidential nomination in 2008, the senator from Illinois was not only with the support of plenty of big money backers but also assembled coalition of supporter never before brought together by an African American leader. He was there fore not only with the support of plenty of big money backers but his message of change and hope also mobilized the young in a fashion not seen since the 1960's.
During the campaign many black people and the racists were painting him black without the white to which Obama months after he became president when asked about racism he replied that “he was black during the election”
In March 2008, while Obama was on campaign trail Dmitri Medvedev, a Putin prot% 26 # 233; g% 26 # 233;, easily won the Russian presidential election. When he was sworn in as president two months later, Medvedev's first act was to nominate Putin as prime minister
The principal driving force behind the rise of plutocracy has been globalization, and in particular, the impact of economic blocs such as the World Trade Organization, the European Union and the north America Free trade agreement. Globalization has, in fact drawn all people and all nations into a closer set of relationships with one another. But the relationships have been based on amplifying the power of the few at the expense of the many on a wide range of fronts, so much so that we can conclude that globalization has effectively paralyzed democracy to an alarming extent.
Paradoxically the barriers in the way of democracy and the opportunities for its advance arise out of contradictory aspects of the same issues. The major point of concern of those issues and the great questions in our age that will determine the strength of democracy are the wealth and income gaps not only within particular countries but between the advanced countries and the rest of the world.
The availability of quality education for the whole population and universal health care are as well basic if supplemented by employment opportunities and job security. At same time full support for the struggle against the marginalization of people on the basis of ethnicity, race gender sexual orientation and religion need behavioural revolution.
The containment of war and the prevention of spread of ever more lethal weaponry are being resisted. The opening of frontiers to allow people to migrate to the places where economic development compels them to go not in its current trend of slavery comes if the others are fulfilled. Worst of all the safeguarding of the environment including halt to the wanton destruction of other species has become impossible.
The issue of inequality, much more, came into a head in September and October 2008, with the onset of the most serious global financial crisis since the great depression which began in 1929. Financial institutions imploded, stock markets crashed, credit markets ceased to function 'Thus governments were forced to bail out banks and other financial institutions at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars.
In some cases notably that of the United Kingdom the government nationalized banks. The market systems as the world has known it for the past three decades collapsed in chaos. Governments stepped in hoping that their vast and concerted interventions would prelaunch the economy. Resentment and fear stalked the nations of the world, as tens of millions of people concluded that they had been betrayed by their economic and political leaders.
The Generation in Turmoil's Life as a theatre is to be continued with a different title focussing mainly about my life in North America in line with what Lisa Lange in New writer Woes puts it “So, not to diminish the concept of shooting for the top and reaching for the stars, keep that in mind. But remember that every one, at some point in their lives, had to start small and work their way up. Never be discouraged, and never give up. You are a writer, so keep writing! “(44)
Thereby I have have to expose sadists who watch capabilities live unreleased and stop racists watch potentials die untapped.The wealthiest place on this planet is not the gold mines, diamond mines, oil wells, or silver mines of the earth, but the cemetery. Because buried in the graveyards are dreams and visions that were never fulfilled books that were never written .. and ideas that died as ideas (45).
Non English Words and Phrases of Importance
Yonas-First son from my first relationship
Senay-First son to my second x-wife
Semhal-First daughter to my second x-wife
Genet-baby sitter / / nanny to Semhal
Berihu (Aregawi)-First elected leader of TPLF
Sibhat-Second elected Leader of TPLF,
Melse-Third Elected Leader of TPLF and Became President in Transition then elected Prime M.
Abay-Chair Political Committee of TPLF
Abadi-Health Officer Rebel, behind the throne Minister of Health
Ogaden-Region five, East part of Ethiopia, inhibited by people of Somali origin
Essayas-Rebel Leader from inception, President for life of Eritrea
Shombeko-Eritrean Village West, Cross point of Lower Mereb Valley to Badme of Ethiopia
Badme-Village about 50 Kilometers from the bounding Mereb River deep in Tigray
Tsorona-Central Town bordering Eritrea andTigray at Upper Mereb Valley
Zalambessa-Town Bordering Eritrea and Tigray in the Centre-East
List of figures Pages
1. Obelisk Returned from Rome
2. Head of State of Ethiopia, Hailesselassie one
3.Princess Diana% 26amp; The Kennedy's
4. Head of State of Ethiopia, Colonel Mengistu
5. My First Son, Yonas and I
6. Semhal and I crossing to Mozambique
7. Head of State of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi
8 Head of State of Eritrea, Essayas Afeworki
9. Semhal, Genet and I
10. Semhal and I under a tree
11: Friends and relatives in Marriage
12: Senay's mother faking shoe lace
13: Head of state, Somalia
14: Head of state, Eritrea
15: Islamic Leader Somalia
16: Djibouti President
Abbreviations
DDT-Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethylene
ELF-Eritrean Liberation Front
EPLF-Eritrean People's Liberation Front
EDU-Ethiopian Democratic Union
EPRP / EPRDM-Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party / Movement
ESLCE-Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination.
IOM-International Organization Migration
MLLT – Marxist Leninist League of Tigray
MOH-Ministry of Health
NOCMVD-National Organization, Control of Malaria and Other Vector-Borne Diseases.
ONLF-Ogden National Liberation Front
OLF-Oromo Liberation Front
TLF-Tigray Liberation front
TPLF-Tigrean People's Revolutionary Front
PHC-Primary Health Care
PLO-Palastenian Liberation Organization
SBS-Seasonal Blood Survey.
SIDA-Swedish International Development Agency
USAID-United States Agency International Development.
UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner Refugee
Figure 5: Yonas at six on my graduation from medical school. Figure 6: Semhal in red with me to cross border Tanzania Mozambique
Figure 7: Semhal and I under a tree in Mozambique Figure: Breast fed infant with mother substitutes Figure 8: Friends and relatives on our marriage day Figur 9: Mother Faking Shoe lace of a big boy
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