Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service. ~~~~~~~~

Britons seized in Ethiopia freed BBC News - Tuesday, 13 March 2007 A group of British embassy workers kidnapped in northern Ethiopia 12 days ago have been released, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has said. The workers - four Britons and one French citizen - had been released into the care of the authorities in Eritrea, she said.

Mrs Beckett said they... more

My favorite food served at the African Night was the chicken in a peanut sauce. When I searched the internet today for something similar, I discovered that it is a common recipe, with lots of variations. This one from The Congo cookbook looks to be closest.

According to the recipe, homemade peanut butter is often used. I happened to buy some the other day, just to give my son the fun of trying to cool peanut-butter-making machine at the grocery store. So I think I'll be trying this recipe tomorrow. Maybe I'll even share a picture. You can... more

I've been emailing with an interesting gal named Pam. She and her husband are from Kansas and are currently living with their children in Ethiopia. They have started a mission in Ethiopia called Fields of Promise.

My husband and I talk now and then about how it might be to live in Ethiopia...wondering if we could make a difference in some small way, and wondering how it would be to live there. At this point we aren't seriously considering it, but I admit to being more than a little interested in the adventures of this family. They have three biological children and one recently adopted Ethiopian child. Here is an excerpt from... more

Because I'm a fan of both ZOEgirl and Ethiopian adoption, I wanted to mention this benefit concert that will be happening March 30th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Here's a great story about a number of families who've adopted internationally. Adoptive parents believe they help the world in a small way

Here's the latest from etonline.com on the Angelina adoption.

And here's the latest shopping temptation I am trying to resist:... more

I've been reading rumors for days that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are planning to adopt again, but I've been waiting until it was reported by a reputable agency to report it myself. Well, this article from the BBC news meets my criteria.

Friday, 2 March 2007 BBC News Jolie and Pitt 'to adopt again' Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has filed papers to adopt a Vietnamese child with her partner Brad Pitt, according to an adoption official in Vietnam.

Vu Duc Long, head of the country's international adoption department, said he had received papers a few days ago asking for "permission" to adopt.

"We consider... more

Foreigners 'seized' in Ethiopia Several Britons with connections to the UK government are part of a group of 15 tourists missing in Ethiopia, the UK Foreign Office has confirmed. Diplomats in Ethiopia say the group was kidnapped in the remote north-east of the country about 800km (500 miles) from the capital, Addis Ababa. Most of the tourists are believed to be French, the others British and Italian. They were travelling to the Afar desert, one of the hottest... more

Last year I stumbled across Meskel Square by Andrew Heaven, a journalist who lives in Addis. I find his insights into Ethiopian culture interesting. The other day I noticed a fair number of hits from his site over to mine and wandered on over to check it out. I found a whole story on the phenomenon of adoptive parents blogging about Ethiopian adoption. He's added a new section to his blogroll, and some of you are on that list too! read more | digg it

If you're looking for a way to kill a few hours this fine Saturday afternoon, may I suggest Google Earth? You'll have to download and install it onto your computer. But then you'll be able to plug in coordinates and 'visit' anyplace on the globe.

You'll find as you look at Addis that some locations in the map have been marked. Here are a few specific coordinates to get you started.

Landmarks in Addis Ababa:

Hilton Hotel Latitude: 9° 1'4.82"N Longitude: 38°45'53.81"E

... more

Because there's no such thing as too much web-surfing, I thought I'd share these links I came across recently.

I enjoyed reading this story about some moms from my adoption agency who recently visited Addis. Women touched by lives of orphans

The day the women arrived at the orphanage, a child died of an upper-respiratory illness. The day they left, they took with them a little girl traveling to meet a new family in the U.S. During the week, they witnessed a child receive her first letter from her adoptive parents, tenderly explained and... more

I have been intending for awhile to write about an article that I found awhile ago at allafrica.com. I've waited so long that now it is no longer available without a subscription. The article was written December 2, 2006 by Bathseba H. Belaiby who talks about the perception people around the world have of Africa.

I am sure the following will sound familiar to fellow Africans in the diaspora who, at one point or another of their stay in their adopted homes, have most certainly been faced with variations of "Are you really from Ethiopia?

But you look... more