A Tribute to Malik Ahmed Kofi Euzebe

For years I’ve heard people say, “Only the good die young.” Never truly understood that old saying until now. Recently I attended the Life Celebration ceremony for my cousin,  Malik Euzebe who died as a result of a swimming accident on July 9^th, (just a month short of his 22nd birthday). He was only 21. While I had the pleasure of meeting him only once in person (we lived in different states), we were Facebook friends. Can’t remember whether he befriended me or me him, but I do know I got a kick out of viewing his posts. At times he would post videos of himself doing some skateboard stunt. He looked very skilled as he glided effortlessly through the air, defying gravity like he belonged there. There was no doubt in my mind that skateboarding was his passion.

His funeral was held at the Mountcastle Turch Funeral Home in Dale City, Virginia on July 20^th. I made every effort to attend because his mother is dear to me and besides that, this is family. I really wanted to be there to give physical support to both her and her husband. Not surprising, the event was well attended with easily more than a 100 people in attendance. As an avid skateboarder, Malik was well known in the skateboarding community. Many of his “homies” as he affectionately likes to call them, were in attendance. As I sat quietly listening to those who chose to give a vocal tribute to Malik, it was easy to tell how loved and revered this young man was. One after one each person echoed what a phenomenon man Malik was. 

From rescuing stray dogs to convincing his parents to give financial support or take in others who had no place to go, the picture of Malik’s life began to take shape right before my eyes. From educators, to classmates, to other family members, the sediments were the same, he was an all-around great person. He was referred to as a “big brother”, a “little brother”, “mentor”, “best friend”, and an “inspiration” by many. 

He was said to be funny, friendly, giving, selfless, engaging, compassionate, and caring. Basically, he was the kind of person you wanted to keep in your life because he had love and compassion for all. It did not matter if he knew you for a life time or just met you five minutes ago, or if you were a friend, a family member, or a stranger - he embraced you just the same. His love was genuine and was only out done by the concern he displayed.  Nothing seemed to bring this young man down. Even when faced with disappointments or conflict, he found a way to shake it off and move on without missing a beat. From all accounts, he was soft spoken, mild mannered, positive, upbeat, artistic, and very creative. To the latter he used the letters U Z B to phonetically spell out his last name on his Facebook account. I would have never thought of that. Overall, he was a well-rounded person who would easily flash his trademark warm smile to anyone he encountered in a heartbeat.

Malik had only just moved out of his parents’ house a mere 2 months ago. Not because he needed to but because he was trying to help some friends out.  That in and of itself spoke volume to me of just how far he would go to ensure others had what they needed. Even in death, his desire to help others was manifested in his decision to be an organ donor. So selfless, so caring. There is no doubt in my mind that his death left a void in many lives, one that won’t quickly, if ever, be filled. But on the flip side, a part of him lives on in the body of the donor recipients. While I don’t know for sure where our love ones go when they leave us, I pray it’s to a better place. Where ever that road took Malik I feel that he is smiling down on us feeling very satisfied that he fulfilled his assignment here on this earth, short a time it may have been. 

There is a GoFundMe account set up to help defray funeral cost.  

Such an some guy could only come from awesome parents. Malik embodied all the nurturing/caring characteristics of his mother Desiree and the strong supportive characteristics of his dad Anthony. Together those qualities made him a great human-being that left a lasting impression on anyone who was lucky enough to have encountered him. What a life he lived and a legacy he left behind. His parents should be very proud of the job they did raising such an awesome human-being. May you be so lucky to encounter such an awesome human-being in your lifetime?  I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you? 

If you would like to contribute to his GoFundMe account, please click the GoFundMe link. Thank you in advance for your donation. Much love and abundant blessings.)i(

Copyright 2018 © Todos Escribe. All Right Reserved

 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe. 

Big Tobacco Company – The Truth is Out

So I’m watching my local network station late the other night when two commercials came one almost simultaneously. Both began the same way with a woman’s voice reading the words as they appeared on the screen, “A Federal Court has ordered Lorillard, Altria, Phillip Morris, and RJ Reynolds Tobacco to make this statement.”  The first one admitted that they knowingly added stuff to cigarettes to make them addictive and that those additives causes cancer, lung disease, heart attacks, and premature death. The second one stated that second- hand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, and premature death. Both ended with, “there is no safe exposure to cigarettes.” Further online research uncovered a third video which addresses the use of low tar and light cigarettes. In essence it was saying they were just as harmful as regular cigarettes and that there was no such thing as a “safe cigarette.”

