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naomithespirit · 3 years

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Puppet Waltz - Deltarune AU Idea (Cont.)

MORE AU THOUGHTS TIME SINCE I'M AWAKE NOW AND HAVE MORE TIME. ...Hopefully. I'm starting at like 3:30 PM Sept. 29th. And this is probably going to be a bit more rambly. SO. Some thoughts about Cyber City. Well. In the past, I imagine before things really started upgrading and improving, it wasn't exactly a city just yet. It was originally called Cyber Town with Queen originally being known as Lady. Swatch, the head butler, was still one of the people that Lady trusted the most. Seriously, she relied on him for a lot of things. Especially getting her a very specific supply of battery acid. He....doesn't really question it. If she wants it, Swatch will get it for her. Oh, you know the Addisons? Yeah, I've done stuff with them too and added some new ones. So lemme share them all! In the base game we have Pink, Orange, Blue and two Yellows. They're the actual existing ones so I may as well list what I've done with them. Pink:

Pink's name in this is Addy and uses he/him pronouns. Of the Addisons, Pink was the first one to appear in Cyber Town among the Addisons. He advertises often for different fashion-related things. The main products being for shoes and the very expensive FreezeRing! Oh, and he also sells tea as well, but this is a newer thing. After Spamton became famous and he was ultimately left behind, Addy tried to keep the friends together and to not forget him but...things just didn't work out. So he was left with no choice but to move on. Blue: Blue's name in this is Adelina and uses she/her pronouns. She was the second Addison to join Cyber Town and felt the most distraught and betrayed by Spamton getting bigger than the rest of his friends and becoming too busy for them. Addy and Adelina often got into many fights over whether or not they should forgive Spamton. Now she doesn't like to talk about him. But after the Spamton NEO encounter that Kris has...she regrets being so harsh to him. She advertises for ad placements and sometimes different shoes. Orange: Orange's name in this is Adael and uses she/her pronouns. The third Addison to appear in Cyber Town, she advertises different flavored juices. She was mostly on Addy's side in regards to wanting to still be friends with Spamton but because everyone became so divided about it, she came to a similar conclusion and felt they had no choice but to move on. She never talks about him unless he's brought up in conversation. Deep down, she wishes she went to visit him before he crashed. Twin Yellows: The two yellows that are seen are named Adam and Adis. Adam uses he/him pronouns and Adis uses she/they pronouns. The fourth and fifth Addisons to appear in Cyber Town. They appeared not too long before Spamton did and their advertisements typically involved various art supplies. However, after the whole Spamton incident made everyone fall apart, the twins ended up withdrawing and mostly avoiding conversations with the others. They were still friends with them, but they also refused to stop being Spamton's friend. Eventually, both of them stopped leaving their homes. They stayed in contact with people but didn't want to leave the house. After the Spamton NEO encounter, they came out of hiding in the shared sadness of their friend group. So those are among the ones that were shown in the game that I decided to do somethin' with. I'll share other Addisons that I made in the future. Also, before I end this little post, I will say that in Puppet Waltz, part of what made Spamton slowly lose it was discovering his real name was Spamton G. Spamton. Further making him panic, his "Ad Speech" got progressively more frequent the more famous he got. Something he didn't realize was happening until it was already too late. And at that point, his real voice was drowned out, only occasionally slipping in various ads as a cry for help. Hell, he'd sometimes just brute force his original manner of speaking out just so he could have his real voice back. Think of this quote: '....can anyone hear me...? Help....' Alrighty, I'm done now. And it is now Oct. 1st, 2:45 AM. At least I finished it.

#deltarune #spamton #spamton g spamton #spamton neo #queen deltarune #swatch deltarune #au

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gem-tavvy · 3 years

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one of the interesting things to me abt snowgrave route is the part where ralsei asks kris if they want to see what susie is doing... one of the important elements of the route is the fact that the player has to CHOOSE everything awful kris does. you have to CHOOSE to backtrack, CHOOSE to use iceshock over and over, CHOOSE to steal the ring, CHOOSE to talk to spamton, CHOOSE to tell noelle to proceed repeatedly, and CHOOSE to use snowgrave multiple times!

but when ralsei asks kris if they want to see what's happening with susie... there is no such choice? we are not given a choice; kris does not check in on susie. we, as the player, do not have the ability *not* to have a choice. we don't know who exactly gives us the ability to choose, but it is very much not us.

this is interesting to me... obviously the first presumption i had was that we're keeping kris from checking on susie so they can't confess to ralsei, right? but again, we aren't given that choice, despite the fact that the entire route is built upon that "it's YOUR choice" idea.

there's really only a couple possible choices for who could be the one who prevents you from having a choice in this matter.

1) you. it's possible the lack of choice is merely a plot device intended to push the message of the route or so toby didn't have to make an alternate version of the susie/noelle cutscene just for this route. but this possibility is unsatisfying to me, and sorta detracts from the message of the route itself.

2) the narrator. it's a pretty well-regarded theory that throughout undertale, chara is the narrator. considering the similarities in story roots between deltarune and undertale, with the characters, soul, monsters, etc... it's not a stretch to believe the narrator could control the choices we get, and that the narrator is a character in of itself. but who? and why? the two text styles in the survey intro of chapter one lead a lot to believe gaster and chara play some part in the story. gaster has you create a vessel, and chara tells you it will be discarded, and that no one can choose who they are in this world. assuming this is true, either of these characters could be the narrator and, therefore, the one keeping you from choosing. we don't know enough about either's goals to determine which, but if you ask me, chara would be a loooot closer to the mark.

3) kris. probably the most unlikely of the bunch, but still interesting. we know that while we control kris, there are elements of them that we can't control. namely, the *way* they do things. we can't stop them from freaking out after spamton neo. the expressions they make after meeting back up with the gang. we can choose what they do, but not always how they do it. so, even if we're inadvertently choosing not to see susie, kris doesn't seem to give any indication to ralsei of anything. it's possible they say something to the tune of "it hasn't been that long," based on ralsei's comments. if kris had wanted to reach out to ralsei in some way, wouldn't there be some way to do that, even if just by an expression? what if it's possible that kris exerted their weaker control over themselves to prevent us from having a choice? what would that mean? well, since it's theorized that checking on susie briefly relinquishes some of the player's control, allowing ralsei to talk to them candidly, IF kris was responsible for our lack of a choice here, it would have to mean that for whatever reason, kris did not want to talk to ralsei alone. if that were the case, we could only speculate as to why that is.

i don't necessarily have an ANSWER to that, but it intrigues me. in a route where the player chooses to make all the choices, this is one of the only instances where your ability to choose is taken away. the other being, iirc, spamton neo. after snowgraving berdly, fighting him alone is an inevitability. as is fighting him until you can sic noelle on him. after that, you have all the freedom hometown provides, with the addition of the choice to visit the hospital, and the choice to torment noelle some more. you can even choose to walk towards her in the cutscene, something you've never been able to do before! it's not like freezing berdly relinquishes choice for the rest of the game. it's just these instances.

i just think it's interesting!

#deltarune chapter 2 #deltarune spoilers #deltarune snowgrave #deltarune #kris dreemurr

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continuo-docs · 3 years

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Music reviews by Laurent Fairon, July 2021 Epsilon-Delta – Music for Recurring Decimals (March 2021) Dino Felipe – The Gardeners (June 2021) Shane Cooper – Happenstance (June 2021) RhaD – Metamusic (June 2021) Angel Bat Dawid – Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology (June 2021) Ron Nagorcka – Lovregana - Music From A Tasmanian Forest (July 2021)

Epsilon-Delta – Music for Recurring Decimals (433 Records) https://433records.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-recurring-decimals Lovely collection of short, poetic synth sequences build on simple mathematical algorithms by Hong Kong mathematician Addy Choi working under the Epsilon-Delta alias. Algorithms are based on decimal fractions like 4/7, 7/9 or 3/11, using the resulting digits as the basis for the sequence. Far from being arid or too cerebral, the tracks are poetic and varied thanks to the beautiful MIDI synth sounds chosen by the programmer, who is also a clever musician apparently. Tracks may be repetitive but the album isn't. This is textbook Systems Music as practiced in the U.K. during the 1980s by the likes of The Dead Goldfish Ensemble or The Lost Jockey. Exquisite album.

