www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 07, 2003 By: Thais J. Gangoo

VHeadline.com lifestyle correspondent Thais J. Gangoo writes: A light blue sky is our roof and we all try to see what it is under it.

But, do we really see what we have? Do we know the things we can’t touch with our hands, but we can see with our eyes ... and feel in our hearts?

Being adults is the 'real world' for some ... however, for some others, trying to be kids for a minute seems to be what they have always been waiting for since they grew up.

Have you ever wondered if it's possible for us to feel what our Venezuelan kids feel?

Some people have found an answer to that question and it's is very true when we say that … “the best things in the world are for free.”

Venezuela has some of the most amazing places on Earth. Moreover, we have what some friends of mine call “Our Sacred Mountain” ... El Avila ... a place where you can feel completely free and it’s all yours…

No matter if you are kid or an adult, people just seem to find “El Avila” a place they can share with friends, exercise, enjoy and even play like kids again. Each weekend, people from all over the place climb that mountain with nothing else in their minds but joy.

Parents with their kids walk to “Sabas Nieves” and “La Julia,” and some others who like to challenge themselves, go to beyond “Estribo de Duarte,” “Pico Oriental” and even get to the Humboldt Hotel ... it's impossible to forget to enjoy what we see from El Avila.

What do we see? We see ourselves ... we see a country and its people.

We see no color, no race, no ages, no political divisions…

We see a whole family under the blue sky and bright sun inviting us to believe deeply that there is always tomorrow.

Being around the beautiful valley of Caracas, El Avila represents this paradise of hope that we call Venezuela. It sure is the place where some go to get away from their problems ... forget their sorrows ... and to dry away their tears.

Even though it's hard to believe, that sacred mountain has been witness of some of the most difficult times we have gone through these last years …

“Red hills of hate that see it all ... in a paradise of hope we must all build up.”

www.upi.com From the National Desk Published 3/7/2003 5:48 PM

NEW YORK, March 7 (UPI) -- Crude prices took another strong step higher Friday, reaching a 12-year high on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the United States and Britain called on the United Nations to give Iraq only 10 more days to fully disarm.

April NYMEX crude futures tested the $38 per barrel level before stepping back and settling 78 cents higher on the day at $37.78 per barrel as traders appeared unwilling to be caught short in the event the situation deteriorated further over the weekend.

The bullishness of recent months continued Friday as the market digested the uncompromising tone of President Bush's Thursday night news conference, which was followed up by the allies' proposal to the U.N. Security Council that Iraq be fully stripped of its weapons of mass destruction by March 17.

"The Security Council has to give a clear message that the time has come to stop playing hostage to those who...mistakenly interpret our aspiration to peace as a sign of weakness," British Foreign Minister Jack Straw told the Security Council. "We have to put pressure on Saddam Hussein. We have to put this man to the test."

The test would come in the form of blitz by American and British forces into Iraq, which holds the world's second-largest oil reserves and also, allegedly, weapons of mass destruction that Baghdad is prohibited from possessing.

The St. Patrick's Day deadline is on a Monday while trading on the April contract concludes Friday March 21, leaving traders roughly a week to get their books for the month balanced before the April market is finalized.

France has vowed to block any U.N. resolution authorizing force to settle the matter, however Bush has indicated he will not be stalled or dissuaded from launching the attack if Iraq's chemical, biological and possibly nuclear arsenal is not promptly dismantled.

The turmoil comes at a time when the United States continues to have relatively low supplies of crude on hand. The low crude supplies, coupled with refineries being off-line for annual maintenance, have translated to higher prices throughout the refinery stream.

April NYMEX heating oil moved a hefty 5.29 cents higher to $1.1085 per gallon as cold weather continued and demand for heating oil in Europe reportedly picked up. Gasoline for April also gained more than 5 cents Friday to settle at $1.1567 per gallon.

