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Okay, I just broke down a begin my first foray into TicTok. Everyone is telling me I need to be on the platform. So I'm starting in earnest today. I still can't image it helping, but I hope I'm proven wrong. My goal is to post a short video several times a week. I'm open to any suggestions. The video is raw, I did not bother to shave or wear anything special -- if I did it would be too much work. I figure I could invest 15 minutes a week to post a few sub-two-minute videos to the platform.

Racism and Poverty .....Inadequate Legal Representation - Prison Industrial Complex While Black people make up just 13.6% of the U.S. population, they accounted for 53% of exonerated people. Similarly, of the approximately 240 people the Innocence Project has helped free or exonerate, 58% are Black.......Five years ago, the organization found that innocent Black people were seven times more likely to be wrongly convicted of murder than innocent white people. The new report found that those odds have worsened slightly since, with Black people now being 7.5 times more likely to be wrongly convicted of murder and eight times more likely to be wrongly convicted of rape than white people. https://innocenceproject.org/nre-national-registry-exonerations-report-2022-racism-criminal-system/ Racism , Alienation and low teacher expectation.. in the educational system of the United States, students are dependent persons, and educators are independent persons. The system creates expectations and evaluates outcomes based upon ideas, beliefs, and values generally accepted by the dominant culture of the school......More than any other time in U.S. history, Black students are being educated by people who are not of their racial or cultural background......Research on effective teachers of Black students emphasizes, among other things, the teachers’ collective belief that Black students’ potential will not be realized in classrooms where teachers view Black students from a deficit perspective.......Compounding the problem of some White teachers’ cultural misunderstanding or indifference, additional research suggests that the gap between White teachers and Black students is exacerbated by powerful social conditioning that cultivates actual negative attitudes towards Black students https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ839497.pdf Please post a link to those stats as I am unable to find a correlates...so that I may properly address your query Black communities are both over policed, targeted, and under police .....Prison Industrial Complex Below is an example that is replete throughout the USA Criminal Justice System 1) In Ferguson, race had everything to do with who was stopped by police, and whom they used force against African Americans made up 67 percent of the population, but between 2012 and 2014, they made up 85 percent of the people pulled over by police. Between 2012 and 2014, black drivers were twice as likely to have their cars searched, but they were 26 percent less likely to have contraband. Between 2010 and August 2014, 88 percent of the documented use of force was against African Americans. Every time a person was bitten by a police dog, the person was black. The FPD brought certain charges almost exclusively against African Americans. For example, in 2013 black residents made up a full 95 percent of manner of walking in roadway charges, and 94 percent of all failure to comply charges. Between 2011 and 2013, African-American drivers got 72 percent of the speeding tickets when radars or laser verification were used, but when tickets were based on officers' personal observations, they got 80 percent of the tickets. 2) None of this could be explained by any differences in the rate at which people of different races violate the law It's not just that black people commit more crimes. "Our investigation has revealed that these disparities occur, at least in part, because of unlawful bias against and stereotypes about African Americans," the report concluded. https://www.vox.com/2015/3/4/8149337/doj-ferguson-report-police-racism I have seen both black and white moms lose their kids for Neglect and or Abuse.

@thewolfxxNobody owes you any explanations, especially since you wouldn't accept them because you are so deeply afflicted with the cognitive dissonance that is exacerbated by the Dunning Kruger syndrome which has you in its grip, and identifies you as a neurotic fool. You probably finished near the bottom of the class when you attended the troll academy. Watta waste of humanity you and your cohorts are. Were your parents related?

