Monthly Archives: April 2015

Dementia and sex: Can the demented consent?

A recent Oregonian article reads: A 59-year-old Portland man accused of befriending a woman in church and then raping and sexually abusing her in an assisted living facility is in custody on a 16-count indictment… Vandenberg is accused of sexually … Continue reading

Posted in human sexuality and morality | Tagged | 7 Comments

Ethiopic languages and the status of Amharic

Ethiopia contains upwards of 80 distinct ethnic groups, and just about every one of them has its own language. For a traveler who is language-conscious, such as myself, this can be bewildering. At the same time, it’s refreshing; the Ethiopian … Continue reading

Posted in language, travel | 13 Comments

Similarities between Hebrew and Amharic

My journey to Ethiopia was actually two journeys. I’ve already written about one, and the one I have yet to write about actually began on the Ethiopian Airlines jet that took me to Addis Ababa. As soon as I boarded … Continue reading

Posted in Jewish stuff and Israel, language, travel | Tagged , , | 87 Comments

Ethiopia and Jews

The relationship between Ethiopia and Jews is complex enough to fill entire books, so don’t consider this post as a comprehensive source on this matter. Most of y’all have probably heard of the Falashas. The State of Israel airlifted most … Continue reading

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Odds and ends from Ethiopia

Here are some odds and ends, mostly photos, from Ethiopia that I think are worth sharing, but got left out before. Another crashed truck. Yes, I actually have a collection of crashed truck photos. Somebody could just drive around (as … Continue reading

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Odds and ends from south Ethiopia

Here are some miscellaneous items, mostly photos, from south Ethiopia that I missed in my earlier posts. Even with the crudest architecture, one can sometimes see creativity, as in this house/shop in the south: This is the traditional type of … Continue reading

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There are no homosexuals in Ethiopia

I count, among my many talents, the ability to make people feel uncomfortable by asking awkward questions, or by telling random stories at inappropriate times. But in Ethiopia, anyone can do it! All you have to do is bring up … Continue reading

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The Dorze tribe of Omo Valley

In all the excitement over the more famous tribes of Omo Valley (the Hamer and the Mursi), one tribe fell through the cracks and was left out: The Dorze. To all you Dorze reading this blog, I extend my sincere … Continue reading

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Some lovely Ethiopian women

I’ve written about Ethiopia’s geology, it’s fauna, it’s cultures and its architecture – but no honest visitor to Ethiopia can deny that some of the most beautiful women in the world are found there. Indeed, this was the consensus of … Continue reading

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Melka Kunture, Lake Ziway, another rock-hewn church and a fish market

There are many important archeological digs in Ethiopia. One of these sites is Melka Kunture, which we (I was with a British tourist) visited. The site features a museum, which consists of several modest structures and some replica bones. We … Continue reading

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