I’m not sure exactly when in 2006 the Federal Court made this ruling, but their appeal tactics ran its course and they failed to overturn the ruling. So now the ads are coming out. What I want to know is, where and when these ads aired before because I never saw or heard them before? Has anyone else seen these on mainstream media or on any of the major networks, i.e., ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX? Seems to me that someone should have sounded the alarm long and hard on this one. With cigarette smoking being so addictive and common among our young people, this information should have been saturated on every network and published on the front page of every local paper.  I don’t smoke and in recent years I discovered my tolerance for cigarette smoke is non-existence, but I learned a few years ago that both my children indulges in this nasty habit. Try as I may to convince them that smoking is bad for them, it falls on deaf ears as most of my advice seems to do. Mostly because they believe I am “old fashioned” and time has changed. I mean I can tell my children the same thing over and over to no avail, but let someone else say the same thing, they act like it’s the first time they are hearing it. Anyway, it is my hope that they will kick the habit, if for no other reason than to preserve their health and extend their lives.  Having this information coming from credible source – cigarette manufacturers themselves – will go a long way to facilitate that end.

This is huge people! Finally the tobacco companies were forced to admit what we knew all long – that cigarette smoke – direct and/or second-hand – poses a health risk, period. I admit there have been times in the past that I tolerated cigarette smoke at the local club all in the name of having a good time, but in recent years I have decided that my health is more important and have forgone the experience altogether. It is an experience I don’t miss. Sure there were times were no one smoked, but then there were times when just one person smoking could ruin it for everyone else. It was basically hit or miss which could add to my stress levels either way, i.e., the anticipation of someone smoking or actually leaving the club smelling like a chimney. 

The smoke gets into your hair and seep into your underwear – so not good. While some establishments have opted to adopt a no smoking policy, i.e., Footprints, others have not, i.e, Vibes. Funny thing is, the same people patronize both these establishments, which says to me that banning smoking in all establishments won’t hurt their bottom-line. Truth is, it is about time that the rules support what is best for the general public’s health. With that being said, it is my hope that city/county officials will make it mandatory that all public places ban smoking. I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?

Copyright 2018 © Todos Escribe. All Right Reserved                                                                                         

 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe. 

February is Black History Month - Really?

It seems to me that every year I hear less and less about Black History month. In fact had it not been for recent conversation I had with  a couple of friends, I would have forgotten about Black History Month altogether. They both mentioned to me that they have not heard much mention of Black History Month so far this year. One pointed out that unlike the past, her local library has yet to put up any display honoring people of color.   Seems like much of the hoopla of the occasion has died down. I remember in years past I couldn’t turn on my television or surf the net during the month of February without being bombarded by countless ads or posts featuring different people of color in honor of Black History month. However, so far this year, I have only seen two ads on tv; one during a Celebrity Big Brother episode where comedian, talk show host Sheryl Underwood spoke about Thurgood Marshall being barred from something because he was black. The other was an AT&T ad featuring different everyday people of color while a pre-recorded audio of Muhammad Ali's "I'm great" played in the background.  With the month half-way over, I’ve yet to see a single post on my social media news feed that mentions Black History Month.

While I have never been comfortable with our history being condensed/reduced to one month a year or that there was even a need for a designated month to honor our people who made a difference historically in this country, I was contented that at least we were getting some sort of recognition. That was before I had a full understanding of just how much of our history has been edited, omitted, re-written, or just plain falsified. Before I had the urge to research my ancestral history I was convinced that it began with slavery because that was what all the history books projected.  You know the story - that our ancestors were brought over from Africa in ships and forced to work on plantations, etc. If you are of West Indian descent your history books may have included that your island was discovered by Christopher Columbus and that he encountered Indian natives. How can you discover a place if it is already inhabited? The same is true of America. When the first settlers came to America, it was not uninhabited. But that’s another story for another time.