I disagree.....I think there is a stronger correlation between education and success and between education and IQ Enthusiasm and persistence.....Cognitive Control - Denial Of Immediate Gratification Could it that Africans are Poor not because of their IQ but because European Imperialist Trading Policies of the IMF and the World Bank Forced African countries to reduced spending on Education and Local Infrastructure...SAP. Look how much money European spend on education compared to most African Countries https://www.worlddata.info/iq-by-country.php When Africans are not denied the access to education...they excel Sub-Saharan immigrants have higher educational attainment compared to immigrants overall and native U.S. citizens. In 2017, 40 percent of sub-Saharan Africans (ages 25 and over) held a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 31 percent of the total foreign-born population and 32 percent of the U.S.-born population. Nigerians and South Africans were the most highly educated, with 61 percent and 58 percent holding at least a bachelor’s degree, respectively; Kenyans (50 percent), Ghanaians (39 percent), Liberians (31 percent), and Ethiopians (30 percent) followed. Meanwhile, Somalis had the lowest educational attainment of all sub-Saharan Africans, with just 15 percent having graduated from a four-year college. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/sub-saharan-african-immigrants-united-states-2018 IQ Test are both racist and culturally biased....especially in the US Yes it is called .....Unequal Access and Under Funding Access to Funds - Money In fact, the U.S. educational system is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world, and students routinely receive dramatically different learning opportunities based on their social status. In contrast to European and Asian nations that fund schools centrally and equally, the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. school districts spend nearly 10 times more than the poorest 10 percent, and spending ratios of 3 to 1 are common within states https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/ No...what really matters is Access and Funding True and they have Good reason to....afterall it was once illegal for black to learn to read, write and be sovereign of themselves If we go by Arrest Records Whites commit 69% while Black commit 27% so says the FBI https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-43/table-43a.xls African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, and they are more likely to experience lengthy prison sentences............This is striking in particular for drug offenses, which are committed at roughly equal rates across races. “One reason minorities are stopped disproportionately is because police see violations where they are,” https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/report-to-the-united-nations-on-racial-disparities-in-the-u-s-criminal-justice-system/ Not mean whities... Racist whites who refuse to recognize that they are socialize to make judgements based on color - A legacy left us by our past as a Racist Society

There's no shortage of our sistas out here killin' it and winning in the game of life. Kudos to all of our sistas and brothas who are making it happen in their respective areas.

As we know, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump has been putting in work for a while now. Last week, he won an NAACP award. His acceptance speech is here: The quotable at the 5:30 mark for which he might be remembered is, "we have to be prepared to fight for our children's future until h8ll freezes over. And then, we have to be ready to fight on the ice." I have clowned brotha Ben Crump for his public speaking. But, I also give credit when it's due. Ben Crump went hard in the paint at the NAACP awards and delivered.

@KENNETH often this argument is simplified into a this or that scenario. There are large groups of Black people who are socially conservative. There are large numbers of Black people who are fiscally conservative. Black people can be in both of the above groups and vehemently reject the Republican party, which never made sense to me. Black people are all over the spectrum when it comes to assessing what is most responsible for our collective and individual successes and failures. If you have the three things below, you will generally succeed in this country: Ability; Drive; and Lucky You really need all three to succeed. That "trifecta" of conditions can be both elusive and fleeting. The legacy of slavery and Jim Crow has diminished our ability obtain some of the lucky breaks white folks enjoy. This of course affects our drive and even our ability. Both of my grandfathers were illiterate. I know other Black people my age whose grandfathers graduated from college. Who do you think benefited more from inherited wealth, educational opportunities, and less familial dysfunction? Who would be more inclined to claim hard work is the way to succeed? I'm one of those people who blame both the legacy of racism and our own behavior for both our individual and collective predicaments. I also believe much of our dysfunctional is a direct consequence of living in a historically white racist country.

I believe white people are allowed to have conspiracies, especially ones they talk about openly, because it keeps them on their toes about the world being out to get them. This way, they can hold onto the power they have over the world since they are constantly paranoid and therefore justifying every war and battle they start. Black people, on the other hand, would have a ton of conspiracies about what white people really do and are up to as the ruling power of the world but the closer you get to the truth, the more they shut it down and assassinate. So I think it leaves a lot of black people talking about some of the same conspiracies as white people or repeating old conspiracy that aren't exactly true anymore. I know plenty conspiracy about whites and their true nature and why they are so violent and lie so much about that violence and other things, but I keep from talking about a lot publicly because they are always watching and looking to make anyone against their evil agenda seem crazy. Plus, I just think black people are more trusting because we haven't built up nearly as much bad "karma" as whites have piled on. They know they have to pay for what they do to this world, for all they have stole and never repaid, for all the pollution and extinction, for all the deception and projection, and so they're always gonna be looking over their shoulder wondering who it is will finally get them. But they will get themselves because evil always implodes.

