Troy

Yes! i sent you a private message here after i got out. You be so stealthy that the only way i could reach you 🙂 check your messages and let me know it you see what i wrote

@Delano, sometimes the comments that come out that guy's keyboard kill me 🤣 Most people who visit these forums lurk (read but, don't post). The forum is under constant attract by trolls they are not extended invitations as some might believe. Most of the accounts that are created here are banned after they are created. I'm sure I've banned legitimate posters, but I find it is better be overly cautious rather than too lax. I don't remember when I approved your account @Michel Montvert, but most of the accounts I do approve never post. This has been my observations as well, but that is not to say that there is not much more potential. These forums were superior 10 to 15 years ago, but again social media has sucked all the air out of the room. My competition is not from other forums, but from social media, when has tremendous advantages. Perhaps that will change. I believe it will people thought email was dead too, but today it is one of the most effective way to get your message out readers. No Microsoft and Google can decide to push my messages into the spam folder and make email less effective. This is the power of monopoly. This is why 90% of websites can't get traffic from google search and why 2/3 of searches on Google never led to a website. This is why most people who are looking to buy something on the web start with Amazon. All discussion forums have to content with these obstacles. So to everyone, if you find any value here YOU have to help spread the word. We are our best and, in many cases only, advocates 🙂 And I'm talking about any indie website you think is valuable.

This is a tactic of yours Stefan that I find frustrating. Who said anything about Tubman and figures -- ones highlighted on THIS SITE as in appropriate? I asked if you read the article you posted. While it might seem obvious since you posted it, I only questioned this based upon the conclusions you've drawn. The word republican wasn't even used in the article and age inappropriate was not attributed to any school official. The guy who used it wasn't even sure. Somehow you've managed to use this article as proof the republican party is white washing Black history. Look, white folks can not erase our history unless we allow them to do it. There are plenty of sources that celebrate our history and most of it will not be found via a Google search. Rather than uplifting an article that was clearly crafted to deceive and sow controversy in an effort to attract eye balls for ads revenue, can't you find any Black sites that highlight, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Colin Powell, George Washington Carver, and President Barack Obama? We can choose to uplift the content of media that could care less about us, that create boogie men out of thin air, or we can uplift the platforms that celebrate our stories, history and culture.

White have been bitching about this since the days of affirmative action...this is a tired notion expressed by white men who feel they are not getting their due. The white man's ice has been colder for a long time and until it is not we will be in this predicament. The reality is in many cases the white mans ice is colder, so we have to be very intentional about investing in Black business, for example, and give them an opportunity to develop and be on par with white businesses. We will never be free to lead until we have economic freedom. No one will hand Black people this we have to do this for ourselves. The Willie Lynch Letter has been thoroughly debunked, but the "syndrome" may be real. Hey if I overlook the milestone, Have a Very happy Birthday Cynique. I remember correcting be for referring to you as an octogenarian, and now you are a year shy of being beyond that 😉 Hummm....Have you looked at where Black people choose to spend and invest their money? Or even where they spend their time online? I think you many arrive at a different conclusion. Now I'm not talking about us... Anyone posting here could be spending their time on facebook or instagram. I'm talking about the Black folks you don't even consider visiting and engaging with a Black site.

I just posted a link to an Intelligence Squared debate on the question, "Should Trump be Indicted." A panel of smart and informed people debate the proposition. Knowing y'all I doubt anyone will change their position, but that is the goal of the debaters -- to convince you to come over to their side. @Michel Montvert welcome to the forums 🙂

