Caribbean American Passport News Magazine - February 2018 by caribbeanamericanpassport

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Feb/Mar 2018

2 Florida Mourns

Opening Lent, Pope urges people to slow down, rediscover power of silence Pope Francis, leading Catholics into the season of Lent, urged people on Wednesday to slow down amid the noise, haste and desire for instant gratification in a high-tech world to rediscover the power of silence. On Ash Wednesday devout Christians in churches around the world have ashes rubbed onto their heads in a ritual reminding them of their mortality as a priest recites the biblically inspired phrase, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” On Wednesday, a Cardinal rubbed ashes on the Pope’s forehead and then Francis did the same to other members of the congregation at a Mass in the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill. “Pause a little, leave behind the unrest and commotion that fill the soul with bitter feelings which never get us anywhere,” he said in his homily. ”Pause from this compulsion to a fastpaced life that scatters, divides and ultimately destroys time with family, with friends, with children, with grandparents, and time as a gift...time with God,” he said.

The shooting at the school in Florida struck close to home. At first, I didn't even know where in South Florida Parkland was. We don't hear much about Parkland, Florida; it's a small, quiet municipality bordered by the Everglades, Coral Springs, Boca Raton and West Palm. Earlier this month, Parkland was named in a national survey as one of the safest cities in the country, and last year another study ranked it as the safest city in Florida. The school system has received the highest grade of “A” for seven years running from the state Department of Education. It's only public high school is Stoneman Douglas High School. Now this quiet enclave is known for a mass shooting.

Cruz as suffering from mental illness and being "emotionally handicapped," and being on behavioral medication. One notes, "He has mentioned in the past that he would like to purchase a firearm." Broward County Sheriff's deputies were called to the Parkland, Florida, home four days after Cruz's 18th birthday. He had lashed out at his mother over a disagreement about the paperwork he needed to get a Florida State identification card. Lynda Cruz was worried, she told police. Back when he was too young to legally buy a rifle, her son had mentioned he wanted to buy a gun. Now he was "cutting his arms ... to get attention," she told them, according to one police report dated September 28, 2016.

Arguments abound about whether we should blame mental illness or whether we should be talking about gun control.

In early 2017, Cruz bought an AR-15-style rifle from a small nearby gun store, Sunrise Tactical Supply in Coral Springs. Officials say he passed the required government background check, and bought it legally.

In my opinion, we should be speaking about both. CNN reported that "For years before Nikolas Cruz gunned down classmates and teachers at his former high school, his mother had repeatedly called police to the home to help deal with his violent outbursts, threats and self-destructive behavior, according to police documents obtained by CNN on Friday. The incident reports, which are as recent as September 2016, describe

President Trump, in a pro-forma public statement on the Parkland, Fla., shooting, ordered flags on government buildings to be flown at half-mast through Monday, but didn't call for any reconsideration of the nation's inexcusably lax gun laws. Last February, he scrapped an Obama-era regulation making it tougher for people with mental illnesses to buy a gun.

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L I F E S T Y L E

Guenet Gittens-Roberts, Publisher/Editor

A new month...a new school shooting Samuel Roberts Publisher/Editor

For perhaps the very first time, the front cover of our newspaper is very

serious; we held back and changed the cover to reflect the gravity of the situation. Again in America, children died because a gunman walked into a school and opened fire. I don't want to debate anyone on this issue, as I 'm tired of being sad, I'm tired of being tired on this issue. I'm tired of their arguments about their 2nd amendment being at stake. Their complaints range from this being about control of people, as though we aren't "controlled" daily through speed limits, movies that we can watch in public, alcohol regulation and more. As the students said: it's BS. The shooting in Orlando was close, nearly everyone I knew in this area knew of someone whose family or friend was affected. The one in Parkland was even scarier - two people that we know in the community, Sham Tilak and Pooran Ramnanan, had children at that school and endured horror like no family should be subjected to: a call from their child telling them that they were in the building and someone was shooting. I cried imagining it happening to me, hearing the news about my kids and the length of time it took for them to find out that their kids were safe. But what of the parents who waited only to find out that their kids were killed or hurt? How could people not have empathy for the families that are affected? It is way too easy to buy this gun, guys. Take a look at this gun. This is the gun that he was able to buy legally at 18. Legally at 18 with a history of violence, a history of mental illness. Why can't we start there? that?