Black folks should not allow themselves to be put on the defensive and subjected to specious arguments where their opponents set the standards and make the rules. Screw IQ scores which can't predict how any given person would respond at any given time to any given situation. Even with the leg up of privilege and entitlement, whites cannot best African Americans when it comes to surviving and even thriving under adverse conditions. I'm sure these nit picking trolls are INCEL members. They are so full of hate because they are frustrated losers who women are repulsed by.

Yes, cameras are everywhere, script is everywhere about how Whites have brought blacks to America as little children and exploited us and now deny this. Your end though, it very near. Yes, and you know why but being a supremacist you want to believe in a lie. But your end is very near. America will not continue to exploit Black people and set them up to kill each other for long. @SpeakHerTruth is not lacking intelligence at all because she understands you're origins. The continent of Africa is where the Slave Ship Trade was set up BY WHITE DEVILS who have been in that continent for thousands of years bringing in their deception. So it's not hard to understand that Africans have the same pattern of Black Hatred. Big Deal. All of this will end though. White Supremacy will end. The mistake our ancestors made was to let you into our lands but they were decieved.

This is my preferred definition: Racism is not bigotry nor bias nor prejudice. It's when one group has the power to institutionalize and enforce bigotry, racial bias or racial prejudice. Black folks can practice bigotry, bias or prejudice against others but they don't have the power to make these slurs public policy.

@SpeakHerTruth Not surprising, i don't agree with what you insist "changes things". Jada is at the heart of this controversy by virtue of being the motivation for her long-suffering husband's attempt to impress her with his pseudo display of manhood, and she has forfeited her right to be respected by making no secret of and showing no shame for sleeping with her son's good friend. And since she flaunts what is achieved by shaving her head, as opposed to suffering from the actual baldness that occurs in serious cases of alopecia, any claim to her being a sympathetic figure is bogus, particularly since the character Chris Rock compared her to was a heroic one. To me and a whole lot of other Blacks, maintaining his self control and making the decision to quell a bad situation was admirable of Chris - who could possible have taken on the "David" role to Will's "Goliath" persona inasmuch as he grew up in the hood. Moreover, deciding to keep his thoughts about the situation to himself was not only a profitable move on Chris' part, but a wise one because, unlike Will, he exhibited impulse control in order to collect his thoughts. I don't expect to change your mind about any of this, but in stating my opposing stance, i would also argue that the last person to whom all of this really matters is the detached, self-absorbed Jada who has always treated Will like a door mat and couldn't care less what people think. You give the impression of being more indignant than she does. LOL I would further disagree that nothing worse than this incident wherein violent physical contact was made before one participant yelled the f-word at the other, has ever happened at the Oscars which I have been watching for over 50 years! Finally, Kudos to Chris Rock's end game. He made a bunch of money and a legion of new fans. More power to him.

Definitions of ALL words change depending on who is in power and or what the majority thinks the definitions are. I study many many different philosophies and many of them often contradict eachother but I give them each their due respect. However I have my own definitions for certain things. This is necessary to avoid confusion within one's self. The next step....to avoid confusion with OTHER people...is to find out what THEIR definition of a word is so that you both can establish an agreement on the terms used. My personal definition of racism is relatively simple: Racism = Negative thoughts, speech, or actions towards others primarily because of their race.

i question whether most women would want their husband to make a public spectacle of himself on the biggest night of his career. Especially since Chris' remark, comparing Jada to Demi Moore's G.I. jane character wasn't really disrespectful.

White people: "They are so inferior!! We are the best!" Non whites: *Has civilization and women and gold* Whites: "Steal it. Rape them. Bomb everything."

It was a complicated situation for Chris. He was obviously caught off guard. He was hosting the Oscar’s and he was probably scared. No one really knows how they would react in that situation. So i can’t be too critical of Chris’s reaction. i know when i saw the slap it made me angry. Usually i could care less about celebrity dysfunction. But i loss a lot of respect for will that’s night. Will did not make Chris respect his wife. You apparently have not seen his recent stand up.

