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Editorial/Columns
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2021 Can’t Get Here Soon Enough
t is never a good thing
when you're forced to end one year the same way you ended the previous one. But, unfortunately, it looks as though that's exactly what's about to happen.
With the second 365-day calendar of Donald Trump's presidency coming to a close, things appear to be as bad as they have ever been under his stewardship. And, if the tur- moil within his administration is any indicator of what's to come in the future, 2019 could potentially be even more chaotic.
Even those of us who knew from the very beginning, that having Trump in the White House would end very badly, didn't expect this rancid of a dumpster fire to be raging. I mean, who could have imag- ined that Trump could outdo Trump when it comes to con- stantly hurling s--- at the proverbial fan?
From his contentious deal- ings with the media, his adver- sarial relationship with
members of congress over his insistence on building a wall, and the seemingly never-end- ing list of cabinet members with the word "former" pre- ceding their previous titles constantly heading for the exits, the environment around Trump has become so toxic that it's a wonder how the ex- ecutive branch of the federal government is still opera- tional. And the scariest part has to be the fact that, now that the people who were once around to keep Trump from crashing the country into a wall have given up on trying to babysit the spoiled brat-in- chief, there's no way of know- ing what he'll do next?
Trump already didn't bother to consult with military leaders at the Pentagon before deciding to pull troops out of a combat zone in Syria. With his access to the nuclear button, and his hot temper, who's to say that he won't make an- other rash and deadly decision in the near future due to his high level of sensitivity and er-
ratic tendencies?
The only good thing I can
say about Trump thus far is that he signed into law the new criminal justice reform legisla- tion. And he actually doesn't deserve much credit for that because it was his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who did most of the heavy lifting.
During normal times this would be the column that I would use to re-visit some of the wild and crazy events from the previous year that most people wouldn't want to see repeated in the new 12-month cycle. The thing is, with Trump being responsible, or partly responsible, for more than half of the negative things we were forced to endure it's hard to look forward to a fresh start when we're still contend- ing with the same rot that caused all the decay in the first place.
It is difficult to genuinely wish people a Happy anything when you already know that they can expect much of the same trash to be present on January 1st that they hoped would be left behind. So, with that being the case, I'll just say buckle up, prepare for the ride to get even bumpier and pray that 2021 arrives as soon as possible.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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Happy New Year, Black Hillsborough, We Hardly Knew You
es Miller, a Black man, now chairs the Hillsbor-
ough County Board of County Commissioners. In the City of Tampa, Black candidates and “king-makers” are gearing up for mayoral and councilperson races in ways that will change the face of Tampa for decades to come. Meanwhile, the face of Black Tampa is changing physically as well as politically.
In a city of traditional diversity, the fastest growing ethnic group is neither Latino, Black, nor Asian-Amer- ican, but “mixed-race,” an ethnic group which is a com- bination of Black and white parents. Mixed-race members form a growing majority of so-called Millen- nial Tampa-Hillsborough Countians and are as pro- gressive and diverse as their ethnic-cultural heritage.
Meanwhile, what was once profusely Black neigh- borhoods are now through a concept called gentrifica- tion, changing from Black to white-white-collar. Many Black folks find themselves in the hinterlands of North Tampa-suburban Hillsborough County.
The signals are obvious. The New Year 2019 will fill a new Black Tampa-Hillsborough County, alike, yet un- like what has preceded it. Leaders would do well to watch and listen to the change.
Signs Of Significance
“The spirit of Christ- mas needs to supersede by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is an- nual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is su- pernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the differ- ence in the world.”
Empowered Greetings.
People everywhere enjoy the giving of gifts and family gatherings during the Christ- mas Holiday season. While gifts and gatherings are great, take time this holiday season to focus on the signs of signif- icance. Create a family tradi- tion of sharing the religious meanings of traditional holi- day decorations because they are signs of significance.
In this column I want to share some signs of signifi-
cance with you. It is my prayer that you will share them with others.
The Christmas tree is in the shape of a triangle and points toward heaven. This is a sign of significance because the triangle represents the trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the Light of the World, thus giving us the sig- nificance of the lights on the tree. The tree is topped with a star, which is significant as it was a star that guided the wise men to the Christ child. The gifts that are given are a sign of charity and love.
The wreath is significant for a couple of reasons. The circular shape represents the divinity of God. Like God, it has no beginning and no end.
Wreaths made with Ever- greens are a sign of growth and everlasting life. Wreaths that are made using holly branches, which have thorns, are significant because they represent the crown that was
placed on Jesus’ head. The red holly berries symbolizes the blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary.
The shape of the candy cane is a sign that symbolizes a Shepherd’s crook. This is sig- nificant because it reminds us that the Lord is our Shep- herd’s. The white stripes on the candy cane signify the pu- rity of Christ and the red ones represent His healing stripes and His red blood that cleanses us of our sins.
These are just a few signs of significance for you to re- member this holiday season. Keep Christ in Christmas and have a Blessed holiday.
About Selphenia Selphenia Nichols Sim- mons is hailed as “The Queen of Success”. As a Life and Busi- ness Success Coach, she in- spires Christian women and entrepreneurs to go from being a mess to making mas-
sive profits.
To request Selphenia to
speak or train at your upcom- ing event call (813) 603- 0088.
Get connected. Join Selphenia on Social Media for some daily motivation. Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach To Women; Instagram: Selphenia; and Twitter: queenodsuccess1.
-Stuart Briscoe
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A