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Pioneer that was one gigantic generalization of a post. I was shaped and formed by my early education and of course I learned a ton in the military. I became basically an electrician in 1 year with an apprenticeship. That's one of the craziest comparisons ever. The school system can teach any kid. It's becoming old hat to look at all school systems and call them flawed when everyone else is moving through the schools successfully and parental engagement is the primary reason why for every race except ours. Even with poor parental engagement, there are only a few states where kids are failing at a higher rate than passing. Once again, I'm telling you that the primary reason for failure of Black students is parents. Not lead in the water, not social issues and systemic problems. Are they factors? YES I'm not denying that at all. I just know from experience that Title 1 funding is always for the kids that are failing. Wait a minute... I just realize that systemic is greater because the school system focuses on the bright students, and the failing students. It ignores the borderline student which leads to more of them becoming failing students. Sounds kinda like how The rich get richer and the poor get a handout and no one helps the middle class which is almost non-existent in the US. I'm giving you this discussion and conceding. The school system mirrors society. Unfortunately neither will be repaired. This takes me back to my original point, Parenting. If people took more time and care in raising their kids, the society as a whole would improve, but as you said, parents don't know how to parent or even try, so we are just doomed. I depressed now, lol.

@Pioneer1 My focus is on why black Americans live longer and are healthier now than they were 77 years ago and vaccines and better medicine are 2 of the reasons why they are no longer dying from all of those diseases I named. You continue to sidestep that claim you made citing old southern black folks as your proof that blacks were healthier and lived longer back then. If you hadn't brought Africans and Europeans into the conversation, I wouldn't have responded to your remarks about them. Now we can move on. And also, all black youth aren't out there robbing and shooting and being aggressive because that's their nature. There are just as many who possess self control and pursue the good life by legally doing what it takes to acquire money and status. And it's arguable as to whether modern society looks down on men who are players and tough and financially astute.

I repeat, there is not a curriculum or any amount of money that will fix the schools. The problem begins and ends in the home. That's it. Troy those are the stats I was referring to. More people are graduating than failing. Is it comparable? No. More are graduating though and I promise you if you set foot in any underperforming school you will have half of the kids that are borderline being overlooked in favor of throwing more ideas and money at those failing. Once again, the problem begins and ends at home. The unfortunate thing is parents are not willing to sacrifice and devote everything to their kids. They hate their kids. They don't want to be around their kids. They leave teachers to raise their kids and then lay the blame on the system. I don't care how poor you are or uneducated, if you support your kid, that can be the difference in increasing graduation rates. Because parenting is the only thing that is going to work. Troy you keep saying the system. Everyone who writes on this board know its broken. It isn't going to get better or change, but if it does, hooray. What can be done right now, right this instance to improve schools? Parenting. If the parent can't come up and check on the students and be involved, they can make damn sure they are involved in some shape or fashion. Just that one thing will make it better I promise you.

I am interested in your free Book Review Consideration service for my debut novel Confused Spice. Confused Spice by Mathis Bailey ISBN-13: 9781535124423 Publication date: September 15, 2016 Book Description: This delectable tale revolves around twenty-nine-year old Pierre Jackson, who dreams of becoming a renowned pâtissier and chef. He moves from Detroit to Toronto with his handsome fiancé, DeAndre Harris, who has just landed a prestigious job at a major news station in the city. Everything seems to be perfect...until a secret comes to light that throws their relationship for a loop. With everything falling apart, Vijay Khakwani, a gorgeous Indo-Canadian man, moves into Pierre's apartment. When Pierre's messy apron catches his eye, Pierre is propositioned to teach Vijay how to cook, and their neighborly acquaintance gets tantalizingly close. Meanwhile, Vijay is also battling the odds in his life. He's constantly in between jobs and running into trouble with the law. His mother, a powerful attorney and Toronto socialite, is tired of rescuing her son and just wants him to take some responsibility. She orchestrates an arranged marriage for Vijay, thinking it will cure him of his reckless habits and put him back on the straight and narrow. In a last ditch effort to change his life around, Vijay immerses himself into Eastern spirituality. As he goes through his spiritual journey, it forces him to confront the dark secrets in his family's past. As Pierre teaches Vijay the art of cooking in their intimate sessions, Vijay shows Pierre the beauty of Buddhism. What will become of the two? Website:http://www.mathisbailey.com/

I just published Kam's review of this film He says it is an Oscar contender, but apparently folks have been making a stick about Parker being a rapist in college. I did bother to follow up on the hullabaloo. I figured if he was a rapist someone would have locked him up or he would have been charged... Otherwise I guess they are unsubstantiated accusations. Then again if Kam mentioned it in his review, there is probably more to it. I usually ask about these issues in reviews is it relevant, but in this case if it has the potential to prevent an Academy Award nomination, then it is an issue. This will be the next film I watch in the theater.