Dino Felipe – The Gardeners (self release) https://dino-felipe.bandcamp.com/album/the-gardeners Mini-LP of 16 very short tracks by Miami-based electronic musician with previous full length releases on ¡Mayday! and Schematic. The music on The Gardeners is based on samples, sound collages, occasional beats and various sound treatments like speed modification, sound stretching, accumulation, heavy reverb, or else. Felipe thus creates colorful and humorous vignettes based on ethnic music snippets, found vocals, musique concrète or cheap electronic sounds. Glitch-y textures abound, as well as grotesque sounds and weird juxtapositions, the music being deliciously direction-less and erratic.

Shane Cooper – Happenstance (Kit Records) https://kitrecs.bandcamp.com/album/happenstance Gorgeous ambient, ethnic and experimental jazz music by South African double bass player and multi-instrumentalist Shane Cooper. The album is actually constructed as a collage of short excerpts from sessions recorded with Johannesburg guest musicians in 2020. The whole project was commissioned by contemporary artist William Kentridge's The Centre for the Less Good Idea, an artist run facility he founded in Johannesburg to promote local independent art projects. Cooper obviously selected the interesting and relevant parts from two days' worth of collective improvisations and the 2 side-long tracks of Happenstance are bursting with ideas and surprises. The 1st side is rather varied in instrumentation, including superb piano and cello parts, lush Rhodes electric keyboard notes and incredible South African traditional instruments played by Cara Stacey. The music is moody and adventurous, jumping gracefully all over the place. The flip side is more about exploring rhythm textures and deep bass sounds and features Shane Cooper on double bass along 3 percussionists. The collage technique is applied here as well, producing pleasant mood changes and exciting U-turns. Cooper delivers a variety of sounds on his instrument, from walking bass lines to long-held notes played with arco (briefly played backward at some point), and also performs beautiful electric bass guitar parts with reverb. The non-linearity and unpredictability of the collage strategy used in Happenstance ensures the music is keeping away from jazz music's clichés and each new listen is surprising and interesting. Two more episodes were recorded during these sessions and are available on YouTube and other platforms, like the vocal only piece called 'Tongues'.

RhaD – Metamusic (Unexplained Sounds Group) https://unexplainedsoundsgroup.bandcamp.com/album/metamusic Standing for Research for Historical Audio Documents, RhaD is a musical project by Italian music activist Raffaele Pezzella, also known as electronic music producer Sonologyst, as well as Unexplained Sounds Group label director and publisher, not to mention radio host and sound researcher, among others. Metamusic is a 40mn sound collage of mysterious radio transmissions, found vocals, spoken words, vintage electronic sounds and a number of guest stars on classical music instruments like organ, guitar, bass or piano – respectively Michael Bonaventure, Stefan Schmidt, Daniel Barbiero, Francesco Arrighi and Mara Lepore. Adroitly avoiding any ca 2021 digital artifact along the way, Metamusic's sound design is bringing the listener back to the glorious 1960s and '70s, yet the music sounds rather timeless to these ears. Metamusic recreates the sound of early European avantgarde with plenty of tape manipulations, sound collages, buzzing sounds, French spoken word and contemporary classical music instruments. The sound crafting is superb, the collage technique creating an ever-changing musical soundscape full of weird sounds, grotesque sound manipulations and Surrealist juxtapositions. What's not to love?

Angel Bat Dawid – Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1 Doxology (International Anthem) https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/hush-harbor-mixtape-vol-1-doxology Very personal and original album by Angel Bat Dawid, a US clarinet player, singer, electronic musician and DJ from Chicago. Created with a few sounds and a minimum of means, devoid of spectacular solo outing, these mostly desolate tracks form a meditative musical travelogue through the Black people psyche. Track titles deal with themes of slavery, racism, and Black culture tropes, though neither the occasional lyrics nor the strange music on offer here can pass for angry or vindicatory, the music being far too personal for that. The clarinet confers a neo-classical atmosphere to some of the tracks, sometimes interestingly contrasted with synthesizer sounds or electronic beats. Harmonica and vocals on Autotune also contribute to the unique sound signature of this album, with occasional hints at gospel and rural blues. Playing in continuous mode in a kind of stream-of-consciousness style, the music would work just fine as a soundtrack to a Kara Walker exhibition—Bat Dawid actually composed the soundtrack to a Yoko Ono outdoor installation in 2020. On a side note, she also released the Harkening Etudes mini album on Longform Editions earlier in April 2021, where her classically-trained clarinet playing is contrasted with sampled piano accompaniment and electronically processed vocals in a series of short, bizarre classical music études, also worth checking out.

Ron Nagorcka – Lovregana - Music From A Tasmanian Forest (Invisibilia) https://invisibilia.bandcamp.com/album/lovregana-music-from-a-tasmanian-forest-1990-soundscapes-from-wilderness-1988 This CD reissue combines 2 cassette tapes of manipulated field recordings by Australian composer Ron Nagorcka, born 1948, namely 'Lovregana - Music from a Tasmanian Forest', 1990, and 'Soundscapes from Wilderness', from 1988. Both are based on bird recordings from northern Tasmania island, where Nagorcka relocated in 1988, building himself a house and makeshift, solar-powered recording studio deep in the primeval forest. On Lovregana, short samples of bird songs are run through a sampler and harmonized in just intonation, producing eerie soundscapes of disembodied and supernatural bird singing. The music is reconstructing a fictional and artificial forest populated by dozens of birds, some far in the distance, some near ; some slowly developing a song, others performing in sudden bursts, with a variety and unpredictability akin to actual birds in nature. To this, Nagorcka adds minimal electronic loops in the background, dreamy synthesizer notes in strange tunings and discreet didgeridoo playing, all very well integrated to the sampled bird songs. These tracks are thus poetical evocations of a primeval forest via electronic sounds. While Lovregana's tracks more or less focused on one specific bird song at a time, the two tracks of 'Soundscapes from Wilderness' take a more holistic approach to nature recordings. The 1st track, 'Black Forest, Victoria', is a reconstruction of the deep forest sounds via the accumulation of various field recordings, creating a particularly dense soundscape through layers and layers of nature recordings. Here again, the natural-vs-artificial dichotomy is what interests the composer, and arguably this forest never existed, it was rather reconstructed in the studio. The 2nd track, 'Rainforest in Northern Tasmania', uses forest sounds as the basis for slow, mysterious didgeridoo improvisations, perhaps examining how the musician can dialog with the environment, being a part of it, being one with it. The superb didjeridoo playing is what fascinates most here. . . .

