tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66336918283126112232024-03-14T14:49:20.502-04:00Tired of HidingThis is more of a personal online journal for me to write about what I'm thinking, how I'm feeling, and what I've been doing. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger407125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-51856917348040397502020-10-18T12:53:00.001-04:002020-10-18T21:30:55.227-04:00Review: Saturday Church<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mCwPSRl988A" width="320" youtube-src-id="mCwPSRl988A"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I’m late to the party, but that is nothing new for me. I
finally watched Saturday Church. I really liked the movie.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Saturday Church is about a teenage black boy named Ulysses.
Ulysses has recently lost his father. He lives with his mother and younger
brother and his aunt has stepped in to help since his father passed away. Ulysses
has an affinity for women’s clothing and his family tries to stifle it. His ultra
conservative aunt threatens him whenever she sees a glimpse of that side of
him. His aunt essentially bullies him when he’s home. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As if the grief of losing his father and the stress of his aunt’s
verbal and emotional abuse are not enough, Ulysses is also bullied at school.
It’s clear that something has to change. Change comes in the form of an eclectic
group of transgender and gay people who welcome Ulysses into the fold. The group
introduces Ulysses to the Saturday Church, which is a program at a church that
provides food and shelter for LGBTQ people every Saturday. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The group gives Ulysses courage to begin accepting himself. He
buys a pair of high heels to wear so that he can practice walking in them. His aunt
finds the high heels and their interaction causes Ulysses to run away. I don’t
want to spoil the movie for people, so that’s all I’m going to say about the
plot. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, let’s talk about the movie in general. The characters randomly
break into song during the movie. I usually don’t like that, but in this case,
the songs were mostly short, lasting just long enough for you to notice they
were singing, but not long enough to become annoying and make you wish that
they would stop. The movie has some places where it allows the viewer to fill
in the gaps, without making the viewer feel as if they are missing details. My
only complaint about the movie is that it left me wanting more. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Overall: B+ <o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-49701354602319227332020-04-21T22:28:00.000-04:002020-04-21T22:28:49.068-04:00My Reaction to the Series Finale of Empire<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m going to say something that might be unpopular: they
should have brought Jamal back for the final episode. Actors have done all types
of crazy crap and still appeared in their respective shows. And I’m not saying
this because Jamal’s character is gay. I’m saying this because Jamal was a major
part of the cast for all of the previous seasons. They could have had him make
a cameo as he Facetimed with Cookie or anything really. A picture or a clip of Jussie
from a previous season would have been okay as well. To be honest, I wish they
would have killed off his character at the beginning of this season. He could
have easily died in a plane crash while he was on the way to England with his
husband. His body would not have been recovered, but there would have been
closure for his character. The family could have mourned for an episode then
pretty much moved on with their lives, and occasionally mentioned his name so
that we all knew that they remembered him and missed him. SPOILER: His name was
mentioned at the end of the finale, but they showed clips of the little boy
that played young Jamal instead of clips of Jussie. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been disappointed in the past few seasons of Empire,
but I haven’t been able to let go of the show because I love Cookie and Lucious.
Now, I’ve seen the end and I wish I would have stopped watching a long time ago.
I don’t mean that in a negative way. The finale was what it was. And I’m trying
to be understanding because I know production had to stop early due to the coronavirus.
I just wish that they would have been able to wrap things up the way they
intended. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent all season knowing that this would be the last season. I was hoping for more closure and less craziness. They tried to make
something out of the finale, but the episode was more of the same for me.
There was nothing “special” about it. It truly could have been any episode in
the series. I’m sad that the show was robbed of the epic ending that they were
planning. Hopefully, Empire will receive a two-hour long special to give us the
ending that we deserve. But I’m not holding my breath. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-15695604623624796752019-09-08T20:01:00.000-04:002019-09-08T20:01:55.551-04:00The Cleveland Browns Lost Their Opener. Surprise!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, let’s talk about the Cleveland Browns. As a lifelong
fan, I am somehow simultaneously shocked yet not surprised. What happened? I
mean the team faceplanted in a pile of manure from the late 3<sup>rd</sup> quarter through the 4<sup>th</sup>. I don’t know how else to say it. The new Cleveland
Browns channeled the spirit of the old Cleveland Browns. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was hopeful going in to today’s game. I thought, maybe,
just maybe, the hype would manifest in physical form and the Browns would win.
I wasn’t asking for them to blowout the other team. I was only asking for a
win. Apparently, I was asking for too much. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are no words that can adequately describe the let down
that happened today. I feel disappointed and embarrassed, but I’m from Cleveland,
so I haven’t given up hope. The next game will be better. The team will have
fewer penalties and play better defensively and offensively. I’m not wishing
for this to happen; I’m stating it as a fact. The Browns will be better next
time. I won’t promise a win because this is Cleveland and that never ends well
for us, but I am promising that they will learn from today’s mistakes. Maybe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Signed, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still a Fan<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-350274537466537042019-06-06T21:53:00.000-04:002019-06-06T21:53:03.198-04:00Bump This is on Audible<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve made no secret about the fact that I want to have
writing as my main source of income by the end of the year. I’m making some
progress in my writing career. Bump This is now on Audible (<a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Bump-This-Audiobook/B07S1QCVW1?asin=B07S1QCVW1&source_code=AUDOR2220528199QBP">Bump
This (audible version)</a>). However, the initial Audible reviews have me a bit
sad. I know Bump This isn’t for everyone, but it’s still hard to read that the
language is too much for some people. I had worried that hearing it might be a
lot, but it sucks to have it confirmed. I’m trying my darnedest not to be depressed
about this. I keep reminding myself that writing is subjective and sometimes offensive. It isn't working though. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-88646393921615434692019-02-25T20:00:00.000-05:002019-02-25T20:00:05.780-05:00Billy Porter's Outfit for the OscarsIn case you missed this masterpiece on Sunday, please behold Billy Porter:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1ZFiM1OV7Revf4ndrMr2GuVf3Z-44zWOWLKO00viYgAlal6qeFoyZ2ah_ownydGgZz8A7Gmvwtggj9IEXLLB4MQu0ahD6LleTLCo5twgZ8xvz3pyWCRHwL6sSNKGP7iWBTFddoJdmQU/s1600/billyporter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="978" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1ZFiM1OV7Revf4ndrMr2GuVf3Z-44zWOWLKO00viYgAlal6qeFoyZ2ah_ownydGgZz8A7Gmvwtggj9IEXLLB4MQu0ahD6LleTLCo5twgZ8xvz3pyWCRHwL6sSNKGP7iWBTFddoJdmQU/s320/billyporter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Christian Siriano did his thing (as usual) with this work of art, and Billy wore it like only he could. I'm still thinking about this outfit a day later.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-79542341134439976862019-02-25T00:22:00.000-05:002019-02-25T00:22:54.454-05:00Writing...Still<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wanted to write all day today, but I ended up doing everything but
writing until late in the day. It's amazing how people don't need your time
until after you've already made plans. It was okay though because I was more
helpful to other people today than I have been in a long time. Sometimes it's
good to feel useful. I wasn't working towards my purpose, but I was able to
help someone else work towards theirs. I really enjoyed my day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was able to spend some time writing this evening. A new
story came out of me. The story is kind of depressing and reminds me of
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Starving-Love-LT-Ville-ebook/dp/B004VMTYQO/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1551072008&sr=1-4&keywords=starving+for+love" target="_blank">Starving for Love</a>, but it felt good to release some of the darkness and
self-doubt that has kept me imprisoned for the past few years. I never thought
I would write a story as sad as Starving for Love again. I'm not sure if I'll
finish the new story. Maybe I just needed to get a chapter out my system. That
said, I'm completely in love with the main character and the struggles that
he's facing being left behind. We'll see if I share the story or scrap it.
