Culture, Race & Economy

Celebrity is to Americans as The Royal Family is the British. I guess there is something in human nature that creates a tendency in the majority of folks to worship celebrity. And this is probably sufficient to answer my question. I draw a line when we begin to value the advice of folks on subject matters they have clearly demonstrated little success in their own lives. I’m not trying to pick on Steve Harvey personally, because I’m sure he is no worse (or better) than any of us. I just chose him of as one example, of many I could have selected, to illustrate my point. In this month Essence magazine, Steve Harvey was on the cover again. This time the …

What Does the Deer Have in Common with Humans? More About Solomon Was Solomon Black? Part II Mt. Hermon This is part II of an earlier research about the Book of SONG OF SOLOMON. This song written by Solomon also included the written account of the maiden, the Black skinned virgin. This canticle authored by Solomon and this maiden was so incredible that, obviously, the priesthood had it published to become part of the Holy Bible. So, in order to even understand a little of the genius of Solomon, there needs to be some background history to also consider. First of all, as revealed later in this very book, the maiden …

Tunisia and the reality of democracy https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2200&type=status

I define black americans in this post as black people from canada to argentina whose forebears were mostly enslaved in the usa from the 1500s to 1800s. Very specific so no not, black people from africa or asia as free immigrants today. Now I realize i am very late with this question. But I know that the black populaces of guyana/suriname/french guiana/brazil/venezuela/ecuador all have carnavals. And the black populace of north america has mardi gras. The black communities in haiti/martinique/trinidad all have carnavals. so, while the black american populace has internal difference in language[english , french , portuguese]/religion[traditional/catholic/protes…

I get friend requests like this on a regular, almost daily basis. I noticed this trend last year. But it seems to be getting worse lately. I know one of Facebook's biggest challenges is dealing with stuff like this as these pages surely contain links to sites with viruses, malware, spam you name it--which you can quickly spread to others. Usually the images are not quite so pronographic, typically a provocative bathroon mirror selfie, but sometimes the images are FAR worse (or better depending upon your predictions). This is the the kind of photo that gets a site banned from Google, but Facebook is strong enough in that they don't have to worry about …

I ask you what I was asked, what I answer in the post. What films do not merit being viewed today based on the culture within? https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1790&type=status

Christmas 2022 is just around the corner. Which gifts did you give or receive last year? What gifts do you want to give this year? I want to get an idea of what are the top 10 Christmas gifts.

Kwanzaa 2022 is just around the corner. Which gifts did you give or receive last year? What gifts do you want to give this year? I want to get an idea of what are the top 10 Kwanzaa gifts 🎁?

The USA government has been on a bombing & killing campaign since last year. Fishing boats accused of narco-terrorism have been blown up. Operation Midnight Hammer destroyed Iranian nuclear capabilities supposedly. Venezuelan President Maduro was captured & extradited to the US. Right now, Operation Epic Fury, another joint effort with Israel is underway in Iran. Then, there's ICE rounding up & deporting innocent people & shooting white folks who get in their way. Hundreds if not a thousand people have been unalived by way of the US government over the past 12 months or so. …

What Hapened to Shanquella Robinson? This is a disturbing story. I feel so much sorrow for what that precious young woman has endured and the awful way that she had to suffer and then die. It is my opinion that she was obviously murdered and perhaps set up, then brutally attacked while a group of evil people that she thought were her friends watched. I just can't believe that someone would have that kind of spirit to do that to someone. No one deserves this. If someone had a problem with her, then they should have given her the human right to be tried in a court of law. But at what point did this premeditated death trap begin for this poor girl? Was it planned…

In another conversation @Pioneer1 shared the following: For those who think that's ridiculous..... Look at what happened to brown skinned Native Americans: Native Americans of the 1800s "Native Americans" today. Pioneer's comment struck me, because I have noticed this too. Just a couple of days ago I watched a documentary on the Smithsonian Channel, Battle of Little Big Horn. I visited the site of the battle, for I find what as happen to the indigenous peoples of America incredibly appalling. Interestingly, the "Native Americans" speaking in the documentary all presented as white. Not one looked like the Nativ…

