Volume 6 Issue 4…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…January 31, 2003

Serena on Top Down Under

By John Burl Smith

Accomplishing a feat that only six women before her have achieved, Serena Williams emerged victorious after a 21/2 hour battle against older sister Venus at the Australian Open Tennis Tournament. Capping off the tournament with a "Serena Slam," the phenom is destined to become one of the greatest champions ever. Shaking off court rust in her first match of the year, Serena struggled to defeat a relative unknown opponent, Emilie Loit, in the first round. Gritty as always, she slugged and finessed her way to the semi-finals against the only player that has beaten her since her incredible run began at the 2002 French Open, Kim Clijsters. Coming into the match, Clijsters boosted that she was the only player capable of "stopping an all Williams sisters final."

Battling rude Aussie fans, bad line calls and a huge blister on her right foot, Serena struggled as Clijsters took the first set. Gathering her resolve, Serena won the second set. With everything up for grabs, Serena's mental toughness in the third set showed why talk is cheap and she is tougher than she looks. Down 5-1, Serena fought off 3 match points. Even without her "cat suit," Serena clawed like a panther to take the match in championship style.

Regal as always, Venus reigned supreme on the other side of the draw. She dispatched challengers with tigress efficiency, not dropping a set in route to the finals. Calm and unassuming, the "Sable Venus" continued to baffle sports commentators, who seem to desire animosity between the sisters in head to head competition. Expressing only love and admiration for her baby sister, Venus continued to stress that tennis is only a part of her life; Serena is her sister forever. Unable to understand or relate to such an agapeic bond in these days of "trash talking" and grudge matches, Venus and Serena stand out, like Picasso in blue.

The other side of this dynamic duo reflects truly amazing athletes. The highest ranked professional tennis players in the world, Americans Serena and Venus have 6,989 and 5,370 WTA ranking points, respectively. A distance third ranked Kim Clijsters has 3,763 points.

Watching the championship match, it was clear why Venus and Serena lead the field by such a wide margin. Both are mentally tough, possess explosive serves and tremendously powerful ground strokes that are backed up by "cat quick" reactions to the ball. Each in her own way, the sisters dominate their opponents, regardless of the court's surface. However, facing each other, as in the last four grand slam finals, winning and losing places them in another universe.

An exciting and hard fought match on both sides of the net, true tennis lovers were thrilled as the "sassy siblings" tried to outwit each other, even though it is difficult to surprise someone you have played ever since you picked up a racquet. Serena had her day in the sun at the Australian Open and enjoyed her well-deserved victories in four straight slams. Unlike talking heads however, Serena knows better than anyone that Venus is a sleeping dragon they best let lie. Once awakened and Venus spreads her wings, the angry fire from her swat will scorch tennis' title landscape bare for all others. Note: The sisters also won the doubles final. More Kudos

 Essays by John Burl Smith

The Dark Knight - Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is rapidly becoming exasperated with his playfully combative younger brother. TyChi may be his sidekick, but the Dark One/Ninja Zorro is not above teaching him a painful lesson. When pressed for an explanation as to why he and his brother were engaged in physical aggression, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro would only say, "The one that hits first is wrong and must pay." Back to the Bat Cave

America Covets African Oil

By Junious Ricardo Stanton

In its quest to control world oil, the George Bush administration has cast its eyes on the motherland. The Bush family and their global crime partners have demonstrated an unbridled willingness to engage in all types of intrigue and shed other people's sons and daughters' blood in their quest for god, i.e., gold, oil and drugs. George "AWOL" Bush has sent troops to the Persian Gulf to intimidate Saddam Hussein, or as a not so subtle threat to prompt the Iraqi military to depose him internally so the US and Britain can control Iraqi oil, establish an occupation force and presence in the region in case they decide to move on Saudi Arabia next.

