Caribbean American Weekly - Issue 137

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ISSUE 137 VOLUME 22

Nov 5, 2021

SERVING THE CARIBBEAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES!

Eric Adams: The New King of New York!

BY VICTORIA FALK SPECIAL TO CAW

V

ictorious! Democratic candidate, Eric Adams, won the New York City 2021 mayoral race. When Adams gets sworn into office as the next Mayor of New York City on January 1, 2022, he will be the 2nd African American to hold the position. Since the office of Mayor was established in New York City in 1665, every Mayor has been White. It wasn't until the late David continued on page 5

Governor Hochul Signs Domestic Violence Legislative Package ....21

Mayor-elect Adams.Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Small States Must Rage at COP26 – It’s the Last Chance Saloon ....2

“Pass the Bill Now!”

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ew York, NY: On November 4, the Our City, Our Vote Coalition (OCOV), led by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and United Neighborhood Houses, were joined by immigrants’ rights and civic engagement advocates and allies in a sit-in and rally outside of Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s district office to demand a vote on New York City Council bill Intro 1867, which would expand the right to vote in municipal elections to immigrant New Yorkers with legal permanent res-

Get to Know Miss Universe Jamaica 2021 ....16

Knowledge is Power when you use it!

Get a FREE Consultation!

Ask the Lawyer:

Mia Mottley and Caribbean Leadership ....8

Call 855-768-8845

Speaker Johnson. Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

continued on page 13

The Importance of Paternity Testing ....7

Brian Figeroux, Esq., Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association

Immigration Reforms in the House BBB Bill....12

NYC Politicians Parade in Puerto Rico With Races From Governor to Council Speaker at Stake ....22

Sitting and Diabetes in Older Adults: Does Timing Matter? ....17

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CARIBBEAN SPECIAL REPORT Caribbean Consulates Anguilla 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200 Antigua & Barbuda 305 East 47th Street, Suite 6A New York, N.Y. 10020 Tel: 212-541-4117 The Bahamas 231 East 46th Street New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-421-6420 Barbados 820 Second Avenue, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-551-4325 Belize 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-593-0999 Dominica 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400H New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-949-0853 Dominican Republic 1500 Broadway, Suite 410 New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-599-8478 Grenada 685 Third Avenue, Suite 1101 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-599-0301 Guyana 308 West 38th Street New York, N.Y. 10018 Tel: 212-947-5119 Haiti 815 Second Avenue,6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-697-9767 Jamaica 767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-935-9000 Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-838-6887 Montserrat 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200 Panama 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-840-2450 St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel: 212-535-5521 St. Lucia 630 Third Avenue, 7th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-697-9360 St. Maarten 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 800-786-2278 St. Vincent & The Grenadines 801 Second Avenue, 21st Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-687-4981 Trinidad & Tobago 125 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10038 Tel: 212-682-7272 For more Consulate information go to www.cawnyc.com/directory

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Small States Must Rage at COP26 – It’s the Last Chance Saloon

BY SIR RONALD SANDERS

I

t is nothing short of shocking to learn that, despite the fact that the world is teetering dangerously on the precipice of a climate catastrophe with fatal consequences for small island states, some rich nations are lobbying against paying to help developing countries mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

The UN agency, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has produced a report which will be an important tool in the negotiations between nations at the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, starting in a few days’ time.

However, documents obtained by Greenpeace UK that was shown to the BBC, reveal that Switzerland and Australia particularly, are doubting parts of the IPCC report, which state that developing countries will require financial support from rich countries in order for them to achieve emission reduction targets.

The danger in the doubts expressed by Switzerland and Australia that seek to amend the IPCC report, is that other richer and greater polluting countries may try to hide behind them to reduce their own pledge to provide climate finance. These countries have already failed to meet their promise to contribute $100 billion per year by 2020. The latter subject is not on the formal agenda of the Glasgow meeting, but small developing countries should raise it at every opportunity and under any pretext.

Plans, to stop global temperatures rising more than 1.5ºC by the end of the century, must be presented at the Glasgow meeting by every country. But the plans are unlikely to be delivered.

Authoritative Studies by Greenpeace and other bodies show that to keep temperatures below the 1.5ºC limit, every country needs to stop all new fossil fuel projects immediately and stop burning coal altogether. Rich nations need to give extra financial support to poorer countries to do the same, and to help deal with the existing impacts of climate change.

But the attitude shown by Switzerland and Australia, together with positions taken by Japan and the member states of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Nations (OPEC) especially Saudi Arabia, to amend language pointing to the need for “urgent and accelerated” action to reduce fossil fuels, pose real and deadly threats to small island states and countries with low-lying coastlands.

So, too, do attempts by representatives of Australia and India to water-down references in the IPCC report to the urgency of considerably reducing the production of coal, one of the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions. Australia is a big exporter of coal, and India’s representa-

Txai Surui, a 24-year-old indigenous climate activist from the Brazilian Amazon, said at COP26 on Monday: “Today the climate is warming, the animals are disappearing, the rivers are dying, and our plants don’t flower like they did before.”

“The Earth is speaking. She tells us that we have no more time,” Surui said, adding that indigenous groups must be at the center of U.N. climate talks. “It is not 2030, it is not 2050. It is now.” tives have made it clear that India will not reduce its coal production and use “for the next few decades” because India needs coal to provide cheap electricity for domestic and industrial use.

All of this makes COP26 in Glasgow a truly decisive moment for small islands and countries with low-lying coastlands.

This is the last decade the world has to avoid the worst impacts of global warming: unimaginable natural disasters, sealevel rise, decimation of human habitats and drowning of small countries with ancient civilizations as in parts of the Pacific. Small states must speak up, and they should not be cajoled into accepting words as deeds or promises as fulfilment.

There is a big hole in the COP26 agenda. It is a hole that will never be filled by the industrialized nations that are the biggest contributors to the adverse effects of Climate Change – it is the crucial matter of compensation for loss and damage.

Over the last four decades, Climate Change and global warming have wreaked massive destruction on small islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The repeated disasters, especially more frequent and more powerful storms, and extended periods of drought followed by huge flooding, have retarded growth and development in the Caribbean and Pacific countries while burdening them with debt to rebuild and to install expensive and resilient infrastructure against future damage. The polluting countries that cause this grave injury are paying nothing in compensation.

In June this year, a group of legal experts, co-chaired by British Professor Phillipe Sands QC, and Dior Fall Sow, a UN jurist and former prosecutor from

Senegal, unveiled an initiative for a new criminal law, called ‘Ecocide’. Ecocide is defined as ‘unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread long-term damage to the environment caused by those acts”.

While the law would open the door for compensation from entities that cause ecological damage, Climate Change is not specifically mentioned in the draft law, and, in any event, while it is good and right that it has been drafted and is being promoted, its acceptance and enactment by the International Criminal Court would take years. In any event, several polluting nations including the United States, are not members of the Court.

Therefore, small islands states and other countries that are the perpetual victims of Climate Change must devise new strategies for putting compensation for loss and damage on the global agenda and fighting for it.

And, at COP26, representatives of small states should include compensation for loss and damage in every statement they make. The evidence of the damage over the last four decades is clear for all to see. So, too, is the refusal of polluting countries to address it.

Small island states must use their advocacy to shame those who repeatedly damage with no effort to compensate and little effort to stop. Small states cannot go quietly into the dark night; they must rage against the dying of the light.l Sir Ronald Sanders is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and the Organization of American States.

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THOUGHTS

To Improve Public Health, Make Housing a Human Right

BY JAVIER LOPEZ CENTER FOR NEW YORK CITY AFFAIRS

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here we live dictates so much of our daily lives. Does the availability, stability, and quality of housing impact an individual’s or a community’s health? Intuitively we should all say yes. And data and research support this lived experience.

Observational studies have shown that being without a stable home is detrimental to one’s health. People who are chronically unhoused face substantially higher morbidity in terms of both physical and mental health, and experience increased mortality. People who are not chronically without housing but who face housing instability (whether moving frequently, falling behind on rent, or couch surfing) are also more likely to experience poor health in comparison to their stably housed peers.

