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Serena Williams Builds School In Kenya

Monday, November 10, 2008

Tennis icon and super star Serena Williams will officially visit Kenya for three days this week to officially inaugurate a school built using her funds.

Ms Williams will officially open the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Makueni constituency in Eastern province, on Friday, November 14.

The school was built through partnership between the Build African Schools initiative - an American non profit making organization - and Hewlett Packard, the world's largest technology firm.

Hewlett Packard, as part of its commitment to support education in developing countries, will install in each school a computer laboratory and classroom, laptop, printers, the World Wide Web, and facilitate training for the teachers and students.

It is the first time for Ms Williams, who is ranked number three in the world, to visit Kenya.

She will be accompanied by among others, her mother.

Mr. Patrick O'Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Build African Schools, said the objective of the Non-Profit Organisation to build primary and secondary schools in marginalized areas to give chance to students to access secondary school education in a bid to empower them.

"We are indeed honored to have Ms Williams visit Kenya at this momentous time in American history when we have a new President elect who has roots in Kenya," said Mr Dickson Mutaiti, the Director of Projects Build African Schools in Kenya.

"During her visit, Ms Williams will officially open a secondary school put up in her name, to give chance to needy primary school students who want to pursue secondary school education," Mr Mutaiti said.

Serena Williams's secondary school is located in Mutyamboa location, Makueni Constituency, near Sultan Hamud Township along the Nairobi Mombasa Road.

The school will give chance to hundreds of primary school pupils in the location to pursue secondary school education.

The area is semi arid, with schools far in and between.

The area suffers from high school drop out rate, and most students are orphans due to the high HIV /Aids prevalence rate in the area.

Build African Schools and HP have joined together since 2004 to help children in Africa have access to education.

The partnership will result in new schools constructed by Build African Schools which will then be fully equipped by Hewlett Packard with their state of the art computers and printers. Solar Power and the internet will also be installed at each school.

By building schools and equipping them with electricity, computers and other teaching aids, Build African Schools and Hewlett Packard offers children educational opportunities and choices that will ultimately empower them to determine their own future.


Photo Getty Images
Source

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PHOTOS: President-Elect Barack Obama And First Lady In Waiting Michelle Visit The White House

Photos by AP

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Highlights Of USA Today Article, "USTA Takes Ambitious Steps To Find, Cultivate Tennis Talent"

Earlier today one of my regular readers, Hasheem, brought it to my attention that Rodney Harmon, former Men's High Performance Director at the USTA, had been let go. Of course my curiosity was peaked, as Rodney Harmon just recently served as the USA Olympic Men's Team Head Coach.

My research turned up this USA Today article that is very involved, and among a lot of other things, reports the following:

"The USTA has been in supplemental-type coaching, but now we are putting ourselves on the line for players who want to be part of the program," says Patrick McEnroe, who was hired in April to oversee the elite development program along with his duties as U.S. Davis Cup captain. "We want to have more people out there working together on a common cause to find talent that will be playing at the U.S. Open one day."

McEnroe, an easy-going consensus builder but hard-nosed decision maker, has not wasted time in shaking up the staff and hiring new blood.

Last month he removed men's high performance director Rodney Harmon and women's director Jean Nachand; they will be replaced by Jay Berger and Ola Malmqvist, who were both promoted from within the USTA coaching ranks. McEnroe has let go of several other coaches, mostly at the USTA's West Coast training site in Carson, Calif. In September he brought in former top-10 player Jose Higueras as director of coaching for the program.

USTA chief executive of professional tennis Arlen Kantarian, who hired McEnroe and oversaw development, is leaving, too.

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Can't Win 'Em All Tsonga


Oh my...Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was a tad po'd at the ball kids for his opening loss at the Masters Cup. Tsonga's catching a bit of flack and being called a "debutante" for getting frustrated at the towel service today.

Tsonga said that he "lost energy" waiting for ball kids to bring him his towel between points as he was defeated by Nikolay Davydenko in three sets, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(0).

"When I ask for my towel, my towel didn't come, when I ask for a ball, the ball didn't come. That's it."

"You are here and you want your towel. You say one time, two times, three times, and then you ask the other guy," said Tsonga. "The other guy looks around, so you have to say one time, two times, three times, and the towel comes."

Tsonga claimed that he paced an extra kilometre going for his towels. "Sometimes I have to take my towel alone. So for me it's maybe 10 meters more. But if you count at the end of the match, it's like one kilometre."

Well, quite frankly I think it's a refreshing excuse, most of the players blame the racquet as they beat it to death. I'm glad to see him try something new...BWAAAAHAHAHAHA!!