Either way, I had to let it out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My goal for this week is to sneak in more time to write and
to find a new way to advertise for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bump-That-LT-Ville/dp/1797425021/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Bump That</a>. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-90632305443007006682019-02-20T00:26:00.002-05:002019-02-20T00:28:05.977-05:00Almost Through Another Month<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
January was a really good month for me. I pretty much rewrote
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bump-That-LT-Ville-ebook/dp/B07MB5S4QH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550639637&sr=8-1&keywords=bump+that+lt+ville" target="_blank">Bump That</a>. I removed the heavy political leanings and made it more of a story of
Keith's next chapter in life than a story about politics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that February is almost over, I'm still inspired to make
this my most successful year yet. Not necessarily in terms of income, but
definitely in terms of productivity and progress. I feel like this needs to be
a year of change for me, so I'm working towards making that happen. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm still trying to figure out the right combination for my
patreon page and to get myself properly motivated to post regular updates to my
Yahoo group again. I know writing is good for me because my life is better when
I use writing as a release. This is my year to pursue writing again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day soon, writing will be my main source of
income. It's going to happen because I'm going to make it happen. I'm all about
the dream right now. #stillfeelingit</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-51330554050227294632019-01-01T12:30:00.000-05:002019-01-01T12:30:02.578-05:00Bump That - Pre-order NowHey, look what I found on the first day of the new year:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkca4onjdYYvEC3EvKxNl2oh6xAui319uAwrlQgehPgGKwHW3kZSuCXXV7jU6JcurFnHwM-AX_L_iU2JoiWHG2oSEjaVmo8qa2GbxDP_pE1klQoGbWKZ9Wolt0tDvuHRoelQ3LaRdflo/s1600/BumpThat3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkca4onjdYYvEC3EvKxNl2oh6xAui319uAwrlQgehPgGKwHW3kZSuCXXV7jU6JcurFnHwM-AX_L_iU2JoiWHG2oSEjaVmo8qa2GbxDP_pE1klQoGbWKZ9Wolt0tDvuHRoelQ3LaRdflo/s320/BumpThat3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MB5S4QH/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1546263842&sr=1-1&keywords=bump+that+lt+ville" style="font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">Click here to pre-order.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-48328510888725033072018-12-31T01:52:00.000-05:002018-12-31T01:52:01.247-05:00The Last Day of the Year<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's after midnight so it's officially December 31st. This
is the last day of the year and I'm feeling reflective. I've wasted so much
time this year paralyzed by irrational fears and stifled by a job that
constantly steals time from my other passions. I spent December desperately
trying to get my life and myself back on track because I didn't recognize the
person I had become.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I feel so much better about myself today than I did on December
1st. I have taken risks that I didn't think I would take and I am actively
working to re-establish myself as an author. Bump That (the sequel to Bump
This) will be out February 14, 2019. I'm done dragging my feet with the sequel
and I'm done being afraid of what people will say about it. I want people to
like it and to still relate to Keith, but I've reached the point where I don't
care if people love it or hate it. I write for myself, not others. I've removed
a lot of "political" aspects from the sequel, but I left some because
it's part of Keith's college journey and I don't want to exclude it just
because it might offend people. When I first started writing, I didn't shy away
from uncomfortable topics and I don't see the logic in doing that now. I will continue
to write whether Bump That sells one copy or one million copies. And today,
that is all that matters to me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have so many things that I'd like to work on next year,
but number one on my list is me. I'm slowly rediscovering the person I used to
be. I love the old confident me and I can't wait to shed this current version of
myself. I hope to one day view my lost years as the time that I spent in my
cocoon becoming a butterfly. Mostly because I'm corny like that and I try to be
"glass half full" as much as I can.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am excited about the possibilities that the next year will
bring. Now, I'm going to go to bed because I have a long last day of the year
ahead of me.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-446837835119278522018-12-02T20:09:00.000-05:002018-12-02T20:09:01.525-05:00Feedback is Good...SometimesSo, I made the mistake of having a friend read the sequel to Bump This before I released it. I had a secret plan to release it early December with the hope that some people would give it as a Christmas present. Anyway, I trust my friend and he told me that the story is too political. I mean, I guess I can see what he's saying. The plot of the sequel is as much about navigating the waters of different political parties as it is about the continuation of Keith and D. I was in a political head space when I wrote this version of the story.<br />
<br />
My friend knows that I am extremely nervous about releasing the sequel and he's probably going to read this blog post (Hi) so he'll also know that I'm telling the world it's his fault if Bump This isn't released before Christmas. I now need to go back and edit it to make sure the politics don't "hit you over the head."<br />
<br />
I'm going to make the edits, but I'm not letting anyone else read it. I'm going to post it, typos, flaws and all. I don't know what I'm going to do after I hit Publish. I haven't decided if I should disappear from the internet for a while or if I should stick around and see what people say. No matter what the case, this is a mental hurdle that I feel like I need to get over before I can completely move forward.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-81020496547300025202018-08-02T23:20:00.000-04:002018-08-02T23:20:07.699-04:00Barely Breathing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I'm back...again. I randomly Googled myself today and one of
my old blog posts came up. I wrote it eight years ago. I've changed so much
over the past eight years. I've become one of those people who buries themselves
in work in order to hide from life. I know I need to stop and I have bouts
where I make an active effort to go out and be social, but it never lasts. I'm
secretly unhappy and scared. I'm still not all the way over losing my mother
three years ago; I have a love/hate relationship with my job; I'm filled with
so much doubt about the sequel to Bump This that it's practically debilitating
when it comes to doing the final edit and putting it out there. I haven't felt
like myself in years and I don't know how to find my way back to the person I
used to be. I keep dipping my toe in the water of what made me "me"
then quickly pulling my foot back and sitting down on the sand. I need to jump in,
but how do I do that when I can't even get my entire foot in the water yet?</div>
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<br /></div>
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And I'm sure no one even reads this blog anymore. Which is
probably for the best. It's always been more for me than anyone else. I likely
need to try to blog on a regular basis again. I think I was my happiest and most
confident when I used my keyboard to pour out my inner most thoughts either in
my blog or through the various characters who reside in my head. I used to have
to battle with the characters about who was going to be let out for a little
while to tell their story. Now, the characters barely say hello to me and when
they do, they're usually screaming at me for ignoring them. In case you're
wondering, no they aren't real voices, yes they are thoughts and storylines. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I've randomly updated my Yahoo group and posted tweets over
this dry spell, but I haven't indulged in the life I used to have. I know that
I need to write because in many ways writing was/is my therapy. I need an
outlet for my emotions and that's what writing is for me. And I say this as if
I'm going to jump back in, but I know I'll likely take a few baby steps then
back away. I'm hopeful that I won't, but I've been stuck in the same start,
stop, repeat cycle for years. Anyway, I randomly felt like blogging and getting
this out tonight. I'm done for the moment, but hopefully I'll be back soon. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-73656850343335763452017-03-14T19:56:00.002-04:002017-03-14T19:56:15.351-04:00DoubtI'm trying to make a comeback. I've uploaded the beginning of a new story and I'm working on the edits for the sequel to Bump This. I had to completely rewrite the sequel because I hated the original version. Now I'm nervous about finalizing the story and officially publishing it. I'm wondering if the original version was fine, but I self-sabotaged because I was afraid of putting the story out there. I never think anything I write is good enough. I was hoping to raise money to have the sequel edited by a professional, but I think that's going to be one more abandoned dream. I'll probably just publish it as is and hope for the best. Either way, it feels good to be devoting part of my time to writing again. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-78577887950310307602017-02-05T11:45:00.001-05:002017-02-05T11:45:19.126-05:00Help me Write AgainI took a risk today and started a Patreon page! I hope it doesn't turn in to an embarrassing experiment that ends with 0 patrons, but at least I'll be able to say that I tried it. I'm launching the page with the hope that the site will help me
supplement my income to the point where I can work fewer hours and have
more time to write. <br /><br />I'm making this post to shamelessly beg for
donations. I truly appreciate any and all donations that you make,
whether $1 or more. I've been too proud to ask for help before, but I've
finally reached the point where I feel like I'm drowning at work and I
miss the one thing that used to be my outlet.<br /><br />If my Patreon campaign is successful, I should be able to update at least one story a month, maybe more. <br /><br />Help me write again: <a href="https://patreon.com/lustyville?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare" id="yui_3_15_0_1_1486301311982_4063">https://patreon.com/lustyville</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-4678118928423245672016-11-13T12:36:00.001-05:002016-11-13T12:36:30.399-05:00A Mistrial in Cincinnati<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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You likely missed the story because it was drowned out by
post-election coverage, but there was a mistrial in Cincinnati in the case of
the officer who shot an unarmed man, for no apparent reason. Yes it was a white
officer, yes the victim was a black man, yes it was caught on video, yes the
officer initially lied about what happened and yes the outcome was the same as
it always is: no consequences for the officer. </div>
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<br /></div>
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A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>man interviewed by
the local news station said something along the lines of, "We're trying to
remain peaceful, but if we keep being peaceful and this keeps happening, there's
only so much we can take."</div>
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<br /></div>
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I heard his pain. His words are one of my greatest fears.