Make no mistake, Africa is on their radar screen and in their gunsight. Once they control Iraq, terrify the rest of the countries in the region, they will turn their attention to the Andes of South America, locking onto Columbia and Venezuela. Stealthily, they are moving on Venezuela and will probably move militarily on Columbia later in the year. Once these countries are returned to the neo-colonial fold, they will turn on Africa. Mainly Western and Southern Africa are ripe for American political intrigue, "diplomatic" and economic takeover, because of ongoing social and economic instability and internecine warfare, which is instigated, fueled and armed by the US and her European cohorts.

Last year, I predicted America would revisit Venezuela and attempt to topple President Hugo Chavez using class division, the IMF and World Bank. They will eye Africa next, places like Zimbabwe, Sudan (which has oil reserves) and Angola. This is what Bush and company means by perpetual war, only they use fighting terrorism as their rationale. But just as in Iraq, the people realize its really about god (gold, oil and drugs).

About Me: Stanton hosts the Digital Underground at www.NewBlackCity.com on Sundays from 12 Noon to 2 PM Eastern. According to Stanton, "The Digital Underground facilitates the mental decolonization process; we never insult your intelligence. Free your mind, the rest will follow." An accomplished writer, Stanton's essays on contemporary issues appear in many newspapers and magazines serving the black community. Contact Stanton at jrswriter@comcast.net. Venue Homepage

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

From the end of WWII through the 1960s, crude oil prices, which were controlled by the US and Western oil giants, ranged between $2.50 and $3.00 a barrel. A barrel of crude in 1970 was still about $3.00. Adjusted for inflation, crude oil prices actually declined such that oil-producing nations experienced a 40% decrease in the real purchasing power of their product at a time when the demand for crude oil was increasing.

In 1971, the power to control crude oil prices and revenues shifted from the US (Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana) and Western oil giants to OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Prior to this time, Western oil companies pocketed 65% or more of the revenue from the crude oil extracted from the Middle East and other oil rich nations.

A multinational organization, OPEC was formed in 1960 to protect the interests of its members and increase their share of oil revenues. Its founders -- Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, were joined by six other nations: Qatar, Indonesia, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Nigeria by the end of 1971. Ecuador and Gabon suspended their OPEC memberships in 1992 and 1994, respectively.

OPEC coordinates policies and economic aid among oil-producing nations. Member nations elect the Board of Governors and chairperson. Because of its enormous oil reserves, Saudi Arabia has dominated the organization. Sometimes, large non-OPEC producers, such as Mexico, Norway and Russia, cooperate with the cartel to influence world oil prices.

The West continued to dominate the market until 1973 and the Arab oil embargo. OPEC cut back production and instituted an embargo against the US and other Western nations that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Oil prices increased, exacerbating inflation in oil-importing nations. Other oil price increases occurred during the Iranian Revolution (1978-79) and the Iran/Iraq War (1980). Crude oil prices more than doubled from $14 in 1978 to $35 per barrel in 1981. As importing countries pursued alternate energy resources, OPEC lowered prices by 1982. Oil prices remained low through most of the 1980s and 90s, with only a temporary hike during the Persian Gulf War (1990-91). (Sources: http://www.infoplease.com, www.wtrg.com and http://www.buyandhold.com) Bits of History Homepage

T.H.I.N.C.: On Time

By John Burl Smith

Considering The Cosmic Possibilities of Father Time, T.H.I.N.C. my beautiful children! Time is but a blink in the vast expanse of the mind. Walking the planet for just over sixty years, I want you to know, opportunity is a gleam in the eye of chance. You must reach out with both hands and catch the glimmer before it fades. Like sand through an hourglass, we race the illusion of time, trying to etch our presence on the wind. You hold, not only your future in your hands, but the hopes and survival possibilities of generations yet unborn. Your footprints will be the paths that lead from today's misery to better possibilities in this new millennium.

