Troy

Does anyone believe Black men today are afraid of doctors because of the Tuskegee experience and tragedy? I doubt the average Black man (particularly our younger men) know anything about it . If anything it is a issue of a lack of health coverage, or just ignorance or laziness about getting of regular physical examinations.

The pricing for eBooks is a contentious topic. Some argue that the same amount of work goes into publishing an eBook as a regular book. You still need the agents, authors, editorial, publicists marketing, etc. This of course ignores the physical production of paper, books, storage, transportation loss allowance and most importantly returns. Really what is happening is that eBook have to subsidize the production cost of paper books. There really is nothing inherently wrong with this. However, common senses tell you an eBook costs less to produce than a physical book. So when the sales price fails to reflect this fact it just looks fishy. Certainly the consumer does not benefit,. nor does the publisher Of course Amazon has no problem deeply discounting physical books -- selling them a a loss even to get business and to put pressure on competitors. Since they are not allowed to discount eBooks sold by big 5/6 publisher we run into pricing anomalies like the one described. Of course independents like yourself can price ebooks at any price they like, and certainly at a level that more accurately reflects production costs. The book business is a state of flux right now.

Very nice intro -- thanks for sharing. Love N Joy. Check this out think about shortening the URL with bit.ly that will tell you how many people actually clicked you link here (or anywhere else), Also sign up for Amazon's affiliate program or use the affiliate code of a book selling like myself: Here is an example: Here is a link to you book with my affiliate code applied: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00BBS2I6E/ref=nosim/newsstory-20 Customer pays the same price, you get the same royalty but I get a commission an an intensive to sell the book. Next you can take that link and shorten it: with bit.ly the URL is now: http://bit.ly/hftears or if you get a special domain you can customize it more: http://aalbc.it/hftears this is easier to remember and shorter which is perfect for twitter or in print where a long URL is too unwieldy. To see where the link is being clicked you can just go to https://bitly.com/hftears+ and get information on where the link is being clicked and how many times. This is one way you can tell how many people are clicking you links on various social media platforms for example.

A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story By Sister Souljah I discovered this book from the Jan/Feb 2013 bestsellers list I just published. Just a few years ago prior to the publication of, Midnight, Souljah's 2nd novel, a few years after the Coldest Winter Ever, there was much more anticipation, more buzz. In 2013 there was zero buzz at least from my perspective. This is problematic. It is a problem because I actively look for books by Black writers that I think will appeal to or at least interest readers. When a writer of Souljah's notoriety publishes the sequel to a wildly popular book (1,436,559 copies in print) I want to be able to be the first to let people know. Now her latest book A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story has been out for over a month and I had no clue. Sure a few years ago there was more discussion about books here on AALBC.com. I also know many of those people went to social media. But I'm on Twitter and Facebook every day and did not see anything about this book. I also realize publishers spend less on promotion and advertising and that is also part of the problem. (to be plain Simon and Schuster is not an advertiser). I also know we have very few platforms remaining who would review this title. Clutch magazine mentions the book. Digging a little deeper I came across an excellent article about the book in Publishers Weekly. Then the crux on my problem dawned on me. I spend to much time on social media looking for information about books. Sure I push a lot of information about books out there, including this one, but AALBC.com is a much more effective platform for disseminating information about books. I will adjust my behavior accordingly ;-)

Amazon Hardcover List $26.95 (Sale Price: $14.64): Paperback List $16.00 (Sale Price: $10.88) Kindle (eBook) Price: $12.99 Amazon also offers books sales from 3rd part resellers who are selling the Hardcover new for as little as $13.57 and used copies for as low as $7.74. . B&N Nook (eBook) and hardcover prices are the same as Amazon's (3rd party reseller prices are the similar to those offered by Amazon). Interestingly B&N Paperback price is $13.98 a full dollar more than their eBook version (I'm an Amazon Prime member so the difference my be due to my discount -- which also include free shipping). Google's and Amazon's prices for their eBooks is also $12.99. So it seems like the agency model is in full effect. This is where the 5 big publishers colludes to set the price of product (in this case eBooks) artificially high and force retailers to sell the product at the predetermined price. This is oligarchy engaging in monopolistic practices which one would think is illegal. Apparently the Department of Justice does not. But I have not kept up with the story... It reminds me when we were all told how much money we would all save on the price of CD's compared to Albums. Even though CD's were were expensive to manufacture, store and ship than albums; the saving was never past on to the consumer even All this did was encourage the pirating of music to the point we are today: very few musicians can make a living of the sale of their music. I think ringtone sales are more lucrative. If The Accidental Affair was a title I would want to keep in my Library I would buy the hard cover from a 3rd party reseller. If it was just something I wanted to read and not keep it would still make financial sense to buy the hardcover, pass it along after I read it or resell the book (many places buy used book today). If I was concerned about lugging the book around I would buy the eBook. Personally I see no scenario where purchasing the paperback version of a previously released hardcover book makes financial sense. If this keeps up, start looking for mass market paperbacks to proliferate and for elimination of paperback versions of hardcover books to disappear. That or books will skip the hardcover step altogether.

Unfortunately Pioneer "RIGHTEOUS purposes" is purely in the eye of the beholder, and therein lies the rub. One man's human experimentation is another man's form of advancement.

