SAN DIEGO TAXI PERMIT ISSUING IS ABOUT TO START

MTS/City of San Diego Permit Applicant Fact Sheet

Note: Prospective applicants should complete and submit (via US Mail) a MTS/City of San Diego Taxicab Permit Applicant Interest Form in order to be given priority once applications begin to be accepted. Applicant Interest Forms will be available March 2, 2015 on the MTS Taxicab Administration website. Interest forms will be accepted through March 31, 2015.
A $50 non-refundable payment must be submitted with the interest form, and will be credited toward application fees.

New taxicab permit applications can be requested after March 31, but will not have priority if an interest form was not submitted prior to March 31. All new City of San Diego taxicab permit applicants will need to complete the requirements listed below. This is not an all-inclusive list of requirements. For more information, please refer to instructions on the application form.

CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8
Applicant Requirements: 

• Provide evidence of at least six months experience of driving a taxicab, transportation network vehicle, charter party carrier service or similar service-oriented transportation business; or managing a demand responsive transportation service or similar service-oriented business

• Must pay all the required non-refundable fees per the MTS Fee Schedule

• Must pass a fingerprint-based criminal background check from the CA DOJ , FBI and local agencies

 • Must submit and receive approval for a business name (DBA)

 • Must provide evidence of ability to meet MTS insurance requirements ($1 million liability CSL)

 • Must provide evidence of financial ability to meet screening criteria and regulatory requirements

 • Must meet all other regulatory requirements for a taxicab owner specified in Ordinance 11

• Must obtain a Business Tax License from the City of San Diego, which will be required to be submitted to the Sheriff’s Licensing Division at the completion of the permit issuance process with MTS

Vehicle Requirements: 

• Must meet all regulatory and ordinance requirements
• Must meet California Air Resources Board criteria for zero emission or low-emission vehicle
• Must be equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Must not be older than ten (10) years of model age
• Must not have a “salvage” title • Must pass an initial permit issuance inspection and pass additional follow-up inspections


Adequate facilities must be demonstrated for:


• Administrative functions – to include a business office with public access, vehicle maintenance facility with address and address of off-street vehicle storage when not in service

Customer Service Plan Criteria: 
• Must include acceptance of credit cards, customer complaint system and must maintain records of all calls for service, calls dispatched, trips and complaints

Note: Additional requirements may be added by regulatory action to improve industry standards, enhance customer service and implement beneficial emerging technologies.

Source MTS

How a trip to Ethiopia shattered stereotypes, spurred documentary

Traveling to Ethiopia changed me forever. In the two months I worked there in 2008 I met a proud country that fought off Italian colonialists, a diverse nation that communicates in over 80 languages and a complex people who challenged my assumptions and helped shape how I see the world today.

But that wasn’t what I was expecting. I grew up in the 1980s and 90s, decades that saw famine and political unrest in Ethiopia, as well as growth to our region’s significant Ethiopian-American population. For me Ethiopia was a country that evoked images of starving children, refugees and war.

And I’m not alone. Many Americans think in broad, and often grim, generalizations about Ethiopia specifically and Africa overall. But one local Ethiopian-American filmmaker and a small group of college students are hoping to help challenge those stereotypes.

“Some students…all they knew of Africa was famine, terrorism, a lion and a tree,” says 25-year-old Amen Gibreab over strong cups of Ethiopian coffee at Gojo— an incense saturated restaurant tucked into a strip mall in north Seattle.

Two years ago a group of fifteen UW Bothell students met with Gibreab and the founder of the program, professor Panagiotis “Panos” Hatziandreas, in this very spot to discuss the first Seattle-area study-abroad program to Ethiopia. It was a trip that would focus on re-imagining Ethiopia for a new generation and Amen, a Media and Communication major and aspiring filmmaker, knew he had to document it.

Ethiopian is Back with Two Days Valentine’s Special to Addis Ababa!!!!