I have to raise a Black Power fist to @Lee Vining for hipping me to ex-enslaved Black folks who left the South to settle in Colorado and formed entire communities! I had no idea of this! I knew we left the Soutn and went west to places like California, Texas and Arizona but cold ass Colorado? Man...I come to find out Black folks ran up into them mountains and TORE THEM UP looking for gold. This is one of the reasons I call myself the "Pioneer". Because I look at those early Black Pioneers who decided to get the hell out of the old corrupt system, travel to a NEW land, and establish their OWN communities as my role models! This is so inspiring to me, including this story about Clara Brown who I just happened to read an article on while researching my newly found interest: Clara Brown From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Clara Brown Clara Brown (c. 1800–1885) was a former enslaved woman from Virginia and Kentucky who became a community leader, philanthropist and aided settlement of former slaves during the time of Colorado's Gold Rush. She was known as the 'Angel of the Rockies' and made her mark as Colorado's first black settler and a prosperous entrepreneur.[1] Brown was born in Virginia in 1800[2] and moved to Logan County, Kentucky, with her family.[3] She married another enslaved person when she was 18 and together they had four children. In 1835, Brown's family was broken apart when they were all sold to different slave owners. When Brown was 56, she received her freedom but was required by law to leave the state. She worked her way west as a cook and laundress to Denver, Colorado. Brown settled in the mining town now called Central City, Colorado where she worked as a laundress, cook, and midwife. With the money she made, she invested in properties and mines in nearby towns. Known as "Aunt Clara" for her emotional and financial support, Brown was a founding member of a Sunday school, made her home available for prayer services and generously supported the community. At the end of the Civil War, Brown could freely travel and liquidated all of her investments to travel to Kentucky to find her daughter. Although she was unsuccessful, she paid the way for 16 or more relatives and others who were former slaves to move to Colorado. Finally, in 1882 she reunited with her daughter Eliza Jane and Eliza Jane's daughter. In 1885, the last year of her life, Clara Brown was voted into the Society of Colorado Pioneers for her role in Colorado's early history.

Jasmine Guy using her "Whitley" voice and accent....lol

Well more often than not middle class blacks come one generation out of poverty. And the Black Middle Class is less well off and stable than its white counterpart. None of this is mainly a failure on the part of black people. It is the result of systemic racism in employment and more specifically housing discrimination. Whites got a break after The Great Depression with government backed mortgages in addition to good paying union jobs and GI Bill benefits for college. Blacks got nothing so whites have a head start on building wealth. They have passed on wealth and far too many of us can't.

Chev Buck and the Preacher times?????? Gurl are you seriously????? LMBAO! Sometimes I wish I could transport myself back into the Reconstruction Era from say 1870-1910 because things were so promising for AfroAmericans. No gangs. No crack No AIDS There was a clear distinction between the racist Whites who wanted to harm you and the decent ones who wanted to help....so there was less confusion. And ofcourse we as a people were more united and our families, values, and morals were far more intact. Lee Vining I live in Michigan and every winter we get atleast a few days of cold that is so harsh and frigid it makes me wonder what the FIRST people who settled this state were thinking when they came here...lol. I don't even stay in Northern Michigan but in Southern....and it still get's 10 and 20 degrees below zero from time to time! Makes you wonder what the hell were those people trying to escape from that was so terrible that they'd rather put up with THIS cold and snow than go back.....LOL And this was before space heaters and furnaces where you had to rely on wool, animal skins, and old fashioned fires to stay warm! What in the world DROVE those people and motivated them to do what they did....man.

I'm glad you posted these pics Chev! Chris Rock shooooooo' has a pretty mother. Man, that woman is lovely! Even at her age she's lovely. I could only imagine her about 20 or 30 years ago. And intelligent, sweet, and feminine too! I saw an interview she did not too long ago about the state of education today.....she's some sort of educator. Sweet smile with all of those teeth (not sure if they're all hers but they still look great on her), soft gentle way of speaking.....just a lady. That woman is PROPER.

"Ya make your own luck" - Don Laughlin I agree, be prepared.

@Pioneer1 Obviously he's not coming back for you! LOL. No. I am not being serious at all, here. Hopefully, the Biblical Jesus will come back soon for me and for you. But on a more serious note, for the 50,000 people who are now dead in Turkey as a result of an earthquake, and for the survivors, it may seem like an apocalyptic existence for them now. Many people do not believe that certain star phenomena can affect our planet, such as comets, but scientist know this is true, yet this sort of knowledge is not taught. THAT GREEN COMET did not move into our solar system after over thousands of years for nothing! When it came, it left behind a third of its tail and I think scientist know where these meteors are located that have come from that comet and they know much more than they are sharing about other comets as well. Craziness @ProfD. You are very brave! lol.

