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Well, today is the American holiday where folks gather with family and friends in food, fun and fellowship. Eat, drink and enjoy however you so choose. I know the history behind *holidays* but I do not skip them for the aforementioned reasons. I use holidays as a time to further build and connect with my tribe. Every several years, my birthday happens to fall on Thanksgiving Day. When that happens, I don't have to cook anything for the family dinner. I'll pull up, eat, enjoy my folks and watch football games. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Talking to ProfD about the ratchet behavior of some of the people we knew and saw growing up brought back memories of Cooley High and scenes like this: I don't care what city you grew up in, we all knew a "Damon"....literally. Either somebody NAMED "Damon" or somebody who ACTED LIKE Damon. Mostly likely MULTIPLE....lol.

lol! Yes the name speaks for itself. Braggadocio is unnecessary. Dude, the only erect penis I’ve ever seen is mine. Besides an locker room I’m not trying to look at another brother’s joint. were you that guy peeping over the urinal checking out my package the last time I was in Detroit? It is impossible for it to be a scientific fact. Just repeating it doesn’t make it so even the report you shared indicated this. This was not a peer reviewed study that you shared if you look at some of the peer reviewed studies they reflect how problematic it is collecting the data and drawing meaningful conclusions. One interesting thing I read is that folks with high BMI’s tend to have shorter penises because of the pad of fat at the base in their pelvis.

No I'd gently "tap" it so as not to cause unnecessary trauma....lol. When it comes to sex with women of ANY age, there are considerations. With a 24 year old, you have to consider unwanted pregnancy. With an 84 year old, you have to consider who's going to pay if she ends up needing a hip replacement.

@Pioneer1 and @aka Contrarian...whether you all ever agree or not, the back and forth dialog between you two is worth the price of admission. I certainly enjoy reading it. Your contributions keep the forum going especially since fewer folks post compared to a few years ago.

Black-Owned Cafés️️️ 40+ Black-Owned Cafés in 11 Cities to Support.... ( compliled by Shoppe Black) from KEMI CONTENT Black-Owned Cafés️️️ 40+ Black-Owned Cafés in 11 Cities to Support.... ( compliled by Shoppe Black) Check where your dollars should go!!! A few years ago, we published an article highlighting Black-owned coffee and tea businesses .... A few years ago, we published an article highlighting Black-owned coffee and tea businesses as alternatives to Starbucks. That list became one of our most-shared pieces because conscious consumers were actively seeking value-aligned Here are over 40 Black-owned cafés across 11 major U.S. cities to support right now. New York City NBHD Brulee, Harlem Ginjan Cafe, Harlem The Oma Shop II, Harlem Brooklyn Tea, Bed-Stuy Lips Cafe, Flatbush Los Angeles South LA Cafe, South Central Hilltop Coffee and Kitchen, Inglewood, DTLA, Eagle Rock Dubb’s Organic Coffee Blends, West Hollywood House Coffee Co, West Jefferson Blvd Atlanta Urban Grind, West Midtown Black Bean Coffee Co, West End Black Coffee ATL, Castleberry Hill Portrait Coffee, Southwest Atlanta Chicago Sip and Savor, South Side Afro Joe’s Coffee and Tea, Beverly Build Coffee, Woodlawn Overflow Coffee, South Loop Muse Coffee Studio, Little Italy (Near West) Detroit Detroit Sip, University District Detroit Brew-ti-ful Coffee House, Plymouth Rd District In Harmony Café Sweets and More, Dexter Avenue Simply Roasted, Downtown Detroit Philadelphia Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books, Germantown Coffee Cream and Dreams, North Philadelphia Brown Street Cafe, Southwest Philly Bower Cafe, Center City Haven Café, Grays Ferry Alif Brew and Mini Mart, West Philly Es Cafe Lounge, Northern Liberties Washington, D.C. Cafe Cino, Dupont Circle Sankofa Video Books and Cafe, Georgia Avenue Creative Grounds DC, North Capitol Street Little Food Studio, Petworth Grounded Plant Shop and Cafe, Anacostia Jaliyaa Coffee Truck and Catering, Shaw Texas (Houston + Dallas–Fort Worth) Houston Day 6 Coffee Co., Spring Branch LIT Java, Pearland Mo’ Brunch + Brews, Museum District Kefita Coffee, Midtown Dallas–Fort Worth Soirée Coffee Bar, Trinity Groves Tre Stelle Coffee Co, North Dallas Brown Bag Coffees and Tea, Northwest Dallas Billie Joe Coffee Co, Grand Prairie New Orleans Backatown Coffee Parlour, Treme Cupcake Fairies Coffee, Bywater St. Noir, Lower Garden District Up & Adam, Central Business District Seattle Boon Boona Coffee, Multiple Locations Avole Central District, Central District Bonhomie Coffee Bar, Labour Temple Winnie’s Cafe, Rainier Beach The Station, Columbia City Moments like this remind people to pay attention to where their dollars go. These cafés represent local ownership, culture, and community. They create the kind of spaces that big chains cannot replicate.

