Troy

This is the cover of the latest issue of Ebony. The adjoining opinion piece appears, apparently, in the same issue. I say apparently, as I have not received my issue yet; I found these images on their website. Much of the critique about Rachel is that she misrepresented herself as Black. We misrepresent ourselves as white every day of the week. The notion that we do not state that we are white, makes no difference. What we do, what we celebrate makes this quite plain. As an aside, two weeks ago I got the May issue. Yesterday, I got my June issue with the Father's Day buying guide?! Is anyone else getting their issues of Ebony magazine so late?

Chris that last post was beautifully written. We really could wield so much power on the web. The ability to sustain many literary websites should be a trivial matter.

Andrew Jackson who currently on the $20 bill was a devil. Harriet Tubman would be a much better candidate. I understand some native American reservations don't use the currency. I pulled this image from a web site called http://huzlers.com/ it is such a crazy site. All of the stories are bogus, but they really do not read very differently that other so called news websites. That is what makes the website so funny, it is a parody of what news has become.

It is interesting Chris that I started teaching, because I needed the extra money. Now I had the flexibility to choose teaching because of my education and ability, but I would much rather dedicate my time to making a difference on the web. Teaching the web design course at the college level has made me a better web designer, but the time I spend in front of students, grading tests, preparing for class, is time that I can not spend on AALBC.com. This makes AALBC.com weaker. So I continue to pursue my passion at a great expense of time, energy and the opportunity cost of revenue I could be generating doing something else more lucrative. Chris I would not lament not getting an MBA. In general that prepares you to work in a corporation. You are more entrepreneurial, which an MBA does not really prepare you to becomey. My MBA gave me some insight on marketing, accounting, management, and other subjects I believe that have benefited me, but you don;t need the degree to get that. The real learning comes from doing. There is little that my MBA could have taught me to prepare me for the world of the WWW, which did not exist when I got my MBA. One thing that I do notice is that less educated people, regardless of degree, are simply less prepared to operate a business and less desirable (or even willing) collaborators. I'm not claiming the is a casual relationship, but there is certainly a correlation. It also appears that our most educated people generally work for someone else. Which my be we don;t own very much...

Cynique your perspective, is in some ways is similar to my own. I remember the pre-WWW-as-a-commercial-entity-world very well. I remember quite clearly what the world was like before Google, social media, Wikipedia, and Amazon was like. I was a grown man with children, before any of this stuff was invented. As each new thing came along I was one of the first to jump on the bandwagon, the prototypical early adopter. Before the WWW, I was into PC's and before that I worked in telecommunications. i just enjoyed technology. The internet helped me discover so much of our history and culture. It is one of the things that fuel my passion for AALBC.com. Similarly I learned about quantum mechanics, I had no clue what the world was like at the sub-atomic scale. I could very easily have had a science website as I'm even more excited about that than I am about books. Today however, despite the advantages, I'm almost of the mind that we are actually worse off because of the web--certainly in the book world. I mean Black people have lost so much in terms of what we actually own, careers, stores, newspapers, magazines, websites, etc that I'm constantly asking myself what is the point? Now I don't mean the world wide web itself is bad, but the people who run it are sociopaths. They have no mission other than to make money. Which is so very different than the way it started. I'm no longer convinced that we, Black people in particular, are any better off as a result of all of this technology. We have smarter phones and dumber people. We allow social media to craft and curate our online existence into convenient bubbles designed to exploit our activity and optimize our consumerism. I've seen people actually spend real money on virtual tools on Farmville. Just because people are willing pay for something does not make it right it. Just because people pay for crack does not mean you should sell it to them any more than you should sell a mortgage or a student loan to someone who can not afford to pay it. The web is run by ganstas, but most folks don't know it or simply don't care. I hope you are right Cynique, I definitely don't have it in me to be a gangsta, so I'll never become rich online. But I do think I can make a living. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You will always have a have a place at Cynique's Corner :-) By the way check out the most recent blog added to Huria Search: http://huria.org/blogs/blog-name.php?name=Patricia A. Patton you may find inspiration for your Blog.

