Troy

OK Pioneer we can regress or progress ad infinitum on that last point. You believe in some presumably infinitely powerful, "intelligent" being is pulling all the strings (just for kicks I guess). I do not believe that explanation is required to explain the universe. Neither belief excludes the possibility of mental telepathy.

Pioneer OK now I KNOW you are playing with me with that breeding statement. You know, you really had me going . But just in case you are serious you can not breed anything into a human in 200 years -- Maybe 200,000 years. Using Averages does not help the argument as the underlying assumption is not true.. ------------------------------- I'm not sure contracts would help Group Families very much. They don't seem to be helping traditional marriages.

By the way, eBook sales were 69% of all books sold! The shift from buying paper books to eBook has been so rapid that it is staggering.

Again, I disagree. Even the decision to drop an egg could have been predetermined in the same manner that we have the ability to predetermine the egg will break when it hits the hard floor. from 5 feet in the air.

Pioneer I can't argue with your reasoning: You believe that the amount of melanin in one's skin is directly proportional to his sexual potency, sexual desire and higher levels of testosterone. While I believe, on it's face, that belief is absurd. ------------------------------------- I've seen the GROUP FAMILIES concept played out in a few scenarios. It is cool for sharing responsibilities like cooking, cleaning -- even educating the children. Things can get a little sticky if the adults start sleeping around with each other, the older children, etc, etc... YOu have to have the right mindset, one I believe is exceedingly rare in our culture.

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Congrats man!

A 1986 interview with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Brooks is interviewed by the 26 year old poet E. Ethelbert Miller.

Welcome to the board Doc! And thanks so much for your support on the social media end!

A Free Writing Workshop – An All Day Event - Saturday February 23rd 8:30am to 4:00pm The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at Chicago State University is holding a Master’s Class workshop on fiction writing. Limited seating so RSVP by Monday February 18th (773) 995 - 3286 Instructor: Tony Lindsay: Tony Lindsay is the author of seven novels; One Dead Preacher, Street Possession, Chasin’ It, Urban Affair, One Dead Lawyer, More Boy than Girl, One Dead Doctor and two short story collections titled Pieces of the Hole and Fat from Papa’s Head. He has published book critiques and reviews for Black Issue’s Book Review. He was a contributor to the anthologies Don't Hate the Game and Lucious. He has also contributed to the on-line encyclopedia Identity.com, and Mosiac.com. He has been published by to the African American literary web-site ‘Timbooktu.com’, as well as the young adult magazine Cicada. He writes bimonthly articles for Conversations magazine, and he writes non-fiction book reviews for Hartman Publishing’s N’DIGO Magapaper. Lindsay has a MFA in Creative Writing from Chicago State University, Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Illinois – Chicago. He teaches at Chicago State University, South Suburban College, and Westwood College. Place: Chicago State University 9501 South King Dr. Douglas Hall Room 210-A, Chicago, IL 60628. Date: Saturday February 23rd Time: 8:30 to 4:00pm Required materials: Spiral notebook and pen Breakfast and Lunch: is sponsored by The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at Chicago State University RSVP by Monday February 18th (773) 995 - 3286

Cynique, I don't think the family unit, as it is currently defined, will change anytime soon either -- save incorporating same sex marriage into the mix. But your comment "Maybe children should be raised by the State" seems to be happening, at least on some level, as parent abdicate their responsibilities for rearing their children to anyone who will take them. Today school kids are given breakfast and lunch, at a minimum. With early morning drop off and after schools programs it is not unusual for a kid to spend 10 or more hours under the supervision of a school. Kids spend most of their waking day at school, or associated program, than their parents spend at work. Consider the cry by many education experts like Jonathan Kozol who are calling for universal, compulsory, education for children starting at age 2. Others who want a longer school day and school year. Despite what the so called experts say, any teacher will tell you the quality of child's family environment is crucial to the success of the kid's education. Of course, it is more politically correct to blame everything thing else but the f-cked up households these kids live in, for being a major factor for the poor graduation rates, in places like Harlem. Without strong families we can't have strong communities. So while politicians, teachers and union sit around bullshitting about improving test scores, our kids are not being educated. Meanwhile the simple families don't know enough to advocate for their own children, seemingly unaware of what is happening -- perhaps because they are several generation deep in the same crap and no no other way. We used to have PTA's; no one talks about those much any more. Families matter. Making them stronger does not seem to be on anyone's radar. It is in the interest of large corporation for families to be week, prison, drugs (depression, "learning disorders") and now schools are growth industries.