Retribution will solve nothing, yet I wonder how long people will be satisfied
with simply pressing charges or with protesting if nothing changes? Being a
policeman is a dangerous job. No one should dispute that, but let's be real.
Being a policeman isn't the most dangerous job in America. In fact, it isn't
even top 5. But that isn't the issue either. The issue is that our police seem
to be trigger happy and there are few, if any, consequences associated with causing
the unnecessary death of another person. This isn't a black/white issue. Police
are killing people of all races, granted minorities are statistically their
favorite targets, but their aim is not limited to minorities.</div>
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I live in an open carry state, and I have contemplated
purchasing a fire arm and learning how to use it, but I always talk myself out
of it for two reasons: 1) guns scare me and I don't want to be near them and 2)
there is an unspoken code that black people are not allowed to own guns. Yes,
black people are legally allowed to own guns, but it's in their best interest
if they don't because the police have the right to shoot first and ask
questions later, even in an open carry state (see John Crawford III) or have a permit to carry your gun (see Philandro Castile). </div>
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<br /></div>
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I can tell you right now, that I already know how the
scenario will play out if I owned a gun: I'll be in my car one day. I'll have my gun in a lock
box in the trunk. The gun will be unloaded. I'll get pulled over by a policeman
who is having a bad day. Maybe I'll make a sudden move towards my wallet or my
glove compartment and the color of my skin will make the policeman more likely
to shoot. If he kills me, the headline will be "Gun Recovered from the
Scene" and there will be only a small footnote that explains that the gun
was unloaded, stored in a lock box and all the way in the trunk. People will
ignore the footnote because I'm black and therefore, I am a walking super human
threat. It's possible that I might have somehow ripped off my seat belt,
magically transported myself to the back of the car, grabbed the gun, unlocked
the box, loaded the bullets then taken a shot at the officer before he had a
chance to react. I say this because I remember the story of a black guy who was
handcuffed in the back of a patrol car, but somehow managed to reach the secret
gun that the police missed then shoot himself in the back with it. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Now I have to say that I believe most police are good people
and even many of the police officers who have shot unarmed people are good people who
reacted badly to a situation. That said, police should not be above the law.
I'm all for them getting less time than a regular citizen, but I'm certainly
not on board with them getting no time at all when their actions have result
in what appears to be an unnecessary loss of life. I think that better training,
more body cams and more community based policing will reduce the number of
negative interactions, but there are quite a few cases that are proving that
body cams or other video evidence means next to nothing in cases involving
policemen. </div>
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<br /></div>
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How many more people have to die before we call for true
reform?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-1975233194721111802016-11-13T11:22:00.000-05:002016-11-13T11:22:38.673-05:00I Voted Against My Best Interest: Post-Election Ramblings<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I voted for Hillary Clinton. Truth be told, I would have
voted for just about anyone other than Trump. I didn't think that a man who
spent years disrespecting the current president should win, but I wasn't
surprised when he did. After all, this is America. </div>
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<br /></div>
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There are those of us who look beyond ourselves and those of
us who don't. I don't say that in a judgmental way, because I believe that
everyone is entitled to live their life however they choose, as long as it's
legal. I say that as an acknowledgement that not everyone thinks the way I do.
That doesn't make them wrong or me right. It just makes us different. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The truth is that I will likely benefit from Trump's
proposed tax cuts. My pockets will probably thank him for years to come;
however, I didn't vote for the person who was better for my pockets. I voted
for the person who shared my vision of America. </div>
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<br /></div>
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All of Trump's supporters are not racist. That is a
statement of fact. I know some of his supporters and besides their choice of
candidate, we really don't have any issues. The unfortunate part is that there
is a faction of his supporters that are extremely racist and that faction views
his victory as carte blanche to spit their vitriol in public. This faction is
one of the many reasons why I voted against Trump. I didn't want the racists
and/or anti-Semitic groups <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>to think that
they were winning in America.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I don't know if Trump is racist (and before you say it,
having black friends or hiring black people or once having dated a black woman
does not mean that you can't be racist. There are some black people who are racist
against other black people). Truthfully, I don't care if he is or he isn't. I
care about what his words have done to people. Whether he actually builds the
wall, bans Muslims, sends illegal immigrants back, ends DACA, installs judges who vote
against Roe v. Wade and marriage equality is a moot discussion. The danger of
his presidency is that these "policies" won over enough people for
him to win the electoral vote. It doesn't matter that he lost the popular vote.
