Troy

Interestingly I'm one of those folks you consider themselves the opposite of the conspiracy theorist. I'm only complaining about what is actually happening. I guess the only room for a conspiracy might be the cause of what is happening--and I've always been open to ideas on the subject. I'm not disputing your personal experience with the web Cynique, in fact, I share many of your experiences and opinions. But obviously, as an internet entrepreneur, my experience is different than yours. I also collect a lot of data about what I discuss, so yeah, on some aspects of this subject I actually do know more than most. But access to more data and experiences does not always translate into understanding, but it usually translates into understanding more than someone with less experience and access to information. Still I appreciate there is a lot I simply don't understand or know. I don't disagree with anything your wrote--how can I they are your opinions about your experiences. But one thing I think many people are missing relative to the increasing control of the internet by a handful of corporations is the reduction of diversity in what we see online. I know that the lack of diversity online is a non-issue to most. We are fat, dumb and happy with the way things are going. If you think about broadcast radio and what consolidation has done in that environment. You'll realize that if you want to listen to black music your only real options are whatever KISS or Power stations you have in your market. Even if you have both stations it does not matter much as they play the same 20 or 30 songs anyway. Again, I know there are many people who love KISS FM and are perfectly happy with Facebook being their only internet experience. What I find most tragic is that the internet really was poised to improve on the lack of diversity in mainstream media. But now that corporations control the internet those opportunities have evaporated. All of us are less rich as a result; both culturally and financially. So what is the cost of this? What is the cost of no Black owned bookstores? What is the cost of no Black owned websites, radio stations, TV stations or newspapers? It is not a hypothetical question.

That was an informatve post Chris -- thanks. I was not familiar with Jose James. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGkxBiJ8TCw Another sister Mel that has posted here from time to time introduced me to Gregory Ports about a year ago. I really liked his song Real Good Hands. I found this on Youtube. It is an album that I was not previously familiar with -- I guess it is new. I'm listening to it as I write this. The first cut sounds good, I'll probably buy the album (even through I could easily download the whole thing from Youtube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_3FPTgdkuY

There was another Brother, Nah'Sun, who used to post here every so often, though he said he was more of a lurker. He also new a lot about hip-hop. It would have been interesting to read an exchange between the two of you on the subject. Nah'Sun also spoke about all the good rappers out there. One he mentioned when I asked for an example was someone named Liquid Lux (sp?). Are you aware of this artist?

Oh, then we are in complete agreement because corporations absolutely own the infrastructure. Today we sit by helpless spectators as they fight over controlling it. Internet access should be treated as a utility. In much the same way e get free TV broadcasts. In fact, if we have free Internet access we would not need to worry about providing radio, TV access to telephone access the way we do today. Even municipalities who want to provide "free" high speed internet access to their citizens are often prevented from doing so because of convoluted laws designed to benefit corporations. Google is trying to give free high speed internet access to some communities but we all know this will be used to mine our communications for profit... Yeah, it pretty much is a wrap.

Chris you raise an important point. I never really noticed the poetry in Harry Posts. One day another posters (Chris Hayden), pointed out the poetry. I then went back and got it. On a couple of occasions I actually went back an re-wrote Harry's poetry in a more conventional format so that others my get it too. I don't have time to do that any more, but what he writes can be easily missed or dismissed because of the all caps...

"We discard facts like broken rubbers" --Yeohzer, The Gift I was not previously familiar with Jean Grae, but I see Lil' Kim on "Black" sites all the time.

LOL! Cynique I use Goolge from time to time myself. I just stopped using the verb "google" and now refer to the activity as an internet search, I don't use Google as often as the search results are not as good as they used to be. I asked Del to share his link specifically because I wanted to see specifically what prompted his question. Cynique would you post a link to the Youtube video that so interested you