Believe me, getting here has not been easy. Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Each of you can take full possession of your creative genius. Our journey began as Kings and Queens in our own land. Our fore parents were ripped from Mother Africa's breast. Millions of mothers and babies died trying to escape the terror of the "Middle Passage." Those who survived began this sojourn that you and I continue today. Sure, your legacy is one of maids and field hands with only back breaking work, poverty, ignorance and powerlessness to show for centuries of bondage, but you can change all of that; you can change the future.

T.H.I.N.C.! Each of you represents new possibilities that could not even have been imagined crossing the "Middle Passage." Then, we did not speak the same language nor think the same thoughts about what was happening to us and what we needed to do to survive. Centuries of slavery, self-doubt and self-hatred created an abyss that swallowed generations of black people as slave masters played us one against the other.

Today, hip-hop is the "red pill." It is rewiring our consciousness with cosmic possibilities that are unlocking minds. Each of you have the ability to seize opportunities that go beyond stereotypes and break free of yesterday's limited definition as "Negroes." Today, you are empowered with the cosmic possibilities of your time. You hold the brush, so paint the picture you see. The pen is in your hand, define reality so that the words reflect your visions. Pick up the hammer and chisel and sculpt a world of your images. Choreograph the moves, then take the mic and give voice to your dreams.

The hip-hop generation is the cosmic possibilities that father time brought forth, so you would know that you are a part of the universal mind. The power of communication gives slave descendants the possibility of transforming the Rastaman, Muslim, Christian, Aborigine and other Native peoples into one timeless expression of the universal spirit. I am a messenger from another time, and I say to my son, Yohannes, a messenger today, the artistic expression of your generation must point the way to the future. You must take the steps necessary to get there. Always remember, it was not the destination that made life so rewarding for me, it was the journey getting here that makes the age of sixty so wonderful. T.H.I.N.C. about it!

The Cosmic Possibilities of Father Time is Yohannes' first solo compact disc. The CD is scheduled for release in March to blow up his "War of Words" tour of Europe. Wars are never neat and pretty. They are messy, ugly, gruesome and deadly. They can easily get out of hand and that which is left never matches what was imagined. Poets for Peace believe this tour and CD will explode the world's cry against WAR. For more information on the CD and the tour, email Yohannes at yohannesatl@yahoo.com or check out The DISH online at www.thedish.ws. Atlanta Vibe Homepage Other Essays by John Burl Smith

Note: On Friday, February 7, 2003, William Murrell & Associates, in conjunction with Eboni Productions Inc., presents Poetic Fire. Featuring some of the hottest poets in the country, Yohannes Sharriff, Amir Sulaiman, Malik Salaam, Lee, John Goode, SmoothBlack, Last4Ever & Tahiri, the evening includes a two hour private taping for an up and coming poetry/soul music cable show to be aired in Augusta, GA starting March 2003. The tape will also be used as an audition for possible consideration in a Steve Harvey nationwide poetry showcase tour. After the taping, the poets will be featured in an Augusta venue TBA. It will be hosted by N'tellect of the Eboni Poets.

Disgruntled wants to know: A signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the USA continues to develop weapons of mass destruction. According to White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer, the US has not ruled out using its nuclear bunker buster in any potential armed confrontation. Why is the US exempt from developing weapons of mass destruction when it is the only nation that has dropped a nuclear bomb on people?

Disgruntled feels: Bloody! Using the fig leaf of weapons of mass destruction, the Bush administration plans to control Middle East oil. Cheap oil solves all of Bush's economic problems. It could also mean the lives of thousands, if not millions, of Iraqis and Americans to accomplish his mission. It is a bloody scheme!

Disgruntled says: Following Chief UN Weapons Inspector Hans Blix's report to the Security Council, some members approached the bank of microphones to answer press questions. Fox, CNBC and CNN aired portions of their responses. In unison, all three stations cut away when a black man approached the microphones. In microcosm, this exemplifies the disdain the white mainstream shows people of color. More Disgruntled Moments

Oil and Gas

From fuel to food, crude oil greased the wheels of the industrial revolution. It is the West's lifeblood. Oil and gas are needed for airplanes, automobiles, buses and trains. The military requires an abundant supply of oil and gas to function. Oil and gas, which primarily comes from Third World nations, provide the heat and electricity for homes and skyscrapers. Agricultural production, pharmaceuticals, plastics and most industrial processes depend on an abundant, and preferably cheap, supply of oil and gas to realize a profit.

