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Yes I guess it is a matter of how we use specific words like "know." Some religious people say they know things to be true, as if they are indistinguishable from fact, when it can be proven not to be true. When presented with the information it is considered heresy and punishable by death (depending upon the place and time). The only "proof" required, is faith. As I said trying to convince these people otherwise is a waste of time. One of the best selling books on the list I'm working on now is, Adam! Where Are You?: Why Most Black Men Don't Go to Church. I believe that is one reason why (my opinion I have not read the book) brother don;t go to church. Now this is not to say there is no God. I science can never prove the existence of God despite what people believe. Merriam-Webster define "know" as the following: Definition of know knew play \ˈnü also ˈnyü\; known play \ˈnōn\; knowing transitive verb 1a (1) :to perceive directly :have direct cognition of (2) :to have understanding of importance of knowing oneself (3) :to recognize the nature of :discern b (1) :to recognize as being the same as something previously known (2) :to be acquainted or familiar with (3) :to have experience of It seems my use of the word "Know" was not exactly correct based upon the definition of the word. There is no implication that what one knows has to be factual or true. You can know things that can't be proven, or that are even patently false. So some people can know God exists, other can know God does not exist, and many of have probably never really thought very deeply on the subject... One's beliefs are what they know. Mine are always open to change as I acquire more information. Too often I assume other people are open to change in the same way--most are not... In fact they will take science and twist it for their own purposes. Some Christians believe that climate change and the extreme weather events it creates, the raise of 45, and the strife in the Middle East are signs that the End Times are upon us.... hmm maybe they are onto something.

The following was shared by @Wendy Jones on the the page where I posted the results of the survey of the question; would you stop buying book from Amazon's bookstore to save the book industry? Where to begin. Well, first I'll answer the question Troy posed to me then I will attempt to answer some of the points made by the people who don't think it's a good idea to boycott Amazon. How did I decide to write a letter to the CEO resigning from being an Amazon purchaser? Here is one of the articles I read. This one deals with inhuman treatment of workers: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/amazon-devastating-expose-accuses-internet-retailer-of-oppressive-and-callous-attitude-to-staff-10458159.html I also read an expose in Mother Jones by an undercover investigative reporter. Here it is: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-free-online-shipping-warehouses-labor/ There is a third article, which I will continue looking for, in which British people came to the US to work for Amazon and were worked without pay, that is enslaved. As much as possible, I avoid supporting enslavement or sweatshop working conditions, though I know I am not completely successful. For instance, Goodreads, which I am on as a reader and a writer is owned by Amazon, but--I am told-- not yet managed by them. Now, about the book business. I am a writer and the owner of a small press. New to the book business, but not new in hearing about certain aspects of it, I do research and talk to my fellow writers and the people who worked on the book Ida Bell Publishing, LLC just published. I will do my best to deal with the objections to a boycott. 1) Low Cost Books: As someone who reads about a book a week, I can understand that very few avid readers can afford full price books. That is why I have been a lifelong user of the public library system. Maybe my experience in New Jersey is unique, but I can get any book or movie that I want through my local library. My local library just joined a consortium--a group of libraries in the area that share books-- that nearly eliminates the need for interlibrary loan. Books have shown up in a few days, so far always less than a week. Some books are must haves either for yourself or for friends. For discount books, I have used Alibris.com successfully. The Strand.com is no longer that useful. There are others, which I am sure you know and listed in your comments. The Amazon pattern is an old one. Look up the history of Standard Oil. Same tune, different lyrics. Venture capitalists invest in Amazon so they can afford to take a loss and put their profits into buying up Whole Foods and building brick and mortar bookstores--which they had previously said were outdated. They will probably go employee-free in both instances and put in scanners and robots. Once every competitor in a particular industry has gone bankrupt, they will then raise the prices to whatever level they want. Since they will be the only game in town, you will pay their price or do without. If we don't do something to stop this now, we will only have ourselves to blame. 2) Self-Published Authors This argument I have heard from the folks at Independent Book Publishers Association. I am sure I am not understanding the whole picture, so would my fellow writer please explain it to me? I used "The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing" by Sue Collier and Marilyn Ross as my main reference and branched off from there. I saw that there were now many different avenues to getting past the gatekeeper agents and publishers. I looked at the subsidy publishers, but to me they were still middle people that I wanted to avoid, but I know other writers who have used them. I know CreateSpace is owned by Amazon, but I don't think Lightening Spark or Hudson Press (I know a writer who had a terrible experience there) or any of the others are. Also there was the Print On Demand option (which seemed too expensive to me). Anyway, let's say you used one of the non-Amazon subsidy publishers, why would you have to place your book on the Amazon platform? Couldn't you have a website and look for the readers of your particular kind of book in their specialty groups? The food lovers who read the cooking blogs and the mystery readers in their various clubs online and off. My point is this, even if Amazon wasn't (a good deal today is not going to be a good deal tomorrow) Take a look at this article: http://articles.ibpa-online.org/article/breaking-up-with-amazon/ cheating writers an d publishers, the place is too crowded. If I am selling on Times Square along with the other 5,000 vendors how will I stand out? But if I go in search of the people who are especially interested in my handcrafted, wooden toys and set up on a side street, I'll have more success. So, assuming you are not using CreateSpace (you could always use another subsidy publisher) why do you need Amazon? Please tell me what I'm missing? The only choice left to me was to set up my own version of Hogarth Press (now owned by one of the Big Five traditional publishers), the press set up by Virgina and Leonard Woolf to publish their friends in the Bloomsbury group. Did I want to start another business, a publishing business at that? No, but it was the only way I could get past agents and publishers asking me why I was writing a book in my mother's voice (they wanted it in mine) about a black woman who wasn't famous (what she achieved in her life despite obstacles would help other people in her situation) and why did it have all this African American history in it (an African American woman born in 1920 who becomes the first black woman in management at a Fortune 500 company as well as a Harlem activist needs to be shown in a historical context) ? So yes, fellow writer, I understand about the gatekeepers. I would never knowingly do anything to harm a fellow writer's chances. Oh, and I understand that readers will have to be in the front of this fight. If we writers start talking about Amazon, no one will give us the time to talk about our books. This is the fine advice I received from my former publicist. I'll wait for your reply, but won't be responding tonight.

