Troy

Yeah maybe I'll cut back on the content on the bottom. I don't really need the whole mission and about me statements when I can link to them. I spent quite a bit of time make the stuff on the bottom look good at various screen widths, but I'll will ultimately cut back on the content on the bottom, and probably eliminate it altogether for mobile platforms. Thanks for the suggestions. Yes you do seem to be more inclined to write about business I suspect as more people lose their jobs, become unemployable, or unable to earn a decent wage. Advisory on entrepreneurship will increase in demand. Those with a demonstrated track record will be most in demand.

I just read that Jeff Price's rant. The issues are the same in publishing. The thing that gives the Amazon's and the Pandora's of the world so much power is that anyone can now get music to listeners and books to readers-ANYBODY. In the old model many people were cut off. Now that making music and books is so cheap and Amazon and youtube provide a platform for distribution there will be plenty of musicians and writers signing up to give their stuff away. As Jeff pointed out the old model was far from perfect, but this model is worse. As long as this is true, big these corporations will not have to pay for content. ...and I don't see this ending anytime soon. As far as the website upgrade is coming, I think I have the design for the top and bottom of the web pages completed: http://75.103.68.29/template.html now I have to work on a few templates for different types of content pages. I trying to get my kids to help me with the data migration. None of them are really into it, but they will probably help out a bit anyway :-)

According to Toni Morrison it is Ta-Nehisi Coates. His latest book, Between the World and Me, was supposed to come out in September, but has been pushed up to July 17th. It is unusual for a publisher to move a in this fashion but given the demand for the book decided this was the right move. According to the Wall Street Journal, "To build support for the book, Spiegel & Grau in May sent advance-reader copies to a small group of influential people interested in the subject, including Mr. Legend and Mr. Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, Mr. Jackson said." AALBC.com I was not on that short list. Mr. Jackson is a Black man. As far as I know he is the most senior Brother in Publishing. I did however pick up a copy of the book, at Book Expo, one of two I came away with that day. I had to wait in line like everyone else to get a copy (this is shameful in my not so humble opinion). Both Coates and Mr. Jackson have been to my home. A luta continua...

Cynique, you did read where I wrote that I hear the n-word used everyday? When I taught young adults, I heard the word several times an hour. Finally, I asked the students to stop using it, not because I could not take it, but because I did not believe they understood how much they used the word and how it would effect how they are be perceived by others--particularly the ones they'd hoped to be hired by. As a compromise, one or two used the word "ninja" in it's place. Cynique, given how much older you are than I am, i would still be surprised if you both said the word more or heard it used more than I have. I say that to say, unless it is being used by a white man, with a rope in his hand, the word nigger is does not mean very much to me than dude, homie or Bruh. But that does not mean I think the President should use the word in public. I think there is a time and a place for everything. And of all the things I might have to complain about Obama this would rank way down on the list. In fact, as I said, it has become more of a distraction from important issues like TPP. I'm not sure it matters much either, but if Obama had used the n-word while he was campaigning that would have been sayin' sumthin'.

Some of you may have noticed an Amazon advertisement for watches, very expensive watches. I just put the ad up taking a rare someone, who visited this site will actually buy one of these watches. Of course now that I've looked at thes watched on Amazon the ad has been following me all over the WWW. On another site I clicked the ad, because I never really looked at the information about the watches. Curious I decided to read about the watches and learn why someone would pay so much for a watch particularly the one shown below, which costs $86,000. I read the review and it made my night :-) I hope you enjoy it too. Of course my affiliate code is applied (just in case). Just look at it!, March 16, 2014By Tad Gallion This review is from: Montegrappa Chaos Gold and Enamel Automatic Watch (Watch)I'm a value shopper. I was looking for a watch that both looks nice and keeps time, but I was trying to stay under $100,000. I looked for weeks and was about to give up when I spotted this on Amazon! I got it for only $85,995! That left $14,005 in my budget for an extra strap and a pair of those tricky pins that hold the strap in place. Things I love about this watch: - The look. I love a good skull. I love a nice, scaly snake. Together, on a watch, on my arm?! Yeah, baby. I had to have it. - Design. I've not seen a combination of colors and design work like this since the great Elvis on Black Velvet painting era of the 1970s. You simply can't find art work like this anywhere, unless you are willing to dig to the very bottom of the dentist office goody box. - Celebrity endorsement. When I saw this on 67 year old Sylvester Stallone, his hair freshly darkened and makeup perfect, I thought - "That's me." Then, in the same photo, I realized the grinning Stallone was clutching the erect shaft of his pen (matches watch, $5,000). Given I'd saved so much purchasing the watch, I was able to toss my Bic. - Features. Keeps time AND the date (always spot on!) - Durability. The crown "protects against water ingress". You know if a company uses that many words for "waterproof", its gotta be the best. - Origin. Made in Italy. Italy is a leader in manufacturing and technology - I buy all my computers, phones, etc from Italy. - Materials/Value. Note its made with genuine enamel. Enamal - its not just for bathtubs anymore. This watch will hold its value - even during a global uprising of the "have-nots" against the "haves" with their "let them eat cake" grasp of reality and utter inability to see the value of all that is good and decent in the world... But I digress. - Workmanship. PVD-coated back -- the same coating found on finer snack food bags. - Automatic. That means it will save you money in the long run. I was paying $15 every two years replacing the battery on my old watch, that's $150 every twenty years, or $15,000 every 200 years. Over time, this watch will pay for itself! - The ladies. Several have told me how "interesting" the watch is. One says it says a lot about me. Yesterday, one said, "You know, "classy" would be just "cly" without people like you!" Isn't that nice?! Things I don't like: - I get confused about what time it is mid-afternoon, unless it's the third of the month. - No light. At first I was bummed, but as I've been sleeping with the light on so I can gaze at the watch during the night, it's not been a problem. - Occasionally, I've raked the skin off my forehead wiping my brow with my wrist (not good for the gym!) I hope this review helps! Good luck!

