“If personal meaning, in this cheer leader society, lies in success, then failure must threaten identity itself.”

I’m tired to the death. The flute has faded away. He sits on the bed beside her, a little numb. I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t make it, Linda.

Counterintuitively, The Trump Vladislav Surkov Talking Points which of course always feature George Soros are strangely ineffective and a little like a receding tide.

Let me leave you with Hunter S. Thompson, “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

Gladwellian level move. “The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire”- Malcolm Gladwell. 

A pestilence isn't a thing made to man's measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away.

But it doesn't always pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away, and the humanists first of all, because they have taken no precautions

The conflict in Tigray compounded by climate-fuelled locust infestations and coronavirus has left millions of people in desperate need of humanitarian aid yet access to those affected continues to be restricted, warned Oxfam today.

Recent Oxfam assessments in South and West Tigray, as well as neighbouring North Amhara, found that communities were already struggling to cope before the conflict erupted in November 2020.

Gezahegn Kebede Gebrehana, Oxfam’s Country Director in Ethiopia said:

“The three lethal Cs - conflict, coronavirus and climate change - have pushed millions of Ethiopians in Tigray to the brink. Even before the conflict, people had lost up to half their crops due to climate-fuelled plagues of locusts and they were struggling due to the devastating health and economic impacts of coronavirus. The conflict erupted in the middle of the harvest season, halting attempts to gather the remains of already depleted crops.”

Before the conflict, over one million people in Tigray were reliant on aid and more than 600,000 were battling hunger. 

During the fighting these same people were cut-off from essential food rations they relied upon. 

There are now 4.5 million people in Tigray in need of urgent humanitarian assistance according to UN and regional government figures.

The conflict also disrupted essential public services such as health, education and water supply. Women and girls have to travel long distances to fetch water and support their family needs. 

This has added to the burden of unpaid care work. There are also fears for their safety and protection because of insecurity.

Gebrehana said: “Public sector workers have not received their salaries for three months making it increasingly impossible for them to cope with the pandemic. Because of insecurity and lack of cash, people could not reach markets and the price for basic goods skyrocketed.”

The exchange intends to begin day-trading within the first quarter of this year, a plan that is expected to raise the turnover ratio to at least 15% from 7.9%. 

Day-trading will be complemented by securities lending and borrowing, which is expected to release more shares held by locals for trading, Odundo said. 

Currently about 75% of shares are held by domestic investors, while most of the trades are in the 25% in the hands of non-residents, he said.

“If we can unlock another 25% from investors like pension schemes and push that total liquid float to 50%, won’t you see us doubling the turnover?” Odundo said.