Breaking News! Dr. Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopian's new Prime Minister

State-affiliated FANA Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reported late Tuesday that the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) had elected Abiy as its chairperson.

His rise to become Prime Minister – head of government – is premised on approval by the Front’s Council and subsequent approval by the parliament. Political watchers hold that that process is a mere formality.

Reports indicate that current deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen will maintain his post. Abiy is leader of the Oromo bloc of the EPRDF – the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO). He is also the first Premier from the Oromia region – Ethiopia’s largest and most populous regional state.

The Addis Standard news portal reports that he garnered 108 votes out of a possible 180 to emerge the winner. Abiy takes over from Hailemariam Desalegn who resigned his post in mid-February, according to him to allow for political reforms promised by the EPRDF in early January 2018.

በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ እንዳንበላ የተከለከልነው። Clean and Unclean Food

Clean and Unclean Food

ኦሪት ዘሌዋውያን ምዕራፍ ፲፩

፩	እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴንና አሮንን እንዲህ ብሎ ተናገራቸው።
፪	ለእስራኤል ልጆች እንዲህ በሉአቸው። ከምድር እንስሶች ሁሉ የምትበሉአቸው እነዚህ ናቸው።
፫	የተሰነጠቀ ሰኮና ያለውንና የሚያመሰኳውን እንስሳ ሁሉ ብሉ።
፬	ነገር ግን ከሚያመሰኩት፥ ሰኮናቸው ስንጥቅ ከሆነው ከእነዚህ አትበሉም፤ ግመል ያመሰኳል፥ ነገር ግን ሰኮናው ስላልተሰነጠቀ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው።
፭	ሽኮኮ ያመሰኳል፥ ነገር ግን ሰኰናው ስላልተሰነጠቀ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው።
፮	ጥንቸልም ያመሰኳል፥ ነገር ግን ሰኮናው ስላልተሰነጠቀ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው።
፯	እርያም ሰኮናው ተሰንጥቋል፥ ነገር ግን ስለማያመሰኳ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው።
፰	የእነዚህን ሥጋ አትበሉም፥ በድናቸውንም አትነኩም፤ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩሶች ናቸው።
፱	በውኃ ውስጥ ከሚኖሩት ሁሉ እነዚህን ትበላላችሁ በውኆች በባሕሮችም በወንዞችም ውስጥ ከሚኖሩት ሁሉ ክንፍና ቅርፊት ያላቸውን ትበላላችሁ።
፲	በውኆቹ ውስጥ ከሚንቀሳቀሱ፥ በውኆች ውስጥ የሕይወት ነፍስ ካላቸው ሁሉ፥ በባሕሮችና በወንዞች ውስጥ ክንፍና ቅርፊት የሌላቸው ሁሉ በእናንተ ዘንድ የተጸየፉ ናቸው።
፲፩	በእናንተም ዘንድ የተጸየፉ ይሆናሉ፤ ሥጋቸውንም አትበሉም፥ በድናቸውንም ትጸየፋላችሁ።
፲፪	ክንፍና ቅርፊትም የሌላቸው በውኃ ውስጥ የሚኖሩት ሁሉ በእናንተ ዘንድ የተጸየፉ ናቸው።
፲፫	ከወፎችም ወገን የምትጸየፉአቸው እነዚህ ናቸው፤ አይበሉም፤ የተጸየፉ ናቸው፤
፲፬	ንስር፥ ገዲ፥ ዓሣ አውጭ፥ ጭላት፥ ጭልፊት በየወገኑ፥
፲፭	ቁራ ሁሉ በየወገኑ፥
፲፮	ሰጎን፥ ጠላቋ፥ ዝዪ፥ በቋል በየወገኑ፥