The housing crisis facing this country is also a public health emergency. The alarm bells have been ringing for decades. Now the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified its dangers. Evictions between the beginning of the pandemic and the institution of a since-lapsed national eviction moratorium in September 2020 led to 433,700 excess Covid-19 cases and 10,700 additional deaths.

Can the expansion of housing make a positive dent in addressing poor health outcomes? I wish we could test this question. Unfortunately, the United States is experiencing an extreme shortage of housing of all kinds: first-time buyer houses, affordable housing, trade-up properties, rental properties, two- and three-family properties, and multifamily buildings.

According to a recent National Association of Realtors study, the supply of homes in the U.S. is more than five million homes short of demand, and builders are only on track to build 1.5 million homes per year.

As a consequence of this low housing stock inventory, the median price for an existing home had climbed to an all-time high of $363,300 in June (up 23 percent over the previous year).

This housing crisis is felt most intensely in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities which have experienced a well-documented history of racial

discrimination in securing, stabilizing, and maintaining quality housing. Court decisions and government policies have long tacitly or explicitly supported this discrimination. For example: •In 1926, the Supreme Court decision in Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co. provided support and a rationale for what later became known as not-inmy-backyard opposition to affordable housing.

•In 1934, the Federal Housing Administration was created to insure home mortgages for financial institutions, but rather than providing equal access to people of color, the agency’s underwriting manual explicitly directed personnel not to insure homes where there were “inharmonious racial groups” or if there was a possibility of “invasions” by such groups.

•At its inception, the federal public housing program established in 1937 was largely limited to White households. But when this housing subsequently came to be occupied predominantly by households of color, funding for modernization and repairs proved inadequate, contributing to the stereotypically negative images of the program.

Today, as Covid-19 continues to impact cost-burdened renters, BIPOC renters are the most at risk of eviction due to the increased likelihood of missing rent payments due to higher rates of lost employment.

Before Covid-19 reached the concrete shores of New York City, one in five adults in the city, and one in five children — more than 1.5 million people combined — experienced poverty. Nearly 60 percent of Black and Latinx adults experienced poverty for at least one year between 2016 and 2019. Since the onset of Covid-19, more than a quarter of all New Yorkers have missed at least one rent payment.

While Federal and State eviction moratoria have helped to prevent a massive rise in evictions and people without homes, the Federal protections have now expired and the State moratorium is temporary and not a long-term solution.

Public housing residents and the city’s unhoused communities (those unable to call regular places home) have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. The City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

recently reported that while New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) tenants are roughly four percent of the city’s population, they’ve accounted for some seven percent of Covid-19 deaths. The impact of COVID-19 on New York City’s unhoused community has been severely understated.

Within their community 613 New Yorkers died between July 2019 and June 2020.

This marks a 52 percent increase compared to the prior year, with the largest rise occurring April-June 2020, when Covid-19 first began to bear down on the city.

New York City’s inability to address its housing crisis impacting its BIPOC communities did exacerbate COVID-19’s overall impact. This housing reality will continue to impact BIPOC New Yorkers without action. With one swift stroke of the pen the incoming Mayor of New York City can adopt a “Housing as a Human Right” agenda. In partnership with the City Council, the next mayor can take bold steps for community healing.

There are many actions to this agenda and many communities that need involvement in its development, but here are some actions that can be started on day one.

(Read those actions at www.cawnyc.com) I know New Yorkers think we are the best at everything. But Covid-19 has taught all of us that this is not the time to beat our chest and say “We got this.” It is instead time to learn and respond.

New York City should look at Vermont’s housing response to Covid-19 for inspiration. That state enacted one of the country’s most comprehensive eviction moratoriums, provided rent relief for landlords, expanded its existing motel voucher program to rehouse the unhoused from shelters to motels, and instituted a moratorium on utility shut-offs. In the Maple State, investments in housing are critical for addressing the pandemic (current) but have also been seen as catalytic in responding to persistent health inequities in the state.

There is a Nigerian proverb that says, “In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges, and the foolish build dams.” New York City can start this process of building by announcing its commitment to leading a “Housing as a Human Right” agenda.l

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CIVIL RIGHTS

A Crucial Boost for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

BY MICHAEL WALDMAN

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ith the addition of Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) as cosponsors, a majority of the Senate now supports the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Similarly, a majority supports, and has voted for, the Freedom to Vote Act, which would establish national standards on voting, redistricting, and campaign finance.

These bills are extraordinarily important. They are vital to defend our democracy from the assault it faces — critical to ensure that elections are free and fair, critical to ensure that we do not choke off our emerging multiracial democracy.

The choice before the Senate, then, is rather stark: voting rights or obstruction.

Murkowski’s support is greatly welcomed. She has supported the John Lewis Voting Rights Act before. But the central fact is that these vital pieces of legislation have run into a brick wall of partisan obstruction by the Senate Republican minority. That minority will not even allow a vote.

That partisan divide was not always the norm. The last time the 1965 Voting Rights Act was considered for renewal by the Senate, in 2006, it passed 98–0.

Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com

There are ways to move these bills to a final vote without jettisoning the filibuster, ways that preserve the Senate’s cherished (if somewhat illusory) values of debate and conciliation. The filibuster in this instance does not facilitate compromise or conciliation. It allows a minority to block needed legislation. The Senate has found many ways to ease passage of vital legislation despite Senate rules. This is such a time, and the stakes are that high.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was perhaps the most effective civil rights law in American history. It changed the South,

and the country. By 2012, Black voter turnout had equaled or exceeded white voter turnout in states like Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina. Everyone, everyone, agreed that the Voting Rights Act worked.

In 2013, however, the Supreme Court triggered the collapse of that consensus.

In Shelby County v. Holder, five justices ruled that the Voting Rights Act was outdated, and they eviscerated its protections. The four dissenting justices predicted the decision would allow the return of discriminatory voting laws.

The dissenters were right. This year

alone, 19 states have passed dozens of laws making it harder to vote. Many of those states would have been required to seek federal permission had the Voting Rights Act stood.

These restrictive new laws have disproportionately impacted voters of color.

Steady gains in Black voting rates have been reversed. In most of the states where Black voter turnout had surged prior to Shelby County, white voter turnout rates once again far exceed rates for Black voters. It’s difficult to imagine more powerful empirical evidence that the original safeguards of the Voting Rights Act remain necessary.

The Senate will vote on advancing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act tomorrow.

We expect it to garner a majority — a majority that represents a major step toward the broad, longstanding public consensus that voting rights and equality under the law are sacred in the United States. That majority must, one way or another, rule on this most crucial of issues. l Michael Waldman is president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. A nonpartisan law and policy institute that focuses on improving systems of democracy and justice, the Brennan Center is a leading national voice on voting rights, money in politics, criminal justice reform, and constitutional law.

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IN THE NEWS Eric Adams/continued from page 1 to the position in 1990 that New York City had a Black Mayor. While Adams didn't focus on race during his speech, others noted the significance of the city electing its second black Mayor. Camille Doherty, 50, shared, "When I was a senior in high school in 1989, David Dinkins was elected," Doherty told City Limits.

"My daughter is a senior in high school, and Eric Adams is getting elected."

Doherty attended the celebration with her teenage daughter, a dancer who performed with DeVore Dance Center of Hollis, Queens, as part of the night festivities.

Despite the strong victory, the former Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, understands that the road ahead will not be faced without challenges.

There are the inherent challenges that come with racial identity and racism in our society and the challenges facing New York City during this Covid-19 pandemic recovery period. Some of the significant challenges facing New York City during recent years, along with the pandemic, have been the loss of jobs and slow return of the economy, increased crime rate and gun violence, the flight of thousands of New Yorkers from the city, and the high cost of living in the city.

During random polls, and as evidenced by New Yorkers' votes, Eric Adams was determined the candidate most capable of addressing the city's issues.