The more I researched my ancestral history, I discovered so many fascinating facts. Like did you know that people of color existed back in biblical days?  Yep, people of color are decedents of the children of Israel, you know those people who were enslaved in Egypt and then lead out of Egypt by Moses or Moshe. In fact, if you took the time to research it you will discover, both from a biblical and/or a historical prospective, that we are the people spoken about in Deuteronomy 28. No other race can lay claim to that because the details won’t fit. Not even present day Jews can make that claim as they are one of the wealthiest races in the world and can trace their history of who they really are, Ashkenazi Jews, back to being descendants of Khazars. To this day we are still the only race in the world who don’t know who we really are or whose we are. Oh and did you know that the Messiah and his disciples were not white but actually of dark complexion? Early paintings depicted their true pigmentation, however as with everything else, they were white washed to depict the same pigmentation of our oppressors.

https://criticxxtreme.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/africa-physical-map.gif

While it can be argued that there is only one race – the human race - the collection of words used to describe us as a people/race is vast to say the least (including some derogatory terminologies which I will not mention here), i.e., Colored, Negros, Blacks, People of Color, and of course African-Americans. None of which constitutes a race per se, especially the latter which is actually a combination of two nationalities and/or continents – Africa, which was the name given to the continent of Akebu-Lan by the Romans, and America, which is the revision name given to the new continent after cartographer Martin Waldseemuller discovered his mistake of thinking the new world was discovered by  Amerigo Vespucci. Surprisingly to me, a discovery in the library at Harvard University in 2015 points out that the earliest documented form of the term “African American” was published back in 1782 in a book entitled “Sermon on the Capture of Lord Corn Wallis” which was written by “an African American”. However most of us may remember that it was Jessie Jackson who encouraged us as a people to adopt the terminology in 1988. 

  

Truth is, while it is fascinating to learn about all the wonderful contribution people of our race have made to modern society as we know it, it is just as important, if not more so, that we also know about the ones who existed before slavery. We come from a rich history of regal people who educated, built, and contributed to other civilizations. Our history and artifacts were stolen by other civilization who exiled us out of our home land into Akebu-Lan for over 1600 years where we were enslaved and eventually sold/traded to the Europeans who brought us to America in ships, just as it was written in the scriptures.  We were forced to leave behind everything that made us unique and a set apart people, ie, artifacts, language, literature, history. Once here, we were stripped of our identity and treated inhumanely, you know the story. As the years passed our history was forgotten and future generations would have no clue of who they are or whose they are.

We were given names that had no meaning, a language that replaced our original tongue, a culture that redefined who we were, and a religion that not only sealed our fate to be condemned by our creator for disobeying His commandment that we have no other god before him, but also changed His name from our original tongue (Hebrew) to one which blasphemes against Him. By introducing us to a “white” savior with a white name, they effectively brought us under submission through religion, which made controlling us without chains feasible.  

As noted in scripture, we continue to be cursed because we refuse to repent and be reconciled back to Heavenly Father, Yahuah Elohim.  Mostly because we don’t remember who we are and have accepted what we have been given/told as the truth. Scripture warns us to beware of false doctrine/prophets. What we don’t realize is that “Christianity” as we know it today is the false doctrine. We have been conditioned to pray to a “white” messiah that we call by a name that did not exist back in biblical days. In fact the Creator’s name has been removed from modern day scripture to ensure we stay ignorant of the consequences. Pick up any version of the scriptures before the year 1611, I challenge you to find the name "Jehovah" or "Jesus" in it.  You won't because those are not the name of the Creator or the Messiah. 

Truth is, we are no better off today than when we were first brought to this country. Sure we can say we are not physically enslaved anymore, but there is no doubt that we are mentally enslaved. Bob Marley said it best when he sang:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery

None but ourselves can free our minds

Have no fear for atomic energy

'Cause none of them can stop the time

How long shall they kill our prophets

While we stand aside and look? Ooh

Some say it's just a part of it, We've got to fulfill the Book

Over three hundred years of not knowing who we are has forced us to build up other race’s countries and nations physically and economically. We exchange our time for money and turn right around and give it back by buying things they have conditioned us to believe we need. In essence, as a people, we have nothing of our own despite the fact that we literally work like slaves. We are still very dependent on the very people who captured us, beat us, enslaved us, kill(ed) us, and continue to devalue us. So while no other race have a specific month dedicated to honor them, and other races have been paid reparation for wrongs done against their ancestors, we seem to be contented to be pacified by one national holiday a year to honor one of our fallen leaders and one month a year to honor us as a people. How sad. I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?