@TroyI am not denying that poor diet and polluted environment have a negative effect on people, and I would also add smart phones and the Internet and video games to the mix! My argument is and continues to simply be that the life expectancy of blacks(and every other race) is longer now than it was 77 years ago due to medical advancement! If you want to agree with Pioneer and what studies have revealed about something, agree that outside factors affect people differently, undoubtedly depending on their physical constitution. One man's meat is another one's poison, literally. I am a salt-oholic, and have never watched my diet, eating whatever I want including red meat and fried foods. I smoked and was a moderate drinker for years, but gave up these habits because cigarettes were too expensive and since my partyin' days were over, I no longer felt a need to get a buzz on. I am sure the infra-structure of the town where I formerly lived was outdated, and there may have been lead in the water. At 83, I am in reasonably good physical and mental health. What's killin' me has more to do with the political atmosphere that frustrates and depresses me. As for what it takes to put a child on the right path when it comes to successfully making it through school, - like the effect of diet and pollution on people, no one rule applies to all. What works for one child doesn't necessary work for another because of personality differences. I have also learned the magical effect of praise. - given when a child does well, it nourishes a desire to gain more. Acknowledgement that every child is not receptive to the regimentation of a class room situation is also crucial, and many kids thrive when they are allowed to learn at their own pace ala the Montessori method. I also think that reading is the most important skill a child can master, because once a child can read, the battle is half won, A healthy curiosity is the next best learning tool. Wanting to know and being capable of independently seeking out and comprehending available information is an education unto itself. And i don't care what anybody says, I think nowadays Wikipedia is a valuable quick fix. I would, however, agree with Chris that parents who are good role models are vital to the educational process and homeschooling is certainly a viable option. Children are not a cookie cutter population. They are all different. Assigning them to learning institutions is a way of managing them, and an attempt to train them. But public schools tend to fall short when it comes to stimulating the intellect, Eventually the intrinsic make-up of an individual is what will prevail and, in time, the cream will rise to the top, IMO.

You guys are blending discussions and overlapping arguments. If we are talking about schools, your bleak outlook Troy and Pioneer is a strong argument. Your solutions however are hollow. You know like I know that the government is only going to throw money at the solution. Teachers go through student teaching and certification. They have earned degrees and they are knowledgeable enough to teach the material given to them. What else can you fix? Overcrowding, Poor lunches, more computers, more after school programs, the list goes on and on, but this is the thing. The students won't do it if the parents don't reinforce it. So any solution you throw at schools will fall flat and you will once again go back to the drawing board and suggest more solutions that will fall flat. I know parents aren't there. I know schools should and can do more, but the reality is the schools can be perfect, but if parents are not involved you get exactly what you have. That's just the fact. http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/highperforminghighpoverty.pdf The above study shows how a grouping of schools performed better. There is only one reference to parents, but I tend to think they shaped it to intentionally leave out parents. "We also heard stories of the supportive and respectful relationships that school staff had with parents and families. A grandmother at one school told of how the school faculty had helped her deal with a tragedy. The same school provided transportation so families could attend evening and weekend school activities." In regard to students leaving schools with fewer skills. I think those that are leaving school, although saddled with debt have a better grasp on the new economy and they realize that the jobs are leaving so they are attempting to create their own jobs. They aren't concerned with complying to the jobs that are available because there isn't any guarantee of keeping the jobs and they are not paying very well unless the students are in STEM fields. I guess for the sake of conversation, we can only talk about the bad things that are going on and not the good. But if you two Pioneer and Troy spent an equal amount of time discussing the solutions available and the accomplishments then wouldn't those dialogues serve to shape the discussion in a different way? For every person who never leaves the hood, there is the Nomadness movement. http://www.nomadnesstv.com/#intro-1 For every black person dying of heart disease, there is the Black Vegan Movement and sites like this beginning to pop up: http://www.nyrajuskincare.com/eaforbeblsk.html For every student failing, there is a student who is succeeding. Maybe if you take the time to analyze that with the same fervor as the crappy parts and discuss that it will help to change the narrative. I am in no way Naive to everything happening, it's just that so many discussions revolve around the failures of Black folks that it's hard to see any success.