When early voting in New York City began, Adams had already secured a commanding lead. Early voter polls showed

Adams with a 40-point lead over Republican Curtis Sliwa in the race for NYC Mayor. The considerable lead had some persons concerned that voter turnout would be slow because people assumed that their vote was not needed for Eric Adams to win.

According to data from the New York City Board of Elections, less than 24% of eligible voters in New York City actually voted in the election. According to the New York City Board of Elections, of those New Yorkers who did vote, 1.02 million voted during the early voting period. Adams' lead was evident from the start of early voting and first voter polls.

Eric Adams got 67% of the vote and was declared the clear winner of the New York City race for Mayor within minutes after the voting polls closed.

During his Brooklyn Marriott victory party, Adams recapped the promises he made on the campaign trail – that he will be a five-borough mayor, serve the underserved, and recover this city from COVID-19. "This campaign was for those who have been betrayed by their government," Adams said. "I washed dishes. I was beaten by police and sat in a precinct holding cell, certain that my future was already decided. And now, I will be the person in charge of that precinct and every other precinct in the city of New York."

Some of Adams' supporters, who voted on Election Day 2021, were eager to say why they voted for Eric Adams for New York City Mayor. Ms. Rhoda Basley, CEO of 'Wanderful Travels, LLC, said, "…his law enforcement background and

Adams.

Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com

experience are what New Yorkers need right now." Ms. Shernell Prescott, CEO of 'KP Customized Kreationz,' said, "I voted for him because he already has good relationships with major city and state organizations. He has been a good advocate for the minority community." While Mr. Rupert Knights, also known as Brother Rojo, Founder of Powerful Pioneers, and Jerry Kwabena Adinkra, Ghanaian Ambassador in New York City, agreed with the many New Yorkers who were impressed by Adams' long experience as a public servant. Brother Rojo described Adams as "intelligent, objective, and personable" and believes Adams will humanely address the city's crime rate.

Jerry Kwabena Adinkra stated that Adams' decades as a Public Servant make him experienced in tackling the city's issues."

Adams also thanked his supporters and discussed what New Yorkers could expect from him as their next Mayor of New York City. "We are so divided right now, and we're missing the beauty of our diversity. We have to end all of this division… ," said Adams. He discussed the need to

pull together as "…Team New York." "I am not creating a division between my firefighters, my police officers, my E.M.T.s, my teachers, my other civil servants. We are all in this together. We will find a way to get through this together. No division, no division," stressed the mayorelect.

Adams promised to be the voice of all people, "…from every corner and every background in this city.

Those who have been left behind and believed they would never catch up – the underserved, marginalized, the abandoned."

Speaking to NY1 on Wednesday, he said that he was not pleased with the relationship between the city and the state during Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.

"During the height of COVID, we saw chief executives at each other's throat.

That was not acceptable. It's not going to happen with me and whoever is in that governor's chair. I'm going to have a spirit of cooperation," Adams said.

"We are fighting Covid, crime, and economic devastation all at once…We have to turn our economy around by reaching out to the business world to grow the companies we have here while attracting new emerging industries. And we're going to get the safety we need and the justice we deserve. In four years, this city is never going to be the same. Once we move forward, we will never go back, said Adams. Eric Adams spoke about having hope for a better future, which is a promise New Yorkers hope he can deliver. We have the next four years to tell the story as it remains to be seen. l

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EDUCATION

NYC Kids Can Get $100 for COVID Vaccine Shots at Elementary Schools

cies, our own city sites, and so we’ll help people to navigate to get their second dose at a place that will remain convenient for them, and we can say that with confidence because of the breadth of network we have for vaccination across New York City.”

BY REEMA AMIN, CHALKBEAT

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ew York City is extending its $100 vaccine incentive to young children getting vaccinated at school sites or city-run clinics, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.

“We really want kids to take advantage, families to take advantage of that,” de Blasio told reporters. “Everyone can use a little more money around the holidays, but more importantly, we want our kids and families to be safe.”

Following the recent federal emergency approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, city officials are setting up one-day vaccine clinics at more than 1,000 school sites across the city that serve these students.

Children who get their COVID shots at schools or at other city clinics across the five boroughs will be eligible for the $100 incentive that the city has offered since late-July to new vaccine recipients getting their shots at city-run sites.

Once children get their first dose, families will receive an email with instructions on how to select a pre-paid $100 debit card or another incentive, including free tickets to sporting events or city attractions. Families can also call 877-

6

Children return to in-class learning at the Bedford Village School in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Sept. 13, 2021. Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

VAX4NYC for more information.

Second Dose Shuffle Second doses, which must be administered at least three weeks after the first, won’t be available at school sites, unlike previous school-based vaccine efforts.

However, staff will help families set up their next appointments, city officials said.

Schools are not planning to offer the second dose because they are not as popular as other places for vaccination, such as a pediatrician’s office or a clinic, according to de Blasio and Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.

The 700 pop-up school clinics set up during the first week of school this year — which also offered doses to family members and staff — vaccinated about 7,000 people, said Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for the city’s education department. That is an average of 10 vaccines per site.

“We want to make sure we broaden our network as much as possible for people to get their first doses as quickly as they possibly can, and schools are a great site for us to be able to do that,” Chokshi said.

“That being said, we do have a very robust network pediatricians, pharma-

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Consent Issues The city is considering tweaking its parental consent process for children to get vaccinated at schools. Initially, city officials said parents and guardians must provide verbal consent for their children to get shots at school — either by accompanying their children or being available by phone if another adult goes with the child.

But acknowledging that many parents may not be able to accompany their children, de Blasio said Thursday the city may allow parents or guardians to sign a written consent form and call the school to confirm they signed off on it.

The city was consulting the state and the city’s own legal counsel on the matter, de Blasio said, but he did not immediately have more details on the possible change.

Masked and Answered The newly approved shots mean that most New York City students can get vaccinated. Despite that, de Blasio and his health advisors are not ready to remove the mask mandate inside of schools.

Dr. Jay Varma, a health advisor to the mayor, noted that the virus has evolved a lot over time, making it difficult to predict what level of vaccination can allow the city to peel back on COVID safety rules.

“The reality is we all want, as public health professionals, to also go back to the day that we and our children don’t have to wear masks and feel the way they did before the pandemic,” Varma said.

“But also, as Dr. Chokshi has noted, we’re also very thankful that our measures to keep transmission controlled in schools has been working, and so we do feel an obligation, I think — especially given the fact that there is a lot of uncertainty about what level of vaccination will make us all feel like we’re back to normal.”

As of Wednesday, 12% of children ages 12 to 17 had not yet received at least one dose of the vaccine.

This school year to date, 5,064 students — or roughly .5% of the city’s school population — have tested positive for COVID, according to the education department. In that time period, 2,019 classrooms have been fully closed for quarantines, while 3,196 classrooms have seen partial closures. l This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Republished

by The CITY on November 4, 2021.

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FAMILY MATTERS

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The Importance of Paternity Testing from the man and the child are compared for similarities. Paternity DNA testing results include percentages as to the likelihood of an individual being the father.

BY MARY CAMPBELL

T

he saying goes like this: "Mommy's baby, daddy's maybe."

It is easy to know the biological mother of a child but challenging to determine who the biological father is in some cases.

Paternity testing happens to be about more than what TV shows portray to millions of viewers around the world each year. It is more than seeing a young woman cry because the paternity tests revealed that the man she suspected of being her child’s father is, in fact, not her child’s father. It is more than viewing a man jumping up and down shouting, “I told you so,” when the results are revealed and show that a particular man is not the father of the child.

However, it is about the scenario where the test results reveal that the man is the father of the young child in question and the couple, mother and father both, come together in a joyful embrace that tells viewers that this child is going to have two role models and a chance at a better life. In fact, most paternity testing takes place off camera, but it has just as vital an impact on many lives.