Copyright 2018 © Todos Escribe. All Right Reserved                                                                                         

 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe. 

Reflexology or Foot Fetish

Imagine if you will the following: A young woman enters a local home improvement store looking for a replacement part for a home project she was working on.  As she approaches the aisle she believed the part was located, she observe two male workers behind the paint department counter which was adjacent to the direction she was heading. One was wearing a store vest and the other wore a hoodie with a cap sporting the store’s name. She thought of stopping to ask if they could help her but opted to continue on to her destination hoping a worker for that department was close by. As she scanned the display wall for her item another worker who was also wearing a store vest approached her and asked if she needed help. She proceeded to share her need with him to which he told her he will get someone to help her. As she continued to scan the display wall for the item the young man that she had seen before behind the paint department counter who was wearing the hoodie and cap, but no vest, came up to her and offered to assist her find her item. She assumed he was sent by the previous employee.  Once again she repeats her need. The young man assured her he would be able to help her find the part.  After a few minutes they came across the part but it looked slightly different than the original. The young man offered to look up the part on the computer. While he was doing that he asked her a few probing questions. At first she thought he was just being polite and just passing the time so she gave no thought to the nature of the questions he was asking, however later she would realize a deeper seated meaning, i.e., “Are those boots comfortable?” “Do you get regular foot massages/pedicures?” Both questions were met with affirmative answers.  He then went on to ask if the weather was nice outside. Again she affirmed that it was.  He then shared that he was currently in school studying reflexology and asked if she knew what that was. Again, she affirmed that she did and expanded on her knowledge of the subject, that it was an alternative medicine involving application of pressure to the feet and hands which stimulates corresponding organs in the body.  

His search on the computer proved futile, so they both agreed she should check another home improvement store. As she thanked him for his assistance and turned to leave, he shared that he had a class assignment he needed to complete but because of his work schedule he was unable to get it done. He revealed that he needed to do a 5-minute video showing him assessing a patron’s feet and asked her if she would be willing to assist him with it. After a brief consideration, which included her reflecting on her own struggles in the past to get class assignments completed while holding down a full time job, she said yes.   Besides he seemed harmless enough and it would be done in an open area – store parking lot.

As they walked out the store she noticed that he did not clock out so she asked him if he didn’t need to. He responded that he was only going to be gone a short time and would make adjustment to his time card when he returned.  Once they got to her car, he asked if she would not mind pulling up a little bit out of the range of the store front cameras as he did not want to be seen loitering on company time. Again, it did not seem odd to her as they would still be in the parking lot and in public view.  After she parked, she freed her feet from her boots and socks giving him full access to examine her feet.  He was respectful as he took her feet in his hands and seemed to have a “doctor” like mannerism as he did. He asked her to do a series of foot exercises which included crunching and straightening out her toes in quick successions while he videotaped the session.  At times he would press on the side of her ankles or various part of  the sole of her feet as she did the exercise while asking her how that felt, i.e., any discomfort or wired sensation.  The whole thing probably lasted about 2-3 minutes. Then he announced that there was one more thing he needed to do - a detox test. Noticing that he had no equipment to do any sort of testing she asked how he planned on doing that? He responded that it required him licking her toes. 

At that point she was through.  She wasted no time telling him that she would pass on that and kindly asked him to get out of her car.  He thanked her for her time and re-entered the store.  As she redressed her feet she realized how gullible she was and that this was nothing more than a young man getting his jollies off because he had a foot fetish. She had to hand it to him, he was very effective in keeping her off guard, but quickly realized that in her quest to assist a seemingly aspiring young person fulfill a class assignment she had allowed herself to overlook the red flags that were now all to obvious to her as she replayed the whole encounter. His seemingly innocent probing questions were nothing more than him sizing her up to determine the condition of her feet. The comfort of her boots revealed that she probably did not have any corns/callouses as her feet were not confined or restricted.  Regular pedicure and massages revealed that she took care of her feet and most probably had soft feet. 