Chris Pioneer has a point, sure parenting is important but if the parent themselves are under-educated and knows little about parenting, how are they supposed to help the next generation? Children spend most of their day in school, often eating two meals there with some programs going as late as 5 p.m., much of the rearing of these kids naturally falls into the hand of schools, this is why schools are so important. Now we can argue about which is more important, schools or parent, but at the end of the day both are important and for many Black children both are failing. We can't legislate good parenting, but we can fix the schools. We both agree in many in states, like Nevada, the graduation rates are atrocious. Now we also know not all high school diplomas are equivalent. Do you think that all of the students getting high school diplomas, in places like Nevada are prepared for college or meaningful employment? If not which students do you think are less prepared? Man there are kids coming out of college who are unemployable; certainly not for a job that requires a college education. How do you think the all those Black kids without a HS diploma, and a relatively useless HS diploma will fare? What do we do about them? These folks will have kids and while we can point the blame on on the likely poor outcomes of those kids on the parents, that will not improve a thing. Cynique, I dunno but Pioneer may be winning me over with his argument. When I was a kid many kids suffered brain damage or reduced mental function due to lead based paint that was common during the time. We also had to contend with food desserts; fresh produce and seafood was not widely available. We ate a lot of canned vegetables which is loaded with salt. Then we were targets but corporation at an early age with cigarettes, shitty processed food, and alcohol. I drank countless Colt 45's (thanks Billy Dee), smoked, and ate a ton of junk food. Eventually I left the environment, but it took even longer for the mentality to leave me. Today when I see people smoke I feel bad for them, I eat fresh produce every day and I don't eat much processed food or drink as much as I used to. But many of the kids I grew up still do, some already have heart disease or have even died; others look much older than their age. We also know that heart disease did not exist 100 years ago. We also know who is dying at higher rate from heart disease today, right? I'll tell you; Black folks are dying at higher rates for all of the reason I mentioned above. My father died when he was 44 years old. Do you think my family was better off with or without him? What about all the other families of Black men, in poor communities, dying prematurely? Think of all the added stress on these people. We have no compassion for these folks and we want to blame them, poor parenting, lazy, uneducated, for all their problems. This is the fundamental problem I have with Republicans. But the problem I have the the Dems is that they just pay lips service to these issues while things only get worse for us. More Black people will die in Chicago, Harlem, and the entire US from heart disease than all other causes combined. More than 22K people died of coronary heart or stroke in Chicago in 2006 to 2010. During the same period 2K people died from firearms--an order of magnitude less! All of these deaths are preventable. But where is all the attention going? Which should it go? Where will it go...

Cynique Now listen...... We're not going to keep going back and forth over this. I just told you about how Black people in Africa are dying by the millions from just AIDS alone, not to mention Ebola and other "unheard of" diseases that didn't appear until Europeans came. So if you want to ignore THAT and focus on the flu or diarrhea as the leading killer of Black folks until modern medicine came along...you go right ahead. If black youths are motivated to acquire "the bling", then they really are stupid if they think they will obtain it by committing petty crimes and drive-by shootings I think Black young men are motivated by NATURE. Young men by NATURE desire women, control over their own lives, respect from other men as well as the larger community, and a share of the contemporary wealth of what ever era they are living in. This cuts across all racial and national lines. Young men also tend to be aggressive by nature, especially when it comes to trying to attain the objects of their desire...and this too cuts across all racial and national lines. The problem is this society is an artificially contructed one where not only is nature and natural inclinations in young men suppressed.....they're often PUNISHED as some how "wrong" or criminal. So where in the past it was considered noble and honorable for a man to have sex with several women, be good at fighting, and amass large wealth by any means he could think of......now it's often considered criminal and immoral and the larger society condemns him for it. So perhaps what you see as petty crimes and violence is actually young men trying to pursue normal natural desires in an ABnormal UNnatural artificial society. Troy Now if you believe there are at no inherent natural disadvantage in intellectual ability and potential, what else can explain the differences? Neurological poisioning from chronic heavy metal exposure. Cleanse the lead and mercury out of the systems of every child and you will see the test scores rise and the violent crime plummet. CD You speak of the solution being better parenting, as if the parents know any more than their children do.....lol The parents are a product of the SAME dysfunctional incompetent educational system that their children have inherited so how can people who don't know any better themselves teach others? You DO have a valid point about many parents hating their children and not wanting them. A lot of children were a "mistake" on the part of their parents. I don't think any human being is a mistake as I believe we all were intended to be here, but I think as far as planning goes.....yes....many if these children were "mistakes" and not really wanted. Children can tell intuitively when an adult doesn't really care about them even if it's a parent who gives them a lot of gifts....they just "know". Infact, a lot of parents are actually USING thier children to collect checks from the government through disability and special needs claims....that's the only value they see in them. So do you really expect parents who are cold and callus to pony up and do the right thing and supervise their children when THEY THEMSELVES need supervision? I don't. And do you really WANT Black parents to be more hands on and take more responsibility in teaching Black children how to be better students in an educational system that teaches them how worthless they are and trains them how to be mindless drones for corporate America? Because that's what this educational system teaches them. I bet you learned more PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE that you could actually use in real life during the few years you were in the military than all the years you spent as a student K through college. We need our OWN academic systems that teach Black children how to do something for themselves. A system that offers benefit to themselves and their progeny instead of teaching them how to be well educated slaves to help build another man's world while theirs deteriorates.

