Troy

Hair Chat: Overcoming Obstacles Friday, October 23, 6:30pm - 8:30pm A heartfelt conversation with Miko Branch, Best Selling Author and CEO of Miss Jessie's. Miko Branch is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie's LLC, the company behind the premium hair care product line that exclusively caters to the diverse spectrum of all curly hair types. Miko founded the company with her sister, Titi, and they named it after their much beloved and fiercely independent "do-it-for-yourself," and "tell-it-like-it-is" paternal grandmother - Jessie Mae Branch. As the visionary behind the Miss Jessie's brand, Miko revolutionized the haircare industry and became a leading pioneer of the natural hair movement by creating and marketing high performance and high quality hair care products. Free event, advance registration is required. Email: rsvp.lacasaazul@gmail.com Workshop: Cultivating Your Spirituality & Knowledge with Feng Shui Sunday, October 25, 2:00pm - 4:00pm Can the use of Feng Shui principles help you acquire knowledge and wisdom more easily and support you in developing and strengthening your spiritual life? Absolutely! Whether you find yourself engaging in some aspect of life-long learning, need to learn new information for your job or a program you are enrolled in, are writing a book or seeking a more fulfilling spiritual connection, Feng Shui can help you. In this workshop you will learn: - Feng Shui essential concepts - Ideas on creating a Feng Shui-friendly environment for your intellectual and spiritual pursuits Workshop taught by Feng Shui Expert Julie Anna Alvarez of HappyChiSolutions.com Workshop Fee: $25 P.A.T.R.I.A. (Por Amar Tanto Radiante Infinito Amor), reading with Édgar Javier Ulloa Luján Friday, October 30th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm Ciudad Juárez is the territory of the poet, composer and visual artist Édgar Javier Ulloa Luján. In his universe, he decides to interpret his concept of PATRIA as a word-symbol. There will be a Public Open Mic Session and performative intervention. The performative action will unite in the same moment the poetry of Edgar Ulloa and the voices of the viewers, generating a collective imaginary, re-interpreting collective memory and trauma across the border. $5 suggested donation This event is part of Celebrate México Now, a citywide festival of contemporary Mexican art and culture produced by CN Management. www.mexiconowfestival.org La Casa Azul Bookstore 143 E. 103rd St El Barrio, NY 10029 (212) 426-2626 6 Train to 103rd Street Store hours: Wednesday - Saturday 12:00pm - 8:00pm Sunday 12:00pm - 6:00pm Closed Monday/Tuesday 2nd location: La Casa Azul Pop Up Bookstore @Sugar Hill 898 St Nicholas Avenue @ 155th Street New York, NY 10032 Poetry night: This Ain't No Love Story Thursday, November 5, 6:30pm - 8:00pm Rumi once wrote "I have phrases and whole pages memorized, but nothing can be told of love." Join Yesenia Montilla, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Diana Marie Delgado and Sheila Maldonado. These fierce & brave poets will tackle love, heartbreak & the grit of New York City. Let their Alchemy transform you, it's an event that should not be missed. Join us at the Mosaic Literary Conference Saturday, November 21st 11:00am to 5:00pm The Bronx Museum of the Arts 1040 Grand Concourse Bronx, NY 10456 The Mosaic Literary Conference is a grassroots event and a great opportunity for the community, educators, students, program administrators, and parents to learn ways to integrate books and reading into the lives of teenagers. MLC offers a mix of informative programs and creative workshops to engage young minds, strengthen literacy, and develop education strategies. This year's conference will focus on the #BlackLivesMatter teachable moments, social and artistic movements that have risen out of Ferguson, MO, Baltimore, MD. and other police and community actions. Free event, register online.

While my personal preference for reading is supported by this video, my sites sales do not quite reflect this trend—yet. eBook sales growth has differently peaked; sales have not continued to grow over that last couple of years, on my site. However eBook here are running neck in neck with physical book sales. Some months eBook sales exceed physical books sales but never more than single digit percentages. But over the course of a calendar year, physical books have always outsold ebooks on AALBC.com. I believe this is really a function of the recession (depression in the Black community). Reading a newly purchased hardback book is still a luxury, both in terms of cost and mental effort. Increasingly folks turn to social media for diversion; the effort is minimal, and there is no additional expense. Unless attitudes change, and the economy for the middle class improves, eBooks will probably remain a strong competitor for paper based books.

...at Least in Canada and Great Britain

Hey Chris I just migrated your profile the the new website: http://aalbc.it/burnsbooks I'm also flirting with running large ads at the top of my main pages, in sliders.

Hi Kathleen, I'm glad so see you take advantage of this platform. You did not include a buy for your book or a link to your website. But I got you covered: http://aalbc.it/kathleenbooks If anyone has reviewed your book they can post it here as well. If you have a link on youtube share it here and I'll update my database with the link. Peace

HIckson, if you post, or email, me your book's ISBN's (posting here is probably best just for SEO purposes) I can make sure I have them in my database. This is what I have so far for Brown Girls Books: http://aalbc.org/authors/publisher.php?imprint=Brown%20Girls%20Books (I’m going to filter out eBooks in the future so that titles are not displayed twice). I just need the ISBN13 in a list without dashes like this: 9781625174529 9781625178855 9781625175069 This will give me a great deal of flexibility on how your books are displayed on the website. I'm currently working on migrating authors profiles as well. There are over 2,000 in the database so far :-)

Keisha, how are you! Thanks for sharing information about your book here. Of course I just added your information to my new version of AALBC.com: http://aalbc.it/keisha-gaye it is still underconstruction, but I hope you like the direction so far. I'm looking for feedback. Go SU!

Still interesting that a viable Black candidate has almost zero support from northern from Black folks. Every Black person I talk to hates the man. I shared Gwen's position because while she is not giving him an endorsement, she seemed open minded and willing to listen to what he had to say. I just noticed this video and think it is pretty good look for Ben. The interviewer asked interesting questions about race. I never noticed Ben's wife before seeing this video. I'm sure she will get a lot of grief for her appearance if Ben remains a viable candidate well into next year (No, I don't have much confidence in the maturity of folks).