Look at this gun, this gun is the equivalent of a racing car. We don't let anyone drive a racing car outside of a track. That's just a smart way of running a society. Prayers and thoughts for the victims are trite sentiments at this time. It is time to act. Call your elected officials, they do listen to calls. Register your outrage. Register to Vote and Pay Attention. If an elected official thinks more of the NRA than they do of you, their constituent, then you need to VOTE. THEM. OUT.

Find your elected official online:

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials 1969 Alafaya Trail â&#x20AC;˘ Orlando, FL 32828 Office: 407-427-1800

Fax: 407-386-7925

Toll Free: 877-220-8315 For Media Information email: Publisher: sroberts@caribbeanamericanpassport.com Info: .Info@caribbeanamericanpassport.com

Should you desire to review past copies of the publicationgo to http://caribbeanamericanpassport.com and click on the 'Print Archive'. Editor & Publisher............................................................... Sam Roberts Publisher ........................................................... Guenet Gittens-Roberts Graphic Design & Layout .................................................Samuel Roberts Contributing Writers: ............................................................ Tony Dyal ................................................................................................Ryan Davis .............................................................................................Sandra Fatmi ...............................................................................................Gail Seeram ...........................................................................................Sasha Watson ..........................................................................................Kamal Abdool Contributing Photographers ............ ...................................Ted Hollins ..................................................................................................Dilia Castillo .............................................. .......................................Nancy-Joe Brown Central Florida Distribution...................................................Roy Benn South Florida Distribution ...........................................Norman Williams NorthFlorida Distribution ......................................................Theo Jack Jr. Tampa Distribution ...........................................................Kadeem Roberts Copyright (C) 2016 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved.

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STUDENTS DISPLACED BY HURRICANE MARIA CAN STILL QUALIFY FOR IN STATE TUITION AT UCF The UCF Board of Trustees voted unanimously to continue to allow students displaced by Hurricane Maria to qualify for in-state tuition. The board extended the tuition reduction, which started this Spring, through the Spring 2019 semester for students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The reduction applies to students who fled due to the hurricane, as well as students who were already enrolled at UCF. The Board of Trustees accelerated approval of the extended tuition rate for a full academic year in order to provide students with sufficient time to apply for the summer semester. “We should view this as an opportunity to serve,” said UCF President John C. Hitt. “UCF has done great things for the Puerto Rican students, and many students have come, thanks to that help,” said Jose Rivera, a junior economics student and president of UCF’s Puerto Rican Student Association. “The extended in-state tuition gives (students) the support they need to actually become productive and successful members of society and get that help they needed.” Rivera previously expressed concerns about the future for displaced students to Student Government Association President and Trustee Nick Larkins. Rivera and Larkins addressed the board today to express gratitude for the support so far and to request extended tuition reduction. The board acknowledged how far many of the students traveled from their home country and the financial hardships the hurricane has created on their families. Many of the displaced students are working full-time in addition to attending classes. “I’m very proud of the action that our board took today. This is very meaningful to folks that are in need,” said UCF Board of Trustees Chairman Marcos Marchena. “I know some of these students are struggling to make decisions as they go. I thought giving them this certainty, this early on, was very important for their peace of mind, knowing that they’re going to be treated as in-state students and have that financial burden minimized while they are here for the length of time that they may be here.”

