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Troy

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  1. Troy
    Sound good to me. I'll hit you up via email. Peace, Troy
  2. Troy
    @Mel Hopkins, as you said you can't know what you don't know. As someone who has also raised children into independent adulthood, all you can do is is expose them to a wide variety of things, help them to think critically and independently, and to serve as a model. If they don't discover the valuable gift(s) they were born while you are raising them, perhaps they will discover it on their own. You can't put the pressure on yourself to find this for your kids. They are their own people and ultimately have to live their own lives. The best you, and the community, can do is to create an environment is which people can achieve artistry, which I'd describe, at the risk of sound too new-agey, as finding one's bliss. The real risk, and trap, I think many people, if not most, fall into is never trying to figure out what gift they have that would allow them to achieve artistry in a pursuit they'd both enjoy and earn a living from. @Delano, do you believe Feynman was the only one aware of these problems until he reported on them? If no, that is the only point I'm making, in that you are giving Feynman too much credit. If your answer is yes, then we'll have to agree to disagree.
  3. Troy
    I've learned from videos like this and in conversations here that I have to change the way I communicate with the general public on technical issues. Sharing data with graphics and charts really does not work with people unfamiliar with the domain in which you are speaking. You have to appeal to people on an emotional level. In the video Van Jones said; I know this to be true from personal experience because people have no problem saying they don’t care how much education someone has when they disagree with them. They’ll argue with climatologist easily dismissing what the scientist knows in favor of what they themselves feel. I have a talk coming up in a couple of weeks on the impact of Facebook, Google and Amazon on the web and I'm going to consider these factors when I address the audience. We'll see how it goes. In the video, also bt VOX they talk about the environmental cost of ordering online with the next day shipping. Amazon is the obvious culprit. As long as Amazon make their owners money, this behavior will never change. Amazon own the legislators and even the Washington Post who should be reporting on their activities. The only way this will change is if people change their behavior and I see little evidence of this happening.
  4. Troy
    Hey Coach, I've added Shattering Black Male Stereotypes: Eradicating the 10 Most Destructive Media Generated Illusions about Black Men to the website. I also added the following video to your page:
  5. Troy
    When I heard that Roland Martin lost his talk show, my first impression was damn don't tell me Roland sexually abused someone too! I have not dug deeply into the reason for the show's pending cancellation, so I don't really know why it is being cancelled. I was not a fan of Martin's show and did not watch it. I caught a few youtube videos and I just did not vibe with Marin's personality. His show was one of a shrinking number of political talk shows and I would rather have his show exist than for it not to exist. That might sound like a contraction, but it really is not. We have so few platforms where Black people can talk about Black issues with a large audience. Having Martins shows is absolutely better than having nothing. Makes me long for the days when Tavis Smiley was on BET. In my book, the true giants of Black talk were Gil Noble (Like It Is) and Tony Brown (Tony Brown's Journal). I watch Gil's broadcasts today. Gil Noble introduced us to deep thinkers. You would never see Noble or Brown gossiping about what one celebrity said about another, the way I've seen Martin do on one too many Youtube clips of his show. Another Brother I like is Rock Newman (sp?) I only recently discovered him to YouTube, I'm not sure where his program broadcasts or even if it is on TV. I just notice Rock as high quality guests. They may not be celebrities, but they are deep people with important information to relate.
  6. Troy
    @Mel Hopkins I guess If the discipline is unrecognized by others us then it has no value and would not be nurtured. Those born with a gift in a field of no value would remain obscure. Sometimes this is described as being ahead of one's time. If Lebron James or Flavor Flav were born 50 years earlier I doubt they would have enjoyed any prominence and certainly no financial success. @Delano, "Morton Thiokol isn't NASA and the engineers aren't decision makers.: --Thanks for the revelation "engineers aren't decision makers." --Spoken like someone who was never an engineer. "Awareness is clearly not understanding." --Sometimes, but lack of awareness is ALWAYS not understanding. Why reject the fact that Nasa engineers were aware of the faulty O-Rings before Feynman was ever involved. Why not just admit this given the evidence I've shown you and move on? Are you really that sensitive? When did this happen?
  7. Troy
    Del I'm aware of all of the stuff you posted. Again, the faulty O-rings was known BEFORE the disastrous explosion. In fact, the lead engineer refused to sign off on the launch for this reason. This is common knowledge and was covered in a documentary film (I don't recall the name of iot) and is described on NASA website: "McDonald, the director of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Project for the engineering contractor Morton Thiokol, was concerned that below-freezing temperatures might impact the integrity of the solid rockets' O-rings." McDonald wrote a book, Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, about it. You can also learn what was at Nasa's website as well as other sources.
  8. Troy
    I think Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson were born. They were born into the stage as was Mozart, Beethoven, Ray Charles, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix, etc. There is not enough musical training in the world that could have made me in my entire 55 years of life as talented as Stevie Wonder when he was just 12 and he is BLIND! How many little boys could you have trained to do what Michael was doing when he was 10? Maybe in the field of consciousness all is possible. Speaking of consciousness, I'm reading Dick Gregory's last book. He said while meditating one time he levitated. He also said there were witnesses to this.
  9. Troy
    Here is another one for you all. Is he “Black” or “White?” The author is Timothy B. Tyson he wrote the critically acclaimed book, The Blood of Emmett Till, which is why he is on the website. But now I'm trying to identify all of the Black writers who have written books that the New York TImes have including on their year end list of the 100 Most Notable Books. I'm almost finished the page: https://aalbc.com/books/nyt100.php and have added the 2017 and 2016 books, but I'm having difficulty with some of the authors. According to Wikipedia, Tyson; was selected as a John Hope Franklin Senior Fellow at the National Humanities Center was Assistant professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is a civil right activist My guess is that he is not a so called "Black" man, but given is books and life's work he should be. Trying to identify the Black folks is not trivial black or white as one might think
  10. Troy
    Thanks for the correction Cynique. @Pioneer1 as @Mel Hopkins mentioned this issue is collusion. By law (antitrust) the league;s owners can not get together decide to take an action,like blacklisting Kaepernick. But these guys don't have to talk to each other to know the deal. Colin was poison for the NFL's brand. I'd bet money they colluded regardless of the outcome of the grievance. Pioneer, these types of laws are in place for a good reason.
  11. Troy
    Del you are giving Feynman too much credit, Nasa's engineers knew, in advance of the disaster the Morton Thiokol', O-rings were shot at and low temperatures. I only mention it because this is the 2nd time you mentioned Feynman as if he was the only one who knew this. @Mel Hopkins, thanks. Artistry as the culmination is interesting to consider. I think artistry is an inherited skill. For example, I can design a website that is technically, on the backend, quite good IMHO. This fact is what differentiates my site from others. My weakness however is making the site visually appealing. I struggle with the homepage for example. My solution for the final stage of the two year upgrade will be to find a template and modify it for my purpose, for I do not have the artistry to design something from scratch that is both modern looking and visually appealing. Now I have the knowledge to execute someone else's design, but I could not come up with the idea myself. I'm sure one can learn to make beautiful websites, but to be really good I think you have to be born with the talent. Perhaps this is true for all pursuits; to reach the very highest levels you have to have the knowledge and the God given gifts (and @Pioneer1 notice "race" has nothing to do with any of this). People like Newton, Feynman, Einstein, and others displayed a artistry of their subject matter that truly transcended anything on that pyramid. I believe they were born with the gift.
  12. Troy
    Hey man I see you are selling your book directly, so Ill set the buy link up so that it goes to your website. I'll need the books ISBN13. Thanks.
  13. Troy

