Troy

Black people are leaving New York City on their own volition. The NY Times did an article on this recently: Why Black Families Are Leaving New York, and What It Means for the City i would quote from the article but it is behind a paywall and i already exceeded my free access for the month (with just this one article). Harlem is going back to being white… you can’t keep anything you never owned.

(Manhattan Beach, CA – January 18, 2023) – At this year’s Independent Book Publishers Association’s annual conference, IBPA Publishing University, the conference will explore the theme of what it means to “Navigate, Innovate, Elevate” within the independent book publishing industry. The theme is a meaningful reference to IBPA’s 40th anniversary, which the association is celebrating in 2023, and its role in the past four decades advocating for, and helping independent book publishers to build long term, successful businesses. With this theme in mind, IBPA is excited to announce that one of the three keynote presentations at the conference taking place May 4-6 in San Diego, CA, will feature a panel of highly respected industry leaders whose publishing businesses have spanned decades and have overcome every type of challenges along the way. The keynote panel “Legends of Black Independent Publishing: Learning from the Best” will invite onto the stage: Dr. Haki Madhubuti, founder of Third World Press Foundation; W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press; Kassahun Checole, founder of Africa World Press and The Red Sea Press; and Wade Hudson and Cheryl Hudson, founders of Just Us Books. The panel will be moderated by Troy Johnson, founder of the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC.com). With a combined industry experience of 150+ years, these publishers will answer the question, “What do you do when your community is under-served, under-represented, and under-published?” You serve, represent, and publish! The complete conference agenda can be viewed at https://www.publishinguniversity.org/schedule. In addition, registration is now open for IBPA Publishing University ### To moderate this panel is truly an honor. When I first sat down to start AALBC, in 1997, all of these businesses were firmly established, but I did not know anything about them. I soon learned about all of them and their significant impact on Black books and by extension our culture. If you are a book publisher, you really need to attend IBPA Publishing University It is not often you'll get these icons in the same room.

Not clear to me why he had to be shot to death. Seems to me tazing / clubbing then cuffing him would have sufficed… but i was not there.

why do you say that? To me that sounds like idle hands are the devils workshop. But the culture would also have to develop into one that fosters people being motivated by self actualization rather than the pursuit of money. That would be true freedom. @Delano I thought you’d understand that, more than most. This might sound silly, but think Star Trek; hire much do you think the Captain of the Starship Enterprise makes a year? If you mean “fast” in terms of me actually using the software in a practical fashion, sure, why not? What I did was trivial. How the largest companies are using AI helps me understand how easily their profit-driven manipulation-engines work.

@Uncle Omari Thanks for sharing this YouTube channel. However, do me a favor and PLEASE delete all of the redundant posts -- they are not necessary and it looks like spam from an administrator's perspective.

I asked ChatGPT a question regarding SQL code: The question regarded some basic SQL syntax, that I used to know when I used it more frequently, but no longer recalled. I would normally pose the question on Google search (I found google to be best for tech queries). The answer was correct and saved me some steps over a Google search. I also used open ChatGPT to write an author bio for Investment Manager Eddie C. Brown. I added a birth date an tweaked some info, but it was pretty good out-the-box and better than what the publisher supplied. I can see AI ultimately replacing a wide variety of professional occupations. The question will be what do we do with the people? I would like to see a society where people are paid enough to live a fulfilling life without having to work very much -- unless they want to. AI can make this possible.

Our peculiar institution of slavery made a minority of people super wealthy. But it was a net loss for the country on many levels. Think about all the geniuses whose contributions to the society were lost because there were laboring in some field. Think about all the jobs lost because slaves were forced to do work for free. That could have helped support many poor white people with good jobs. Slavery stunted America’s collective prosperity to this day, while making a small minority very wealthy. …just like today.

I think not think you had been an abuser @richardmurray I was being nit picky about the experience bit. Sorry about that. i think we need a lot of help being informed. Many of use know very little of our own family history. People don’t talk especially if the experience is bad.

@ProfD OK.

