Views from Point Breeze

I had to visit the Library the other day because I did not have anything to read.  I finished Medusa by Michael Dibdin recently.  It started off kind of slow because it was culturally a little foreign to me.  I had to translate various Italian phrases.  The novel involved the discovery of a body some thirty years after the individual met a tragic end.  His fate was intertwined with a number of the characters in the book's fates.  I returned a few CD's also before the late fees hit.  Thank goodness for e-mail alerts. I wanted to pick up a book by James Patterson but I am in the habit of finishing those in two days or less.  The Quickie was an intriguing read with murder and mayhem and a number of interesting plot twists.  It was more layers to it than the title implies.  I was looking for something recent by Eric Jerome Dickey but he must be in the middle of something intense.  A Wanted Woman made me want to pass out.  Hence,...

Aino Jefferson was the Mother of two of my sons childhood friends.  Storm Maragne and Cash Jefferson grew up on Chadwick Street right behind us on 15th Street.  I can remember Mike and Alonna and Storm and Cash, along with Rome, riding bikes or skating for hours in the summer time.  Bike rides turned into trips to Wildwood.  We used to have amazing times in Wildwood.  Cash, Mike and Storm are now parents.  Alonna was babysitting Savannah when Cash was at her Mother's bedside. Aino was only 51 years old.  She and I were 1963 babies alike.  She had talked about celebrating her 50th last year.  We were supposed to hang out for drinks with Shawn.  I don't think we did.  My celebration was low profile.  I am so appreciative of life and the growth that I see in myself as an individual.  This past Saturday, I attended two funeral services.  Samuel Wilson passed away at 94 years old.  He was the father of one of my be...

I admire individuals who can take the time to put their thoughts and ideas into book form.  I regularly visit libraries in any city that I visit.  I understand how difficult it can be to create a captivating book that will attract readers and provoke thought among those willing to take the time to invest in the story.  The Lighter Side of Darkness is the first novel written by Troy 'Pappy' Johnson.  I actually read the prequel entitled 'The Redeemer' when Mr. Johnson was in the early stages of entering into the realm of fiction writers.  I saw the potential then and I am witnessing the fruits of his literary labors. Troy took great pains to involve like minded individuals on his quest to publishing The Lighter Side of Darkness.  Jay Durrah, an accomplished artist, was chosen to complete the artwork for the cover.  Jay and Troy both share a Howard University foundation as the basis for moving forward in the arts.  Troy also employed a number of ...

The war on terrorism has taken a tricky turn in the last few weeks.  The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has upped the ante with televised acts of violence and intense land grabs with crucifixions and religious intimidation.  American journalists were beheaded and the Yasidis were forced to escape to a mountaintop and would have died without outside intervention.  Recently, a young serviceman was identified as the first casualty of the war against ISIS.  It is supposed to be a war fought by drone activity but ground troops seems to be inevitable. It seems like there was an intense amount of pressure placed on President Obama to formulate an ISIS strategy.  I think he was quoted this year as saying that he did not have a strategy to fight ISIS.  After the U.S. failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the tremendous loss of American and Iraqi lives during the wars that followed, I would think that we would be hesitant to try to find a soluti...