፲፯፤፲፰	ጕጕት፥ እርኩም፥ ጋጋኖ፥ የውኀ ዶሮ፥
፲፱	ይብራ፥ ጥምብ አንሣ አሞራ፥ ሽመላ፥ ሳቢሳ በየወገኑ፥ ጅንጁላቴ ወፍ፥ የሌሊት ወፍ።
፳	የሚበርርም፥ በአራት እግሮችም የሚሔድ ተንቀሳቃሽ ሁሉ በእናንተ ዘንድ የተጸየፈ ነው።
፳፩	ነገር ግን ከሚበርሩት፥ አራትም እግሮች ካሉአቸው፥ ከእግሮቻቸውም በላይ በምድር ላይ የሚዘልሉባቸው ጭኖች ካሉአቸው ተንቀሳቃሾች እነዚህን ትበላላችሁ።
፳፪	ከእነርሱም እነዚህን ትበላላችሁ፤ አራቱን ዓይነት አንበጣዎች በየወገናቸው።
፳፫	ነገር ግን የሚበርር፥ አራትም እግሮች ያሉት ተንቀሳቃሽ ሁሉ በእናንተ ዘንድ የተጸየፈ ነው።
፳፬	በእነዚህም ርኩስ ትሆናላችሁ፤ የእነርሱንም በድን የሚነካ ሁሉ እስከ ማታ ርኩስ ነው።
፳፭	ከእነርሱም በድን የሚያነሣ ሁሉ ልብሱን ይጠብ፥ እስከ ማታም ርኩስ ነው።
፳፮	ሰኮናም ያለው፥ ነገር ግን ሰኮናው ያልተሰነጠቀ፥ የማያመሰኳም እንሰሳ ሁሉ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው፤ እርሱን የሚነካ ሁሉ ርኩስ ነው።
፳፯	በአራት እግሮቹ ከሚሄድ እንስሳ ሁሉ በመዳፎቹ ላይ የሚሄድ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው፤ የእርሱን በድን የሚነካ ሁሉ እስከ ማታ ርኩስ ነው።
፳፰	በድናቸውንም የሚያነሣ ልብሱን ይጠብ፥ እስከ ማታም ርኩስ ነው። እነርሱም በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩሶች ናቸው።
፳፱	በምድር ላይም ከሚንቀሳቀስ ተንቀሳቅሳሽ እነዚህ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩሶች ናቸው፤ ሙጭልጭላ፥ አይጥ፥ እንሽላሊት በየወገኑ፥
፴	ኤሊ፥ አዞ፥ ገበሎ፥ አርጃኖ፥ እስስት።
፴፩	ከሚንቀሳቀሱት ሁሉ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩሶች የሚሆኑ እነዚህ ናቸው። ከእነርሱም የሞተውን የሚነካ ሁሉ እስከ ማታ ርኩስ ነው።
፴፪	ከእነርሱም የሞተውን የሚነካ በምንም ላይ ቢወድቅ እርሱ ርኩስ ነው፤ የእንጨት ዕቃ ወይም ልብስ ወይም ቁርበት ወይም ከረጢት ቢሆን የሚሠራበት ዕቃ ሁሉ እርሱ በውኃ ውስጥ ይደረግ፥ እስከ ማታም ርኩስ ነው፤ ከዚያም በኋላ ንጹሕ ይሆናል።
፴፫	ከእነርሱም አንዳች በውስጡ የወደቀበትን የሸክላውን ዕቃ ሁሉ ስበሩት፥ በውስጡም ያለው ሁሉ ርኩስ ነው።
፴፬	በእርሱ ውስጥ ያለው፥ ውኃም የሚፈስስበት የሚበላ መብል ሁሉ ርኩስ ነው፤ በዚህም ዕቃ ሁሉ ያለው የሚጠጣ መጠጥ ሁሉ ርኩስ ነው።
፴፭	ከእነዚህም በድን የሚወድቅበት ሁሉ ርኩስ ነው፤ እቶን ወይም ምድጃ ቢሆን ይሰባበራል፤ ርኩሶች ናቸው፤ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩሶች ይሆናሉ።
፴፮	ነገር ግን ምንጩ፥ ጕድጓዱም፥ የውኃውም ኵሬ ንጹሐን ናቸው፤ በድናቸውን ግን የሚነካ ርኩስ ነው።
፴፯	ከበድናቸውም በሚዘራ ዘር ላይ አንዳች ቢወድቅ እርሱ ንጹሕ ነው።
፴፰	ነገር ግን በዘሩ ላይ ውኃ ቢፈስስበት፥ ከዚህ በኋላ ከበድናቸው አንዳች ቢወድቅበት፥ በእናንተ ዘንድ ርኩስ ነው።
፴፱	ለመብል ከሚሆኑላችሁ እንስሶች የሞተ ቢኖር፥ በድኑን የሚነካ ሁሉ እስከ ማታ ርኩስ ነው።
፵	ከበድኑም የሚበላ ልብሱን ያጥባል፥ እስከ ማታም ርኩስ ይሆናል፤ በድኑንም የሚያነሣ ልብሱን ይጠብ፥ እስከ ማታም ርኩስ ነው።
፵፩	በምድርም ላይ የሚንቀሳቀስ ተንቀሳቃሽ ሁሉ የተጸየፈ ነው፥ አትብሉትም።
፵፪	በሆዱ የሚሳብ፥ በአራትም እግሮች የሚሳብ፥ ብዙ እግሮችም ያሉት፥ በምድርም ላይ የሚንቀሳቀሱ ተንቀሳቃሾች ሁሉ የተጸየፉ ናቸውና አትብሉአቸው።
፵፫	በሚንቀሳቀሱ ተንቀሳቃሾች ሁሉ ሰውነታችሁን አታስጸይፉ፤ በእነርሱም እንዳትረክሱ ሰውነታችሁን አታርክሱባቸው።
፵፬	እኔ እግዚአብሔር አምላካችሁ ነኝና፤ ሰውነታችሁን ቀድሱ፥ ቅዱሳንም ሁኑ፥ እኔ ቅዱስ ነኝና፤ በምድርም ላይ በሚሳብ ተንቀሳቃሽ ሁሉ ሰውነታችሁን አታርክሱ።
፵፭	እኔ አምላካችሁ እሆን ዘንድ ከግብፅ ምድር ያወጣኋችሁ እግዚአብሔር ነኝ፤ እንግዲህ እኔ ቅዱስ ነኝና እናንተ ቅዱሳን ሁኑ።
፵፮	የእንስሳና የወፍ፥ በውኃም ውስጥ የሚንቀሳቀስ የፍጥረት ሁሉ፥ በምድርም ላይ የሚንቀሳቀስ የፍጥረት ሁሉ ሕግ ይህ ነው።
፵፯	በርኩስና በንጹሕ መካከል፥ የሕይወት ነፍስ ካላቸውም በምትበሉትና በማትበሉት መካከል እንድትለዩ ነው።