I don't believe White people are a monolith...... Sure they tend to be MORE united than Black people because unlike most Black people who've been taught since the Civil Right's era to DISTRUST Western Civilization....most Whites are still pretty much taught to REVERE Western Civilization (the morals, laws, social customs, ect....); but there are a lot of independant minded White people who are just as fed up and disappointed and even down right angry with the system as Blacks, Native Americans, and others. Many others are also very angry about the injustices they see being done to Black people and other ethnic groups and want to help. However one of the problems is a lot of Black people who try publicly speak on the frustrations of Black America tend to be either: 1. Very passionate and angry but not very articulate. They don't come across to the greater population as "intelligent" while expressing themselves. And these type of people White folk usually automatically tune out. or 2. Very intelligent and articulate but too "soft", too reserved, and because they're too careful not offend White people so they don't really tell it "like it is". And although most Whites will take time to listen to this type, it doesn't give them an accurate understanding of the problem or how the community really feels about an issue because the so-called speaker isn't bold enough or accurate enough. We need Black people who are not just intelligent enough and bold enough but ARTICULATE enough to adequately express the concerns of Black America to those outside of our community effectively. Quannell....from what I've seen of his interviews and street confrontations seem to be able to do BOTH. One of the reasons Malcolm X was so effective and respected among Blacks AND Whites (even if they didn't like him they had to respect his intellectual sharpness), was because he was not only accurate and intelligent and articulate but he managed to do it in a bold and uncompromising fashion that adequately expressed the frustrations of Black America at that time. As far as re-considering America....... This is MY nation. I'm not leaving it....period....except for vacation, lol. It's not their LOCATION that Black folks need to change, it's their MENTALITY. It doesn't matter where our people go, as long as they maintain the same "slave" like mentality of constantly looking to White people to feed them, protect them, and educate them.....they're going to continue to be taken advantage of and victimized. Look at continental Africa or Haiti and how so many Black folks on their OWN land with no one to answer to but eachother are STILL trapped in poverty and debt. Why? Because they look to Western governments to provide money and food and other resources for their support instead of building their own system on the land God provided. Many of these nations have been "technically" out from under colonial rule for decades and STILL maintain the legal system and social customs of the same Europeans who colonized, them instead of trying to design a new better one for themselves. Black people occupy positions in just about every level in the legal and political system from the police on the street all the way up to the White House. If the legal or political system isn't working for us, WE can change it for force the change through. If the educational system of financial system isn't working for us, WE can change it and force it through. Nothing is keeping us from taking our destiny in our own hands as a group besides pure mental laziness.

Actually I kind of feel the same way. The idea that blacks have an equal stake in America because they helped build it and have fought and died for it don't mean jack!. The only way African Americans are going to have all of their demands met is to remove themselves from a white-dominated environment. In a black monolithic domain there would be less of what's happening in places like Chicago in terms of murder and violence, because black apologists wouldn't have racism to blame law enforcement and every other imaginable thing on. Now, it's almost as if there is an epidemic of young black men committing suicide-by-cop, so they can go out in a blaze of glory and be the opening story on the evening news and the next martyr to gain fame and inspire protest. What gratified me about this debate was confronting the white bastard with how the Indians are who this country belongs to and white intruders are who stole it from them, and that Native Americans are the ones who should be telling white people to get the hell out. The only rebuttal to this is for whites to ignore the truth, which is what that Fox commentator did. People like this are why Donald Trump has a very good chance of winning this election because Liberals have overestimated the civility, tolerance and honesty of millions of Americans who have no problem with a con man who has figured out a way not to pay his taxes, a bigot who thinks all minorities should be kept in check, a wise-cracker who has no problem bad mouthing women and gays, a bully who thinks America should throw its weight around when it come to foreign affairs. That's the "tails" on one side of the American coin. The "heads" on the other side represent those who secretly feel the same way but are trying to rise above it by being humanists instead of religious hypocrites. America is a big unfunny joke and everybody is crazy but me!