Yeah a proper billing system would make my life easier. I know, for example, that I lose clients who would re-up if I sent them a notice when their ad was about to expire. I could also benefit from a system that can take place the ads without my intervention. That will be a future enhancement as well, but I'll have to buy that solution, that is something I can't code that. It would also be nice to have more dynamic pricing such that ads are priced as a function of demand. I was thinking of charging people $1 per day for a book on the homepage, sold in quarters, just to make it simple--and even more cost effective for the author. The rest of the ideas are good too--thanks for all your suggestions. Google is testing a feature call matched content where they create ad like banners that highlight popular content on one's website. I have those banners running right now, maybe I'll add one to the discussion forum. They are designed to increase engagement on your website. It seems like a great feature for websites. I just have not figured out Google's angle, their real motive, how this makes them richer yet--yes Google has made a cynic out of me ;-)

ChevDove/Guest appears to be the same person. ChevDove you do not have to quote some one each time you reply, just type in your response, we can follow the train. Cynique, I stopped watching the news years ago. I did watch the latest season of Game of Thrones, which is the only thing I'm been watching on regular TV. The series is compelling enough to hold my attention and I'm glad they toned down the homosexual sex scenes this season, but it just seems to be a never ending story, like soap opera. Without an ending I'm losing interest. I feel like waiting for the series to conclude, then go back and watch the show then, which I will probably do. I too am into quantum physics. I'm surprised how little interest there appears to be in this subject by the general population -- it is absolutely fascinating to me. My family watches those TLC programs, and I peek in from time to time, but I can't watch the stuff for too long. It is like eating a bunch of donuts, it might feel good, but you know it is not good for you :-) It seems #racheldolezal's 15 minutes of fame is over preempted by the tragedy in SC. I'd actually been in the church where the tragedy took place. Racialized white racists are starting to rise up. It is so crazy these guys think Black people are the source of their problems. We have the same oppressor, but they are too dumb to see that.

I'm upgrading the website in a big way over the next few months. If I get it done in the next 6 months I'll be happy, indeed the success of this upgrade will almost certainly determine the future of AALBC.com. I don't mean from a technical perspective, I mean from a business perspective. Is there enough demand for a website dedicated to promoting Black literature, to provide a 1/2 way decent living? Over the last few years this has become increasingly difficult. Some of the changes I have in mind, include more interactivity, a customized CMS, fully mobile ready (to make Google happy), as well as a ton of content spanning almost 2 decades. The site will not fail because of technical execution. This is not the first major site overhaul. I performed three website overhauls prior to this to this one, and many incremental updates but this one will be the biggest Check out some screenshots from over the years. Currently I'm building out the book database which will drive the presentation of book information through the website. My first target is our bestsellers list. Currently I use the Amazon widget to present our book information (see current list). I've always hated that tool because it is not very flexible and Amazon controls the data, but it is much faster to publish our bestsellers list than hand coding each and every list the way I did before implementing the Amazon tool (see early bestseller list). In fact, one of the reasons I started publishing the bestsellers list every two months, rather than monthly, was because it took so long to create the page. The power list website, which I rebuilt last year iis completely database driven, and I learned a lot from that experience, the AALBC.com implementation will be superior. I also have to upgrade my php code as I'm using code that has been depreciated, so the site will be better on many levels. The site will also be fully compliant with HTML5 and CSS3. So while creating new bestsellers lists will be faster, easier, and utilizing superior code. This is all under the hood type stuff visitors don't care anything about. What visitors do care about is what will the site does, what information it conveys and how it looks. Which really is the main reason I created this post. Are there any features you'd like to see on a bestsellers list? Please share you ideas here and I'll work them in. Here is a new page, very rough and in the early stages. I'm experimenting with presentation as the database is built out. Again I'm looking for ideas: http://75.103.68.29/books/bestsellers.php Thanks for your help!