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: ³ You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

⁴ “‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. ⁵ The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁷ And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
⁹ “‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. ¹⁰ But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. ¹¹ And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean. ¹² Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.
¹³ “‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle,^[a] the vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴ the red kite, any kind of black kite, ¹⁵ any kind of raven, ¹⁶ the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, ¹⁸ the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
²⁰ “‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you. ²¹ There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. ²² Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. ²³ But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.
²⁴ “‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. ²⁵ Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
²⁶ “‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean. ²⁷ Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. ²⁸ Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you.
²⁹ “‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, ³⁰ the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. ³¹ Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. ³² When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. ³³ If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. ³⁴ Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean. ³⁵ Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. ³⁶ A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. ³⁷ If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. ³⁸ But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
³⁹ “‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
⁴¹ “‘Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten. ⁴² You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean. ⁴³ Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. ⁴⁴ I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁵ I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
⁴⁶ “‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. ⁴⁷ You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”

 

በግድ እስሩኝ： የጃፓን ሴቶች በግድ እስር ቤት ካልገባን ብለው አስቸገሩ።

በግድ እስሩኝ： የጃፓን  ሴቶች   በግድ  እስር ቤት  ካልገባን ብለው አስቸገሩ።
ይህ  ለሀገራችን  እስር  ቤቶች  የሚያስቀና  ነው። ጃፓን  ዛሬ  አለማችንን  በቴክኖሎጂ  ምጥቀቷ  እያስደመመች  መሆኑ  ለማንም  የሰው  ፍጡር  የአደባባይ  ሚስጢር  ነው።  የጃፓንን  የስራ  ውጤት  ያልተጠቀመ  ፍጡር  አይገኝም ።  ከመኪና  ጀምሮ  እስከ ኤሌክትሮኒክስ ፣ ከሳይንስ ጀምሮ  እስከ ጠፈር ምርምር የጃፓን  የስራ  ውጤት  ያልዳሰሰው መስክ  የለም። ጃፓኖች  የመስራት ጥበባቸው ብቻ  ሳይሆን  ሂወትን  የመኖራቸው ሚስጢር ሁሉንም  የአለም ህዝብ  እያስቀና  ነው።