richardmurray Thank you sir, but that comment wasn't meant to be a criticism of the list! It's appreciated because it hipped me to a lot of new spots I need to hit the next time I go back to Detroit. I was kind of thinking "out loud" as I remember the various spots I used to frequent when I lived in the city....lol. I'm kind of surprised at Seattle having so many Black owned cafes. I been there a bunch of times. Although it does have a Black presence, it's a fairly White city, lol.

@Pioneer1 I told KEmi hopefully she adjusts her list https://aalbc.com/bookstore/Nandi%26rsquo%3Bs+Knowledge+Cafe

Man, time flies. I haven't been to ANY of those cafes in Detroit....lol. There is one cafe I used to go to quite a bit and I'm surprised it wasn't on your list, Nandi's House of Knowledge.

Some of you act like white women don't bleach their hair blond. Half the blondes out there of any race are "bottle blondes". Blond hair is a "style" that anyone can affect if they so choose, just like long or short hair. "Vanity, thy name is woman." You also act like skin color is the only race marker, and ignore the reality of blackness being a "state of mind" that is manifested in many ways. Self-appointed arbitrators of how "we" are supposed to look, are superficial themselves. Slave descendants run the gamut of skin color, and if they identify as black, then nobody else has the authority to say different. The same with mixed individuals. Who gave anybody the authority or credentials to designate who is "black". Melanin does not obliterate all other factors. Furthermore, If it makes a woman happy to lighten her skin and liberate herself from what she has undoubtedly experienced as a burden, then that's nobody's business but her own. Forget the "psycho-babbo" about the situation. Just cause "Malcolm said" something doesn't make it sacrosanct. He was not infallible. Nor dark-skinned. And I'm sure brothas are the main culprit in motivating certain sistas to want to modify their appearance. It never ceases to amaze me how empowered some people think they are when it comes to branding 39,000,000 people.

@Pioneer1 this would seem to be true as you fixate on penis size as being the primary means for attracting a woman’s attention. @ProfD actually most scientific projections suggest humanity will eventually be brown as populations continue to mix. The so-called white race will disappear over time.

What Troy just posted is on point. And, the demograph for the "Wicked" franchise is not black people. Young black girls are not flocking to theaters to see this latest film fantasy. Nor is there any great interest in it by the black population in general.To them, it's just another Disneyesque Hollywood fantasy like "Sleeping Beauty" or "Shrek". They ain't paying no money to go see it. Pioneer overestimates the gullibilty of black folks as well as the deviousness of Hollywood whose primary goal is profit; not promoting racism. Attributing racial overtones to this movie's subliminal message is a stretch saturated with paranoia. Cynthia and Ariana have admitted they have an affectionate, gender based, non binary relationship. So what else is new? In today's social climate this is not an eyebrow raiser. Who cares if this is their "thing"? Hollywood has always been a freak show. But, as usual, the Strawman has to manufacture a hysterical scenario in an attempt to substantiate his far-fetched argument characterizing some bald headed green skin character as a racist surrogate for a black person. For the person with a hammer, every issue is a nail. Much ado about nothing.

Sure they do and they will naturally draw false conclusions about the book. This is exactly why they say don’t judge a book by its cover or judge people by the color of their skin. How do you know this? I thought you didn’t watch the film. So even fictional, green characters are now lump in with Black people? What is the next pioneer saying that the Incredible Hulk just reinforces the black male brute stereotype? I’ll grant you that the majority culture will promote their ideas of beauty; fair skin, blonde, hair, blue eyes, fine features, etc — even though most of them don’t look like that. Obviously Black people, despite straightening their hair and dying it blonde and using cream lighters will never achieve that standard. but suggesting that the producers of the movie, wicked crafted the green character simply to reinforce negative black stereotypes is an extreme leap to make based upon a movie poster of a film you purportedly have not seen.

I watched it again within the last year or so you appreciate it differently at different stages of life.