The National Literary Network Organization INC presents 3rd annual Baltimore Urban Book Festival Sunday July 14, 2013 at 12pm-6pm, at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park: 1417 Thames St, Baltimore MD 21231. Celebrating Baltimore's ONLY book festival focusing on African American literature and entertainment Featuring 2013 BUBF Sip and Sign Q and A (Complimentary glass of wine included) with Caroline Jhingory hosted by The Book Looks own Charisse Carney-Nunes taped live by The Book Look Donna Hill hosted by EDC creations Ella Curry, Sadequa Johnson hosted by Sharon Lucas of the Reading Divas Book Club, Angela Stanton hosted by TBA Calling All authors of All genres: Author/Publishing table available,register now Register Now for our Poetry Spoken Word hour Book Clubs register for your free admission and gifts Volunteers wanted Sponsorship opportunities are available and Food vendors wanted to register log on to our new website www.baltimoreurbanbookfestival.org Sponsored by: AALBC.com.Mosiac books,Mahogany books,The Book Look,The Literary Network,EDC creations, Baltimore Times,Rolling Out magazine,The Literary Joint book store.

Go On Girl! Book Club Announces 2012 Award Winners New York, NY - March 6, 2013 - During this Women's History Month, Go On Girl! Book Club, one of the largest national reading organizations in the U.S. dedicated to supporting the work of authors of the African Diaspora, is proud to announce that authors Marlon James and Karen Simpson have been voted by the membership to receive top honors at their 21st Annual Author Awards dinner on Saturday, June 1st, 5pm-8pm at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel in New Jersey. Marlon James was named 2012 Author of the Year for his gripping novel, The Book of Night Women. Karen Simpson was named 2012 New Author of the Year for her powerful story, Act of Grace. Upon learning of his win, Mr. James commented, "I am so excited to be Go On Girl! Book Club's 2012 Author of the Year! Sometimes we writers, holed up in whichever bunker we write out of, forget about the community of readers. A writer can do so many things with a book but he cannot make a page, or a scene or even a character for that matter come alive. That job is the readers' and I'm just blown away that I am being awarded by a community of readers, so committed to making books and literature come alive." Ms. Simpson also expressed her thanks, "When I first started my writing career some ten years ago, I would go to the Go On Girl! Book Club website and dream that someday my novel would be one of those selected. I never thought it would happen. I am both humbled and grateful for this honor. It means so much for my work to be recognized by your readers. Thank you so much." The awards dinner will also honor our 2012 Life Achievement honoree and the GOG Unpublished Writer and Scholarship winners. The dinner will be followed by an author meet & greet featuring our winners and several guest authors and an after-party. Books will be available for purchase at the event by MahoganyBooks. Tickets to Go On Girl! Book Club's 21st Annual Author Awards dinner are $65 and can be purchased until May 1st at www.GoOnGirl.org/events. The awards dinner is the highlight of a weekend of activities for GOG members and guests themed "Reading in Jersey From Exit to Exit". The festivities begin on Friday, May 31st and end on Sunday, June 2nd with Go On Girl! Book Club's Eboni Gray Phenomenal Woman Awards Breakfast, which honors members of the organization and culminates in a special prayer circle. For more information about Go On Girl! Book Club and the 21st Annual Author Awards event visit www.GoOnGirl.org. To inquire about sponsorship, purchasing a dinner table, or advertising opportunities, contact Tracey Y. Smith at (646) 489-6873 or tsmithwd@aol.com.

Go On Girl! Book Club Announces 2012 Award Winners New York, NY - March 6, 2013 - During this Women's History Month, Go On Girl! Book Club, one of the largest national reading organizations in the U.S. dedicated to supporting the work of authors of the African Diaspora, is proud to announce that authors Marlon James and Karen Simpson have been voted by the membership to receive top honors at their 21st Annual Author Awards dinner on Saturday, June 1st, 5pm-8pm at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel in New Jersey. Marlon James was named 2012 Author of the Year for his gripping novel, The Book of Night Women. Karen Simpson was named 2012 New Author of the Year for her powerful story, Act of Grace. Upon learning of his win, Mr. James commented, "I am so excited to be Go On Girl! Book Club's 2012 Author of the Year! Sometimes we writers, holed up in whichever bunker we write out of, forget about the community of readers. A writer can do so many things with a book but he cannot make a page, or a scene or even a character for that matter come alive. That job is the readers' and I'm just blown away that I am being awarded by a community of readers, so committed to making books and literature come alive." Ms. Simpson also expressed her thanks, "When I first started my writing career some ten years ago, I would go to the Go On Girl! Book Club website and dream that someday my novel would be one of those selected. I never thought it would happen. I am both humbled and grateful for this honor. It means so much for my work to be recognized by your readers. Thank you so much." The awards dinner will also honor our 2012 Life Achievement honoree and the GOG Unpublished Writer and Scholarship winners. The dinner will be followed by an author meet & greet featuring our winners and several guest authors and an after-party. Books will be available for purchase at the event by MahoganyBooks (www.mahoganybooks.com). Tickets to Go On Girl! Book Club's 21st Annual Author Awards dinner are $65 and can be purchased until May 1st at www.GoOnGirl.org/events. The awards dinner is the highlight of a weekend of activities for GOG members and guests themed "Reading in Jersey From Exit to Exit". The festivities begin on Friday, May 31st and end on Sunday, June 2nd with Go On Girl! Book Club's Eboni Gray Phenomenal Woman Awards Breakfast, which honors members of the organization and culminates in a special prayer circle. For more information about Go On Girl! Book Club and the 21st Annual Author Awards event visit www.GoOnGirl.org. To inquire about sponsorship, purchasing a dinner table, or advertising opportunities, contact Tracey Y. Smith at (646) 489-6873 or tsmithwd@aol.com.