አንዳንዶች  የጃፓን  ስልጣኔዎችን  ለመቅዳት  ብዙ  ድካምና   ምርምር ቢጠይቅም  የዛሬ የጃፓን ስራ ግን  ሲያዩት  ቀላል  ለመተግበር  ግን  ጉብዝናን  የሚጠይው  ነው።  ነገሩ ወዲህ  ነው።  ወንጃል እና  ወንጀለኛ  የማይጠፉ  የሳንቲም  ፊትና  ኋላ  የሆኑ ሁለት አበይት  የህብረተሰቡ  ክፍሎች  ናቸው።  ያደጉም ሆነ  በማደግ  ላይ  ያሉ አገሮች  ወንጀል እና  ወንጀለኞች ቢኖሯቸውም  አንዱን አገር ከአንዱ አገር የሚለየው ግን  እኒዚህን  ሁለቱን  ለመቀነስ  የሚያደርገው እቅድ እና  ብልሃት ነው።
ታዲያ  ሌሎች አገሮች  እስር ቤት መግባት ማለት የምድር  ፅዮል  መግባት  ሲሆን   ጃፓን ውስጥ  ደግሞ
 ብታምኑም ባታምኑም እስር ቤት  መግባት ማለት ልክ  ሽርሽር  ወይም  ቫኬሽን  እንደመሄድ ነው አሉ።

ሚስጢሩ ጃፓን እስር ቤቶችን የመቀጫ እና  የቂም  መወጫ  ቦታ ሳይሆን   የማገገሚያ  እና  የመማሪያ  ቦታ  አድርገውት  ወንጀለኞችን ከወንጀላቸው  ተምረው እስራቸውን ጨርሰው ወደ ህብረተሰቡ  ሲቀላቀሉ ወደ  ኋላ  እንዳይቀሩ  በማስተማር እና በማጎልበት ላይ ያተኮረ  ነው።

 ታዲያ  የጃፓኖች  የኑሮ ዘይቤ በጣም  የሚያሰደንቁ የሚያስቀኑ ዘዴዎችን  የያዘ  ነው። ያ ማለት  ጃፓኖች  እንደሌላው  ህዝብ  በቶሎ አያረጁም፣ ቶሎ  አይጎሳቀሉም እንዱሁም  አይታመሙም።  ታዲያ  ጃፓኖች   ጡረታ  ሲወጡ ገና  ጠንካራ እና  አምራች  የሆነ   ሁኔታ ላይ እያሉ ስለሆነ  ቤት ውስጥ  ብቸኛ  ሆኖ  መዋል  ይሰለቻቸዋል።

ታዲያ  ይህንን የብቸኝነት  ሂዎትን  ከህዝብ  ጋር  ቀልቀል  ብሎ  ለመኖር የሚያስችላቸው  ዘዴ  ሆነ ብለው  ወንጀል  በመስራት ወደ ወህኒ ቤት  መውረድ  ነው። ጃፓን ውስጥ አንዴ ከታሰሩ  ምንም  የሚያስጨንቃቸው  ነገር  የለም አሉ ። ያጃፓን ወህኒ  ቤት ትልቅ  ሆቴል  እንደመግባት  ማለት ነው። በእንግሊዘኛው አጠራር  ሪዞርት የሚሉት  አይነት ሁሉም  ነገር  የተሟላ።
ታዲያ   ይህ  አያስቀናም። የኛ አገርም  ሆነ የሌሎች  አገሮች  ከዚህ  መማር አለባቸው።  በእውነትም  ሆነ  በውሽት  የታሰሩ እስረኖች  እንደ ማንኛውን ዜጋ  ሰባዊ መብቶች  ስላላቸው በክብር መያዝ  አለባቸው።