#reviews #music review #music reviews #Experimental #avantgarde

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prizmpaws · 4 years

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locke kids masterlist

finally copying @twistedm0th n doin this, these are all gijinkas from a platinum soul link nuzlocke. feel free to send asks for/about them whenever. also if i ever reblog oc ask memes, its for these bitches

current team

jax (crobat) - he/him. my starter. all the e boy aesthetic but without the shitty personality that usually comes with it. shitty homophobic parents trauma meets protag-who-literally-died-that-one-time trauma. bi n trans

neptune (swampert) - he/him. funkie pirate boy!! cuts the sleeves off of all his shirts to show off his muscles.so dedicated to his pirate aesthetic that he kept the pegleg even though he could easily get like. an actual prosthetic. trans n pan

sheba (torterra) - he/him. detective man! dad friend and also an actual father. couldn’t feel fear before he met his soulmates n now hes a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Very Concerned For These Kids’ Wellbeing. gay

elizabeth (torkoal) - she/they. usually just goes by liz. one of the weed smoking girlfriends. frequent ren faire attendee and occasional cosplayer. not necessarily tiktok famous but shes definitely had many a tiktok go viral. trans lesbian

kreios (nidorino) - he/they. pastel goth. wears skirts all the time n everyone goes “wow smol bean breaking gender roles so cute 🥺🥺🥺” n hes like 😐. loves to do their soulmates’ makeup. constantly vibrating with righteous anger. bi

adelaide (sceptile) - she/her. usually goes by addie. newest team member. quite possibly single handedly keeping her local boba shop in business. huge fan of clown husbandry, buys clown dolls from thrift shops and pretties em up n gives em names and personalities n stuff. bi

the living

petunia (poliwrath) - she/her. about 8 years old n already buff as hell. constantly covered in cartoon band aids, only about half of which she actually needs. communes with the dead on ocassion.

dante (lileep) - he/they. mans just wants to farm his radishes but someone *cough cough* @/twistedm0th’s avian *cough cough* keeps stealing them. probably also helping keep that boba shop in business. bi

haileigh (horsea) - she/her. horse girl. genuinely feral. she will bite you.

cato (vibrava) - he/they. thinks hes hot shit (spoiler alert: hes not) unironically pulls out his acoustic guitar during a party and starts playing wonderwall. probably a film major. bi

bahram (metang) - they/hy/it. like 8 or 9. they have a funky cool steel arm that looks like an actual metang’s arm. honestly dont have much for hym but uh. its very cool n i hope i get to use it more someday :3

bingus (dragonair) - they/th3y/ey/xe/chaos/grr/voi/dra/ae/.exe/rawr/glitch/null/pix/beep/txt/vae/ze/bingus. bingus. loves glitchcore and scenecore. obnoxious and over the top and just unabashedly themself. TYP3Z L1K3 TH1Z!!1! th3y are the best and i love em so much. probably commits war crimes on occasion but like. yk. are xey a replacement neo? perhaps. queer

alex (sandshrew) - they/he/she. genderfluid spy, goes by different variations of alex (alexander, alexis, lexi, etc) dependent on gender and also as fake identities when doing spy shit. pan

analise (nincada) - she/her. Mom Friend. pls be kind to her she is trying her very best but she is At Her Limit at all times. covered in band aids, very vague about whether or not they're just for the aesthetic. lesbian

esmerelda (exeggutor) - she/they/he. chill as hell. has a third eye n one of those funky pairs of sunglasses w an extra lens on top. teases her friends but shed hold ur hair at a party n compliment u n trashtalk ur shitty bf who just broke up w u. *sips drink through pink glittery curly straw that says “pussy”*. bi

the deceased

holly (azumarill) - she/her. 8 years old. her death still has jax fucked up despite the fact that she's come to him multiple times as a ghost and told him to move on. Baby.

rin (scyther) - he/him. royal knight and one of june (@/twistedm0th)’s caretakers. very analytical, the way i write him is def inspired by quibli wof. gay n trans

ryan (relicanth) - he/him. big buff fish man. may or may not be an accomplice to many crimes but that does not matter please dont ask him about it. bi n trans

neo (dragonair) - she/her. speak no evil. vigilante justice ass bitch. forces corporations to be disability accessible. homestuck cosplayer. also a big penelope scott fan. bi

iggy (shellder) - she/her. mom friend. so kind. will adopt you without hesitation. gives the best hugs. just wants to enjoy her hot cocoa and go ice skating with her wife who may or may not be involved in crimes in peace. lesbian

sylvester (dewgong) - he/him. glorified theatre kid. wears almost exclusively floral button ups and top hats. most recent death. i miss him :(. bi

lillith (houndoom) - she/her. is a prep rather than being emo like most houndoom bc shes ✨ quirky ✨. soulmates with an old god and a jock and she loves them both very much. bi

#death ment #homophobia ment #trauma ment #drug ment #clown ment #ask to tag

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aib-au-official · 1 year

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For everyone: Who would you say is the most annoying one?

#splatoon #ask the 3nss #adventures in Inkopolis and Beyond #agent 4 #Dan (4)#marie cuttlefish #Runo (cap'n 3)#Addi (Neo 3)#Emily 'Eight' (8)#Shun (5)#Madi (6)

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ajoblotofjunk · 6 years

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Z Nation re-watch: 2x14 The One With Disneyland

This is one of my top 5 episodes, so I'm excited to watch it. I love a good 'fill in the background flashback' ep, and so much of the camera work and lighting is remarkable.

I wonder what Citizen Z was actually arrested for. Potential espionage? What's that about? I figure he was a hacker but what was he doing with it?

We reconfirm that pre-Z the US government, at least, knew about zombies, which. SKETCHY.

"How can I not look?" - the Hacker Motto.

Citizen Z is getting hacked! ZONA probably? Or is this Kaya? I can't remember.

The Caminos are dead. RIP El Caminos.

LITERALLY JUST REALIZED WARREN’T NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS ARE WATCHING MACK'S HOCKEY GAME. OMG.

They're directed to Trenton, NJ, so must have started somewhere near there.

I love how Warren is still a leader but so much less confident and self-assured. Her "no no no" and "let me go." She's panicking (understandably) and not sure what's happening and has not become the Warren we know now.

lmao Murphy yells "hey princess, keep it movin" to Warren like she did to him. So good. Such a toddler.

Love the overhead shots.

It's the Matterhorn!

z: "It's a world of laughter, a world of tears." lmao oh, show

I adore pre-Z Doc. I mean I adore post-Z Doc, too. He was sober 5 years pre-z.

Doc: "Let's hug it out." <33333333

Poor Dr. Sanders.

Ah yes the full-on vomit shot.

Doc takes an oxy and then out he goes into the world.

Citizen Z's servers are back online. First time since the blast. That's...unusual considering it was probably a power outage. Computers aren't magic.

Addy is a HUGE hockey fan, it's awesome. Also the lady next to Addy has a 'Non merci; shirt which I know means 'no thanks' in French but is such a good surface level pun on 'no mercy' I'll take it.

Addy: "Oh my god that's Trenton Beale! He was our best forward!" Mack: "He wasn't that good, obviously." *snerk*

Pause for 10k appreciation

10k is a BABY in his flashback. My goodness. He's so confused and awkward.

I love the murmuration of birds but it's both lovely and kind of creepy in the apocalypse.

Javi's turn on the flashback train. His is awful, really awful. That poor guy. God his screams of horror are just unbearable.

The lighting in this tunnel is my JAM.

Murphy voiceover: "How did I get here? Look at all of you. What do you want? What can you want? Do I give a damn? I do. But why? The vaccine? Why me? I don't want to be the savior of the human race. I don't want to be the zombie messiah. i don't want to be shit. This is all some terrible mistake, I just want to crawl up and die like everybody else. Why me? What did I do? Where is my mercy?"

Murphy is such a con man, it's great. Also I did not believe that was ACTUALLY HIM the first time I watched this episode, I was so startled to see him pale and beardless. Hee.

Oh gosh this conversation between Murphy and Warren is so much.

Warren: "Can't sleep?" Murphy: "Can't dream either." Warren: "When did that happen?" Murphy: "A long time ago. A long time."

Murphy: "if you were really my friend, you would help me." Warren: "But I'm not your friend." BULL. SHIT. And their goodbye in the VERY NEXT EPISODE proves the lie to that.

They've been using Citizen Z to track Murphy this whole time, so it must be ZONA.