He is obviously good at math too. The young man sporting the ?love 'fro was mathematically the winner before final jeopardy even started.

I sure hope so, we can use the evolutionary jump as a species... But before you abandon hope, fear not for mankind is already on it. They are already inserting human DNA in animals supposedly to test drugs, doing, since doing that on poor Black people is frowned upon nowadays. Ultimately these chimera can be used for spare hearts, lungs, even providing external wombs, for genetically designed babies, for professional woman to busy to go through the process of mate selection, conception and bringing a baby to term in her own body. Think of all the jobs that will be created, the taxes to be levied -- maybe it will save my social security.

Pioneer this has already happened. But most professional Blacks could give a rats ass what is happening in the 'hood -- especially if they are more than a couple of generations out of the 'hood. They are indistinguishable from their white counterparts. They live in white suburbs, send their kids to white schools and socialize with each other in various clubs and organization that do not include -- indeed exclude ,people from the 'hood with memberships fees, selection processes and just sheer distance. Sure many of them do the annual corporate sponsored charity event or volunteer effort to help less fortunate Black folks. But there is no concerted effort from the group. Some are struggling themselves and the others don't care. Of course there are individual exceptions be they are rare. Just abandon the idea of a "talented tenth" helping the remaining 90% -- it ain't gonna happen. That would require sacrifice and a long term commitment which would be irrational to expect from this group.

You get no argument from me Pioneer. But legalized prostitution would not have stopped the sexual misconduct of men in high positions. Prostitutes provide a service; they fulfill a very basic physical desire, they are not a perfect substitute for an affair. Until a time comes when no one cares when high profile guys sleep around on spouses and make "illegitimate" babies, there will still be consequences. Even with legalized prostitution.

Pioneer I have not come across an opinion expressed here that would result in getting banned. You have nothing to fear. I agree with your assessment on appealing to people with reason, as I've at that many times here. I also know that most people are more easily swayed with emotions or lies that sounds good. . Sure you can spank people to get them to behave in a desired fashion on occasion. But do you really and truly believe that is the BEST way to get a desired outcome? We also know that spanking does not work on all children or work all the time. Why for God's sake would you use the same tactic used by a plantation overseer in the classroom?! Should we really be spanking some 18 year old female high school senior when they talk in class, fail a test or turn in a homework assignment late? This 18 year old may even be a parent herself. Pioneer there are better ways... There are many cultures that don;t do it and there is plenty of science to prove otherwise. I see you continue to reference the Bible, a document you do not fully embrace, in an attempt to justify a point. ------------ Sure some people are better prepared that others for higher education. The problem I have with your suggestion is that in a racist culture like ours I would not want some bureaucrat to make that decision for my children or yours -- because they will all end up working the lowest skilled, and lowest paid jobs. Sadly, we effectively have that situation now as the schools in our Black communities prepare no one for college. In placed like NY they don't even prepare us HS graduation. We have lost generations of talented Black people as a result. Spanking out kids will not fix this--obviously. The ones doing the most spanking come from poor communities where the graduation rates are lowest.

Cynique I'm going to run with my response in a separate discussion as I have some very strong options about creativity computers, education and learning. It may take some time for me to get to it. But I will. Basically you really need to know quite a bit before a computer can be a useful tool -- otherwise you are really a slave to it...

Cynique, exactly. Many of the limitations we have are there because we allowed society to place them on us and we accepted them. I'm Black so I have to like certain things and behave a certain way. Otherwise people look at you sideways and began to doubt yourself. It is almost as if we have to "come Out" as unique human being For example, as a kid doing well in school or speaking properly was considered "acting white" and a rational for ridicule or even a beat down -- seriously. I understand this is STILL an issue for Black kids in the inner city?! I know many people who limit the friends they have, the food they eat, the music they listen and even the places they go -- simply because they have self imposed constraints on their behavior. It is the same attitude, that rubs me the wrong way, whenever I hear some ignoramus proudly exclaim that America is the best country in the world has ever seen. While they, themselves, have never been more than a 1,000 miles from home, never had a passport and have limited knowledge of Global history. That is one reason our friend Del is so cool. He, as far as I've observed, never let anyone define him (he an I were in B-School in together in '91 we both worked in the computer lab helping students with WordPerfect, Lotus 123, and DB2 -- while learning it ourselves) I suspect many of you who post here, who so freely share your opinions and ideas, have similar characteristics. You are not afraid to let people know what you think. Some of you are even willing to adjust or even change your position which is a pretty rare quality :-)