የወቅቱ የአፍሪካ አንድነት መሪና የዝምባቡኤው ፕሬዜዳንት ሙጋበቤ ወደቁ ከስልጣን ሳይሆን አደናቅፏቸው

የአፍሪካው አንድነት መሪና የዝምባቡኤው ፕሬዜዳንት ሙጋቤ ወደቁ! ከስልጣን ሳይሆን አደናቅፏቸው

1 ቀን ለማደር 90 ሚሊዮን ብር የሚያወጣው ሆቴል?

ጆሮን ማመንእስከሚያስቸግርድረስ ገንዘብ መጫወቻ

ሆኗል：： የኒወርክ ከታማው ሆቴል $45,000 per day ያክል ያስከፍላል

Eithiopian Airlines set to expand freighter fleet as panel probes 737F Accra crash

An accident investigation committee set up by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will report by the end of this month on how an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-400 freighter, operated by ASKY Airlines, skidded off the runway on landing at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on 10 January.

The Togolese carrier, 40% owned by Ethiopian, was on route from its Lome hub. The three-man crew crew were unhurt but the ASKY said the aircraft was an insurance write-off. Its nose, a wing and engine separated in the crash.

Ethiopian, which also leases passenger 737s and Dash-8s to ASKY, has not commented on any plans to replace the freighter.

Its own cargo fleet comprises four B777Fs, two MD-11Fs and two B757Fs as well as the B737. Two more B777 freighters are on the way in the fourth quarter of this year, out of a total of 33 aircraft on order.

Ethiopian plans to increase to 18 freighters by 2025, helping it to capitalise on 5.3% annual air cargo growth IATA is projecting for Africa.

The carrier claims the Ethiopian air cargo market is the fourth fastest growing in the world, thanks to flower exports to Europe and shipments of fresh meat, fruit and vegetables to the Middle East. Leather products and textiles are also significant export commodities.

Europe now accounts for just half of Ethiopian’s overall cargo traffic and the carrier is now focusing increasingly on the Asian trade lane. Major imports from Asia include pharmaceuticals, telecom equipment and consumer goods. Main export flows are leather goods, flowers, fresh fish and other foodstuffs.

Ethiopian saw 23% growth in cargo freight tonne-kilometres last year following a 9.5% increase in ATK capacity. Temperature-controlled facilities for perishables are being extended at its new 1.2 million tonne terminal in Addis Ababa.

A multi-hub operation is gradually taking shape in Africa, beginning with Lome – which was reported to be “going well” ahead of the ASKY accident. Lilongwe, Malawi, will follow this year, and an as-yet unspecified location in central Africa will be added as a third hub outside Ethiopia.

After joining Cargo 2000 a year ago, Ethiopian hopes to be certified on five trade lanes (Jeddah, Dubai, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Liege) by this June.

The carrier has pushed hard to remove paper from the cargo process. It had achieved 80% e-air waybill penetration at its main hub by the end of last year and 48.3% system-wide, despite the physical documents some customs authorities still require.

Ethiopian lists “highly bureaucratic and inefficient” Customs as a hindrance to its cargo development, along with directional imbalance in and out of Africa, an under-developed inter-Africa market, trade barriers and poor airport, road and handling infrastructure.

EthioHomes.

For Ethiopians who wants to own house in Ethiopia. We will update you about current Ethiopian housing rules and regulations

Emails raise query over Islington 'terrorist' held by Ethiopia

Emails raise query over Islington 'terrorist' held by Ethiopia

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-31080591

The Ethiopian authorities have broadcast a video of a man from Islington in London, who they have been holding in secret since he was kidnapped in Yemen in June.

Ethiopia claims Andargachew 'Andy' Tsige is a terrorist and sentenced him to death in absentia.

But a series of internal emails from the UK's Foreign Office has now raised questions about the British government's involvement in the case, according to his family and legal representatives.

BBC London's Ayshea Buksh spoke to Mr Tisge's partner Yemi Hailemariam, the strategic director of Reprieve, Maya Foa. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, also appears.