This was an update written by Gwen Richardson. Dr. Ben Carson spoke at our church (Fallbrook Church in Houston) this morning at both 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. services. Many of my FB friends were interested in hearing my perspective on his presentation, so I'm posting a few details. First, there were a few dozen white congregants in the audience, more than we usually have. Fallbrook is a large church and we have some diversity but our congregation is 98% African American. This was one of the major Houston stops on Carson's book tour, which was the purpose of his appearance. He just released "A More Perfect Union," and is on a nationwide book tour. Second, his message was almost entirely non-political. He spoke for about 20 minutes about his impoverished beginnings, how his mother inspired him by forcing him to read two books per week, and details of some of his most difficult surgical procedures. He also spoke about his faith. There was little that would be considered controversial in any church in America, including black churches. There was a lot of humor in his speech and a big focus on education and success. He received respectful applause at the beginning, and robust applause at the end. He spoke before the Sunday sermon, which was delivered by our pastor, Michael Pender. His presentation was completely different at 11 a.m. compared to his speech at 8, but the themes were the same. After service, he took pictures in a separate area of our facility and signed the books that people purchased. I have never heard him speak in person before and can understand why he has a following. He has a quiet way of gaining attention from observers and has a very compelling personal testimony. Even people who don't like his politics or his political statements would be inspired by his story. I'm not sure what this will mean for the duration of the presidential campaign, but I think his book tour will be helpful to him. Here's a photo of his book tour bus [above] that was parked out front at our church. (Photo is courtesy of my friend, Teesha Moore.)

This image is was taken in the neighborhood I grew up in, and live in now. When I see shots like this, they conjure fond memories for me. But on another level, it is quite depressing because Harlem, where this image was shot, was in terrible condition during this period and many people suffered from living in the environment. The impact, for many, persists to this day...

Mosaic Literary Conference 2015 Saturday, November 21, 2015 from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST) Bronx, NYThe Mosaic Literary Conference is a grassroots event and a great opportunity for the community, educators, students, program administrators, and parents to learn ways to integrate books and reading into the lives of teenagers. MLC offers a mix of informative programs and creative workshops to engage young minds, strengthen literacy, and develop education strategies. This year’s conference will focus on the #BlackLivesMatter teachable moments, social and artistic movements that have risen out of Ferguson, MO, Baltimore, MD. and other police and community actions. Register Now!11:00-11:15 Introduction 11-15-12:15: #BlackLivesMatter Short Films Presentation (TBD) 12-15-1:30: Film Panel & Analysis (TBD) 1:30-2:30: Lunch Afternoon Sessions will be led by Black Poets Speak Out (BPSO) Black Poets Speak Out began as a response to a conversation initiated by Amanda Johnston. Jericho Brown, Mahogany Browne, Jonterri Gadson and Sherina Rodriguez-Sharpe responded to the call with ideas, suggestions and various plans of action. What resulted was a hashtag video campaign house on a tumblr site featuring hundreds of videos from Black poets reading in response to the grand jury’s decision on November 24 not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who murdered Mike Brown. View sample readings online at www.blackpoetsspeakout.org. 2:30-3:30: Lesson Plan Presentation – Black Poets Speak Out Classroom Mahogany L. Browne and Amanda Johnston Over the past year, BPSO has rallied poets and allies to stand up and speak out from the page, stage, podium, and street. We’ve collected many of the poems shared in protest and created lesson plans to help guide classroom discussions on poetry of witness and resistance. This presentation is for educators looking to inject new ideas and activities focused on craft and social justice engagement into their workshops. 3:30-4:30: From Hashtag to Social Justice Movement #BlackPoetsSpeakOut Mahogany L. Browne, J.P. Howard, Amanda Johnston, and Katy Rickey In the wake of a grand jury failing to indict Darren Wilson in the murder of Mike Brown, Black Poets Speak Out was launched as a way to rally poets and allies to respond against police violence. In a short time, hundreds of poetry videos were posted and shared internationally across social media outlets and live readings, forums, and action events were produced. BPSO organizers, Amanda Johnston and Mahogany L. Browne, and regional coordinators, J.P. Howard and Katy Richey, will discuss how the online campaign was developed and progressed to a community action based movement. 4:30-5:00: Reading – #BlackPoetsSpeakOut A poetic protest open to community poets and allies to stand up and speak out against police violence. All are welcome to read a poem by a black poet that speaks to issues around police violence and/or justice & equality. Become a Sponsor!The Mosaic Literary Conference welcomes the support of partners who are dedicated to creating progressive education and literary opportunities in the Bronx and New York City. MLC is an established, well-attended annual event that connects community leaders, educators, administrators, and parents to innovative ways to keep books and creative writing essential aspects of all learning. Contact us at info@literaryfreedom.org Does your company support community events or have a budget for giving? The Mosaic Literary Conference’s Supporting and Presenting sponsor levels were creating to help institutions meet their philanthropic goals. These sponsorship levels will strengthen MLC’s ability to meet its goals of developing and sustaining community engagement and outreach. SUPPORTING SPONSOR: $500* (Limit: 2) PRESENTING SPONSOR: $200* (Limit: 5) *Tax deductible MLC Media Sponsorship Mosaic Literary Conference media sponsorship is free. You’re asked to provide weekly (or as often as possible) mentions of the event on your organization’s social media platforms, website, and newsletter beginning ASAP. MLC media partners benefit by gaining access to our audience of parents, admins, and educators. In return, media partners will receive: Credit on all media releasesGraphic identification on all online presences –website (MosaicLitCon.com), enewsletters, social media platformsOfficial website: www.MosaicLitCon.com Conference registration page: tba Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/939257906135891/ Possible Tweets: #Free workshops for teachers and parents. Connect #teens & reading RSVP Today http://bit.ly/mosaiclitcon #mlc2014#Teachers, #FreeNYC workshops to help connect students to #BlackLivesMatter RSVP Today http://bit.ly/mosaiclitcon #mlc2015Bring books, reading, and equal treatment under the law into the classroom http://bit.ly/mosaiclitcon #mlc2015#Free activities on #books&reading focused on #BlackLivesMatter RSVP Today http://bit.ly/mosaiclitcon #mlc2015#Parents #Teachers #BlackLivesMatter conference. Learn more at http://bit.ly/mosaiclitcon #mlc2015MEDIA SPONSOR: Contact MLC today

Chris, I'm pretty much fully engaged on the AALBC.com website redesign, but I agree the video would be a good idea. I just need to find the time to do it. I would also like to step up the production quality of my video, that takes even more time. As far as Facebook social media in general, it would be helpful to have more case studies. Ideally, getting folks in a room together for a day would probably be very helpful. You might recall the Black Enterprise meeting I went to last year, and found so disappointing as it turned out to be a social media sales pitch rather than an opportunity to learn strategies for using the platforms for our benefit. Lets talk tomorrow (Tuesday 10/20) I'm available all day.

