The Smell of Coffee Roasting
I have been relaxing for the last 3 weeks or so, taking it very, very, very easy (including blogging). I hope to pick it back up once I get back to GSO, but I am currently vacationing in Southampton, NY (not too shabby). But driving by the Hampton Coffee shop I was overwhelmed by the smell of coffee being roasted and a flood of memories came back - coffee ceremony, macchiatos while rain pounded the tin roof, Abebe, and a million other images. Funny how a smell triggers these intense memories.
On another note, saw this editorial on Foreign Policy's website discussing how African countries that don't have oil or other major natural resources may be better off in the long run
"Sudden cash flows in unprepared countries, he says, lead to unsustainable public consumption, rising inflation, soaring inequality, trade protectionism, and a real danger of civil war."
Ethiopia doesn't have to worry about any major sudden cashflows but they most certainly fit into the "unprepared countries" category. The banking system is nonexistent as you would expect in a country w/a GDP <$1000 (cia factbook); 1 bank is now issuing Visa ATM cards but all paperwork and other bookkeeping is done old-fashioned style - paper and pencil
Fascinating article - "called "incremental infrastructure," the idea is to build essential facilities -- telephone networks, power grids, roads -- in small pieces using private investment, instead of relying on large, centrally planned, government-run projects." - Ethiopia could use some of this innovation (courtesy of Whitney Tilson)
On another note, saw this editorial on Foreign Policy's website discussing how African countries that don't have oil or other major natural resources may be better off in the long run
"Sudden cash flows in unprepared countries, he says, lead to unsustainable public consumption, rising inflation, soaring inequality, trade protectionism, and a real danger of civil war."
Ethiopia doesn't have to worry about any major sudden cashflows but they most certainly fit into the "unprepared countries" category. The banking system is nonexistent as you would expect in a country w/a GDP <$1000 (cia factbook); 1 bank is now issuing Visa ATM cards but all paperwork and other bookkeeping is done old-fashioned style - paper and pencil
Fascinating article - "called "incremental infrastructure," the idea is to build essential facilities -- telephone networks, power grids, roads -- in small pieces using private investment, instead of relying on large, centrally planned, government-run projects." - Ethiopia could use some of this innovation (courtesy of Whitney Tilson)
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