"Determining is a willful act, it doesn't just happen at random." I don't believe anything is random, even if it appears to be to us as such. "If something is predetermined it had to be PLANNED from an intelligent Source." If I drop and egg the outcome is predetermined. It requires no planning from and intelligent source. Everything else that occurs is an extension of that analogy. Del I'm not sure I understood everything you wrote, but I agree that "...it doesn't necessarily follow that predestination requires a purpose or an intelligence." Perhaps the very conditions that gave rise to our existence also gave rise to our self-awareness, as opposed to the other way around.

"MY point that Black men on average have a stronger sexual desire for more women". Pioneer I have no idea what to say to you. This was the same twisted justification racists used to lynch Black men who were viewed as genetically unable to control themselves when it came to white women. "We all know that the term "Black" in America stands for people of African descent regardless of the amount of African ancestry they hold." Pioneer can't you see why this is illogical?! If Barack Obama (Black by American standards) has a higher testosterone level than another person who Americans may consider White; what does that mean? The so called white person could actually have more Black ancestry than Obama, but they are "passing" as so many Blacks have done and are doing. "Do you see promoting Black male sexuality and masculinity as offensive and stereotypical?" Yes. Pioneer do you realize how racist you sound? I thought I was racist, but you got me beat me by a long shot. But I understand...

This is the 1st of a three part series on Race. Last night I screened this film with a "racially" mixed, but mostly Black group of about 25 people. During the discussion I decided to state that the government should get out of the business of tracking race. None of the Black people who reacted agreed with me. Of course I'm not surprised I knew the statement is tantamount to saying Obama is not a great president. Anywho, there was a white woman who agreed with me completely. Afterwards she approached me an explained some of the work she is doing to fight racism. She understood that institutionalized racism exists because the government continues to hold onto it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCR7vSD2Ohw What was most remarkable is that after watching this film there was at least one person who still used the language of race to explain differences in people that the film so clearly renounced as an "illusion".

Ok I know you all are out there I can tell by the traffic and an some of you have even created accounts, but have not used them. Let us know what you are thinking about.

Pioneer something I don;t think you really read all the information on the links you provide on more than one occasion the information supported my point. The 2nd link did not reveal anything, so will can ignore it. The 1st link was more interesting at least posting some of the methodology. But consider this how did they decide that these people were "black" (or white), by looking at them? Is Tiger Woods or Barack Obama Black for the purpose of this study? Cynique I was wondering what you thought about the idea of changing our culture's formula for family from one man and one woman who make a life long commitment through marriage to stay together and share in the responsibly of raising any kids they make? This model seems fine to me, but the culture does not seem to support is at all....

Since this page has attracted so much attending from search I figure I'll look into the subject and provide more information: I have to admit I was previously unaware of this show. It apparently launched this past September. As a conflict-resolution expert, Trisha Goddard will help everyday people and their families navigate the tough issues they are struggling to overcome. Her show will cover topics important to women everywhere with a unique approach--straight talk with a no-excuses mentality. On each episode, Trisha uses honesty and common sense to teach people how to move forward and push through life’s obstacles. This text is from the fan page.

