Troy

Lord have mercy!

@Cynique, maybe that is what I found appealing. I never saw anything like this before. I would rather see programming ike this than see the new Black Panther flick (or any film from Disney). Today these types of conversation are not even being had -- at least not to the degree that they were 50 years ago. This type of TV programming was a special broadcast of the Tony Brown's Journal, which was on TV at the same time that Gil Noble's Like It Is broadcast. In my mind, this was the pinnacle of Black TV. If anything came close to it today I'm not aware of it -- if you are please share.

You know, you are right @Cynique I'm sorry for the hand I had in continuing this "debate." Thanks for being a much needed sane voice of reason

Del I'd discourage you from ever critiquing anyone's writing. As far as the other stuff, I give.

I discovered this video reading an article about Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor on Munchies I'm still listening to it -- not even halfway through (Nikki Giovanni just read a poet to and for Lena Horne and they just started a conversation. This is just a great video featuring different Black women in conversation, singing, dancing, poetry -- a terrific compilation and demonstrates why we need Black media. The following a from the video description on Youtube: Inspired by the book by Chester Higgins, this special episode of Black Journal features a discussion between Joan Harris, Vertamae Grosvenor, Martha Davis, Marian Watson and Amma Baraka. A separate conversation between Nikki Giovanni and Lena Horne. Poetry by Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez and Kali. Plus performances by Roberta Flack, Loretta Abbott and Novella Nelson. Interview with Albert Cleage, Jr. of the Black Madonna Church. Executive Produced by Tony Brown. Directed by Stan Lathan.

Perhaps, but it seems unlikely. Del do you believe you write with perfect fidelity and clarity at all times?

@Cynique the people who create movies and build the hype behind them are really very good at what they do. This more than anything else explains why people are in a frenzy over the fictional country of Wakanda rather than Tulsa Oklahoma. The marketers who get us all hyped about a film could use this talent to generate hype over actual Black history, which in my opinion is far more fascinating, but uplifting people is not as lucrative as selling movie tickets. @Delano, Have you seen the film?

Pioneer you know Black people invented science. Why do you insist on making it a western presumably European thing? Also don't confuse science with it practitioners. Science is a monolith, but there are practitioners who are liars and would pervert science to their own purposes. People do the same thing with religion. Voodoo and science can coexist it does not have to be science. Why make it an either/or proposition? Del, your question, "Does that mean Christians can't be mathematicians? Since reliqion and science are incompatible" is almost bizarre. Who said religion and science are incompatible? Of course a Christian can be a mathematician, but who was talking about Christians and Mathematicians?! Again that was a very odd question...

@Delano as previously mentioned the time I spent talking to you here was invested in an attempt to work on communicating with you more effectively. Communication seems to break down whenever you think I disagree with you. No I did not create my own search engine, I simply configured a product that Google used to sell. Regarding Zaji understanding you, I dunno she understood my request straight away... I guess I could ask you the same question Maybe Zaji can serve as our interpreter :-) @zaji, I appreciate that whenever you get a chance is fine--thanks!

...well it is an old book that was never published. I had not heard a peep about this book before last night, when I discovered it trolling for interesting books on my distributors website. Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston is a never-before-published but which tells the story of a Brother you endured the middle passage -- yes the Middle Passage! He was kidnapped from African 50 years after the practice was outlawed and enslaved in the American south... those slavers really were devils huh?

Captain obvious (@Pioneer1) of course phenotypic differences are genetically based no one disputed that, why are you trying to make it a point of contention? Bottom line, you understand race is an artificial construct with no basis in genetics and that there is only one human race What else is there to discuss?

Sorry @Delano, I'm not going to jump on the Black Panther lovefest until I've actually seen the film. Why on Earth would you say I have "no love" for the film? Looks just because I'm not creaming my pants over a movie like the masses seem to be as reflected on social media -- which is a distortion of reality. The truth is I don't get that excited about ANY movie. As Cynique described, it is "escape entertainment," an action flick -- lets keep things in perspective. This will not change the world. It is entertainment pure and simple. It is designed and created to make money. Del did you see the film before you wrote all of this?

What?! Your categorization of science is completely wrong @Pioneer1. Science, unlike the world's great religions, would change a belief tomorrow if new information was presented that proved the current belief false. Indeed, it is often religion that holds science back, even killing people for speaking the truth because it conflicts with religious doctrine. This practice continues to this day. I'd even argue that religion holds back spirituality.