Despite what you might expect in a city where 25% of the residents identify as Black and outnumber the populations many African countries, New York is terrible when it comes to talk radio centered on issues important to Black people. I spend a lot of time in my car and have been listening to SiriusXM radio for the last few years. I'm not a fan of paying for radio or TV for that matter, and SiriusXM will work with you on the subscription. I pay around $24 for 6 months for a reduced list of channels. But even these relatively few channels are vastly superior to the offerings in New York City. What we and I'd image every other Black market has is the typical Black radio program; you know the formula, a comedian, with a laughing sidekick, talking about nothing for a few hours and playing the same playlist from the 80's yawn... Sirius has programming from the likes of Joe Madison, who I was unfamiliar with until I heard him on Sirius. He is opinionated, often arrogantly, but I like his topics of conversation and I occasionally learn a thing or two. Surprisingly his broadcast from Cuba, failed to generate any attention. Actually that is not surprising. Karen Hunter of publishing fame also has a broadcast. Karen is a dynamic personality hard working and smart. I could not image here being given an opportunity on normal radio, her show was a pleasant discovery. Karen just today (maybe it was yesterday) launched a petition to Remove the Confederate Flag From All Government Places, I just signed it. I think you should too. The petition has already garnered almost a quarter of a million signatures. South Carolina will not flying the Confederate Flag at 1/2 staff. It was installed in the 60's as symbol against the civil rights movement. Sirius also hosts Armstrong Williams. This is an interesting Brother, right wing conservative, very Christian. I often disagree with this brother, but his perspective is interesting or rather surprising. I don't get the impression he lives around of socializes in environments that are frequented by Black people. Reverent Al Sharpton is on Sirius too. Sharpton is perhaps the most prominent talk show host of the network. He is my homeboy. He hosted his National Action Network meetings across the street from where I lived. It was not unusual to see Dr. Ben in attendance at a NAN meeting. Honestly I'm not a fan of Al's program, but the diversity is good. Sirius has a station that broadcasts programs from various HBCUs. The demographics skews a bot young for my tastes but it is not unusual for me to find a decent talk show conversation and the music is usually very good Of course Sirius offers the formulaic shows. Jamie Foxx not only has a show he has his own station, the Foxx Hole but almost never listen to he station. Net-net the we are better off that SiriusXM exists.

NEW YORK, June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- SiriusXM today announced that SiriusXM host and human rights activist Joe Madison's special broadcast of his show, Joe Madison The Black Eagle, aired live today from Cuba in the first national American radio talk broadcast from the island country in more than 50 years. The SiriusXM host's live broadcast from Cuba aired earlier today, Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 am ET on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126. It will re-air on Thursday, June 11 at 9:00 pm and 11:00pm. The broadcast, from the Taino studios in Havana, included guests spanning the worlds of academia, culture, entertainment, and social activism including Professor Arnaldo Coro, Cuban radio host, radio aficionado, and professor at the University of Havana and DeWayne Wickham, USA Today columnist and veteran print journalist. The live broadcast is part of SiriusXM host Joe Madison's 7-day visit to Cuba for meetings with government officials, tours of landmarks, and previews of new tourist construction sites in preparation of the predicted waves of American tourists that some believe will flood the country. During his weeklong stay in the Caribbean country, Joe Madison is scheduled to meet with and interview legislative leaders; artists; journalists; and black leaders in Cuba including Dr. Esteban Morales, Gloria Rolando, and Gisela Arandia. A weeklong documentary of highlights, which will also focus on the role Afro-Cubans in Cuban society and offer a glimpse at the history of shared interests with African Americans, will air on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126 beginning Monday, July 6, 2015. "Broadcasting from Cuba is a historic moment and I am thrilled to share it with SiriusXM listeners. At this crucial point in a new era for Cuba, and in its relations with our country, it's exciting to hear directly from the voices of Cuba for the first time in decades," said Joe Madison, SiriusXM host. Award-winning humanitarian and civil rights activist Joe Madison broadcasts his daily show on SiriusXM Urban View channel 126 from the SiriusXM studios in Washington, D.C. A constant participant in the political and national debate, Madison is one of the top African-American radio broadcasters in the nation today most recently breaking the world record following a 52-hour broadcast to raise money for the construction of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, the final museum planned to be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The host also recently took to the airways to lead the funding efforts to get actor and comedian Dick Gregory a most deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Madison has interviewed the President of the United States and the First Lady on multiple occasions and is in constant conversation with politicians, activists and the most prominent and respected African American stars. SiriusXM Urban View features conversation, information, inspiration, empowerment, motivation and companionship from the African-American perspective. For more information on SiriusXM and Joe Madison, please visit www.siriusxm.com and www.joemadison.com.

