Caribbean American Passport News Magazine - Dec 2021

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Dec/Jan 2022

12 HME Woman of the Year Finalist Dr. Trisha Bailey of Bailey's Pharmacy donates $100,000.00 to local After-School Enrichment and Mentoring Program.

C Merry Christmas from the Management & Staff of Caribbean American Passport

CHRISTMAS IN GT WITH ANNA B

by Jean Ann Ridley

Anna B was my mom. She it was who made Christmas ‘happen’.

Of course, Dad was chief financier, bringing in his teachers’ pay after he had let it warm his pocket for a few days – reluctant to part with it knowing that he would be left with an empty pocket for the rest of the month.

We were, in fact, poor. But we children never knew it. Because Anna B never missed a beat. At Christmas the toys were there. The pepperpot was there. The ginger beer and mauby were there. So were the biscuits and sweets! But most of all, what Anna B. gave to us was Anticipation!

Anticipation has a magic all its own – not to be distilled by reality. And our reality never disappointed even though objectively it should have! After all, we never did get that beautiful walking, talking doll we saw in the store windows when we went window shopping at night. We never got that beautifully equipped doll’s house! O the magic of that house! Did such things really exist. After all we never did see one outside of the glass case.

But who cared for those things on Christmas morning when we unwrapped that beautiful flaxen haired blue eyed waxen faced doll (talk about inappropriate images!)

Or when we got that little frying pan and teapot adorned with painted daisies! We forgot about those beautiful images or, rather, were not these little shining newbies an extension of those very glassCont'd on page 3 window unattainbles?

hristmas came early for United Foundation of Central Florida with a special gift from Dr. Trisha Bailey of Bailey's Pharmacy.

Dr. Bailey continued her partnership and investment in the young people of Pine Hills, through the United Foundation of Central Florida, Inc., by making the life changing donation at the Foundation's 6th Annual Christmas Party.

In a statement Dr. Bailey said "One of the things that moves

Dr. Bailey and her daughter presented the check to Founder and Executive Director Sandra Fatmi-Hall.

me is seeing young people succeed. I thank God for placing me in a position where I can help them remove some of the the financial obstacles that they face."

After-School Enrichment and Mentoring President For the 2021-2022 school year Derek Edwards announced that earlier this month he received a full ride for 4-years through the QuestThe historic night continued for the bridge Scholarship to the presUted Foundation of Central Florida, tigious Princeton University.

Inc. when Future Leaders United Cont'd on pg 15

Princeton University scholarship awardee and FLU President Derek Edwards with UFCF Founder Sandra Fatmi-Hall

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L I F E S T Y L E

Guenet Gittens-Roberts Owner/Publisher/Editor

What will be your Legacy after you're gone?

Samuel J. Roberts

Owner/Publisher/Editor

We live our lives following our dreams and trying to live our best lives, but ask yourself "What will be your legacy after you're gone?"

Over the last few week I've lived with the pain of losing a close friend. As every day passed I've reflected on what our friend meant to us and what she had done during her short but impactful life and posed that same question to myself.

Personally, I try to be as genuine as possible. I try to show love and appreciation to those around me and the people in my life, but is that enough? Should we, as individuals, commit to greater goals, like changing the world, creating world peace, solving world hunger, making the world a better place or the many other, seemingly, impossible things?

In my opinion the answer is "yes", to all of the above questions, but it's the "how" that is the really big question.

They say the world's longest and most difficult journey begins with just one (1) step.

Let's start with simply trying to make the world a better place. How do we do this? There is a movie called "Pay it Forward" and I think the story behind this movie can be implemented at any level, even ours as individuals. The movie is the story of a social studies teacher who gives an assignment to his junior high school class to think of an idea to change the world for the better, then put it into action. When one young student creates a plan for "paying forward" favors, he not only affects the life of his struggling single mother, but he sets in motion an unprecedented wave of human kindness which, unbeknownst to him, has blossomed into a profound national phenomenon.

