Volume 2 Issue 15

...in search of purpose

by Yohannes Sharriff Smith

There once was a faceless child

Wild-eyed wonder full of nothing but promise

In search of something...in search of purpose.

Called by the drum, haunted by the sound

That ancient sound crept into his crib

Melted into his dreams coloring his soul

Like the days and nights bleed together

As they stretch from east to west.

Across the fiery sand

His spiritual feet journeyed for meaning

Moved as winds of change over life

And molded seas of transformation.

Blinded by vision, his sun scorched eyes

Lost their way sinking into fear.

The traveler screamed, "I have been faithful!

What is it you ask of me?"

Then, he remembered the drum

The sound seized his heart, the rhyme is salvation

Dance to the sound of your heart,

And you will live your divine path. Intuit

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro turned six on Friday the 16^th. When asked the day before his birthday whether or not he had been good at school, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro honestly replied, "No grandma," but, he promised, "I'll be good tomorrow." Bat Cave

Lynch's Legacy

Creating a being called a slave required tremendous creativity and cruelty ("Willie Lynch," The DISH Vol. 2 Issue 8). To completely subjugate a people, Willie Lynch, a master at the art of slavery, recommended a combination of fear and self-hatred. Three centuries later, Lynch's legacy is alive and well. T.H.I.N.C. (Yohannes Smith, 1997) calls the complex conditioned subordinate psychology (CSP).

CSP, the African American inferiority complex, manifests itself in countless ways. Most noticeable is its influence on the market for goods and services in the economy. Examples of its impact abound in the ethnic hair care industry. Whether salon-styled of home permed, black Americans spend millions annually on items from straightening combs to no-lye relaxers, products designed to straighten natural black hair.

If the time and resources spent to render black hair limp is any indication, Lynch's legacy of self-hatred continues to shape contemporary black thinking. Bits of Black History

Disgruntled says: Instead of calling "Freaknik" Black College Spring Break, we should name it "Copnik or Pignik!

Disgruntled wants to know: Why is there such a glaring difference between the U.S. response to African "tribal conflicts" and "ethnic cleansing" in the Balkans?

Disgruntled feels: Imposed on by the taxing demands of motherhood. Disgruntled

Sweet Land of Liberty

by Dot Smith

From birth, I was taught to love, respect and believe good things about my country. I am an American. Like most of us, I want my country to be the best, a leader among nations. A leader of nations in the North Atlanta Treaty Organization (NATO), I want my country to be a good neighbor and act as a positive force for global welfare.

A loyal American, I am convinced, we can do just about anything we collectively choose. In principle, violence is abhorrent, however, whether in Haiti or the Balkans, somebody must stand up to depraved bullies who kill, maim and displace innocent people. When every diplomatic effort to secure peace has failed, we must fight to save lives. While it saddens me that my fellow countrymen shun even a dialogue on race at home, I support efforts to promote human rights abroad.

Personally, whenever the U.S. does nothing in response to the desperate cry of people anywhere in the world, the sweet image of my beloved county is tarnished. Indeed, America is less for our collective inactivity. And, unfortunately, too many times, when I felt we should act to save lives in Africa, the U.S. sat on its hands, and we did nothing. The horror of mass killings and the slaughter of thousands from hunger and disease on that continent are sickening. Without blinking, we telecast pictures of black babies with bloated bellies who are dying from starvation and do nothing to feed them. The certainty of death on their emaciated faces is an image permanently etched in my mental Rolodex. My country's lack of action to end the atrocities is indelibly carved on my American soul.

I still love and believe in my country. But, sweet mother of Jesus, how does one explain the inconsistencies? In the Balkans, we are willing to wage war to preserve lives and liberty. Yet, in Africa, we sit on the sidelines and watch the carnage of the innocent on TV. So, what is the difference between "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo and "tribal conflicts" in Africa? The answer, of course, is the color of the people. How do we explain that to our children? DISHing It Up Hot!

United States Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington D. C. 20010

Madam:

The Clinton administration, talking workers' health and safety, plans to seek legislation to "protect workers who complain of health and safety hazards from being fired." Assistant Secretary of Labor in charge of OSHA, Charles Jeffers described the current federal whistle blowers law as "too weak and too cumbersome to discourage employer retaliation or to provide an effective remedy for the victims." Jeffers concluded, "If employees hesitate to exercise their rights for fear of losing their jobs, these rights are meaningless. Too many employers feel they can retaliate against whistle-blowers with impunity."

Although no details were provided about, "the sweeping new protections for such employees," this is a devastating indictment of federal efforts to protect workers from employer abuse. Accordingly, workers pray the planned legislation will be more effective than the Family Medical Leave Act by actually providing guaranteed rights. At its passage, employees were told FMLA gave them the right to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for personal health reasons or to care for a family member. Implemented in 1995, employers still refuse to grant leave in many cases. They set arbitrary time limits on length of stay off the job, place restrictions on what is acceptable medical documentation, allow supervisors to establish individual criteria for granting leave based on production demands, and so on.