This was a young white male who shot up a Black church. This mass murder has been labeled a "hate crime." There are many people who believe white folks are gearing up and initiating a race war. There are others who believe Christians are under assault and are being persecuted. #BlackTwitter is a blaze with jokes: "I'm not afraid of Al-Qaeda, I'm afraid of Al-Cracka" Needless to say it is a horrific event.

No problem man. Hopeful I'll inspire one or two to contribute. If I was thinking I could have included it the eNewsletter I just mailed. Yeah Amazon dominates online transactions, in the same way Facebook/Twitter dominates online conversations (at least for Black folks). Lets us know when the shoes are ready.

Hi Chevdove, I appreciate your thoughtful and nuanced response. I have to admit I had not previously considered your viewpoint. I guess the reason is much of what I've read on social media has been very shallow of dealt with making jokes about the situation. Other than this conversation, I did engage in one other, on Facebook (I rarely contribute my opinions on social media--I save that for independent websites). A woman observed that it was mostly men that was defending Rachel. Of course, it being social media, she did not give me any insight into why she felt that way. Perhaps she feels the same way you do... Chevdove, if you don't mind me asking, would you pass the "brown bag test?" Perhaps there is something to the impressions of Black Men versus Black women. I'd be willing to go further and bet there is an additional level of complexity wherein the complexion of the Black woman also informs here impression of Rachel. I a VERY low percentage of dark skinned Black women as no love for Rachel. Thanks for contributing!

Yeah I guess that is the appeal of companies like simplesite--it is simple and the price sounds reasonable. Wordpress has been around for so long and the majority of websites use wordpress I just assume it is relatively easy to use, but I guess it is not really that easy to use--even though it is free. I added your blog to our directory: http://aalbc.it/cdbblog, so start bloggin' :-) You had a problem with the Blogging software here too? It should be much easier to use now, but simplesite looks more flexible.

Check out a rare opportunity to support a Black Owned Athletic Shoe Company through KIckstarter

It is worth studying (and probably has been ) the online behavior of people hiding behind the cloak of an avatar and this who make themselves plain visible. I think the differences depend on the person. For good, bad, or indifferent I have always posted as myself. Sure sometimes I write something extreme for effect or write a position I don't personally completely believe as I play devils advocate. But in general, I'm probably more honest online that I am off, because I have the liberty of expressing myself more freely here than I can in the real world simply because I'm not standing across from someone judging, or not even really listening to what I'm saying. As for a Rachel, I suspect she will be in a better position post-debacle. As you know, in this twisted culture of ours her situation will bring fame and the money to go with it. She probably could not have planned it any better--Thanks Black Twitter.

Well it is June 12 and I'm short of, what I though was a conservative goal, of 200 bloggers. Almost a month ago I was at 168 today I'm at 182 and increase of 14 or roughly one new blog added every other day. The effort is not not dead, but not exactly going #AskRachel viral either. I'll email everyone on the list and look for ideas, maybe I'll start a secret forum here to exchange ideas and strategies to bolster everyone's efforts.

#AskRachel has over 1/2 a Million Tweets on Black Twitter, So is #RachelDolezal Imagine if we turned this creativity and intellectual capital into something useful, or just profitable for us, rather than Twitter.