Accredited & License # ST38788

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Drake gives away almost $1 million in 'God's Plan' music video

The song is called "God's Plan" and Canadian rapper Drake dropped a music video to match on Friday in which he gave away almost $1 million in cash to people in Miami. The "God's Plan" video upended the usual lavish efforts from music production companies, and instead showed Drake handing out wads of cash to struggling families, toys to children, scholarships to students and checks to a women's shelter and a youth club in Miami, Florida.

"The budget for this video was We gave it all away. Don't tell says the message at the start of Before its release, Drake, 31, called "the most important thing I have in my career."

$996,631.90. the label," the video. the video ever done

Hours later the Grammy-winning singer issued a challenge on his Instagram saying "let's all watch the world be nice to each other even if it's for 24 hours." "God's Plan" has held the top Billboard Hot 100 singles chart three weeks.

spot on the for the past

Rihanna Helps World Leaders Raise Over Two Billion For Education At the February conference, Rihanna addressed the crowd, which included "African heads of state and World Bank president Jim Yong Kim," per ABC News. The event was co-hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron and Senegalese president Macky Sall, whom Rihanna thanked in her remarks before saying, "This is what we've wanted all along. We've made tremendous progress today but of course our work is never done. We have a long way to go. And this is a fight we're never going to stop fighting until every body and every girl has access to education." Rihanna is known for her versatility as an actress, singer, dancer, beauty and fashion mogul, but recently she raised her game as a philanthropist. The multi-talented icon added a splash of celebrity to the fundraising conference for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in Senegal, Africa. The GPE is a multinational effort to fund education in developing countries, and the Caribbean born Rihanna is the organization's "global ambassador." www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com

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Broward Superintendent calls for leadership on mental health and sensible gun laws. Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie leads an impassioned call for our leaders to do better. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the scene of the horrific shooting which killed 17 and injured an additional 14 falls under the Broward School system. “This is definitely a life-changing incident that tells you that a conversation is not enough. It’s not enough.” The Superintendent was talking, of course, about Gov. Rick Scott’s call for “a real conversation” about how to keep kids safe in school, or anyplace, for that matter. In my view, Gov. Scott owns this massacre. He has blood on his hands. During his eight years in office, he has signed not one bill — or used his bully pulpit to push one measure — to address gun safety. It’s been two years since a gunman massacred 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and one year since another gunman slaughtered five people at Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport. In both instances, the governor said now was not the time to talk about guns. Gov. Scott never found the time.

In his first briefings after the shooting, he couldn’t even bring himself to say the word “gun.” Now he says he will work to ensure people with mental illness do not get guns. Let’s see how successful he is in the final months of his lame-duck year. Runcie says we’ve got to rise above our anger and our grief to make change happen. “Because anger and hate never really bring any good outcome. We’ve got to figure out how to channel that into something positive to do some good. “I’m going to provide leadership, to the greatest extent that I can, on the two big issues of mental health and sensible gun laws. And I think that’s what this week has said to us. That needs to be our calling commitment.” Superintendent Runcie knows first-hand how a highquality education can transform a person’s life. Born in Jamaica, he moved to the United States as a young boy and became the first member of his family to attend college, graduating from Harvard University and earning an MBA from Northwestern University. He later founded a management and technology consulting company and held several strategic leadership positions with Chicago Public Schools, including serving as its Chief Information Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Area Instructional Officer and Chief of Staff to the Board of Education.

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Farewell letter from Consul General of Jamaica Franz Hall Dear Friends, I am using this opportunity to advise that my appointment as Consul General of Jamaica will come to an end on 28th February 2018. It was an honour and a privilege to have served the Government of Jamaica in this capacity. It is hard to believe that four years have gone by so quickly. However, during that time, I have come to appreciate the dynamism and the generosity of spirit that exists within the Jamaican community in the South East USA. As I transition to a new role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Kingston, I do so with the knowledge that the Jamaican community is not only alive and well, but flourishing, as it continues to make its undeniable mark on the communities in the United States of America. Any positive impact that I may have had during my assignment is a reflection of the efforts of the team at the Consulate General, who continue to serve Jamaica and the Jamaican community, often under challenging circumstances. It is their commitment and dedication that sustain the work of the Consulate through changes at the diplomatic level. Sincerest thanks for your engagement, friendship and partnership during my time at the Consulate General and I know that you will offer to my successor the same level of support that was so graciously extended to me during my tenure. One love! Yours sincerely,