Letting them actually reach their goal here was smart. Kept the show moving and then of course let them change up their world in seasons 3 & 4.

Warren: "We did not get you this far to lose you to neo-Nazi numbskulls." Murphy: *sigh* "Yes dear, anything you say dear."

#znationrewatch #z nation #z nation season 2 #my caps #long post

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number1salesman1997 · 3 years

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gently holds addi out to spachiel. he wants to introduce them!

Spachiel gasps at the sight of Spammy's hatchling. They are so tiny....

He scarcely knows which form would be better to hold such a tiny creature. He worries his shaking robot hands might somehow fail him and drop or hurt the baby but maybe seeing a figure that resembles their dad climbing out of NEO would scare them... He just gently holds Addi in his cupped hands and watches them with brightly glowing eyes.

"HI LITOL ADDI, YUO ARE SO [[size small]] AND SHAPED,. I'M YUOR UNKLE SPACHIEL AND FOR YUOR [[children aged 0-3]] DI$COUNT AT [[My]] I WILL GIVED YOU ANY CANDYS FROM [[My Online Store]] FOR [[absolutely free!]]! I WOLD ALSO COMMIT THE FOLOWING CRIME'S FOR YOU: TH3FT, EXTOTION, MONY LAUNDRY ING, ASSALT, MURDER, ALSO--"

#[[you've got mail : asks]]#scamton

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ayittey1 · 6 years

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Infamous Quotes of African Autocrats and Their Cohorts

Sekou Toure, the late and former president of Guinea (1958-1984):

"We prefer to live in poverty in liberty to riches in slavery." In 1958.

“Before independence, there were 12 political parties in Guinea. Now there is only one: Le Parti Democratique de Guinea (PDG). Anyone who says I am a dictator because we have only one party and no opposition doesn't understand what we are trying to accomplish. The party is not a goal, but a method to achieve the goal of human freedom. Our constitution permits complete freedom for the existence of Opposition parties. However, in the last election, 91 percent of the people voted for the PDG. The Opposition received only five or six percent of the votes, and decided to join our party. This meant reconciliation, and two of their leaders received responsible posts. Actually, the Opposition's point of view can be expressed much better within the party than from outside it (Italiaander, Rolf, The New Leaders of Africa. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‑Hall: 1961; p.146.

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Mengistu Haile Mariam, former PM of Ethiopia (1974-1991):

“We are now on the threshold of the formation of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The constitution was drafted by representatives of the people themselves. It has been submitted to all Ethiopian citizens including those living abroad, and it will be promulgated after it is put to a referendum. Such democratic participation is unparalleled in the history of Ethiopia. Once the constitution assumes its final shape, Ethiopia will never again be ruled by the personal absolutism of any one individual or a handful of individuals. The victory of socialism is inevitable!" (Time, Aug 4, 1986; p. 34).

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Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings, former president of Ghana (1981-2000):

On handing over power and returning Ghana to democratic rule in 1988:

“Hand over power to who?”

On the performance of his own military regime, eight years after seizing power:

“Despite probes, Committees of Enquiry, dismissals and prosecutions of wrongdoers, despite restructuring exercises, new management, the provision of new equipment and capital, many of our organizations, state enterprises and corporations continue to swallow public money and fail to provide the services and goods which we expect of them, and also fail to pay their tax obligations, dividends and other expected revenues . .

Too many people in these outfits, from management to workforce, still steal, embezzle and cheat . . . They still do not care about waste, carelessness, inefficiency and lack of maintenance . . . There are innumerable abuses including the misuse of fuel, vehicles and even office stationery. In some public institutions and organizations, managements have developed a tendency to spend resources carelessly on frivolous and luxury office and residential furnishing” (People's Graphic, Jan 6, 1990).

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General Yakubu Gowon, former president of Nigeria (1966-1974)

in a lecture at the Oxford and Cambridge Club entitled "Charting Nigeria's Path to Democracy in this Decade and Beyond."

“Nigeria's problems started shortly after independence because the army allowed itself to be polluted and politicised, hence the incessant coups and countercoups. The military intervention in politics in 1966 started a chain of reaction whose deleterious effects are still relevant in our national life even today, so many years after the ill-advised putsch . . .

The military should not get itself involved in politics. The sooner they leave the stage the better, or else the people may rise up against them (West Africa, June 11-17, 1990; p. 993).

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Major General Joseph Momoh, former president of Sierra Leone (1985-1992)

In his own admission in public, Maj. Gen. Joseph Momoh stated that after 5 years in office, he had achieved nothing. This confession is particularly correct. Under his leadership, Sierra Leone deteriorated immeasurably, but Momoh amassed considerable wealth in real [estate] property and cash, both locally and overseas. This ugly truth about Momoh equally applies to his political acolytes--ministers, party functionaries, heads of parastatals, his close political advisers, some high commissioners and ambassadors, and others too numerous to mention. Knowingly and shamelessly, Momoh headed a corrupt regime and, morally weak, was unable to take appropriate action against any of his ministers for corruption (West Africa, May 18-24, 1992; p. 840).

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Hastings Banda, the late and former President of Malawi (1961-1994):

“One party, one leader, one government and no nonsense about it” (The Washington Post, June 16, 1999; A24).

"I want to be blunt. As long as I am here and you say I must be your president, you have to do what I want, what I like, and not what you like and what you want. Kamuzu is in charge...That is my way" (The Washington Post, Sept 9, 1991; p. A20).

He insisted that any reference to him must employ the full title: His Excellency the Life President Ngwazi Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda. He warned opposition exiles that should they dare return to Malawi, they would become meat for his crocodiles. And no nonsense about that!

Banda "told dissidents in exile that they would become `meat for crocodiles' if they came home" (The Economist, March 21, 1992; p. 46). Indeed, “suspected opponents were imprisoned by the tens of thousands and, from time to time, fed to crocodiles. The bullet-riddled bodies of ministers accused of disloyalty were found in `mysterious car accidents’” (The Washington Post, June 16, 1999; A24).

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Kwame Nkrumah, the Late President of Ghana (1957-1966:

“We must achieve in a decade what it took others a century” in 1957 [Comment: Ghana is still at it]

“The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless linked up with the total liberation of Africa” in 1958. [Comment: Ghana’s independence is still meaningless. At independence, we traded one set of masters (white colonialists) for another set (black neo-colonialists) and the oppression and exploitation of the African people continued unabated]

“Industry rather than agriculture is the means by which rapid improvement in Africa's living standards is possible” in 1957. [Comment: Africa’s industrialization spree failed; state-owned enterprises were sold off in the 1980s, Agriculture was neglected, leading to huge expenditures – about $25 billion annually – on food imports. Africa used to feed itself in the 1960s]

“We would be hampering our advance of socialism if we were to encourage the growth of Ghanaian private capitalism in our midst” in 1964. Socialism is an alien economic ideology and failed miserably in every African country which experimented with it – from Benin, Ethiopia, Mali to Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe]

“The Convention People’s Party (C[[\\PP) is the state and the state is the party. Socialism is the objective of social, industrial and economic programs” in 1973 [Comment: The state does not belong to any one particular individual or political party]

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The Late President Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast (1960-1993):

“Colonialism was good for Africa. Thanks to it, we have one united Ivorian nation, not 60 tribes who know nothing about each other” in 1983.

“There is no number 1, 2, 3 or 4. In Cote d'Ivoire there is only a number one: that's me and I don't share my decisions,” in 1988

"I do have assets abroad. But they are not assets belonging to Cote d'Ivoire. What sensible man does not keep his assets in Switzerland, the whole world's bank? I would be crazy to sacrifice my children's future in this crazy country without thinking of their future" (La Croix, Paris, March 13, 1990).