መልክቱ ገና  ለገና  ወህኒ ቤት  ጥሩ  ነው  ብሎ  ሰው   ሁሉ  ይታሰር ሳይሆን   እስር  ቤቶች የእስረኛ  ማሰቃታ  እና  መግረፊያ  ወይም  መግደያ ሳይሆን የእስረኛ  ማስተማሪያ  እና  ህግ  እና ፍትህ  ተጓድሎ  የታሰሩትን  መፍታት  ያልተፈቱትን  ደግሞ  ማራሚያ  እና ማስተማሪያ  ማድረግ  ይኖርብናል።

ግን  ከጃፓን  እንደርስ  ይሆን？ መኪና  ገጣጠምን፣ ቴሌቭዥን  ሰራን  ወይም  ቴለፎን  አመረትን  ግን  ይህንን  ሁሉ  ቴክኖሎጂ  ስናስገባ ምነው  የጃፓንን  የመኖር ስልት ማስገባት አቃተን።

ከእንግሊዘኛ ዘገባወች  ውስጥ አንዱ  ይኽው ።

Japan’s Prisons Are a Haven for Elderly Women

Lonely seniors are shoplifting in search of the community and stability of jail.

Every aging society faces distinct challenges. But Japan, with the world’s oldest population (27.3 percent of its citizens are 65 or older, almost twice the share in the U.S.), has been dealing with one it didn’t foresee: senior crime. Complaints and arrests involving elderly people, and women in particular, are taking place at rates above those of any other demographic group. Almost 1 in 5 women in Japanese prisons is a senior. Their crimes are usually minor—9 in 10 senior women who’ve been convicted were found guilty of shoplifting.

Why have so many otherwise law-abiding elderly women resorted to petty theft? Caring for Japanese seniors once fell to families and communities, but that’s changing. From 1980 to 2015, the number of seniors living alone increased more than sixfold, to almost 6 million. And a 2017 survey by Tokyo’s government found that more than half of seniors caught shoplifting live alone; 40 percent either don’t have family or rarely speak with relatives. These people often say they have no one to turn to when they need help.

Even women with a place to go describe feeling invisible. “They may have a house. They may have a family. But that doesn’t mean they have a place they feel at home,” says Yumi Muranaka, head warden of Iwakuni Women’s Prison, 30 miles outside Hiroshima. “They feel they are not understood. They feel they are only recognized as someone who gets the house chores done.”

Elderly women are also often economically vulnerable—nearly half of those 65 or older who live alone also live in poverty relative to the broader population, for example, compared with 29 percent of men. “My husband died last year,” one inmate says. “We didn’t have any children, so I was all alone. I went to a supermarket to buy vegetables, and I saw a package of beef. I wanted it, but I thought it would be a financial burden. So I took it.”

Neither the government nor the private sector has established an effective rehabilitation program for seniors, and the costs to keep them in prison are rising fast. Expenses associated with elder care helped push annual medical costs at correctional facilities past 6 billion yen (more than $50 million) in 2015, an 80 percent increase from a decade before. Specialized workers have been hired to help older inmates with bathing and toileting during the day, but at night these tasks are handled by guards.

At some facilities, being a correctional officer has come to resemble being a nursing-home attendant. Satomi Kezuka, a veteran officer at Tochigi Women’s Prison, about 60 miles north of Tokyo, says her duties now include dealing with incontinence. “They are ashamed and hide their underwear,” she says of the inmates. “I tell them to bring it to me, and I will have it washed.” More than a third of female correctional officers quit their jobs within three years.

In 2016, Japan’s parliament passed a law aiming to ensure that recidivist seniors get support from the country’s welfare and social-service systems. Since then, prosecutor’s offices and prisons have worked closely with government agencies to get senior offenders the assistance they need. But the problems that lead these women to seek the relative comfort of jail lie beyond the system’s reach.

Ms. F, 89
Has stolen rice, strawberries, cold medicine
Second term, sentenced to a year and a half
Has a daughter and a grandchild

“I was living alone on welfare. I used to live with my daughter’s family and used all my savings taking care of an abusive and violent son-in-law.”

Ms. A, 67
Has stolen clothing
First term, sentenced to two years, three months
Has a husband, two sons, and three grandchildren

“I shoplifted more than 20 times, all clothes, not expensive ones, mostly on sale on the street. It’s not that I was in need of money. The first time I shoplifted, I didn’t get caught. I learned that I could obtain what I wanted without paying for it, which I found fun, amusing, exciting.