A simple act of kindness can change the direction of another persons day or even their life. Have you ever simply smiled at someone randomly on the street or in a store and see their face light-up with joy? Have you ever felt down and out and a phone call from a long lost friend or family member picks you up and changes your perspective? These are some of the simple "First Steps" that we can make in changing the world.

Second steps; share your passion, share your talent, share your dreams with someone and invite them to join you dream - dreams are sometimes better with company.

Sharing your passion or your talent will also provide tangible parts to your personal legacy.

We launched this newspaper in September of 2010 as a platform to showcase our people; the Caribbean American, the Haitian American, the Asian American, the African American...the under-served communities in Central Florida. Along the way we have received many awards and great recognition for the service we provide, but our greatest moments are not measured by those many awards and trophies received but rather by the occasional phone call or conversation with one of our readers.

We create this newspaper every month with great pleasure and pride, as we showcase our community to the world but the editorial is usually our most challenging contribution to the paper. The editorial is our personal share, our personal story or perspective and is therefore our 'Give' to our readers.

Over the 12+ years this editorial has been written by a member of our family; on few occasions we have utilized outside articles written by others because they say what we want say but they actually say it better than we could. Over the years we have met people who have read every editorial we have ever written, we've met people who tear out the editorial to keep, we've met people who have shared our tears and our experiences. Most importantly, our editorials connect us with our readers on a personal level and hearing them say "I love your editorials" helps me feel that this paper could be a part of our legacy!

1969 Alafaya Trail • 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 publication go to http:// caribbeanamericanpassport.com and click on the 'Print Archive'.

Publisher & Editor................................................................................... Sam Roberts Publisher ............................................................................. Guenet Gittens-Roberts Editor & Contributing Writer................................................................Aleia Roberts Contributing Writers: ................................................................................ Tony Dyal Contributing Photographers ............ .......................................................Ted Hollins ....................................................................................................................Dillia Castillo Central Florida Distribution......................................................... .Danielle Browne South Florida Distribution .............................................................Norman Williams North Florida Distribution ...............................................................Kadeem Roberts Tampa Distribution ...................................................................................Julian Pina Copyright (C) 2016 GGR Marketing & Public Relations. All rights reserved.

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CHRISTMAS IN GT WITH ANNA B

by Jean Ann Ridley Cont'd from page 1

Look! We had attained- A new doll, a new teapot, a cap gun for the boys! These spelled Christmas and Christmas had come to our house! Life could not get better. Or so we thought as we shared that one doll between us four girls.

Did the four-way sharing cause us to feel deprived? Not at all.

One hundred percent of this beautiful doll belonged to each of us 100%. It can be likened to the concept of each child being our Heavenly Father’s favorite child, even while knowing that each of his earthly siblings was also his Father’s favorite child. For real! We were happy. We were content. The impossible had been made possible.

In those ‘prehistoric’ days Christmas in GT was heralded by the sound of Christmas songs on the radio or in the stores downtown. It achieved more clearly defined form when we heard Mom making her Christmas Shopping List (how many of those things had had to be left off eventually?). But things really got kicking when the first night of window shopping arrived – after being canceled a number of times. We children waited patiently, discussed the outing ad nauseum with the neighbors’ children, knowing that one day it would happen.

Those trips around town would start as night began to fall.

We would make our way on foot through the streets of Georgetown, alongside scores of other families similarly bent.

We would look our fill at the displays in the shining shopwindows, drinking in all the possibilities. It was a feast of sights, and we had our eye-bellies full, returning home tired and happy.

Then would come the Big Day! It was a day of sights, scents and sounds. First up, as we exited the bedroom door into the hallway, was the sight of a transformed living room – one year it might be billowing all-white curtains covering the open windows. All around our feet would be a carpet of shining, stained mahogany wood. How many times during the run-up had we heard Mom admonishing the boys to get the floor polished before Christmas? On that day, the mecca for our hurrying feet would be the Christmas tree corner. Of course, en route, our peripheral vision could not fail to snag the newly redone furniture – chairs re-caned and wooden parts either stained or polished, and of course there were the sparkling brass plant pots and brass knicks knacks.