Just how many penises have you sized up over the years? So why “contradick” this and insist that there is one? Your “reasoning” never ceases to astonish me. Shooting down the myth that’s so-called Black people have the biggest dicks is not disparaging black men. It is interesting. You take so much pride in this myth. If you are packing 10+ inches. and that is important to you. Take pride in that you don’t have to perpetrate a myth. Black people have plenty of actual and meaningful accomplishments to be proud of couldn’t be the mothers and fathers of civilization — indeed humanity. Yes, they are marketed to people ego think like you. Of course it is.

Are Cynthia and Ariana queer? That might explain the off screen “relationship.” As far as the movie poster, if you don’t know anything about the movie and haven’t seen it how can you comment about the poster? I have not seen the movie, but I’ve seen the play and I’ve seem to remember the green witch being a sympathetic character and ultimately a positive one. Yeah, I do think you’re making too much of the poster. For one the character is green with straight hair. So unless you’re going to bat for our green brother and sisters, I don’t understand what you’re complaining about. This movie, the least of our worries. And Cynthia Evio is a net positive for the black community in my opinion.

I don't believe peer pressure has millions pf folks traveling all over the country to eat and drink. Most folks know how to keep the ratchet at bay. NF jr. would have said something along those line. Most American families are adjusted above dysfunction. They are relatively intact too. Gotta look beyond the ghettos and trailer parks.

The Black Power movement of the 1970s is a distant memory even among Black folks who grew up during that time. These 1980s and later born Black folks may not represent Blackness to any significant degree over time.

Happy belated birthday @ProfD! Who among us are thinking about pilgrims when celebrating Thanksgiving? There is no reason not to gather with friends and family to enjoy some good cooking, sports, games on this particular day.

Happy Birthday, @ProfD

A lot of people do not celebrate holidays foe different reasons. It's all good. I'm one of those men who loves to eat and cook. A woman will never be able to starve me. In fact, most women don't want any parts of the kitchen once they have eaten whatever I cook. Absolutely. Time spent with family and friends and celebrating folks should happen whenever time permits. Holidays just give folks a date to make plans for their gatherings especially when travel is involved.

@ProfDProfD Enjoy your special day and may you celebrate many happy returns. May you also enjoy the traditional holiday that allows you to gather with your loved ones and give thanks for your blessings. The upcoming meeting between the DA BEARS and the Eagles should be an interesting game. I'm just enjoying the ride, loving how my team finds a way to win!

Well happy Birth Date my brutha! How old are you now, 25....30? It should come as no surprise that I don't celebrate Thanks Giving. Because of my strong influence, nobody in my household does either. I don't force them to or not to....but I guess I have that type of influence over people...lol. On top of that, as I've gotten older a lot of the matriarchs who did most of the cooking during these holidays have passed on and most of the younger women DON'T KNOW how to cook. I grew up eating DRESSING....and they're talking about making some STUFFING...lol. WTF??? * Talk about men being jealous in another thread. Sometimes I DO get jealous of these African and immigrant Latino men who come from a culture where cooking is still highly prized among their women. The women are expected to cook, not just for the children but for the men....and this is indisputable among them! Even the younger ones just ACCEPT this and smile as they start rattling the dishes and warming up the water. Now THAT is enough to get a brutha jealous and wonder why do THEY deserve that type of royal treatment....lol. Anyway...... I DO enjoy the time off I get though and I use it to relax and get other things done. As far as using it as a time to spend with family and friends.....you should be doing that ANY day of the week you have an opportunity. I don't need a White man to tell me WHEN to do it. I say the same things about Mother's Day. I don't let anybody "shame" me into celebrating Mother's Day, because EVERY DAY should be Mother's Day when your mother is still alive to celebrate her.

Got it. A handful of mostly anonymous Black folks were kidnapped by white folks and enslaved and forced to breed since the 1970s. Of course, many folks in unhealthy situations; bad relationships and marriages can make a claim that they are enslaved and forced to breed too.

I don't hassle it...I HUSTLE it.....lol. And the money's good! For most men, a big butt is a big butt whether it's been around 24 years or 84 years. Besides a little cellulite, the only difference is the smell....lol. One smells like Axe and baby powder, the other smells like cocobutter and Noxzema....lol.

News. Says .Viola. Fletcher.... A. Survivor. Of. The. Tulsa. Race. ,Massacre. Has. Died. At. Age. 111. .. Dead. At. Age. 111. ..This. Racist. Evil. Country. Has. Sympathy. For Israel. And The. , ,Holocaust. .But. No. Sympathy. Respect. For. The. Descendants. Of. Slavery. No. Respect. For. The. Descendants. Of Tulsa. Race. Massacre. , And. Lynchings. Hangings. ..Black. ,Holocaust. Has. Never. Stopped. ..