“My husband has been supportive. He writes me regularly. My two sons are angry—my three grandchildren don’t know I’m here. They think I’m hospitalized.”

U.S. Passport Execution Fee Will Increase to $35

U.S. Passport Execution Fee Will Increase to $35
Effective April 2, 2018, the passport execution fee will increase from $25 to $35. The $10 execution fee increase only applies to U.S. passport applicants using the DS-11 form, such as first-time applicants over 16, children under 16, and applicants who re-apply after reporting their previous passport lost or stolen.


The $10 fee increase does not apply to adults eligible to renew their passport by mail using the DS-82 form. Renewal customers can mail their application and supporting documentation to the Department of State and should not apply at a passport acceptance facility or pay an execution fee. To learn more about renewing your passport, visit our Renew page.

Customers applying with the DS-11 form pay two separate fees: an application fee to the U.S. Department of State and the execution fee to the passport acceptance facility. Passport acceptance facilities such as post offices, clerks of court, or public libraries are designated to accept passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. With more than 7,600 acceptance facility locations, customers applying for the first time can find a convenient location to apply for their passport. Some acceptance facilities are open nights and weekends and take passport photos on-site. Find a location near you using our Acceptance Facility Search Tool.

The Department of State generally sets consular fees at an amount calculated to achieve recovery of the costs to the U.S. government of providing the consular service. The latest Cost of Service Model showed that the costs associated with passport execution were higher than the current fee of $25.

The proposed fee change was published in the Federal Register as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and public comments were accepted until November 18, 2016, 60 days after the Notice’s publication. The Final Rule, implementing the change, includes the Department’s response to relevant comments received.

How to apply for US passport and its fee. As of March 2018

How to apply for US passport and its fees. As of March 2018
Attention! Due to laws and regulations as well as rules  US passport application requirements , fees and other details may change. Please refer the current unto date information by simply going to
the US Passport Agency official web site 

Effective April 2, 2018, the passport execution fee will increase from $25 to $35. The $10 execution fee increase only applies to U.S. passport applicants using the DS-11 form, such as first-time applicants over 16, children under 16, and applicants who re-apply after reporting their previous passport lost or stolen

Passport Requirements

Passport Fees
Find the cost for your passport and payment methods on Passport Fees
Adult First-Time Applicants (16 and Older)

Product	Form	Application Fee	Execution Fee
Passport Book	DS-11	$110	$25
Passport Card	DS-11	$30	$25
Passport Book & Card	DS-11	$140	$25

Adult Renewal Applicants (16 and Older)

Adult renewal applicants residing in the U.S. must apply by mail. For more information on how to apply, please see Renew My Passport or Children 16 and 17.

Product	Form	Application Fee
Passport Book	DS-82	$110
Passport Card	DS-82	$30
Passport Book & Card	DS-82	$140

Child Applicants (Under 16)

All child applicants, including renewals, must apply in person. Application Fees and Execution Fees are paid separately. For more information on a passport for a child, please see Children Under 16.

Product	Form	Application Fee	Execution Fee
Passport Book	DS-11	$80	$25
Passport Card	DS-11	$15	$25
Passport Book & Card	DS-11	$95	$25

All child applicants, including renewals, must apply in person. Application Fees and Execution Fees are paid separately. For more information on a passport for a child, please see Children Under 16.

Product	Form	Application Fee	Execution Fee
Passport Book	DS-11	$80	$25
Passport Card	DS-11	$15	$25
Passport Book & Card	DS-11	$95	$25

All Additional Services Fees are per application. For example, if you want to expedite your application and your child's, you must pay an additional $60 for each application.

Service	Additional Fee	Notes
Expedited Service	$60.00	See Get a Passport In a Hurry. Only available for applicants in the U.S.
Overnight Delivery Service	$15.89	Only available for Passport Book applicants in the U.S.
File Search	$150.00	See Request a File Search for more information.