All had achieved the mandatory mirror finish. But time to enjoy those would be for later.

The Christmas Tree was our number one priority. Adorned in the splendor of glowing bulbs and winking tinsel, that tree never failed to take our breath away. The beloved painted bulbs carefully kept from year to year, winked at us from beneath its shroud of angel hair, whose waves and sparkle we half believed belonged to our big brother’s girlfriend.

That’s what he told us. How could we be dumb enough (or mesmerized enough) to believe him. It was as possible as Santa coming through the keyhole. We, in the tropics, with no chimney, had been reliably informed by the older ones that that was how Santa Claus made his way into our homes. We were happy to believe, pushing our doubts aside.

At the other end of our little house was the center of all activities – the kitchen. And Mom- Anna B! It was like Santa’s workshop, spilling out goodness into the rest of the environment. This was where the culinary side of Christmas magic was being weaved. The pepperpot, garlic pork, baked and stewed chicken, sweet and sour pork – they were all here in various stages of done-ness. This was where all those Christmassy smells were coming from.

Then there was the ham – the piece de resistance, the crowning glory – the main reason mom had joined the boxhand (that informal banking arrangement between family and friends). Then there was Mom. Dearest mom! There’s not another like her! She had not slept all night. Now she was standing over something, stirring but nodding off. Of course, she would deny it vigorously. But this was Mom. While we children slept, she had conjured her Santa tricks, brought out her interior decorating skills and worked her culinary magic.

Mom’s expensive ham had been the source of much joy and distress. It elicited fulsome praise from Mr. E. the family friend- Dad’s friend actually. It was Mr. E who had crowned Mom with the sobriquet ‘Anna B’ or sometimes ‘Anna with the Light Brown hair’, following Mom’s brief flirtation with hair makeovers. Mr. E had become a fixture at our house. We were never surprised to see him there whether late at night or early in the morning. I do believe that he even checked in with us first before going home to his family. Mr. E and Dad would have long discussions into the night. Christmas eve being one of those nights. That was when he would generously sample Mom’s unfinished ham. I can still hear her distressed voice complaining sotto voce that Mr. E, was eating too much of it. She would have to rearrange the pattern of cloves with which she usually finished the glazed top of that poor ham.

Finally, there would be Christmas Lunch! Drum roll please! Unlike the rest of the year, the table would be laid with all sorts of impressive stuff. White paper napkins were stuck in the glasses placed at each one’s knife edge. Special crockery would be brought out and then to the children’s delight there would be splashes of color – the color of sweet drinks! Yes, ginger beer and mauby were nice enough, but colorful fizzy bottles of drink were the treat that capped the lunch. A bottle -red, orange, even green was placed between each two settings. Who cared that these bottles had to be shared with one’s dining neighbor! The liquid tumbling over the ice cubes into the glass was a sight that satisfied almost as much as the fizz that went up our noses when we lifted the glass to our lips! Heaven had come to our house. Heaven had come to GT. It’s time to raise a glass to all the Anna Bs of the world!

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The Spectacular Clare and The Chocolate Nutcracker Had Everyone Dancing In Their Seats

by Roger Caldwell

Part of the 28 member cast and crew

From ballet to hip-hop, to jazz, modern day R&B, calypso, African dance, and music from around the world, there was something that you heard, that you loved.

On Saturday, November 27th, at 7 PM, 150 dancers primarily children and youth lit up the stage with brilliance, hard work, dancing genius, discipline, and pure African American funk. Under the vision and leadership of the creator and Executive Producer Beverly Page, and Artistic Director Jere’ James, Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts came alive.

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson proudly represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District shown above with community members.

Now it is time to take this great show on the road to Broadway, as George Benson started off the show singing, there’s magic in the air.