Oddly enough, instead of feeling embarrassed or upset because of her gullibility, she broke out into a body rocking chuckle. Best case scenario, he really was a reflexology student that she helped complete an assignment. Worst case scenario, he really was just a young man with a foot fetish who she helped fulfill a fantasy he had about creating a memorable experience which he no doubt will relive every time he played that video footage. 

In any case, the thought of a video circulating cyberspace of her perfectly manicured feet has the potential to keep her up nights.  I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?)i( 

#yahsdaughter863 #yaninah89 #yaminah #laugh #harmless #smile #chuckle
#footfetish #reflexology #podophillia #fetishism #feet #foot #scam

Copyright 2018 © Todos Escribe. All Right Reserved

 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe. 

Racism - Alive and Well in Buckhead

The following is a post on my Facebook news feed: “I'm sitting in my car over by Lenox. I decide to grab something to eat because I'm happy that I can finally eat. I'm parked in between my lines. A suv pulled up and parks so close to my car but I didn't realize it at the time. When the lady comes back she proceeds to bang her car door into my passenger door repeatedly. I get out and say excuse me in which she responds “Excuse What? You gonna give me time to get into my f@^%ing car.” It took everything not to curse her out bc the car across from me was taking their children out the car. I said ma'am you hit my car and she said prove it b!$%h. So I said I'll just call the police in which she responded go ahead you black bitch it ain't like you can prove it or they will believe you anyway. I started to take a picture of her tag and she yelled out the window more profanity including “my time will not be wasted on a person like you.” I called the police and was informed bc I have no damage I cannot press charges. This is the 2nd time in GA I have been talked to this way because of my color. It is so sickening. Update: so I flag down another officer who in turn does take my report. Idk what's going to happen but I do feel a little justified.”

I felt compelled to follow-up with the poster to get more information. Turns out that when she was 13 years-old she and her family relocated from the islands and was living in Roswell. One afternoon while walking home from the bus stop, a car full of white young men speed past her and yelled obscenities towards her including calling her the “N” word. It was a traumatic experience for her, which led her to tears as she had never encountered such hatred especially from people she didn’t even know. So fast forward to the day in question, she was equally taken aback at the women’s rude response to her polite observation. Her frustration was further compounded by the response of the police office she flagged down to assist her. She indicates that his demeanor was cold and aloof as she shared her encounter. He pretty much told her to forget about it. Luckily she didn’t. Her call to 911 yielded the same officer being sent back to address her complaint. This time he seemed a bit more sympathetic and offered her an apology for his dismissive behavior before. Not really an excuse but he did offer that he was in the middle of slow/low priority car chase when she flagged him down the first time. He listened to her complaint again but this time he took and ran the license plate number she offered him before. His system offered up the name and phone number of the registered owner. A quick call to the owner revealed it was a male not the female she had the verbal altercation with.  However after much probing it was evident the guy knew exactly who the woman in question was. A conversation between him and the woman was audible in the back ground as she defensively admitted she was there after denying several times before that she was not involved. The guy put her on the phone and she proceeded to verbally abuse the police officer confirming, in full form, the poster’s claim of the verbal assault she unleashed on her earlier.  After a few minutes she hung up on the officer. Needless-to-say attempts to reach them again by phone proved futile. With little consolation, the office left.

It is a shame, but not surprising that these type altercation happens more and more every day, especially since we now have a President in office who himself engages in, condones, and encourages racial disparities and discrimination. This is not by accident. I am convinced that he was put in place as a distraction as the real agenda is being secretly being pursued by the powers that be. Bear in mind that President Trump was appointed by the Electoral College, not elected by the people. 