So my little toddler loves to have books read to her and as you might imagine she has a ton of books. Recently, she indicated she wanted me to read a specific book. So, she hopped off my lap and went to one of several stacks of and struggled to pull one from near the bottom of the stack. The book was Corduroy by Don Freeman. Corduroy was originally published in 1968 and features a young Black girl named Lisa, who has to empty her piggy bank to buy this less than perfect stuff bear. I did not learn about the book until recently, as it was present. I thought the book was well done given the year it was published. I figured more books had to have be…

I couldn't log on this weekend. I kept getting some sort of error message saying this site wasn't secure. Probably one of those devils yall love to debate with on here hacking the site....lol.

Just curious.

Weeksville asks from the depths of history to every black person, what have you created with other black people most recently? Use the link to read the article or my thoughts https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1792&type=status

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/oct/20/dark-matter-day-scientists-hunt-ghost-particle?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1ZGzsjHu9SaRsRjDeFyGVrzqtBl1rg_YrQI4kV6-sh5T2Rd8CSQZ9kd4Q

In my new status as a divorcee from the black race, it's a relief to be excused from plowing through the bumper crop of "what black folks need to do" farmers. In an economy of opinions, talk is cheap. Yada, yada. Here's my 2 cents. A couple of the many factors that contribute to this country's chaotic state of affairs are: Misinformation. (false or inaccurate information. ) and Cognitive dissonance("when people hold a core belief that is very strong and when, they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted so they will rationalize, ignore, or even deny anything that doesn't fit with the core belief." Franz Fanon) …

Nowadays I don't a lot of free cash laying around. But I'm more than willing to make a sacrifice and splurge on something for myself or someone else. So I decided to buy tickets for myself, and my daugthers, to checkout the latest installment of the Star Wars saga on IMAX 3D. I never would have imaged that going to the movies would be considered splurging, but at $72 for three tickets I consider it splurging. The crazy thing is that finding tickets was not easy. I brought them online and our favorite Imax theater was sold out until after Christmas! So I had to drive way out of my way just to see the film. Given the box office (more than a 1/4 of a …

Troy, you should know that just as you don't stop thinking of ways to improve AALBC and make it better, there are those of us who feel the same about your site. Obviously not as intensely and with not as much dedication, however from time to time as I'm out and about or surfing the web for something I'll see something that I feel would be great for AALBC to consider. After being here for over a decade and counting, there are a few things I've noticed about this site............ 1. Most of the literature being presented is that of a fictional nature. Not a lot of scientific or financial books. Not too many political books. Some....but not the majority…

It is a psychological norm for individuals to not empathize with issues that do not affect them. History is often written by those who win in battle or conquer the minds of a population. America and much of this world have had a one-sided telling of history that is perpetuated into society. The victims of this perspective have been the descendants of Africa and other indigenous people around the world. We do not know how the Continent would have been if not interfered with. However, what if a new paradigm was created where Africa and its nations maintain a global superiority on this Earth? "BlackWash: The Untold Stories of Reverse Racism" produces this narrati…

During a conversation with an old buddy yesterday. My friend said that he did not understand all these so called Black activists who marry white people. He also said he was surprised I had not married a white woman 😲 We go back 40 years, so I was not phased by the dig, but it got me thinking... Would the founder of the largest website dedicated to Black books, a diehard advocate for black owned businesses, be a hypocrite for marrying a white woman? Would your impression of me change? Would my perceived support of the Black community be diminished? Is Clarence Thomas even more reviled by Black people because he is swirling, d…

This thought was inspired by a few questions Xeon raised in another thread: "Well, tell ya what...why don't you give me the name of one black African country in 2016, that leads the world in technological, medical and scientific development. Give me the name of one black African nation that is a global leader in engineering, economics, agriculture and education. How many black African nations are totally and completely free of technological assistance, infrastructure development and economic assistance from China, Europe or the US? And when you finish that list, give me another list of "non-Negro nations" and governments that are dependent on "black African countries" fo…