A federal judge on Monday dismissed the criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after finding the prosecutor who brought the cases, former Trump attorney Lindsey Halligan, was not lawfully appointed. Judge dismisses cases against James Comey and Letitia James after finding prosecutor was unlawfully appointed It's about TIME these federal judges start pulling strings in favor of our people!

Obviously you love it, because it seems to be an object of your affection and attention. However to be precise..... It wasn't the statement itself that was incomplete, I just didn't quote it in it's entirety. I quoted the part I wanted to comment on....not being able to figure out HOW to break free from the oppressor. The second part of her statement....needing or wanting help to get us out of our oppression....most of us acknowledge and accept. Most of our people would GLADLY welcome somebody else to come in and do for them what we SHOULD be doing for ourselves, which is one of the reasons why so many call on Jesus. However the FIRST part.....not being able to figure out HOW to overpower your oppressor and break free from them.....is one very few of our people would ever admit to and have a very hard time accepting.

Simple yet logical and powerful statement that took me years to learn and then many more years to accept. I didn't want to accept it, but I HAD to.

There is still possibly 3 years left on the clock. Considering the amount of turmoil the current administration has undergone in 10 months since the was inaugurated, the wheels could fall off the bus before the next general election. The question remains how much collateral damage will be done before the circus bus goes over a cliff or crashes and blows up. Maybe it just comes to a slow halt. Either way, I do not believe there will be another reality show POTUS. America has already experimented with a Black man. Right now, the country is being run by someone HB Barnum may have been proud. The next POTUS will be *normal*. Regardless of the administration in power, America seems to maintain its balance between haves and have nots by expanding the middle. Enough Americans are surviving well enough to keep the lid from blowing off. That's why there are no real protests of any *problems*. A civil war won't happen anytime soon either. I still believe the real threat is AI. It is not a different person to worry about. Race, gender, s8xual orientation, creed, etc., won't matter. People will either have a marketable skillset or they will have to go on welfare i.e. Universal Basic Income (UBI). The challenge will be determining who gets the UBI and how much they receive. The clown Elon Musk has already stated that in the future work will be optional and cash won't be relevant either. That's easy to say for someone in line to become a trillionaire. Young people will have to figure something out if the wealthy continue down this path. It would be a d8mn shame for them to be left with a dystopian existence.

They aren't going to fight White folks, even for a fellow Indian. Maybe if she said "Candy Man" 3 times, he'll come walking out of the nearest restroom in a long trench coat to save the day....lol.

ProfD One of those dudes looks like he could be the VPOTUS son. Lol, maybe from a PREVIOUS relationship with a White woman. Cuz' none of them look like they could have came out of brown skinned Usha....lol.

ProdD This carrot would be a one-time payment similar to those pandemic checks. Ok, just as I figured...another gimmick or publicity stunt. Right. The net benefit is zero especially if folks are going to spend it on BS instead of investing it in something that actually makes more money And the REAL kicker is they're probably going to put up all kinds of limitations and exemptions on it to where half if not most people wouldn't even qualify for that money anyway. If you're a felon...can't get the money. If you owe back taxes....can't get the money. If you owe child support...can't get the money. If you have outstanding parking tickets...can't get the money. If you didn't vote Republican....can't get the money. If you aren't working...can't get the money. How tall are you? What was your highschool GPA? How long is your dick? Do you put rum in your egg nog? Lol.....any excuse.

Troy Hummm that doesn’t sound right there are many ways to benefit a person than directly giving the money which has a high likelihood of being spent on crack. While that's true, why would I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure that out without knowing the person's background? It's much easier and more efficient (on my end) to simply give them some money and not judge or assume the worst in them. Why should you get Karmic credit for that? Why "shouldn't" you??? Even human beings have figured out that rewarding good deeds incentivizes MORE good deeds; do you think the Divine doesn't know this already? Why am I even arguing the point of this? As if there is some type of cosmic justice Are you atheist or agnostic? Now THAT'S an understatement.....lol.

