Geb in serious, serious trouble??

Sounds like some serious BS.

Could someone explain what exactly that article was talking about?

The ex distance runner?

Weird. I don't buy it. It reads like some agit-prop piece by some government (or anti-government) mouthpiece.

Brianruns10 wrote:

Weird. I don't buy it. It reads like some agit-prop piece by some government (or anti-government) mouthpiece.

Yeah, it was definitely not any sort of objective source. Hell, they called him an "impulsive gnome."

Regardless of the facts, which there were very little of in that piece, I won't give credibility to any article written using that sort of language. The words used to describe Geb and his practices in that article rob it of its credibility as they show the extreme bias with which it was written

Here's an example of HG doing something mean:

http://www.capitalethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1177:haile-case-settled-out-of-court-&catid=54:news&Itemid=27

Apparently he owns a lot of hotels and stuff. This case makes him sound like a weasel.

There is a regime change since Zenawis' death and this looks like someone from one of the other groups fighting for power.

I am speculating, but I wouldn't believe everything I read...

Lots of concern about how this new leader will be picked, it could get ugly.

Why did he open hotels in Ethiopian?

it seems to me that this isn't an independent news-outlet, but to have connections to one of the parties in Ethiopia that will try to get control.

I hope the country will get some kind of democracy and doesn't become some sort of combatzone.

I was recently in Addis Ababa, and I was able to see all of the hotels, businesses, and car dealerships (Hyundai, I believe) that he owns. I asked several people about his influence and popularity. It was split about 50/50. Some loved him, others seemed less enthusiastic about him.

My cab driver said he gave him a ride once from the airport to his office in Addis, a half hour ride. He said that Geb didn't tip him one cent, and claimed that was the reputation he had from others as well.

I am not sure what to think, other than that he is a much more polarizing figure in his homeland than I would have expected.

Some of you youngsters might be interested in reading about how the Ethiopian runner, Mamo Wolde, 1968 Olympic Marathon winner, was treated in his homeland. Try googling his name.

Propaganda at its finest.

Second place wrote:

Some of you youngsters might be interested in reading about how the Ethiopian runner, Mamo Wolde, 1968 Olympic Marathon winner, was treated in his homeland. Try googling his name.

budding English majors take note:

"affrontive coltish impulsive gnome"

that, children, is how we use a thesaurus.

It's no big deal, really.

The article is in a journal run by diaspora Ethiopians, many of whom *hate* the current regime (Meles/TPLF) ... that's often why they left the country. This is particularly true of diaspora journalists, as many of them were imprisoned multiple times before fleeing the country.

Therefore anyone who is seen to support Meles and/or the TPLF is, in their eyes, a traitor or a stooge. Since Haile apparently participated to some degree in the official mourning for Meles, that was enough to get one diaspora "journalist" to slam him.

But I put "journalist" in quotes, because the linked piece is a classic Ethiopian hit-piece - he's just making stuff up. Basic journalism is rare in Ethiopia (because it will get you imprisoned), and many (not all) diaspora journalists are driven primarily by their distaste (often warranted) for Meles/TPLF.

Haile is in about the same position as any major businessman in Ethiopia right now. Their business depended on the blessings of the regime, so they had to play ball (to some degree) with the regime. But the popular support of the regime has essentially vanished among educated Ethiopians, and now it is weakened without Meles, so if the regime changes, previous supporters could be in real trouble. But Haile has been careful to not be too closely associated with the regime, more than he had to for business, and so he will be in less trouble than most if that happens. And unless there is an actual revolution, nothing will change until the elections in 2015.

So there is no big deal here, his businesses are doing well best any can tell, though these are less certain times in Ethiopia.

Disclaimer: I'm not Ethiopian, but I've spent a lot of time in Ethiopia.

Haven't "news articles" like this popped up every 6-10 months?

WM wrote:

My cab driver said he gave him a ride once from the airport to his office in Addis, a half hour ride. He said that Geb didn't tip him one cent, and claimed that was the reputation he had from others as well.

There is zero chance that this happened. There is no way Geb took a regular taxi ("blue donkey") to the airport. Geb has multiple cars and drivers, and taking taxis is seen as a huge step down from taking your own car, even if the former might be more efficient. It would be like a London cabbie saying he had given Prince Harry a ride to the airport and gotten stiffed on the tip.

More likely, the taxi driver is not a Geb fan because he is suspicious of Geb's connections to the Meles regime. Addis taxi drivers are generally about as anti-Meles as you can get, and truth is no obstacle when it comes to Ethiopian politics (or any politics really, eh Mr. Ryan?).

Reads kinda like the tabloids at the supermarket.

On a related note, does anyone else thing that Haile will run for political office in 2015?