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The Late President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Congo DR) (1965-1997):

"European businessmen were the ones who said, 'I sell you this thing for $1,000, but $200 will be for your (Swiss bank) account” in 1988

"Yes, I have a fair amount of money. However, I would estimate it to total less than $50 million. What is that after 22 years as head of state of such a big country?" (World Development Forum, No. 9, 1988; p. 3

If you steal, do not steal too much at a time. You may be arrested. Steal cleverly (yiba na mayele), little by little” in and address to party regulars in 1991.

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Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia (1964-1991):

"Why should anyone in public life impose himself on the people? The decisions must be made by the `people. In my case, it was a call for change. The tide was for change in the country. I respected it. Look at me now. You are watching a relaxed old man. I'm very happy with what I'm doing.” (The New York Times, Jan 31, 2002; p.A4).

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (1980 – Still in power):

“In Zimbabwe, socialism means what is mine is mine but what is yours we share until it all becomes mine” -- A minister in Robert Mugabe's cabinet in the 1990s.

"We now have to admit that we are reaping the bitter fruits of our unwholesome and negative behavior. Our image as leaders of the party has been tarnished. The people are crying for our blood and certainly are entitled to do so after watching our actions" (New African, Dec 1989; p. 20).

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President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (1986 – Still in power):

“No African head of state should be in power for more than 10 years” in 1986.

“We should not practice dictatorship under the guise of independence, because independence does not mean dictatorship. Without democracy, there can be no development. Democracy is the sine qua non for the effective administration of a modern state” in July 1990.

"There is no way you can develop the economy without democracy" in a speech before the OAU in Addis Ababa (New York Times, July 10, 1990; p. A3).

“Without democracy, there is no way you can bring about development because people cannot speak freely, they cannot criticize wrong programs, they cannot criticize corruption, and without criticism things are bound to rot” in a speech at Makerere University on June 8, 1991.

"I'm not ready to hand over power to people or groups of people who have no ability to manage a nation" during the presidential elections in March 2001 (The New York Times, March 11, 2001; p.A6).

"I will punish areas that failed to support me in the March election by reducing government services there" (The Washington Post, Sept 2, 2001; p.A20).

"The Movement (NRM) shall rule for more than 60 years. Apart from British colonialists who ruled Uganda for 60 years, no other regime has been successful in holding onto power like the Movement. We are going to break the British record. If Besigye (opposition leader) tried subversion he would be dealt with” Museveni’s Defense Minister, Amama Mbabazi,(The Monitor, Feb 1, 2002).

“All the poor should be arrested because they hinder us from performing our development duties. It is hard to lead the poor, and the poor cannot lead the rich. They should be eliminated."

n Uganda’s Agriculture Minister, the late Kibirige Ssebunya, (New Vision, Kampala, Dec 15, 2004). He advised local leaders to arrest poor people in their areas of jurisdiction.

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Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Ivory Coast, (2000 – 2011 and now on trial at The Hague):

"We are the country with the most millionaires, which means we have the most thieves. The more Houphouet ages, the more his collaborators sense an end to the regime, and the more they steal" (West Africa, April 3-9, 1989).

"I was arrested on April 11, 2011 under the French bombs . . . It's the French army that did the work," describing how he was arrested at his first appearance before the ICC at The Hague.

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General Ibrahim Babangida, former President of Nigeria (1985-1993):

“Ever since the majority of our countries became independent in the 1960s we have conducted our lives as if the world owes us a living" in 1990.

“Every military regime is a fraud. Anybody who heads a military regime subverts the wishes of the people.” in The African Observer, Jan 18-31, 1999, 6).

"Two decades ago, the central challenge of the Nigerian society and economy that we grappled with, was the big, inefficient State that had a stranglehold on the society, occupied the commanding heights of the economy; and behaved like a general business enterprise, producing and selling myriads of commodities running airlines; managing commercial banks and owning cement factories. Naturally, it ended up as a colossal failure in this regard, since it neither had the bottom-line sense of a business enterprise nor the residual claimant motivation to ensure proper and efficient management of the societal resources under its care.

Today, however, Nigeria faces a qualitatively different challenge. The reality in our country is that of an abysmal lack of governance. The State has virtually become overwhelmed by multi-dimensional crisis constraining its ability to minister to the needs of the people.” (The Vanguard, Lagos, Sept 16, 2010).

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Daniel arap Moi, former President of Kenya (1978-202):

"I call on all ministers, assistant ministers and every other person to sing like parrots. You ought to sing the song I sing. If I put a full stop, you should put a full stop. This is how the country will move forward,” in 1990

To move forward in the fight against AIDS, President Moi "pleaded with Kenyans to refrain from sex even for only two years, saying that was the best way to check the epidemic" (Reuters, July 13, 2001).

"You [women] can achieve more, can get more but because of your little minds, you cannot get what you are expected to get!" said President Moi as he opened a regional women's seminar in Nairobi on March 6, 2001 (BBC News On Line, March 12, 2001). Perhaps, senility had set in.

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Lt/General Omar al-Bashir of Sudan (1989 – Still in power):

“Under Shari’a Law, theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand or, if there are more than three people or weapons involved, cross amputation: right hand, left foot. My junta will destroy anyone who stands in the way. . .and amputate [the limbs of] those who betray the nation" in 1990.

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Julius Nyerere, the late and former president of Tanzania in 1997: “Africa will have to rely upon Africa. If African Governments do Africa will develop; if they don't Africa will be doomed.”

“In my view, three factors militate against economic and social growth in Africa. The first of these is corruption. This is a widespread cancer in Africa. The second factor which makes business reluctant to invest in Africa is political instability. But even if African countries were to become paragons of good governance and political stability, despite the corruptive and disruptive nature of poverty itself, foreign investors would not be coming rushing to Africa. Most African countries still lack the necessary physical infrastructure and the education and training in skills needed for rapid economic and social development. This, in my view, is the third and the most important factor militating against significant flows of foreign direct investment to Africa.” (PanAfrican News, September 1998).

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Joseph Kabila, the President of Congo DR in 2001:

“There is a government. I am the president of this country, and we are in charge of whatever is going in the country. Is it surprising? Since I came into office I've never taken orders from anybody, nobody whatsoever." (The New York Times, April 15, 2001; p.3)

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Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria in 2002 (1999 – 2007):

“Corrupt African leaders have stolen at least $140 billion (£95 billion) from their people in the decades since independence.”

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Colonel Muammar Khaddafi, the late President of Libya (1969 – 2011):

“The administration has failed and the state economy has failed, enough is enough” in 2008 (The New York Times, March 19, 2009; p.A7).

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Moussa Traore, the late and former president of Mali: Asked to resign on March 25, 1991, he retorted: "I will not resign, my government will not resign, because I was elected not by the opposition but by all the people of Mali!!!!

But two days later when he tried to flee the country, he was grabbed by his own security agents and sent to jail. From there, he lamented: "My fate is now in God's hands."

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Levy Mwanawasa, the late and former president of Zambia (2002 – 2008):

I failed Zambia, says president. President Mwanawasa has said he is "tired" of his office Zambia's president has apologised to his country for failing to tackle poverty, but insisted he will stay in office until elections are due in 2006.

"It has not been possible to reduce poverty and I feel sad about it," Levy Mwanawasa said, describing the issue as "one of my failures. . . Unfortunately, if Zambians made a mistake to elect me as president, they are stuck with me." (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4163475.stm)

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Meles Zenawi the Late and former PM of Ethiopia (1991 – 2012)

“Democracy should not be a toy for the elite to play with. It should involve even the so-called "ignorant peasant." Because only when you involve the bulk of the people can you have a real check to central authority” in October 1991..

