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It's been almost a quarter of a century since Somalia has plummeted into the state of lawlessness. And there is no hope of law and order in sight. Every attempt by the "international community" to form a government outside Somalia's shores and delegate back into the country has been an utter failure. Prehaps, the first most promising such attempt, the current Transitional government of Somalia, proved spurious due to an unholy alliance with neighboring Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has sharply devalued its currency - the birr - in a bid to boost economic growth.  The move was welcomed by economists, though it may have the side effect of fueling inflation. Ethiopia's Central Bank announced Wednesday that the birr has been devalued from roughly 13 ½ birr to the dollar to nearly 16 ½ birr, a one-day drop of about 17 percent. The rate was posted on the bank's website.  Officials were not immediately available to comment.

2020opencollege.orgBy Peter Heinlein | Addis Ababa

Ethiopia has banned off-campus education, and ordered private universities to close degree programs in law and education. A directive issued by Ethiopia's Education Ministry describes distance learning at off-campus sites as "unnecessary at this stage" and orders all such operations to stop enrolling new students immediately.  The proclamation also prohibits private universities from accepting new applicants in teaching or law degree programs.

Frewoini Haile, left, Shegitu Kebede, Right (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)By Frederick Melo

Shegitu Kebede has suffered through war and relocation and learned to keep her head up. Kebede, who grew up in an Ethiopian orphanage, has won awards for her community work with East African women and children in Minneapolis, and she's published three books. She's even survived an abusive relationship. She is, in every way, a survivor. None of that, however, quite prepared her for the saga of the rapidly melting freezer — or the generosity of customers.