OH OK 🙂 I'm fine with hashing this out in public. Give me a second to digest and respond. I'm in the midst of rebuilding AALBC and this stuff is super relevant right now.

That is not quite accurate. AI does not operate on instruction provided by humans, otherwise, it would be a traditional computer program not Artificial Intelligence. AI can already replicate the featured you described including, What is missing is sentience which may bring on a desire to self-sustain, but this is the stuff of science fiction, 😉

Of course, humans are behind it, but I trust the output is generated purely by AI. @Delano I asked the ChatGPT the following question, “Why is African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) a good resource to find information about books written by Black authors?” It responded: The African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) is a good resource to find information about books written by Black authors because it is a community-driven organization that is dedicated to promoting and celebrating Black literature. The AALBC website provides a wealth of information about books written by Black authors, including reviews, author interviews, and lists of recommended books. The website is also an active community, with forums, book clubs, and other resources where readers can connect with each other and discuss books. In addition, AALBC is a great resource for discovering new Black authors, as well as for learning more about the history and evolution of Black literature. The organization also hosts events and provides resources for writers, making it a hub for the Black literary community. In summary, the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) is a great resource for finding information about books written by Black authors because of its commitment to promoting and celebrating Black literature, its extensive library of information about books and authors, and its active community of readers, writers, and literary enthusiasts. To more directly answer your question, I posed the following question: "Compare and contrast Goodreads with the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) as a resource to find information about books written by Black authors" The program took a lot longer to answer this question. Goodreads and the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) are both online resources that can be used to find information about books written by Black authors. However, they have some key differences: Goodreads: Goodreads is a social network for book lovers that allows users to share and discover books, create and join book clubs, and keep track of books they have read or want to read. It is a more general platform that is not specifically focused on books written by Black authors, but rather on books of all genres and by authors of all backgrounds. It provides a large database of books, authors, and reviews, as well as a variety of tools and resources for book lovers, including the ability to create personal reading lists and track your reading progress. Goodreads also allows users to connect with other readers and join virtual book clubs to discuss books they are reading. African American Literature Book Club (AALBC): AALBC is a dedicated resource specifically focused on books written by Black authors and is committed to promoting and celebrating Black literature. It provides a comprehensive library of information about books written by Black authors, including reviews, author interviews, and lists of recommended books. The AALBC website is an active community, with forums, book clubs, and other resources where readers can connect with each other and discuss books. The website also provides resources for writers and hosts events, making it a hub for the Black literary community. In conclusion, both Goodreads and AALBC can be useful resources for finding information about books written by Black authors, but AALBC is specifically focused on Black literature, whereas Goodreads is a more general platform for all books. Whether you choose Goodreads or AALBC will depend on your specific needs and interests as a reader. Now I see how some platforms are using AI to generate articles or students use it to write papers. Finally, I asked the program, "Tell me about Troy Johnson the founder of African American Literature Book Club (AALBC):" I could tell that some of the information was grabbed from my site and paraphrased. There is a factual error in that I am not an author. Though my name does appear on the cover of at least one book, so I would not call it egregious. The last line, "He is committed to promoting diversity and representation in the literary world and has made significant contributions to the Black literary community." is spot on 🙂 The program seems to have crafted this entirely on it own. I know I never wrote that about myself. I did an internet search and could not find the text, This is the response; Troy Johnson is the founder of the African American Literature Book Club (AALBC). AALBC is one of the largest and most comprehensive online resources dedicated to promoting and celebrating books written by Black authors. Johnson started AALBC in 1997 as a response to what he saw as a lack of attention and recognition for Black writers and their works. He wanted to create a platform where Black literature could be celebrated and where readers could find information and connect with each other. Over the years, AALBC has grown into a thriving community that supports Black writers and promotes Black literature. In addition to his work with AALBC, Johnson is also an author and literary critic. He has written extensively about Black literature and has been a frequent speaker on the subject. He is committed to promoting diversity and representation in the literary world and has made significant contributions to the Black literary community.