Chris I was one of those people who was a "social media expert," I even gave fee based seminars on the subject, but that was back in the days when social media was less familiar to marketers and you could have grow your audience organically. Today, I would not mess with Facebook unless I had some serious paper and someone to evaluate, and vet, all of the advertisements placed. Which is why I really do use the platform and more, nor would I recommend for small businesses. But right now, you are right, we are talking to each other in our own bubble. But there will be someone who reads this in 2016 and it will benefit from this conversation. This is the beauty of the web, outside social media. I had lunch with a buddy yesterday, who manages social media for a number of not-for-profits. He told me that he was attempting to use Facebook to invite an organization's fans to an event, but Facebook stopped him at 500 invites. Not 500 per instance, or 500 per day (say to stop spamming)--but 500 period! You could invite them all if he PAID to do it. Again these were fans that he worked to cultivate over a period of a couple of years. I told he he should just email them and stop trying to manage your contracts on Facebook, that is a revenue stream for Facebook--when it should be a revenue stream for you. He also told me that is source of traffic was similar to mine. Google Paid, Google Organic, referrals from other sites, and social was way down on the list. Keep in mind they actively engage on social media AND spend money on advertising. Chris we need to talk about the AALBC.com promotion piece.

Now only are the writers who offering this program skilled novelists, they are seasoned professionals with tons of experience in all aspects of the business.