In an Interview:

"Good day. My name is Gobano Madnamaraso." "When our leaders are young - most of our African leaders - they are visionaries. They have wonderful visions for our continent. They are admirable. The speak good, they do good. But something happens to them once they are seated in those chairs of power. My question is: We want to see our continent change, but we are afraid of this power that corrupts even some of the best, most admirable leaders on our continent, and what is this poison that happens in these chairs of power and how can we prevent it? " Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi pointed to greedy foreign corporations as a main driver of corruption. "What is the poison that leaders face when you go to national palaces, and transforms people with vision sometimes into ordinary thieves? Let's start with the total amount of loot in Africa, and what our role as leaders in that loot[ing] is," said Meles. "The vast majority of the loot[ing] is done by properly organized companies through all sorts of accounting gimmicks." Meles said African leaders are forced to be facilitators for foreign companies who demand favors in return for their investment that might means jobs for their people. "It's a difficult thing to manage because our bargaining cards are very limited," he said. "We need these companies to create jobs, in order for them to come to Africa. The image is very negative, so the risk is artificially spiked. And if the risk is artificially spiked, the return has to be commensurate with the risk. And so it's difficult to attract them without extraordinary returns." The Ethiopian leader said that sometimes leaders give in to temptation. "Sometimes we facilitate without being paid," he said. "At other times we say, 'Okay, if your family's farm is being looted, why not join in?' I think that is the most insidious form of corruption. It affects everybody, including those whose hands are not in the till."VOA, May 10, 2012

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Ethiopias-Meles-Blames-African-Corruption-on-Foreign-Investors-151033585.html

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President Isaiah Afewerki of Eritrea (1993 -- Still in power):

"What is free press? There is no free press anywhere. It's not in England; it's not in the United States. We'd like to know what free press is in the first place." (BBC, Sept 11, 2004). He closed all the independent newspapers and arrested most private journalists. The rest fled the country.

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gamechuibrahim · 4 years

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The Political Economy of the Emerging Neo-Neftegna State in Ethiopia

By Makonnen Tesfaye

1. Dictatorship and the Neo-Neftegna State Capture

1.1 In the political economy and history of Ethiopia the Neftegna State and Order was the socio-economic and political system that prevailed in the Southern, Eastern and Western parts of the country (also extending to parts of the Welqait and Raya lands of Tigray) for over 100 years, spanning from Menelik to Haileselassie imperial eras. The political economy was based on modes of production and relations characterised by serfdom intermingled with features of slave economies. Serfdom was the dominant form of production and relation between the Southern nationalities and peoples and the Neftegna nobility and their armed enforcers. Serfdom was a form of feudalism based on an agrarian economy, where day after day serfs worked exploitatively on their annexed land. Children born to serfs inherited the status of their parents and were born into serfdom. Moreover, serfs bound not only themselves but their future progeny and offspring. The distinguishing features of the Neftegna system was the bloody annexation of many independent kingdoms, lands and peoples; brute feudo-military annexations and occupations (alternatively characterised as “feudo-military colonialism”) of the peoples and lands of oppressed nationalities; only second or third class citizenships were conferred on oppressed nationalities; the prevalence of enslavement, slave trade and feudal exploitation; and the suppression of the identities, languages, cultures, traditions, histories and religions of the annexed lands and conquered peoples under One-Nation, One-Language, One-Religion imperial rule.

1.2 The February 1974 Revolution of the peoples and nationalities of Ethiopia dealt a blow to the feudal economic base of the Neftegna land tenure system by granting land to the tillers, but without politically liberating the peasantry democratically or improving the backward mode of production of agriculture. Moreover, the demands of nationalities for democracy, self-determination, and peace and development were brutally suppressed by the dictatorial regime of the Derg that waged wars (under the Neo-Neftegna banner of “Ethiopia Tikdem”) against the peoples and nationalities for 17 years until its demise in 1991.

1.3 The advent to power of the EPRDF and OLF and the proclamation of the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Republic (EFDR) Constitution in 1994 herald the victory of the struggle of Ethiopian nationalities for democracy and self-determination; unity based on diversity; and the equality of all religions. For most parts of the 27 years, the EPRDF pursued the economics of a “developmental state” and the politics of “revolutionary democracy”, which was a pro-poor partisan class politics of safeguarding the interests of the broad masses during the process of the building of a capitalist economy in a nascent, work-in-progress democratic experiment; and within the context of an emerging multi-polar global order that enabled the pursuit of a relatively non-aligned foreign policy. To its credit, the EPRDF registered significant and sustainable progress in promoting social cohesion and peace; developing the economy; and building vital hard and soft infrastructure of the country, making a difference to the livelihoods of tens of millions of hitherto downtrodden masses. It pursued a successful, relatively autonomous and non-aligned foreign policy that straddled major global and regional power divides, often successfully defending the sovereignty of the country. 1.4 Yet, the democratic developmental state experiment has come to an end due to the gradual ascendency of rent-seeking capitalism and economic injustice; the spread of systemic corruption; the growth of alienated masses, youth and intelligentsia; lack of democracy and mal-governance; and the growth of external neoliberal and dependency influences, which engineered the development and realignment of classes and forces that facilitated and enabled a Neo-Neftegna State Capture. Furthermore, the over centralisation of the Ethiopian Federal Government and State at the expense of the Regions and nationalities, and the undermining of the demands for Regional Statehoods by nationalists in Southern Ethiopia further alienated nationalities creating the conditions that weakened democratic federalism. Moreover, the EPRDF ignored and failed to combat the entrenched and hegemonic Neo-Neftegna ideology, bureaucracy and politics within the state superstructure and the society at large (including amongst the toxic Diaspora) during the 27 years of its rule. Furthermore and above all, the internal ideological and political decay of the EPRDF facilitated and enabled the advent of rent-seeking bureaucratic class and capitalists within its ranks; let loose widespread corruption; and opened wide the gate for the ascendency of neo-liberal and dependency ideologies and interests. These developments within the EPRDF and within the state were critical to the demise of the democratic developmental state experiment. On the back of a popular movement led by the youth, in particular the Oromo Qeerroo, who demanded democracy, self-determination and justice, the EPP Cliques assumed state power initially promising “reform”, “change” and “democracy”. The promises soon proved empty; instead they have become profoundly anti-democratic and dictatorial like the previous regimes of Haileselassie and the Derg. Over the last two years the Abiy dictatorial rule has undermined the fundamental pillars of the Federal Constitution, including the illegal and unconstitutional usurpation and extension of power; undermining the self-determination and sovereignty of nationalities; and creating a political environment that encourages insecurity, civil strife and dislocation and the breakdown of law and order. Hoodwinking global public opinion (including farcically managing to secure the Nobel Peace Prize), the EPP Cliques have been aided and abated by the emerging domestic ruling classes and elites and external hegemonic powers and regional dictators, in the particular Isaias Afewerki’s regime in Eritrea that has similar anti-democratic federalist agenda.

