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Winner for April 12: What's up with Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi?

The voting is closed.

The winner this week pleaded for more information on the controversial leader of one of Africa's populous countries. We agree: that's definitely an under-covered topic, in part due to the many difficulties of reporting in Ethiopia. Here's the article:

Ethiopia's human rights record scrutinized

Joseph Michael Peterson suggests:

I have the hardest time trying to get clear, non-agenda news from Sub Saharan nations like Ethiopia/Oromia. It would be fantastic to have some high-quality reporting on the international stage for more than just Mugabe. What's going on with Meles (for example), what is the historical context as well as the present implication?
Joshua Brown suggests:

I think it would be interesting to see reporting on Iraq as U.S. troop withdrawals occur over time.

Because there are protests over economic problems and political corruption, and because I think these issues will become increasingly moved to the forefront as the withdrawal winds down, I think some form of special or continuous coverage on Iraq's economic, social and political issues would not only be very interesting and compelling (at least in my personal opinion) but would perhaps, if there are particular "special investigations" exploring subjects such as the return of Muqtada al-Sadr to Iraq and its implications would be of great use to scholars and even policymakers.
Sid Withey suggests:

Not a topic suggestion but rather a way of presenting current affairs with an historical perspective. We all benefit from having the opportunity to look at how history influenced, affected or caused current events and political and social structures.

Perhaps an added comment or article from an historian or published source to throw light on why and how current events are so much the product of the past.

A couple examples:

How the way the Japanese are dealing with their current disaster is influenced by perhaps their religion, their unique political structure, their wartime experience, etc.

Libya, a Muslim nation, but seemingly so different from their eastern neighbours. What has influenced them to be markedly more pro Western. have they had a 'better colonial experience'? What is the effect of religion here?

In a nutshell history seems to bring alive current events.
Bill Ratner suggests:

I would like to see reporting on the current and growing disinformation campaign that appears to be surfacing on conservative blogs, asserting falsely that specific private-sector union pension funds are in trouble financially when in fact they are not. A recent example occurred on:
http://www.newsblues.com/
This story appeared on this website:
"AFTRA, the nation's largest union for TV and radio talent, released its
annual pension plan funding report this week, and the news is not good.

Using figures that are 16 months old, AFTRA reported assets of
$1,940,452,903 and liabilities of $2,185,222,780. That's a negative gap of
nearly $245 million, meaning the union's pension retirement plan is/was just
88% funded. According to the U.S. government, a retirement plan is
considered to be "endangered" if its funding drops below 80%.

Just three years ago, the retirement plan was 103% funded, but the economy
has wreaked havoc on AFTRA's investments. And a concerted push by TV
stations to marginalize unions has further eroded AFTRA's membership rolls.

According to AFTRA, as of Nov. 30, 2010, it had only 14,499 dues-paying
members. Yet, there are 8,001 retired members, now collecting benefits, and
19,198 retired AFTRA members (not paying dues) who are entitled to FUTURE
BENEFITS.

That means AFTRA, like many public and private pension plans, faces the
challenge of having more than twice as many members drawing from the fund
than contributing to it. Bottom line: AFTRA has more liabilities than
assets, a shrinking membership, and a rapidly growing number of people
drawing from the financial well.

More liabilities than assets. Isn't that the definition of bankruptcy?" (end article.)

I am a member of AFTRA and serve as a Director on its National and Los Angeles Local Boards. I referred this "article" to our Chief Executive Kim Roberts-Hedgepeth whose response was:
"Our Aftra pension fund is in fact well above the "healthy" standard as set by the government.
Further the author is not reading this right. The union has over 65,000 dues paying members in good standing and that number is continuing to grow. The 14,499 number he's quoting is the number of people who are qualified for coverage for that year in the plan which has been holding fairly steady (and will probably grow when this year's plan numbers come in due to the behavior of the stock market.)

Whoever is writing this analysis is not conversant in what these stats and numbers mean and very badly misleading the people it's being forwarded to. The conclusion he or she is drawing is just simply flat-out wrong

Kim Roberts Hedgpeth
AFTRA National Executive Director"

Thanks for your consideration,
Bill Ratner,
Los Angeles, CA