Del, unbeknownst to most, the fact is that corporations ALREADY OWN the internet. Only an internet entrepreneur would actually have the experience to know and understand this, so I understand why the vast majority of people simply don't get it. Further, there are people interested in starting businesses online or simply just trying to establish an internet presence, but don't understand why people are not visiting their websites. Much of what I write is directed to those individuals and businesses. I don't expect individuals to understand, though I still communicate to individuals just the same. Sometimes the more thoughtful individuals will appreciate what I'm trying to communicate and modify their behavior in a way that is beneficial to Black owned businesses. I encounter enough of these folks which makes the effort worth my while Increasingly, for many entitles their ONLY internet presence is their Facebook Page. Of course, I think this is a grave error, but I completely understand why business are starting to do it. Businesses, especially small ones, are simply going to the entities that owns the internet. Sure I understand if you find Facebook useful. I find it useful too. But we need to be very, very clear about something; Facebook is not "free" or even "relatively free." As a MBA you know nothing is free. Indeed I would argue, and have been arguing, that the cost is very high to all of us. But again there are also people who don't care about these costs that have resulted in us not owning many platforms, TV Stations, Radio Stations, Newspapers, Magazines and alarmingly websites. Those that we do own often mimic what corporate entities produce or are struggling to survive. There was a time when AOL, effectively, owned the internet. One could not easily establish an internet presence without them. Once we were free of AOL the internet because a great place. Today we are reverting back to an AOL like existence. Chris what you describe on BING is not surprising. Search feeds social media and I'm sure it is not being done for "free." Cynique, I hear you. I just prefer to engage people on their websites or here. It would be like Chris, who sells sneakers for a living, buying his sneakers from the Foot Locker and telling all his potential customers to buy their sneakers from the Foot Locker too. All the while, the Foot Locker never compensates Chris for the referrals and does everything in their power, with the help of search, to ensure no one ever buys sneakers from Chris' store. Meanwhile all Chris' customers come into his store and tell him how great the Foot Locker is. Some even lament the fact that there aren't any Black owned sneaker stores like the Foot Locker...

Please share the Del.

Hey Chris I trend to agree with your assessment completely. I resonates because it mirrors my personal experiences and observations. Given our different backgrounds I believe this lends a bit of credence to your assessment. "...in the black community violence as art, creates more violence." The question is why? I suspect it is partially because those images dominate the popular culture. If you would have told me the most popular and commercially successful rapper to emerge from Public Enemy would be the drug-abusing clown Flavor Flav I would have said you were crazy. I clearly remember the emergence of Gansta Rap. It really became acceptable, no manly, to think of women as bitches and hoes. The more you could "get" the better a man you were. The "Pimp" and "Thug" archetype were what brothers aspired to as rap artists like Snoop Dogg and Eazy -E rose to prominence. As you implied the ladies all started to want a least a little thuggishness in their men. Today some of the most popular music is what is actually played in strip clubs. If is perfectly acceptable to use the "N-word" in popular music today why? I was listening to the Rap Station on Sirrius the other day and EVERY single song used the N-word?! In previous generations we had love songs. We have conscious music groups like EWF, Stevie Wonder were popular. Today who do we celebrate and give awards to? We have music awards and we can't be sure if our most popular artists are going to start fighting each other or do something bizarre on the stage. Of course there is good music but if take effort to find and few support it, so it is rarely commercially viable. I watched the season opener of Games last night. Not much happened as they are setting the stage for subsequent episodes. There are so many threads and characters it is an effort just to figure out what is going on. I don't remember the cannibals are they new?

I'm not sure why the link did not work. try this one: http://www.sciencefriday.com/audio/scifriaudio.xml Then select the show on violence. Essentially, you summed up the opinion of one of the guests I forget whcih one, it may have been Steven Pinker. At any rate, the idea goes counter to the prevailing beliefs among psychologists today.

I never understood why lyrics like this are not more popular in popular rap--at least among Black folks. One of the poets (OhSoCoy) messaged me on Facebook with the link. Oh how I wish I could have help people just post this stuff here I would have more time and the site would be richer.