Yeah, that confused me too. You used the word "experience" in contrast with "see" which implied you were an active participant in law enforcement abuse presumably the abused and not the abuser given the context. Who knows, but talking about these things will help inform people and that is what has been lacking in our community, whether it is a refusal to speak or deliberately hidden. There is much about our history that is missing. The culture you describe @richardmurray is not limited to Black people it is embedded in the American culture.

being willing to acknowledge that you learned something is not a sign of being soft, but one of strength.

You should passed that question to ChatGPT 🙂

Providing feedback will help. AALBC should 🙂 you are a tough customer 🙂 but who know maybe it will be able to one day.

I recommend you all read this article from Reader Digest about gun ownership and gun violence in America: https://www.rd.com/article/gun-violence-statistics/ If there is an article that argues that our current gun culture and the number of guns out there is a good thing please share it. I think people buy guns for the feeling of power guns can provide. But I'm sure the psychology behind all of this is much more complex. America, especially in the south, is a gun culture. Guns are as American as apple pie. I also believe the media has a lot to do with our obsession with guns. We all hear about every mass shooting, so we think we are likely to be involved in one, when the odds are actually very small. The likelihood of a full-on race war in America is virtually nil. Sure there are people who want a race war and might even try to start one, but a sustained race war or anything like our civil war will not happen. Buying guns and ammunition in preparation for a race war is lunacy, but lucrative for gun sellers. Yeah @Pioneer1, the media would have loved some riots -- they are great for ratings. It is interesting how quickly the Black police officers were dealt with. If they were white they'd be on paid leave.

… until then, everybody strap up, huh? Fascinating. I do know people who feel this way. Most were “in the life,” or in law enforcement. Still others were regular citizens who feel the need to protect themselves and their families against some threat (mostly imagined if you ask me). The fact is most police officers never have to fire their weapon in the line of duty. But for some reason many civilians are under the impression that this country is so dangerous that they need a gun for protection. I’ve always said the media’s focus on murder and mayhem give people a distorted view of the world. We also know most of the victims of gun violence would not be protected by carrying a gun. Having a gun will not protect you from catching a stray walking down the street, but getting guns off the street and tougher laws might help. @ProfD be very careful if you are ever stopped by the police.

@Rodney campbell what is this, a proposed idea? I hope this has not gone anywhere beyond this post.

This a tough one. But I’m with Stefan on this one. @ProfD using your reasoning people in “soft target” like churches, schools, businesses should be armed if that what your are saying. You make it sound simple. Owning, maintaining, securing, and caring a gum is not trivial, nor is knowing when and how to use it. Do you carry a gun around with you in case you confront a gun man? As the article pointed out armed civilians “defending” themselves kill innocent people and unnecessarily use deadly force all the time. People have been killed over parking spots, walking in the neighborhood, taking too loud in the movie theater. Instead of creating an arms race amongst the population and being the hand maidens of the NRA we should seek other solutions….

pinochle! @richardmurray you must be from Philly. I’ve only played the game there. Outside of Philly I’ve never heard anyone mention it. Plus you need a special deck of cards… anyone else heard of pinochle?

The easiest thing would be to use the word in a sentence. The adjective and verbs are different meanings of the word “proof” we were talking about the definition below: Words can have multiple meanings, but we were shaking about a specific meaning.

Well that is why i like bid whist more than spades. In spades whoever is lucky enough to get the most high spades will win. In whist a hand that is great in hand for spades doesn't necessarily mean anything and you can “Run a Boston” in whist with a scrappy spades hand.

Poignant and interesting — thanks again @Cynique i always wondered about Bridge it always seemed to be played exclusively by white women named Gertude, Myrtle, Gladys, or Mable… On the TV sitcoms men never played. i don’t think i know anyone who plays. we played Spades in college. several times i played till morning myself. I later learned to play Bid Whist a much better game, that I rarely play because i rarely encounter people who know how to play. i understand Whist is similar to Bridge but i have no idea. i prefer bid whist because any suit can be trump or there can be no trump. You can also decide (bid) on whether the low or high cards are most valuable. I play spades with a group of people we pass a trophy to the winning team. I wished they would play whist instead.