More Than Biology Paternity testing does more than simply let individuals know who the biological

father of a child is. It sets the stage for a child to form a bond with his father, to meet and develop relationships with other family members, to learn about his medical history, and to get a sense of his cultural heritage. On top of all of that, paternity testing also sets the wheels in motion for a child to have a better place in life now and in the future.

Medical History In many cases, paternity testing is performed to provide a medical history for the paternal side of a child’s genetic makeup. In other instances, paternity testing is done to give the parents peace of mind as to who the biological father of a child is. In still other cases, paternity testing is performed when the mother wants to prove that a particular individual really is not the biological father for

whatever reasons. With court-ordered paternity testing, the tests are usually taken in order to obtain child support from the biological father for the child’s welfare.

Prenatal Paternity Prenatal paternity testing is obviously completed prior to the birth of the child.

One of two different procedures is used.

The first is known as amniocentesis and involves the insertion of a thin needle into the female’s uterus for the extraction of a small amount of amniotic fluid. Side effects and risks are associated with this procedure. The second method is known as Chorionic Villus Sampling, which involves the extraction of a small sample from the wall of the mother’s uterus.

Paternity Tests Fortunately, paternity testing is easy to undergo. What happens in a paternity test though? A paternity test compares the DNA of two individuals, the potential biological father and the child. It determines through a comparison of the DNA whether or not the man is the biological father of a specific child.

Postnatal Paternity Postnatal Paternity Testing involves the taking of a small sample, either with an inner cheek swab or a blood prick, depending on the facility that does the testing. The DNA from the samples taken

Legal Assistance Regarding paternity testing in New York State, there must be compliance with the New York State Department Health guidelines. It is important to know that all DNA relationship testing services performed within the state require one of the following: 1. A court order from a judge.

2. A prescription referral from an NYS licensed doctor.

3. A letter from an NYS licensed attorney.

Questions? Ask the Lawyer. Call 855768-8845. l

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ISLAND FOCUS: BARBADOS

8

Mia Mottley and Caribbean Leadership

BY DR. BASIL SPRINGER

O

ver the last three years Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s vision, intellect and wisdom has projected her on the local, regional, international scene as an individual who is well-equipped to lead the indigenous Caribbean in implementing solutions which will take the region to the pinnacle of sustainable success.

Her Sunday, October 3 press conference was no exception as she seamlessly addressed COVID-19 management and many topical issues.

The Caribbean nations are too small to be governed efficiently as individual legal and political entities. Caribbean financial risk management has suffered from centuries of European colonial exploitation and neglect. Marketing the Caribbean brand to the world, even in the tourism, entertainment, and sports sectors, leaves much to be desired.

Collaborative innovative disruptive holistic capital partnership initiatives have not been mobilized to drive our economies. Our people are our most important asset, we must develop them to the fullest.

Let us change our thinking from CARICOM (18m population) to Caribbean (40.5m population) distributed over four

Prime Minister Mia Mottley

“With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” - Psalm 78:72 heritages – English (6m), French (11.2m), Dutch (0.8m) and Spanish (22.5m).

Let us adapt the “benevolent dictator” leadership style of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, where fearless decisions are made in the people’s interest and the country grows. This contrasts with the legacy of a postcolonial soft democracy strategy where the “tail wags the dog” and progress “spins like a top in mud”. A commitment to action-oriented democratic governance is necessary.

My limited knowledge of political sci-

ence posits that the Barbados Labor Party, with a massive majority in the Barbados parliament, could call a snap election now as the Democratic Labor Party is still in siesta mode, and easily get another five-year term with a comfortable majority.

Immediately, the Prime Minister could start making firmer decisions in the interest of the people of the country without having to worry about the political risk occasioned by the utterings of small groups.

The success of these decisions may then be good examples to other political jurisdictions in the Caribbean.

She could then work on giving her ministers more autonomy, eventually appoint a new leader, and focus her intellect on leadership of a Caribbean coalition for the ultimate mutual benefit of all the Caribbean nations.

Prime Minister Mottley’s warm embrace of her African brothers and other world leaders; Professor Sir Hillary Beckles’ reparations charge to former European colonial masters; and the leveraging of billions of private sector dollars lying dormant in the Caribbean banking system will provide a nucleus of funds to address Caribbean financial security.

Marketing the Caribbean is about satisfying the needs of our residents and the

needs of those who visit our shores.

The prime need now is to rid the Caribbean of COVID-19 related challenges led by an aggressive vaccination program in the midst of anti-vaccination propaganda.

The Barbados government, with a new political mandate, could focus on scientifically-based vaccination practices, as was the case for a number of vaccines when I was growing up in the 40s and 50s, with minimum political risk and in the interest of all residents and visitors.

The slogan “VACCINATE: You may save your own life” should be aggressively placed in the vanguard in parallel with the building of Caribbean brand initiatives.

The future Caribbean economic profile can be resplendent as we develop in the areas of Services, Industry, Agriculture and the Blue Economy.

We ought to develop all individuals and support entrepreneurship. And alas, shepherd them with thy skillful hand.l Dr. Basil Springer GCM is a ChangeEngine Consultant. His columns may be found at www.nothingbeatsbusiness.com/basilspringer-column/ and on www.facebook.com/basilg

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DIASPORA CONCERNS

9

Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Save Lives

T

he NYC Health Department reminded New Yorkers and health care providers that monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments are available and lifesaving. From December 2020 through October 20, 2021, at least 25,000 doses of monoclonal antibodies were administered to eligible New Yorkers at high-risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes who tested positive for COVID19. Monoclonal antibody treatments have averted at least 1,100 hospitalizations and at least 500 deaths among people treated in New York City. mAb treatments can help anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, particularly those at higher risk of severe disease. NYC Health + Hospitals offers mAb treatments at 11 hospitals regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.

“The science shows that monoclonal antibody treatments work and can make all the difference when it comes to the severity of COVID-19 illness,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “New Yorkers, get tested for COVID-19 as soon as you have symptoms. Once diagnosed, please speak with your health care provider about this lifesaving treatment.”

“All of our 11 hospitals have monoclonal antibody treatments for those eligible,” said Andrew Wallach, MD, Ambulatory Care Chief Medical Officer

at NYC Health + Hospitals. “There is no out of pocket costs for the treatment, and we will treat anyone regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay.”

When given early after symptom onset, mAb treatments can decrease the risk of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19, which is why it is crucial to get tested for COVID-19 as soon as symptoms begin – the sooner someone is tested, the sooner treatment can begin.

Monoclonal antibody treatments are authorized as treatment for non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at a high risk of progression to severe disease. One product, REGEN-COV, is authorized for the prevention of illness for certain people at high-risk that were exposed to COVID19. The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) has authorized mAb treatments for emergency use and they are shown to be safe in clinical studies. mAbs work similarly to antibodies that the immune system makes and help fight COVID-19 while the immune system begins to make its own antibodies.

Those who receive mAb treatment should wait three months after treatment before getting vaccinated.

Monoclonal antibody treatment is more effective if begun shortly after symptom onset or exposure. The Health Department and NYC Health + Hospitals are working to ensure that health care providers and the public are aware of this important treatment option so that eligible people can seek care right away if they test positive for COVID-19 or after an exposure.