In years to come, Clinton's popular vote win will be nothing more than a
footnote in history. Just ask Gore. </div>
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<br /></div>
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How will Trump's presidency effect me? Well, not much. I
have healthcare through my job. I'm not planning to get married. I won't be
having an abortion. I'm not here illegally and neither are my parents. I'm not
Muslim. I live in a mostly democratic area, so I likely will not be called the
n-word to my face (because they do that in private), and if Trump defaults on
our debt and the value of the dollar plunges, I still have at least 20 to 25
years to recover before I retire. I know that I will likely not suffer any of
the potentially negative consequences of a Trump presidency, and yet, I voted
against him.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now let's get to Hillary. I've followed her ever since she
emerged on the national scene and the media and America bullied her to change
her name from Hillary Rodham to Hillary Rodham Clinton, because, well, Heaven
forbid a married woman keep her maiden name. Hillary has been harassed on the
national scene ever since. She was demonized for standing by her husband and attacking
the women who accused her husband of wrongdoing. She was blamed for Benghazi,
even though it was a group clusterf**k. Congress didn't approve funding for
better protection and Hillary and the state department reacted too late to the
situation. It's sad that Americans lost their lives, but the blame doesn't
belong to one person. Her next scandal, the now infamous emails, shouldn't have
been a scandal at all. Anyone who has looked in to emails during that time and
before, will find that Hillary's email use was not an anomaly. They didn't have
the rules back then, that they have now. I firmly believe that Hillary wasn't
prosecuted because so many members of congress and other top level officials
(the president included) sent and received emails from Hillary's personal email
address. You shouldn't take her down without taking all of them, too. Although,
I don't say any of this to make excuses for Hillary. She lost the electoral college. Period. Hillary
didn't lose because of the Republicans smear campaigns, Wikileaks, the Russians,
the FBI or bitter Berners. Hillary lost because she didn't convince enough
people that she was the right candidate. I know that some ardent Hillary
supporters will argue that she was the best qualified candidate and I can't
argue against them, but I can remind them that in America, women and minorities
should all know quite well that being the best qualified doesn't make you the
automatic winner.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I know a few black people who voted for Trump because they
wanted "change." The irony is that change is indeed what they will
receive. Obama was a president who at least pretended to care about all
Americans, Trump will not bother to pretend. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Going forward, I am interested to see if the Republicans
approve Trump's infrastructure plan. Obama and the Democrats have been begging for an
infrastructure plan and Republicans have denied them each time. To approve one
now would mean that Republicans were fine with sacrificing American jobs as
long as it made the Democrats and Obama look bad. I look forward to seeing what
the Republicans actually do now that they have complete control of Congress and
can no longer use the Democrats or Obama as scapegoats. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I hope that the Democrats will not become the party of
"no" simply because it worked for the Republicans. I hope that the
Democrats will work with Trump when they can and fight against him when they
must. I don't want Trump to be treated the same way as Obama, where even his
good ideas are shot down simply because they came from him.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm not sure what the next 4 years will bring, but I'm not
worried about it either. I did my part. Now I'm going to sit back and find a
way to enjoy the ride. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-84889025694165964552016-06-13T09:49:00.000-04:002016-06-13T09:49:56.261-04:00My Initial Reaction to the Orlando Shooting<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I usually try to wait and calm down before I write about
major news stories. I try to gather the facts and carefully construct my
argument, but now is not the time to be careful. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday, I awoke to the new American norm: 20 people had
been killed in a mass shooting. I thought it was sad but I didn't cry because
20 people dying in a mass shooting is no longer a shocking event. Later in the
morning, I watched a press conference and it was announced that at least 50
people had died and 53 people were injured. I cried as I listened to the rest
of the press conference. I was angry and confused. What type of person kills 50
people? Why was 20 just another news story, but 50 was a punch in the gut? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I found myself praying to a God that I only sometimes
believe in and I also found myself waiting to see how far the different sides
would go to blame each other. This act of terror was not the fault of the
democrats or the fault of the republicans or the fault of religion, or worse,
the fault of every Muslim person in the world. This act of terror was the fault
of a single gunman who was filled with hate. A gunman, who despite being an
American citizen, was willing to terrorize his own people on behalf of ISIS.
Make no mistakes, we are his people and whether we like it or not, he was our
brother. The worst mass shooting in modern America was not carried out by some
foreign born terrorist, but rather, by one of us, and yet, we spent most of Sunday
pointing fingers and arguing over semantics. We can blame radical Islam and
call him a Muslim terrorist, an anchor baby, the son of Afghan parents, a
Jihadist, an ISIS inspired terrorist and whatever other name we can think of to
make him different from us, but the fact remains that until 2:00am on Sunday
morning, this hate filled man was one of us. Do not mistake this for me blaming
society because we are not to blame. He is to blame. We can't teach our
children personal responsibility then blame everyone but them when they do
something wrong. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I'm trying to say is that we were too busy focusing on
things that didn't matter. 50 people were killed. That's what mattered. 50
people will never go home again, 53 will always have the scars, hundreds will
suffer with knowing that they survived and the rest of us are left to try to
imagine the unimaginable. That's what matters. Yesterday, I didn't care that he was
registered as a democrat or that everyone wasn't saying "radical
Islam" or that we needed to ban semi-automatic assault weapons or that
Trump said something stupid or that Hillary's comments were more
"presidential." I didn't care about any of that garbage. I cared
about the families and the victims. How can anyone view 50 dead people as an
opportunity to take jabs at the other side in order to earn more votes? How
have we, as a society, reached this point?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, in the big picture, the reactions of our presidential nominees
matter, but I wish that we could have been united yesterday and that politics
could have taken a 24 hour break. For just one day, I wished that the talking
points focused more on those who were hurting and less on the commentary of
people hundreds, and sometimes even thousands of miles away. I wished that we
could all stand up and denounce the gunman and ISIS while keeping our fingers
in our pockets unless we were extending our arms to offer hugs or a helping
hand. I wished that we could all cry as a nation for our loss. I
wished that we could all care about the victims and their families. I wished
that we didn't minimize their suffering by immediately making it about our
personal politics. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of us spent Sunday in mourning. Some of us rushed to
donate blood and money and to send flowers and organize vigils and other tributes.
But far too many of us spent the day fighting among ourselves and taking
figurative shots at the "other side" as if 50 people had not just
been killed. To be honest, I'm not surprised because that's what many of us do
as Americans. Many of us make every tragedy about us and our movement and our
agenda. Many of us don't care that people are hurting or that families spent
the entire day in that awful gray area of fearing the worst but praying for the
best. Our news coverage of this tragedy is a sad testament to the state of our
country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the age of sensationalism and sound bites, I fear that we
are slowly, but surely, losing our humanity.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-20917483317762304142015-11-09T00:18:00.001-05:002015-11-09T00:18:59.229-05:00Free Fall Movie Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->I haven't written a movie review in a while, but I have
watched several movies. One of those movies was a German gem titled Freier Fall
(Free Fall for all of you English speakers) a few months ago. Free Fall is good. It had a storyline that I typically don't
like, but it did it in a way that made me sympathetic instead of judgmental.<br />
<br />
The main character, Marc, is in a relationship with a woman. The woman is
pregnant and they are well on their way to being a family. Unfortunately, Marc
meets a guy, Kay. Marc and Kay go running together and become more than friends.
The attraction between them is hard to deny. I knew after the first
"kiss" that Marc would be back for more. How could he not? The kiss leads Marc down a slippery slope that is riveting to watch.
It's impossible for him to go back to the life he knew before, but it's also difficult
for him to step forward and claim the life that he wants. The audience watches
as Marc's life slowly spirals out of his control.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And don't get me started on the sex scenes. Wow! I just...I
can't. Maybe it's the desperateness of their first time or the animalistic way
that they kiss each other. Whatever it is, the two actors combine to make
scenes that emanate heat and lust and will probably leave you feeling some type
of way. I've included a clip below, but make sure that you are 18 or older
because children should definitely not see what Marc and Kay do to each other. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I give the movie a B+, mostly because I'm a romantic at
heart so I was rooting for a happy ending. However, there is still hope because
there is a rumor that there will be a Free Fall 2. I'm definitely looking
forward to continuing this journey with Marc and hopefully Kay. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that Free Fall is available on Netflix and through
Amazon. I highly recommend that you rent the movie. You won't regret it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qVWFwqjjXOI" width="400"></iframe>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-29981000133054410302015-10-28T10:59:00.001-04:002015-10-28T11:27:39.283-04:00Thoughts on Spring Valley High<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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By now, you have either heard about or actually watched the video
of a teen being pulled out of her chair and literally thrown to the front of
the room and arrested for refusing to give up her cell phone and leave the
classroom. </div>
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<br /></div>
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As a former teacher, I would assign the bulk of the blame
for this incident to the "adults" involved in the situation. For
starters, this girl was not causing a disruption. I'm not basing that on what I
saw in the video, but rather from the accounts of the students in the room. The
students on the opposite side of the room didn't even know what the girl had
done until they were later informed by their peers. I've had disruptive students.