Yes I find all of that stuff interesting too. I forgot all about the Chariots of the Gods. I've been told you open your mind and that is went the devil walks in. Helluva thing to tell a kid huh? I've heard a number of people in the field say that they wish the phrase "God Particle" was not used. Again, it just confused people. The religious right gets riled up to the point they are fighting to eliminate scientific research. CNN does the public a disservice when they say things like, "Scientists confirm 'God Particle' Exists." Scientist have done no such thing, nor have they said such a thing. This is sloppy reporting and even the description they provided for the Higgs Boson was pretty weak too.

My blog is available a bazillion different ways and one of the is the Kindle. In advance of the of Amazon boycott--which is many months out, would you all rate or provide a review of the Kindle version of my Blog: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FCX4VA/ref=nosim?tag=aalbccom-20 It will be interesting to see what impact it has if any. Of course I'll report any impact I observe.

Anyone can do it. All blogging platforms provide an RSS feed, which was a simple but brilliant tool to help people, on the web, create their own news feed for consuming content over the web. Sadly we have given that responsibility over to social media... Again you can setup your blog up to do this too. But I did this so long ago I'd have to research up I set it up. Oh and Amazon have so many list for ranks that they are all together meaningless, but as with the reviews people are still swayed by them.

OK I'll concede the point; for I have no way of proving your fridge is in your kitchen if you are not looking at it, for the very act of making the observation is what places it there... At any rate, the are those who play fast and lose with science to delude people for the purposes of taking their money from their money. I'm not saying Neale is one of these people--I never heard of him. But this is really the foundation of my point..

@Troy now you're just being contrary for no reason. You wrote you never "heard" a scientist say the same thing as Neale. Neale quote: "Quantum Physics tells us that nothing that is observed is unaffected by the observer." From the article "Thus, (as in conclusion) the mere act of observation affects the experimental findings" Neale quoted the findings of physicists . and goes on to say "that statement from SCIENCE holds powerful insight." You make it clear that you have a bias against New Age-y folks but it shouldn't cloud your reading comprehension ability, right? Of course we all have opinions, so I'd understand if you disagree with Neale's summation. But even by disagreeing you make his statement valid. We see different "truths" based on our creations.

I'm not so sure quantum mechanics is popular Mel. Sure I saw Particle Fever---in the theater, but is was not highly watched, earning less than $900K at the box office in limited release. Outside of this forum I don't talk to anyone else about it. Though whenever I teach young people I usually bring it up. Because the subject is a 100+ years old and I was never introduced to it in school I did subsequently read the report there was nothing it to substantiate Neale's statement. @Mel Hopkins you nailed the difference between scientists and what I called new agey folk. New Agey folk are perfectly comfortable relating what they know. Scientist relate what they can prove. Obviously there is a big difference. When a scientist believes something that is later proven wrong, they will dispense with the discredited idea and move on with the new one. For example, a scientist would not embrace astrology as scientific fact, because it has not been proven (it may have even been disproven), but an astrologer will believe in it because it is what they "know," scientific proof is irrelevant. Christian fundamentalist refuse to believe in evolution or the age of the universe, despite their world view being proven wrong.. Again facts don't matter. Again the problem I have with new agey folks is their misappropriation of science to further their means--especially the ones who do this to enrich themselves at the expense of others. I'm trying to learn not to waste time arguing with people about what they think they know (believe) once I tell them what has been proven. Now if people want to speculate about things that are unknowable (impossible to prove), like what was before the creation of our universe then I'm game Now I could very easily see a 45 supporter using Neale's statement to support "alternative facts." Science tells us that we all see a "different truth," and of course some truths (facts) are better than others.

