Cynique

@TroyI touched on this subject briefly, during a discussion you and I recently had about reviewing the work of new authors. I observed that such writers, especially self-published ones, tended to be very sensitive about their work and resentful of unfavorable reviews, something they were most likely to get because the self-published are often people who think they can write, but can't. You remarked how there was no such thing as bad publicity implying that a bad review was better than none at all. Nobody wants to hear anything but good feed back about their endeavors. In a recent post by Mel she theorized how people lusted after being stroked and praised. I agree. Personally, once i accepted that I am far from perfect, criticism lost its sting. In the twilight of my years, I seek the truth. Others perceive this as being negative because so often the truth hurts and people like to preserve "feel-good" illusions. I would, however, be the first agree that the truth is relative. Certainly nowadays. This is why I try to take an overview, because there's the truth; then there's the whole truth. I find the phrase "it is, what it is" to be true.

I watched the debate between Hillary and Bernie off and on and I don't think there was any clear cut winner. Observing the body language of both candidates, I found it somewhat revealing. Hillary is cool and unflappable; criticism rolls off her back. Bernie is uptight and agitated and thin-skinned. IMO. I know polls are misleading and often wrong, but Clinton is leading in New York...

LOL Talking to yourself, huh sara? It figures. Speaking of silly, how silly is it of you to think that an 82 year old widow would have a man in her life. something you never had yourself because no man wanted you. that's why you "ended up" with a woman.

The Bible says Noah cursed his son Ham who laughed at him when he saw him naked, by "marking" him. White Supremists interpreted this as meaning that black skin was the mark of Noah. The Black Muslims said white skin was the mark of Noah. The Bible is full of "garbage" just waiting to be interpreted by those with ulterior motives.

No sly innuendo should go unanswered, Pioneer. Well, you aren't going to sleep very well if your boat sinks. ___________________________________________________________________ PIONEER said: I've even heard that America was secretly set up with the knowledge that Blacks would not only eventually gain thier freedom, but the forefathers also knew that through this nation we would eventually gain our rightful place on the planet. Are you by any chance a Mason, Pioneer? There are all kinds of conspiracy theories about how they secretly crafted the direction and the destiny of this country incorporating Astrology into the mix. Anything can happen. Time is what brings change at its own natural pace. As a "religious" man, do you think Noah's curse on his son Ham has anything to do with the lingering pall that hangs over the black race. That is the interpretation of many white Christians who used religion to keep slaves in bondage. Yes, there have always been examples of "rugged individuals", who undertook their own journey, "getting by with a little help from their friends."

Well, the NBA regular season is over. Retiring Kobe Bryant went out in a blaze of glory, scoring 60 points in his final game, winding up a spectacular 20 year career, basking in the love and appreciation of his fans as they cheered him on. Love him or hate him, he was a super star. I won't be sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails hoping the Bulls can pull off a victory with seconds left to play, pretty much what I've come to expect from a team noteworthy of fading in the 4th quarter. But, there's always next year. Oh, yeah. I hear the Golden State Warriors and what's-his-name won their 73rd game by beating the Memphis Grizzles. How about that, Chris? Hillary and Bernie face off tonight in a televised debate which promises to be intense. I can hardly wait for the media to tell me who won it.

I find it odd that somebody who crows about how awesome black folks are and how much she loves them and reveres their history, is also a someone who thinks nothing of looking down on blacks who she doesn't consider on "her level", dismissing them as drop-outs and idlers and worst of all, old, never appreciating the masses of black folks who work at honest labor and who have gotten their education from the school of hard knocks and their degrees in common sense. LOL and SMH.

Seems to me that blacks live in America, but it is not our country. In order to cure our ills and gain our equality and uplift ourselves, we would have to fall back and re-group; get our own territory. and start over. This is what Elijah Muhammad and the Black Muslims preached years ago. But the thought of black Americans all converging in one place and trying to unite and organize was met with leery skepticism by the very people this was supposed to benefit.. Militants like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael and Huey Newton preached about seizing the time and taking our freedom, justice, and equality by any means necessary. They were about revolution. This is what the seminal Rap Group The last Poets had to say about this in their 1971 album. "Niggers tell you they're ready to be liberated But when you say 'Let's go take our liberation' Niggers reply: 'I was just playin' Niggers are playing with revolution and losing Niggers are scared of revolution..." Jesse Jackson said: "Keep hope alive!" In the year 2016, everybody has their own mantra. Mine is: "Whatever floats your boat."

At my age, I don't travel alone; especially to Chicago. I'd have to get one or both of my daughters to agree to accompany me to an event that takes place in the middle of the week.

@TroyWell, you're in charge here. All you had to do was say the word and I was done. I thought you would do this because you previously said that the bickering discourages other people from posting and slows down traffic to this site. I don't get the "hands off" approach. Unless you intervened, nothing would change. Pioneer should've have to do your job. IMO I'm ready to move on.

Well, Pioneer, did you happen to read what accompanied the emoticons? You shake saran's hand. Then take a bath. Sara is no doubt busy writing a response to my previous post, probably somewhere cherry picking and editing quotes in an effort to prove her lies. I don't have time for this. Nothing she has to say is worth reading.

SARA SARA SARA. VENOMOUS POISON but I have an antidote. All I have to do is spit out that snot into the gutter from whence you came. No class. you can take the bitch out of the street but you can't take the street out of the bitch. You are a shallow wanna be and LIAR is your middle name. You know this. But you can't bring yourself to admit it.

Deluded as ever. Really convinced that you are getting over, still in a bulging-eyed, anxiety-ridden mode, desperately hoping that "if I state something, maybe that will make it true". You are so simple-minded. And you're boring.