The Fall of Indie Discussion Forums I'm not sharing this here because I expect a lot of people to read it, or find it particularly interesting. When I saw the level of engagement, overtime, and the variety of opinions expressed, it reminded me of these forums back in their heyday, so that is why I shared it. I always prefered Youtube as a social media network over Facebook. You can make money on Youtube, when you post content. As far as I know they are they only major social network that does that. The quality of youtube content (videos) is simply better overall and Youtube doesn't censor content and exert so much control over what people get to see. The differences can be summed up by the fact that Youtube has a "dislike" button and Facebook does not. As a result, the conversations can be more interesting, as you are more likely to encounter someone who disagrees with you, but is willing to engage, like the religious fanatic I was going back and forth with below. On Facebook, if you are express an opinion that differs from what they want someone to see, you are likely to disappear from the person's wall. I also regret the fact that I have to go to a corporate site to have these conversations. There was a time where you could have a conversation on Black owned sites like this all over the net. Many of these sites are gone or like this one, suffer from a lack of participation. The really crazy thing is that people will aggressively post on my Facebook wall, and direct message me there rather than post here where I would rather see and better use there information. People are behaving as if Facebook IS the internet. When I launch my new website next year, I'm contemplating my social media strategy. I will almost certainly remove my social media pages related to AALBC.com, and am considering removing social sharing icons as well. Again since all of social media only brings me 2% of my traffic, it is not like I'll be missing much--other than the effort of managing those platforms. "This country doesn't allow Black males to mature." In reaction to the video, about the covert war against Malcolm X (shown at the end), I posted the following comment: "This country doesn't allow Black males to mature. It allows them to grow up, physically, but not to mature, mentally, intellectually, and spiritually, and Malcolm gave Black men that chance in this country." The comment is in quotes, because it is a quote from the video itself. below is the reaction to my comments. thomas daniels 7 months ago That's it!! Now spread the word bro, its also a theme for every black male out there to live by. Thanks for your insight too! Miss JoJo 4 months ago +Troy Johnson The Nation of Islam still exist Brother, find a Mosque in your town Troy Johnson 4 months ago +Miss JoJo I actually visited Mosque Number 7 in my community a few weeks back; a powerful experience and clearly making a different in the lives of many Brother (and Sisters). reluctant nabi (A BLACK MAN'S PERSPECTIVE) 3 months ago +Miss JoJo Join the same people that killed Malcolm X. Cheribim Magnus (Cherubim) 3 months ago (edited) +Troy Johnson And what did blacks do after he was assassinated? Nothing. As usual. DeeDee Dez 1 month ago +Troy Johnson Because the Black male believes that this country is not allowing them to grow up, physically and not to mature mentally, intellectually and spiritually is the reason for lack of achievement or achieving below their potential. Negative thinking will keep you stuck. Plus they say you are what you think. For Black men to keep confessing how they are kept down by another group of men is a declaration of weakness. What you are actually confessing is there are another group of men that are stronger, wiser, smarter and more powerful than they are. A weak man cannot overcome obstacles, but that not true of Black men. They just have to stop confessing and believing it. It is a shame that this train of thought as been passed on to generations of Black men for 50 years after Jim Crow and instead of moving forward Black men have moved backwards into a worse state they have ever been. Black people are not the only group of people that have been discriminated against. Racism will always exist until Jesus comes again. You cannot get rid of racism, but you can get around it like other groups. You get around racism by having your own and not having to depend on the racist. It starts knowing the true God and worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth as he requires. Religion is not the answer unless it is a religion that is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ as Jesus taught. Learn and teach holy living, respect women, take care of families, be clean, look clean, live clean and be decent. Make sure your people: men, women and children are educated to be professionals or have skills so they can work. Learn and teach how to save, and invest money, time, skills and wisdom into your own businesses, neighborhoods. schools and even hospitals. This is how racism is overcome. It is not overcome by declaring defeat, complaining and blaming others. Instead declare victory. God said in Philippians 5:13 you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” It cannot be done withoutJesus Christ. Troy Johnson 1 month ago +DeeDee Dez Thanks for taking to time to respond in such a thoughtful manner. In case you did not watch the video (you should if you have not), The point you were addressing was a quote from the man that actively worked to undermine Malcolm X. Indeed he did this with the full backing of the U.S. Government. But Malcolm was not the only one they held down. Of course Black men are just as strong as any other men, but we can not ignore the fact that we have been, and are being, pummelled. This is not admitting weakness, this is the necessity of recognizing a reality that for many of us is retarding our growth. Recognizing the problem is the first step in correcting the situation. These conditions are not limited to just Black people; poor and working class people of all colors are being hurt. Whether the tools are toxic mortgages, outrageously expensive education, our hyper-incarceration rates or even our unhealthy food supply there are a host of factors keeping us down. Black people just catch the worst of it. Black people are perhaps the most ardent followers of Christ in this country. One is forced to consider what is Jesus Christ waiting for? (all due respect) +DeeDee Dez Thanks for taking to time to respond in such a thoughtful manner. In case you did not watch the video (you should if you have not), The point you were addressing was a quote from the man that actively worked to undermine Malcolm X. Indeed he did this with the full backing of the U.S. Government. But Malcolm was not the only one they held down. Of course Black men are just as strong as any other men, but we can not ignore the fact that we have been, and are being, pummelled. This is not admitting weakness, this is the necessity of recognizing a reality that for many of us is retarding our growth. Recognizing the problem is the first step in correcting the situation. These conditions are not limited to just Black people; poor and working class people of all colors are being hurt. Whether the tools are toxic mortgages, outrageously expensive education, our hyper-incarceration rates or even our unhealthy food supply there are a host of factors keeping us down. Black people just catch the worst of it. Black people are perhaps the most ardent followers of Christ in this country. One is forced to consider what is Jesus Christ waiting for? (all due respect) DeeDee Dez 1 month ago +Troy Johnson I did watch the whole video and my point is his quotes echoed the sentiments of the majority of Black men. If you repeat something over and over again you will believe it. Black men are not just as strong as the men they accuse of holding them back because if they were they wouldn’t allow another group of men to hold them back. I assume this video was done in the 60s. Black men were on the first step back then because it was back in the 60s the reality of the problems was recognized. Here we are in 2015 and the problems have gotten worse. When are Black men going to get off the first step and move on? You have reiterated like many Black men do the problems, but you skipped over the solutions. Instead of stating that Black men catch the worse of it, the question is why do they catch the worse of it? When Black people were ardent followers of Christ they were better progressing. As soon as they turned from Christ to follow religion they have been regressing. However I can ask the same question of Allah. What is he waiting for? Who has Allah freed from slavery? This I do know about Jesus Christ. It was through slavery and Jim Crow that Black people worshipped Him and He was the one that brought them out of slavery and through Jim Crow. Allah was nowhere around. Troy Johnson 1 month ago +DeeDee Dez if one repeats something, that is factual you are simply getting the message out. There are many people today who are completely ignorant about cointelpro and other activities the government engages in to "keep the Black man down." For those of us who are aware, repeating the message reinforcements it. Information makes you stronger not weaker. This is what made Gil Noble's show so very important. Slave holders were Christians. Many Black people have been killed while worshipping in Church. The recent shooting in Charleston, S.C. is one famous example. Several Churches have been burned down since then, but this gets less media coverage. This is why your reasoning is lost on me. I don't buy the premise of your position that Black people are no longer followers of Christ. Besides, that is blaming the victim. A more reasonable position would be to ask why our oppressors, are not more Christ-like in the behavior towards us.+DeeDee Dez if one repeats something, that is factual you are simply getting the message out. There are many people today who are completely ignorant about cointelpro and other activities the government engages in to "keep the Black man down." For those of us who are aware, repeating the message reinforcements it. Information makes you stronger not weaker. This is what made Gil Noble's show so very important. Slave holders were Christians. Many Black people have been killed while worshipping in Church. The recent shooting in Charleston, S.C. is one famous example. Several Churches have been burned down since then, but this gets less media coverage. This is why your reasoning is lost on me. I don't buy the premise of your position that Black people are no longer followers of Christ. Besides, that is blaming the victim. A more reasonable position would be to ask why our oppressors, are not more Christ-like in the behavior towards us. Cheribim Magnus (Cherubim) 1 month ago +DeeDee Dez Despotism is an act that is carried still to this day. You can observe this by the indifference that other races portray to the black male. Ultimately in a social environment, it takes its toll after a while. The only choice then is to become a business owner or deal with the bs. DeeDee Dez 1 month ago +Troy Johnson If information makes you stronger not weaker and this message has been repeated for 50 years, why are Black people in a weaker instead of stronger position than 50 years ago? For those that are aware of how the government is keeping the Black man down, what are you doing about it besides repeating the message? Gil Nobel is dead and gone. What’s new? Before Christian slave holders there were Muslim slave holder of Africans. How do you think Africans became Muslims: not by choice but by force. Just because evil people twisted the Word of God to justify their evil does not make Christianity wrong. However it was the Christian that were the true worshippers of Jesus Christ that abolished slavery and Jim Crow. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, except by Him. I never heard anyone say Jesus lied. It is the truth regardless of what evil people do in the name of Christianity. Maybe the majority of Black go to church and call themselves Christians but are they really followers of Jesus Christ? No. Many are followers of health and wealth ministries, famous preachers, liberalism, entertainment and everything else except followers of Jesus Christ. It is unfortunate that there are Black people born and living in the greatest country in the world where they have more freedom than any place else in the world and is in a country where there are millions of opportunities, but they cannot see and appreciate what they have. As long as Black people continue to see their selves has oppressed and victimized that’s what they will be. Oppressed and victimized people have no power because if they did they would be able to overcome the obstacles. Black people are 150 years removed from slavery and 50 years from Jim Crow. How much longer will it take to overcome oppression and victimization? What is it going to take? Like I said Jesus is the way . . . Matthew 11:28-29 speaks to the oppressed and victimized: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” But you have to come to Him. Furthermore, the government you claim is oppressing, victimizing and keeping Black people down are not Christians so why would you expect them to have a Christ-like behavior? Troy Johnson 1 month ago (edited) +DeeDee Dez I've made my livelihood educating and informing people (you can google me for more info). That is what I do. I see that you proselytize; if that gets people to behave more Christ-like" that is cool with me. I'm not saying Christianity is "wrong" and I've not made a single statement about Islam. All I'm saying is that Christianity has not demonstrated itself as a means for ending oppression. Of course as you suggest evil people twist the words of Christ.but who can tell the difference? Countless "Good" Christians, lived and died believing the enslavement of Africans was justified, indeed ordained by God. Saying that the U.S. is the "greatest country in the world" is pure hubris. The reality is that it depends. If you are a rich white man it would certainly rank near the top. But if you are a poor person I would not be so confident. Wow. so you expect a group of people to recover from a few hundred years of enslavement followed by 100 of Jim Crow to completely recover in a generation? That is completely unrealistic. Do you appreciate that there are millions of people alive today that were raised during a period of legalized American apartheid? Many of these are Christians. How do you think that affect their psyche, how do you think that impacts how their children were raised. Your statement also assumes that the oppression and racism as ended. Do you think is has? Speaking of apartheid, did you know that wealth inequality today, in America, is greater that it was in apartheid South Africa. Do you still think America is the "greatest" country in the world? Your last statement is very confusing. I expect Christ-like behavior from Christians whether they work for the government or not; wouldn't you? Most Republicans campaign on being Christians. I think many people are simply ignorant of how badly people of African descent have been and continue to be treated. These people simply don't understand the impact of hundreds or years of oppression and view the world through their very narrow perspectives. Nothing well change for oppressed people as long as this is the case; not even Christianity. Indeed, in an environment where people are so profoundly ignorant, Christianity is the perfect tool to take advantage of people.+DeeDee Dez I've made my livelihood educating and informing people (you can google me for more info). That is what I do. I see that you proselytize; if that gets people to behave more Christ-like" that is cool with me. I'm not saying Christianity is "wrong" and I've not made a single statement about Islam. All I'm saying is that Christianity has not demonstrated itself as a means for ending oppression. Of course as you suggest evil people twist the words of Christ.but who can tell the difference? Countless "Good" Christians, lived and died believing the enslavement of Africans was justified, indeed ordained by God. Saying that the U.S. is the "greatest country in the world" is pure hubris. The reality is that it depends. If you are a rich white man it would certainly rank near the top. But if you are a poor person I would not be so confident. Wow. so you expect a group of people to recover from a few hundred years of enslavement followed by 100 of Jim Crow to completely recover in a generation? That is completely unrealistic. Do you appreciate that there are millions of people alive today that were raised during a period of legalized American apartheid? Many of these are Christians. How do you think that affect their psyche, how do you think that impacts how their children were raised. Your statement also assumes that the oppression and racism as ended. Do you think is has? Speaking of apartheid, did you know that wealth inequality today, in America, is greater that it was in apartheid South Africa. Do you still think America is the "greatest" country in the world? Your last statement is very confusing. I expect Christ-like behavior from Christians whether they work for the government or not; wouldn't you? Most Republicans campaign on being Christians. I think many people are simply ignorant of how badly people of African descent have been and continue to be treated. These people simply don't understand the impact of hundreds or years of oppression and view the world through their very narrow perspectives. Nothing well change for oppressed people as long as this is the case; not even Christianity. Indeed, in an environment where people are so profoundly ignorant, Christianity is the perfect tool to take advantage of people. DeeDee Dez 4 weeks ago +Troy Johnson Educating and informing Black people without solutions to the problem leaves then where they are now, nowhere and at the bottom. I was not proselytizing. I am not interested into recruiting anybody into any religion. I am telling the gospel truth as Jesus instructed it to be told. Christianity is right because Jesus said it is right. No one else sacrificed their life for mankind, except Jesus, so no one would have to live and die in sin. There is nothing on earth that is a means to an end of oppression, slavery, racism, segregation or any other evil except Jesus Christ. The creator gave us rules to live by. We can live by His rules and be blessed or live by societies rules and be cursed. Evil comes upon a person, a race and a nation because they want to live by their own rules instead of following Jesus Christ. It is the choice each individual makes that determines their destiny. God said in Deuteronomy 28 I set before you blessings and curses. The choice belongs to the individual. However it is looked at or criticized, Christianity has proven all through the Bible and history that it is the greatest liberator of mankind in spite of the evil’s done in the name of Christianity by people who choose to pervert the truth. You know the difference by letting the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, teach truth. God says in John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” It is said you can fill a glass half way with water. Depending on the individual they can see the glass half full or half empty. It’s not a pure hubris to see the glass half full in realizing that there is a lot more to be thankful for than to be ungrateful about. A person does not have to be rich to have a positive point of view about their country. There are poor people born here or immigrated here that share the same view. Is it pure hubris for people to come here and have parades to demonstrate their pride for the country they came from? If pure hubris is okay for them it’s okay for me. Nonetheless it is a privilege to live in a free society. There is no better place to be poor but in America. What country can anyone go to and be poor but have a roof of their head even if it is in a shelter, have food to eat even if it’s at a soup kitchen and have clothes to wear. Where in the world is their more opportunity to come out of poverty if you want to. The people you speak of have never been slaves. They did not come here in chains on a slave ship or worked on a plantation, except for the government’s welfare plantation. The people whose lives were affected by Jim Crow are of the older generation and most of them are dying out. What’s peculiar is the generations after Jim Crow are doing worse than the generations before them that experienced slavery or Jim Crow and the Christians who were the majority survived it because of Jesus Christ. For the past 50 years the generations in the Black community have been going downhill and with all the educating and informing about the problem it hasn’t stopped and that’s because they don’t know who God is. If Jesus was good enough for the slaves and those who came through Jim Crow, He is should be good enough for everyone, but since that not the case that’s the reason the world has problems. You are right it does impact children if their being raised to believe there are forces beyond their control keeping them down. This creates hopelessness and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that passes on from one generation to the next. In my comments I never said or assumed racism ended. If you go back and read what I said, my comments were about ways to get around racism although it exists. I don’t know about South Africa, but in America wealth inequality exist because people mismanaged their money or depend on the government for their needs. Wealth becomes equal when people are educated to work, save and invest their money to build wealth. The journalist Tony Brown said Black people have a strange kind of poverty because they buy what they want and beg for what they need. Yes I think America is the greatest in spite of the problems. There is no other place I rather live than America. President Obama a Democrat campaigned on being a Christian, but yet he supports homosexuality and abortion which is the Democrats platform but it is not a Republican platform. You can ask the Democrats about their Christ-like behavior since they have been in control of the government for more years than Republicans and have created the majority of the problems. People coming out of oppression should not be dependent on what other people do, think or understand. That is giving people power over their life rather than God, whose name is Jesus. God said in Philippians 4:13 People can do all things through Christ which strengthen them. Yet you won’t know it until you live it. Troy Johnson 4 weeks ago The interesting thing about your last statement is that I have talked to many other people who say the same things about their religions. Again, I appreciate your thoughtful and obviously sincere comments. But whether you appreciate it or not you are indeed proselytizing, when you attempt to convince others that your religion is "right" and writing things like, "Evil comes upon a person, a race and a nation because they want to live by their own rules instead of following Jesus Christ." Sapiens have being on Earth for 200K years. The vast majority of people who have lived, are living, or will live, will not be Christians. Most of them however have lived or will live righteous lives, by adhere to many Christian principles, not because Christ invented, or promulgated them, but because they are good principles by with to live. Sure, if people were more "Christ-like" the world would be a better place. However history teaches us the some very evil people were ardent Christians. So you have to appreciate why the behavior of "so called" Christians is very confusing to many people. You stated that Obama campaigned on being a Christian yet he supports "homosexuality and abortion." So is he a Christian or not? Who gets to decide, you? It is interesting that your measure of America being the greatest country in the world because is that it is the best place to be poor. In my mind, given the wealth of this nation the fact that there are so many who are poor and locked up is America's greatest failure. As far as attributing the disparity of wealth to the simple mismanagement of of money would require completely ignoring centuries of laws and behaviors designed to elevate one group of people over another--behaviors that persisted to the present day. Perhaps this too is something "you won’t know it until you live it."The interesting thing about your last statement is that I have talked to many other people who say the same things about their religions. Again, I appreciate your thoughtful and obviously sincere comments. But whether you appreciate it or not you are indeed proselytizing, when you attempt to convince others that your religion is "right" and writing things like, "Evil comes upon a person, a race and a nation because they want to live by their own rules instead of following Jesus Christ." Sapiens have being on Earth for 200K years. The vast majority of people who have lived, are living, or will live, will not be Christians. Most of them however have lived or will live righteous lives, by adhere to many Christian principles, not because Christ invented, or promulgated them, but because they are good principles by with to live. Sure, if people were more "Christ-like" the world would be a better place. However history teaches us the some very evil people were ardent Christians. So you have to appreciate why the behavior of "so called" Christians is very confusing to many people. You stated that Obama campaigned on being a Christian yet he supports "homosexuality and abortion." So is he a Christian or not? Who gets to decide, you? It is interesting that your measure of America being the greatest country in the world because is that it is the best place to be poor. In my mind, given the wealth of this nation the fact that there are so many who are poor and locked up is America's greatest failure. As far as attributing the disparity of wealth to the simple mismanagement of of money would require completely ignoring centuries of laws and behaviors designed to elevate one group of people over another--behaviors that persisted to the present day. Perhaps this too is something "you won’t know it until you live it." DeeDee Dez 3 weeks ago +Troy Johnson It’s not what people say about their religion. It’s what God the creator of mankind says. Religion is man-made ways of reaching God. Christianity is God’s way of reaching man to save his soul. Christianity transcends religion. There are many different religions under the banner of Christianity. A few are true to the Word of God the majority not worth two cents, as God reveals in the book of Revelations. In the Bible God does not concern himself with religions. He speaks about three groups of people: The Jews, Gentiles and the Church. When Jesus returns He is not coming back for people of any religions. He is coming back for His church. Not those in the