In order for me to deem a student as disruptive, that student needs to actually
disrupt class. Having a disagreement with the teacher that is so quiet that
only the students near you are aware, does not rise to the level of disrupting
the class. I'll tell you who did disrupt the class though: the teacher, the
vice-principal and the resource officer. The adults completely disrupted that
class for no good reason. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before you argue that the girl was being disobedient and
needed consequences, let me explain to you what a teacher with even a minimal
amount of classroom management skills should have done. Once the teacher asked
for the phone and the girl refused, the teacher should have told her that he
was writing her up. He should have taken a referral out of his desk and filled
it out while he continued to teach the class. If other students inquired who
the referral was for, he should have told them that the person knows who they
are. As long as the student remained quiet and did not cause a scene, the
teacher should have continued with class and dealt with the student later. The
teacher could have even told the girl to remain after class so that he could
discuss her behavior with her. Classroom management 101 is that you do not
argue with students and you do not engage in a public power struggle. According
to a woman from the school board, the teachers have been given training on how
to resolve similar situations with a student who is being disobedient but is
not truly causing a disruption. The woman said, what I as a former teacher
already know, the teacher was wrong to escalate the situation. The girl should
have had consequences, but there was no need to stop class to deal with her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have seen accounts from students that the girl refused to
give up her phone, but she did put the phone away and she apologized to the
teacher and eventually the vice-principal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teacher should have accepted the apology
and informed her that he still had to write her up then continued with class. This
was not a battle that the adults should have pursued. The phone was away. Hell,
I would have been okay if the vice-principal pulled up a seat next to the girl
and sat next to her for the rest of the period to make sure that her phone
never made a second appearance. After class, the vice-principal could have
escorted the girl to the office to be suspended or directly to in-school
suspension or given her a detention or anything short of expelling her. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now here is where I posit a truly radical idea. Maybe, just
maybe, the quiet girl who rarely spoke to her classmates refused to leave class
because she...actually wanted to be in class and learn something (gasp). As
shocking as it may sound, some kids don't want to be kicked out of class. I've
seen people online accuse the girl of clearly not wanting to learn because she
didn't have anything on her desk. Obviously these people have not seen the
longer version of the video where the resource office shuts the laptop on the
girl's desk and moves it away from her, because heaven forbid the laptop get
damaged while he is forcibly removing her from the desk. The officer showed far
more regard for the laptop than he did for the girl. I've also seen the hint from
law enforcement that there is a third video that shows the girl hitting the
officer. I'm assuming they are referring to that moment, after the officer has
grabbed the girl and lifted her off her feet, where the girl punches at his arm
to get free. How dare she give in to her instinct to protect herself. How dare she
not sit still and wait to hit the ground. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every person directly involved in this situation was wrong,
from the girl to the teacher to the vice-principal to the resource officer.
However, adults are supposed to model behavior for young adults. If I was a
young adult in that classroom, what lesson have I been taught? Well, I have
been taught that the appropriate reaction to a non-violent girl who is quietly
being defiant is to rip her out of her seat and toss her across the room. There
are those who have and will argue that the dynamics are different because the
girl disobeyed authority figures, but again, I remind those people that her
great act of disobedience was not wanting to be kicked out of class. She had
already put up the phone and apologized. She was sitting quietly in her seat,
as a student should do. Why was it necessary to escalate the situation? Write
her up, make sure that everyone in the room understands that she will be
punished for her actions and move on with the lesson. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-70350520634444533552015-06-11T12:59:00.000-04:002015-06-11T12:59:47.849-04:00A Pool Party in McKinney, Texas<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I always try to wait a few days before I comment on a hot
button issue. I think enough time has passed for me to write about the now
infamous pool party in McKinney, Texas. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am bothered by the false narrative that this is yet
another attack on police. This is not an attack on police. There were 12
officers who reported to the scene, yet only 1 is being criticized. I have yet
to hear people complain about the other 11 officers. In the few glimpses that
we did have, the other officers appeared to be employing techniques that were
drastically different than Casebolt's. We have to ask ourselves, with at least
3 officers clearly at the scene when the most controversial part of the video
was filmed, why did the boy focus his camera only on Casebolt? What was it
about Casebolt that drew the young man's attention and held his attention for 7
minutes? At no time in the video does the boy filming turn his camera to one of
the other officers there. In fact the few glimpses that we did get of the other
officers were in stark contrast with Casebolt. In the beginning, when the boy
returns the flashlight to Casebolt, we see one officer speaking calmly to the
teenagers then Casebolt comes over and starts yelling at the kids and tells
them to sit down. The next glimpse that we get is when Casebolt unholstered his
gun and two officers ran over to him as if to say, "Hey, put that
away." </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've seen so much vitriol coming from both sides that I'm a
little nauseous. I don't think this was necessarily about race on the police
officer's behalf. I think that the adults made it seem like the black kids were
the problem and that's why the police targeted the minorities. That said, I do
think that Casebolt's actions were over the top and that his behavior towards a
mouthy 14 year old child was unnecessary. I see people defending his actions
because the girl did not leave right away. What these same people willfully
ignore is that when he grabbed the young girl, she was....wait for
it....walking away. He didn't rough her up while she was lingering. He
literally snatched her back as she was finally following his instructions to
leave. The worst part is that even the officer (speaking through his attorney)
has admitted that his behavior was unacceptable and yet people are still
defending him and excusing his actions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Casebolt had an emotionally draining day. I'm glad that his
attorney explained the two suicide calls that Casebolt had received before
arriving at the pool party. The first was an actual suicide and the second was
a young girl threatening suicide. Either call would have been a major stressor
on its own, but together, that had to be an emotionally exhausting day.
Casebolt came to the scene in a compromised emotional state. Like the teacher
with outside stressors who "snaps" on a kid, the situation was the
straw that broke the camel's back. I'm not excusing Casebolt's actions, but I
don't think they were as malicious as some would lead people to believe.