For more information visit the website at www.clareandthechocolatenutcracker.com. Clare On a cultural, ecstatic, and global perspective, there were and Chocolate Nutcracker merchandise is now no dance forms missed, and the dancers never stopped sold on Etsy.com, Walmart.com, and on the Clare moving the entire show. I have seen the show many and the Chocolate Nutcracker website. different times, and each year it gets better, and Saturday night, it rocked downtown Orlando. If you were not there you missed a special treat. The show started with George Benson’s music “On Broadway” and mentally the dancing took you back to the partying in the twenties, and at that point you were under the spell of the show.

The scenes were magnificent, and Joas Pedro Mascarenhas, first year art student at Valencia College, who created the beautiful scenes, is extremely talented.

This performance was dance at its best, and everyone that danced in the show did it with passion and exuberance. Some members of the principal cast were; Marl Sallis as Clare, Ma’Liyah Chatman as Young Clare, Dominiq Luckie as the Nutcracker Prince, Laura Pretel as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Brian Allen Martin & Carol-Ann Clenton-Martin as Clare’s Parents.

Ambassadors Ericka, Deja, Mani and Nicole for the Orlando Carnival team were on the red carpet to greet guests with host Monica Mays. They later participated in the Clare goes to the Caribbean scene in the Chocolate Nutcracker.

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Pine Hills Establishment Day Parade Pine Hills Community celebrated its very first historical Pine Hills Establishment Day Parade, on December 11, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. The parade started at Barnett Park, out to Pine Hills Road and returned to Barnet Park for festivities.

Pine Hills is a highly diverse Community that encompasses more than 25,000 households with a population of over 80,000.

Pine Hills is unincorporated and depends largely on civic organizations, such as the Pine Hills Safe Neighborhood Partnership and Pine Hills Community Council to promote civic awareness, health awareness, public safety and many other quality of life initiatives.

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The parade was planned by Roselyn Clouden of the Pine Hills Safe Neighborhood Partnership and due to the hard work of Committee members, Aisha Ryan, Rashida Ryan-Horton, Samuel Roberts of Caribbean American Passport, Adrea Osinski, Lorna Wilmoth of Pine Hills Seniors as well as Patricia Rumph, Myra Johnson and Dr. Latanya Nichols of the Pine Hills Community Council, the parade was a success.

Congrats to the Pine Hills Parade Committee Members for your diligence in working so hard to make this parade a success.:

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Orange County Health Services Extends Free Drive-Thru COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Sites through January 31, 2022 Orange County GovernmentOrange County, FL – Orange County Government’s Health Services announces the FREE drive-thru COVID- 19 testing and vaccination sites have extended operations through January 31, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – seven days per week.

Children vaccinations for ages 5-11 years old are available on Saturdays and Sundays only from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the administration building inside Barnett Park. A parent or guardian must be present at the time of vaccination for anyone age 5-17 years old.

Visit www.ocfl.net/vaccine for more and frequently asked questions.

Barnett Park can accommodate 1500-2000 vaccinations a day.

Orange County has the resources, experienced staff and supply to confidently meet any increased vaccination needs.

WHERE: TESTING AND VACCINATIONS Barnett Park COVID-19 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando 32808 Monday – Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: • No walk-ups and 4 persons only per vehicle. Families being tested are asked to be in the same vehicle.

• No symptoms and/or criteria are necessary for testing.

• Rapid test results are emailed/texted in less than an hour and PCR/molecular test results take about 48 hours.

• Pre-registration is encouraged but not required through the CDR Maguire Patient Portal at http:// www.PatientPortalFL.com prior to arrival at the testing sites.

• Due to high demand and occasional inclement weather, entrance to the sites may close early to accommodate all cars in line. Please plan to be in the vehicle waiting line prior by noon.

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New Immigration Enforcement Priorities – Effective November 29, 2021 On September 30, 2021, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced new “Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law,” The new guidelines which go into effect on November 29, 2021, requires an assessment of the individual and take into account the totality of the facts and circumstances. Enforcement priorities for apprehension and removal remain focused on non-citizens who are a threat to national security, public safety, and border security.

Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced "This memorandum provides guidance for the apprehension and removal of noncitizens. I am grateful to you, the other leaders of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and our frontline personnel for the candor and openness of the engagements we have had to help shape this guidance. Thank you especially for dedicating yourselves - all your talent and energy - to the noble law enforcement profession. In executing our solemn responsibility to enforce immigration law with honor and integrity, we can help achieve justice and realize our ideals as a Nation. Our colleagues on the front lines and throughout the organization make this possible at great personal sacrifice."

According to the press release, “there is also recognition that the majority of the more than 11 million undocumented or otherwise removable noncitizens in the United States have been contributing members of our communities across the country for years. The fact an individual is a removable noncitizen will not alone be the basis of an enforcement action against them.”

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The memorandum contains seven key factors I - Foundational Principle: The Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion.

II - Civil Immigration Enforcement Priorities.

III - Protection of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties IV - Guarding Against the Use of Immigration Enforcement as a Tool of Retaliation for the Assertion of Legal Rights.

V - The Quality and Integrity of our Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions.

VI - Implementation of the Guidance.

VII - Statement of No Private Right Conferred To review the full memorandum visit www.ice.gov/doclib/news/guidelines-covilimigrationlaw.pdf

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Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings Announces Launch of Bizlink Orange® Orange County Government One-stop Website That Supports Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners.

In partnership with Central Florida’s National Entrepreneur Center, Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings today announced the launch of BizLink Orange®, an innovative online platform to seamlessly connect Central Florida entrepreneurs and small business owners to business assistance organizations in over 50 different languages.

BizLink Orange Logo “Orange County is home to some of the most innovative and hard-working business owners in the world,” said Demings. “Orange County Government was a founding sponsor of the National Entrepreneur Center and this new tool provides the next step for connecting business owners throughout Central Florida to the resources that will support their growth. This initiative benefits our entire region.”

The service is free and includes access to business coaches, research materials, a regional business event calendar, and a variety of business-building services across the sixcounty region of Central Florida. BizLink Orange® utilizes the proprietary SourceLink® software, which is already in use in many communities throughout the United States.

community at every stage of growth. BizLink Orange® expands our existing collaborative model exponentially, while providing quick and easy access to business services.†BizLink Orange® is funded by Orange County Government and managed by the National Entrepreneur Center. The online platform is free to the public to access and free for non-profit resource partners to join. For more information, visit www.BizLinkOrange.com or call 3-1-1.

The National Entrepreneur Center will launch and manage BizLink Orange® which has already attracted more than 50 participating organizations.

“Entrepreneurs have different needs at different times,” said Jerry Ross, President of the National Entrepreneur Center. “Our community has been at the forefront of building dynamic resources to support our business

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Fusion Fest 2021 - Recap

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What is cryptocurrency? by Kadeem Roberts A cryptocurrency (or “crypto”) is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and services, but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography to secure online transactions.

“Normal” currency as we generally think of it is backed by a country or government, this is called “Fiat money.”

Which basically means that the value of the currency is based on supply and demand, and the stability of the government that issued it. These are usually issued by central banks and backed by the government.

The original idea behind Bitcoin was to create a decentralized cryptocurrency, eliminate centralized control of money from government agencies and ensure speedy processing of transactions. These are the same principles that many other altcoins have followed. While each individual crypto has its own intended uses, and benefits(and should be researched separately before purchasing). One major benefit to them is the users and owners of the crypto have control over the currency itself.

With normal currency you have control over your money in terms of what you spend and where you spend it, but we have no say in the actual value of our money. Because fiat money is backed and controlled by our government; our government controls our money!

The biggest risk of fiat money, inflation and hyperinflation. This is something that we’re living through right now. To keep the economy afloat throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the US economy decided to essentially print more money. They gave it out through stimulus checks; lowered interest rates; gave PPP loans to small businesses, and many other policies made sure money continued to flow.

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CDC Guidelines for COVID Exposure: Timeline, Quarantine, Contagious Period What should you do if you or someone you have been in close contact with tests positive for coronavirus? How long are you contagious, what are the quarantine guidelines and when can you see people again?

Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine, according to the CDC, but they should get tested anywhere from five to seven days following their exposure regardless of symptoms.

Here's a look at the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what to do if you test positive or believe you were exposed to someone who has.

Local health authorities can also make the final determination about how long a quarantine should last, however. And testing can play a role.

How Soon Might Symptoms Appear?

According to the CDC, COVID symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus.

For example, in Chicago, those who travel to or from certain parts of the country and are unvaccinated must quarantine upon arrival to Chicago, but the length of time they should do so for depends on whether they get tested for COVID.

Anyone with symptoms should get tested for COVID. When Should You Get a COVID Test?

Those who have been fully vaccinated and around someone who has COVID-19 are recommended to get tested between five and seven days after their exposure, according to the most recent guidance from the CDC, though previous guidance had been between three and five days.

Those who develop symptoms should get tested as symptoms develop, but if a test is negative and symptoms persist another test might be needed a few days later, particularly for those who use at-home test kits.

"So if someone is having symptoms and they get a negative test, one, it depends on the severity right? If you're having severe symptoms we don't want you to just do a home test either," said Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal, the associate chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine for Cook County Health. "We want you to call your doctor's office and make sure that they have an opinion here because there are of course other things like the flu that are out there that can mimic symptoms or have similar symptoms. But if you're having symptoms and they're kind of mild and lingering and you use the [at-home] test and it's negative, we want you to take the precautions and then retest in three to five days.

And that's why most of these kits actually come with two tests."

When is Someone With COVID Contagious?

A person with COVID-19 is considered infectious starting two days before they develop symptoms, or two days before the date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms.

How Long Should you Quarantine or Isolate?

First things first, those who believe they have been in contact with someone who has COVID and are unvaccinated should quarantine. Those who test positive, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here's the breakdown: Quarantine Those who have been within 6 feet of someone with COVID for a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes over a 24-hour period should stay home for 14 days after their last contact with that person and watch for symptoms. If possible, those quarantining should also stay away from the people they live with, particularly those who are at an increased risk of developing more severe COVID illness.

If symptoms appear within the quarantine window, isolate immediately and contact a healthcare provider, the CDC's guidance states.

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The city's travel advisory recommends those who travel from the designated warning states must: Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days. Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.

If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected. If you don’t get tested, stay home and selfquarantine for 10 days after travel. Illinois' health department states that: Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. Quarantine can end after Day 7 if a RT (Reverse Transcriptase)-PCR test is negative and if no symptoms were reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. The earliest a specimen may be collected and tested would be on Day 6 with quarantine being discontinued no earlier than Day 8. This option is not recommended for children in daycares or K-12 schools, however. "Due to the risk of severe illness and congregate transmission, IDPH recommends the full 14-day quarantine period rather than the shortened options described above in congregate living settings with vulnerable populations, such as skilled care and correctional facilities," the Illinois Department of Public Health states on its website.

For schools, the guidance is different. In these settings, IDPH guidance states that: Any student or school personnel who is a confirmed case or probable case should stay home for a minimum of 10 days following onset date if symptomatic or date of positive test if asymptomatic, or as otherwise directed by the school’s local health authority. Any unvaccinated student or school personnel who is in close contact must stay home for a minimum of 14 days or as otherwise directed by the school’s local health authority, which may recommend options such as exclusion for 10 days without testing but with daily symptom check or seven days with a negative test result on day 6. As an alternative to exclusion, schools may permit close contacts who are asymptomatic to be on the school premises, extracurricular events, or any other events organized by the school if both the confirmed case or probable case and the contact were masked for the entire exposure period and provided the contact tests negative on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 following the exposure.