Applying at a Passport Acceptance Facility

Application Fee and any Additional Services Fees:

Checks (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) and money orders payable to "U.S. Department of State"
Credit and debit cards CANNOT be accepted
$25 Execution Fee Paid Separately:

Money orders at all locations, payable as instructed by the facility
Personal checks and cash (exact change only) at some locations
Credit cards at U.S. postal facilities and some other locations 

*Please verify acceptable payment methods with the acceptance facility ahead of time. 
Applying by Mail

Renewal Fee and any Additional Services Fees:

• Checks (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) and money orders payable to "U.S. Department of State"
• For applicants residing in Canada, please see Applying for a U.S. Passport from Outside the United States.

Applying at a Passport Agency
All Fees:

Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) and Debit Cards displaying the Visa or MasterCard logo
Checks (personal, certified, cashiers, travelers), payable to "U.S. Department of State"
Money orders (U.S. Postal, international, currency exchanges), payable to "U.S. Department of State"
Cash (exact amount only- no change provided)

Pre-paid credit card or gift card displaying the Visa or MasterCard logo

Applying from Outside the U.S.

Overseas applicants should see Applying For a Passport from Outside the United States for acceptable payment methods.
Passport Forms
Use our passport Form Finder to make sure you're using the right form to get your passport.
Passport Photos
CALL 619 255 5530 YEBBOPHOTO
Where to Apply

በአንድ ወቅት ከ 9000 በላይ ቅርንጫፎች የነበረው ብላክበስተር የተባለው የቪዲዮ አከራይ ኩባንያ እስከ ዛሬ ይዞት ቀርቶ ከነበሩት 6 ሱቆች መካከል ከመጨረሻዎቹ ውስጥ 4ቱን ዘጋ ：：

በአንድ ወቅት  ከ 9000 በላይ  ቅርንጫፎች  የነበረው  ብላክበስተር የተባለው የቪዲዮ  አከራይ  ኩባንያ   እስከ ዛሬ  ይዞት  ቀርቶ ከነበሩት 6 ሱቆች   መካከል ከመጨረሻዎቹ ውስጥ   4ቱን  ዘጋ ：：
Many of today’s kids will never know the joy of going to Blockbuster on a Friday night and picking out a movie from the “New Releases” section to watch. The beloved video rental chain, which began closing its stores in 2013, announced last week that it would shutter its North Pole, Alaska location, thanking patrons for their many years of support.

 

But Blockbuster isn’t totally extinct yet. Although the once-ubiquitous movie rental company has shuttered thousands of locations across the country (at its height, the company operated some 9,000 locations worldwide), there are still six stores remaining, four in Alaska and two in Oregon.

While you may be surprised to learn that there are even Blockbusters still in existence, the brick and mortar video rental market found its niche in Alaska where the lack of high-speed Internet makes video streaming difficult, and mail delivery DVD rental has fallen by the wayside as Netflix has focused on online streaming.

San Diego: San Diego softens insurance rules for taxis to help them battle Uber, Lyf

በአሁኑ  ወቅት  በቴክኖሎጂና  በገንዘብ  ታግዘው በአሜሪካ  ለዘመናት የነበረውን  ያታክሲ  ገበያ   አፈር  ድሜ   ያስገቡትን  ኡበር  እና  ሊፍት  የተባሉትን  ኩባንያዎች  ፉክክር  ለመጋፈጥ የሚያስችል  በካሊፎርንያ  ግዛት  በሳንድያጎ ከተማ አዲስ  ደንብ  ወጣ። በዚህ አዲስ በወጣው  ደንብ  የታክሲ  ባለቤቶች  መግባት  የነበረባቸውን  የ 1 ሚሊዮን  ዶላር የሚያወጣ  ኢንሹራንስ  ወደ $350ሺ  ዝቅ  ያደረገው ሲሆን  የታክሲ  ባለንብረቶች ከዚህ ቀደም  በወር  ከ $350 እስከ $450  የሚያወጣውን  ኢንሹራንስ ክፍያ  ቢያንስ ቢያንስ  ከግማሽ  በላይ ያወርደዋል ተብሎ  ይገመታል።  በዚህ  አዲስ  ማሻሻያ  ላይ ብዙ  ነገሮች  ለባለ  ታክሲው  እንዲረዱ  ተብለው  የተለወጡ  ናቸው። ለሁሉም  ከዚህ  በታች  ያለውን  የእንግሊዘኛ  ዘገባ ያንብቡ：：

San Diego on Monday lowered the insurance coverage cabbies must have from $1 million to $350,000
The move comes with demand for taxis plummeting because of Uber and Lyft ride-hailing apps.
The number of people with taxi permits has fallen nearly 30 percent in two years, from 1,266 to 884.