Franz Hall Consul General

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DACA NEWS UPDATE Immigration reform and the need to find a permanent solution for the almost 2 million undocumented immigrants who entered the United States prior to their 16th birthday, otherwise called the Dreamers, takes center stage in the US Senate. The debate over immigration reform is complex for a myriad of reasons and will require hard comprises on both sides of the aisle. While the debate heats up, a district court judge in New York issued a nationwide preliminary injunction ordering the government to maintain the DACA program on the same terms and conditions prior to the Trump executive order and memo rescinding the program. The order requires US Citizenship and Immigration Services to continue accepting new and renewal applications for the program until further court order or until the government provides reasonable grounds to terminate the program. Although the order gives Dreamers a sigh of relief in this uncertain immigration climate, a permanent solution that provides a path for citizenship is well overdue.

Black History Month at City of Orlando City Hall

FREE

SUNDAY . FEB. 25TH . 2PM - 5PM ORLANDO FASHION SQUARE MALL 3201 E. COLONIAL DR. ORLANDO FL. 32803

Celebrate Black History Month this February at Fashion Square Mall with a dynamic showcase of the Art, Culture and Business Community. Celebrate the beauty of Black History WWW.CARIBBEANAMERICANPASSPORT.COM 407-427-1800

City of Orlando Black History Month celebration recognized Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas, Judge Emerson Thompson, Chief Charlie Walker, Ron Blocker and Dr. Monica Reed for their contributions to our community as firsts in their fields in Central Florida.

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DAYS OF RHYME AND ROSES by Tony Deyal Carnival ended yesterday. In the old days, the first thing I would have done, even before I entered the school gates, was to bet “Lent” with one of my friends. In effect, this meant that if I was caught singing calypso, not even an entire one, just a line, verse or chorus, before Easter Sunday the other person had the right to administer a resounding “tap” or open-palmed slap on my head without the consequence of getting a black eye from a cuff, running from a piece of guava wood or ducking a big stone. Later on, people like calypsonian The Mighty Duke would insist that calypso should not be treated like mango, guava or zaboca and restricted to a season. But then, in the Nineteen Forties, Fifties and even the Sixties and Seventies, the entire society, especially the clergy and radio station officials, were united in their belief that calypso was worse than fish, even maneating sharks, because while you were allowed to consume fish every Friday during Lent, calypso was banned for the entire forty days and nights. A TAP WITH FULL FORCE I suffered a lot then. My absent-mindedness and my love for calypso conspired to put me in trouble. My father always told the barber to cut my hair as short as possible and so when tapped I had absolutely no protection. My head rang louder than an Old Year’s Night church bell and was as swollen as the Caroni River in flood. While Jean, Dinah, Rosita and Clementina posed round the corner, I was too often cornered by my friends who knew that I would inevitably fall into the sin of singing a snatch of song from Sparrow or Spoiler, Melody or Kitchener. Now, in 2018, you would think that with the Yankees gone and Sparrow taking over, the situation would be different and that the new dispensation would cause the art-form to blossom and thrive with tents full every night with people paying big money to appreciate and applause. Not so. Not now. Not likely. CALYPSO MUSIC- THE GOLDEN AGE For a while, what David Rudder calls “a distant drum” was in our eardrums. The vibration lived in our hearts and

