Calling a Spade a Spade: The Assassination of Darren Seals

When I first heard the news of the death of 29-year-old activist Darren Seals, I was mortified for two main reasons.  First, the manner in which he was killed--suffering a gunshot wound before his vehicle was set on fire--sent chills through my spirit.  Second, those chills recalled the cold-blooded murders of Mississippi civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner and how I'm sure Black people and sympathizers in 2016 feel the same way about another Black man meeting a horrible fate amidst racial injustice and social unrest as folks in the 1960s did about those particular deaths.  However, in lieu of using safe, politically-correct terms like "killing" or "murder", very few people will admit this was a treacherously heinous act committed against someone who was adamant about not only improving and fighting for his community, but also challenging a historically-racist police force.  Hence, I am calling the demise of Darren Seals exactly what I believe it is in my heart of hearts: a premeditated assassination...

Lessons for Life: Placing the Loss of a Teacher to 9/11 in Perspective

Even watching NFL kickoff weekend and seeing tributes around the league, I had no plans to write anything extensive to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  However, when I watched the "September 11th" episode of NFL Network's The Timeline, the recollections of that dark and fateful day in American history stirred up emotions I repressed for years.  Although seeing the video of the two planes strike the Twin Towers brought back memories of being awakened out of my sound sleep to witness the horror only 166 miles down Interstate 87 from where I was, it was the sight of the Pentagon that sent the biggest chill through my spirit because it was more personal for me.  On her way to a National Geographic field trip in California, Hilda Taylor, a sixth grade teacher at Madeleine V. Leckie Elementary School in Southwest D.C., lost her life along with her 11-year-old student Bernard Brown II on American Airlines Flight 77 ten years after my last days as a student there.  When Momma Scribbler--a teacher's aide at Leckie for 13 years--shared the news with me, I was absolutely stunned and heartbroken that the teacher who helped to guide the trajectory of my academic career the most was no longer here.  So in an effort to finally address my sentiments about 9/11, I dedicate this to one of my favorite teachers...

RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS!!! (Vol. 1, No. 9)

So let me tell y'all how much of a guy I am and why a GIF of Eddie Murphy making funny faces from Delirious opens up this round of "RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS!!!"  Other than his joke about his Aunt Bunny falling down the stairs, his "Fart Game" spiel is exceptionally hilarious because it's irrefutably true--especially among men.  While waiting in vain for Mrs. Scribbler to straighten out her license situation at the White Oak MVA, I'm in the bathroom taking a leak.  Suddenly, someone's rips off a nice, long fart that sounds like an out-of-tune member of the Phoenix Horns.  The kid in me giggled while the man in me wanted not only to "grade the fart" like Murphy suggested, but also to say to the dude, "Good job, bruh!"  However, since I didn't know whether the person in that stall was from this country or not considering White Oak is culturally diverse like much of the rest of Silver Spring, I didn't wanna be weirder than I already was for being proud of his achievement in flatulence.  Now that you've had all the TMI/"gas pump" stories you can handle for one day, let's use that low-octane fuel to power us through the rest of today's madness...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: Ninetysomething Days of Summer, #1 Summer of '97

Whereas the summer of 1995 was a little more about life-changing experiences, what made my final summer as a "teenager" the greatest of all was how much fun I had with my friends and family.  Sure, those 93 days were part of one of my biggest transition periods from high school graduation to attending college and being away from the nest for the first time.  However, as much as I was excited about this new journey, I gladly put my next chapter on hold as I continued to enjoy the last months of my adolescence.  Much like the previous four summers on this countdown, 1997 provided a great soundtrack--a lot of which 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. supplied in bittersweet fashion following their tragic murders.  Another honorable mention were the summer blockbusters as I distinctly recall going to see Face/Off, Batman & Robin (which wasn't really that good, but still), Conspiracy Theory, The Fifth Element, Nothing to Lose (which I saw like three times), Money Talks and How to Be a Player.  Even with so many good tunes and flicks on deck, they weren't enough to outdo the plethora of fantastic voyages sans the pirate hats and the land of funk.  So as I round out the "Ninetysomething Days of Summer" edition of my "Rave & Favorite Five", I unveil the five reasons why the summer of 1997 is king of the hill...

The Ain't No Mo' Pizza Book Club: "Allure: NO Regrets..."

Around the beginning of my kindergarten year, Pizza Hut developed the BOOK IT! Program rewarding kids for their enthusiasm to read.  Knowing I had a personal pan pizza waiting for me, I was reading everything and anything while feeding my hunger for knowledge.  However, I stopped being as consistently eager to read a book for leisure as I aged unless I knew for sure it was good--despite becoming someone whose various platforms hinge upon another person's earnest desire to read.  Fast forward 21 years to adulthood...when my coworker first shared her book idea with me, I knew she had something special on her hands simply because of her insightful and passionate viewpoints on a wide array of topics.  Little did I know how powerful the finished product would be where the thought of putting it down for the sake of sleep was dreadful.  In a story involving love, marriage, family, sex, ambition, business, dreams realized and deferred and understanding the Universe's purpose for certain occurrences in life, Teeonah Talaya's addictive debut publishing, Allure: NO Regrets..., is full of emotional roller coasters and inspiring gems.  So as an ode to what put me on my reading path, it brings me great pleasure to unveil the inaugural edition of "The Ain't No Mo' Pizza Book Club" with some of my favorite parts of Allure: NO Regrets...

Views from the Nosebleeds: 2016 NFL Regular Season, Week 1

I nearly got roped into two things known to drive up my blood pressure over the past eight years: 1) another season of fantasy football and 2) buying a copy of Madden NFL 17.  However, there are three simple reasons why I won't drink the Kool-Aid with either: 1) both bled me dry financially last year, especially FanDuel, and a brother needs to save his duckets; 2) I don't have the time to invest in FanDuel or Madden because I have too many creative endeavors; and most important, 3) I want to be able to enjoy the game of football without worrying about how a dropped TD pass, a fumble or an aberration of a performance will drop my from a cool $500 to zilch in a matter of seconds.  Therefore, in an effort to accomplish what I failed to do last NFL season, I unveil a new weekly series dedicated to my favorite sport: "Views from the Nosebleeds."  So during a week featuring six fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins and four one-point victories--the latter being an NFL record for an opening weekend--let's go over some of my "views"...