FMLA was a good concept, but in practice it has cost thousands of employees their jobs, just as the current whistle blowers' law. Like the whistle-blowers' law, FMLA encourages employees to exercise rights they do not have or the law is being enforced selectively. Without any type of compliance office as monitor, employees cannot afford to march into court every time their rights are violated. If no one looks over employers' shoulders, what is the incentive to obey a law they oppose? The DISH has called for a Congressional hearing on compliance, especially within the federal government, one of the worse offenders of this law.

In the face of such a well-intended, but costly effort, workers plead that before the Clinton administration charges off pushing another program, which costs even more families their livelihood, it should at least investigate complaints from victims of FMLA. Like workers in federal weapons facilities exposed to beryllium, health hazards have always existed on the job. As with the need for time off for self and family, workers need some job security and safety. However, all things considered, employees work in sweatshops, lead plants, strip asbestos, transport waste, work without proper equipment, inhale fumes and dust, handle chemicals, come to work sick, on and on, all because they are one paycheck away from sliding into poverty's chasm. Workers need their jobs, not false hope, and feel good legislation. Respectfully, John Burl Smith. Other Essays by John Burl Smith

The Little Old Lady

A little old lady went to the grocery store to buy cat food. She picked up three cans and took them to the check out counter. The girl at the cash register said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot sell you cat food without proof that you have a cat. A lot of older people buy cat food to eat, and the management wants proof that you are buying cat food for your cat."

The little old lady went home, picked up her cat and brought it back to the store. They sold her the cat food. The next day, she tried to buy three cans of dog food. Again, the cashier demanded proof that she had a dog, because older people sometimes eat dog food. She went home and brought in her dog. She then got the dog food.

The next day she brought in box with a hole in the lid. The little old lady asked the cashier to stick her finger in the hole. The cashier said, "No, you might have a snake in there." The little old lady assured her that there was nothing in the box that would harm her. So the cashier put her finger into the box and pulled it out and told the little old lady, "That smells like shit." The little old lady said, "It is. Now can I buy three rolls of toilet paper?" mailto:deverett@peachnet.campus.mci.net

About Author: Creator of this joke and the author of the adjacent poem are unknown. This joke was forwarded to The DISH by Nocturnus@mindspring.com

 THE POWERFUL SISTER

Times certainly have brought about a change

And, to a few, it might seem strange

Black women are soaring with ambition

No more barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen

And she' not slaving like an ox

Have you seen her image on the pancake box? Ha!

Purse full of credit cards, fancy car

And the girl ain't even a movie star

Not long ago, I was on the bus

Eating fried chicken from "The Colonel"

Looking at a girlie magazine and full of lust

Sitting next to a sister reading a "Wall Street Journal"

I said, "Pardon me baby, where are you on your way?

I would like to know your name if that's okay

Your perfume I surely adore--

I believe we met somewhere before!"

She says, "I'm on my way downtown to City Hall

I must chair a council meeting and that's not all

Then I'm off to the United Nations--

To advise on a classified situation

Sorry, but I fail to remember you --

Were you ever in Sudan or Istanbul?

Or perhaps it was Rome, England,

Or by chance--it was Chad, Morocco or Paris, France

You see, I'm multilingual and travel a lot--

And the universe is my melting pot

But, once a month I take a bus--

Just my way of staying in touch

Nefertiti is my name, and universal peace is my game

I attended Benedict College in South Carolina and earned

MY Bachelor Degree

Then I went to Fisk and received

MY Masters in Nashville, Tennessee

At Howard University in Washington, D.C. --

That's where I earned MY Ph.D

I have offices in Dallas, Chicago, and Mexicana--

A penthouse in New York and a home in Atlanta

I play the harp--And pilot a jet --

Now tell me brother, where do you think we met?"

I rung the bell--Got up and left--

Aunt Jemima done got besides herself.

Forwarded by Tanya627@aol.com

Venue for an Artist

Gas Competition: Part III

The DISH contacted all eighteen of the natural gas competitors identified by Atlanta Gas Light Company as serving the metro Atlanta area. Of those eighteen companies, only about fifteen are metro gas providers, and chances are these are not distinct entities. For example, Duke Energy reported in Part I is the same company as United Gas Management, also reported in Part I. Many of the others are affiliated with other organizations. The chart below provides the contract and deposit requirements, budget plan or level billing availability and per therm (cubic feet) price in cents of the remaining five (5) competitors in this the final of our three (3) part look at Georgia natural gas deregulation.

Under deregulation, all Atlanta Gas Light's natural gas customers must switch to a gas provider by October 1, 1999. For consumers who fail to select a gas provider by August 11, 1999, the Public Service Commission will randomly assign them to a gas company. Like all consumers, those randomly disbursed can still switch service to another provider. In general, gas consumers can change service provider twice annually. (Note: *Utilicorp will not go online until the fall. Its rate information will not be available until that time; Williams Energy, like FPL, will not be servicing the metro Atlanta area). We were unable to obtain information on Phelps. Left one voice mail message. When called again, the voice mailbox was full.

Gas Competition 1 ª ª Gas Competition 2 ª ª Cookie Recipe

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