No, Del because it completely ignores my request. And I not following Zaji's reasoning at all. I wrote: To which you responded: All I was asking for was a source that explains why TED banned the video; which is why Del called it censorship. I presume, if in fact TED banned the video, there was a good reason for it. Why is this so hard to understand? @zaji, would you care to share your source; since you already found the answer; it is just a matter of copying and pasting a URL

From the article which appears in The Atlantic: “Indeed, the FBI’s war against black bookstores represents a sad chapter in the history of law enforcement in the U.S., a time when federal agents dispensed with all notions of freedom of speech as they targeted black entrepreneurs and their customers for buying and selling literature they deemed politically subversive.” Of course this is just one part of a multifaceted campaign to crush the Black community. Growing up in the 'hood we saw this assault first hand. The article mentions Una Mulzac's store in Harlem. Una was still running the store even after I started AALBC.com. The article actually doesn't do justice to the stuff she and other booksellers had to endure.... What I would really like to know is why aren't Black publications writing these articles? It really is an amazing feat for Black people to have done as well as we have given the historical and ongoing attacks against us and our institutions. Fortunately there are actually positive signs for the Black Book world. I added more bookstores to my database in 2017 than any year previously. Shoot, it may have been the first year there was a net increase in the number of independent bookstores since the late 1990's.

The victory is that Pioneer now understands that race is an artificial construct.... the victory is his not mine

@zaji?! @Delano made it perfectly clear that the video was banned and accused TED of censorship -- why is this even questioned? Del you provided a link? Where is it cause I obviously missed it. You are always good for a laugh :-)

I guess the reason behind TED's banning a video is not a issue that is very important to either of us. It's only purpose seems to be helping us work through the challenges of communication. I'm not sure why you take it as if I treating you like an employee. There have been many times you and I have both exchanged information on climate change, for example, to support a point. Why the unwillingness to share sources now? Again, it make gives me the impression the that information simply does not exist. Recently, Pioneer asked me to support a statement I made on the fiction of race. I refused to do it and asked him to research it himself. The only reason I took the same position position you have taken with the TED video is that I'd previously provided volumes of information to support my argument, information that was either ignored, rejected, or not understood by Pioneer. In any event, repeating the process seemed to be a waste of time to me.

I dunno if I was 30 years younger I would probably get excited about this flick, but to me it is just another superhero movie with video game action and the same story written to appeal to teen age boys... I also resist, by my very nature, the herd mentality exhibited by Black folks in seeing this movie. I feel manipulated, by the people who are making the real money from this film. @Cynique, I understand the sentiment (and will read the article after I see the film), but all this does is serve to divide Black people. I will however say the people are gorgeous, and the visuals are quite appealing. I do plan to see the film, probably this evening, so I'll have more to say later.

{Very deep sigh} @Delano you expect perfection in others but you constantly fail to do exhibit this yourself. Your last post contains errors, for example what does this sentence, which you wrote, mean ("I use to have a lot of typos and be a bit more cryptic.")? Don't answer the question; it was rhetorical. I guess I get the gish in what you write most of the time, and only query when I'm really don't understand. However, I would never have pointed your many typos previously, but if you are going to slam me on this issue you should be aware of it in yourself. Dude, of course you are not my secretary. We all share information here and provide supporting documentation to enlighten others. I just don't have the time to track down supporting information for every relatively inconsequential assertion you make. So if you want to explain why TED banned the video it is up to you, but by not providing a simple explanation you should appreciate you cast doubt on the statement. But again I don't care that much. I do however care about our ability to communicate and exchange ideas, which is why I spend time with these replies.

@zaji, without understanding the motivation for your question, it might be interesting to note that while religion and science are largely incompatible, because of religion's dogmatic nature; spirituality and science are not.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle Black! @Delano of all the posters on this forum, I believe yours are the most riddled with typos. It would be more productive to relate specifically what was unclear and ask for clarification.

No. While the world's major religions appear to be losing adherents. It is not like these people are becoming more versed in science. Besides science and religion serve two entirely different purposes, so science can not be a substitute for religion or vice versa. Religion gives meaning to life, while science attempts to explain how it works.

Uh, OK.

So @Delano when you read something written by someone else, you call that thinking for oneself. But if I think for myself and give you a conclusion you tell me to look over here or there. This is inconsistent. But I do agree with the idea of seeking information from other more knowledgeable from others, for no one who reasonable thinks completely for themselves as you often advise me to do. Knowledge expands because it builds upon prior knowledge. But, given the set of things have to do, I really do not care if the TED video was banned or not, at least not so much as to spend the time to do the research (I'd rather use the time to express this sentiment). But if you don't want to share why TED banned the video this is completely up to you and has nothing to do with me as your response seems to imply.