spirits. The rhythm told us “come, come, come, come” and we flocked to the calypso tents- Old Brigade, Young Brigade, Calypso Revue, Masters’ Den, Spectakula – in large numbers. Every colour, creed and race was represented, not as much by the performers but certainly by the audience. It was a golden age and everybody made money. For a calypso lover like me, it was heaven. Using my access to television time as the Television Producer in the Public Relations Division of the Office of the Prime Minister, I had a ball presenting shows with Pretender and Growling Tiger, the legends of that time, and the active bards like Sparrow, Kitchener, Shadow, Chalkdust, Duke, Stalin, Explainer and even Crazy. I haunted the tents and took my family when I could to enjoy themselves. We were there for the Dimanche Gras show when Stalin’s “Bun Them” triumphed over Rudder’s Calypso Music, at the clashes between tents, and the night when the joint rocked with Shadow’s “Jump Judges”. I went down San Fernando with Calypso Rose and limed with my friend Rosalyn singing Sparrow’s “Rose, girl I want you bad.” LOITERING WITHIN TENT? NOT ME Now, I listen but don’t go. My cellphone has almost 200 calypsoes on it which I play in the car. My wife and I put on YouTube, especially at Christmas, and take in Scrunter. The reason I stopped going to the tents was that I became uncomfortable with the racism. I grew up in a different Trinidad and found that mixing up my race and my politics was bad enough, but hearing a person born in another Caribbean country telling me that if I didn’t like the Government of the time, I should leave my country and go back to India was enough. I will keep my paisa and send my Rupee to Barbados. POST SCRIPT: Tony Deyal was last seen wondering why a calypso mocking people of Chinese descent was not only allowed in the Monarch final but placed eighth out of seventeen participants. When he complained one of his friends said, "You lucky it eh win!"

Calypso Tents - A bit of History, Read full article online at www.bestoftrinidad.com this, the first recording of calypso music was an instrumental by a band called Lovey's Orchestra in 1912. In the early days of calypso, calypsonians (singers of calypsoes) formed groups and performed at various locations around Trinidad during the months leading up to Carnival. Since these locations were temporary and ceased to exist after Carnival, they were called "tents." Calypsonians took on individual nicknames and the tents were also named. The first calypso tent in Trinidad was the Railway Douglas Tent which opened its doors for business in Port-of-Spain in 1921.

The first vocal recording of a calypso was made in 1914 when Julian Whiterose recorded "Iron Duke in the Land." Prior to

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In 1935, the first female calypsonian to sing in a tent, Lady Trinidad, made her debut at the Crystal Palace Tent on Nelson Street in Port-of-Spain. Her success paved the way for two more female calypsonians to follow in her footsteps in 1936: Lady Baldwin (Mavis Baldwin); and Lady MacDonald (Doris MacDonald). In 1937, Lady Trinidad became the first female calypsonian to make a record.

A Wrap up of President Trumps last few weeks - A review of the major -- and majorly bad -- news of the past few days for Trump Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large Article courtesy of : www.cnn.com

• Special counsel Robert Mueller issued indictments for 13 Russians for their role in a massive election meddling plot that roped in "unwitting" Trump campaign officials in its web. The depth and breath of the Russia strategy to influence the 2016 election runs directly counter to Trump's attempts to cast the entire Russia investigation as a "total hoax" and a "witch hunt." • Rick Gates, a former senior adviser to Trump's 2016 campaign, is nearing a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller. Gates would be the third member of Trump's campaign to cooperate with the Mueller investigation into Russia's attempted meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. • Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, acknowledged this week that he made a $130,000 personal payment to porn star Stormy Daniels as a way to keep her from going public with her story about an alleged affair with Trump. Cohen insists -- unbelievably -- that Trump had no knowledge of the payment and that he was never reimbursed for it. • Ronan Farrow reports in The New Yorker of an alleged affair between former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and Trump. McDougal's story of Trump's courtship of her and their alleged affair bears many similarities to account by Daniels and former reality TV star Summer Zervos. • The Rob Porter debacle rages into a second week. Now 10 days after the initial reports of alleged domestic abuse against both of his ex-wives by the former White House staff secretary, the White House still can't get its story -- or timeline -- straight. On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray directly contradicted the White House' account that Porter's background check was in process --making clear that the FBI had closed the case file on Porter in January. White House chief of staff John Kelly sits in the middle of this crisis communications disaster, having apparently not told his staff the whole truth at the start of all of this. Reports of Trump privately fuming -- at Kelly, at the situation -- are everywhere even as the the White House insists the president continues to have confidence in Kelly. • Less than 24 hours after the murder of 17 people at a Florida school, Trump takes to Twitter to offer his thoughts. "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior," he tweeted on Thursday morning. "Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!" While Trump strikes a more conciliatory tone later on Thursday, it's the tweet that gets the most attention. Trump also faced a series of calls -- from parents of the those killed in the Parkland shooting and students who survived -- to do something to curtail the number of school shootings in the country.

• EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's penchant for first-class flights went public. The Washington Post first detailed the massive expenditures for Pruitt to fly firstand business class -- often on jaunts as quick as DC to New York. Pruitt defended himself by saying he was regularly being threatened -- people know what the EPA administrator looks like by sight? -- by passengers and that the first-class accommodations were born of necessity. • An inspector general's report shows that Veterans Administration head David Shulkin's chief of staff doctored an email and made a series of false statements in order to justify the use of government funds for Shulkin's wife to accompany him on a trip to Europe in 2017. On Capitol Hill on Thursday, Shulkin admitted to lawmakers that "the optics of this are not good." • That would be a bad month for most presidents. Hell, it might even be enough for a bad year. But this was ONE WEEK for Trump. And I didn't even include the fact that the the Trump-backed immigration plan got only 39 votes in the Senate -- with 11 Republicans defecting. Or that Democrats just keep winning state legislative seats that Trump carried in 2016, a potential precursor to a major anti-GOP wave in the 2018 midterms. • Whether you love Trump or loathe him, it's impossible to conclude that this week has been anything short of a disaster for him. On every front, things got worse for Trump over the past five days. (If you go back a week, you include Trump's tone-deaf tweet in response to the allegations against Porter and his decision not to release the memo from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee.) • Weeks like this may not worry Trump -- whose reelection bid is still a ways off. But, for congressional Republicans desperate to hold their House and Senate majorities come November 6, they simply can't afford the Republican president to rack up many more weeks like this.

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What You Should Know About Influenza (Flu) Antiviral Drugs Can the flu be treated? Yes. There are prescription medications called “antiviral drugs” that can treat flu illness.

What are antiviral drugs? Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid, or an inhaled powder) that fight against the flu in your body. Antiviral drugs are not sold over-the-counter. You can only get them if you have a prescription from your doctor or health care provider. Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics, which fight against bacterial infections.

What should I do if I think I have the flu?

If you get the flu, antiviral drugs are a treatment option. Check with your doctor promptly if you are at high risk of serious flu complications (see the next page for full list of high risk factors) and you get flu symptoms. Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs to treat your flu illness.

Should I still get a flu vaccine? Yes. Antiviral drugs are not a substitute for getting a flu vaccine. While flu vaccine can vary in how well it works, a flu vaccine is the first and best way to prevent influenza. Antiviral drugs are a second line of defense to treat the flu if you get sick.

What are the benefits of antiviral drugs? When used for treatment, antiviral drugs can lessen symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by 1 or 2 days. They also can prevent serious flu complications, like pneumonia. For people at high risk of serious flu complications, treatment with an antiviral drug can mean the difference between having a milder illness versus a very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.

What are the possible side effects of antiviral drugs? Some side effects have been associated with the use of flu antiviral drugs, including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, runny or stuffy nose, cough, diarrhea, headache, and some behavioral side effects. These are uncommon. Your doctor can give you more information about these drugs or you can check the CDC or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites.

When should antiviral drugs be taken for treatment? Studies show that flu antiviral drugs work best for treatment when they are started within 2 days of getting sick. However, starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person is at high risk of serious flu complications or is very sick from the flu. Follow instructions for taking these drugs.