    @Mel Hopkins, here is what I mean by a lack of journalism: Check out this article in Black Enterprise (that someone shared with me in a direct message via twitter). MARC LAMONT HILL JUST OPENED THE 55TH BLACK-OWNED BOOKSTORE IN THE COUNTRY.

     

    Now we know the source of the information is this website. I published the "54" number years ago.  The problem with the article is that they cite a stat,  do not reference a source, nor did they even verify the number--which would have been very easy to do if they checked this website.  I even made it easy by actually listing the Black owned stores--you don't even have to count them.

     

    Originally, I was reluctant to simply listing the stores, because people will simply copy and paste the information and take full credit for my effort.  But i think it is so important for the information to be shared I'm will to deal with it.

     

    It really just irks me so many Black owned respected publications, like Black Enterprise (#2 on my list of top 50 Black Owned Websites) will use my data without linking to it or even referencing the source.  

    1. Mel Hopkins

      Mel Hopkins

      When I saw that 55 - I immediately thought did they get that from Troy?  Did they check... You may not believe this but I actually have it flagged in my email because I wanted to see how they came up with the number.   You answered my question, thank you!   

      That is sloppy journalism. 

       

      After you took me to task over my slip up with labor participation and labor force / black women voting percentages - I began to break down the percentages into number of ... as a rule.

      That's how serious I am about presenting as a journalist even when I'm not being paid... This is an embarrassment.

       

      No attribution, no reference to the individual 55 books stores.  Who was the fact checker?  

      I don't even want to read the story, anymore but I will.  I want to see just how lackadaisical we've have become now that we 45* in office. 

       

      I hope you write Alfred Edmond, Jr. and mention it to him.  We don't have very many black publications in print.  So the newspapers/ magazines we do have should be beyond reproach. 