The abundance of relatively "cheap food" Americans enjoy is made possible by cheap petroleum. For example, a staple of the American diet is corn-fed beef. Corn uses more fertilizer and herbicide than any other crop. The vast quantities of oil used to make the fertilizer to grow the corn that is consumed by cows come from the Persian Gulf. Unaccounted for costs of this "cheap food" are the military expenditures to defend US oil interests in the Gulf region and the environmental damage caused by the nitrogen runoff from corn crops.

Hood Notes Homepage

Email alarkam@webtv.net The United Nations Working Group On Minorities chose the name "Afro-Descendant Minorities" to identify black people in our quest for reparations and restoration. "Afro-Descendant Minorities" are defined as peoples who: (1) were forcibly dispossessed of their homeland, Africa; (2) were transported to the Americas and Diaspora for the purpose of enslavement; (3) were subjected to slavery; (4) were subjected to forced mixed breeding and rape; (5) have experienced, through force, the loss of mother tongue, culture and religion; (6) and/or have experienced racial discrimination due to lost ties or partially lost ties to their original identity. The UN accepts this definition.

Email skhatri@micronix.co.tz What's actually going on these days through the real back doors of Washington is nothing other than a joint US/Israel conspiracy to remake the Middle East region with policies and visions the Israelis have themselves pushed and pursued for some time. That's why Ariel Sharon has been the most frequent foreign visitor to the American capital since the new millennium began. And, each time he comes to handle things at the top, a whole galaxy of inter-governmental implementations and operatives is set in motion at all levels throughout Washington - from Capitol Hill to Foggy Bottom and most important of all at this time in history to the Pentagon and Langley.

Email fubaradw@aol.com How ironic! George Orwell is alive: War is Peace! In the corridors of power in Washington champagne glasses are raised in toasts to a bright new world order, where the new American empire runs from the United States to Europe, from the Middle East to Poland and Ukraine. A prostrate Russia will forever be weak. Germans will always follow the American lead. Our military industrial complex will drive the international market for the machinery of war. Our competitors may not invade markets we cannot enter because those are markets of the international Pariahs. Our science will shield our soldiers and fighter pilots from death in their march around international war theaters. The UN is our war-making agency. We are the new Romans. Long live the "coconut heads!"

Email ablemable@yahoo.com According to Keith Bradsher's book High and Mighty, sport utility vehicle (SUV) owners are some of the world's most self-centered people. Stephanie Mencimer's Bumper Mentality, a Washington Post article on Bradsher's book, used other names that I am sure you will not print. Suffice it to say not only are these vehicles unsafe, they are gas guzzling environmental polluters. And, the people that drive and make them are jerks.

Email mwananchi@yahoogroups.com The Iraqi National Congress (INC), which enjoys the support of the Bush administration, met with executives of three US oil multinationals to negotiate carving up Iraqi's oil reserves post-Saddam. Disclosure of talks between the oil executives and the INC is bound to exacerbate friction on the UN Security Council between permanent members and veto-holders Russia, France and China, who fear being squeezed out of a post-Saddam oil industry in Iraq. In a retreat hosted by Sheikh Yamani, the former oil minister of Saudi Arabia, oil executives discussed whether Iraqi's oil potential could exceed Saudi Arabia's and the destruction of OPEC.

Email vhobson57@yahoo.com The Bush administration would do well to listen and pay attention to the anti-war demonstrations, because they are strong undercurrents threatening to come to the surface as a raging tide. I am one of the millions around the world that do not view this pending war as necessary. More from the Mailbox

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