The Ethiopian authorities have broadcast a video of a man from Islington in London, who they have been holding in secret since he was kidnapped in Yemen in June.

Ethiopia claims Andargachew 'Andy' Tsige is a terrorist and sentenced him to death in absentia.
But a series of internal emails from the UK's Foreign Office has now raised questions about the British government's involvement in the case, according to his family and legal representatives.
BBC London's Ayshea Buksh spoke to Mr Tisge's partner Yemi Hailemariam, the strategic director of Reprieve, Maya Foa. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, also appears.

እውቀትዎን ይዳብሱ? ይህ የት ነው?

Robert Mugabe takes over as African Union chairman

African leaders meeting in Addis Ababa have chosen the continent's oldest head of state, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, as AU chairman for the coming year.

Mr Mugabe, who is 90, drew applause when he denounced colonialism.

He also spoke of the "scourge of terrorism" from Boko Haram and said there needed to be "lasting solutions" to the issue in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Earlier, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of the dangers of leaders clinging to power.

Mr Mugabe has led his country since independence in 1980.

He is subject to travel bans imposed by the US and the EU because of political violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe.
'Not totally free'

Within Africa he is a divisive figure, with some seeing him as a nationalist hero and others as a despot responsible for gross human rights abuses.




Western diplomatic sources said his election to the mostly ceremonial post of AU chairman was unlikely to have much impact on relations.

In his address to leaders, Mr Mugabe spoke of the need to take advantage of Africa's mineral wealth and agricultural potential, and guard against exploitation by foreigners.

He said African countries wanted relationships with "friends", but "colonialists and imperialists" had no place in the continent.

Later, he received applause when he referred to the long-running territorial dispute in Western Sahara between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

"As long as our brothers in Western Sahara are under Moroccan occupation we are not totally free," he said.

ኢንሹራንስ ከሌልዎ ቅጣቱ ይህ ነው::（YebboTax). ACA Tax Penality

ACA: Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare)
How much is your penalty if you do not have health insurance? See the table below . They may be exceptions 

እስከ ዛሬ ሜዳ ላይ የወደቀው ሃብት ገዢ አገኘ ለሁሉም እርስዎም የዚህ ሃብት ባለቤት ስለሆኑ በአመት ከ$13,000 ያገኛሉ።

You can donate blood, plasma, eggs, and sperm. Why not poop? Yes, your feces are perhaps your greatest untapped monetary resource. Thanks to a nonprofit organization called OpenBiome, you can cash in to the tune of $13,000 a year -- and save lives while you're at it.
Since 2013, OpenBiome has been processing and shipping loads of it all over the country. The frozen stool is administered to patients who are very sick with infections of a bacteria called C. difficile. The bacteria can cause extreme gastrointestinal distress, leaving some sufferers housebound. Antibiotics often help, but sometimes the bacteria rears back as soon as treatment stops. That leads to a miserable, continuous course of antibiotics.
By introducing healthy fecal matter into the gut of a patient (by way of endoscopy, nasal tubes, or swallowed capsules) doctors can abolish C. difficile for good. Finding a donor is tough business, and some patients grow so desperate that they treat themselves with fecal matter from friends and family. That's what happened to a friend of OpenBiome's founders, inspiring them to open up the first nationwide bank. So far they've shipped about 2,000 treatments to 185 hospitals around the country.

And yes, they pay for healthy poop: $40 a sample, with a $50 bonus if you come in five days a week. That's $250 for a week of donations, or $13,000 a year.

Save your stools, save the world. (OpenBiome)

There's a catch: You don't just have to be healthy. You have to be really healthy. OpenBiome's donation procedure may be as easy as your standard bowel movement, but the selection process makes giving blood look like a walk in the park.
"It's harder to become a donor than it is to get into MIT," joked co-founder Mark Smith (who would know, as he got his PhD in microbiology there). Of the 1,000 or so potential donors who've expressed interest on his Web site over the past two years, only about 4 percent have passed the extensive medical questioning and stool testing.
The screening process can cost up to $5,000 -- so when someone makes it through, Smith and his co-founders hold on tight.
"We get most of our donors to come in three or four times a week, which is pretty awesome," Smith said. "You're usually helping three or four patients out with each sample, and we keep track of that and let you know."