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Chic Sheikha Moza


Yesterday as I was creating my post for Venus Williams' oh so fabulous win at the Sony Ericsson Championshps in Doha, Qatar, I couldn't help but notice the very regal and chic Sheikha Moza, wife of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

Not only did Sheikha Moza attend the final but she also presented the trophies to the winners of the singles and doubles tournaments.

Her presence just goes to show all you fashionistas out there that a little goes a very long way. Sheikha Moza is covered in black literally from head to toe and yet she looks like a million bucks!

That's one hot Sheikha!




MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images

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OFF TOPIC: California's Proposition 8, A Black Perspective

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Writer Jasmyne Cannick has taken a critical look at California's Proposition 8 and the Black vote that assisted in its passage last Tuesday. For those of you not familiar with the proposition, it basically amended the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. It would overturn a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right.

It is being widely reported throughout the media that 69% of the Black vote was for Proposition 8. That fact (if it is accurate) is also being widely addressed, panned and criticized. I could go on about this issue, but I believe that Jasmyne addresses it very well. Take a read and see what you think.



Election '08: No-on-8's White Bias

(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)


Los Angeles Times
Opinion

By Jasmyne A. Cannick
November 8, 2008



I am a perfect example of why the fight against Proposition 8, which amends the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, failed to win black support.

I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn’t inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.

Why? Because I don’t see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please. At a time when blacks are still more likely than whites to be pulled over for no reason, more likely to be unemployed than whites, more likely to live at or below the poverty line, I was too busy trying to get black people registered to vote, period; I wasn’t about to focus my attention on what couldn’t help but feel like a secondary issue.

The first problem with Proposition 8 was the issue of marriage itself. The white gay community never successfully communicated to blacks why it should matter to us above everything else — not just to me as a lesbian but to blacks generally. The way I see it, the white gay community is banging its head against the glass ceiling of a room called equality, believing that a breakthrough on marriage will bestow on it parity with heterosexuals. But the right to marry does nothing to address the problems faced by both black gays and black straights. Does someone who is homeless or suffering from HIV but has no healthcare, or newly out of prison and unemployed, really benefit from the right to marry someone of the same sex?


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Victorious Venus!

Black Tennis Pro's Sony Ericsson Championships FinalWow, talk about energy! What a zoned in week for American Venus Williams. Today she became the winner of the 2008 WTA's Sony Ericsson Championships for the first time. Venus took out Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2.

As in her Thursday match with baby sis Serena, Venus couldn't hold on to the first set, but let it fly in the second two and just surged with power against Zvonareva. Venus became more determined and very precise as she ramped up a very aggressive game.

"I'm so excited," Williams said. "That was a hard-fought match, every point, right down to the end."

Venus took home a fat $1.34 million. This is the first year in which equal prize money was paid, as in the men's season-ending ATP Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Both Venus and Zvonareva will bump up two places in the rankings.

Venus is keeping her eyes on the prize, of her ranking she said "I know I can go higher."

Zvonareva became so undone that, as in years gone by, she was reduced to tears as her efforts failed her. But this young woman played her butt off this week, and if she wants to cry at this loss, she earned it. Doesn't that just bring to mind, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want, you would cry too if it happened to you..." I couldn't resist.

Photos by Getty Images

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Venus Knocks Off Jelena For Spot In Doha Final

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Five-time Wimbledon champion American Venus Williams is looking to end 2008 on high note...a first-time win at the Sony Ericsson Year-End Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Today, after going undefeated this week and having to take out one of her most fierce opponents, baby sis World No. 3 Serena, Venus went toe-to-toe with World No. 1 Serbian Jelena Jankovic in a really grueling match that had many peaks and valleys for both players.

Venus came out strong and raced to a quick lead which led to her winning the first set. Unfortunately, the wheels became a bit whobbly in the second set and Jelena prevailed. Both players summoned as much energy as they could for the third set and put one another to the test, Venus was more up to the challenge. She defeated Jelena 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

On being a bit fatigued during the match Venus said, "A couple of times I did feel distressed but you can't afford to lose these kind of matches,"

Sitting in the stands supporting Venus was mom Oracene Price and sister Serena who pulled out of the tournament on Friday morning with a stomach injury.

Venus will play a resurgent Vera Zvonareva in the final on Sunday.


Venus in the midst of her match with Jelena.


Venus' mom Oracene Price flashes a happy smile upon Venus winning the match.


Venus after defeating Jelena.


Serena smiling after Venus' win.


Photos By Getty Images

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