Thank you for the giggles this morning. I was feeling off. Your frankness sometimes sets me straight! lol Troy, you have excellent editorial and publishing insights. I'm still blown away by the science you dropped on the Wall Street Journal platform. You held us rapt - and that included the other panelists and host. There is NO ONE but you sharing insight on the future of Black people publishing - and we need it now more than ever, especially with the juggernaut that is am*zon.com. By the way, you've taught us through your knowledge how to work with am*zon instead of having am*zon work us. You already do the deep dive into the statistics -if you make it fun for Tik Tok your audience will grow - and by association, so will Black publishers and authors.

I followed you @Troy The ban on tiktok isn't about tiktok but really what I call the internet wars. You probably know this as you do development of the website at least but all the major countries and some little one's dabble in meddling online and all to often the firms mask or are being infiltrated for various information gathering or destroying purposes. But, Tiktok is the first major non usa based userbase and thus the usa wants to ban it for until tiktok all major traffic for those who humanity who are online, which isn't all or most, was through a usa company that the usa government was fully in control of accessing their data. Now, the chinese have a foot in the usa and that is an e-war thing. The USA has foots in all the other countries online through usa based firms, but they don't want china or any other country to have a foothold in the usa. Simple. @Pioneer1 what can be found on tiktok is userbases. ... What you have to comprehend is userbases are currency. What does that mean? If I own a website and it has 60 million users, no bots, it may have 120 million users, including bots but that also means that the popularity of anything on my website will have farther weight than on another website with less uers. sequentially more advertisement money or profiles for organizations to get their messages out or make promotions. From forums to yahoo<emai>l to youtube<videos> to facebook<social media post> to twitter<short text> to tiktok<short videos> you have different websites that offered something that gave them a bigger userbase than the past leader. Tiktok has the advantage of being connected to china's internal userbase. Why does that matter? When the internet was first developed each country was given country codes. why? The idea was that countries will not be bound to each other and can develop their own internal internets while still connecting to each other. oddly enough, china is the only country to actually implement this in a complete way. yes, most major governments have their own internet, but most countries civilian populaces are not given their own proprietary network to utilize, it is an extension of the usa. And thus where tiktok is different. It is the first non usa based major userbase online. Yes, I didn't mention the short videos. The short videos was its catch, a very expensive thing which youtube was waiting to do but tiktok made them jump forward. Well, to your point about freedom of speech, these websites are expensive and they want to reach a wide audience and lawsuits can become messy. The reality is ,many lawsuits involve social media so most firms want to stay as safe as they can and that means restrictions. Tumblr is a great example, that isn't a major player and yet the involvement of the legal system caused shockwaves in that firm. For a website to allow for truly unfettered free speech they have to have a number of things. 1st) be in a country with a strong legal protection for free speech. I remember belgium/holland/switzerland websites tried to be that way but what was the problem 2) to reach a global audience is very expensive as userbases grow you need more and more data storage and more and more data servers to simulate instantaneous connection anywhere in humanity, the usa has that money, china has that money, the qatari's of uea's have that money but have populaces to small to need it. So, what you say will happen is inevitable but for not it to happen will require a level of protection from lawsuit which doesn't exist in the usa or a level of wealth from countries that don't have it. @ProfD you may not know this but a very large, what I call, unconnected community exist in modernity. Said community has two parts. The first part is the obvious, most in humanity are poor and are not online. That is a simple fact that most don't seem to comprehend. The second part are people in the wealthier places like usa/china/western europe/russia/ who chose to not be online at all. Not even one website, none at all. It isn't as small a populace as media may suggest. So your larger community is quite large offline completely or online with one website. Age has nothing to do with it. YOu may be surprised.

The celestial orchestra just inherited another star. Thanks for the great body of music; tunes that musicians will play forever. RIP Mr. Wayne Shorter.