The precious poo awaits its destiny at -80 celsius. (OpenBiome)

Fellow co-founder Carolyn Edelstein agrees that the donors are usually in it for more than the money.
"Everyone thinks it's great that they're making money doing such an easy thing," Edelstein said, "But they also love to hear us say, 'Look, your poop just helped this lady who's been sick for nine years go to her daughter's graduation.'"
Who are these valiant donors, these chosen few? Since they have to come into the Medford, Mass. office, lots of them are Tufts University students. And plenty are recruited from the gym next door.
"It's great to have a healthy contingent of regular gym goers right there," Smith said.

OpenBiome has sent out more than 2,000 transplant specimens. (OpenBiome)

For now fecal matter transplants really only have one use: treating recurring C. difficile. But OpenBiome is providing its samples to a number of trials exploring other uses.
Scientists know that the gut microbiomes of people with obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and even autism are different from those without. But just because there are gut flora associated with these conditions doesn't mean that getting rid of them can get rid of their symptoms, and it certainly isn't a given that fecal transplants will be the miracle solution they are for  C. difficile.
"There's a lot of promise in other conditions," Smith said, "But also a lot of hype. Treating C. difficile is a bit less sexy, but that's the one area where we know this works." However, he's excited to see where the "crazy frontier" of microbiome engineering will take us.
And in the meantime, Smith is always happy to find more potential donors.
"I never thought that after getting my PhD I'd start mailing poop around," he said, "But here I am."
h/t Free Enterprise

South Africans should be the last people on earth to rise hands on Ethiopians (Share!)

Ethiopia and Ethiopians love South Africa and South African people. It is a true genuine feeling where you can ask any Ethiopian (more than 90 million of us) and  they will tell you in one voice about their feeling for the country and the people.  When South Africa was during the ugly apartheid era, Ethiopia and Ethiopians took the issue too personal felt the pain as their own. As Ethiopia is a symbol of freedom for the whole world, the issue of South Africa was something all Ethiopians opposed in every stage.  For example take for my case,  my visa when it was issued several years ago it was valid Except South Africa because my Ethiopia want her people to protest apartheid and we will not travel where the country who does not give equal access for its people. This was back then, it was history, it was before the eradication on apartheid. We are happy and joyful.

When the South African freedom fighters went prison, killed in freedom fighting, abused and neglected by apartheid we  Ethiopians were feeling their pain, suffering and agony. Ethiopia tried her best to bring the issue of apartheid  to the global stage in ample occasions . Ethiopians  such as King Haile Sillasse I and the father of Confederation  African Football Mr. Yedinekachew Tessema did their best to stop apartheid. The South African apartheid government was banned from AU and CAF . That did not happened by accident  or over night but it was a result of fight for end of apartheid and  because true and genuine love for of the people of South African people.

Even the father of South Africa,  Nilson Mandel said it. Yes, Ethiopia was a free county  who is also fighting for the freedom of other Africans. Yes! Our father Mandel was in Ethiopia to be trained to fight apartheid . Yes he was our ROYAL guest.

Now thank you God South Africa is free and our South African brothers and sisters are free. I know always there are bad apples in the whole crowd. Those bad apples should not deter our love for South Africa and South African people. Remember there could be few thousands of Ethiopians in South Africa but there are  more than 90+ millions Ethiopian all over the world who love South Africa as their own. Take a note here, those 90+ millions Ethiopians   never been in South Africa and will not be in South Africa but we love you all it is not because you have gold or diamond but because you are one of us. We love you when you did not have any thing, that means we are genuine.  

We think South Africa's progress and success as our own. We love you and love us back. South Africans should be the last people on earth to rise their hands on Ethiopians, that will be awkward.
PEACE!

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