Stefan

I am hoping all Black Africans are out of Ukraine, including the long time Black residents. But it was sure not easy getting out. Now, what's going to happen to them? As far as Africans importing food, so does Japan, Israel and a host of other countries. It's not so much that Africa does not control it's own food sources, it's that Drought, Disease and Civil Wars tends to seriously disrupt the continent's food supply particularly south of the Sahara Desert. Maybe we ought to wait until the Metaverse invents food replicators.

@ProfD I have been trying to find information on the fate of Black African university students who narrowly escaped the carnage in Ukraine. There were about 70,000 of them. But they were also many Black Africans who simply lived in Ukraine. The latest I could find was mid-March when I came across a story that said those who did not make it back home were languishing in Polish detention centers after being beaten, harassed and detained from boarding trains to safety. What worries is what always worries me. Programs, funding and health services geared towards our country's poor will be curtailed and slashed to pay for an secure the lives of White refugees from Ukraine because of a war started by Russia and supported by Trump and others in the Republican Party. Not to mention a likely steep increase in hunger throughout Africa, which imports dependent upon Ukrainian and Russian grain. (What's next for African refugees in Poland) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60899738 (African could be hit hard by loss of Ukrainian grain exports) https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/africa-could-be-hit-hard-by-loss-ukrainian-grain-exports-institute-says-2022-03-11/

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have announced they will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Jackson. This should assure Judge Jackson will indeed take her place as the first Black woman Justice on our nation's highest court. Congratulations!

I no longer believe skin color defines Blackness. What's in your heart and head does. Take a look at some Blacks on this forum. They oppose every advancement for our race, while Whites and Latinos who married Blacks have joined our cause. Skin color, or the term I prefer, skin hue, won't matter in coming years. However, belief in the viability and the worthiness of others will become the determining factor of how People are Color are viewed. I am certain that many of you have come across horrendous news stories in which Blacks in power positions have morphed into White Karens to show their power and disdain for us. That really is our problem. And it's getting worse. A Black woman professor at Georgia State University's Perimeter College summoned two armed campus police officers to escort two Black students from her class for the dastardly crime of being late - by TWO MINUTES! She had demanded the two students leave her classroom. When they explained they were paying for their tuition, she got angry, left the room and came back with the two cops. This is ridiculous. And not to mention dangerous. The cops immediately sized up the situation and defused it. The same thing happened with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler when a Black woman teller at a Bank of America branch in Atlanta had him arrested for trying to withdraw money out of his bank account. These people aren't crazy. They know full well what they're doing. In New York City, some of my students were delayed by slow moving trains, sick passengers on subways, fights on trains, debris on tracks or babysitters not showing up. I never threw them out of my class. I got paid to teach - not harass.

Biden voters are among U.S. voters. Sheesh. Know how goofy the GOP is today? Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., is now claiming it was Trump who killed Osama bin Laden. And of course, there's David Madison Cawthorne, the North Carolina Republican who claims he's been invited to orgies and coke parties by his GOP brethren many times. This dude was elected to replace Mark Meadows, whose wife appears to have signed two false North Carolina voter forms for the 2020 election. Yeah, there was voter fraud. On the Republican side.

@ProfD This is why I was always ready to put time in with Literacy Volunteers and other groups once I fully retired. Our people have been cheated by the educational system, especially in inner cities, and some need help. I've been volunteering for years, as a writing teacher, as a counselor and as a photographer. You'll never help everyone or manage to fully change someone's circumstances. But you can give an individual confidence to keep going. And at least you're trying to help, not hurt or put down as so many others do. Know whom I admire the most? The ones who try to teach Financial Literacy, the pitfalls of loans, credit card interest and the best banks for savings. Folks like that will prevent many Blacks from falling into endless debt. I'm not qualified to expound on such subjects. But after 26 years of Print Journalism and guest lectures, I am definitely qualified to teach writing, so I always did that. I could care less what most Republican Party lovers of today think: Our people are quite capable of learning skills that were unimagined years ago and excelling at same. We don't need haters or bullchitters. We need patient teachers and explainers.