What antiviral drugs are recommended this flu season? There are three FDA-approved antiviral drugs recommended by CDC this season. The brand names for these are Tamiflu® (generic name oseltamivir), Relenza® (generic name zanamivir), and Rapivab® (generic name peramivir). Tamiflu® is available as a pill or liquid and Relenza® is a powder that is inhaled. (Relenza® is not for people with breathing problems like asthma or COPD, for example.) Rapivab® is given intravenously by a health care provider.

How long should antiviral drugs be taken? To treat the flu, Tamiflu® and Relenza® are usually prescribed for 5 days, although people hospitalized with the flu may need the medicine for longer than 5 days. Rapivab® is given intravenously for 15 to 30 minutes.

Can children and pregnant women take antiviral drugs? Yes. Children and pregnant women can take antiviral drugs.

Who should take antiviral drugs? It’s very important that antiviral drugs are used early to treat people who are very sick with the flu (for example, people who are in the hospital) and people who are sick with the flu who are at high risk of serious flu complications, either because of their age or because they have a high risk medical condition. Other people also may be treated with antiviral drugs by their doctor this season. Most people who are otherwise healthy and get the flu, however, do not need to be treated with antiviral drugs.

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Ellen is sending Jones High School’s band and choir to Carnegie Hall Alison Kirby, principal at Jones High School, wrote a letter to Ellen DeGeneres asking for support for her school’s band and choir in order to perform at Carnegie Hall. Ellen “The Generous” DeGeneres then invited the band’s teachers onto the Ellen show where she presented them with a $100,000 check from Walmart to send the students to their performance at the WorldStrides Festival in April of this year. The band had already raised $100,000 through their own fundraising efforts.

The school is hosting a Carnegie Hall Send-Off Concert at St. Luke’s United Methodist on March 11 at 4 p.m. St. Luke’s is located at 4581 Apopka-Vineland Road

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Record Thirty Million Tourists Visited Caribbean Despite Last Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Storms A record 30 million people visited the Caribbean last year despite two devastating hurricanes that hit the region. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) said today that visitors spent a record total of $37 billion, up nearly three percent from the previous year, though hotel occupancy fell by one percent. Officials say some islands saw doubledigit growth while others saw a nearly 20 percent drop in visitors after Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit in September. The majority of visitors came from the United States, and there also was a surge of travelers from Canada and Europe. Separately, a record 27 million cruise ship passengers also visited last year.

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Jamaican American Actress cast as Meghan Markle Been For Upcoming Movie On The Royal Romance

Guyanese Actress shines In StarStudded Blockbuster Marvels “Black Panther” Movie

If plans go according to schedule, filming of the upcoming movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, about the ultra-media-centric relationship between the world's most sought-after bachelor prince and his American actress fiancé starts this week in Los Angeles and Vancouver, with its release expected around their May 19 wedding. For the Meghan Markle role, Lifetime, the cable network behind the made-for-TV film, has cast 40-year-old American-Jamaican actress Parisa FitzHenley, best known for playing Reva Connors in the two Netflix Marvel series Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. She's also appeared in Midnight, Texas, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and The Jane Austen Book Club.

Actress Letitia Wright, plays Black Panther's sister Shuri

Guyanese Actress Letitia Wright shines as Shuri in the star-studded blockbuster Black Panther alongside Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o and Creed star Michael B. Jordan. The 22-year-old, who was born in Guyana and moved to Britain aged seven, got her start on TV in the British series Doctor Who, Cucumber, and Chasing Shadows.

Actress Parisa Fitz-Henley , in Beverly Hills, California

Tobago-born actor stars in Black Panther

The rising star got her start on TV in the British series “Doctor Who,” “Cucumber,” and “Chasing Shadows.” She recently landed a key role in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big-budget tentpole “Ready Player One,” beating out dozens of young actresses to costar opposite Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke. film Wright shines as Shuri, In the King T'Challa's 16-year-old sister and the princess of the fictional African country of Wakanda. (With a short, asymmetrical haircut and delicate features, the 24-year-old convincingly passes for a teenager.)