There are Black majority cities in America like Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore, and even Jackson Mississippi. What if Black politicians at the municipal level began working with wealthy black entrepreneurs to develop and diversity local economies especially disadvantaged neighborhoods ? Think about it. What if we pooled public and private resources to replicate what Geoffrey Canada did with the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City ? After all a good start early in life in a livable environment comes before any kind of academic achievement or entrepreneurial success. Right? Secondly, what if black business people and politicians formed public/pri…

If I was the CEO of Discovery I will shut down all the activities of Warner Bros media that isn't making money and put up bids for temporary licensing of the horde of media properties, forcing them to be displayed on Discovery channel media outlets. If you were a board member, do you agree with me? What if you are the CEO of Discovery? I explain in detail my thoughts below.

I don't have an answer... yet.

What in the World is Going on In SUDAN! Should we as African Americans and Americans, in general, be concerned? Even though I was completely captivated about the celestial wonders going on in the middle of the month of April 2023, however, I was amazed at what I was hearing and reading about the conlfict in Sudan too, but at first, I didn't believe it was significant. I initially heard casual reports about many European and American officials being rushed out of Sudan and flown safely back to their European countries of origins but then, the news reports continued until finally, they became reported as NEWSBREAKS! Subconciously, I so…

I was watching Candace Owens interviewing a pro Second Amendment AfroAmerican man named Maj Toure and it reminded me of the exchange between Troy and myself about how AfroAmerican communities around the nation differ and how those who grew up in the Industrial Midwest in the 1970s had a different experience than those who grew up on the Eastcoast at the same time. I don't agree with everything he says but if you watch the video from where I started it (20 minute mark) to the next 10 minutes or so he goes deep into how "Black Culture" has been twisted and turned since the 1990s and how Hip Hop was used as a tool to help change the image of Black culture for the wor…

What is a 613 Helmet!? Trip to the Black Owned Business Oh My God! Please help me to get some travel money so that I can go to the Turkey Hut! This is on my bucket list. I first heard of this Black owned business in Houston, Texas from a viral video posted by a black own vlog site called Pink Book Lessons of which she mentioned a disrespectful Black woman who went to the restaurant this past September 4, 2022, to make a publicity stunt to go against the dress code policy. So, she referred to this woman as wearing a 613 Helmet and also a 304. It took me a google moment to find out the meanings and so, 613 helmet refers to the blonde wig that th…

It can be anything, open pulput? https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/668-tubi-x-blacklist-horror-initiative-2026-challenge-final-day/

Many people believe that the word "race" that is used to describe groups of people is also closely related to the "race" that describes a timely competition. Just like a car race, horse race, even a foot race..... They believe that the word "race" was chosen for these various groups because they were literally in COMPETITION with each other for power, land, wealth, and other resources and who could accumulate the most in the shortest amount of time.

What is culture and cultural traditions that are unique to Africans (ascendant) in America? I hear some folks complain about cultural appropriation. But I’m not sure what we consider cultural isn’t actually assimilation. Without researching, I can think of a few things that are uniquely African American 1) buck dancing 2) gospel singing with 4 part harmony (the quartets) 3) drumming (djembe drums) 3) jazz music composition 4) scat / Rap / hip hop 5) trimming hair on the first friday of the new moon...observing & worshipping nature in general 6) seasoning foods with herbs and animal fats, 7) …

For most the introduction is through Horoscopes. Although this is the Astrological tip of the iceberg.

Brothers and sisters from mother Africa I’m here here to dismantled all the lies that we have been taught as we are the elects of this worlds. Now I just want you to imagine that everything that you have been told so far have been lies with a sprinkle of truth because no man can speak all lies evidence can’t be hidden but but I want to begins this discussion with what is civilization because that roots of our problem and solution.