Study: Whites Think Black People Feel Less Pain NPR, JULY 11, 2013 Racial disparities exist, but what causes them can be complicated. Harvard anthropology student Jason Silverstein says it has to do with a lack of empathy. Host Michel Michel Martin talks with Silverstein about a Slate article he wrote titled, 'I Don't Feel Your Pain.' Skin color affects ability to empathize with pain Health.com, May 27, 2010 "Pain empathy is basically feeling someone else's pain," says Carmen Green, M.D.,"This paper tells us that race plays a role in pain empathy." Ya Think?

There are over 291,000 tweets using the Hash Tag #RachelDolezal on Twitter as of this instant--Wow! I've read several of those tweets and some are indeed quite funny. I think I see the appeal of the so called Black Twittershpere now. It is like a continuous stream of funny comments on our culture. Rachel, in the content of our culture's peculiar stance on race, is such rich fodder for humor and satire, I guess this can go on for some time. Well at least until the next thing pops up. CNN's tweet was prominent, right at the top. I guess they must have paid for placement. That is one way to get readers, since reporting the news apparently no longer works. I too put my two cents into the fray in an effort to get people to come here, it worked bringing people to the site that might not have otherwise came. Even one person was moved to comment. But still, passively reading and laughing at the jokes on Twitter is for more appealing and requires much less effort than writing down your ideas and opening yourself up to judgment or criticism on a forum like this. I know there is still a place for discussion forums in the social media era, because there are many thriving communities elsewhere on the web. I just don't know of any run by Black folks that is not all about joking around. Still I won't become active on Black Twitter, you can call it a boycott of sorts. I think indie sites are important so I'll support them, rather than Twitter. I'm no going to invest a lot of effort, as I have in the past, trying to get others to do the same--because that is a waste of time. The prospect of actually have a Black owned Twitter, and why that might be empowering is largely lost on most folks.

Hi Guest and welcome to the forum. Walter White is quoted as saying; "My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me." Of white's 32 great-great-great grandparents, five were black and the other 27 were white. Is it any more of a lie for all of us to say that Walter White was Black when he presented as white and 85% of his ancestry is white? The only reason he was able to do it was because we allowed him to get away with it. Of course in the context of the times we know that lighter skinned black were deemed superior. It does not appears that the NAACP has changed much in this regard in 100 years... I ran my genealogy a few years ago and I have more white (European) ancestry that Walter White has Black ancestry. I also look like a Black man. However, using the same logic, I would be perfectly justified to call myself white. Of course that would be ludicrous because we live in a white racist/dominated society and Black people who do not look white do not get to call them selves white. For this reason, I'm not convinced that the one-drop rule not longer applies--even in 2015. The are numerous example of "Black" celebrities who in an attempt to define themselves beyond their physical appearance, were harshly criticized. Tiger Woods and Raven Symone come quickly to mind. I'd imagine people would lose their minds if President Obama decided to choose to fully embrace his whiteness can claim he was white... the one drop rule still applies. Should we diminish all the so called Black people to liars who "passed" to have a better life in a country hostile to Black people? I have no clue what this child's motivation is for claiming to be Black. I have no idea if she has a mental problem or not. What I do know if we are so harshly critical of Rachel for claiming to be Black when she is not, then we would run out of time condemning the countless other Black people who passed.

I guess I should offer my comments on Rachel Dolezal since I went through the effort of aggregating this content. Actually this took no effort because everyone was sharing the same stuff in the echo chamber that the WWW has become. "Race" is an arbitrary construct, made up by white folks as a mechanism to justify and legitimize the dehumanization Black folks. America's one drop rule makes it possible for anyone, regardless of physical appearance to be defined as Black. Conversely people with Black ancestry can indeed "pass as white," because of their physical appearance. Presumably, this is why the NAACP chapter in Spokane, WA had no problem electing Rachel as their leader. What makes Rachel any different, really, than Walter White (pictured below), who succeeded James Weldon Johnson, as executive secretary of the N.A.A.C.P.? A significant portion of so called white people in America have Black ancestry, perhaps more that Walter White who I've read is 5/32 Black. Look if a person like White is willing to give up white privilege, at a time when it truly was a benefit, and actively work to support Black people--God Bless him. I would not be surprised if we found a Black person in Rachel's ancestry; this is America. If we found that person would this this whole matter cease to be a "News" story? Would Black Twitter to back to goofing on Iggy Azalea's hair? Many think that Rachel has a mental problem. I'm inclined to agree; what blond haired, blued eyed woman, in their right mind would become a Black activist, rising to the ranks of running an chapter of the NAACP. Is there any other organization careening to irrelevancy faster than the NAACP?