Treatment should be given as soon as possible after a patient has a positive COVID-19 test result and within 10 days of symptom onset. Per the FDA’s emergency use authorization, mAb treatment is authorized for patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kilograms) and who meet at least one of the following criteria: •Older age (for example, age ≥65 years of age) •Obesity or being overweight (for example, BMI >25 kg/m2, or if age 12-17, have BMI ≥85th percentile for their age and gender based on CDC growth charts)

•Pregnancy •Chronic kidney disease •Diabetes •Immunosuppressive disease or immunosuppressive treatment •Cardiovascular disease (including congenital heart disease) or hypertension •Chronic lung diseases (for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma [moderate-to-severe], interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension) •Sickle cell disease •Neurodevelopmental disorders (for example, cerebral palsy) or other conditions that confer medical complexity (for example, genetic or metabolic syndromes and severe congenital anomalies) •Having a medical-related technological dependence (for example, tracheostomy, gastrostomy, or positive pressure ventilation (not related to COVID-19)) •Other medical conditions or factors, such as race or ethnicity, that may place people at higher risk due to long-standing systemic health and social inequities Post-exposure prophylaxis should be considered for patients meeting the above criteria who were exposed to a person with confirmed COVID-19 and are not fully vaccinated or not expected to mount an immune response to the vaccine. l

Early Action is Key! Ask Your Doctor About Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Monoclonal antibody treatment is for people who have COVID-19 or were recently exposed to someone who has had COVID-19. Monoclonal Antibody Treatment: • Helps your body 昀ght COVID-19 while your immune system begins to make its own antibodies • Reduces your risk of becoming sick from COVID-19 and avoid hospitalization • Is recommended for anyone age 12 and older who is at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness, such as older adults and people with other health conditions • Is NOT a substitute for vaccination To 昀nd a site offering monoclonal antibody treatment, visit nyc.gov/health/map.

To 昀nd a vaccination site, visit nyc.gov/vaccine昀nder or call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).

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MONEY MATTERS

11

Scammers are Sending Fake IRS Emails

Party Rentals for All Occasions

BY CRISTINA MIRANDA, FTC

T

here’s a fake IRS email that keeps popping into people’s inboxes. It says that you can get a third Economic Impact Payment (EIP) if you click a link that lets you “access the form for your additional information” and “get help” with the application. But the link is a trick. If you click it, a scammer might steal your money and your personal information to commit identity theft. It’s yet another version of the classic government impersonator scam.

Here are ways to avoid this scam: •Know that the government will never call, text, email, or contact you on social media saying you owe money, or to offer help getting a third Economic Impact Payment (EIP). If you get a message with a link from someone claiming to be from the IRS or another government agency, don’t click on it. It’s a scam. Scammers will often send fake links to websites or use bogus email addresses and phone numbers that seem to be from the government. Your best bet is to visit the IRS’s website directly for trustworthy information on EIP payments.

•Say no to anyone who contacts you, claiming to be from a government agency and asking for personal or financial information, or for payment in cash, gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Whether they contact you by phone, text, email, on social media, or show up in person, don’t share your Social Security, Medicare ID, driver’s license, bank account, or credit card numbers. And know that the government would never ask you to pay to get financial help.

•Report government impersonators to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report makes a difference. Reports like yours help us investigate, bring law enforcement cases, and alert people about what frauds to be on the lookout for so they can protect themselves, their friends, and family.

Visit ftc.gov/imposters to find out more about government impersonators. And to learn more about the signs of a scam, what to do, and how to report it, check out ftc.gov/scams.l

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12

IMMIGRATION

Key Facts Regarding the Immigration Reforms in the House BBB Bill

BY AMERICA’S VOICE

W

ashington, DC: We are at a critical juncture. The House is gearing up to vote on the Build Back Better (BBB) bill and the House Judiciary Committee has included immigration reforms. We at America’s Voice support these reforms and urge their passage.

Here are some key points that members of Congress should consider as they review the immigration provisions in BBB: The proposal gives long-settled immigrants a chance to work legally and live without the fear of deportation.

The bill would grant work permits, protection against deportation and international travel authorization to an estimated 7.1 million undocumented immigrants for a period of 10 years (10 years is the window for reconciliation bills).

Immigrants who arrived in the U.S. prior to January 1, 2011 and pass a background check are eligible.

Those eligible for immigration permits have lived in the U.S. an average of 20 years. They have worked, supported their families, and paid taxes – and have

Editorial credit: Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

been mostly excluded from safety net benefits. Of those eligible, it is estimated that 1.6 million are Dreamers, 360,000 are TPS holders, 1 million are farm workers, and another 2.6 million are other essential workers.

It’s not what immigrants have earned, and it would be a big step forward.

Most Americans and all Democrats support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants settled in America.

However, under the arcane rules of the budget reconciliation process, the Senate Parliamentarian has ruled twice against path to citizenship proposals. This immi-

gration permit proposal is designed to meet her concerns. This is from a House Judiciary Committee summary: “As many of our nation’s top economists have confirmed, the economic benefits of immigration are substantial and uncontroverted. We are confident that the budgetary effects of this new provision substantially outweigh the policy implications and we anticipate a ruling from the Parliamentarian on this provision in the near future.”

Safety net services for eligible immigrants are nothing new and are heavily restricted. Some are suggesting this pro-

posal creates new benefits to those who are eligible. This is false. Those who receive immigration permits under this proposal would be eligible for a very restricted set of benefits that exist in current law. They would be ineligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), are required to wait at least 5 years before becoming eligible for other major federal welfare programs (Medicaid, SCHIP, TANF, SNAP, and most won’t be able to qualify for EITC. The freedom to work, the freedom to live without fear of deportation, the freedom to travel. The immigration permit program would transform millions of lives. It would grant peace of mind and new opportunities to immigrants who have never had a work permit; to workers who have suffered exploitation because of their lack of status; to heads of family who live in fear that today might be the day they are pulled over and ripped from their home and family; to deeply-rooted immigrants who for decades have not been able to visit and hug relatives back in the home country. No, it’s not citizenship. But it’s much better than the status quo, and it is a big step in the direction of citizenship for all. continued on page 13

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13

IMMIGRATION “Pass the Bill Now!”/ continued from page 1 idence status or work authorization.

In September, the City Council held a hearing on the legislation (Introduction 1867), where nearly 50 people testified for close to five hours in support of the landmark bill. Despite the overwhelming amount of testimony in favor of the expansion of municipal voting rights, and a majority of the Council signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, Council Speaker Corey Johnson has failed to call a vote on the bill in the six weeks since.

After Tuesday’s election, in which nearly one million New York City residents were ineligible to vote due to their citizenship status, this legislation is increasingly necessary to ensure immigrant New Yorkers are no longer silenced in the city’s political decisions.

“Immigrant New Yorkers who live, work, and raise families in our city should not be relegated to the shadows of our local democracy every election cycle,” said Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition. “They deserve a chance to be heard in how our city functions, just like the rest of us. New York just held its most important election in a generation.

At stake was the makeup of our leadership from Mayor to all 51 of our Council Members. Yet nearly one million New Yorkers did not have the privilege of deciding who represents them. It’s past time for Council Speaker Corey Johnson

to bring the Our City, Our Vote legislation to a vote and establish our city as a trailblazer in the national battle to expand the franchise.”

"New York City just went to the polls this week, but there were nearly a million New Yorkers who were not able to vote,” said Susan Stamler, Executive Director, United Neighborhood Houses. “New York City has a duty to create a democracy inclusive of and accountable to everyone who calls it home. As COVID-19 continues to impact our neighborhoods, it has never been more important to ensure all residents living, working, and paying taxes in our city can have a voice in our government. We urge Speaker Corey Johnson to take swift action and bring Intro 1867 to a vote and to finally enfranchise those who have been left out of the political process."

"Expanding the electorate that can participate to include more immigrant New Yorkers to participate in local elections would make civic engagement more rep-

resentative of our city,” said Mae Lee, Executive Director, Chinese Progressive Association.

“Immigrant New Yorkers are part of the fabric of this City and must have the right to vote at the municipal level,” said Ahmed Mohamed, Legal Director, CAIR-NY. “Despite immigrant New Yorkers’ contributions, they are disenfranchised and do not have a say in who gets to represent them at City Hall.

Speaker Johnson must do his job and schedule the vote for Intro 1867. Speaker Johnson has an opportunity to be part of one of the biggest enfranchisement of voters or he can be remembered for his efforts to silence immigrant New Yorkers.” l Background: The Our City, Our Vote coalition supports groundbreaking legislation to expand democracy in New York City so green card holders and those authorized to work in the United States can vote in elections for city-level offices. Introduction 1867 would allow New York City residents, who are otherwise qualified to register under New York State election law, to vote in municipal elections. In September, the New York City Council held a hearing on the bill after the OCOV coalition secured a large majority of cosponsors in June. Nearly one million New York City residents cannot vote in local elections due to their citizenship status, despite paying taxes and being invested in and contributing to the city.