I have attended several of the debates hosted by Intelligence Squared in person and watched many more live. I have not listened to this one yet. Generally, they are quite informative. Attendees are asked to pick a side on the proposition, in this case, Should Trump Be Indicted? You can for, against, or undecdided. The winner of the debate is the team that has converted the most number of people to their side For or Against. Again, I think Trump should, like anyone else, be indicted. He has lived a charmed life free of adverse consequences of the consequences of his bad behavior -- indeed has been rewarded for it! It is not his fault; Trump is the beneficiary of white male privilege and a culture that is becoming increasingly base. The prospect of him actually going to jail seems slim to me. Fear of reprisals from the public, or making Trump a martyr, are poor excuses not to indict the man and jail him upon conviction. Sunday, August 14, 2022 Here’s what we have in store this week: A new debate about the effects of indicting Trump A closer look at the Jan 6. hearings effect on voter support Your Sunday reading list For ex-President Donald Trump, it's certainly been a week. Federal agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home. Then, the green light was given to a fraud and tax evasion case against his organization. Meanwhile, he's also staring down potential criminal charges as part of an investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. That is the focus of today's debate: Should Trump Be Indicted? Those in favor argue that no one is above the law. More than enough evidence has been unearthed, they say, to convict. Others warn that indicting a former president — and one who is still popular among his base and likely to campaign — will unleash a dangerous new era in American politics. It's an important debate. So we had it. Arguing "Yes," is Barbara Comstock, a former representative from Virginia's 10th congressional district. Arguing "No," is Tom Ginsburg, professor of political science at the University of Chicago. John Donvan moderates. As always, let us know what you think. ----- P.S. - Sign up here for insights on weekly debates. To spark a conversation with a friend, share this newsletter. You can always reach us at info@iq2us.org with ideas and feedback. Debating the Data Former President Donald Trump still has strong support amongst his base. Learn more here. POINT/COUNTERPOINT Should Trump Be Indicted? YES: “I don’t think he should be above the law. … It’s just pure legal accountability. And I think Merrick Garland is on the right path here, that he has to be legally accountable in the same way as any other citizen.” Learn More Barbara Comstock Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates NO: “Donald Trump still has, despite everything, a tremendous amount of political support … and that’s one reason I’m specifically worried about trying him in because I do think he’s a person who thrives on negative media attention, and, you know, might breathe new life into him.” Learn More Tom Ginsburg Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates IQ2 Alumni Point of View The real cruelty of Biden's open border policy – it hurts low-income Americans Batya Ungar-Sargon | August 10, 2022 The New York Post Watch Batya's debate on The New York Times A healthy economy needs risk, loss, and failure Allison Schrager | August 5, 2022 Advisor Perspectives Watch Allison's debate on distributing the wealth Time for NATO to take the lead in Ukraine Alina Polyakova (and Ilya Timtchenko) | August 4, 2022 Foreign Affairs Watch Alina's debate on automation and democracy Ep. 367 w/ Rep Peter Meijer 'The Almost Exit Interview' Kmele Foster (Matt Welch & Michael Moynihan) | August 4, 2022 The Fifth Column Watch Kmele's debate on cancel culture

The leaders of the confederacy were not shot for treason. If seems unlike that Trump will be punished for anything he has done. But the changes are not zer,o and I'd be willing to be that he will be imprisoned with the right odds.

What?! Yes you can stop right there. Times have changed the rise of social media has changed everything. I'd have to dedicate ALL of my resources to getting smart people to have intelligence conversations and even then it would be super difficult. @Pioneer1 do some research find an existing platform that fits the bill and please share it with me 'cause I will help promote it. I seem to remember asking you this before but never got any forums from you. This will also help you determine if your idea is feasible. Five years ago someone posted a list of forums and listed AALBC among them: https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/4315-the-5-best-black-forums-on-the-net/ Around the same time I Iooked around and found a few I thought LipStick Alley was the best of what I found (though it was not intellectually oriented) . Then I was told by several that it was not Black owned.... I've been advised more that once that discussion forums are played out, antiquated, and that my time could be better spent doing other things. But like you I find value in these conversations and the format. Social media conversation were different on many levels and I won't bore you with those detail. The decline of discussion forums is one of the things that have contributed to the decline of the web 😞

@Stefan did you, or anyone commented, read the whole article? What do you think about the source? I ask because there are lot of bold conclusions about that are not supported by the article. These are the quotes: When he asked her what she was doing, "she said something along the lines of it wasn't age appropriate. Something like that," James remembered. He told the paper that while he does not remember her mentioning race at the time, he noted that she also grabbed the photo of Obama that was on his desk as it did not fit up on the board. "She picked it up and said, 'You don't need to put this up either,'" he recalled to the paper. "She said — I can't remember exactly what she said — but she said, 'the kids are too young' or something like that Home boy can’t even remember what the lady who took the picture down said. Why didn’t he put them back up? he was so upset he just quit the job?! So are we supposed to hit the streets in protest over this article on People magazine’s website? This article was designed to draw traffic by paying on people emotions with nothing more than gossip.