However, if Casebolt had not responded to the scene, we wouldn't be talking
about the pool party. This would just be another teen party that got out of
hand and was broken up by the police. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other issue that I have is the portrayal of the kids as
out of control. Let's review what we know: too many teens were invited to the
pool. The security guard (rightfully so) started refusing entry for the teens,
even though many had legitimate guest passes and were invited. Some of the
teens jumped the fence because they were invited and felt like the security
guard was in the wrong to not let them in to the party. Most teens know little
to nothing about HOAs. All these teens knew was that they had guest passes that
gave them permission to be there. The appropriate response from adults should
not have been to belittle the teens or argue with them. The offended adults
should have called the police immediately. Instead, the offended adults, waited
until after a fight between an irate woman and a black girl who lived in the
community and was hosting the party. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the police showed up to break up an out of control teen
party, the teens started running. Does that surprise anyone who has seen the
cops breaking up a wild party? Teens and adults alike scatter with the
quickness. Some get away, some don't. The police are left to deal with those
who didn't get away or who, for whatever reason (like not thinking they have
done anything wrong) did not attempt to flee. Casebolt yelled at the boys to
sit down and they did. They tried to explain that they had just arrived and one
of them even used the ever offensive "sir" when addressing the officer
(yes, that was sarcasm). When watching the video, I saw Casebolt charge at two
other young boys and those young boys literally sat on the street because they
were following his directions. He had to tell them to move to the grass and all
they did was get up and move to the grass. Wow! Those kids sure put up a fight!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Casebolt ran over to the group of teen girls who were
standing away from the scene, he was the aggressor. The girls were the first
teens on film who did not jump and follow Casebolt's commands. That set him off
and that's why he kept coming back to them and picking with them. I'm not going
to sit here and say that the girls were right to keep standing there or point
out that there were other people walking in and out of the scene with not so
much as a peep from Casebolt. The girls should have been like the boys and immediately
followed the order, but like most teens, they saw that they were being singled
out and they thought that somehow gave them permission to take their time. They
did eventually decide to walk away, but it was too late. Casebolt zeroed in on
the girl in the bright bikini and pulled her back in to the fracas. He threw
her to the ground and as Jon Stewart so nicely pointed out, Casebolt, yelled at
the girl to get her ass on the ground when her ass was quite literally on the
ground. If that doesn't scream out of control to the layman viewer, then I
don't know what will. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other thing that has astounded me is the hypocrisy on
both sides. Many on the left refuse to acknowledge that 11 of the 12 officers
(as far as we can tell) behaved appropriately and many on the right refuse to
acknowledge that 1 out of the 12 did not behave appropriately. Many on the left
refuse to accept that HOAs are allowed to have rules for their pool. The residents
who called the police were well within their rights and I would have done the
same thing and probably much sooner. Many on the right justify the manhandling
of a 14 year old girl because she had the nerve to talk back, yet openly ignore
that she was complying with the police orders when she was grabbed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both sides keep cherry picking the dialogue that they want
to have and that's unfair to the situation. This was not a group of black thugs
terrorizing a suburban pool. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>This was a mixed
group of teens having an end of the school year pool party. This was not a
police versus black kids incident. This was one emotionally drained police
officer responding in an inappropriate fashion to what should have been a
routine break up of a teen party. This was not a bunch of confrontational
teenagers threatening the police. This was a bunch of teenagers reluctant to
leave a party. This was not a teenage girl resisting arrest. This was a teenage
girl being mouthy then flailing to the ground as a grown man yanked her by her
arm and hair. (Notice how her first instincts after being forced to the ground
was not to curse out the police or fight back, but rather to cry for someone to
call her mother.) The two guys who approached the officer were not trying to
jump him. They were two guys who were concerned with the teen girl who had just
been thrown to the ground like a rag doll and inadvertently got too close to
the officer. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could probably keep going, but I think you get the picture.
This wasn't some horrible racist officer attacking black kids, but it also
wasn't some mob of unruly black kids. Both sides are far more complicated. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-73139059453917665712015-05-24T10:36:00.000-04:002015-05-24T10:36:11.958-04:00My Thoughts on the Brelo Verdict<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Two Wrongs Don't Make
a Right</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am a black resident of Cleveland, Ohio. I am neither
surprised, upset nor bitter about the Brelo verdict. Brelo was used as a fall
guy so I can't be upset with the outcome. Why should one man pay for the
mistakes of many? I understand that the prosecution wanted to hold him up as
the bad guy because he temporarily lost his mind and stood on the hood of the
car and fired 15 shots in to the vehicle after the other officers stopped
shooting. His behavior was outrageous, but so was the behavior of many of the
people involved. However, only two of the people involved have documented
mental health issues, and surprise, surprise, they are the two who lost their
lives. The two people who had a reason to not behave "normally" were
the only ones who paid a price that night. The police ignored protocol and
engaged in a lengthy car chase with 62 vehicles following one car, yet somehow,
the bipolar driver of the car is at fault because the police made the decision
not to follow their own rules. Those rules exist for a reason. The main reason
is for the safety of the people, but part of that reason is also for the safety
of the police. Lots of people have asked, what would have happened if Timothy
Russell had just stopped? To those people, I ask, what would have happened if
the police had just followed protocol? You see how that works? Both "what
ifs" end with the same presumption that Timothy Russell and Malissa
Williams would still be alive. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Food for Thought</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I, like many others, read the headlines and wondered why
would they lead police on a high speed chase? Why didn't they just stop? Then I
found out that Timothy Russell was bipolar and that Malissa Williams was
schizophrenic and that both were self-medicating with drugs. These two were not
simply "drug addicts" as some people have claimed. They were mentally
ill people who used drugs to self-medicate. Some of our<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"legal drugs" aka "prescribed
medications" are more potent than most street drugs, yet we only consider
prescription drugs illegal if they are in the hands of someone who doesn't need
them. Why don't we have the same consideration for "illegal drugs?"
Why are Timothy and Malissa less worthy of life because their drug of choice was
not on the approved list?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">There was Only One
True Victim...and it Wasn't Brelo</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mental health aside, I submit that the only true victim here
is Malissa Williams. Her brother pointed out one very important fact: Malissa
did not lead police on a high speed chase because Malissa was the passenger. I
heard her brother say that and suddenly I felt like a fool for not using my
intellect to decipher that very important detail. The media coverage often says
that Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams led police on a high speed chase, but
that is factually inaccurate. Timothy Russell led police on a high speed chase.
One of the officers even said that at some point during the chase, Malissa put
her hands out the window and asked the police to stop chasing them. To anyone
who argues that Malissa could have gotten out of the car, I ask, at what point
could she have gotten out of the car? Did you think that she should have jumped
out of a moving vehicle that was driving up to 100 miles per hour at some
point? If jumping out of the car didn't kill her, surely being run over by one
of the 62 cars that were in pursuit of them would have. And unfortunately,
Malissa did not have an opportunity to surrender once the car stopped because
the moment the car stopped moving, the police opened fire and did not stop
until 137 bullets had been unloaded on two people. I've heard some people say that
the high speed chase endangered the lives of innocent people and I can't argue
with that, but I can submit that Malissa should be counted as one of those
innocent people. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This Isn't Just About
Black People</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not a police versus black people issue. This is a
"something is wrong with the system" issue. If people opened their eyes
and did some research they would easily discover that police aren't just
killing black people. Police are killing and assaulting lots of unarmed,
innocent people. The problem is that, as the judge said, police are given a lot
of leeway because they have to make split second decisions. Some of the leeway
given to police is unbelievable. Firing 137 shots at two people is perfectly
legal because you "feared for your life." We are entering a very dangerous
slope of acceptance. "Perceived fear" cannot be an acceptable
justification for any and all police actions. Sometimes, the police are just
flat out wrong and that doesn't mean that all of the police are bad or that I
wouldn't call the police if I need them. I have said it before and I'll say it
again, I believe that most police are good people, however, even good people
can make mistakes that are criminal. When good civilians make reckless,
ill-advised decisions that lead to the death of other people, they often (with
the exception of those with money) go to jail. When good cops make reckless,
ill-advised decisions that are sometimes in direct violation of department
policy, they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">might</i> get fired, but
often are simply reprimanded or suspended. This is the classic "do as I
say, not as I do" situation and it is unfair to the taxpaying citizens who
are ultimately left footing the bill for civil suits against the city. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cleveland Ain't About
That Life</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'd also like to take a moment and note that there was no
real threat of a riot in Cleveland last night. With the exception of protesters
walking around and the heavy police presence, it was business as usual
downtown. The media tried to incite a riot by continuing to discuss the
possibility, but it would take a hell of a lot more than this to get
Clevelanders to lose it to the point of damaging our city. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-69103499587137074222015-04-01T13:25:00.005-04:002015-04-01T13:25:59.453-04:00Chemical Reactions!So, I haven't posted since December, but I saw this video today and I had to share it. This is how chemical reactions should be taught:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vYFIHnulr38/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vYFIHnulr38?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-82861740036468890622014-12-16T23:06:00.000-05:002014-12-16T23:06:12.618-05:00The All or Nothing Narrative<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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When I was in college, I wrote a paper on how it was
possible to be against the Iraq War and support the troops. I wrote it in
response to the all or nothing coverage of some news channels and newspapers.