I never heard of Rachel Dolezal before this morning. Esther's message was at the top of my Facebook wall when I went in to check my messages a few moments ago, so this was difficult to ignore. As a practice, I try to ignore the stuff on my wall; (1) much of it is stuff like this, and (2) I'm on a mission to support indie sites with my online activity. But this message interested me because Esther mentioned "Black Twitter." Black Twitter is a phenomenon I don't quite understand... at any rate, my daughter a recent marketing grad, told me I should take advantage of Black Twitter for my website. I asked her to tell me what to do it for me because, from my observations, I did not know what I could do, specifically, on Black Twitter, to help AALBC.com. So between Esther's comment and my daughter's recommendation, I decided to use this as an opportunity to check out "Black Twitter" again. #RachelDolezal was indeed the top trending item. Now I don't know if everyone on Twitter would see this or just the Black folks. I read a few comments and was led to Gawker article where I found the YouTube videos below. Now I appreciate Esther was not completely serious when she wrote that "...any reasonable and smart person..." would check out this story on Black Twitter. Again I checked out the story (one I have almost zero interest in) because I wanted to better understand Black Twitter. My conclusions regarding Black Twitter have remained unchanged, indeed have been reinforced. Black Twitter, despite the name, does not serve Black people. It helps enrich the likes of Twitter, and the so called news sources that propagate dumb shit like this.

We will be interviewing Jordan Davis's parents on Friday, if you have any question for them please post them below, we will try to work them into the interview. In 3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS, two lives intersected and were forever altered. On Black Friday in 2012, two cars parked next to each other at a Florida gas station. A white middle-aged male and a black teenager exchanged angry words over the volume of the music in the boy’s car. A gun entered the exchange, and one of them was left dead. Michael Dunn fired 10 bullets at a car full of unarmed teenagers and then fled. Three of those bullets hit 17-year-old Jordan Davis, who died at the scene. Arrested the next day, Dunn claimed he shot in self-defense. Thus began the long journey of unraveling the truth. 3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS follows that journey, reconstructing the night of the murder and revealing how hidden racial prejudice can result in tragedy. Directed by Marc Silver (Who is Dayani Cristal?), the documentary intercuts powerful exclusive footage from a riveting trial with intimate, observational scenes of Jordan’s parents, Ron and Lucy. We see firsthand how difficult it is for them to grapple with unimaginable loss while fighting for justice for their son. The film integrates police interrogation footage, prison phone recordings and interviews with the others at the scene that night. The result is a powerful story about the devastating effects of racial bias, and the search for justice within the judicial system. Rating:UnratedGenre:DocumentaryDirected By:Marc SilverWritten By:Marc SilverIn Theaters:Jun 19, 2015 LimitedRuntime:1 hr. 25 min.Participant Media - Official Site

Hi Harry no one, including myself, agrees with all of the Black authors profiled on the website. To ignore a Brother like Ben Carson, would be the same as ignoring Condi Rice, Colin Powell, or Clarence Thomas, simply because we might disagree with them. Harry, Ben Carson does not support white police murdering Black male. Nor would I ascribe most of the ideas you associated to him. There were many Black people who were disliked strongly; both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. where disliked by many Black people in their day. It is so much easier for us to dislike someone because of the, out of content sound bites, substituting for news, that we are bombarded by on social media. I'd never exclude someone from this site because I did not like his politics. In fact there are people on the website that I dislike personally, but I think their work is more important than my personal opinion of them as human beings. That said, I'm sure Ben will not get the Republican nomination for POTUS, so you have nothing to worry about ;-)