    2. Mel Hopkins

      Mel Hopkins

      @Troy  Did you see this article in Final Call?  Ok I only skimmed but this seems more like journalism... did they interview you directly or use your reporting?  

       

      By Jehron Muhammad -Contributing Writer- | Last updated: Dec 19, 2017 - 2:48:20 PM

       

      PHILADELPHIA—According to the American Booksellers Association there has been a resurgence in independent bookstores in recent years. However, this growth hasn’t necessarily included Black-owned bookstores.  

      Between 2002 and 2012, two-thirds of Black-owned bookstores closed. And of the remaining 400 Black bookstores more than half closed in 2013 and 2014, according to statistics compiled by Troy Johnson, founder of the African-American Literature Book Club. By the end of January of 2016 only 67 Black-owned bookstores remained.

      But with the opening in Philadelphia’s Germantown section of Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books, that downward trend may be changing. Part library, part coffee shop, part eatery, part living room, the inviting space encourages customers to hang around and soak in the culturally rich and intellectually stimulating atmosphere.

      Since Philly has been labeled as a “big small town,” it’s almost impossible to spend time at Uncle Bobbie’s, fast becoming the new Philly meet up spot, without bumping into new and old acquaintances.  

      The owner, Marc Lamont Hill, during an interview with The Final Call, said, “Hopefully it’s a home for folks. It’s a cafe. It’s a bookstore. It’s a meeting place (and) hopefully it’s a place where people can connect, be inspired and bring some energy.”

      The store was “birthed by Black bookstores, (or the lack there of)” Mr. Hill said. “It started with my uncle Bobbie, my father’s brother,” he explained.  More here