1.5 The emerging dictatorship of the EPP Cliques led by Colonel Abiy Ahmed and the political economy order that is being instituted is often characterised as Neo-Neftegna State, which is the off-spring of the political economy that was dealt major blows by the 1974 Revolution that gave land to the tillers and the 1994 EFDR Constitution that enshrined the multi-national democratic federalism. The Neo-Neftegna politics of present day Ethiopia is the result of the counter-revolutionary reversal of these two historical victories of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia and the revival and ascendency of the supremacist, expansionist and irredentist Amhara ruling class politics and ideology. The Neo-Neftegna ideology and politics is right-wing and authoritarian. It is profoundly anti-democratic, with a disdain for the recognition of human rights, whether group, or individual rights. The principal characteristics, traits and anatomy of Neo-Neftegna ideology and political economy are briefly discussed next. 2. Centralised and Unitarian State: One-Nation, One-Language, One-Religion Polity

2.1 The Neo-Neftegna State is the counter-revolutionary restoration of a centralised and unitarian state, which is the Menelikian Project of nation state building based on a polity of One-Nation, One-Language, One-Religion country. This is the very anti-thesis of a Democratic, Multi-National Federalism that accommodates diversity with unity. The plan to institute the Amharic language as a compulsory language in elementary schooling (in lieu of mother tongues) in all nationalities is a clear example of the mission to create a One-Language State at the expense of the other nationalities’ languages. In the same vein, the Neo-Neftegnas strongly object to other nationalities’ languages becoming working languages of the Federal Government. Similarly, the ideological and political association by Neo-Neftegna elites (e.g. by Mahibere Kidusan) of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church with one nationality and language undermines the separation of politics and religion as stipulated in the EFDR Constitution. For example, the Neo-Neftegnas accuse the Oromos as “Anti-Orthodox Tewahedo” and they object to the Oromos using their language in their church liturgy, or administering their ecclesiastical or clerical affairs in their Region without undue church bureaucracy. Furthermore, the Abiy Cliques are surrounded by Neo-Neftegna advisors, the likes of Deacon Daniel Kibret, who flagrantly violate the separation of religion and politics, and who are known for promoting state religion and preaching division between Christians and Moslems in the country.

3. Neo-Neftegna Expansionism, Revanchism and Irredentism

3.1 In line with the Neftegnas of the Menelik and Haileselassie eras, the present day Neo-Neftegnas are profoundly irredentists and expansionists claiming over lands of non-Amhara Ethiopian nationalities and peoples based on past conquests by Amhara ruling classes and elites and their juniors. This is best shown by the Neo-Neftegnas claims over the Oromo lands incorporated under the imperial and Neftegna provincial boundaries of Shoa and Wollo; the claim over the feudal-imperial conquered Tigrayan lands of Welqait and Raya Azebo; and the Neftegna claim over conquered Metekel land of the Benishangul-Gumuz people. The expansionism and irredentism is of Menelikian proportion and goes as far as claiming Addis Ababa (the so-called Berera in lieu of Finfine), Adama and other cities in Oromia, Dire-Dawa and Harrar, 4. The Expropriation of the Peasantry through Land Privatisation and Rent-Seeking Capital

4.1 The Neo-Neftegna parties, in particular EZEMA, ANM and EPP, seek to consolidate the Neo-Neftegna State’s economic base by expropriating the Ethiopian peasantry through land privatisation and by employing the forces of rent-seeking capital that has been accumulated through corruption and mal-governance over the last two decades. This will further accentuate the already rampant process of the uprooting of the peasantry from their land, in particular those who live around Addis Ababa and other urban areas in the country. Having exhausted the acquisition of urban land and failing or unwilling to invest in productive sectors, such as in manufacturing, the presence and abundance of rent-seeking capital accumulated corruptly is seeking new and fertile ground for the acquisition of land on massive scale and country-wide, which can only materialise when land is privatised and is available for sale. Hence, the privatisation of land is at the top of the agenda of the Neo-Neftegna political manifesto.

5. Undermining the Rights of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples to Commonly Own their Land

5.1 Article 40 (3) of the EFDR Constitution stipulates that “...land is a common property of the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples and shall not be subject to sale or to other means of exchange”. By advocating land privatisation and by using capital accumulated through rent-seeking and corruption, the Neo-Neftegna ruling classes and elites seek to expropriate, or buy-off the land of the peasantry cheaply through asymmetric market, bureaucratic and political power, resulting in tens of millions of pauperised and landless peasantry. This process would throw back Ethiopia’s political economy to the Haileselassie era. Moreover and more importantly, with the lands of nationalities and peoples in the hands of the Neo-Neftegna classes, this would essentially mean the complete undermining of the economic base of the self-determination of nationalities and a complete throw-back to the political economy of the Haileselassie era where the national and land questions were inextricably linked.

6. Neo-Neftegna Political Supremacy and Cultural Hegemony

6.1 The ideology and mind-set of “Ethiopiawinet” based on Neftegna cultural hegemony and political supremacy is the anti-thesis of multi-national federalism that accommodates diversity with unity. It is a conception of Ethiopia and “Ethiopianism” based on ahistorical and mystical foundations, but defined and refined over centuries to serve the hegemonic rule of Amhara elites and ruling classes. The narrative (e.g. by ANM) that Ethiopia is constructed in the images of the past Amhara ruling classes and elites and that all the other nationalities must bow to and respect Neo-Neftegna values and norms is undemocratic and chauvinistic. Concomitantly, it is the manifesto of the political and bureaucratic supremacy and the cultural hegemony over all other nationalities in the country. This lends to their aggressive nationalism (masquerading under “Ethiopianism”) and their visceral hatred of the notion of equal and sovereign nations and nationalities in Ethiopia with equal rights and stakes. This is politically manifested, amongst others, by their vehement rejection of democratic federalism and their espousing of a centralised and unitarian state under the hegemony of the Amhara ruling classes and elites. 4. The Expropriation of the Peasantry through Land Privatisation and Rent-Seeking Capital

5. Undermining the Rights of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples to Commonly Own their Land

6. Neo-Neftegna Political Supremacy and Cultural Hegemony

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vignaniasacademy · 4 years

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07th & 8th June Current affairs Daily News Analysis

