Flipskript Ink

I broke the cardinal rule of blogging: One must post or update at least once a week. My awkward apologies. I caught a case of multiple employment syndrome in the past few months. Well to be realistic, writing has always been and will continue to be employment for me regardless if I receive monetary or masthead compensation (both are awesome rewards, but due to increasing cost-of-living expenses, monetary compensation would be a little more appreciated...but I happily digress). I actually took up some time doing volunteer work talking to others about the Bible, being a performing artist for a local youth initiative, and a childcare support advocate. I was thinking about my various activities and I was blessed to have one of these become a paying gig. Working with the population I do [children who are victims of domestic abuse] has made me see the world for what it really is: a social concoction of mentally unstable-bullies varying many ages who need a special type of slap in the fac

A whole month practically slipped by and I had nothing to say...kind of ironic for a writer. In between trying to improve my spiritual routine, my hectic work schedule, reading about family testimonies in Michael Jackson's wrongful death lawsuit, and trying to figure out why Amanda Bynes is acting up, I think I should consider a vacation, or a just a few days of complete laziness. In the wake of the late King of Pop's daughter's attempted suicide, it doesn't surprise me one bit that grieving Paris is NOT ready to take the stand and testify about what happened to her father. The New York Daily News reports that while Prince Michael I relived that tragic June summer day in court, TJ Jackson, Tito's son and co-guardian, stated that teenage girl is in a tough spot and taking the death really hard. 15-year-old Paris downed 20 Motrin pills and cut herself with a kitchen knife and was hospitalized. Paris was another target of cyberbullying, as she was subjected to hear

Could someone please explain to me why a mother in Queens is grieving her 12-year-old daughter's suicide? The New York Post reported that a troubled tween, Gabrielle Molina, was found in her bedroom hanging from a ceiling fan by a belt after 2pm on Wednesday (5/22). Her parents, brother, sister, and are devastated, her neighbors completely in shock because she was such a sweet, beautiful little girl. The girl's aunt, Irma, is left with memories of how her niece wanted to sing and dance.  Gabrielle has become yet another unfortunate fatality, due to the rise of bullying, both at school and online. Young people, teenagers,Tweens, and even younger have gotten themselves involved and obsessed with harassing their peers as making life more difficult than it already is. It's pretty sad to say, but the Golden Rule and love of neighbor seems to be waning daily, more and more.  Just the night before, I performed at open mic (in the valley) and the piece I felt compelled to give was

I have been told that I write a lot of angry poetry. While this is true, I don't think this means that I am an angry poet. It just means that a lot of injustices make my blood pressure rise higher than unemployment. My past few performances have included spoken word pieces on bullying, domestic violence, and even a poetic fictional story about a young woman finding the strength to forgive her rapist. Most people who know me, or even claim to know me, know what an awkward, bubbly chick I am. But a series of events have unveiled itself that have led to write the whimsical raging literary prose that I do. I still have not seen the "Bully" documentary (and it's even out on DVD & Blu-Ray, I know) but still intend to watch it. Despite the fact that it is an ageless problem, I define a bully as the bain of humankind's downfall. Many theories have been created to explain its very origin and still as a whole, we humans tend to agree to disagree with passionate conf

I read this awesome column on the Troy Record website, originally posted from the Salt Lake Tribune regarding violence and sex on TV. Scott Pierce, a TV critic, expresses the gruesome series America is sucked into, such as The Walking Dead, Hannibal, Grimm and Supernatural. As I re-read this column, I can't help but think of how the bubble guts appeared when I saw previews of Spartacus. Each one to their own is the way of the world, but the irony is that people enjoy this. Sex and violence include heavy graphics and imagery that imprints your conscience...well it has that ability if you let it. Pierce included the scenario about how he has held countless conversations with parents who aren't sure of what shows are okay for their kids. He explains the vivid bloodshed and murder in the scenes but the parents ask about any sexual content. My human wants to yell, "FOOLS! You beautiful, ignorant fools! What about the fight scenes and the use of weapons? You're only co

During recent years, internships and unpaid work have been quite the testy subject with good reason. The main problem with internships (for students in high school or college) or externships (for adults looking for more work or going back to work) is that some companies don't pay at all...at least in cash. With the economy being tighter than leather pants, companies big and small are trying every way possible to save money without compromising the pays of higher-ups. Young adults have become boomerangers, and went back to living with their parents. Some are even working 5 jobs to make ends meet. Even though unpaid work can enhance your skills in your desired trade or career, it can start to feel like your being exploited for what you bring to the table. A Madame Noire writer  expressed her pros and cons about unpaid work as well, using the fashion industry and mainstream media as examples to explain the heavy workloads of interns and entry level employees. I know Drake got ever

