Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 11-16-18

Editorial/Columns
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN
(USPS 202-140)
2207 21st Avenue, Tampa Florida 33605 • (813) 248-1921 Published Every Tuesday and Friday By
FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHING Co., Member of National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
S. KAY ANDREWS, PUBLISHER
C. BLYTHE ANDREWS III, PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER ALLISON WELLS-CLEBERT, CFO
GWEN HAYES, EDITOR
IRIS HOLTON, CITY EDITOR
BETTY DAWKINS, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR HAROLD ADAMS, CIRCULATION MANAGER TOYNETTA COBB, PRODUCTION MANAGER LAVORA EDWARDS, CLASSIFIED MANAGER
Subscriptions-$44.00-6 Months Both Editions: $87.00-Per Year Both Editions.
Opinions expressed on editorial pages of this newspaper by Columnists or Guest Writers, do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of The Florida Sentinel Bulletin or the Publisher.
n the midst of present-day informational chaos . . .
in the midst of smart news and so-called fake news, in a society where newly-elected Democrats prepare their romp through the House of Representatives while Donald Trump’s rendition of Dennis the Menace contin- ues to wreak havoc in the White House . . . in the midst of all the potholes and patchwork that beset us, back home, let’s pause for a moment to think about Captain America.
You remember him: the one who wore red-white and blue tights, who carried a shield inscribed with “In God We Trust,” and who gallantly stood his ground against all the bad guys who had the misfortune of getting in the American Way.
As a matter of fact, let’s take time to think about Spi- der Man, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Avengers, and our personal favorite superhero, Black Panther.
Let’s talk about them because of the purity of nobility they represented . . . because politics never got in the way of what they did or why it was done . . . because win or lose, we could always depend on them to do the right thing, to the best of their ability. And then let’s think about the man who made them . . . the spindly little New Yorker, Stanley Martin Lieber, who went to war during World War Two, came back home to the States, changed his name to Stan Lee.
Then he set about changing his personal political- philosophical outlook into a Zeus-like pantheon where his brain-children became the saviors of everything dem- ocratic, humanitarian, and egalitarian.
Long before minorities had rights, Lee gave them the ability to fly and spit in the eyes of villains who groped and grabbed at the vitals of the American Constitution. In other words, Lee’s superheroes were the little guys with wings.
And boys and girls, Black and white, whether gay or lesbian, or physically or mentally challenged, and from age eight to eighty, ate Lee’s comic book feast up with a silver spoon. That Stan Lee who went on to have his own television show where he celebrated human uniqueness died, just the other day.
And the world did not stop. But it should have at least paused . . . to shed a tear for the imperfect little man who made perfect-yet-redemptive superheroes, both male and female, Black and white. We will miss Stan Lee de- spite the daily Darth Vader politics that currently cloud our world. And when we want to think about the best we can be, we will think about Black Panther.
Plan Your Future Now
“Planning is bringing the future into the pres- ent so you can do some- thing about it now.”
Alan Lakein
mpowered Greet-
ings. In the next few columns, I will endeavor to empower you, to empower yourself and empower others to look into the future and do some prior, proper planning now.
To get ahead, you must think ahead. Prior to getting where you want to go in any area of your life, you must prepare and put a strategic plan in place.
You need to have a plan for your day, week, month and year. I once read a state- ment by an unknown author that says, “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we be- come strangely loyal to per- forming daily acts of trivia.”
If you don’t want to live a trivial life, you need to have a plan. You need to have a plan for your future. You need to have a plan for a successful marriage, for successful par- enting, for a successful edu- cational track, for a successful business, for suc- cessful family relationships and extended relationships.
You need to plan for a successful ministry and ca- reer. You need to have a plan to build a long and successful life. Keep in mind that, whenever you are attempting to build anything, (a grass root organization, a political campaign, a social/civic group, etc.) it’s just like building a house; you need to have a plan!
Here are a few tips to plan for your future.
1. Start with the end in mind. When you die how do want to be remembered by family, friends, colleagues or anyone that's important to you? What type of person do you want people to say you were? What type of work or service would you have pro- vided? Where will you have traveled? What would you have seen and done?
2. Write a list of what you desire in the following areas: Family, Health, Spiritual, Ca- reer/Business, Finances, Travel, Community or Social Engagement, etc. Overall, decide the lifestyle you want to live on paper.
3. Reflect on where you are now in relation to where you desire to be with the things on your list above.
4. Formulate actionable steps you can take in each of the above categories to get you to the end result you de- sire.
5. Review your list of de- sires often and make neces- sary changes as your life evolves to what you want it to be.
What you think about longest in life will become strongest in your life. Keep your list at arm's length to keep your dreams in front of you. Concentrate on it so you gravitate to it.
About Selphenia Selphenia Nichols Simmons is hailed as “The Queen of Success”. As a Life and Business Success Coach, she inspires Christian women and entrepreneurs to go from being a mess to mak- ing massive profits. Selphe- nia’s no-nonsense business strategies take individuals and organizations from scratch, or anywhere in be- tween, to Success. Selphe- nia is available to speak at churches, schools, universi- ties, business organizations,
retreats and conferences.
To request Selphenia to speak or train at your up- coming event call 813-603-
0088.
Get connected. Join
Selphenia on Social Media for some daily motivation. Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women; and Insta- gram: Selphenia.
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
P.O. Box 3363 Tampa, FL 33601 Periodical Postage Paid At Tampa, FL
C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Farewell To The Man Who Made Immortals
Political Racism
acism is eroding
the ideals of the founding principles of our country and we have two opportunities before us. We can either feed into it or starve it to death.
Racism is defined as, discrimination or preju- dice, which can trans- form into a belief system that creates a false sense of entitlement to superi- ority.
Racism can be trans- lated through words and
acts of hate, anger, in- tense hostility, and ab- normal aversion. I’ve witnessed racism at every level. When racism is exhibited through hate crimes it directly impacts the quality of life of not just the person it’s aimed at, but we all become casu- alties in the line of fire.
Politically sparked decisions coming from Capitol Hill are infecting our socio-economic structures, education
systems, and enrich- ment programs. Current leaders so far removed from their constituents no longer understand their collective needs.
There appears to be no comprehensive un- derstanding of the com- mon good for working class families and the harm racism incites. There is a political fire being kindled by racism and it’s burning through the foundation of our collective constitutional good.
We can make a differ- ence even when the rhet- oric from the current administration is divi- sive. We can starve this fiery beast, Racism.
Dr. Shandale Terrell Lakeland, Florida
E
I
R
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A