physical church, but those in the spiritual church called the Body of Christ. They are the ones filled with the Holy Spirit. So I am not proselytizing because I am not trying to convert anybody into any religion. What I am doing is spreading the gospel truth. Jesus said to go into the world and spread the gospel. Being nothing is perfect in an imperfect world and good and evil exist everywhere in every group, race, culture whatever, I believe history teaches us also that the most evil and worse evil have and is being done by the most ardent atheist and Muslims. So I can say the behavior of so-called Muslims that say their religion is a religion of peace is also confusing. President Obama lied about being a Christian. There are numerous videos on YouTube where he is confessing to be Muslim. From what I understand Muslims are permitted to lie if it furthers the cause of Islam. They way America takes care of its poor is one of the measures of a great nation, but not the only. The way the people who consider themselves poor are living in America compared to other countries, they are not poor. However they are poor in mind and spirit which is the reason they live in the richest nation in world but cannot attain wealth for themselves. It’s like homeless people begging on the streets. Where can a working person go a make $3 within 3 minutes. If a homeless person stood on the street all day they would make more than the average working person and its tax free. However because there priorities are wrong they remain poor and homeless. Its starts with the way people thinks, perceive themselves and their priorities. As for the majority locked up they are locked up because they committed crimes very few are innocent. Those who commit crimes are where they should be. Locked up. Don’t want to be locked up don’t commit crimes. It’s not a simple mismanagement of money it is a gross mismanagement of money and lack of knowledge on building wealth. There is no laws stopping anyone from being wealthy. What law is there today that prohibits anyone from working and putting money in the bank to save? What investment company is refusing to take any race of people’s money? I have lived it and learned it that why I can speak about it. Troy Johnson 3 weeks ago Your experience, as well as mine, however compelling, is purely anecdotal and not very useful understanding a group of people. We do know, based upon information gathered from the experiences of millions of others, that justice is, and has always been, unequally applied to people of color in America. In other words White people who engage in the same activity as Black people are not arrested as much nor are their sentences as severe when they are arrested. I don't know enough about Islam or Christianity to comment on those subjects, but I do know that millions, perhaps billions of people have been murdered, enslaved, oppressed in the name of both Christianity and Islam. Despite that there are righteous followers of both belief systems who draw guidance and strength from their beliefs and manage to go the day without killing anyone. So from my perspective it is not enough for someone to say they are Christian, or quote scripture, for me to trust that they would not oppress Black people, or blame those people for not keeping up as a consequence of that oppression--whether they recognize the oppression or not.Your experience, as well as mine, however compelling, is purely anecdotal and not very useful understanding a group of people. We do know, based upon information gathered from the experiences of millions of others, that justice is, and has always been, unequally applied to people of color in America. In other words White people who engage in the same activity as Black people are not arrested as much nor are their sentences as severe when they are arrested. I don't know enough about Islam or Christianity to comment on those subjects, but I do know that millions, perhaps billions of people have been murdered, enslaved, oppressed in the name of both Christianity and Islam. Despite that there are righteous followers of both belief systems who draw guidance and strength from their beliefs and manage to go the day without killing anyone. So from my perspective it is not enough for someone to say they are Christian, or quote scripture, for me to trust that they would not oppress Black people, or blame those people for not keeping up as a consequence of that oppression--whether they recognize the oppression or not. DeeDee Dez 3 weeks ago +Troy Johnson Christianity is not anecdotal. It is has been tried, tested and stands as true. As I said there are good and evil in everything. However salvation comes through only one man, Jesus Christ. Mankind is not capable of saving itself through secularism or religion. A Facebook quote said: “The greatest man in history is Jesus. He had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battle, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him (this was unequal justice). He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives.” Jesus is the one that said He is the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except by Him. Has nothing to do with religion or how people go through the day without killing anybody. Knowing that Blacks do not get same justice as a White person for the same crime is more reason not to commit crimes. However how does someone that is a criminal have the audacity to commit a crime and then balk about not getting equal justice compared to another criminal? Whatever time you get is what you deserve regardless of what someone else gets. It’s your crime worry about your own time. Why isn’t anybody complaining about the equal justice of the victims, their families and friends? They are usually the ones that are shortchanged. When Blacks stop being victims, stop committing crime, stop using and dealing drugs and stop immorality they will come out of oppression. There is no scripture in the Bible that says to blame others for the condition of your life. The Bible says sin is what keeps you oppressed. When Black learn to live righteously, and stop committing crime, especially Black on Black crime, stop dealing and using drugs, and stop all their other immoral behavior they will come out of the oppression. No one outside the Black community is oppressing them. They are their own worst enemies. Da Trap pro (Pat Pat) 3 days ago +DeeDee Dez What world do you live in? How does the world start with Jesus if it existed before? How does Egyptian religion predates Jesus by 1,000 yrs, Yet Jesus story is exactly the same 12yrs missing and all. How the hell does the bible go from Egypt to Israel? Why do people keep rewriting that book? So you believe in talking snakes? What about all the death in the name of Jesus? And why does Jesus say he is God? You are retarded. DeeDee Dez 3 days ago (edited) +Da Trap pro There are supernatural and miraculous, but when people deny the supernatural and miraculous they are confused and cannot understand God and the Bible. There is a spiritual world that cannot be explained naturally but is explained spiritually and functions as we do naturally and has the greatest power over mankind's life than what we can naturally see or imagine. God said in 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” How could Jesus predestinated Abraham except supernaturally? People say many things about Jesus Christ, but I never heard anyone who believes in his existence say he was a liar. However, Jesus existence is verified in history by nonreligious as well as religious. People can disagree on whether he is God or not, but those that say He never existed are truly ignorant. In John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am,” and in the book of Genesis 1:26 and throughout Genesis God said, “Let us make . . .” Who are the “us” God is talking about: Himself, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Da Trap pro (Pat Pat) 2 days ago +DeeDee Dez The only confuses person is you. You deny the real world and use the same plagiarized book to provide quotes. You say nothing of fact, nothing with merit, you speak like a sheep. You saying the same shit the last brainwashed dude said. Why when a question is asked of you idiots you can not answer the most simplistic question. Look keep your rhetoric to yourself, and learn how to have a conversation. Not skim through the internet looking fictitious quotes. You really that retarded. I love how people are fucking stupid, as if the rest of ignore reality. Same Jesus was in the cotton fields, same faith means if the bible says 2+2=5 you will believe that. You are a idiot. Go away you are brainwashed. You spend all your money in church trying to buy a miracle. Yet people are on the streets dying. fucking idiot!!! Okay, keep believing that people coming from Africa, could not speak English. Too, bad the preacher doesn't live you, nor does he give anything. Church doesn't even pay tax. Because GOOOOOOOD needs Moooooooneyyyyy.!!! Paper fake money, yes God wants that. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL You idiot!! Go away. I dont talk to crazy people. You don't even except that you are here on earth. So there is nothing you could ever convince another of anything. Da Trap pro (Pat Pat) 2 days ago +DeeDee Dez World history says your Jesus never existed. Good day! DeeDee Dez 17 hours ago +Da Trap pro Christianity is my belief and I am not confused about my belief. The confused people are the ones that want to deny Christianity and try to dispute the existence of Jesus and the accuracy of the Bible without being a born again Holy Ghost filled believer. If you don’t want to believe anything I said, that’s your business. However I don't have to be cursed an called names because you don't agree. Especially since you sound illiterate and don’t know how to have a decent conversation. I don’t know what purpose you think cursing and calling names serves. What facts have you proved by except to show you are ignorant, have poor communication skills, and you are too immature to have an intelligent conversation. However, you are right I am brainwashed. I’m brainwashed by Jesus Christ which is a good thing because He gives me the grace and dignity so I don’t have to stoop down to your level. Where in my conversation did I deny the real world? My basis for truth, facts and reality is the Bible, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. What’s the basis for yours? What’s your proof that the Bible is plagiarized? How can you prove that the supernatural and miraculous is not a reality? You are certainly right. Jesus was in the cotton fields. It was because of Jesus being in the cotton fields the slaves were freed. It is because of Jesus there is no longer Jim Crow and I thank God for Jesus Christ every day. If it wasn’t for Jesus America would not be a free nation. What social media do you own that gives you the right to determine who can be on this post? I’ll will be here until I am ready to go. If you don’t like what I am saying, you can leave. Actually you may want to go somewhere and get a grip on your anger because you sound like a crazy mad dog. Da Trap pro (Pat Pat) 10 hours ago +DeeDee Dez Yaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnn. Prove it. Prove that information did not come off a boat? You can't because it did. English, so the bible was written in English, yet the bible speaks of a land that does not speak English. Keep telling yourself nothing matters, lololol. fucking loser, that s why people do not trust Christians because they refuse to accept reality. If you aren't into helping mankind, beside your propaganda book, which we cannot eat, then go meet your god. And quit trying to convince people to believe. Man is free, you be salve alone! DeeDee Dez 8 hours ago +Da Trap pro Christians have done more for mankind than any group on the face of this earth. You are the loser because you are unable to dispute the truth. Instead of making baseless statements, and sounding like the devil when he hates to hear the truth, you should be able to tell what the basis for your truth is. Man is a slave to sin and Jesus is the only one that can set man free. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father (God), except by me (John 14:6). That’s the gospel truth whether you believe it or not. I'm not a slave because God said who the Son (Jesus) set free is free indeed (John 8:36).. Amen! Da Trap pro (Pat Pat) 8 hours ago +DeeDee Dez go the fuck away. I am not reading shit you typed you are a dummy!!!! GO!! BYE!!! I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU!!! bye, damn just like a stupid fucking Christian can't hear shit but what they say. BYE FELICIA! DeeDee Dez 8 hours ago +Da Trap pro Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. DeeDee Dez 8 hours ago +Da Trap pro Proverbs 18:7 A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. DeeDee Dez 8 hours ago +Da Trap pro Proverbs 23:9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Da Trap pro (Pat Pat) 5 hours ago +DeeDee Dez Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery- Malcolm X DeeDee Dez 1 hour ago +Da Trap pro God, whose name is Jesus says to me in Proverb 1:10-12 1y daughter, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: My Father God also said, No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against me in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. In other words before you dig a grave for me, dig one for yourself because you are going to fall into it before I do. In the name of Jesus. Amen!