So,I guess that means you think we should continue, huh, Troy? I have backed off and not responded to saran wrap's lies. But she's obsesssed. I don't give a damn.

Well, Pioneer, where the black underclass is concerned, black families have long been matriarchies, and an argument can be made that this has contributed to the dysfunction of many young black boys. But, a lot does depend on the individual and "the same fire that melts wax, makes steel hard." Many black men raised without a father figure go on to do well, because they're mothers were good at parenting and these males were innately strong.

Blah, Blah, Blah. "Strategy" is the operative word here. And in keeping with the subject of politics and race, marching has always been a form of protest by blacks with grievances. As usual you go off on tangents, all off point, grasping at straws, desperately looking for any excuse to make yourself look informed, losing your balance because someone disagrees with you. You're pathetic and irrational. I repeat: What relevance does what you wrote have to do with abolishing racism? If anything it proves that even acts of heroism don't bring about change. It wasn't until the Korean war in 1950, that President Truman gave the order to discontinue racial discrimination in the armed forces and it still exists in subtle forms.

So what does that have to do with the subject being discussed? Did this abolish racism?

I know basketball is a business but I'd hate to see Jimmy and Joakim Noah get traded. i don't think Rose would be missed if he was gone because there's now talk of Jimmy being converted to a point guard. Rose has become a liability who listens to his body as opposed to earning his salary. A lot will be depend of the 2016 Draft class. Teams get made-over in their coach's image, and the bland collegiate Hoiberg persona doesn't fare so well in the NBA. I'm looking forward to the recounting of the Anita Hill Clarence Thomas story which will be coming on HBO. Scandal's Kerry Washington has appropriately been cast as Anita. TV is my standby, too. Nowadays it offers a broad spectrum of viewing. I don't care what people say about it, it's my window to the world.

Your life story is very compelling, Chris and carries weight because you not only talk your personal philosophy but you walk it. The black race is full of individuals who don't march in lock step with the crowd. Black folks coined the phrases "keepin it real" and "doin your own thing". Those with ingenuity and determination are doing this and getting results. It would be great if the white power structure gave anything but token recognition to black agendas and impotent demands and mawkish admonishments about the persistence of institutionalized racism. But it doesn't. For those who think crusading is the solution, march on. This had been a black strategy over the centuries.

LOL I hadn't heard the rumor about Butler being Jordan's illegitimate son! I've been too distracted by his hair to scrutinize his face but now that you mention it... And come to think of it, there has never been any mention made of Chicago-born DRose's father. Could it be that he's Scottie Pippen's love child???? I don't know who his daddy is, but I do know Thibbs has to be laughing his ass off while collecting a paycheck signed by Papa Jerry Reinsdorf. The dream scenario for Bulls' fans would be to lure Glen "Doc" Rivers back home to Chicagoland to take over the floundering Bulls and restore their past glory. Golden state is a well-oiled machine but kinda boring to watch because they are so predictable. Just another week before Game of Thrones returns to rival EMPIRE in family intrigue and recreational sex. I can hardly wait. When it comes to the presidential race, I can only wonder.

Sob. On the brink of missing the the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2008, the injury-riddled Chicago Bulls, with inspired play from their "bench", defeated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, leaders of the Eastern Conference by a score of 105 to 102 on Saturday, creating an opportunity for the Bulls to snatch the last place spot on the playoff roster. But alas, on Sunday the Indiana Pacers crushed these hopes by routing the Brooklyn Nets and by doing so, eliminated the Bulls' play-off bid. And to add insult to injury, Bull fans now have to contend with the prospect of the Golden State Warriors breaking the 72-game winning record held by the Bulls' 1995-96 championship team! And speaking of do-or-die contests, momentum is setting the pace of the presidential race. A surging Bernie is on fire, and Ted has accelerated from Cruz control to full speed ahead. If these 2 outsiders end up being their party nominees, voters will really have a choice to make. In a season of paradoxes, the losing candidates may have the most impact because their disgruntled supporters could determine the final outcome if they sit home and not vote, or vote for the enemy to spite the runner who defeated their candidate. Making matters even more volatile is the possibility of the electoral college selecting a winner who has lost the popular vote. With "lies-trumping-the-truth" being the new name of the game, indications are that "ignoring-rules-and-disregarding-laws" could come into play next. After the election, will sanity and reason prevail? Or is this nation on a collision course with Anarchy? Will citizens revolt and America become a political battle ground where anything goes??? Even more important, will the Warriors break the Bulls' record? Or will the writers of "Game of Thrones" resurrect Jon Snow??? Life is strife, full of conflict and competition, winners and losers. Peace, and harmony are just brief lulls before the long storms. Humans are their own worst enemy. Not only are they destroying each other, they are destroying the planet. Is Doomsday inevitable? Will Mankind save itself? Or is this a job for Womankind.

This is not an entirely new concept. Back in the '60s, the hippie lifestyle included groups of men and women who all lived together under one roof. These were known as "communes". Of course this was also the era of free love so sex was random and who fathered the resulting children was determined after they were born.

Black people get caught because they aren't that great at cover-ups and the offenders don't have friends in high places.

You have a very broad scope of knowledge, Pioneer, and are rarely a candidate for being blitzed with a lot "information" that's old news to you. You're mellowed out, and I like exchanging gibes with you because you got that wry humor going for ya, something which helps to keep things in perspective. To me, its obvious that even if Obama did try to launch wide spread programs to benefit his race, the Republicans would've blocked them. And you gotta give the guy an "E" for effort for his performances during news conferences. He was pretty good at shedding tears and looking sad every time a black kid was shot down by the cops. His pensive line that "Trayvon Martin could've been his son" was classic.

I'd say this is a job for our fearless leader, Troy.