Medgar Evers College The City of New York OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC RELATIONS 1150 CARROLL STREET ~ BROOKLYN, NY 11225 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jamilah Fraser jfraser1@mec.cuny.edu (718) 270-6911 April 8, 2014 MEC RELEASE C-SPAN Book TV to Broadcast the Twelfth National Black Writers Conference Brooklyn – Last month, the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College (MEC) presented the Twelfth National Black Writers Conference (NBWC), in which Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott was among this year’s honorees. Thanks to C-SPAN Book TV, a selection of panels from the Conference will be aired Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13. This is a great opportunity for people who missed this year’s conference, as well as for those who attended and want to recapture moments, to hear and view some of the dynamic, thought-provoking panel discussions featured at the event, which was held on the campus of Medgar Evers College, Thursday, March 27 through Sunday, March 30, 2014. C-SPAN Book TV Schedule (please check local listings and set your DVRs) Saturday, April 12th12:00pm and rebroadcast at 12:00am (midnight, April 13th) Race, Power, and Politics Shifting Identities in Africa and the African Diaspora Sunday, April 13th 2:00pm and rebroadcast at 2:00am (morning, April 14th) Saving Ourselves, Saving Our Communities Reconstructing the Historical Narrative The State of Publishing [AALBC.com's Founder, Troy Johnson participated on this panel] The Twelfth National Black Writers Conference featured a variety of literary figures that truly represented the theme of the Conference, “Reconstructing the Master Narrative.” Cheryl Wills, NY1 News anchor and an author in her own right, was Mistress of Ceremonies for the Tribute and Awards program in which best-selling author Walter Mosley; poet and writer Quincy Troupe; author Maryse Condé; and Margaret T. Burroughs, cofounder of the Du Sable Museum of African American History, in Chicago, were also honored for their outstanding contributions to African-American literature and culture. Derek Walcott is the second Nobel Prize-winning author for literature to be recognized by and attend the National Black Writers Conference. “The awarding of the W.E.B. Du Bois Award to Derek Walcott at the Twelfth National Black Writers Conference reflects our praise and tribute to a man whose literary voice has impacted all parts of the African Diaspora,” said Dr. Brenda Greene, executive director at the Center for Black Literature. “Derek Walcott, from his place as a St. Lucian poet, playwright, and painter, writes of the world, of love, of the legacy of colonialism in his country, of the complexity of identity and of the search for self in language layered with images and metaphors that capture our unspoken desires, our questions, our rages, our paradoxes and our conflicts.” Among the highlights of the 2014 NBWC was the preconference event “Audre Lorde: A Burst of Light” that featured keynote speaker Angela Davis. Before an audience of more than 500 people, Davis spoke of the relevance of the works of Lorde, who was an influential poet, writer, activist, and feminist. She also applauded the work of Esther Cooper Jackson, who received a tribute for her work with Freedomways, an influential journal that was published from 1961 to 1985 and acted as a political, cultural, and moral compass for social activists, attracting contributions from a wide array of socially conscious scholars, writers, and artists, as well as from prominent civil rights and African liberation leaders. Other highlights of the 2014 Conference include engaging discussions on topics such as “Race, Power, and Politics,” which examined the interrelationships between race, power, and politics in the works of Black writers; “Reconstructing the Historical Narrative,” in which panelists discussed the ways they have reconstructed the master narrative through their creative works, and “The State of Publishing: A 2014 Odyssey,” a panel of publishing professionals who discussed some of the trends and challenges in today’s publishing industry. Author Gillian Royes, who presented on the panel “Shifting Identities in Africa and the African Diaspora,” said of the Conference: “It was productive, enlightening and inspirational.” As with most of the NBWCs, which have been a tradition at Medgar Evers College since 1986, there were several components to the Conference for attendees to take in. This year, the Conference presented a Poetry Café at the Brooklyn Public Library, with poets Jessica Care Moore, Tony Medina, and Ed Mabrey; a film series coordinated by African Voices /Reel Sisters that featured Gordon Parks’s 1984 film “Solomon Northups Odyssey”; and the John Oliver Killens Reading Series that presented a host of authors who read from their recently released titles. There were also instructional talkshops led by published authors and publishing professionals. The Center for Black Literature also celebrated a milestone: at the 2014 Conference: its Tenth Anniversary. Poets Quincy Troupe, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Tyehimba Jess, Staceyann Chin, T. Rasul Murray and Hermina Marcellin along with singer Kendra Ross performed and read as part of the festivities, which was hosted by MK Lewis. https://www.flickr.com/photos/meccunyphotos/sets/72157643362587355/