San Diego is trying to save its struggling taxi industry by allowing operators to carry significantly lower insurance coverage, helping make taxis more competitive with app-based ride services Uber and Lyft.

The City Council voted 6-3 on Monday to shrink San Diego’s minimum required insurance coverage from $1 million to $350,000, a move that essentially reverses an increase from $300,000 to $1 million that the council approved in 2010.

The goal is the survival of the local taxi industry, which has seen demand plummet because of Uber and Lyft. The number of people with taxi permits has fallen nearly 30 percent in two years, from 1,266 to 884.

The change is unlikely to lead to a rash of accidents in which cabbies don’t have adequate coverage, said officials from the Metropolitan Transit System, which regulates the city’s taxi industry.

An actuarial analysis of the last five years shows that the average claim per crash was about $7,000 and that 99.61 percent of crashes caused damage of less than $350,000.

“You can never insure for outlier things that are going to happen,” said Councilwoman Barbara Bry of La Jolla. “I think it’s really important to keep the taxi industry in business.”

Bry noted that unlike taxis, Uber and Lyft don’t guarantee 24-hour service and have no cap on what they can charge, making their rates frequently higher than taxis during surge periods like rainstorms or holidays.

Uber and Lyft, which are regulated statewide by the California Public Utilities Commission, also face less rigorous insurance requirements than taxis in San Diego, MTS officials say.

They need $1 million in coverage, which is typically provided by the company instead of the driver, only when they have been summoned for a pickup or are carrying a passenger.

At other times, such as when the app is open but the driver hasn’t been summoned, their requirements are similar to ordinary commercial insurance: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident and $30,000 for property.

The six votes in favor of the softened insurance requirements for taxis included the council’s five Democrats and one of the panel’s four Republicans, Lorie Zapf of Bay Ho.

"Lots of families have lost their livelihoods overnight," said Zapf, explaining why she broke ranks with her Republican colleagues on the issue. "They've lost their ability to be competitive."

Zapf said that many of the city’s taxi drivers are hard-working immigrants, some of whom paid thousands of dollars for taxi medallions that have become essentially worthless.

Another point Zapf made was that San Diego is the only city among the nation’s 10 largest to require as much as $1 million in insurance coverage for taxis. Los Angeles requires $350,000.

Councilman Scott Sherman of Allied Gardens, who cast one of the three “no” votes, said he understood the intent but couldn’t be supportive.

Sherman said taxi operators should form their own groups to control premiums and reduce costs.

He also raised concerns about the city and MTS getting sued after big crashes in which a taxi driver didn’t have enough coverage, but attorneys for the city and MTS said both agencies have immunity because they regulate the industry.

The reduction in minimum coverage comes as insurance premiums for taxi have increased 80 percent in the last six years, including a 35 percent jump that was scheduled to kick in this spring without the reduction from $1 million.

For a typical taxi driver, the annual cost of such insurance has increased from $3,000 in 2010 to $5,500 this year.

"We're not asking for a handout, we're asking to be more competitive in a marketplace," said Tony Hueso, owner of USA Cab.

Adrian Kwiatkowski, leader of the local Transportation Alliance Group, predicted San Diego could be a trendsetter in California, the only part of the country where the $1 million requirement is common.

He said Orange County would likely follow San Diego’s lead, and San Francisco officials recently began analyzing whether to drop their requirement from $1 million.

Kwiatkowski said the insurance rules are just one reason Uber and Lyft are killing the taxi industry.

He said the city’s taxi ordinance is 40 pages, while the state’s is five pages.

"It's absurd," he said. “The taxi industry and other transportation providers are saddled with regulations at the local level, while Uber and Lyft get away with whatever they want because they are regulated by the state. That's why there's such a disparity in market share."

The crisis in the industry comes just a few years after partial deregulation of local taxis came with optimism about higher incomes for drivers and better customer service.

The new city regulations are scheduled for approval by the MTS board on April 12.