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Editorials/Columns
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One Ticket Could Change Your Life
T wo billion dollars. That is roughly how much the Mega Millions jackpot is
estimated to reach by tonight's drawing. A 10-figure payout that will be, by far, the largest in the history of the lottery.
According to fortune.com a single winner, who takes a lump sum, would still walk away with over $1 billion in cash. Enough money, if man- aged correctly, to give financial security to several generations.
This is one of those times when, even if you have a prob- lem with gambling, don't like games of chance or believe the system is rigged, you have to try your hand by purchasing a ticket. Not doing so would be beyond foolish.
That is mainly because an opportunity, even a remote one, to become a billionaire overnight doesn't come around too often. And the fact that it
only requires a $2 investment makes the risk almost non-ex- istent.
Personally, I've been chas- ing numbers like a tax fraud perpetrator since Friday. From birthdays to Bible verses to my social security number, I don't think that there's a set of digits that I haven't mined for possi- bilities.
I even went to the back of the Florida Sentinel to confer with Uncle Sandy... Say what you will but, when the stakes are this high, you can't afford to leave any stone unturned.
Of course, if you do win, you have to remember to be smart with your new found wealth. Although it would be hard to blow that much money, it doesn't mean it can't happen.
The road from riches is lit- tered with the bodies of those who didn't know what to do with their elevated economic
status. This is why it may be wise to learn from their mis- takes.
Throwing parties for friends and neighbors every week, try- ing to make sure all acquain- tances are well taken care of and hiring so-called financial advisers who will, more than likely, lead you to spend money on things that will be more beneficial to them in the end, aren't the best uses for your cash flow. If doing any of this didn't affect a person's winnings negatively we would never hear about past lottery winners who wound up back in the labor force.
Before any of these things can potentially occur, though, you have to place yourself squarely into the mix. There are no guarantees that you'll come out on top. But, like a wise person once said, "you'll definitely miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
So, with that being said, don't be afraid to make the first step because you just never know... Good luck.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
Letter To The Editor:
How Our Students Will Benefit From The Education Referendum
Alexis Cranendonk is a dedicated Social Studies teacher. So when the air conditioner breaks down, and it’s too hot to learn, she takes her students outside. That means teaching with- out textbooks, technology or a whiteboard.
During our award cere- monies, when students are most proud of academic and community achieve- ments, they walk across the stage to receive awards. But our students with disabili- ties can’t make it up to the stage because our wheel- chair lift isn’t working, de- priving them of the same opportunity.
Middleton High School is a primary shelter during hurricanes, serving our neighbors from across our county. But our generator is so inefficient that it only op- erates emergency lights. That means no power for cooking food, operating fans or even charging the radios we use to communi- cate during a disaster re- sponse.
These are the types of things that would be fixed by the Education Referen- dum, the final item on the November 6 ballot. I am proud to be the principal at Middleton High School, one
of the most innovative schools in America for STEM (Science, Technol- ogy, Engineering and Math).
Our students and teach- ers do amazing things. But I also see students struggling without basics like a class- room that’s below 80 de- grees. Improvements are necessary to keep our stu- dents in a safe environ- ment, which is essential for learning and preparing them for a successful life after graduation.
I know our community supports our schools. You are passionate about the power of education. Yet, there’s not enough state funding to make these nec- essary improvements. Like Middleton, many of our schools are simply getting old and in desperate need of repairs and renovation.
State funding for this work has been decreased in the past decade and it isn’t keeping up. Funding from a half-penny sales tax, which is on your November 6 bal- lot, would make a tremen- dous difference. That’s why many of our local leaders have stepped up to support the Education Referendum, including the Hillsborough County Chapter of the
NAACP, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the HCTA teachers’ union, and manymore.
To make sure the refer- endum money is spent as promised, a prestigious Cit- izen Oversight Committee has been established, headed by former USF Pres- ident Betty Castor and Hillsborough County This unpaid, diverse group will make sure the referendum money is spent on replacing air conditioners and leaky roofs, and on other projects where it is needed. By law, sales tax money cannot be spent on salaries or bene- fits.
If ALL my students have the resources to get up on that stage, if Ms. Cranen- donk can teach inside her air conditioned classroom and if our generator can im- prove conditions when our school is used to shelter our neighbors, then I know the staff at Middleton High School will be very thankful as they do you all proud, continuing to deliver a life- changing education to stu- dents every day.
DR. KIM MOORE Principal, Middleton High School
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
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Elizabeth Warren’s Ethnicity Should Come As No Surprise
According to anthropologists, most Americans who can trace their ancestry on this continent back at least one to two hundred years are almost
guaranteed to have had Native American blood in their veins. So, when thinking about the most re- cent Sen. Elizabeth Warren revelation that she has a slight percentage of Cherokee Indian DNA, it would come as no equal surprise to discover the spirit of Pocahontas was a lot closer to Donald Trump as well.
No doubt, you remember the snit-fit going on between U. S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Pres- ident Trump who swore (in classic Muhammad Ali-style) that if Warren could prove her ancestry, he (Trump) would crawl on hands and knees to write a one million dollar check to Warren’s fa- vorite charity. Trump’s promise fell through be- cause he later claimed he never made such promise. However, this latest comedy of political errors got us thinking.
So, we say this: What if Warren discovered she had Black blood coursing through her veins? Ask former presidents Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Dwight David Eisenhower . . . even Abraham Lin- coln what was their response when perhaps their darkest secret was unmasked to the light of day. Then fast-forward to President Barack Obama when he was accused of not being born American.
So, consider the following certainty: Not only do scientists say most Americans have American In- dian ancestry, but anthropologists also claim every human being who currently lives on the face of the earth is descended from one woman who lived in Africa. So, Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump, please make your charity donation checks out to Lucy, Olduvai Gorge, and Africa.
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