LOL! Damn Chris I guess you knew I'd be like a salivating pit bull in the corner here when Del threw me a piece of raw meat. Alas I know people love Facebook and like an abused spouse I know there is always an excuse to explain the behavior of the abuser... Del in theory, no based upon what Google actually says, helping users kind the most relevant content is what search engine try to accomplish. So content should reign king, not "popularity." But you are right, popularity as dictated by who has the most money and resources is why facebook wins--even with erroneous content. But is is not a simple binary love 'em or leave 'em issue, these thing rarely are. For personal purposes I've left Facebook, but I'm still working on trying to exploit them for business purposes--even though I know I can never really do that on my own.

Ok, Ok I'll lighten up :-) Sure a hallmark of good writing is that the characters stick with you--because you care about them. HBO as been pretty good at that you even care about the bad characters. Like Tony Soprano, started out to be a complex character who grew on you--became liable even despite his heinous behavior. Funny as I was commenting on HBO propensity for violence http://aalbc.com/tc/index.php?/topic/2616-hbos-propensity-toward-violence-is-good-for-us/. In which one of the guests said this fake violence we see on TV and in video games is actually a god thing as it satisfies a primitive blood lust that was previously satisfied with actually violence.

During I questioned whether all of the over the top violence had a negative effect on our psyches. I tend to believe if does but there are school of thought that suggests that it is good for us. The idea is pretty interesting and considering the apparent alternative--actual violence I'd have to pick the stuff HBO serves up. SciFri: The Origins of Violence (listen to broadcast) Thursday, April 03, 2014 2:00 PM An anthropologist, a psychologist, and a crime writer ask: Are humans hard-wired for violence?

This was cute

See that is just it Cynique, I don't think the sex and violence in the HBO shows actually mimic life--at least not the life the vast majority of us live the vast majority of the time. I believe the probability is very high that I will never have to kill anyone in my entire life. The probability is even lower that I will not engage in sex with a man. Even the majority of police officers never fire their weapons in the line of duty in their entire careers. Despite the hype we are just not that violent. I will check out the Harrelson and McConaughey series--one episode at a time ;-)

Yes today is my birthday and thanks for the well wishes. There are a lot of ideas that could be exploited. If there are any VC folks out their drop me a line. Just don't expect the next Facebook from me. I'm more interested in something a bit more serious and practical, you know for adults.

Thanks Del and Cynique! Del you are as old as you feel :-) Honestly the age thing, I presume you got from Facebook. I made up the year of my birth, like much of my Facebook profile information. And facebook is still beating my site on a query on my name.

Cynique, sorry I missed explaining what the discovery is. Hey Del it was actually such big news I thought everyone was aware of it. Maybe it did not quite as much press as the Higgs Particle, but The Theory of Inflation by most accounts is one of the most profound discoveries in the history of cosmology. It will likely earn Andrei Linde, the founder of Inflation, a Nobel Prize. Astronomers have found evidence to support the Theory of Inflation which explains how the universe expanded so uniformly and faster that the speed, one light one trillion, trillion, trillionth of a second after the Big Bang almost 14 billion years ago. I don't pretend to understand any of this but the cats who do seem to think it is a big deal.