This is such a non-issue. Interracial marriage does not affect the longevity of U.S. Blacks. But continuing Hate and Racism do. It does not matter what a person looks like. They cannot help that. This is why it's wrong to attack, humiliate or discriminate against another human being because of their looks. Marriage has little to do with it. Men and women are going to have sex and sometimes, offspring are the result. It's how these offspring feel about themselves is what determines if they consider themselves Black. People are going to hate Black people no matter what. For many of them, they believe our dark skin and hair makes us ugly. Others think we are stupid and beneath them. They may never change. They may never stop and consider the awesome inventions and improvements to agriculture, products and technologies our people have contributed to the world. It's up to us and our friends and allies to do this. I don't worry about who's marrying who. I am concerned with those who want to keep our achievements hidden, advancements stopped and imprisonment increased and those who would aid them in doing so.

I think it's great. Anytime a Black historical figure is going to be memorialized or lionized in film, its is further proof of our significance and greatness.

Actually, you are incorrect. Not all schools provide computers. During the worst of the pandemic one of my nieces, who teaches deaf and hard-to-hearing grade school students in Newark, N.J., had to beg for laptop donations for her pupils when their public school was closed temporarily. A close friend, who is a long-time public school teacher in New York City, told me not every student received a laptop to use at home during those same weeks. Other friends who were counselors, maintenance men and women, or security, told me the same thing. When breadwinners are paying more than 40% or 50% of their salaries toward high rent and have children or aged relatives living with them who also need to eat, there is little disposable income left over. That is the case with the working poor in New York City. And not everyone can read and write well. Many are burdened with learning disabilities, were victims of social promotion and really bad teachers. I do not understand why truth this is ignored.

We are part of the problem. Too many Blacks are weighing in endlessly for attention.

I think it's White people who are actually the ones keeping this incident alive.

@Troy This is true. Computers were high priced 30 years ago. Some items can no longer be found in retail outlets and this forces those without computers or a smart phone to lean on a friend or neighbor to buy certain things. I'm a model railroader who is forced to peruse online outlets for some items. Buying online entails dealing with the risk of package theft, difficulty returning items and neighbor curiosity. Not all own a computer. That statement may seem alien to some, but it's true in some cases. And not all can afford Internet service. I just hope it's higher PC and MAC ownership than when I taught Writing in Business Schools and tutored at Literacy Volunteers in three states and for some union members. Many of my students did not have access to a computer, but they could reach me by phone 24/7. Some went to a library to print out their papers while others went to a friend's house. Right now, there's just too many scams in crypto.

This is true. What really annoys me is when we people joyously promote Crypto, Blockchain and the Metaverse, they rarely offer explanations and definitions in easy to understand wordage. Just endless cheerleading. But am happy that a precious few actually do. I am deeply skeptical of a digital currency created by a Japanese computer scientist, based on a system that boasts unchangeable protections at the creation of digital information, (which is true), but based on a system that seems to be hacked every couple of months in which billions in digital value are lost. But yup, teaching and carefully explaining this information must be simplified if our people are going to have any chance of surviving. There is nothing wrong with anyone improving their financial standing and I encourage it. I worry about those who don't have access to computers, the Internet or decent schools.

Lindsay is full of it. He's got a safe seat. And "Yea" vote would not hurt him much.

The latest pothole on the road to cyber riches: Ronin, a blockchain service for online game company Axie Infinity, admitted that hackers managed to steal $600 million by transferring 167,000 ethers to an anonymous ethereum wallet. Apparently, the hackers were then able to steal two different types of cryptocurrencies. The value of what was stolen changes all the time due to volatility of crypto markets. The latest hack “is a sobering reminder of just how vulnerable Web3 marketplaces are to cyber attacks," former SEC chief of security John Reed Stark, told CNN. (Web3 refers to the idea of a decentralized Internet powered by the blockchain, the technology that underpins various cryptocurrencies.) “The entire web3 marketplace is so fraught with chaos and lawlessness, we may never learn the truth about what happened,” said Stark. “And unlike U.S. financial firms who must report cyber-attacks fairly, accurately, promptly, etc., NFT and other Web3 marketplaces do not have to report anything at all.” Oh, about those NFT thingies. Gizmodo is reporting on six crypto and NFT scams in March alone. But you don't have to believe me. https://gizmodo.com/6-crypto-and-nft-projects-from-march-2022-that-were-tot-1848639890 No machine guns or getaway cars needed. Bonnie and Clyde would certainly approve. Hackers steal $600 million from Axie Infinity