Key Facts/continued from page 12

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice: Undocumented immigrants have earned a place at the American table.

Deemed by the federal government as both ‘essential’ and ‘deportable,’ it’s time for Congress to act.

The immigration permit program would transform the daily lives of millions of Dreamers, TPS holders, farm workers, and essential workers who have lived in the U.S. for an average of 20 years. No, it’s not the path to citizenship that America’s immigrants deserve. But it’s what is possible under budget reconciliation this year.

After 35 years of fighting for reform, it is our view that the immigration permit program will offer meaningful protections to millions. Let’s get this done this year, and let’s continue the fight in the coming years until we win citizenship for all. l

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Kitchen Corner Jamaican Sprinter Caribbean Dream Chili Elaine ThompsonHerah Nominated for 2021 World Athlete of the Year Award

BY STEPHANIE KORNEY JAMAICANS.COM

E

laine Thompson-Herah, 29, has received a nomination for the title of World Athlete of the Year for 2021 from World Athletics. Sprinter Thompson-Herah represented Jamaica at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and won gold in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4×100-meter competitions. She joins nine other nominees from which the title winner will be chosen by a panel of athletics experts.

In addition to winning multiple gold medals in Tokyo, Thompson-Herah is the second-fastest woman in history, running the women’s 100 meters in 10.54 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. This is second only to the record of 10.49 seconds set by Florence GriffithJoyner of the United States in 1988.

In addition to Thompson-Herah, nominees for the World Athlete of the Year award include American discus champion Valarie Allman; Puerto Rico’s 100meter hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn; Sifan Hassan, 5,000meter and 10,000-meter champion from the Netherlands; Kenyan Olympic 1,500meter champion Faith Kipyegon; Olympic high jump champion from Russia Mariya Lasitskene; Shaunae

T Thompson-Herah Editorial credit: Celso Pupo / Shutterstock.com

Miller-Uibo, Olympic 400-meter champion from the Bahamas; Athing Mu, 800meter and 4×400-meter champion from the United States; and Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, Olympic triple jump champion.

Finalists for the award are selected through a three-way voting process in which members of the World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast votes via email; fans can cast online votes through the social media platforms of World Athletics. World Athletics will announce five finalists at the end of the voting period, and the award will be presented at the World Athletics Awards ceremony in December of 2021.l

he most unusual chili you will make! The flavors are sweet and spicy, just like the Islands. Enjoy with tortilla chips and a cold Caribbean beer.

—Saveur, AllRecipes.com Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic 1 pound ground pork 1 pound ground sirloin 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 2 cups low-sodium beef broth 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained ½ cup golden raisins 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground allspice ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ cup halved green olives ¼ cup slivered almonds Directions Step 1 Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Cook and stir onion and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in pork and sirloin; cook and stir until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess grease from the pot.

Step 2 Crush tomatoes by hand and add them to the pot with their juices. Pour in beef broth. Stir in black beans, raisins, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until raisins are soft, about 30 minutes.

Step 3 Stir green olives and almonds into the pot. Simmer until flavors combine, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 392 calories; protein 26.3g; carbohydrates 24.1g; fat 21.7g; cholesterol 71.2mg; sodium 864.8mg. l Prep: 10 mins Cook: 1 hr 15 mins Total: 1 hr 25 mins Servings: 8

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16

GENERATIONS

11 Things to Know about Daena Soares, Miss Universe Jamaica 2021

BY STAFF WRITER JAMAICANS.COM

D

aena Soares, 22, wearing the sash of Miss Icon Megastore, was crowned Miss Universe Jamaica for 2021. Soares, who also held the Miss Universe Jamaica Central title, received the crown from MiquealSymone Williams, who reigned as Miss Universe Jamaica 2020. Soares was selected by the pageant judges from a field of nine other contestants on October 31, 2021, at the Riu Montego Bay Hotel in St. James at the 70th staging of the event. She will represent Jamaica at the finals of the Miss Universe pageant, which will be held in Eilat, Israel, on December 12, 2021. In addition to winning the title, Soares was also named “Most Photogenic” at the award ceremony and shared the “Congeniality Award with first runner-up Trishani Weller.

Lauren Less, Miss Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant, was the second runner-up.

Commenting on her win, Daena Soares, a medical aesthetician, told The Gleaner Flair,“I’ve been watching pageants for so long, and you know you always imagine how would I be if I was up there and I was crowned. I really

didn’t expect to cry, I didn’t really expect to be shocked, but I found myself each time it was being announced, you know top five, top three, I was just so overwhelmed… It felt so amazing, and I was just so overwhelmed.”

Here are a few things to know about the new Miss Universe Jamaica. Daena Soares.

1. Daena Soares is a native of Junction, St. Elizabeth.

2. Soares is born on February 27 and is 22 years old.

3. She graduated from Hampton High School for Girls in 2015.

4. Soares graduated from the University of the West Indies with a bachelor’s degree in basic medical science.

5. She previously participated in the Miss Towers 2019 pageant and was sponsored

by Campari Caribbean.

6. On June 1, 2020, Soares used her Instagram account to support the social media campaign seeking justice for George Floyd on June 1, 2020.

7. She is an ardent supporter and advocate for women’s empowerment.

8. Soares describes herself as a bookworm and loves beaches.

9. She comes from a large family, having three older sisters and two younger

Photo Source – Dacx Productions for Miss Jamaica Universe Facebook

brothers.

10. In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Soares shared that she entered the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant on the advice of her father: “My dad was the

one who pushed me to enter, and he must be proud right now.”

11. While at school, Soares was a competitive swimmer. l

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17

GENERATIONS

Sitting and Diabetes in Older Adults: Does Timing Matter? prolonged sitting patterns. Others rarely sit still. They regularly get up after sitting for just short periods. These sitters are said to have interrupted sitting patterns.

Where do you fit on the sitting pattern spectrum?

BY JOHN BELLETTIERE, ANDREA LACROIX AND MATTHEW MCLAUGHLIN THE CONVERSATION

A

dults are sitting more than ever, and few pay attention to how they sit throughout the day.

Take a moment to think about all the reasons we sit. First off, you’re probably sitting while reading this. Some of the most common sitting activities include eating meals; driving; talking on the phone; using a computer, television, or small device; and reading. Now take another moment to think about all the sitting done across your lifetime.

The fact is, the amount of time spent sitting has increased over time. And with innovations such as Alexa, delivered groceries, and pre-made meal services, we expect many older adults will sit longer, and will do it more often. As of today, the average older adult spends between 56 percent and 86 percent of their waking day sedentary. That’s a lot of sitting.

Our research team studies healthy aging and is interested in how sitting too much might contribute to heart disease and diabetes. Our 2018 study suggested that the way older adults accumulate their sitting time might be important for aging without diabetes.

What happens while sitting?

When you sit for long periods without getting up, the large weight-bearing muscles of the legs remain dormant. With no action, these muscles are unable to efficiently use the sugars and fats that float around in your blood - and in theory, this could lead to weight gain and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

At the same time, reduced blood flow in your arteries leads to hostile conditions that promote injury to the blood vessel walls. Over a lifetime, this injury likely contributes to heart disease and to

peripheral artery disease. Furthermore, when your leg muscles remain shut off for long periods, blood collects in your veins which leads to an increased risk for blood clots, or deep venous thrombosis.

Standing up and moving around can stop these processes, but all too often, we just keep sitting.

Sitting patterns Sitting patterns describe how people sit throughout the day. Some people commonly sit for long periods at a time, rarely getting up. They are said to have

Are sitting patterns important for metabolic health?

Emerging evidence suggests yes. From observational studies, we learned that adults with prolonged sitting patterns had larger waistlines, higher BMI, and in their blood had less good fats, more bad fats, and higher levels of sugar compared to adults with interrupted sitting patterns.