Thanks for sharing this Chris. I actually like the Game of Thrones analysis. It is interesting to note that in all of your insightful analysis you failed to mention Obama. I just ran a Huria Search across all Black media to read who has covered TPP. I did not read all of the articles but those against TPP do not mention Obama, those for if use his name quite liberally.

Maybe it is just me, but I'll never understand why we so strongly believe the tools of the 1% will ever be instrumental in improving our situation. For example it is alarming how few in the online Black community are talking about TPP. Social media was ablaze when on non-issues like Rachel, or Obama's use of the n-word. But virtually quiet on TPP. In fact, I'm cynical enough to believe that Obama dropped the n-bomb and sang Amazing Grace just to divert attention from topics like TPP, which adversely affect all middle class and poor Americans--particularly Black people. At anyrate, TPP does not generate income for social media owners, so it will never be highlighted on social media. Rare is the issue that is really important to Black people and lucrative to the owners of social media, perhaps that is why we are losing so much ground on the web, employment, education, and on... Maybe Bill Maher or John Oliver will put a humorous twist on TPP and get our attention, fro 5 minutes.

"You're not niggers." [classic Spike Lee, I forgot he used to make good movies] Yesterday, on the Joe Madison (who is against the use of the n-word) radio program, was talking to a woman and was explaining to her how Jewish people have essentially eliminated the "K-word." The woman, an adult, had no clue what the "K-word," brilliantly making Joe's point. See everyone knows what the "n-word" is. Michael Jackson had the following lyrics in one of his songs. Which used the so called K-word. Jews went ballistic--and Jackson's use of the word was to fight racism! But these very same people profit handsomely encourage the use of the use of the N-word in rap lyrics. Recently at a beach club, where all of the guests are white and most of the workers are Black. One of the Black workers told me that he overheard a very young boy ask his dad, referring to the Black worker, if "...that was an n-word?" Not he, but that. I could not do anything in reaction by shake my but shake my head, and ask if the boy actually say "n-word" or "nigger" (he said n-word, but will not be very long before his is saying nigger). Did I say this was in New York City? Cynique, I don't know how the use of the word nigger could increase. I hear it used every single day. I do not think Obama should have used the word. It was NOT favorable to me, and I'm not alone in that sentiment. But I could see why you have that impression, because the white owned media is fine with it's use. Do you think Obama would have used the word Kike, Spic or Fag in a similar context? It seemed like a misdirected attempt by Obama to appear to be down, you know, the way "regular" folk behave. It makes me think of Dick Cavett's use of the word with Eddie Murphy about 30 years ago. We do not own this word.

I hear you Chris, but I'm not so confident that Ebony is making millions. I suspect they are struggling, as evidenced by the late issues and other things. But I still subscribe, because other than Ebony what other magazine is left in this space? I think we need Ebony. It is not like we still have Emerge, or any other magazine to fill the void. Ebony like most big Black communities I've encountered are very difficult to support. They simply don't reciprocate. Now I don't say this lightly, but I say it because it is important and it stands in stark contrast to white owned indie companies that I deal with. This unwillingness to collaborate is both shameful and self destructive, and helps explain why indie Black businesses struggle and even why non-black owned businesses can thrive in our communities and with our dollars. Leaving the corporate world for entrepreneurship has been very enlightening with regard to the plight of our people.