In my view, it's not about patriarchal control. Nature designed it that men build and lead. When natural disasters strike or any form of heavy lifting is required on the planet, women are not expected to be the 1st responders. I still contend that it's only among AfroAmericans that women being empowered over the men. Here in the US, the societal emasculation of men is worse for AfroAmerican men. That Vogue cover is a shining example of it. Despite that Jay-Z has just as much money as Beyonce, the media gives her more props than him. Oprah Winfrey has always been lauded while Steadman Graham is relegated to her side-piece. Yet, when it comes to their white counterparts of similar status, it's not the same. If an NFL team owner most of whom are billionaires has a wife, she's barely noticed. Black folks definitely should not view patriarchy as an encroachment on freedom. In fact, that is the last piece on the chessboard. Do Black folks hate or resent their fathers? I hope not. When Black men are no longer seen as the head and simply a tail, it will become even easier to conquer Black women and children.

She looks great in the Vogue Cover. I don't think it has to be emasculating or diminishing ASAP Rocky. It's about her rise or perhaps re-emergence not only as a star but a business woman and mother. He's there supporting her and holding her hand as a symbol of the bond. But that's just me. We want to talk about black people being liberated and strong over white racist dominatdomination yet black people male and many females still see patriarchal control as positive and necessary. Black Freedom then merely becomes freedom for black men to control black women and communities. I just think it's a good cover.

I was in the customs line leaving Barbados several years ago and Rihanna was in the line behind me as the line snaked i got a really good look at her. She is average looking. Nothing particularly striking about her in her natural state. We look at the people on the cover of Vogue and make the mistake of assuming that is actually how the person looks in real life. Times have absolutely changed as few men in my generation, or older, would desire that positioning on the cover of a magazine. It is emasculating, but that is considered a good thing today. Let the woman led pulling the “man” along as he nurtures that baby. I’m sure the photo was crafted to stoke that sentiment. I don’t particularity care for the photo, but the baby is cute

The idea that aliens can't do any better than waste time releasing balloons into the atmosphere is ludicrous.

IN MEMORY OF JOSEPH ‘Nipsey’ Hussle Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Sentenced To 60 Years To Life In Prison AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER LAST YEAR, ERIC HOLDER WAS FINALLY SENTENCED THIS WEEK RIP Joseph 'Nipsey Hussle' Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Sentenced To 60 Years To Life In Prison AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER LAST YEAR, ERIC HOLDER WAS FINALLY SENTENCED THIS WEEK https://www.essence.com/news/nipsey-hussle-killer-sentenced/ _______________________________________________________ Rare cold winter storm in the Los Angeles area © Thomson Reuters https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/thousands-without-power-as-california-storms-bring-rain-snow-and-cold/ar-AA17WtMx?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=85fd4779f90741bae3e997b64584ba95&ei=87 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Los Angeles has some news breaking reports this month of February! A few days ago, Eric Holder was finally sentenced for the murder of Nipsey Hussle. Also, a record breaking snowstorm and much needed rain, though flooding, has also occurred and has hit Los Angeles. Would this be due to what some believe to a Global Warming trend? IMO, though, in addition to what some experts belief about Global Warming, however, I also believe that this rare weather pattern may also correlate to other phenomena as well and that would be, perhaps, that Green Comet that has come closest to earth this month of February. There are also news breaking reports about a rare occurrence in West Virginia and Maryland of white dust that has fallen and as of yet, their officials do not know the origin of it. Some believe it may be due to a dust storm that has occurred in Texas and have warned people to get indoors until they are sure it poses no danger to the public. __________________________________________________________ Snow in Los Angeles The rumors are true. Nearly every day is sunny and 75 all the way through winter. But yes, there are rare snows that have happened in Los Angeles! Our family has had roots there since the 1800s, and I’ve heard many tales of these unusual and memorable events. https://www.quora.com/Does-it-snow-in-Los-Angeles-How-often Rare Winter Storm in California | GMA GOOD MORNING AMERICA UNPRECENDENTED SNOW IN SOUTHER CA ______________________________________________________________________________ In Memory Of: HIGHER DJ Khalid, Nipsey, & John Legend RIP Tupac Shakur RIP The Artist, formely known as Prince Sometimes It Snows In April

I'm just clowning around as usual. However, as an old man and without TMI, I've been around long enough to know a lot too.