Cynique, was that divine inspiration or simply the only thing you could have written given the circumstance and your genetics? I saw a video of a woman engaged in activity in which she clearly had "no problem with a smorsgasbord of men" somehow moving in that direction as a society does not seem optimal, but hey whatever floats your boat. So while it may be true women are just a desirous of having multiple partners as men (which is likely since the men have to be screwing someone); are you suggesting that a society in which men can have many wives and women can have many husbands would be a better setup? I'm not sure that women are more sensitive and more responsible with their children. This may have been true in the past, but increasingly children of unwed partners often end up being shuttled back and forth like ping pong balls between parents, raised by grandparents, foster parents or the criminal justice system. Talk any grade school teacher in a poor Black community...

I don't propose that I KNOW anything I'm just telling you what I think about a particular idea. Is it possible that some infinitely intelligent being (God) set our universe into motion almost 14 billion years ago? Sure. Is it possible that there is some universal consciousness that we can all tap into, and derive inspiration? Sure. Is it possible that this very consciousness actually gives rise to our physical being, rather than the other way around? Why not? All I'm saying is that given the physical nature of our being, indeed, the universe itself, that we can predict the eventual outcome of anything because the universe is not at all random, there are known physical laws. That said; On a quantum level if you look at a particle like an electron, you can't say precisely where it is at any given time. All you can do is calculate the probability of where it will be might be but that is about it. Some believe this fact leads to infinite possibles at a macro scale; believing there are an infinite number of universes a new one spawned anytime a decision is made. I could argue that we have complete control over our destinies, our universe even. I was just interested examining the other idea...

LOL, Pioneer. I know I've made an impact as you are now aware at least aware of how statement like "Black men in general are more polygamous than White men from Northern Europe" might be found so profoundly problematic. As you may have gathered I don't think Black and white people are very different as many people do. The differences in class and culture are much more profound that skin color. Black people in America really do have more in common with white people in American that they do with Black people anywhere in African (not controlled by the West). I do not believe for a split second Black men are more polygamous than white people. There are polygamous white groups right here in the US. I could poke holes in the theory all day. But I won't bother... ...because I actually agree with your conclusions. Clearly, this system does not serve the formerly enslaved people in the US. It seems the only people interested in getting married are homosexual. Sure Black married men sleep around, but supporting multiple wives and raising the resulting offspring is a COMPLETELY different thing that just screwing those women. So while this system dominated by the dictates of the Christian church (monogamy, etc) clearly is not working very well for us. There are those that will argue that if EVERYONE was a Christian then all the problems would be solved. I think it is obvious that would never work. I have no clue what would model would work better for us, so I'm inclined to believe improving our current system is as good an idea as any...

Pioneer the idea that we control our choices is merely an illusion. There is a incredible amount of variability in what we could do, but with sufficient intelligence we could know the outcomes. In much the same way we could predict the weather, if we were smart enough. But to our feeble minds the weather is too complex for us to understand. Before we knew as much about the weather as we know today came up with stories to describe it too -- angry Gods and the like. We even sacrificed each other to placate these imagined Gods. Our genetics, our environment, my typing this message could have been predicted before the creation of this planet so many billions of years ago. But the complexity is so great, and we are so limited in our understanding, that whether we have control or not does not make a difference to us over the course of our lives.

"I'm just saying what I think, what pops in my head." Right Cynique. All I'm adding is that we don't know really how our thoughts are created. All the stuff about ideas (inspiration) coming from deceased loved ones, any form of ESP or a breaded white guy in the sky are not likely.

Pioneer is you have not already don so reach out to Sylvia Hubbard of the Motown Writers Network 313.289.8614 http://motownwriters.com She can connect you to a a bunch of other similar minded folks in your neck of the woods.

I know since you will not reply directly this question is purely rhetorical; but here it goes anyway: What do you propose that we do with Black ministers and churches -- blow them up and lynch all the minsters? Convert all the "saved" people and turn them into atheists or Islam? I'm not defending the Black Church I just don't know what you expect to happen. Now that it is a very lucrative money machine and source of power what makes you think anyone will relinquish it?