To test whether problems with fat and sugar metabolism were being caused by sitting patterns, researchers around the world conducted experiments. They brought adults into a laboratory at least two times each, having them sit continuously for about eight hours (an extreme prolonged pattern. On the second day, the participants were asked to get up every 20-30 minutes (a highly interrupted pattern). The interruptions lasted for two to five minutes and included standing still, light walking, simple resistance exercises or moderate-intensity walking, dependcontinued on page 18

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18

GENERATIONS

older adults, our results were remarkably similar to recent findings in a younger cohort. Researchers from the Netherlands studied 2,500 adults ages 40-75 and found that prolonged sitting patterns were associated with Type 2 diabetes and with metabolic syndrome.

Sitting and Diabetes/ continued from page 17 ing on the study.

When researchers synthesized evidence from most of the laboratory studies, the results were clear. On days with prolonged patterns, our bodies are not able to metabolize fats or sugar as well as they are on days with interrupted patterns. Blood pressure and fatigue were also higher on days with prolonged sitting compared to days with interrupted patterns.

These groundbreaking laboratory studies provided strong evidence that sitting patterns had an immediate effect on how the body processes fats and sugar, otherwise known as metabolism. This led to the idea that prolonged sitting patterns over a lifetime could contribute to metabolic diseases such as diabetes in later life. Since diabetes can take a long time to develop, this question cannot be feasibly tested in a laboratory. Instead, we turned to an observational study of the population to help answer the question.

Are sitting patterns related to diabetes?

We recruited over 6,000 women aged 6599 from the Women’s Health Initiative and measured their sedentary patterns for seven days using research-grade activity monitors. We also had over 20 years of detailed health records, which included information on whether the women had ever been diagnosed by a physician with diabetes.

As expected, the group with the most

Recommendations from the American Diabetes Association. Matthew Mclaughlin/figshare.com, CC BY-SA

prolonged sedentary patterns had the most women with diabetes. The group with the most interrupted patterns had the fewest women with diabetes.

We used advanced statistical procedures to account for differences in other factors such as dietary habits, physical activity, medication use, weight, age, alcohol and cigarette use, and overall health, giving us more confidence that the sitting patterns were in fact driving the findings. We should caution, however, that since we did not measure sitting

patterns before the women were first diagnosed with diabetes, we do not know whether the sitting patterns contributed to diabetes or whether the diabetes changed their sitting patterns. We ran additional statistical tests to try to untangle that, which indicated that sitting patterns contributed to diabetes. However, additional studies specifically suited to answer the question of causation are needed.

While this was the first study of sedentary patterns and diabetes exclusively in

Conclusions and words of advice Based on the findings from our study and those of the Dutch researchers, when viewed with the earlier epidemiologic data and findings from the laboratory experiments, it seems that sitting patterns may contribute to the growing international diabetes epidemic.

With that said, as with all science, these first few studies are only the beginning of the story. Much more work lies ahead.

For the time being, there is a possibility that changing your sitting patterns might provide protection against diabetes, especially if long sitting bouts were always broken with light activity or even better, moderate-intensity activity, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association.l John Bellettiere is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of California San Diego. Andrea LaCroix is a Professor of Epidemiology, University of California San Diego. Matthew Mclaughlin is a PhD Candidate, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle.

The authors wish to sincerely thank Dr. Jonathan Unkart for his help with this story.

Wrong time for the flu.

Right time for a flu shot.

COVID-19 has taught us that we all need to be protected.

A flu shot helps protect you and your family.

Especially:

Childen under 5

For more information and to find a location to get your flu shot, visit nyc.gov/flu or call 311.

If you are over 65

If you are or may be pregnant

If you have other medical conditions

Bill de Blasio Mayor Dave A. Chokshi, MD MSc Commissioner

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National Diabetes Month 2021

The good news is that by making healthy lifestyle changes, it is possible to manage or reverse prediabetes and prevent it from turning into type 2 diabetes.

Prediabetes is a serious health condition that puts you at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes a昀ects more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults—that’s 88 million people—but most people don’t know they have it.

Follow these tips to manage your prediabetes

01

02

03

Take small steps.

Move more.

Making changes to your lifestyle and daily habits can be hard, but you don’t have to change everything at once. Start small.

Limit time spent sitting and try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week. Start slowly by breaking it up throughout the day.

Choose healthier foods and drinks most of the time.

04

05

06

Lose weight, track it, and keep it off.

Seek support from your doctor.

Stay up to date on vaccinations.

You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your starting weight.

People are more successful at managing their prediabetes if they have regular contact and support from trusted health care professionals.

The COVID-19 and 昀u vaccines are important for people who may be more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 or the 昀u, such as people with diabetes.

Pick foods that are high in 昀ber and low in fat and sugar. Build a plate that includes a balance of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates. Drink water instead of sweetened drinks.

Visit niddk.nih.gov for more information on managing prediabetes.

Website niddk.nih.gov

Email healthinfo@niddk.nih.gov

Phone 1-800-860-8747

TTY 1-866-569-1162

Follow Us @NIDDKgov

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20

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

How to Keep Your Body Image from Hurting the Relationship The mini put downs you endure by your own thoughts. These all need to simply stop! The more you are in your head, the less available you have for the people that you love in your life.

BY ESTES THERAPY

A

re you the type of person that stands in front of the mirror reviewing your body? Do you scrutinize every little detail that you hate on your body, such as your “hello kitty” arms, or your “used-to-be-so-flatmommy-belly?” Do you find that no matter how many times you hear from your partner that he loves your body, or comments from others that you are tiny, it just doesn’t seem to be enough? Are you destroying your relationship because you are facing a struggle with your body?

This body image can get in the way of dating and maintaining relationships.

Relationships tend to suffer severely when you become engulfed in your selfimage. The endless hours of exercise and self-absorption can prevent you from connecting to your loved one.

How much do you honestly think a person can be available for their partner when the focus is merely on the body? A lot can be lost in translation in every other area of a functional and healthy relationship. The mental focus acts like a wall and keeps others out… yet others can pick up on that wall.

Here are a few things you can do to

help with your self-image, and start truly loving the skin you’re in: •Take down the wall: Create a new way of connecting with your partner and communicate your struggles. Take down the wall and openly discuss your struggles.

The more your secret is out of the dark world, the less weight you carry on your own. Your partner may or may not be aware of the issue, so don’t assume they know what’s going on. Do not wait for them to bring the issue up. Work on the issue as a couple, instead of you on your own. Then ask and seek for support.

•Get your partner involved: Partners often play the role of avoiding the topic for fear of “rocking the boat.” Get your partner involved and teach them that it is okay to talk about the issue. Couples counseling can help you both connect on a healthier level and redefine your roles in your relationship.

•Get out of your HEAD!: You know exactly what I mean when I say this. The endless all-consuming hours you fight the thoughts of how much you hate your body. The self-beatings on why you should or shouldn’t have done something.

•Don’t work…. Play: Many people make going to the gym a second job. It’s something you dread and would rather not go at all, but rather stay home and get comfortable. Do not use the gym for losing weight. Make it an emotional therapy place or even a social place. The weight will shed off and your body will conform to all your gym sessions without you even thinking about. Working out gives off endorphins in your body, which make people happy. So, the gym can be your new happy place. If the gym is not for you, try joining an organized sport such as soccer. Running around with a group of individuals will release toxins and endorphins and get your heart rate going. The end result is a happy one that just shed like 1000 calories!

•Stop the All-in and All-Out Items: Don’t just dive all-in on working out and dieting. It will be all consuming and sooner or later people will tend to continued on page 21

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21

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

Governor Hochul Signs Domestic Violence Legislative Package

G

overnor Kathy Hochul on October 28, signed a domestic violence legislative package into law. Legislation S.1557/A.4496 requires the release of individuals from utility corporation services in instances of domestic violence.

Legislation S.1555A/A.465-A will make it easier for a victim of domestic violence to apply to have their voter registration records sealed from public view.