Asians began arriving in the U.S. in the late 1800's, not 40 years ago. It is true that as an ethnic group, Asians enjoy the highest income of all groups in the U.S. The disdain directed at Asians for their high income by others is comical. Similar to those who become angry because U.S. Jews may always defend their group out of fear of mass anti-Semitism. Black people? For some, a "Crabs in a Barrel" mantra define them. For others, belief in the financial acumen of Whites or others prevails. But the reality of Asian financial success is quite complicated. Not every Asian is rich, pulls down a high salary and the differences are due mostly to immigration and country of origin. And those who went and graduated from a college or a university. And of course, those who pick and learn English the fastest and the best. Everyone needs to understand that when folks from India and Pakistan are included in the income total of Asian Americans, the group's earnings average skyrocket. Not every Asian enjoys a high annual income

@ProfD My most humble apologies. I well know you could never support such hateful folks. For the life of me, I will always remain mystified by the incredible self-hate and mental gymnastics Blacks who love GOP repressive policies must employ to justify love of Republicans, knowing it will end with millions of innocents suffering. Again, my apologies. I trust you, your family and your friends come through this new round of upticks in Covid-19 infections unscathed. I knew it would happen.

You also refuse to believe Trump lost the 2020 election with no widespread fraud reported. It does not matter what you refuse to believe. Because you also probably refuse to believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and that he saved this country from sinking into a debilitating economic depression.

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said Wednesday, March 20, 2022, that she will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. Collins thus becomes the first Republican Senator to say publicly that Judge Jackson has support from across the political divide. GOP Sen. Susan Collins will vote to confirm Judge Jackson

I don't pose a danger to any Black, Latino, Native American disabled, immigrant, chronically ill or poor person. Because I do not support politicians, programs and policies that would restrict the advancement of folks in such groups. Justice Thomas has always opposed the goals that Black leaders betterment of Blacks. Citizens of this nation rejected Trump in a 2020 national election and there has never been any proof of widespread voter fraud as 45 claims. However, Justice Thomas and his wife certainly appear to have attempted to ignore the will of U.S. voters in 2020. Clarence Thomas recused himself due to his son, but not his wife

Prof D is absolutely correct. It was a bad look. But did you see Jada's face? She was visibly perturbed and appeared to hold in her anger. Chris Rock could not have used another joke? At first, I thought the two of them were joking because Will Smith walked up to Rock smiling. But it was no stunt. The portion of the broadcast which many did not see live shows Will angrily berating Chris Rock afterwards. I love Chris Rock and all the Smiths. But the whole episode is sad.

If one displays, flies or hangs a Swastika flag or banner, then they support what the Nazis DID! Trump knows full well that among his supporters are racist Whites who are ardent lovers of genocide. What the Nazis did in World War II, these clowns would love to inflict on other people they believe are beneath them. The fact you refuse to call your hero out on this is quite telling. It does not matter how many misguided, self-hating and ignorant Blacks line up to lick Trump's racist backside, neither you, Nels, DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor Green, nor any other supporter of White Supremacy are going to rid this planet of Black Greatness. So, stop hiding behind your desire for riches to support modern-day genocidal monsters. You're Black! Understand this, dude. Your People Shall Live!

Um, you were saying? Do these banners look lopsided?

@ProfD What you say is exactly what a lot of political observers believe. There is nothing honorable about Right Wing politicos. They have no problem committing illegal acts and then feigning surprise when it becomes known.

I thought you said Black people would miss him. Sure. Like a fart in church. Dude, I'm not lopsided. My agenda is the survival of Black People though intelligent and supportive thought and achievements. Not decadent obeisance to a wanna-be White Supremacist overlord who views us as beneath him.