I recently watched a YouTube video which revealed some information I was not aware of but supports my thoughts on what President Trump’s purpose is. Apparently certain churches received a letter from Arab leaders’ acknowledging that the current occupants of Israel/Jerusalem have no biological lineage to the black-brown 12 tribes of Hebrew Israelites and that Washington cannot broker any peace negotiations on behalf of Palestinian or Jerusalemite families. Interesting development. Video posted by Pastor Omar T went on to share that in 1871 Albert Pike wrote letter detailing/predicting World War I, II, and III. We are on the verge of WWIII. Pike predicts that at the end of WWIII people will be so disillusioned and fed up that they will gladly embrace the suggestion to worship Lucifer. Not so far fetch as I know of two networks who aired shows promoting satanic worship - MAD TV on CW and Mom on CBS. Watch video for more details on the Pike letters. It's a bit long but worth watching. We are on the horizon of a mass uprising - stay vigilant and act accordingly.

While the above Facebook poster resisted the urge to return the verbal racial slurs directed at her because she was mindful of the children within earshot, this is one time I would not have been upset with her had she chosen to respond in-kind. People need to know that they cannot get away with talking to people of color any way they chose. We have just as much right to be here if not more. History shows that while just about every other race came here seeking economic advancement and freedom, people of color were already here. There is much debate on whether or not we actually were shipped here from Africa, but there is undeniable evidence that we were here before the European came. I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?

Copyright 2018 © Todos Escribe. All Right Reserved

 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe. 

Gas Price – Debit vs Credit

A few years ago I pulled into a gas station on the corner of Columbia Drive and Memorial Drive to gas up my jeep because the price per gallon advertised on the sign was less than the competitor (Chevron) across the street. Without giving it any thought I swiped my credit card and pumped the gas. When I got my receipt I noticed that the price per gallon was more than the advertised price on the sign so I went in to inquire why. The clerk seemed a bit hostile in his response when I pointed out the discrepancy. He said forcibly, “That’s the ‘cash’ price” as if he felt I was challenging what I saw on the sign. He went on to say that the sign clearly says that. I told him I did not notice “cash” on the sign as was evident by my gassing up. Truth is had I seen that I would have gone to the competitor across the street who was about 3 cents/gal cheaper.  As I left the location I made a point to look at the sign again and sure enough there was the word “cash” in very small letters next to the price. Below that was a slightly higher price with the word “credit” next to it. I could not help but wonder how many times in the past I had paid a higher price per gallon because I was unaware of the “cash” vs “credit” price difference.

As time went by I would make a point to check the sign for pricing discrepancy when gassing up. Sometimes both prices were the same and other times there was no distinction given as to whether or not it was the “cash” price or the “credit” price listed. Turns out in the absence of distinction there was no difference in the price point. So I found a BP which did not have a price point difference regarding cash or credit payment and stuck with them.

So fast forward to the other day I was heading out to visit my grandchildren when I realized I needed gas. So I drove to my regular spot – BP on Covington and DeKalb Medical. Sign said $2.43 and $2.48/gal. I figured the first price was the price for regular grade and the other price was for premium grade. I mean honestly I don’t normally give it much thought anymore, especially since I tend to use my BP rewards points when I fill up.  However, after I put my loyalty number in and answered “yes” to the promoting to the question if I wanted to use my .04 off per gallon, I noticed the price displayed per gallon was $2.44.  “What?” I said out loud. How can the discounted price still be more than the published price? A closer look at the sign revealed something curious. Next to the prices listed in smaller letters were the words “cash/debit” and “credit” respectively.  Ain’t that a bitch? My BP station has been indoctrinated into the cash vs credit movement. How crazy is that? Really, who walks around with $40 in their pocket to be able to pay cash for gas? Not me. Heck, I don’t even use a debit card. So I am on the hunt to find another BP station that does not make the distinction.

I am not sure why gas stations are now making the distinction between cash/debit and credit payments, but it is costing me a pretty penny. One reason I can think of for the change is that perhaps the cost difference for credit payment is a way for the merchants to recuperate the cost of the credit transactions fees. By passing those cost on to the consumers, they avoid having to pay that 5% transaction fee themselves. So I have a choice to make. Either I find a new BP that does not make the distinction in payment method, or I need to dust off my debit card and reactivate the pin to be able to save money at the pump.  I’m Just Saying. I got issues – what about you?

Copyright 2018 © Todos Escribe. All Right Reserved

 The views and opinions shared here are by the Author and are the property of Todos Escribe.