Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

qz.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 148 posts

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#11

Post by 3pt14159 »

wiremine wrote: post #6

Ethiopia's GDP growth has been on a tear since 2000. [1] If you visit the capital, you can't miss the Chinese influence. Last time I was there, a huge Chinese bank building was going up kiddy corner to the Airport in Addis. BTW, if you haven't visited Ethiopia, put it on your list. It's an amazingly beautiful country. [1] https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&...

The GDP growth rate per capita is a better measure in my opinion. The population of Ethiopia is growing very fast and despite the high GDP growth rate there is still serious concern about the job market for the nation's under 18 population about to hit the labour market.

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#12

Post by grecy »

wiremine wrote: post #6

Ethiopia's GDP growth has been on a tear since 2000. [1] If you visit the capital, you can't miss the Chinese influence. Last time I was there, a huge Chinese bank building was going up kiddy corner to the Airport in Addis. BTW, if you haven't visited Ethiopia, put it on your list. It's an amazingly beautiful country. [1] https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&...

I just spent three years driving around Africa. I visited 35 different countries all around the continent. [1]

The Chiense influence is staggering. I'm writing a book about it now. Many, many parts of Africa are developing faster than any of us can comprehend, because we've never seen it.

In the last ~20 years cities like LA and Vancouver have gotten bigger, but they're more or less what they were - there were skyscrapers, electricity, water, freeways etc. Now it's just a bit bigger.

There are hundreds of cities in Africa that have gone from dirt streets to modern city with skyscrapers, 4G internet, subways (or above ground rail), running water end electricity, etc. in just 10 years.

It boggles the mind

[1] http://theroadchoseme.com/africa-expedition-overview & http://instagram.com/theroadchoseme

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#13

Post by mikestew »

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #8
jaco8 wrote: post #2

Reading this headline I remember my grandmother, who donated 10 bucks every month for years to this famine ravaged country via some church charity. She died poor living on minimum pension. Nobody from Ethiopia ever thanked her.

[flagged]

“I gave that money so children wouldn’t starve, not so that you could at some point in the future win some Internet argument.” Unfortunately, someone stands at the ready to turn the works of others to their own purposes. Make a very big note to yourself when the story teller has no participation in the otherwise compelling story. (“My grandfather didn’t fight Mussolini just so we could...”)

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#14

Post by dustingetz »

grecy wrote: post #12
wiremine wrote: post #6

Ethiopia's GDP growth has been on a tear since 2000. [1] If you visit the capital, you can't miss the Chinese influence. Last time I was there, a huge Chinese bank building was going up kiddy corner to the Airport in Addis. BTW, if you haven't visited Ethiopia, put it on your list. It's an amazingly beautiful country. [1] https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&...

I just spent three years driving around Africa. I visited 35 different countries all around the continent. [1] The Chiense influence is staggering . I'm writing a book about it now. Many, many parts of Africa are developing faster than any of us can comprehend, because we've never seen it. In the last ~20 years cities like LA and Vancouver have gotten bigger, but they're more or less what they were - there were skysc…

so who owns all that brand new infrastructure - China?

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#15

Post by LatteLazy »

I mean no disrespect to Ethiopia but no, China launched it.

This is important because the ability to put an object in space is a huge achievement with geopolitical consequences. If you can put an object into space (even low earth orbit) you can put one in Time Square or the Kremlin and no one can stop you. That's why it's a big deal when a country first launches a satellite...

Sorry to be the arsehole here. But it should be made clear Ethiopia has NOT just jumped up on the possible threat scale...

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#16

Post by ajmurmann »

There is a dead comment by someone whose grandma kept donating to charity for Ethiopia. The grandma died poor save the poster is upset that nobody from Ethiopia ever thanked her and now they are prospering. I don't like that comment, but it is actually quite interesting, especially if taken together with another comment on a parallel discussion about the huge growth in Africa and the very visible Chinese influence.

It makes you wonder how China's involvement has lead to do much growth in such short time, while the West had been focused on providing to poor, starving African children for decades. I wonder how much the attitude reflected in the comment about the donating grandma is common and how it contributed to the connotative lack of results from Western aid efforts. Did we deep down not want results, but instead mainly make ourselves feel good while keeping Africa in a position where they can provide that feeling to us? What concretely is China doing that we failed to do? How will this pan out on the long term for Africa? So many interesting topics in here!

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#18

Post by 9nGQluzmnq3M »

grecy wrote: post #12
wiremine wrote: post #6

Ethiopia's GDP growth has been on a tear since 2000. [1] If you visit the capital, you can't miss the Chinese influence. Last time I was there, a huge Chinese bank building was going up kiddy corner to the Airport in Addis. BTW, if you haven't visited Ethiopia, put it on your list. It's an amazingly beautiful country. [1] https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&...

I just spent three years driving around Africa. I visited 35 different countries all around the continent. [1] The Chiense influence is staggering . I'm writing a book about it now. Many, many parts of Africa are developing faster than any of us can comprehend, because we've never seen it. In the last ~20 years cities like LA and Vancouver have gotten bigger, but they're more or less what they were - there were skysc…

> hundreds of cities with subways

No, there aren't. There is exactly one (1) city in sub-Saharan Africa with a modern urban rail system, and it's Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the rest of the continent's megacities (Nairobi, Lagos, etc) decent urban transit remains a dream. China has funded a bunch of long-distance rail, but that's primarily for trade (read: exporting raw materials).

But I still tip my pith helmet at you for crossing the DRC by Jeep!

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#19

Post by blackearl »

ajmurmann wrote: post #16

There is a dead comment by someone whose grandma kept donating to charity for Ethiopia. The grandma died poor save the poster is upset that nobody from Ethiopia ever thanked her and now they are prospering. I don't like that comment, but it is actually quite interesting, especially if taken together with another comment on a parallel discussion about the huge growth in Africa and the very visible Chinese influence. I…

China is exploiting them. They're not doing it out of kindness, or for some moral self-aggrandizing.

Re: Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space

#20

Post by oefrha »

LatteLazy wrote: post #15

I mean no disrespect to Ethiopia but no, China launched it. This is important because the ability to put an object in space is a huge achievement with geopolitical consequences. If you can put an object into space (even low earth orbit) you can put one in Time Square or the Kremlin and no one can stop you. That's why it's a big deal when a country first launches a satellite... Sorry to be the arsehole here. But it sh…

The accurate title would be “China launched Ethiopia’s first satellite into space.”

The original title, “Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space with China’s help”, is still mostly accurate with a generous reading.

The submitted title was strangely altered to drop the key caveat, not sure if the submitter disapproves of “Chinese influence” or something.

Post reply on HN