In case you needed yet another reason to be excited about the upcoming Black Panther film, one of the topbilled actors in this highly anticipated superhero flick is a Tobagonian. Winston Duke, who plays supervillain Man Ape in the movie, was born in Argyle Village, Tobago and migrated to the United States when he was nine-years-old. Duke’s IMDB profile cites Law & Order: SVU, The Messengers, Modern Family and Person of Interest among his previous work.

It also reveals that the “towering” 6 foot 4 actor is currently filming another major blockbuster film - Avengers: Infinity War - also due for a 2018 release - where he reprises his role as Man Ape. According to Discover Trinidad and Tobago, Duke “finds time regularly to come back to Trinidad and Tobago where he does arts awareness workshops at local high schools, and also performed in the Trinidad Theatre Workshop production of An Echo in the Bone.”ago’s Winston Duke, who stars as M’Baku in “Black Panther

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ImmigrationINFO

Immigration News For Our Community Trump Immigration Framework = End Chain Migration + End Visa Lottery + Border Wall + Legal Status for DACA By Attorney Gail S. Seeram, Gail@GailLaw.com 1-877-GAIL-LAW

@GailSeeram FREE In-Office Consultation FREE Live Chat www.MyOrlandoImmigrationLawyer.com No bill or legislation has been introduced by the Trump administration and no legislation has been signed into law. All you have heard is a whole lot of talk on immigration. The one page outline introduced by the Trump administration proposed a long path to citizenship for 1.8 million DACA (or young immigrants who entered the U.S. before age 15) in exchange for a massive border package, cut to chain migration, and complete elimination of the diversity visa. The language in this one page outline is very vague and gives very few details. Border Wall The one page outline proposes massive increases in enforcement dollars including a $25 billion “trust fund” for a “border wall system,” as well as additional funds for the Department of Homeland Security’s other enforcement activities. The bill would also expand the use of a fast-track deportation process, known as expedited removal, to remove those who overstay their visas. Visa Lottery Secondly, the framework criticizes and eliminates the diversity visa lottery program, claiming it is a program “riddled with fraud and abuse and does not serve the national interest.” Although the framework states that it would reallocate those visas to reduce the lengthy backlogs in the family-based and high-skilled employment-based categories, it is unclear how exactly it would be done. End Chain Migration (aka Family Immigration) The framework also proposes drastic cuts to legal immigration, in what could be a 50 percent decrease in

green cards issued annually. These cuts to legal immigration are accomplished in two ways. First, it redefines the nuclear family by only allowing U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor only their spouse and minor children, ending the visa categories that allow them to reunite with adult children, siblings, and parents. In other words, U.S. Citizens and lawful permanent residents would no longer be able to file an immigration petition for brother/sister, adult children (over age 21) or parents under Trump immigration framework. The issue really comes down to is restricting immigration. Immigration restrictionists want to see lower total numbers of immigrants coming in to the U.S. - even if that means targeting legal immigration vehicles like the family visa programs. Currently, family-sponsored immigration tools account for 65% of new legal immigrants to the U.S. every year, so restricting use of the tool would dramatically reduce immigration numbers. The reality is that 2018 is a mid-term election year and Republicans will NOT be on-board to grant 1.8 million DACA immigrants legal status even if it means cutting chain migration (family immigration). Again, immigration is FEDERAL LAW and laws start out as proposed bills that get introduced into Congress and must pass by majority vote and then get signed into law by a President. None of the above has happened – no bill, no legislation, no voting, no signing. Copyright © Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2018. All Rights Reserved.

UPDATE

As we went to print on February 15th the Senate voted on on four immigration bills, looking for any forward movement on protecting young people brought illegally to the United States as children and beefing up border security. Every proposal failed. The real disagreement, is on legal immigration. The White House wants substantial legal immigration cuts, through changes to family-based migration and the diversity visa program.