  14. Troy
    Congrats on you new book michael, I will add it to your AALBC.com page: nextauthors/author.php?author_name=Michael+Taylor next time chance I get.
  15. Troy
    Did anyone look at the hierarchy described in the Pyramid @Mel Hopkins shared? Now you may disagree with it, but I think it is a helpful tool to understand the difference between knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is simply the awareness of information; what years was the Civil War fought or what the formula for calculating the diameter of a circle, for example. People can know these things and do very well on some standardized tests, but they may not understand a single thing about either subject. In other words, what can they actually do with this knowledge? I can tell someone how to calculate the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle if I give them the length of the other two sides, and they may be able to remember it long enough to take a pass a test, but they may have no clue what they are doing. Worse still, they can plug the numbers into a calculator and get the right answer without even knowing what the heck is happening. I've taken more math courses, but I've forgotten much of what I learned simply because I did not understand it. I "knew" it long enough to pass some tests, but that is about it. I never had a job which required this higher level math so over three decades the knowledge is mostly gone. Later, as I got older, and was exposed to some of the concepts, through YouTube videos, it dawned on me how fascinating math really is. The facts are almost incidental and indeed can be learned later, but understanding what an intergral is, for example, and how and it can be used is far more interesting than knowing to to calculate it. Understanding this, I believe, has helped me become a better teacher. This is why knowledge alone is not enough to be a good teacher. Knowledge alone is not enough to understand, comprehend, apply or use information to come up with new ideas. It is however, as the pyramid implies, the foundation for these things. The perhaps a better title for the article would be, "Knowledge is the Basis for Understanding." Keep in mind authors don;t generally write the titles of their articles. The publishers do and sometimes they do a disservice to the article because they are motivated by generating traffic just as much as they are interested accurately relating the subject of an article
  16. Troy
    @Delano, if you are interested in understanding what I wrote, you will not divine that from @Pioneer1's statement, which is why I attempted to clarify it. With that in mind, do you what have a question about my something I wrote? I'm not going down the rabbit hole of attempting to explain, what I wrote, by way of explaining Pioneer's inaccurate interpretation. Of course @Cynique is right varying levels of intelligence. There are also many different types of intelligence--none of which have any direct correlation to one's so called race.
  17. Troy
    ...something for @harry brown Harry L. Thomas, founder of the Creation Festival and senior pastor of Come Alive New Testament Church in Medford, New Jersey, has been accused of sexually assaulting four children over a 16-year period between 1999 and 2015. (as reported by Christianity Today). This is not a problem with the Church, per se, but a problem with powerful degenerates abusing their power. We've seen a rash of revelations coming from Hollyweird, politicians, media, and obviously the Church. What puzzles me is the complete lack of sexual abuse revelations coming from Wall Street. I guess those cats have enough power than to prevent any public recriminations. This represents more power than Cosby, Weinstein, Al Franken, Charlie Rose, etc... that oughta tell you something about the nature of REAL power.
  18. Troy
    The Secret Lives of the Four Wives: A Novel by Lola Shoneyin Read an Excerpt This is an excellent book from what I hear. The banner above is was provided to me by the publisher, who are advertising in the next newsletter. These ads beyond, bringing revenue, actually bring value to the website as the books are all excellent and the creatives are attractive too. One of the problems with AALBC.com homepage, a problem I intent to address ins January, is that it is too busy. One of the reasons for this is that I've allowed advertising to drive what is one the page and that has made it too overwhelming for new visitors to understand what the site is about, or what to do next... I'm considering removing all advertising from the homepage or only including well designed ads that is specifically designed for the page. The upside is that the ads well perform better (I'm sure) for the advertiser, but the downside is that the price point and the requirement to design a custom ad will exclude advertisers with small budgets....I dunno I may need to focus on the advertisers with larger budgets to keep the site alive. With enough larger clients the promote of the authors/publishers with smaller budgets can be subsidized by the larger advertisers. Just thinking out loud, but I welcome feedback.
  19. Troy
    Understood
  20. Troy
    {sigh} OK let me clarify: When I wrote anybody, I meant, any so called "race" (human) can do well academically given the right conditions and ability. Is that clearer?
  21. Troy
    Again this is the problem with the 'net, you can find a source for anything to support your belief. Del how do you think I got the 97% number? I looked it up. It is what all the reputable sites including the one from Nasa, you provided, say. Obviously, for whatever reason, you don't believe the percentage provided by the authoritative sources and have apparently found a source that matches your conspiracy theory world view.
  22. Troy
    @Cynique who know it is interesting that I rarely have to ask you probing questions because of how clearly you express yourself. @Del on the other hand is more enigmatic, perhaps deliberately so, which is why I have to ask him more question. He and @Pioneer1 seem to be on the same wavelength lately, as it simply did not occur to me that Del's question was rhetorical, which would make sense since the question he asked about a new Colin contract could have been found with a 2 second web search. Taking the question as a rhetorical one. I will say that he proven the NFL's billionaire owners are powerful and do not give a crap about players (Black or otherwise) and are only concerned with profits. This is not exactly a revelation. If you watch any football lately you will notice all the flag-waving, hyper-patriotic segments featuring Black players during the break... It is disgusting really. As far as my proposed boycott of Amazon. I would consider it a success if a critical mass of us simply availed ourselves of our own products and services by eliminating dependence on Amazon. This admittedly is a long shot, but sheesh our livelihoods indeed our culture depends upon it. One can't know if Colin will be hurting or not. But he did make a personal sacrifice. As @Pioneer1 said, I doubt Colin thought this alll the way through. He obviously wanted or needed his job, otherwise he would have sued the NFL. A million dollar book deal is big, but is little compared to his multi-million dollar annual football salary and endorsements.
  23. Troy
    Actually @Cynique, @Pioneer1's response was completely understandable and consistent with what he's previously expressed. Now I gave y'all a clue that the author might be Black (I have many non-Black authors on the site) because I wrote I was adding all the Black authors of the 100 NY Times Notable books to the website. Here is author, Danzy Senna's, background: “Senna herself is mixed race. Her father is half African-American and half Mexican, while her mother is Irish and English. Growing up in Boston, Senna was raised to self-identify as black.” —from NPR Interview about Senna's collection of stories, You Are Free. I'm treating her as Black by including her on the list; Pioneer says she is white; and Cynique says she is "mixed," claiming hair is the giveaway. Race is in the eye of the beholder. The terms are "mixed-race" or "biracial" are in the eye of the beholder too. Again, since there is only one race of humans alive today, these racial terms make no logical sense and are at best inconsistent. But we live in America and we do a lot of things that make no sense.
  24. Troy
    @Pioneer1, I could not help but think about you as I looked at this photo. Which of your racial buckets would you put this lady? She wrote a book that the New York Times called one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2017. I'm in the process of making sure that all of the called "Black" writers who earned this recognition have that fact reflected on the website.
  25. Troy
    I know that title reads exactly like something I would say, but if comes from a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, “How to Get Your Mind to Read.” In one experiment, third graders — some identified by a reading test as good readers, some as poor — were asked to read a passage about soccer. The poor readers who knew a lot about soccer were three times as likely to make accurate inferences about the passage as the good readers who didn’t know much about the game. That implies that students who score well on reading tests are those with broad knowledge; they usually know at least a little about the topics of the passages on the test. One experiment tested 11th graders’ general knowledge with questions from science (“pneumonia affects which part of the body?”), history (“which American president resigned because of the Watergate scandal?”), as well as the arts, civics, geography, athletics and literature. Scores on this general knowledge test were highly associated with reading test scores. Current education practices show that reading comprehension is misunderstood. It’s treated like a general skill that can be applied with equal success to all texts. Rather, comprehension is intimately intertwined with knowledge. That suggests three significant changes in schooling... read the complete article.
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