Individuals who are fully vaccinated or who tested positive for COVID-19 within prior 90 days and are currently asymptomatic are not considered close contacts. Any student or school personnel who exhibit

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Shellie-Ann Marie Braswell, 47 Jamaican born, transitioned to her heavenly home unexpectedly on Thursday, November 25, 2021, in Orlando, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Florida State University, College of Health & Human Sciences, for the Shellie-Ann Braswell Memorial Scholarship. Donations can be made online at https:// give.fsu.edu/braswellmemorialscholarship or mailed to Florida State University Foundation, Gift Services, 325 West College Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32301-1403, with Shellie's name.

CDC Guidelines for COVID Exposure...Cont. pg14 symptoms of COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, should stay home until they test negative for COVID-19, or for a minimum of 10 days, until they are fever free for 24 hours and until 48 hours after diarrhea or vomiting have ceased.

Isolation According to the CDC, people who are positive for COVID should stay home until it's safe for them to be around others, including even other members of their home.

Health officials recommend a "sick room" or area for those who are infected and a separate bathroom, if possible.

So how period?

do

you

calculate

your

10-day

isolation

According to the CDC, "day 0 is your first day of symptoms." That means that Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed.

For those who test positive for COVID but have no symptoms, day 0 is the day of the positive test.

Those whodevelop symptoms after testing positive must start their calculations over, however, with day 0 then becoming the first day of symptoms.

HME Woman of the Year Finalist Dr. Trisha Bailey of Bailey's Pharmacy donates $100,000.00 to local After-School Enrichment and Mentoring Program.

Cont'd from page 1

Over the past 5 years, Dr. Bailey's contributions to the program has sent over 100 students to higher education, helped to open a Solutions Center in Pine Hills earlier this year, and has provided over 1.7 million meals since the pandemic started.

United Foundation of Central Florida continues to be a game changer for the community of Pine Hills and surrounding areas.

The graduation rate at Evans High School 10 years ago was 50% today they are a whopping 97.6%. To be a part of the Solution and help our young people and families using a holistic approach invest in the Foundation by logging onto www.unitedfoundationcf.org or by calling 770-789-7004.

Sandra Fatmi-Hall with UFCF Second Vice President Julien Serrano-O'Neil and Future Leaders United alumni

Dr. Trisha Bailey and Commissioner Bakari Burns

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Zorida Pritipal-Manoo of Golden Krust with her daughters

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@kw.com

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Tony and the First Noel - By TONY DEYAL My regional column today is like Santa's Workshop- he has reindeer and we have rain here. I also have sentences with subordinate clauses.

The first Noel that I ever did see was a neighbor from Grenada.

So, too, was the second Noel who went to secondary school with me and traveled on the same bus, which was always so crowded by the time it reached our village that we couldn’t fight for seats, we had to push and shove one another for standing room. Most times, the bus, which started at about five in the morning from a relatively faraway seaside community, was driven by someone we knew only as ‘Mash Mouth’. He was not only very angry whenever we called him by that name but was always ready to tell us what he did to our mothers and sisters with his flattened dental organ or orifice.

This is truly a common Trini response. Jack Warner, when questioned by local or national reporters about his wealth, immediately responded with, “Ask your mother!” This was like a policeman we called ‘Irma Jarret’. The Trini sense of humor includes calling a short man ‘Tall Boy’ and a fat man ‘Slim’.

Irma Jarret was one of the national beauty queens and the policeman was not just ugly but had a big stomach and a bigger mouth. Knowing that he could not run fast enough to catch us, we shouted his nickname, “Irma Jarret!”, from a distance. His response, like Mash Mouth and Jack, was always about our female family and what he did to them and would do to us when he caught us.

The third Noel was also from Grenada. He taught me history and, because I was the only student in the class, we spent our time talking about everything else but the Tudors and Stuarts.

We had our own Sistine Chapel in a room in the sixth form library and I used to joke with him. Once I said, “European history is very confusing, you know. First, they say that this man who drew the Mona Lisa is from Italy, and then they say he from St Vincent.” He replied, “That is ridiculous. Nowhere have they ever said that.” “Yes, they did,” I pointed out. “The man name Leonardo da Vinci? So, if he is a Vinci, where else could he come from?”