Actually Quantum Mechanics is pretty popular - that's how it made it into mainstream. The first time I heard of the observer effect was in What the bleep do we know. (2004) ... I already knew it was possible but to hear scientist validate what I already knew was fascinating. Still that movie made QM popular and folks such as me actually started following and reading what physicists were researching and writing about... Again, I'd been writing about this QM stuff since the 90s... but for me it was the stuff "dreams" were made of. I guess I was "New Age-y" By the time Angels and Demons was made into a movie - the audience was educated enough to follow along. It made it even easier for them to follow CERN's developments ... "Particle Fever" - was a highly rated and watched documentary - that wouldn't have happened without all the "new age-y" folks making science "cool" again. Neale Donald Walsch is not a scientist, but he echoed physicists in that meme. You mentioned you never heard a scientist say it - so, I was sharing with you that they did say it. New Age-y people as you call them may not be able to prove what they know but they don't have to. That's left to folks who get the fancy equipment like the LHC -to prove what someone "saw" years before in their mind's eye. For Us New Age-y folks - nothing is "unknowable"...

I dunno about the Amazon reviews Mel. I have published a few reviews on Amazon myself, but these are excerpts from the full reviews here on AALBC.com. I do it if the author request but not as a matter of course, because Amazon does not allow hyperlinks to external websites. So I can vouch for my reviews--but as far as the rest of ones on Amazon I take them with a grain of salt. Unless it is a trusted entity I do not trust random reviews written by unknown people on any site--not just Amazon. We know people pay for favorable reviews. We know people get fiends to write them. We also know that people even write negative reviews just to hurt another authors. Even the verified purchase reviews are gamed by slick marketers. The notion that we can get valuable information provided for free, like a professional written review of a book, is something that corporations take advantage of. But whenever there is a free, or low cost way, to influence public option on a large platform, that platform is prime territory to be exploited this includes Amazon, Wikipedia, Facebook, and even Google's search results. Amazon and Facebook do very little to clean this up because reviews even bogus ones drive traffic. I completely ignore reviews on Amazon for this reason. I read reviews written by professionals, unfortunately for Black books this means I'm not reading too many reviews of our books. But I completely understand than many people do read the review--which again is why they are gamed. There is a mechanism on this site informal reader reviews of every book on the website site. Here is the one of you books @Mel Hopkins: https://aalbc.com/books/home.php?isbn13=9781411673144#comment The is a link prompting reader to leave commesnt, but I get less than a handful of these a day. When I see on I like I sometimes shre them on social media. I have decided to focus on more formal process for identifying good books professional reviews, word of mouth from industry pros, and information I find on these discussion forums. You probably noticed the book review requests that are posted here. I look at each one but the benefit is that it is now a permanent part of the website, and other people will see it. @Faith U, yeah book clubs can certainly help word of mouth I have over 700 book clubs in my database: https://aalbc.com/bookclubs/ I could simply publish a list but I'm trying to reduce the number of authors that just blast the email addresses with unsolicited pitches to read their book. Most book clubs do not select their books in this fashion anyway--unless that author has a track record.

@Troy https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/02/980227055013.htm Do they qualify as scientists? "In a study reported in the February 26 issue of Nature (Vol. 391, pp. 871-874), researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have now conducted a highly controlled experiment demonstrating how a beam of electrons is affected by the act of being observed. The experiment revealed that the greater the amount of "watching," the greater the observer's influence on what actually takes place." I think they call the phenomenon "observer effect"

@Faith U Here's something I noticed. I did a general search on Amazon for your eBook "Trigger is an easy name to remember) and it didn't come up on the first page...so I did a search for the book title and your first name. This time, your title came up #1 ... I went to read the reviews and I was sold! @Troy I forgot about the amazon reviews.... Amazon reviews are huge and can be a deal closer.. In fact, I almost bought the kindle version and then I remembered to buy directly from the author . I didn't realize how enticing reviews can be - and I don't remember seeing customer reviews on our author's pages. I remember I did notice on my page - that I have two reviews for other books here on aalbc - please link me to customer reviews here on aalbc. I know now that I have to get a customer review page for my website (I forgot how important it is) @Faith U I went right to your website. Nice site and your sales page is ALL OF THAT! You have, reviews, a trailer and soundcloud playlist for your book! Awesome ... Plus the upsell is an excellent tool! I bought the signed book but I was tempted to by the magnet and bookmark too! Great sales eSheet! I look forward to reading "Trigger" . Also before you sell digital copies from your site - I have to put in that disclaimer to beware of bootleggers.

I've always felt that my purpose in life is to inspire people through my words and my art. That I've finally gotten over my fear of failure, and created a website and a blog, is freaking amazing! On my website: DeeMillerInspired.com, I included a blog called, ''Can we Talk' where I share clips from my Self Published Books and invite open dialog. As a wordsmith, my topics have no set direction or focus, but rather develope from experiences, observations and creative thinking. A little Storytelling, opinion sharing, then if tempers rise, we agree to hug it out then LOL. My latest blog called, 'Are Black Women Always so angry? Hmmmm...Truth, Excuse or Something Else. I'm eager to capture the opinions on the subject that many have become so obsessed about. Why does my kinky hair, my luscious lips, my voluptuous ass, my beautiful shades of brown skin, my intelligence, my patience, my strength, my commitment and my blood sweat and tears lead you to believe that I'm always so angry? Cause when we smile, the whole world dances. Lets ta talk about it - DeeMillerInspired.com