Troy

@Cynique so why to you think the sisters (not you) here, with Del's support, lamented that they dont feel protected?

The branding shit Black greeks do makes me think of slavery. I can't get with that. I'm not aware of any African traditions that use branding.

Sure I woukd like to know. But right now all you presented is conjecture and conspiracy theories. Besides man we actually know we are being manipulated by social media, and people STILL don't care. We know we are rapidly making the planet less hospitable for human habitation and people STILL don't care. What makes you think people would care about knowing we are being converted into homosexuals? What should we do?

I know you are not seeking sympathy@Gibran but that was such a sad story. How is you first born daughter doing today? Is this also from your latest book. I'll excerpt it in my next newsletter it it is. @Pioneer1 I know Raleigh, NC pretty well and have have going there all of my life.

True. This is true too, but I don't think anyone here ever congested you can act crazy then expect your man to jeopardize his life to support crazy.

Hey @Gibran my reaction was to a long debate we had on the subject of Black women not feeling protected by Black man. It was a position I rejected primary because I spend all of my money, time, and energy doing just this for my wife and two daughters. I also know other Brother who do the same. However your point (below) is important to consider. I feel like I fighting every obstacle imaginable trying to uplift Black people, so when sistas say they don't feel protected by us, I reacted, defensively, as if it was just another battle I have to fight. But don't want to fight Black women. I want to support them, because we need them. We need each other. I met a sista recently that reminded me of this. @Mel Hopkins, @Cynique, @Chevdove maybe I needed to hear it from older, wiser Black man. Peace, Troy

Press Release From Atlanta, Georgia to Ghana, Africa Author Pens “Seven Full Days,” a Parable of Modern Racism Reminiscent of “A Christmas Carol.” By Ferris Shelton Springfield, Massachusetts (home of the NBA Hall of Fame) In 1998, after working for Hasbro/Milton Bradley for nearly 20 years, Ferris Shelton went to Ghana, Africa and visited the historical El Mina Slave Castle in 1998/99. He was inspired to write a novel about the human beings processed through that building circa 1700 CE. After 20 years of creative angst and hard work, “Seven Full Days” has been published. “A debut novel tells the story of a rising...businessman visited by disturbing dreams of the slavery era... Shelton writes in a descriptive prose that captures his characters’ emotional states in vivid detail:” -Kirkus Review A life altering change will remain still, quietly hibernating in a person for years. We often choose comfortable, well-established order over the disruption change will cause, thus it is seldom awakened. But this sleeping giant could animate if affected by the right forces. And, if it does, what was once safely tucked away in the out-of-sight, out-of-mind compartment of our psyche can extract a heavy toll - even if aroused by innocent intentions. Unbeknownst to Jason, this day would start a process of change that sat deep within, slumbering but ready to stir To see Kirkus Review: Kirkus.com -- search: Seven Full Days To order Seven Full Days: https://levellerspress.com/product/seven-full-days/ Or from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945473703 Ferris Shelton, with extended family roots in the Atlanta area uses Marietta, GA, Hurt Park and The Grady Memorial Hospital as backdrops for the novel. A United States Marine Corps veteran that worked for Hasbro/Milton Bradley for nearly twenty years and was a baseball coach (Blunt Park Tigers, 1991-1995) and a basketball coach (Martin Luther King Community Center (1990-1995). ###

Maybe this is why Black women don't feel protected by Black men.

Me too.

Added: https://aalbc.com/authors/imprint.php?imprint=Soulfire+Books

The excerpt was posted here: https://aalbc.com/books/excerpt.php?isbn13=9781732454903

I'm working and hoping for a better 2019.

@harry brown your poetry tends to be optimistic., but here you've out-cyniced @Cynique What happened?

True dat.

If in 100 years half the population of any group was gay, and presumably not procreating, that would likely spell disaster for that group. I don't have to do the calculation to know that is not enough to replace the population and that group would quickly die out. However, your hypothetical question is not likely to be realized, so unlikely in fact I'd say it is preposterous to even consider it as potential outcome.