KNEW ME WELL ENOUGH Mr Noel knew me well enough to leave me to do my work. So, apart from writing the occasional essay, I had time to ‘lime’ with him. One day, approaching Christmas and knowing that he missed his home and family in Gouyave, a village in Grenada, I dared asked Mr Noel, “How come all the Noels come from Grenada? God give you a patent or what?” He laughed and I added, “Worse, they really mix up history and geography, you know. Your family, the first Noel that the angels did say was to a Sheppard, and the whole Sheppard family come from Barbados. Worse, the Sheppards descended from Oliver Cromwell. Is a good thing your parents named you Stanley and not Charles!”

Charles was the name of one of my cousins whose mother was a Presbyterian. The rest of her family, including my parents, were Hindu. I went to English Catholic (Anglican) schools and became a Catholic before ending in a school run by the Irish Presentation Brothers whose principal was Brother McCartan.

Unfortunately, we youngsters were, like death, afraid of no one.

We found out quite quickly that, because of his obvious and increasing baldness, our principal’s nickname ‘donated’ by the students, was ‘Cockhead’. Boys being boys, when we saw Brother McCartan coming, we all shouted from afar, “Cockhead! Cockhead!” All, that is, except one of the boys in the first form. He was within arm’s reach of Brother McCartan,

who grabbed him and said, “Why are you shouting and disturbing people like that? If you want Cockhead don’t stand up here calling for him, go and find him!”

In telling my teacher Mr Noel about it, we both agreed that, if Brother McCartan was a Sheppard descended from Oliver Cromwell like the other people in his part of Ireland, the Noel family would have been wiped out before they even knew where Grenada was. Of course, we made jokes about it like, “Ireland, where men are men and sheep are nervous” and “What’s an Irish seven-course meal?” A six-pack and a potato. I found out just a few years ago when I did a DNA test that I am just over 12 percent Irish and, while that accounts for my love of potatoes, it does not explain my drink of choice in the old days, single malt Scotch. Which brings me back to a version of the First Noel that one of the boys in my form contrived. He insisted that the Three Wise Men saw a star in the yeast and not the “east” and that the “more” and not “myrrh” they added to the gold and frankincense was bread. This is what led Christ to ask, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread will give him a stone?” Or as my teacher Mr Noel said in jest, “It is why so many people get stoned for Christmas.”

SENSE OF HUMOUR What hits me so many years later is that, even in the midst of sixth-form humor, we never lost our sense of the rightness of Christmas and what it stands for, especially what it should mean to all of us, regardless of race, religion and country of birth or origin. In looking at how the different Englishspeaking Caribbean countries spend Christmas, it is clear how much we all have in common. Having lived in Barbados, Trinidad, Belize and Antigua, and also visiting and spending lots of time in most of them, I feel at home in all of them. We string the halls with lights instead of boughs of holly and have a few events that are different, but the core is the same. Yet, at least three of the countries boast about why their Christmas is better than the rest of the region.

While I understand that the competitiveness about having the best Christmas can spring from the dependence on tourism and the fight, known in many homes at Christmas time, for a bigger slice of the cake, the short-sightedness bothers me. Every country is trying to “one up” their neighbors, all of whom speak the same language and have very similar Christmas celebrations.

Wherever I’ve spent Christmas – Canada or the US, home in a Hindu household when I was very young, later at a Catholic mass or singing with the ‘parang’ (from Spanish ‘parranda’ meaning ‘spree’ or ‘fête’) groups that came to our house or were from our street - I always had a feeling of one family, one God and one Christ. Actually, I have long believed that all religions are like rivers that empty into the same sea.

So, while I loved and sang “We three kings of Orient”, “Mary’s boy child” or even about wanting a piece of pork for my Christmas, what stays with me during the entire year and all my life so far is “Joy to the World”. It might be a dream, a hope, a prayer and a song but more, it is a wish that I carry with me wherever I go. *Tony Deyal was last seen asking the prime ministers of the Caribbean, “If Mary and Joseph had a stable relationship, why can’t you?” www.caribbeanamericanpassport.com

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