The conversation on Facebook is over. Here is a continuation of the comments I posted here on Thursday: Chris Burns Yes. I actually had a conversation with my wife last night and she explained to me that I can not separate the actually things in place from the people who participate in those "things". I actually read your explanation in regard to why parents give teachers a hard way to go, but having been in the situation so often where the parents themselves take pride in their ignorant behavior and watching how one disruptive child can completely destroy the classroom environment. I simply have the hardest time understanding how the Somalian, Sudanese, Congolese students who were in Southeast San Diego and did not speak the language in 6th grade, ended up in the top 20th percentile at the end of high school and became college graduates. These are kids who didn't even have shoes and definitely didn't have enough money to eat regularly in some instances. What they did have was pride and excitement about education. What is wrong with Black kids who have been here? I'm not naive about societal factors, but at what point do our kids begin to take pride in being smart? I agree that there has to be a solution for the masses and I realize that I am the exception. Although I taught high school I was never trained as a high school teacher. I was a college professor first so my engagement in the classroom can not be compared to teachers who were trained in certification programs. My wife explained that to me last night and stated that is the problem with the SYSTEM, I agreed. She went as far as saying that my exception should be the rule and the school system can be changed basically by getting more men into the system as teachers. According to the NCES "Among full-time and part-time public school teachers in 2007–08, some 76 percent of public school teachers were female, 44 percent were under age 40, and 52 percent had a master’s or higher degree. Compared with public school teachers, a lower percentage of private school teachers were female (74 percent), were under age 40 (39 percent), and had a master’s or higher degree (38 percent. In addition, among both males and females, 83 percent of public school teachers were White, 7 percent each were Black or Hispanic, 1 percent each were Asian or of two or more races, and less than one percent each were Pacific Islander or American Indian/Alaska Native in 2007–08." I think we both are passionate and I know that I am blinded by experience, but I again refer to the fact that the individual has more to do with this problem than it seems. I gave 17 years to the SYSTEM, I think more men need to forgo those well paying careers in various fields and go back into the classroom. I think the system should be changed to allow for work experience to be the basis for teaching which removes the need for "certification" which places a 24 year old white woman in a class with people who don't look like her. I get it now. The SYSTEM definitely has to be repaired. I just don't think it will which means that Blacks have to reevaluate their priorities in regard to their children and sacrifice careers and money to give to their kids so the next generation can be better. That's the way it was and that's the way it should be. Troy Johnson We are certainly both passionate about this subject and of course I'm familiar with your work (http://aalbc.com/authors/christopher-d-burns.html). We are all impacted by our experiences but we also understand our experiences don't shed much light on what is actually happening -- beyond our limited environments. Our experiences do help us interpret that data and create stories to explain it. I understand about African immigrants. I used to go on recruiting trip for Goldman Sachs. I'm a Black guy with graduate degrees in Engineering and Business so they would send me to Howard or some other "black" school. If my degrees with from Ivy League schools I might have been sent o Standford or Harvard (but that is another story). Anywho, Goldman only wanted to see students with 3.5 GPA's or better. I remember the last time I interviewed students, about 7 years ago. My entire slate of interviews were with Black men -- not one was born in the US. They were all Nigerian or from the Caribbean. In this particular instance these cats were smarter than ME LOL! Trust me when I tell you the unspoken believe was that African Black are actually smarter than American Blacks. I take it to mean if African Blacks can achieve on par with anyone else on Planet Earth, so can American Blacks. Long story short, I saw fewer and fewer American born Blacks in senior roles in the firm. Part is racism, par is class-ism, part is the "pipeline crisis", part is a believe American Black are not very sharp, part is a poor education, it is a convoluted problem but firmly entrenched and virtually impossible to reverse. As a result, a company like a Goldman Sachs, headquartered in NY City can claim a diverse environment, but have almost Black men from NY City in VP roles or higher. This is not to bash Goldman, specifically, but I worked for them. The other Wall Street firms I worked for were the same. There is no public discussion about any of this because their are so few people in position to even know there is a problem -- further we have too few platforms to made anyone aware of the issues so we just watch murder rates creep up and graduation rates go down without an apparent ideas on what we can do collectively. So we fend for ourselves... Now I'm not convinced we have to have Black men in the classroom to educate students, but I do know with so few Black men in the classroom, the potential talent pool is greatly reduced. But the problem is compounded by the fact that so fewer Black men are qualified to teach -- as a consequence of THEIR poor education. But that is not the only problem. I have three college degrees and a wealth of corporate and entrepreneurial experience. The students in my current GED class think I'm a great teacher. Do you know many hoops I would have to jump through to become a NY City public school teacher -- far more than I'm willing to encounter. Besides, after I become a teacher I'm not sure I can deal with the bureaucracy I read and hear so much about. My wife is a teacher and I know a lot of teachers -- I get an ear full. So not only does the SYSTEM reduce their potential talent pool with despicable educational outcomes they also discourage talent from entering the field. Chris Burns I think this last post is the beginning of a much needed book on education. I'm down to write a chapter. As a Prologue your last post is clear and accurate and completely changes my perception of the discussion; along with my wife explaining a few things to me. I actually owe another brother an apology because I recently ranted against comments he was making in regard to this exact same topic. I think the Goldman Sachs discussion is a microcosm of the problem. Jeramie Tate, I get it a little better now. I guess the final statement is how do we begin to move beyond our conversations. I'm one of the burned out ones and I'm not going back into the classroom. I also agree that the hoops for certification limit the talent pool. What can be done? Jeramie Tate @Chris after reading these post. It's amazing how people I don't know expressed the same thoughts and similar experiences. Is there really a so called black community or is it a state of anomie? In either case, how does one survive? @Tamara black folks are mad at me because I say America was built on white supremacy and racism, which the system still promotes. Black folks never ask why are they taught they are descendants of slaves the day they are born. My son asked me why was Roots on again last week. I told him it was to brainwash people. Chris Burns here is one of my facts Roots is a lie. Alex Haley plagiarized much of it from a story " The Afrikan" I think by Harold Corlander. He won a law suit against Haley, but black folks thinking it's a true story. People won't blame the system or institutionalized racism , but can't see what is out there that make so called blacks hate themselves from day one. They have blacks so twisted that we call FREE people runaway slaves. What type of crap is that? Troy Johnson Jeramie, everyone I have ever related the Alex Haley story to including a few educators were completely oblivious to it. I tend to look at America being built on the premise of an elite class of people. Sure most are "white" but even the racial designation is an artificial construct used to pit the rest of us against each other. Most of the homes lost in the Mortgage related criminal activities belonged to white people.