There was this perception that not supporting the war meant that you were
against the troops and it irritated me to no end. I believe that our troops are
brave people and I respect what they do for our country, but let's face it,
troops follow orders. I was against the orders, not the people who carried out
those orders. </div>
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I don't want to talk about international policies, though. I
want to talk about America. Why must everything be all or nothing? I have seen
all types of outrage over people (especially athletes) wearing "I Can't
Breathe" shirts. Thinking that one police officer acted improperly does
not mean that a person is anti-police. Many of the people wearing those shirts
will happily tell you that they support most police. They know that police are
just like all other groups of people: there are good officers and bad officers.
They understand that sometimes police have to kill people. It's unfortunate,
but it happens. When police shoot and kill an armed suspect who fired at them
or pointed a gun at them, pretty much everyone agrees that the suspect got what
they deserved. When a policeman uses a chokehold (based on their department's
definition) on camera and then testifies that it wasn't a chokehold, people have
the right to ask questions. When a policeman shoots and kills a man who is
holding an air rifle pointed down, in an open carry state, in a store that sells
said air rifle, people have the right to ask questions. </div>
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I think that making it a black/white issue is a mistake.
These cases are American issues. Are we okay with police accidentally choking a
man to death because they think he might be selling loose cigarettes and he has
the audacity to tell them that he isn't doing anything wrong? Are we okay with
the police pulling up to an alleged "man" with a gun tucked in his waistband (in an open
carry state) and opening fire before they get out of the car? Are we okay with
police walking in to a store and killing a man, in an open carry state, simply
because he has a gun? This isn't about pointing out that statistically
more Native Americans are killed by police than black people or in terms of
total numbers, more white people are killed by police than black people. This
is about asking how many of those deaths could have been prevented with better
training and better attitudes.</div>
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Criticizing the police is not synonymous with hating
them so why do we put up with such foolish notions? You can dislike parts of a
person, without disliking the whole person, much in the same way that you can
dislike people in a community without disliking the whole community. We need
police. They serve us and most of the time they protect us, but that doesn't
mean that they are perfect, so stop acting like people hate the police, because
the majority of Americans, even those protesting, support the police. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-9043444179976611652014-12-05T15:52:00.000-05:002014-12-05T15:52:09.029-05:00Only the Inhumane<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
If you cannot see the tragedy in what happened to Eric
Garner, then you are inhumane. I don't know how else to put it. I'm not saying
that you have to disagree with the grand jury's decision not to charge the
officer, but you should be able to at least have empathy for his family.
Failure to do that reflects poorly on you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'd like to address a
few comments that have rubbed me the wrong way. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) "Eric Garner died because he was overweight."
The coroner said that the chokehold caused the heart attack that killed Garner.
The coroner ruled Garner's death a homicide. Yes, Garner was overweight, but he
was overweight when he woke up that morning. He might have died from a heart
attack one day, but his heart attack that day was caused by the chokehold. I
didn't randomly decide that. A medical profession, who determines cause of
death every day, decided that. </div>
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<br /></div>
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2) "Eric Garner was resisting arrest." On the
video, Garner asked the police to leave him alone. When the officer grabbed
Garner from behind, Garner put his hands up. As the officer dragged Garner to
the ground, Garner did not fight back. Even if you want to argue that Garner's
words were him resisting arrest, you still have to concede that once the
policeman tried to subdue him, Garner peacefully complied. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) "Garner was engaged in illegal activities." For
starters, Garner was accused of selling loose cigarettes. No cigarettes were
found on him, but he did have a history of selling loose cigarettes, so I'll
play. This is usually where people make the comparison to the Bundy Ranch, but
I'd like to take a different route. To argue that Garner was responsible for
his death because he was committing a low level offense is to argue that a 21-year
old who buys alcohol for his 19 year-old sibling is eligible for death. Petty
crime is petty crime. You don't get to pick and choose who should be ticketed
and released and who should pay with their life. If you believe that a petty
crime is punishable by death then you are un-American and inhumane.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4) "Garner was a career criminal." This is America,
even career criminals have rights. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, let's go on a tangent: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I sometimes watch MSNBC and Fox News, please don't judge me.
I know that both channels are terrible for my mind. One is radically Liberal
and the other is radically Conservative. Those are code words for
"Democrat" and "Republican." For the record, there are
conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, but they are pretty much ignored
by both sides. That's not my point though. My point is that both extremes agree
that what happened to Eric Garner was wrong. Let me repeat that, because surely
hell hath frozen over and the devil is giving ice skating lessons: MSNBC and
Fox News are in AGREEMENT. I never thought this day would come. These two
stations are so vehemently opposed to one another that if one said,
"yes," the other would yell, "no" out of reflex. (Yes, I
realize that the stations believe the Garner incident is wrong for different
reasons.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is the point: When both MSNBC and Fox News agree that
it was wrong, it's safe to say that it was wrong.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-66466722847110356312014-11-29T10:50:00.002-05:002014-11-29T10:50:52.551-05:00About Ferguson<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
It's been a few days since the "no indictment"
decision was announced. I like to reflect on things before I comment, but I
think that I'm ready to comment. </div>
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<br /></div>
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First, I don't understand why anyone was surprised by the
grand jury decision. The writing was on the wall from day 1. I never had real
hope that it would end any other way and when the governor called in the
National Guard and issued a State of Emergency, I became 99.9% sure that I knew
the outcome. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, let me stop here and
explain for those of you who are rationally challenged that this does not mean
that I think Darren Wilson is guilty or that he should fry for what he did.
This means that I think there was enough evidence to have a trial and that McCulloch
tanked the grand jury (I base this on what prosecutors have said about the way McCulloch
handled the grand jury). My assumption is that the trial would have ended with
a "not guilty" verdict because I can't see McCulloch trying very hard
to get a conviction. That said, I guess in the big picture, McCulloch saved us
all a lot of time and energy. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I was not surprised by the rioting and looting that occurred
after the verdict, but I was upset with the way that it was handled. I try not
to be a conspiracy theorist, but someone has to ask the following questions: If
you are afraid that people will react violently, why do you make the
announcement at night? If you called a State of Emergency the week before and
you have the National Guard troops at your disposal, why don't you station them
in front of all the stores on the main strip? Why leave the mostly minority
owned stores unprotected, but have police stationed in front of the mostly
white owned stores? I'm not going to bother answering those questions, but I do
want you to think about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now for the media. I can't help but wonder why the media
focused so heavily on the rioting and looting and virtually ignored the
peaceful protestors and the residents of Ferguson who tried to stop the
looting. I'm sure a few residents from Ferguson engaged in looting, but the
consensus seems to be that the majority of the looters were anarchist who came
to seize the opportunity to loot. I saw lots of the violence on television, but
very little of the kindness. I had to go online to see people trying to take a
stand against the looters. I support peaceful protests, but I don't support
rioting or looting and while we're on the topic, I don't support walking on a
highway and stopping traffic. I'm fine with protestors shutting down certain
streets because people can always take an alternate route, but shutting down
the highway, while dramatic and attention grabbing, is also annoying as hell to
many of those stuck in traffic. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now for the online trolls. I saw one person make a joke that
if the police wanted to scatter the protestors, all they had to do was drop job
applications. Clearly, the person has not listened to the residents of
Ferguson. One of their top complaints is that the jobs have dried up. The
people want to work, but there aren't enough jobs to go around. If the
government dropped legitimate job applications for open positions, the people
would probably knock each other down trying to get their hands on the
applications. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The unrest in Ferguson has been bigger than Mike Brown since
the beginning. The residents of Ferguson have aired their grievances on multiple
occasions, but it appears that most people have not been listening. The Mike
Brown incident was the final straw in a long string of perceived injustices.