We used to call this activity “snappin” and i agree with @Chevdove it is sad. Audre Lord’s idea that this is a crucial exercise to learn how to take verbal abuse tells me she never participated in this activity on a regular basis. All it was, was us kids verbally abusing each other. there were no lessons no instructions it was just juvenile and stupid. Our time could have been put too much more constructive use.

Without reading the article I’d say if it is one with any market penetration it would be duckduckgo. Note i will read the article… DDG was #2 smile I never heard of the others. Here is a the source article: https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/best-private-search-engines-true-no-log-services/

This would be true 🥵

Welli have not yet read the trolls post, but i God I’ll get to them shortly. I’ll ban them immediately and remove their posts — thanks for the heads up, but next time let me know name too Ok i get it pee air 🙂 funny

I have not been paying much attention to the crypto space in a long time. Over a year ago I spent time researching it and ultimately purchased both Ethereum and Bitcoin, bith are down a full 50%. I purchased it as a learning exercise with no intention to sell it in the short term. I have no hope of recovering my "lost" money in the short term. I did not "invest" enough that a total loss will make a difference to me. I did intend to buy an NFT, to actually go through the process of transacting with my bit coin to just go through the process, but there was literarily nothing that interested me enough to spend my crypto on... There we plenty of people who got in at the right time and sold at the right time, who made money, but there was too much hype around the space to make me comfortable that it wasn't anything else than hype. Crypto is far too complicated for mass adoption. Most people keep their money in exchanges which makes no sense, to me, if you understand crypto... sure it is easier, but you expose yourself to a lot more risk. The metaverse is different. There are actually many practical use cases for it and it does not take a genius to get involved. The only thing that bothers me is one or two companies owning the the metaverse. In much the same way that a handful of companies run the WWW today

LOL! I'm only laughing because I presume you are attributing this characteristic to Del who in reality is the opposite of this. But we all have different perspectives of each other someone loved Hitler and others hated MLK...

@Stefan, the fact that "Mexican Cartels" can setup shop and illegally grow weed in a state that it is already legal is unbelievable.

Now that would be a VERY bad move. The WNBA will not pay players what a Russian oligarch will pay them. How many WNBA games have you (anyone here) paid to watch in you entire life time? No I don't remember this, but I agree it does sound like a crazy tactic. One I'm sure China did not engage in. Yes, it is. None of really know all of the details and should not feel so confident in understanding what is truly transpiring. No matter what happened ending up with a nine-year sentence in a Russian prison is a tale of woe. That is not to say there are not many more tales of woe right here in this country.

I guess I'm in the minority when it comes to reading articles that people post, I would never comment on an article, book, movie or anything without experiencing it. Sometimes this does result in a waste of time; there was one poster here, who turned out to be a troll, that posted articles which purportedly supported an argument they were making. Often the article refuted the person's argument. This always surprised me, but I guess if people really do not read articles you can get away with linking to articles that reject one's argument.

I did even know it was possible to block people here. The are so few regular posters that it does not seem necessary. I'm saddened to read that any of the regular posters feels it necessary to block someone. In the words of that guy who caught the beat down in LA so many years ago, "Can’t we all just get along?" Cynique not does block Pioneer, and she loathes him. Can we sometimes agree to disagree without it rising to "disappearing" someone? @Stefan I'm glad to read that you admit to finding some of the things Del writes interesting and that it overrode your desire to block him.