"After examining 34 popular Android apps, PI found about 60% automatically transferred data to Facebook the moment users open the app. “This happens whether people have a Facebook account or not, or whether they are logged into Facebook or not,” PI notes in a new report [by the NY Times]." The Times’s investigation reveals that Facebook continued to give huge tech companies, including Microsoft and Amazon, access to much more: the data of hundreds of millions of people a month, including email addresses and phone numbers — without users’ knowledge or consent. Facebook allowed Microsoft’s Bing search engine to see the names of virtually all Facebook users’ friends without consent, the records show, and gave Netflix and Spotify the ability to read Facebook users’ private messages. I deleted my account a few months ago, but there is apparently no place to hide from the vultures at Facebook, who are hell bent on collecting your most intimate details of how to engage with the web including your private messages for profit. Sure Facebook has been getting beat up in the markets recently, but why nothing of consequence is being done is alarming. Meanwhile our largest platforms like Black Enterprise continually extol the "virtues" of Facebook, as if they were on Facebook's payroll, with articles this year like: "The Broke Black Girl: How a Facebook Group Became A Financial Movement for African American Women" "Boutique Owner Has Success With QVC-Like, ‘Sparkle’ Parties on Facebook" "Get in on Facebook’s New Program to Teach Girls and Children of Color Hands-on Coding" "Facebook Makes It Easier Than Ever For You to Vote" Facebook, "...A Financial Movement for African American Women..." My God, this is sickening! Black Enterprise's only critical "coverage" includes reporting on a NY Times article; "...Russian trolls used Facebook to encourage African Americans not to participate in the pivotal presidential election, reports The New York Times." Instead their resources go toward uplifting and advancing Facebook. Of course this comes at the expense of uplifting Black owned companies. But Black Enterprise is not unique. I see nothing generated by Black media critical of Facebook. So we will continue to exploited... what else is new in America?

You could be right @Pioneer1 I don't know. But I do know that not all Black people skin keloids. I knew a sista who got a tattoo and the whole thing keloid. Fortunately for her the effect was interesting and not displeasing.

@Pioneer1 I don't think so. but it could seems that way because it is more accepted and more people are making the sexuality known. The premise of this question assumes there is an increase, which I'm not convinced there is. Again, the question presupposes something that may not be true. Plus, I don't believe anyone is trying to convert Black people into homosexuals. To me, this is all "Illuminati" nonsense

This is precisely what is happening. The only difference is the government was willing to break up Standard Oil. Amazon is a monopoly in multiple industries without any indication they will be constrained by the government at all. Their are plenty of people who have a better understanding of Amazon'd dominance than I. I can speak to the Black book ecosystem, but Amazon's dominance extends way beyond this...

If you look at the history of Black people the last few hundred years compared the the previous few thousand is just a bum in the road relatively speaking. The question of Jesus' complexion historically is clearly that of a Black person. His complexion from a religious perspective is a completely question, because religions are made made, so Jesus can have long blond hair and blue eyes. In much the same way I don't like commingling science and religion, I don't confuse history with religion either. Sure there may be some overlap with history and some religions. Trying to shoehorn religion into science and history kinda misses the point of religion...

Don't forget to post your Blog's URL @Gibran

I know special education is often used against Black boys, removing them from the classroom and eliminating any potential for an education. But 56% Black illiteracy rate seems high where did you get this figure @Gibran I'd be willing to bet 56% of Black people can't get through a literary novel, but I'd also be willing to bet that better than 80% of us are "functionally" literate -- they might not be able to read and comprehend an article in the New York Times, but they can complete a job application, read signs, etc.

@Gibran Amazon has already won man. It is over. Even the amount of money I make as an Amazon affiliate has dropped substantially over the years. I could see it coming years ago -- I just could not do anything about it. Amazon is the greatest hustler there ever was. Rather than being locked up, they are rewarded. They have even convinced us "marks" to believe they are good. Again, authors, the ones with the most to gain, were the harshest critics against boycotting Amazon. No, the KDP consolidation was far from seamless there are countless articles by writers complaining about this, but again there was nothing any of us could do about it. Amazon is a monopoly for online sales of books and they are a monopoly in eBook production and sales -- they are even a monopoly in the eBook reader hardware and software sales and manufacturing. Collectively Black people are not sophisticated enough to see the problem. We are not dumb, but it is something we don't know enough about to have an opinion. See everybody feels they can have an opinion about, say, the game last night, but once you start talking about monopolies people eyes glaze over. It is not only Black people who are being effected, but we suffer more than other group as a result of Amazon's dominance. The other problem we have is that we do not have have the platforms (websites, newspapers, TV, Radio) with the resources, ability, or consciousness to teach enough people why Amazon's dominance matters. Sure, they can cover the antics of Cardi B or Kanye West, but when it comes to stuff that really matters which requires a bit of explaining -- forget about it.

This was before my time. I heard about it from old timers and sometimes saw this acted out in films featuring old school gangsters. The Wire fans will recognize characters like Marlo Stansfield, the most ruthless sociopath on the series succeed, while the criminals who followed a code all ended up dead. Even as a kids I could never understand why we robbed each other. Just down the street there were wealthy folks (Harlem is adjacent to the the hyper-wealthy upper East Side). Part of the reason for engaging in crime against ourselves is how the different communities were policed. Of course there are many other reasons... @Gibran is was the above an excerpt from your book?