Pioneer, corporal punish in the schools is a bad idea because; (1) in the vast majority of cases it is a bad idea anyway; (2) Why would you want to give permission to an individual to spank a child when they have not demonstrated an ability to teach that child; and (3) spanking a kid in 2013 would likely escalate catastrophically as both kids and parents are very likely to fight back in 2013. Cynique, quite a few school had adopted the concept of a school of one. Where each student is given the option of several modalities including computer based, tutoring and classroom instruction based upon skill level and temperament. Of course individualized, one on one attention is superior to group instruction. Whether a computer can provide a high level of educations is questionable unless it is a really sophisticated program one that interactive and can respond to questions. Sure a program can provide instructions on how to complete a task. But again real education is much more than teaching kids how to had fractions or memorize dates. Education includes comprehension and reasoning, I'm not sure a computer can do that. Computer can not help foster and develop creativity. Computer are great tools to help a teacher by supplementing classroom or individual instruction, but we still need teachers.

Pioneer I think the problem in schools (as well as parenting) is also a function of confusion about gender roles. Some men of my generation, believe they should be head of the household. However most don't have the financial or mental wherewithal to make this happen. Even if they could I doubt they could find a woman willing to assume a traditional role. Why should a woman be subservient to a dude that is unable to support them financial, can provide no spiritual leadership and won't even stop sleeping with other women (or men). Again, while I think men having kids by multiple women, in present day America, is a bad idea. The reality of the situation is that this is what is happening anyway. We, effectively, have a polygamous society. Some might say promiscuous, which may be more accurate as it seems many of the men don't assume complete responsibility of their actions.

Oh, my bad Pioneer. Del do you think calling your children, for example, "Black" makes sense? Would you want your kids or yourself for that matter, to be defined by some stereotypical, prejudiced and artificial definition?

All this confusion and flawed subjective reasoning is more proof why we should stop using racial terms as if there was in fact more than one race. In the article the Need2ritefatser linked, I share the following quote; "So there is a lot of genetic variation within our ethnic group, as is obvious to anyone even casually glancing at black people just walking down the street." This staement makes no sense, as one can not look at someone else and determine that individual's genetic variation realtive to someone else. It is just wrong to suggest say anyone can do this. In the very next sentence, however, we find; "What this means is that even the most phenotypically "African" (or what used to be called "Negroid") African Americans have dramatically significant levels of European ancestry, a fact that would have astonished many of our forebears, both black and white." Again, only someone who thinks they can determine another's ancestry by looking at them would be surprised. Then we have statement like Pioneers that further complicate things; "Black being more of an ideal. A style of dress, attitude, music, and historic struggle." Of course these types of statements are purely subjective and as such do not mean anything to anyone outside the group who uses them or believes such things -- including many Black people like myself. __________________ As a complete aside. Long ago, when the Neanderthal man walked the Earth there were in fact two different species of homosapiens running around. After man left Africa, there was some inbreeding between modern man and the Neanderthal. The people who stayed behind in African would not have any of the Neanderthal's genetic code. However the Black folks in descendant from the Europeans would (i.e. African-Americans). Maybe that is what is wrong with us?

Wow I mostly agree with you Pioneer. I do believe our culture does itself a disservice by making believe women and men are completely interchangeable. Men are not women with penises or vice-versa. The problem is men and women in this culture are thoroughly confused about what are respective roles are, and more importantly SHOULD, be in society. I guess that technically makes me sexist too

Sorry Anika I did not mean to come across as sexist, but I stand behind the comment even though it was made in jest. The point, in case you missed it, was to highlight Pioneer's focus on the color of her lipstick rather than her adultery. I know in today's culture some may view a dark woman wearing red lipstick as being as offensive as getting pregnant by a married man. Honestly while I was unaware of Jackson rampant affairs, it does not surprise me. Nor does the behavior of the women he deals with. I think Jackson, based upon actual behavior, is far more sexist than I. I just wish more people would be willing to call him on it. Perhaps Jackson Sr. would have exercised a little more discretion and maybe some of that would have rubbed off on the son, Jackson Jr. I heard, on public radio (you can't escape this nonsense), that Jackson Jr, gave his mistress a $50K Rolex watch -- money he stole from campaign contributions! How stupid can you be? I'm not naive enough to believe men of their power (and arrogance) are not going to cheat on their wives. Fine, but can you stop making the babies and try not to steal to finance your affairs? Can you pay your child support? What the hell is going on with the Brothers in Chicago anyway?!