Being a nerd was socially unacceptable, until it was time for a big exam. Then the outcasts were temporarily invited inside the cool kids circle, only to be used for the intellectual creativity in their cranium. I've seen ads where it can be sexy (i.e. nice looking girl with thick glasses) or profitable. The awkward appearance, the use of superfluous vocabulary, the nasally execution of the voice when talking to others, and thick coke bottle glasses are the common stereotypes of nerds depicted in movies and TV. As generations evolved, so did the styles and personalities. So what if they are just characters...a girl can dream, right? One day, I began thinking to myself, "If I had the chance to go back to school, I wish these people were in my class..." 5) Michael Evans from Good Times Photo courtesy of TV Land . This little boy always had me cracking up. He was an all-around kid who had a habit of filling his little mind with whatever he could. Dub

I had the most intriguing memory from my adolescence. This will eventually turn into a poem, when it's time. As a teenager, I like to listen to different kinds of music (and still holds true today). My mom showed concern because I was into heavy metal, alternative rock, and grunge. In her mind, the Four Tops and the Staple Singers can never top Alice in Chains and Metallica. One day, she said she needed to talk to me. I thought I was gettin grounded all up and through for not washing the dishes. Out of the blue, she informed me that she was subscribing me to Vibe Magazine and wanted me to stay up-to-date on the news in Black music. Not knowing what to think, she handed me my first issue addressed to me. I was waiting for her to tell me when my thesis would be done for each issue. Unsure of what she was trying to say, I kept the issues and read them while listening to my regular music. I appreciated what she was trying to do, but at the time rap and hip hop was going through cha

Tia & Cree, Photo courtesy of Mrs. Grapevine . Tamera & Aden, Photo courtesy of Bossip . Are you really gonna slam on somebody's child? Like...really? First, Tia Mowry-Hardric t received harsh and insignificant feedback on her baby boy, Cree's appearance. Now, her sister is going through the same thing. Tamera Mowry-Housely is receiving flak for her interracial marriage and how "white"baby Aden's skin color is. Seriously?  Whether you're full of melanin or not, check out your baby photos and take a gander at what color you were at birth. Were you brown? Light brown? Dark brown? White? Pink? Yellow? Blue? Red? You eventually came into your color, right? And who are you calling ugly? Have you seen yourself in the morning, before the face wash, astringent, make-up and whatnot? Are you even aware of your stank face? These awesome women have some beautifully adorable babies and are no different from any other good parents who want

Photo Courtesy of Life in the Village . I'm a domestic violence volunteer and I work mainly with children when I'm not on the clock. Before I left to spend time with the children, I found out some disturbing news about a couple of rapes and murders. With very limited TV, I manage (almost 100% of the time) to find out about news reports at the last minute. With the crimes that happened not too ago in my area, I talked to my youth advocate about what happened. I would list the links of what happened, the location, and morph into my hard news persona, but sadly, she told me that there were very little reports about these crimes. My boss told me about the incidents but they were brief stints on the evening and morning news. What else could be more important than the safety of people, especially young women? It's bad enough that these crimes are happening and worse that no one has said anything. All the while some sinister mystique keeps clouding the minds of earthly cit

Photo courtesy of UCL News . Photo courtesy of Public Relations Blogger . Is it wrong to ban sex offenders from social networking sites? Some think so and some think not. While checking the frigid forecast on the Daily Freeman , this story was one of the latest headlines this past week. The AP reported that an Indiana law preventing registered sex offenders from using social media websites accessed by children was declared unconstitutional by a federeal appeals court. Even though U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt noted that the internet remains open to convicted offenders, she ruled that social networking did create a "virtual playground for sexual predators..." I am not a parent, but I am an auntie, teacher, childcare volunteer and mentor and can understand why officials and others would want to enact a law such as this. With the iElectronics evolution and new smartphones and tablets coming out every week, talking about this is purely inevitable. I could b

Photo courtesy of 360° Success . Finding a soul mate seems nearly impossible in today's society. With divorce rates, adultery, and sex out of boredom increasing by the second, it's not surprising that people have lost faith in the sacred authenticity love once had. The attributes and values that people look for in a potential mate have evolved drastically over the years and no one can find a perfect man today. In every sitcom and movie I have watched, women delve into their snacks and love lives, spending all hours of the night constructing their "ideal guy." (Girlfriends, Sex and the City, etc). This topic has been discussed so much that studies are being done on them. Christine Roberts of the New York Daily News wrote about a study conducted by dating website, WhatsYourPrice.com , on the perfect man for a woman. Out of the 9,000 plus women who participated in the survey, 40 percent of women who reside in NYC say that their perfect man should be in hitting t

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" This is the first of many questions most people remember from their childhood. As time goes on, aspirations begin to change with life experiences. In most cases, what starts out as a job becomes an occupation and eventually turns into a career. It's easy to think of jobs, occupations, and careers as the same thing. While they may be linked into the same cluster, each one yields a very different meaning. Jobs can be defined as positions consisting of duties and tasks performed by a person in exchange for payment on either a full-time or part-time basis. These paid positions serve as a purpose for one to make and save money for something else, such as rent or mortgage or a new car. Some people work at a job mainly to make ends meet while others utilize all of their effort and energy to do their responsibilities as well as learn new skills. This can be a good quality and eventually impact one's career goals. An occupation is