AALBC's August 8th Newsletter. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Noteworthy New Books To find your next great read, one of the best sources is our curated list of recently published books. You can filter the list on Fiction, Nonfiction, Children’s, and Poetry categories. If you are interested in books that will be published in the future, also check out our list of upcoming books. AALBC Book Reviews Behind the Dark Veil by Carolyn Holland In an effective novel of horror and fantasy, New Jersey native Carolyn Holland’s Behind The Dark Veil, has all of the literary stylings of the trendy Afrofuturism concept. It is set in 1794 in the golden age of American slavery. The author moves backward in time when a privileged noble, Marcel Benoit, is caught shamelessly in Paris with the wife of a benefactor. Scandal ensues in 1724 as Marcel’s life goes down the drain, from aristocratic comfort to wretched poverty. Fresh contemporary tales of good and evil, cloaked in African and African American history, a spoonful of Sun Ra and Octavia Butler, and a sprinkle of forbidden love make this gem an exciting read. Holland has a real tenderness for her characters. As her readers, you’ll read these stories with a sense of awe, wonder, and enchantment. This is a total literary surprise. Read the full review ▶ Sankofa University: Studying African-Centered History and Culture by Burnett Kwadwo Gallman Dr. Burnett Kwadwo Gallman’s Sankofa University: Studying African-Centered History And Culture, is a stunning tribute to the achievements of our ancestors in the world’s culture and civilization. One of his fellow scholars and historians described it as “part memoir, part bibliography, part almanac, and essay collection.” The author, with an obsession to research and teach, says the genes and DNA of his ancestors won out in his life, citing the work of such trailblazers as John Hendrik Clarke, Asa G. Hilliard, Frances Cress Welsing, Chancellor Williams, and Cheikh Anta Diop. This book brings reason and practical wisdom to topics usually ruled by emotion, ignorance, and fear. Every article fosters illumination and enlightenment. Much of Dr. Gallman’s analysis is convincing and he can be very articulate, precise, and persuasive with facts to back him up. He excels at the big picture and its cultural and historical after-shocks. This book is an intellectual force to be reckoned with. Read the full review ▶ List of Important Book Fairs, Festivals, and Conferences Tina Lifford of Queen Sugar Now that the lockdowns from the pandemic are essentially over, and book lovers are gathering in person, we have updated our list of Important Book Fairs, Festivals, and Conferences from around the country — including several international events. So get out your calendar and plan your literary adventure for the rest of the year. We also list upcoming events and allow you to filter by location to easily find the event nearest you. AALBC recently attended the National Book Club Conference in Atlanta, GA which featured civil rights icon Andrew Young, Tina Lifford (Aunt Violet on Queen Sugar), authors Carl Weber, Victoria Christoper Murray, Kalisha Buckhanon, and many others. Look out for highlights, of the 2022 conference, in newsletters later this month. The Following Message is Sponsored by Berkley Books Photographer Cassie Harris loves making people feel beautiful and empowered with her company Buxom Boudoir–a modern twist on classic pinup photography. But when she's thrown into modeling for a new body positive lingerie line, can she do the same for herself? And then there’s her long-time rival, Reid Montgomery—although she doesn’t want to admit it, their chemistry is undeniable. This sizzling rivals-to-lovers novel about a Black plus-size heroine is this summer’s must read. Denise Williams says reading The Accidental Pinup is “like finding the perfect bra and falling in love at the same time—rare, delightful, and unforgettable.” Read Now ▶ Dear Troy, Your support is crucial to helping us improve AALBC.com. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, social sharing, advertisements, and feedback help support our mission of celebrating Black culture through books. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – August 9, 2022 - Issue #364

I’m sure @Pioneer1 did not read the articles. In fact I’d be willing to guess that he does not read all the articles he posts himself. This is not to disparage Pioneer, because commenting on articles one has not read is pretty common. People will read headlines which are often misleading. for example the heading of this post stated that genius is pattern recognition. Neither article made that sole assertion nor did either article refute pioneer’s statement.

Look, the the correlation between illegitimacy and poverty is not causal. This is what you (and Greg) failed to see. The conditions that cause poverty are the same ones that cause illegitimacy. Also just because a child is born out of wed lock does not mean there is no man -- even the father -- in the home. The movie Claudine illustrated this quite well.

You can not be a seller of books and not have an issue (grudge is not the right word) with Amazon. Who are these back book sellers? I've offered affiliate programs over the years, but there was no demand for them. Besides there is really not enough margins in books to give away a meaningful percentage -- Amazon is only giving away 4%. I could do 5% but if everyone is going to Amazon Affiliate will not make very much money using an AALBC affiliate program. I don't do an audiobook of the month, but I do share a continuously updated list of 100 New Audio Books You’ll Love ♥ @daniellegfny you answer to my question of where you buy your ebooks is exactly why I had to link to Amazon or stop trying to sell ebooks.

Well people can legitimately argue that i let Greg go on too long. When i first considered dropping him most were indifferent or wanted to use him for target practice. So i did not drop him. i suggested that i would “miss” him but that was because i enjoyed y’all’s reactions at times. When the posts he started began dominating the forum that was the end for me. Still sought the opinion of the other group members.