Cynique the flag, like the word is the same. What changes is how we feel about it. Your interpretation of the word nigga/er is your own. It is in no stretch of the imagination a universal sentiment. Back to Kanye, I think he was actually trying make the flag his own in much the same way that you've claimed Black people have made nigger their own. But given the grief people are giving President Obama for using the word recently, clearly it is not a word that we own. Nigger was co-opted for commercial purposes long ago. Do you think sales of the confederate flag are going to go up or down now? Again, my main point is what we see in the media regarding the n-word and the confederate flag is full of inconsistencies and hypocrisy--which is a direct reflection of the American culture.

I re-read the “The Shape of Things to Come: A Master Plan.” I even the chapter to our Chancellor Williams page. But I not nearly as optimistic as Williams was. If Williams were alive today I would be very surprised if he would be as confident today. I do not think there are enough people who would be willing to give this effort any consideration. In fact I'd be willing to bet this were true when the Master plan was first written. Chris Burns wrote something that speaks to this point, “...I would never give Facebook more effort than I give a platform that is Black owned.” Now he and I might feel this way, but almost no one else feel this way. In seems you really have to be a Black business owner to really appreciate this. In fact, Williams understood this quite well. Listen to his opening statement, in the video below, from Tony Brown's Journal. Now that does not mean we should not try. I'm trying to do this in my small corner on the web. I know how hard this is, I can imagine succeeding on the scale Williams' outlined. I think the closest thing we have in the way of the implementing of Williams Master Plan is the Nation of Islam. But as much respect I have for the Nation, I would never join them, for many reasons least of which are their austere lifestyle standards. This is of course why the Nation's impact and potential influence over Black people is severely limited.

"...I would never give Facebook more effort than I give a platform that is Black owned." From you mouth to God's ears Brother! I agree with your other points as well. I guess I'm just tired of our ever so apparent hypocrisy. I guess with all the extra noise we are subjected to from social media the hypocrisy which was always present just becomes so much more self-evident and irritating. We previously discussed our own use of the Confederate Battle Flag. Where were the calls to sign petition to ban Kayne West, whose image is far more impactful to our youth, in particular, the some Flag flying over SC that most of us will never see? Why can we get the n-word banned from popular music if we are so concerned about symbols of "racism" and "degradation?"

We have two subscriptions, though one I don't recall purchasing both come late one comes extremely late. I should have received the issue above already, but I probably will not get it until August.

I'm a Black man, proudly black. I never wanted to live or work anywhere but among Black people. It is what I do now. But I really can't get so bent out of shape over the Confederate battle flag controversy. This media fueled-for-profit outrage does nothing to advance our cause. Before the recent mass murder in Charleston, I posted a photo of this flag which is flying quite prominently over I-95, in VA (see, "Confederate Flag Welcomes Drivers on I-95 to the South"). At the time, I searched for information about this flag, because it just seems so crazy that it would be on display so prominently--I mean it is a BIG-ass flag. I found some information about the flag, but there was no outrage, certainly not the outrage we are reading today. The three biggest arguments I heard about the flag, coming from Black people, include; 1 - It is a symbol of racism, and the pro-slavery south. Sure it is, and so is the American Flag, that so many of us salute at every sporting event. There was slavery in America for two hundred years before the Confederate Flag was even invented. How can we be so insulted by the confederate flag when those honoring the American flag did far worse that those who honor the confederate flag. In fact, I'd rather see the flag--it lets me know who I'm dealing with, unlike the hypocrites who lie to your face while stabbing you in the back. 2 - The Flag Represents Treason Phulese! Not 100 years before the Confederate flag was raised during the Civil War, The folks here were engaged in their own treasonous act fighting for independence from Britain. Jefferson Davis is no more a traitor than George Washington, the father of our country. 3- The flag is a symbol of hate spurring the violence we witnessed in Charleston Does anybody believe for one second that Charleston could never have happened were it not for this flag? If the flag were banned completely does anyone think that racists could not come up with another flag. Often Germany is praised for banning the Nazi flag, and it is suggested that we should do the same thing, and maybe we should. But I have no illusions that anything will change for Black people in this country as a result. I mean President Obama gave a speech on a bridge named for the Grand Wizard of the Klan and a Confederate General in the Civil war! Where was the outrage then. Where is the call to rename that bridge? I signed the petition to remove the Confederate flag from all government places, which is now up to 563,155 signatures, but that took about 10 seconds of effort with zero sacrifice--big deal! How about a boycott of Charleston, SC, or even the entire state? No, that won't happen anymore than a boycott of Empire on Fox, or even, God forbid, the active support of a Black owned business.

Nassoma, where have you been! I have the book, but I printing this out again and will re-read it. I've been beating my head against a wall trying to promote this idea, but it is a losing battle. I'm open to ideas; please feel free to share them here.

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.