I wish American legislators were as aggressive with the misinformation propagated on American platforms. TikTok is a threat in terms of revenue, as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are all trying to mimic the platform. They are all manipulation engines designed to generate profit. Are we afraid that China will use the data against us to spread misinformation in the United States? Facebook has already allowed Russians to do this. AALBC in recent weeks has become a platform where misinformation is being propagated. Someone posted here that the average IQ on the African Continent is 70! I had half a mind to delete that false information but chose not to. I felt the person who made the post really believed what they were posting, as opposed to being a racist troll just trying to crap on these forums. It is a very thin line between those behaviors, and it is more art than science trying to discern the difference. Like most people, the person who posed that fake fact will not have their mind changed. My only hope is that someone who reads that nonsense will read the arguments against and learn something. @frankster has been invaluable in dispatching those racist arguments. To prevent the ideas from being expressed is to make believe they do not exist and limits one's perspective.

Do you all believe in beating the snot out of... I mean, spanking your child? I don't have children(yet), but I don't trust a lot of new gen ideas that only talking to children teaches them correction. I believe that works with some children who have the sweetest demeanor but others, who live to cause destruction, need a more... Uh, stern lesson? What's your opinions?

Mass Incarceration has taken many black men out of their community and family As many as one in ten African American students has an incarcerated parent. One in four has a parent who is or has been incarcerated.....As many as one in ten African American students has an incarcerated parent. One in four has a parent who is or has been incarcerated....a nationwide policy of “stop-and-frisk,” a police practice concentrated in low-income minority neighborhoods that invariably leads to the arrest and eventual imprisonment of men, African American men in particular, for low-level crimes. https://www.epi.org/publication/mass-incarceration-and-childrens-outcomes/ Your anecdotal observation does not reflect reality Common behaviors in white communities can lead to removal in minority neighborhoods, often because police are more likely to patrol there. Black parents are more likely than white ones to be reported to child protective services and more likely than their white counterparts to have their children taken from them. Common behaviors or hurdles in white communities can lead to removal in minority populations. Once taken out of their homes, the situation of children in foster care often rapidly deteriorates and paves the way for juvenile detention, followed by prison. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/police-feed-foster-care-prison-pipeline-reporting-black-parents-ncna1235133 Black children constitute 14 percent of the total child population in the United States today. However, Black children represent 23 percent of the total population in the child welfare system. Of the 37.4 percent of U.S. children who are the subject of a child protective services investigation before their eighteenth birthdays, 53 percent of those children are Black.The disproportionate representation of Black children in the child protection system can be traced back to the Reconstruction era, when apprenticeship statutes afforded local law enforcement officers and judges broad discretion to take Black children away from their families. http://fordhamlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Kumor-May_Final.pdf

Yes Racism is design to keep the black man down....we concur on that. But that's not its primary purpose.....Makin Money is its real Purpose Who/whom Profits from the suffering of the Black people? True Whites have been a minority in South Africa for years... Power comes from controlling the means of Production(economy) and Communication(media). Zimbabwe is the first Africa country to try and take back its Economy......South Africa has yet to do so They are to a lesser extent.....depending on how white they are thought to be, or according to political expediency of the Times. Gangsta Rap is not Black Culture...it's a Racist commercial venture Labelled as Hip Hop. If as the sayings goes a "picture is worth a thousand words" I can reference many hollywood movies with "smacking hoes" and "robbing a n***a" - Westerns/cowboy and Games like Mortal Kombat. If you haven't Realize that Racism is One of Biggest Industry In America... then you have lived long but being drinking the "kool aid" the whole time hook line and sinker. Rap music was originally progressive but Racist studio executives thought to make money shifted direction to promoting what was label "gangsta rap" an expression of a dysfunctional maladaptation to ghetto life. the new chairman of Time Warner's music division yesterday dismissed Doug Morris, the chief executive of the division's United States operations.......Mr. Morris is one of the company's staunchest defenders of the gangsta genre, which is known for its sometimes violent and sexually degrading lyrics. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/22/business/the-media-business-a-defender-of-gangsta-rap-is-dismissed-at-warner-music.html I congratulate you and your family.. Black people are the hardest working people I know....from my experience. The Truth is not an excuse....If anything it is an obstacle we overcome. You don't....That's for sure. You speak only for yourself...Here and Now. Are You a Racist? Black people are under attack from people who make money from Racism... That affects me. In order for then to continue doing so "they blame the Victim" and Criminalize and Pathologize Black Culture. With billions of Dollars at their disposal it is easy to convince the questioning and recruit the willing. You have yet to show a part of Black Culture that's "ugly" Are Hollywood Action Movies ugly to you?