The retail gasoline price paid by consumers limbed more than 2 cents to a nationwide average price of $1.686 per gallon for regular and Californians are paying more than $2.00 per gallon in most areas prompting a call Thursday for a federal investigation by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

"Even with a substantial increase in crude oil imports from Venezuela, there was still not enough crude oil in the petroleum system to build both crude oil inventories, as well as product inventories," the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its weekly petroleum summary. For both crude oil inventories and product inventories to return to more normal levels, crude oil imports will need to continue to rise over the next several months."

(Reported by Hil Anderson, UPI Chief Energy Correspondent)

www.wtol.com

TOLEDO -- It may be the perfect time to turn down your thermostat a few degrees and start carpooling. According to AAA, gas prices are up $.50 a gallon from last year. Making matters worse, analysts predict gas prices will jump to $2.00 a gallon this summer, even if we don't go to war with Iraq.

The reasons? More oil is being used to produce heating oil because of a cold winter, Americans are driving more and flying less and we are sending 80,000 barrels of oil to Venezuela every day-- that's a country that usually supplies oil to the United States.

Analysts had previously said an end to a strike in Venezuela would mean a glut of oil, but now supplies are so low they don't think a change there will have much of an impact on rising prices.

The soaring gas prices are not very popular with drivers. Many have complained that these prices are driving a hole in their pockets and that it's becoming too expensive to drive almost anywhere and making it difficult to make travel plans.

"I think they're ridiculous to tell the truth. I travel all the time. I'm in the gas station 2-3 times a week. I'm spending quite a bit of money," said Jason Johnson. "I think they're a joke. They're taking advantage of us," said Tom McGuire.

Industry analysts say consumers should get used to the prices and even expect to pay more in the coming weeks. They say we might have to wait until April before we see some relief at the pump.

usinfo.state.gov www.whitehouse.gov 07 March 2003 White House Press Briefing Transcript

............

Following that phone call, the President spoke to Peruvian President Toledo. There was a substantive discussion with a close friend and ally. They both expressed concerns about threats to democracy in the Andean region, and the need to continue close cooperation in the fight against narco-terrorism.

They both stressed the need to support Organization of American States Secretary General Gaviria in finding constitutional, democratic, peaceful and electoral solutions to the crisis in Venezuela. And they agreed on the importance that Saddam Hussein disarm immediately. ............

Q: Thank you.

MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)

www.upi.com From the National Desk Published 3/7/2003 4:31 PM

MIAMI, March 7 (UPI) -- A small number of supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have formed groups around the United States, including the first one in a Miami suburb.

In Miami at least, however, Chavez supporters are outnumbered, as evidenced by a recent demonstration opposing the Venezuelan leader that drew 60,000.

The 17 groups from Connecticut to Wyoming are known as Bolivarian Circles, after Simon Bolivar, the general who liberated several Latin American countries from Spain in the 1800s.

The Miami circle was formed a year ago on the anniversary of Chavez's failed coup in 1992. It has only 180 members but is still the largest in the nation.

Jesus Soto, 36, announced the establishment of the first circle in downtown Miami, wearing a red beret and military fatigues.

"Our work is to try to change the image that Chavez is a dictator," said this week from his home.

"In Venezuela is a deep democracy. We elected this president," he said. "The opposition here is telling the media lies."

The circles in the United States will hold their first national assembly in New York this month, and Chavez representatives from Venezuelan plan to attend.

The Venezuelan government also has scheduled a circle meeting next month in Caracas.

"There are circles in Bilbao (Spain), Madrid, Denmark, all over the place," Guillermo Garcia Ponce, Chavez advisory committee coordinator, told The Miami Herald in Caracas. He agreed that south Florida has become a stronghold for opponents of Chavez. "I suppose (the Miami circle) will have to keep a low profile," Garcia said.

Chavez's leftist government and the opposition remain at odds despite intensive international mediation efforts. The opposition's recent two-month general strike further wounded a weak economy and left the country facing an economic trouble that could to lead to serious shortages of many basic goods.

Venezuela is highly reliant on imports, but the strike closed ports and affected the oil production that pays for most of the imports. In response, the government has imposed strict currency controls and price restrictions on basic goods.