I share this conversation from Facebook. It is in reaction to my reaction to Kam's review of Rhee's book. I thought it would be interesting to share -- since everyone is not on Facebook (for now) and it is a rare occassion when I spark an interesting conversation with smart people (like here). It is interesting how many of these reformers come in, arguably making things worse, leave and are heralded as great. They go on to write books and secure lucrative speaking engagements. If there is a teacher or administrator from a DC or New York City Public School who believes Rhee has made a lasting, positive, impact please let us know. Radical: Fighting to Put Students First by Michelle Rhee -- Book Review. Dolen Perkins-Valdez Troy: Rhee was controversial, and I didn't agree with all her beliefs and methods. But she definitely didn't make things worse. Of course, I'm not a teacher, just a concerned parent. My kid is in DC public schools, and I frequently visit the city's toughest schools through Writers in the Schools. I wholeheartedly believe in education reform. Radical education reform. Tamara Coleman-Brown I'm not sure about her, but you have to admit that our current educational system is failing.We can't continue to do the same things expecting different results. What worked yrs ago apparently isn't valid anymore. Chris Burns Troy, I've had this conversation so many times, but it always leads to these things for me... It is not the school system or the schools that are failing, it's the lack of parental involvement, lack of student motivation, and teachers who are not capable of engaging the students in a more modern way. What I mean by modern is that kids no longer have the ability to sit still and be taught without the teacher actually being part teacher/entertainer/motivational speaker/entrepreneur instructor. A great teacher can overcome the shortcomings in the system, a moderate teacher is going to need help and can't be in a situation greater than their talents. English courses have to teach Shakespeare, but to access it the teachers have to be well versed in current poets who actually utilize meter and form. Math teachers have to connect math to computer technology and explain why math is the gateway to millions of dollars in programming and coding. Kids are enamored by the visual culture of wealth and riches and if what is being taught doesn't in some way generate a connection to being able to be successful, not just knowledge for the sake of knowledge kids tune out. I could go on and on about this because while I said it boils down to a few things, those few things have roots in deeper issues. However, a strong involved parent can counter even the worst school system. Troy Johnson Dolen did you go to public school for your primary education? If so how was it? Tamara I'm not a teacher, though I currently teach a GED prep class and have given countless workshops and seminars or a wide range of subjects, but it seems to me the problem is that we keep reinventing the wheel. For example, schools have changed the way they teaching reading (dropping phonics), getting rid of rote memorization of vocabulary words, even eliminating grammar in favor of picking it up in the content of reading and mixing kids of widely different abilities into the same class. It seems students are increasingly victimized by any newfangled idea some inexperienced 20 something dreams up. And don't get me started on measurement systems like ARIS or high stakes test with completely pervert the incentives... Chris I hear you man. But I'm not so quick to let schools of the hook. To be clear I lay most of the blame with the school's system's leadership not the teachers or even principals. Consider this "radical" thought; parental involvement is overrated. Parents don't have to help with homework, don't have to show up at the school for every event, they don't even have to be educated themselves for the kids to achieve in school. It is the unfortunate circumstance we find ourselves in a situation such that the parent HAS to be ACTIVELY involved in their kids education for the hope of a positive outcome. The problem is most parents, particularly in our most needy communities, are not prepared for this challenge -- due largely to the educations they received. It is a self-perpetuating problem. Tamara Coleman-Brown The school system isn't failing?? We have hundreds of students that do well in high school, but get to college that can't test out of basic educational skills. When special needs programs have tripled, when all they really needed was a better understanding.When there's no tutoring available unless you're failing a class. Where schools are segregated based our income.I can go on and on.. Schools fundamental duty is to prepare students for a successful future although where you live is a bigger determinant than we believe. Tamara Coleman-Brown Troy, I agree. Troy Johnson Tamara I guess I should be clear in how I define "failing". In NY City, for example, 40% of Black boys get a HS diploma in 4 years. Most of those that do are ill prepared for a vocation or college. The best public schools high schools have single digit percentages of Black boys; in a city where the Black population is better than 25%. This situation is reflected in virtually nonexistent corporate exempt employment and college graduation rates particularly in the the STEM courses (both colleges and employers complain about a "pipeline crisis". I would even go as far to say this impacts incarceration rates and the stability of families in these communities. So for the community that I can about the failure is so abysmal is should be considered a crime. Now go back 40 years in the same NY City environment where the conditions were FAR worse financially and the City was one of the most dangerous in the country the schools were better. higher graduation rates, more Black kids in the specialized high schools, vocational schools, arts & music program, more athletic teams, an so on... Tamara Coleman-Brown It is a crime but as long as we continue to blame parents and students we will forever be blinded from the truth. Institutional racism is alive a well, I'm sure you've read, The New Jim Crow where it examines the issues we're discussing. So, do you agree that schools need reformed? Dolen Perkins-Valdez Troy Johnson: Yes, I went to public schools my entire life. I'm a product of the Memphis City Schools, yet another citywide system in dire need of major reform. I loved my school largely due to its racial and socioeconomic diversity. Even then, I knew these things were important to me. As I write this, I'm thinking of our phenomenal principal, who missed his calling as a motivational speaker. Without ever raising a paddle (as they did in the old days), he was clear that fighting would not be tolerated (in those days, guns weren't the issue they are now). Gosh, this is such a tough subject, largely because the solutions are