Another original member of the P-Funk mob has left this existence. Thanks for the music. RIP Fuzzy Haskins.

Black Conservatives are more visible and vocal than ever. They are writers, thinkers, media personalities, and politicians. Whether you agree or disagree they cannot be dismissed. What are they doing to help black people? Could this be the wrong question? Maybe it's about individualism not black people. But how can black people be free individuals while being defined and denied things as a particular group. That is the problem with systemic racism. Yet Conservatives including blacks on the Right don't believe systemic racism is responsible for problems faced by blacks. They blame government policies that foster dependency and encourage racial strife. Moreover they argue that blacks are hindered by their own immoral and pathological behavior. Some black people find all of this outrageous while a few completely agree. But I suspect there are far more black people who blame both racism and us ourselves for problems we face.

And YOU'RE a 31 year old in a 19 year old's body.....lol. My word! You sure take a beautiful picture. I can tell you don't eat a lot of red meat or drink a lot of liquor. Not within the past few years atleast. You don't find a lot of American women over 30 who still have such a slim and slender physique. I get the sense that you or your parents are from the Carribean....like St. Kitts or St Martinique. To keep it real....... Although I love and appreciate the body of a young woman, I've gotten so used to going after older women that a fat jiggly belly, butt with cellulite, and sagging titties are almost invisible to me unless she's TOO exaggerated or simply made the "wrong" way for my tastes. I tend to focus more on PROPORTIONS than size itself.

Oops you dropped this All the things you promised All the love I gave, I saved Even after you left Damn it's broken The commitment you tried Every covered up lie Every shallow little theft Now it's crumbled Any thought I had Thinking it's not bad That you dropped my heart Straight to the trash 'Cause it's nothing to be fixed You're an ass and a dick And your breath smells like fart

that was the best line of a radiative week set. Chris came across angry and it was not humorous. I’d feel bad for the guy if he were not paid $40 Million. Chris was right, in my opinion, about Will. Slapping Chris was a punk move by Will.

Must have been off the scale brutal. This before power tools, municipal water, electricity and comforts. Just a frozen stretch of land and your hands to work with,,, but freedom! When I visit the Civil War country in the relentless summer heat and humidity I think there are no words written to describe the horrors of slavery. Just a tiny bit I remember. Probably because I'm a movie fan. Amazing how the camera loves some actors. Daughter did write how tough it was settling in Colorado at the turn of the century. Daughter now teaches math at a University. Gave up the fat studio paychecks for a teachers salary. Maybe that's on me and my advice to her: "Do what you want, what you like, but get your education." Teaching is in her blood.

Oh Wow! Very interesting. I love to hear about these 'Buck & the Preacher' times! Not much history available of this very important part of America about Black African-typed people in the western parts of America before or after Columbus. In the western era, towns were built and then became ghost towns and the stories of Blacks are gone with these towns for now, but hopefully, they will be revived. I've heard of Black people in Phoenix, Arizona, Colorado, Arizona, California... long before Columbus. Where are these stories written down and archived?

That's been going on forever. Same dynamic. Most men are visual and remain that way as they age. Younger women have a physical profile that works like natural viagra for older men. Older men usually have better financial security and/or more disposable income than younger dudes. Younger women will date an older man for money and security. They also know he can't beat it up too bad and he'll be asleep before midnight. When that older man gets tired and sleepy, a younger woman can hit the streets (bars, clubs and parties) and hang out with the younger dudes she'd prefer if they weren't broke.

I'm late to this thread, but these songs bring back memories.

@Delano the late great donny hathaway... legend I can see the power of the piano forte with you:) nice @Pioneer1 i was being a bit , i admitted the songs I chose were not my favorite:) thanks for your entries @Cynique yes, and thanks for your entries

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_jhYENBxRVo

Don't be too obsessed with a green comet that won't be back any time soon. It is a coincidence that earthquakes are erupting on the tail end of the comet. Unfortunately, natural disasters cause major losses of life. The Earth has a way of cleansing itself.