World oceans day is being celebrated on June 8, 2020 under the theme "Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean" About: The United Nations celebrates World Oceans Day every year on 8 June. In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, as of 2009, 8 June would be designated by the United Nations as “World Oceans Day”. World Oceans Day is uniting conservation action to grow the global movement calling on world leaders to protect 30% of our blue planet by 2030. This critical need is called 30x30. Source : United Nations (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Coal India Subsidiary Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) opened 3 new coal mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh having combined annual production capacity of 2.9 million tonnes (MT) About: The three mines which WCL has opened, areAdasa Mine, an underground to open cast mine, in Nagpur Area of Maharashtra, Sharda underground Mine in Kanhan Area and Dhankasa underground mine in Pench Area of Madhya Pradesh. The company launched a surveillance System named ‘WCL EYE’ to monitor operations of 15 major mines of the company round the clock. It will also help monitor coal stocks. It also launched an App named SAMVAAD to connect with its employees and stakeholders on this occasion. Source : PIB (Economy) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy A group of senior lawmakers from eight democracies including the US have launched the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China to counter China About: It is a new cross-parliamentary alliance to help counter what the threat posed by China’s growing influence to global trade, security and human rights. The group aims to “construct appropriate and coordinated responses, and to help craft a proactive and strategic approach on issues related to China.” The list of participating nations includes the US, Germany, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, as well as members of the European parliament. Source : Times of India (International Relations) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar asserted that India’s overall objective during the fresh tenure in the UN Security Council will be the achievement of “N.O.R.M.S. , New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System” About: He said this at the launch event of a brochure outlining India’s priorities for its forthcoming campaign to secure an elected seat in the UN Security Council. India is guaranteed a place in the UNSC as it is the sole candidate for Asia-Pacific Group, but needs two-thirds of the 193-member General Assembly to vote in its favour in a secret ballot scheduled for June 17 in New York. This will be the eighth time India will occupy a non-permanent UNSC seat, with its last stint in 2011-2012. Source : All India Radio (International Relations) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy The State of India’s Environment, 2020 report was released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a research and advocacy organisation. CSE also publishes the environment magazine Down to Earth Key findings: 19 major extreme weather events claimed 1,357 lives last year. Internal displacement:There were more than 50 lakh internal displacements in India in 2019, the highest in the world. India had one in five of all internal displacements caused by disasters across the world in 2019, mostly caused by floods, cyclones and drought. Flooding caused by the southwest monsoon led to 26 lakh displacements, while Cyclone Fani alone led to 18 lakh displacements, followed by cyclones Vayu and Bulbul. On the other hand, drought conditions in 19 States led to another 63,000 displacements. Migrants: The report also broke down 2011 census data on migrant populations.There were over 45 crore migrants in the country at the time, with the vast majority migrating within their own State. In 2011, over 1.7 crore new migrants had moved for employment purposes, mostly from rural to urban areas. Source : The Hindu (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched three advisories on the occasion of World Environment Day About: These advisories are: (1) Advisory on Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), (2) Advisory on Landfill Reclamation and (3) a Draft advisory on On-site and Off-site Sewage Management Practices. These advisories have been prepared by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). The documents released are part of an effort to find and facilitate sustainable solutions to some of the key problems hindering holistic sanitation and solid waste management. He said, when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi On the occasion a toolkit for a communication campaign on faecal sludge management titled ‘Malasur- The Demon of Defeca’ was also released. It aims at heightening the risk perception of faecal sludge. Important Info : Due to the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) in 2014, scientific processing of solid waste, which stood at a mere 18 per cent in 2014 , has more than tripled and now stands at 65 per cent. Source : All India Radio (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy NASA has announced that 163348 (2002 NN4), a giant asteroid is expected to pass Earth (at a safe distance) in June. The asteroid is a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) NASA defines NEOs as comets and asteroids nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits which allows them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood. NEOs occasionally approach close to the Earth as they orbit the Sun. These objects are composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles. The scientific interest in comets and asteroids is largely due to their status as relatively unchanged remnant debris from the solar system formation process over 4.6 billion years ago. Significantly, among all the causes that will eventually cause the extinction of life on Earth, an asteroid hit is widely acknowledged as one of the likeliest. Important Info : Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) This asteroid 163348 (2002 NN4) is classified as a PHA, which means the asteroid has the potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.Asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of about 0.05 (AU is the distance between the Earth and the Sun and is roughly 150 million km), which is about 7,480,000 km or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22 (smaller than about 150 m or 500 feet in diameter) or less are considered PHAs. Source : Indian Express (Science & Technology) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Thousands defied a police ban to gather with candles in Hong Kong to mark China’s bloody Tiananmen Square democracy crackdown in 1989 and accuse China of stifling freedoms too on their semi-autonomous territory About: The Tiananmen Square protests were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing during 1989 calling for democracy, free speech and a free press in China. Background to protests:The protests were set off by the death of pro-reform Communist general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989, amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social changes in post-Mao China. Common grievances at the time included inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. Tiananmen Square Massacre:The protests started on April 15 and were forcibly suppressed in a bloody crackdown, known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, by the Chinese government on June 4 and 5, 1989. On June 4, the government declared martial law and sent the military to occupy central parts of Beijing. Troops with assault rifles and tanks fired at the demonstrators. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded. Source : The Hindu (History) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy The second World Food Safety Day (WFSD) is being celebrated on 7 June 2020 under the theme “Food safety, everyone’s business” About: Background: WFSD was first celebrated in 2019, to strengthen commitment to scale up food safety made by the Addis Ababa Conference and the Geneva Forum in 2019 under the umbrella of “The Future of Food Safety”. Objective of the day: Through the World Food Safety Day, WHO in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) pursues its efforts to mainstream food safety in the public agenda and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally. Date of observance: Every year on 7 June. Source : United Nations (Health) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy PM Modi condoled the demise of Ved Marwah, former Police Commissioner of Delhi and former Governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand About: Ved Prakash Marwah (1934 – 2020) was an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. He served as the Commissioner of Police (1985-88), Delhi; and Director General of the National Security Guard (1988-90). After retirement, he served as governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand. In 1995, Marwah authored the book ‘Uncivil Wars: Pathology of Terrorism in India’. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1989. Source : Indian Express (Polity & Governance) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the UNDP national awareness campaign on ‘Prevention of Human and Animal Mortality on Highways’ About: It aims at generating awareness and education for the masses at large towards reducing or eliminating mortality on the roads. The country witnesses nearly five lakh road accidents every year, in which about 1.5 lakh lives are lost. Aim of the government under the campaign is to bring down these figures by 20 to 25 per cent by March next year. Over 5000 black spots have been identified, and the process for their rectification including temporary and permanent measures is being carried out on urgent basis. Source : All India Radio (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has created a Rs 500-crore Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) to encourage acquirers to deploy Points of Sale (PoS) infrastructure — both physical and digital modes — in tier-3 to tier-6 centres and north eastern states About: Governance: The PIDF will be governed through an Advisory Council and managed and administered by RBI. Funding:RBI will make an initial contribution of ₹250 crore to the PIDF, covering half of the fund, while the remaining contribution will be from card-issuing banks and card networks operating in the country. The PIDF will also receive recurring contributions to cover operational expenses from card-issuing banks and card networks. RBI will also contribute to yearly shortfalls, if necessary. Background: The setting up of this fund is in line with the recommendations of the report of the committee on deepening of digital payments, chaired by Nandan Nilekani. Need of PIDF: Given the high cost of merchant acquisition and merchant terminalisation, most of the POS terminals in the country are concentrated in tier 1 and 2 cities and towns and other regions have been left out. Source : Indian Express (Economy) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy On occasion of World Environment Day, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MAITREE program, launched the “Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings” initiative to make workplaces healthier and greener About: “Healthy and Energy Efficient Buildings” Initiative will address the challenges of retrofitting existing buildings and air conditioning systems so that they are both healthy and energy efficient. The Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency (MAITREE), under which this initiative has been launched, is a part of the US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and USAID. It is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as a standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling. Important Info : Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the administration of Ministry of Power, is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country. Source : PIB (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Power Minister launched the ‘#iCommit’ initiative on the occasion of World Environment Day About: The initiative is a clarion call to all stakeholders and individuals to continue moving towards energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability to create a robust and resilient energy system in the future. The ‘#iCommit’ initiative, driven by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the administration of Ministry of Power is uniting a diverse set of players such as Governments, Corporates, Multilateral and Bilateral Organisations, Think Tanks and Individuals. The initiative will also promote key undertakings of Government of India such as National Electric Mobility Mission 2020, FAME 1 and 2,Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana etc. Source : PIB (Environment) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Union Environment Minister launched the Urban Forest program (Nagar Van scheme) on the occasion of World Environment Day About: In the initial phase, under this program, forests will be developed in 200 corporations and cities in the country across the country over the next five years. The scheme will be, in part, paid for by the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016) funds. The forests were to come up either on existing forest land or on any other vacant land offered by urban local bodies. The Environment Minister highlighted the success of Wajre Urban forest in the city of Pune, Maharashtra which has been developed on a 40 acre degraded land area. Source : Indian Express (Environment) Union Government has promulgated an ordinance to amend Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) About: Under it, fresh insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) will not be initiated against companies for defaults due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Default on repayments from 25th of March, the day when the nationwide lockdown began to curb Corona virus infections, will not be considered for initiating insolvency proceedings for a period of six months, which could be extended to one year. It suspends sections 7,9 and 10 of the IBC for a period of 6 months with an enabling provision allowing for it to be extended upto 1 year. Important Info : Under the IBC, an entity can seek insolvency proceedings against a company even if the default is only one day. This is subject to the minimum threshold of Rs 1 crore. Earlier, the threshold was Rs 1 lakh. Source : All India Radio (Economy) Bangalore's Best UPSC Civil Services Academy Daily Current affairs and News Analysis Best IAS Coaching institutes in Bangalore Vignan IAS Academy Contact Vignan IAS Academy Enroll For IAS Foundation Course from Best IAS / IPS Training Academy in Bangalore Latest Current Affairs Read the full article

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