Hey Chris, I posted this on Facebook and it was the LEAST viewed thing I ever posted on Facebook. Talk about censorship! That is one thing I never did here was tell people what they could or could not say.

Here are the 20 Finalists for the 2015 National Book Awards! Of the twenty Finalists, only two—poet Terrance Hayes and Young People’s author Steve Sheinkin—have ever been NBA Finalists before. Learn about the full list here.

Hey Chris I went back and edits this post to narrow the focus to just writers which is all I use it for. I won't try to speak to musicians. Honestly I bet if you probed, you see anomalies in the data as well. The videos demonstrates that Facebook is deliberately deceiving advertisers. There is no other explanation for the data I shared. As you know I don't care about clicks or comments other the incentive that it may create to get people to click through to the website. As the videos show many of the likes are fake too. I've been railing against Facebook for social issues, but the real story is they are ripping advertisers off. Facebook is clever and slick, and if I had not looked very deep, and in a way most people don't I would never have discovered. it. The give away was that the book I was advertising generated 20 clicks (this was supported by my own click tracked and the Facebook report). On average, I sell on average one book for every 12 clicks, Since I got 20 clicks on the Facebook ad I expected at least one sale. I checked Amazon and B&N and there was not a single click for the book! This seemed very odd so I checked Google saw that the "visitors" click the link but technically did not look at the site. I seriously doubt, I'm the only one this is being done to. The other problem is that ads on AALBC.com are far more effective than facebook, but if Facebook is touting fake numbers they can look better to advertisers. This tends to hurt all other advertisers trying to play by the rules. Another problem is that the fake click from Facebook inflates my website traffic. The impact is too small to be measurable, but for large advertisers who spend a lot of money they are effectively paying for fake traffic.