divergent depending on the region, student body, school culture, student needs, and available resources. I say, let's take it one school at a time. Troy Johnson Dolen is say, simply, lets go back and do whatever your public school was doing. I'm certain your school was not unique. I feel the same way about my high school and Jr High School too; and I went to high school in the 70's. Speaking of HS violence I think everyone here will be touched by an "This American Life" program on the subject: http://aalbc.it/hhsp2 Harper High School, Part Two | This American Life www.thisamericanlife.org Dolen Perkins-Valdez Someone just told me about this program today!!!! Now I must watch it. Chris Burns To Tamara and Troy, I blame parents and students because after teaching for over 17 years at every level except elementary, and in every income level, and at the collegiate level as a tenure track professor, I have proof of what a great teacher can do. A great teacher is able to overcome a poor administration, lack of funding, poverty and the systemic issues that are prevalent to run a successful program and improve the ability of students who are considered at risk or special needs (special needs meaning that people gave up on the kid although the kid is capable.) Troy proves my point in blaming parents and kids in stating that 40 years ago, in much worse situations, the graduation rate was higher and students were attaining an education and learning. Troy could even move that to 25 years ago and the numbers would be better than today. THE SYSTEM has always been in place and Blacks overcame the system to earn their place into society, so your complaint that schools are failing and the system is at fault, I consider that a copout. A parent does not have to be educated or know the homework a kid is doing when a parent is present. 40 years ago fathers may not have been in abundance, but there was always someone in the home. Children were held accountable. Even in the worst income situations (hood ghetto, whatever) children were held accountable and parents SIDED with the teachers. Today parents will fight teachers, administrators and stand behind their kids before even getting the real story in many instances. Also, because of the hell that Blacks went through to be educated, Blacks were able to attain jobs and wealth that isn't comparable to the station that Blacks were in in the past. Now that Blacks can pursue more income or wealth, the children are the ones being left behind and not made accountable because there isn't a Big Momma, a father or mother in the house holding the children accountable. A great teacher can only do so much before getting burned out. Without the influence and care of a parent, the likelihood of success diminishes for kids. I am not naive about systemic issues, but I'm a realist who has been in the fire and in the worst schools in different regions of the country and I know what a good teacher can do, when a child has the support of a parent. Blaming the system is a waste of time and accomplishes nothing. Throwing money at the education system won't help, throwing computers in the school won't help. Accountable parenting (which is obviously hindered by societal issues) should be the foundation on which reform is made, but that is impossible. Sorry for being longwinded. Troy Johnson No worries about being long winded your perspective as a full time, veteran educator in good to read. A "great teacher" is rare (otherwise they would not be "great"). We cannot hope for a system full of great teachers. We have to work with the available resources that will include average and mediocre teachers. In the context of a complete institution this is fine. No one will argue the benefits of a great teacher. "THE SYSTEM" Chris has changed and that is the basis of my argument. I've watched lower standards be applied to our kids in the name of compassion. I've watched red pens be cast aside as not to offend the fragile sensibilities of students. As a result our kids are ill prepared to meet the challenges of life Lets look at the good teachers: How many good, bright teachers do you know who left the job quickly, or who are completely demoralized and burnt out due to the bureaucracy itself? Over burdened by dumb initiatives and mandates which changes with the administration. Often the principals and teachers KNOW these things will not work but they are COMPELLED to implement them. Do you think Rhee, for example, left DC teachers and administrators better off, happier as a result of her tenure? Parents can only do so much. The PTA (remember those) is not going to go into walk into a school and demand an art program when the school is mandated by the state to get students to pass a standardized test. Again the parents themselves are a product of a crappy "school system", as were their parents and their parents before them. I'm not saying these are bad people, they have been victimized by the government, in much the same way millions were victimized by predatory mortgage lenders or cigarette companies. Parents fight the teachers because the system is perceived as the enemy. Understand, it is the same rationale many people in the community have for not trusting the police. It is a natural reaction to a system that is doing you a disservice -- hostile even. Sure the anger and frustration may be misdirected. But the people are not stupid. They eventually learn they were done a disservice and they are very angry. Does this make sense to you? AGREED: Throwing money at the education system won't help, throwing computers in the school won't help. There is ample data to support this. This might sound cynical, paranoid even, but I beginning to believe the government actually wants schools to fail. So that the public will become so outraged that they demand all schools become privatized. Of course this would be a financial windfall of corporation and they’ll get to educate students to do whatever job they need. Donna Whiteman Troy, thank you. well said and not at all paranoid. Though well spent money does make a difference.. Many of the "good" public schools are thriving on large sums of parental dollars. Chris Burns Well presented argument that on the surface is logical and correct. However, the testing and mandated guidelines that have been set forth, only appear to lower standards. I can only speak from my experience, but that experience extends from being a teacher and high school coach in San Diego, in the poorest, most diverse school in San Diego, to the poorest rural area in Benton County Mississippi. In the San Diego school over 70% of the students at this school were second language and all lived in the City Heights/Southeast San Diego area of he city which has one of the highest gang rates in Southern Cali. These students were immigrants were all on free lunch which is the measuring stick for Title 1 funding. Anyway, those students had to take all of the tests and they