"My mother worked with domestic violence survivors all her life, and I'm proud to continue the mission to put an end to abuse and support the needs of survivors and families," Governor Hochul said.

"Requiring utility companies to release survivors of domestic violence from their contracts freeing up funds for necessities as they get their feet on the ground in a new home and keeping those new homes' addresses confidential ensures survivors can live there safely."

Legislation S.1557/A.4496 amends the public service law in relation to requiring the release of individuals from utility corporation services in instances of

Gov Hochul. Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com

domestic violence. This legislation provides an escape clause for victims of domestic violence so they will not have to continue paying for services at a location they have fled.

Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa said, "We thank Governor Hochul for signing this important legislation that will go a long way in returning dignity to survivors of abuse. Intimate partner violence manifest itself in physical, verbal,

and economic abuse. This legislation will allow survivors a release to ensure that can rebuild their lives and futures."

Legislation S.1555A/A.465-A amends the election law to ease the process for keeping a registered voter's name and address from being disclosed to the public. Previously, a victim of domestic violence would have to apply to the Supreme Court for a court order to keep the information from being disclosed.

Now, a victim of domestic violence can make an affirmation directly to the Board of Elections asking for the voter registration information to be kept confidential for four years.

Assemblymember Nily Rozic said, "No survivor should have to give up their right to vote in order to protect themselves from abuse. This law will ensure that survivors of domestic violence have a fair and straightforward way to keep their voter registration details confidential enabling them to vote without fear. I applaud Governor Hochul for signing this crucial legislation into law to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers."l

Body Image/ continued from page 20 burnout then give up. It can be a similar response to the yo-yo response… eat really good eat really bad. The middle ground of balance is not there. Do not jump into working out and dieting every day. Make it a lifestyle change, not a “right now” change.

•Seek Professional Help: Therapists are around for a reason, just like prescription medications. You take a pill when you are hurt or sick because they make you better. The same goes for therapy, only we create change from the inside out.

Get assistance with finding a healthy balance of being slim with healthy alternatives and being connected with your partner. Like any other addiction, this might be a body addiction. It requires treatment that focuses specifically on YOUR needs. Begin building healthy coping tools to stop the self-medicating behaviors. You and your body deserve it!

•New Coping: Often when people feel lonely or upset, they tend to rev up on the body image things. The hyper focus kicks in to high gear and sometimes cannot be controlled. Instead pay attention to when you feel alone, bored, or even upset. Seek out other tools to help calm your body and mind. Practice the mind over body approach and remind yourself that the pain is temporary and will go away.l

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22

NYC POLITICS

NYC Politicians Parade in Puerto Rico, With Races From Governor to Council Speaker at Stake

BY JOSEFA VELASQUEZ AND KATIE HONAN, THE CITY

S

AN JUAN: Back home in Brooklyn, hundreds of absentee ballots — which by law cannot be opened until Nov. 15 — will determine whether City Councilmember Justin Brannan will keep his seat.

But at the Banyan Tree Pool Bar at the El San Juan Hotel on Thursday, the Democrat raised a glass to toast nearly a dozen of the newest Council members, and vowed to battle alongside them for a better New York City.

“Whatever it is, I’m going to be there for you,” he said. “We’re gonna fight together.”

Brannan is one of several Council members jockeying to lead the 51-member body. But he’s the only one running for speaker whose race is still undecided: He trails Republican newcomer Brian Fox by 255 votes.

“Democrats in southern Brooklyn don’t win by a landslide,” Brannan said during the reception, which he co-hosted as part of the annual Somos conference.

Following Election Day, New York’s political power brokers travel to Puerto Rico for the annual Somos gathering, a get-together hosted by members of the state Legislature to discuss the priorities and needs of Latino communities in New York.

Part solidarity trip with the island to do community service, the retreat has become a post-election download that sets the tenor of New York politics for the year to come. Victories are celebrated and alliances are made.

Last year’s Somos was canceled due to the pandemic.

This week’s confab under the sun comes on the eve of a year that will bring a new mayor, a reconstituted Council — and pitched battle for governor after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down in disgrace over sexual

AG James. Editorial credit: a katz / Shutterstock.com

harassment allegations.

“There’s never been a Somos like this,” one longtime Democratic aide observed.

Schmoozing Time Candidates for governor — including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and all-but-declared Mayor Bill de Blasio — landed at Somos with the 2022 Democratic primary race already heating up.

Their goal: to hit the conference circuit in a bid to build a backing among influential labor leaders, lobbyists and fellow politicians.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams arrived on Thursday to extend his victory lap as he pieces together his administration.

Key to his success will be his relationship with the overhauled Council, which will include up to seven Republicans, with a handful of races — Brannan’s among them — still undecided.

Brannan and fellow Council members are running to take the place of term-limited Speaker Corey Johnson for a post that’s essentially the second most powerful job in city government.

Council members said to be vying for the job include Keith Powers and Carlina Rivera of Manhattan; Adrienne Adams and Francisco Moya from Queens; Diana Ayala of the Bronx; and Farah Louis from Brooklyn.

Term limits brought a Council shakeup, while the advent of ranked choice primary voting and more generous public funding of campaigns lured a record number of candidates.

There will be more women in the Council than anytime in New York history, along with a batch of progressive newcomers. Meanwhile, Republicans were poised to make gains in a city that’s overwhelmingly blue.

Brannan said his close race didn’t reflect his work as a Council member but instead the national divisiveness in politics.

“This election was a referendum on how people feel about our country, not about how people feel about Bay Ridge,” he said.

As of Wednesday, there were 3,270 absentee ballots — 2,379 of them from registered Democrats, the city Board of Elections reports. Brannan’s team expects the return rate, currently at 45%, to shoot up to between 60% and 70%.

“All of the most conservative models provide Councilman Brannan with a margin substantially above 255 — and provide enough room to build a winning margin despite a horrible climate for Democrats across the country,” his campaign wrote in a memo.

James Proves a Draw Other politicians were playing for even bigger stakes.

Cuomo’s resignation in August left a power vacuum as various Democrats strive to consolidate support and influence among elected officials and powerful labor unions in their bid to become the state’s next executive.

James, whose office led the investigation into Cuomo, arrived Wednesday afternoon as she kicked off her bid last week to challenge Hochul next year.

At a reception hosted by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli Wednesday evening, James drew major attention as attendees clamored to take pictures with the Brooklyn Democrat.

During a stop at the Santiago Iglesias Pantín Elementary School on Thursday morning to discuss the upcoming Supreme Court case over federal safety net services denied to Puerto Ricans, James offered a glance into her campaign strategy: a focus on poverty and inequity.

“Today I’m here to talk about something that is at the core of who I am and what I’m all about. it’s economic justice and the application of law to all Americans,” James said. “As someone who grew up in a humble home — we can alleviate poverty. Poverty is also oftentimes intentional.”

Lounging poolside at the Royal Sonesta San Juan hotel, elected officials who spoke to THE CITY declared the conference “Tish Territory” for the number of supporters hailing from the five boroughs who are privately backing her.

Hochul Celebrates Women Hochul, Cuomo’s former lieutenant governor and the state’s first executive in generations not to hail from the five boroughs or the surrounding suburbs, declared her bid to run for governor as soon as she ascended to the top job.

She gave a brief remarks Thursday evening at a reception held by Eleanor’s Legacy, a pro-choice women’s political organization that has already endorsed her. James also attended the event.

“I’m going to make one quick point and you can get back to the mojitos,” Hochul said.

“Women of New York, we are making progress,” she added. “Let me tell you what progress looks like, it looks like a female governor, a female attorney general, a female majority leader of the Senate, a female majority leader in the Assembly, a majority of women in the City Council of New York. That’s what progress looks like.”

She flew down to Puerto Rico Thursday afternoon, traveling on the same flight as de Blasio, who recently filed paperwork to run for governor.l This story was published on November 4, 2021 by THE CITY.

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The lawyer you hire, does make a difference!

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