If you are using Facebook to promote your writing (selling a book, promoting articles), on a blog or website, you really should set aside 30 minutes, watch two short videos and read an article: Serious Problems With Facebook Promotion For example, all of the clicks I got from a Facebook ad, stayed on my website for 0 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly, zero seconds--all of the "visitors." I have very strong evidence to suggest all of those click were fakes.

I'm open to question how much influence the mediu have too Cynique. I guess I just believe it has more of an impact than you do. At the end of the day people want something different that what we now have. Obama campaigned on "change," and we got more of the same. Trump is benefiting from this unsatisfied desire of people for a change from what we have. Yes Obama had better commercials and media support, and no one has ever spent more money on an presidential election than those Obama/Romney. Beside the media helped present and reinforce the image of Obama as a global rock star. No one could compete against that--the whole world wanted change and believed Obama would usher in a new era of less greed and more compassion out of the US. People could simply go to a candidate's website to learn about their positions. Of course few do that, so we rely on the media to summarize it for us. But they do a horrible job at that. I seriously doubt Ben Carson is as well known as Donald Trump. I also doubt anyone could name most of the people running for the office--sure you can, but most people of voting age probably could not, and I'd bet my life very few could state what any of those candidates positions are on key issues. Yes, I believe people go with their gut, for they have nothing else to go on, and they are definitely not voting on anyone they never heard of before. Folks like, Lincoln Chafee, Martin O'Malley, John Kasich, and Jim Gilmore should just drop out now.

Funk & Soul Covers: This book will make you wish you kept your album collection: http://aalbc.it/funksoulcovers

You give the media too little credit Cynique. I'm not sure I understand why you say the media do not exert a influence over people. If there was no impact, politicians would not give, literally billions of dollars, to the media to promote their campaigns. Politicians spend this money because they know campaigns are more about popularity than issues. The last presidential cycle cost almost 3 Billion dollars. Politicians also recognize that people are motivated by their emotions rather than substance. So if the media constantly talk about Hillary's email issues and trumpet Trump's populist rhetoric, rather than the experience and positions of either, who do you think will benefit more? The media also decides which pollsters get heard. Most people I know hang up or don't answer the phone when a pollster calls--if they are ever called. I'm sure if they called people like us Cynique, Carson and Trump would be WAAAY back in the polls. If Trump was never on The Apprentice do you think he would be leading the polls now? Elections are all about celebrity and name recognition. You can buy it, the media can give it to you for free, or both. The only viable candidate are those that get both. Right about now Trump is the man.

Cynique, the problem is, I know you are tired of hearing me say it...the damn media. There are many people who feel the way you do, they just don't have a platform or a voice. I'm going to quote you in my next eNewsletter to see it the opinion draws any more attention or additional commentary here. What has been the reaction on Facebook? Sharpton hosted Ben Carson at his last National Action Network meeting. I had zero interest in going, but I did ultimately listen to a video of the event. Carson ran off a litany of Black accomplishments, you know inventing the traffic light and the BS you would tell kindergarteners. Like Trump the man is a boon for TV ratings both Ben and Donald draw all the media attention away from the men who will be the actual nominees--the men we really should be scrutinizing. But who knows maybe we are in for a Carson/Trump ticket. A Trump/Carson ticket would do well against the presumptive nominee, Joe Biden and whoever else they dig up to run with him. The whole presidential election is a farce. Whoever gets voted off the island last will just be a figurehead, like Obama, catering to wall street, killing innocents in the middle east and doing nothing for Black people... what else is new.

According to the Hollywood Reporter... Quvenzhane Wallis has inked a deal to publish four books with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. The deal covers a chapter-book trilogy as well as a picture book written by Wallis, who became the youngest actress ever to receive a best actress Academy Award nomination for her starring role in Beasts of the Southern Wild. A source pegs the Wallis deal at six figures. World rights were jointly acquired by Christian Trimmer, executive editor of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and Dawn Davis, VP and publisher of 37 INK, a division of Atria. ICM Partners' Esther Newberg brokered the deal.

October 5, 2015 Jacqueline Jones LaMon Elected President of Cave Canem Foundation On behalf of Cave Canem’s board of directors, I am pleased to announce that Jacqueline Jones LaMon has been elected to serve as the organization’s next president. She succeeds co-founder Toi Derricotte, who held the office from February 1997 to late September 2015. Derricotte will continue to serve on the board as a director. A Cave Canem fellow, director of the board since 2009, and 2013-15 chair of the development committee, LaMon plans to work with board colleagues, staff and stakeholders to “build on the solid groundwork established by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady . . . and ensure a healthy foundation for decades to come—emphasizing creative excellence, shaping our legacy of mentorship, and promoting entrepreneurial leadership.” LaMon is the author of two award-winning collections of poetry, most recently, Last Seen (University of Wisconsin Press), and a novel, In the Arms of One Who Loves Me (Ballantine Books). An Associate Professor at Adelphi University, where she teaches in the multi-genre MFA program, she has received fellowships from Yaddo Foundation, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Read the full press release here. Best Regards, Alison Meyers Executive Director CAVE CANEM FOUNDATION, INC. • www.cavecanempoets.org • 718.858.0000 20 Jay Street, Suite 310-A, Brooklyn, NY 11201