What is CRT & Can this be Correlated to Face Mask Mandates? It seems like some aggressive parents, students, teachers, and school members are angry about what is being taught in the classroom about ‘Racism’ but in some strange twist, the issue of ‘wearing face mask’ is being associated with this concern about ‘teaching about racism’ as it correlates to the First Amendment. Or are they two separate issues that happened to be crucial topics of the day? Last week I read an article about some school board members and their complaint about teaching CRT [C.R.T.—Critical Race Theory] and then later analyst say that this may be a First Amendment violation!?…

@Troy said something in another thread that I found to be somewhat interesting: While I don't disagree with this statement and find it to be quite accurate in many cases, my question is what is meant by "lucky" or "luck"? What exactly IS "luck"? Is it strictly when chances randomly fall in one's favor; or are there Forces and Entities in the background controlling one's fortune and giving one "good luck"?

@ProfD you have often listed "luck" as a key factor in success along with smarts, charisma, and hard work. Given your theological views, I'm curious as to what YOUR definition of luck is? Not the dictionary definition or the "official" definition, but I'm interested in YOUR PERSONAL perspective of what "luck" is. Do you think it's pure chance; or is there some sort of external intelligence of force that generates or guides it? Obviously anybody can chime in on this....lol. I tagged ProfD since he's the one who has mentioned this on multiple occasions. But I'm happy to hear (read) other explanations and perspectives.

As I was migrating content to the new format I can across the CD review I wrote for the Iron Pot Cooker by Camille Yarbrough. So I listened to the entire CD again and was just as moved as the first time I heard it. But it also struck me because it reminded me of @Pioneer1, it made me think of him because I think of all the people on the forum he is most similar to me in terms of what it means to be Black. We share a similar "culture." I "get" everything Pioneer writes even though I'll disagree with him from time to time. Everything he writes is familiar. Now if you grew up Black in an urban ghetto you will understand this CD. However, if you were Black and g…

Also, what would you guess their relationship to be? I'm conducting a small study on perception and appreciate your responses! I will reveal answer shortly so you can know how close you were.

Economic Corner 18 What is the future of writing as a profitable activity? With the advent of computer programs to simulate writing at a quality acceptable enough for most, who will pay for human imagination driven writing over computer average based simulation writing, and why?

I saw on local news , black people talking about Juneteenth , and voting was mentioned as an action, besides the ever common mentioning of Black folk in the past. I will not repeat the details , but all the representatives of my district from the city to the congress are black and donkeys. Now, they haven't done anything brilliant but I don't know what more can a black populace in a district in the usa do then choose a candidate that says they will do better. Voters don't have a gun to anyone's head. They can't force anything. But a question occurred to me. if 100% of black people, who were eligible to vote, voted in the USA, what action will be uttered by the …

Cynique I have actually posted a question.

https://www.interviewarea.com/faq/what-is-the-most-private-search-engine-to-use

Happy Belated Birthday , Al Jarreau born 1940

How could we know until we understand consciousness? I don't think any symbol is real. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-universe-made-of-math-excerpt/ https://medium.com/however-mathematics/everything-in-our-life-has-only-mathematical-patterns-504a0e87ab3 How can it be that mathematics, being after all a product of human thought which is independent of experience, is so admirably appropriate to the objects of reality? Albert Einstein… One evening a few years ago, I was with friends from the college at the backyard of the college, and talking about the relationship between science and mathematics. One of my friends’ friends made a comment,…

or what do you think about your thinking?

Can you identify the secret agendas you have noticed, and their possible effects or purpose?

What is the United Nations Doing About HAITI? And, can anything be done to help the people, especially the children? I read that a Biden Administrator just recently resigned because he disagrees with the Biden administration's actions. Apparently, many Haitian's fled to Mexico and thereabouts after the 2010 earthquake and are now being deported back to Haiti by the Biden administration. And many of them were actually born in Mexico and have never been to Haiti, so obviously many of them being sent to Haiti are children and teen agers! Lately, I have been doing a little research about Haiti and I am honestly very surprised about what I have …