This post was started by Troy last June, and here we are in November, caught up in the "the more things change politically, the more they become the same" theme,( Marjorie Taylor Greene's announcement of her plans to retire from Congress in January after having an ephiphany about Trump, being the possible exception to this trend. ) But the perennial conversations on this forum, continue. Same tune, different lyrics. Democrats bad, Republicans worse, white supremacy alive and well, racism subtle and entrenched, marathon dialogs bringing to mind images of black folks chasing their tails, made dizzy by the exercise. While recently scrolling through my phone. I checked out some reels of Neil de Grasse I Tyson, which gave me pause. I'd heard this theory before but it sunk in a little more this time around because of where I am in my earthly journey. He said, in essence, that time is an illusion, that everything has already happened, that the past, the present, and the future are one, and we are just moving forward. He said that to exist was a privilege because there were "those" for whom life never came into fruition. ??? And that dying was proof of having existed, and nothing more than that. Another outre thing he said was that the human species does not adapt, that some of them are intrinsically equipped to survive changing conditions, while others aren't, and simply die out... These were just a few of the extraordinary claims he made. Of course, we have no way of determining whether he, himself, knows what the hell he's talking about, but his glib explanations are thought provoking and at this point, my priorities have changed when it comes to the issues I ponder. America in general, and black folks in particular no longer command any great involvement on my.part. "Whatever will be, will be," and if we are to take Neil de Grasse Tyson seriously, - "already is". And the beat goes on... zzzzz GO BEARS ! Enjoy your turkey.

That is an understatement. Hummm that doesn’t sound right there are many ways to benefit a person than directly giving the money which has a high likelihood of being spent on crack. Why should you get Karmic credit for that? Why am I even arguing the point of this? As if there is some type of cosmic justice @richardmurray do you type all of your responses from a computer keyboard? They are very long. I was just curious I dictate most of mine, including this one. it’s far from perfect.

richardmurray In your experience it seems black people who are , what some call, devout, gardless to the religion they adhere to, fit a lifestyle model you accept as positive. ok I didn't say "gardless" or "Regardless" of their religion...lol. I specified CHRISTIANS. There are Muslims who are devout who believe in KILLING people who disbelieve or reject the faith. Most Hebrew Israelites tend to be very devout and quite HOSTILE to people who disbelieve in their faith also. That's not to say there aren't Christians who believe in doing the same thing, but among most AfroAmericans....most devout AfroAmerican Christians aren't violent. Hey brutha Rich, if you don't mind my asking...how old are you?

@ProfD that isn't true in the usa. 1980 was when slavery ended in the usa. it isn't about the laws it is about the environment. The great tragedy of tulsa in my view is that black people living today will say the black people during tulsa's time were free, but that is freedom? yeah start business, go to college, and at any moment the white populace could wipe you out and every single municipal level from the federal government to tulsa city council would be in on the coverup. that's freedom? we weren't free in our choices. MLK said it best himself. https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/356-mlk-jr-day-good-news-calendar/ what non humans are you referring to? nonhumans trust nature to do that. they don't do that. I know exactly what happened, in one of my posts posted or one I have set up but haven't had time to share, the chinese government allowed the sale of the extra children illegally, meaning illegal in chinese law like when the usa federal government allows illegal immigration, through traffickers who made a fortunes selling chinese kids to white people all over the world, who were not orphans. The chinese government shut the majority of traffikers down, using some of the biggest offenders as scapegoats, ala madoff in the usa similarly PLUS opening up the child allowance. To me the traffikers made the mistake of thinking this would last forever. that is a foolish hustle to think will last forever. I know that in eastern europe the traffiking of blondes is big to all the rich asians who are looking for.. various things, but they don't go too far, or the governments will step in. The governments already know all the crimes but they all allow certain levels of all crimes under a cap or within some limit. Some chinese traffikers got too greedy, were too confident governments wouldn't step in. @Chevdove Well the issue is centrism. Many, not most, black people want to be centrists. It is the old adage, I married a white woman, went to harvard, live in the hamptons, but I am blacker than black still. Many Black people in the usa, and definitely descended of enslaved fear the internal shame, not external, of being a white agent. The slave revolts prove, most black people have a distrust of black people who have a positive or more positive relationship with whites or the usa but how else can a black person succeed in the usa absent a positive relationship with the usa or whites:) So, it becomes an impossible task. But one many black people venture to, and thus modernity. As I have said in this forum many times, most black people want black betterment but the problem is the intricacies of how said black betterment is defined. As frederick Douglas said, https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/418-frederick-douglass-our-composite-nation/ Profd + Pioneer say today. It isn't a new thing. The problem is, nonblack peoples actions have always made it very challenging for a majority of blacks to trust nonblacks or the usa. And absent trust to non blacks or the usa, a black person tryin the middle will never be trusted by most blacks. This is why I try to emphasize black people in tribes do more in those tribes. Cause most in any tribe are similar thinking so the trust is there. If a black atheist goes to a black church it will be very hard to regale on anything.

Sadly, one of the shooting victims, a 20 year old female, has died. She was on duty so that others could spend the holiday with their families.