I've heard the residents complain that there are few job opportunities in their
area. I've heard them complain about subpar schools. I've heard them complain
about over policing in their area and tell stories about being mistreated by
the police, but not once have I heard them say that they want to be unemployed
and living off the government. I hate when people try to perpetuate their
biases on a group of people. Most black people<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>are not lazy. Of course there are exceptions, but there are lazy people
in every race. I've heard since I was a child that "black people are the
last hired and first fired." Job statistics seem to support that. Before
you complain about the number of black people on welfare, try looking at the
unemployment rate for black people and remember that the unemployment rate only
counts those who are actively seeking employment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now back to the Mike Brown shooting. Pretty much everyone
agrees that some sort of altercation happened at the vehicle. I for one am
impressed that a "five year old" was able to win a wrestling match
with "Hulk Hogan," but hey, stranger things have happened (yes,
that's a little bit of shade). I wasn't there. I don't know what happened, but
I do know that the aftermath wasn't handled properly. The Medical Examiner
didn't take any photos at the scene because the camera didn't have batteries.
Are you kidding me? Even if the camera didn't have batteries, why didn't anyone
go buy some batteries? Mike Brown's body laid in the street for four and a half
hours. What's another few minutes if it means that there is more evidence? I've
seen reports that Darren Wilson was allowed to keep his gun and to drive himself
back to the precinct, I haven't been able to confirm that, but if it is true,
then what the hell? Is a police shooting that normal, that it's literally
business as usual afterwards? The surveillance video of Mike Brown robbing a
store was released at a press conference that was supposed to be about naming
the officer. The prosecutor sounded like a defense attorney when he announced
the grand jury decision. McCulloch discredited the witnesses (way to make
people want to come forward), condemned the media (yes they deserved it, but
that was neither the time nor the place) then shaded the victim (because
nothing says you were a worthless thug like the prosecutor reminding everyone
that you were no angel). A simple reading of the decision would have sufficed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
McCulloch's speech left a bitter taste in my mouth, but one
thing that he said stuck out to me. He made a point of mentioning that white
people have also been killed by police. Few people latched on to that
statement, but it was the one that caught my attention. For starters, black
males are killed by police at a much higher rate, but that is neither here nor
there for the argument I am about to make. How can you defend the shooting of a
black man by reminding people that police shoot and kill white men too? Why did
no one care about that comment? To me, it says everything that is wrong with
our system. We've created police forces that are trigger happy. Unless someone
is shooting at you, your gun should be one of the last things that you reach
for, yet here, in America, it is often the first thing. What's the point of
creating mace and tasers and letting police have batons if their hands are
going to go for the gun first? Why bother with all the extras? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Wilson's own admission, he thought, "Do I have the
legal right to shoot?" He thought he did and the grand jury agreed. That
isn't his fault, that's the system's fault. Let's say that everything happened
exactly the way that Wilson said it did. I think if Darren Wilson would have
shot Mike Brown multiple times at the vehicle, none of this extra stuff would
have happened. More people would say, well, Brown shouldn't have touched the
gun. What did he think was going to happen? The officer was trapped in the
car, of course the officer shot him. The argument stems from the fact that Mike
Brown was running away but Darren Wilson got out of his vehicle and started
firing at him. It has been found that Darren Wilson was well within his rights
as a policeman, so any anger directed towards Wilson is misdirected. He didn't
break any laws. If you don't approve of his actions then you need to try to
change the laws. Speaking of which, I think that the Mike Brown Law should be
passed because cameras eliminate the questions. If Darren Wilson had on a body
camera, no one would wonder about what happened, because everyone
would know for sure. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633691828312611223.post-41065397274451822162014-11-12T09:35:00.001-05:002014-11-12T09:35:44.938-05:00Beyond the Lights<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw an advance screening of Beyond the Lights two weeks
ago. I've been waiting to post about it because what good is a movie review
that's done two weeks before the movie is released? By the way, Beyond the
Lights comes out on Friday, November 14, 2014. Should you see it? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
THE REVIEW</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you loved Love & Basketball, then this movie is a
must see. Beyond the Lights is the exact movie that it appears to be in the
trailers. It's the story of a pop star, Noni, who has tired of pretending to be
someone she's not. If you've seen the preview then you know that Noni jumps
from a balcony and is rescued by a policeman named Kaz (aka, my new crush, Nate
Parker). You also know that they fall in love and her mother and his father do
not approve. Noni and Kaz's relationship develops in a very sweet and endearing
way. It's clear that Kaz wants to help Noni face her demons, but he understands
that he can't force her hand, so he sits on the sidelines and encourages her to
be herself. Eventually, Noni hears him <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and begins to find her own voice, which,
surprise, surprise, is not the voice that her record company or her mother want
her to have. While helping Noni, Kaz loses sight of his life goal and his
father is quick to tell him all the ways that Noni is ruining his life, but
this is a love story, so you can pretty much guess how well that conversation
played out in the movie. At its core, Beyond the Lights is a classic love story
set against a music back drop.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall Grade: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">B-</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I give the movie a B- because there isn't
anything special or surprising about the movie. The movie is what it is and in
this case, that was enough to keep me entertained. There were some weak moments
in the writing, but the superb acting made me quite forgiving. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
THE ACTORS/CHARACTERS:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
MGK (rapper Machine Gun Kelly for those who aren't in the
know) plays Kid Culprit, Noni's boyfriend for publicity purposes. I understand
that MGK was pretty much playing a variation of himself, but as a Clevelander,
it was nice to see a hometown boy doing big things and actually holding his own
as an actor. Kid Culprit is all about image and it becomes clear during the
movie that his image is far more important to him than Noni could ever hope to
be. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Minnie Driver plays Noni's "momanger." I have
loved Minnie Driver since Good Will Hunting, so I wasn't surprised that she
delivered as Macy Jean. Macy wants the best for Noni, but it's clear from the
beginning of the movie that Macy never really listens to what Noni wants. In
the beginning, Noni was all about pleasing her mother. There was one scene in
which the photographer at a photoshoot asks Noni to take her top off and Noni
looks to her mother so that her mother can make the decision for her. I thought
that moment was particularly poignant in terms of conveying the dynamics of
their relationship. Macy was okay with pushing the limits and playing up Noni's
sexuality as long as it made them money, while Noni wasn't really comfortable
with it, but understood that she needed to play her part. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Danny Glover plays Kaz's father, Captain Nicol. Like Macy,
Captain Nicol has helped mold his child's life. He wants Kaz to go in to
politics and it is implied that he has groomed Kaz for politics since Kaz was a
young age. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now for the stars. Let's begin with Nate Parker. This movie
marks the first time that I have looked at Nate Parker as a man. His portrayal
of Kaz was well done. I enjoyed his acting. I enjoyed looking at him. I enjoyed
the way he looked at Noni and the way his character only wanted to protect
Noni. I enjoyed that his character accepted Noni as she was and even though he
didn't understand everything about her life, he wanted her to be happy because
her happiness dictated his own. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Noni. I loved her! Her acting was very
good. She was just as convincing as a sex pot in the music video scenes as she
was when she showed how vulnerable her character felt on the inside. She was
undoubtedly the star of the movie and there is little need for her to worry
about scene stealers, because no one was able to take her shine. I believe that
she felt trap and that her love for Kaz helped set her free. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SHOUT-OUTS</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First Shout-out: This movie made me fall in love with
"Blackbird." That song is depressing as hell. Nina Simone sure knew
how to be a dream killer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Second Shout-out: Darryl Stephens plays Quentin in this
movie. I have loved Darryl since Noah's Arc.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0