had programs removed and still those immigrant students moved on completed college in many instances. They did not drop out of school. I'm trying to understand why the SYSTEM didn't fail those kids and I don't think you can explain that to me. On to my experience teaching in Mississippi. If you can find a county or city near you or anywhere that is at the same poverty level of the school I taught at in Mississippi I look forward to seeing. This school was 100% Black. I chose to leave a charter school as a favor to a friend who was terrified of the school being taken over by the state due to their test scores decreasing for 3 years straight by 18%. Mississippi's English State test is hands down one of the most difficult standardized test I have seen. It was in no way lowered standards. If anything it challenged the students to learn as much as possible. At this school I came in at the midway point of the year after Christmas break. I was given the book for the test and told by my peer/principal to save these kids (basically to save the school). I only two months to do so and for the students to get used to my teaching methods. I had to actually teach 9-12th grade since it was a small rural school. The 10th grade class had to take the SATP. I implemented strategies within the framework given by both the state, district and the school. However in teaching to the test, I also taught the students screenwriting, how to write poetry, how to write their research papers and how to use scansion to analyze poetry. I didn't care that these kids had people who dropped out before them. I didn't care that they supposedly were behind 3 years, I dug in and taught these kids like first year college freshman. What does the SYSTEM have to do with that? Nothing. Long story short, they took that test and for the first year in 4 years they increase 36% passing the test, to 70% passing. In the fall, the rest of the students that didn't pass in the spring passed in the fall. That class of 2012 was the first class at the school since standardized testing to have a 100% graduation rate. I left that school after that and went back to the college level. I write all of this to say, I used the old raggedy books the school gave me and a chalk board. The SYSTEM is a crutch. I know that racism and the commodification of the schools are in effect. I know that the barriers are out there, but after 17 years of education at every level, I have come to realize that if the parenting is not there nothing, nothing will fix the schools. A school only has a child for 8 hours out of the day. When they return to their homes those are the influences and characteristics that the students take on. The lack of nutrition, the culture of poverty, all of those things have always been with Black people and for years we strived to overcome and accomplish great things. In the last 20 years almost every win has been nullified by the crack epidemic, jail system, and the nihilistic mindstate of the new Black person. If by SYSTEM you are stating that the choices that Black men make in impregnating and leaving Black mothers to raise children on their own then I agree. If you are saying SYSTEM and you mean the Black family that has made and doesn't return to help others then I agree. If you are saying the SYSTEM and you are saying these false prophets in the pulpit who are now opening schools to get that government funding and still taking tithes and not producing jobs for their congregations then I agree. But the schools are what they are because the people in them are afraid to be great. The kids demonize intelligence. The teachers demonize the kids. The administration demonizes the teachers, and the school boards sit on their hands with six figure salaries and argue over meaningless titles. That part of the system sucks, but you can't tell me that one dedicated parent can't make a way for their kids. Chris Burns Excuse the mistakes I was typing fast. Troy Johnson Chris I'm going to have to print this out and get back to you tomorrow. I'm trying to get the February eNewsletter mailed tomorrow morning. Peace Chris Burns I understand Troy. I know I'm writing a lot. I'm going to share a paper with you in a moment that one of my students wrote when I asked her what was wrong with the schools. I think her ideas were right on point. This student is about to graduate from Texas Southern and wrote this paper her senior year. I'll tag you. Peace Troy Johnson Chris, your experience is terrific and highly commendable. The problem is that your experience however lengthy and varied is merely anecdotal. We can trade personal experiences all day and still not shed any meaningful light on the subject. When you related your experience with the immigrants students you failed to account for the fact that they were immigrants. There is plenty of data to explain why immigrants groups do better than native American and how after a generation or two these differences evaporate. When you related your successful experience in Mississippi you did not mention anything about the changed behaviors of the parent in raising test scores. You wrote a great deal about what YOU did as a teacher to make a difference. Then you concluded by saying, "... if the parenting is not there nothing, nothing will fix the schools." I think if you truly felt parents were such a big factor you would have shared something about what the PARENTS did differently and what the impact was. More importantly, as with the less than effective Teach for America program, you came in for a brief period made a impact and then left. Usually what happens next is things go back to the way they were before often getting worse as a dependency formed is abruptly removed. We can certainly agree on two things; (1) "The [bad] teachers demonize the kids. The [bad] administration demonizes the teachers, and the [bad] school boards sit on their hands with six figure salaries and argue over meaningless titles. " Yes, that is the system I'm talking about and it starts with at the top. (2) "one dedicated parent can't make a way for their kids." I, for example, sent my kids to private school. Do you realize in places like Baltimore and NY City for example anyone with the resources sends their kids to private school? Have you also noticed that the people with the greatest impact on the pubic school systems do not send their own children these shitty schools. If they are not in a private school they live in a communities with taxes and real estate so expensive that the public schools there are indistinguishable from a private school. As a result these people have no problems experimenting with our Black kids. We should ALL be outraged, but most of are too selfish to care about anyone but ourselves... Also, Chris did you understand my explanation for why parents give teachers a hard way to go?

Red Lipstick A woman of her complexion should keep her legs closed when in the presence of Reverent Jackson.