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A Feeling Of Numbness
ver the last several
weeks three, alleged, terrorist attacks in England and a workplace shooting in Orlando have taken place. And, to be honest, I haven't lost a minute of sleep reflect- ing on either incident.
Fifteen years ago, maybe even seven, stories of such tragedies would have kept me glued to a television screen while I absorbed every gory detail. I probably would have even been moved to write a scathing column, blasting the heartless perpetrators for their heinous actions.
These days, though, I barely make an effort to find out the motivation of the per- son or persons responsible. I just automatically assume that the shooting, bombing, stab- bing or (with what has been the case recently) run over, was the work of an “ALLAH- HU-AKBAR” screaming ISIS operative and go on with my day.
The sad part is that I al- ready know that the image of the "radical Arab Muslim" is
the picture they want hard- wired into our thought process whenever we hear the words “terrorist attack.”
But, I still find myself in- fluenced by the widespread propaganda.
Like most people, part of the apathy that I've developed stems from me being caught up with the trials and tribula- tions of my own life. But a larger part, I believe, comes from the fact that I've become immune to the chaos.
The bloodshed, the rage, the violence has become such a regular part of our experi- ence that it's to the point where random acts of butch- ery have lost any shock value. “20 people were blown to bits in a supermarket in Brussels? Damn shame. Hey, what time does the game come on tonight?”
The thing is, I don't like the feeling of being so jaded. As human beings, with a height- ened sense of intelligence, we're supposed to have com- passion for each other. But, after constantly being exposed
to a never-ending death reel, it's hard not to be overcome with a feeling of numbness.
Sometimes I believe that the callusing of our hearts is our subconscious way of pro- tecting our sanity, shrinking our focus of care and concern down to our most intimate re- lationships so we won't crack from sensory overload. With- out that hardening of our emo- tional centers, inside of this extremely volatile environ- ment, it's hard to imagine any of us being able to function properly on a daily basis.
Is it wrong for us to be de- sensitized to these horrors that seem to greet us for breakfast every morning? That's a ques- tion I can't answer.
But, if having a certain de- gree of coldness is necessary for us to mentally survive the madness, making the temper- ature adjustment may be in all of our best interests. We just have to remember that, when the time comes for the shoe to be placed on the other foot, we shouldn't expect any tears to flow for our losses, either.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can write to Mr. Barr at: Clarence Barr 43110-018, Oakdale F. C. I., P. O. BOX 5000, Oakdale, LA 71463.
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Bill Cosby: Death Of A Dying Myth
his week, Bill Cosby is on trial facing the accusations
that he drugged, then sexually assaulted two of his 50 accusers.
The man once referred to as “America’s Favorite Dad” could spend no less than ten years behind bars if found guilty.
Ten to twenty years ago, anything regarding Bill Cosby would have been blasphemous . . from the mid-1960s through the 1990s in a nation who grew up on “Fat Albert” the same way it grew up on Tony The Tiger. Then the 1990s ended and the 21st century began.
Heroes changed. People stopped watching the Huxtables so much. Fat Albert’s play grew skinny, and Hip-Hop simply did not make room for the world according to Cos.
Then a joke by Hannibal Burress opened a closet door and all the secrets and golddigger lies spilled out . . . that smoth- ered a fatherly image and set countless women clawing at an icon’s throat.
Now, America’s once Favorite Dad is on trial for his image and his life. And although our prayers go out to the Cosby family and to them whose lives have been scarred by recent turns of events, we also realize why a generation born too late, might not understand the magnitude of this scenario and the shadow of a prison sentence for the remainder of his life.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A
3 Money Management Steps For Entrepreneurs
“The art is not in mak- ing money, but keeping it.”
~Proverb
mpowered Greet-
ings. On Facebook, I call Mondays, “Money Making Mondays.” It is with that thought in mind that I decided to empower entrepreneurs with 4 money management strategies.
As an entrepreneur, I un- derstand that you will have cy- cles of feast, where money is being made with ease and you’re surpassing your finan- cial projections.
However, there may also be times when you will experi- ence famine and money is trickling in much slower than expected. Implementing this management tip will help you stay on course in good and not so good times.
Entrepreneurs should have a separate account for per- sonal and business finances. In your business account is where you will deposit all the income you receive from your business.
This is also the account where you will pay all business expenses out of. This helps you operate your business as a business. Business and per- sonal finances should be sepa- rated just as they would be if you worked for someone else. You can’t take everything that’s coming into your busi- ness for personal use or you’ll have nothing left for your busi- ness.
Pay yourself out of your business account. Write your- self a check of a predetermined amount from your business account. Deposit that check into your personal bank ac- count. This is equivalent to
earning a paycheck from a sec- ular employer.
To determine how much to pay yourself, you will first need to know how much you need to cover your personal expenses, as well as business expenses. Initially, start by paying your- self enough to meet your needs. The rest will be kept in your business account for re- serves as a buffer for the slow months I mentioned earlier.
Get into the practice of sav- ing and investing some amount of money every month. Of course, the amount that you save and invest would be based on you. It can be as little as $5. The key thing is to begin the habit of doing both. Saving protects you while in- vesting helps your money to grow.
Stay connected to Selphe- nia for more tips, tools and strategies for your success.
Follow her on Social Media: Facebook: Selphe- nia Nichols Success Coach To Women; Instagram: @selphenia; or Twitter: @queenofsuccess1.
Call to invite Selphenia to speak, emcee or provide train- ing for your next event at (813) 956-0185.
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No Tweets Or Speeches About Growing Hate Crimes
ince the day after the November 2016 presidential elec-
tion, an average of 9 hate crimes have taken place throughout America, with 16 percent of the crimes commit- ted against Black people.
Recently, nooses have been found at the Hirschhorn Mu- seum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; on the campus of American University, on high school and middle school campuses in Maryland and North Carolina, and in a predominantly African American neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C.
In early May, the 2017 graduating classes of Bowie State University and the University of Maryland were traumatized by the unprovoked stabbing of a Black Bowie State University student by a white University of Maryland right-wing hate group member.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Ses- sion have said little if anything at all about the growing hate crimes taking place.
Sadly, the rash of hate crimes and vandalism increased as a result of the hate filled rhetoric during the Trump elec- tion campaign.
What’s more insane, is that some of President Trump’s
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key political appointees and allies have attempted to justify nooses and hateful speech under the First Amendment rights. Leading this country by actions and deeds in right-wing justifi- cation of hate and separate and unequal policy.