HIP HOP GIVES READING A GOOD RAP Saddleback Educational Publishing Receives Young Adult Literature Award from Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee April 7, 2014 (Costa Mesa, CA) - Saddleback Educational Publishing, the leading content creator and publisher of high-interest, low-readability educational materials for struggling learners, has been awarded with the Young Adult Literature Award for its Hip Hop Biography Series by the Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee (SLBAM). The 10-volume series, written at a fourth grade reading level, engages reluctant teen readers with biographies of hip-hop success stories including Jay-Z, Rihanna and Pitbull. “Saddleback is thrilled to receive the Young Adult Literature Award for our hip-hop biography series,” says Arianne McHugh, president of Saddleback Educational Publishing. “We believe the first step is to engage struggling readers with content that interests them and this award validates our success in doing so.” According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s report card, 70 percent of 8th graders, and 65 percent of 12th graders do not read at grade level, translating to approximately 6 million struggling readers in grades seven through twelve. For over 30-years, Saddleback has been working to reduce these staggering numbers by producing fresh, culturally relevant teaching materials, like the Hip Hop Biography Series. Most recently, Saddleback has launched a new line of books called, Teen Emergent Reader Libraries (TERL). Designed to attract teenage readers, these highly engaging fiction and nonfiction books feature mature, relevant topics teens want to read, including racism, bullying, friendship, history, culture, sports and romance but are written at the pre-k level. Each book is a substantial publication ranging from 48-64 pages in length, supported on every page by full-color, riveting photographs and grouped in three levels: emerge, engage and excel, with five genres per level. The TERL books offer middle school and high school teachers solutions for differentiating instruction, while still teaching grade-level content and meeting common Core Standards. About Saddleback Educational Publishing For more than 30 years, Saddleback has been the nation’s leading educational publisher producing high-interest, low readability solutions for middle school and high school struggling learners. Saddleback publishes more than a thousand titles including urban fiction, hi-lo chapter books, nonfiction, graphic novels, interactive Smartboard lessons, low-level supplemental curriculum and more. Saddleback Educational Publishing is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA. For more information, visit www.sdlback.com. Press Contacts: Tracy Mallozzi The Rose Group tracy@therosegrp.com 310.280.3710 Elizabeth Davis The Rose Group elizabeth@therosegrp.com 310.280.3710

Chris the problem they are attempting to address is real. Who reads Amazon's reviews and expects an honest, informed critique? I don't think the solution they described will work either--especially not for Black books. We already know the best book recommendations frequently come from someone you know. It really is not that complicated. Indeed the old Thumper's Corner Discussion forum was great for that a few years ago. The conversation around books was lively and interesting. That in conjunction with the reading list made AALBC.com a better platform for discovering good books than it is today. Today my eNewsletter and Blog is a good source of information about good books. But the lack of conversation about books here is a loss. AALBC.com is not immune to this I cruise the net from time-to-time have not discovered any alternatives. I recently broke down and checked Goodreads, but those environments are too restrictive. I tried to share information that was on my site that was relevant to a conversation I was having and was prevented from doing so. It is just as well, I'm not really down for supporting the corporate sites anyway...

Yeah I liked Game of Thrones. I like many of the HBO programs. The ones I have watched, all or most of the episodes, are Six Feet Under, The Wire, The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Games of Thrones, and True Blood. Over that last decade or some these have been the only series that I made an effort to watch--at least since they stopped making new episodes of Star Trek. I think the writing and character development on the series is excellent. But the challenge of HBO is consistency. True Blood and The Sopranos for example simply fell apart in the later seasons. I watched the last two seasons of The Sopranos and felt like I completely wasted my time. The same goes for the past season of True Blood--what a waste. I will probably not watch it again next season. The Wire was good until the last season indeed it improved each season I watched the first 2 seasons over the course of a week and I was hooked (I interviewed Snoop once), I was sorry to see it go off the air. Six Feet Under was excellent until the end, culminating in the best season finale of anything I've ever seen-save the final season of Mash, which I seem to remember being very good. HBO seems to really focus on a lot on sex particularly on homosexual sex. Both of these are really a turn off for me. I'm sure I sound like a prude, by today's standards, but some things really need to be left to the imagination. I'm just not interested in seeing to people go at it; that is what pornography is for. HBO's programs introduces too many scenes which are simply pornographic. HBO's shows are also over the top in the violence department. This past year I started to consider whether I'm being adversely effected by watching so much gratuitous violence on HBO. I mean it can't be good for you; can it? Somehow, I can't help believe that my spirit is being adversely impacted. I think I need to either avoid all the graphic violence HBO loves to display or at least balance it out with more positive or beautiful images. I find myself spending a great deal of time in nature. It helps. Now Game of Thrones is full of violence and sex. But I have watched every episode. Typically watching them in clips of 2 or 3 at a clip. Perhaps I need to restrict my viewing to just one episode a week ;-) I did not watch the season opener yet. But I will. I get older I find myself questioning not only what I put into my body, but also what I put into my mind. This does not bode well for future HBO programs. I'll wean myself off rather than going cold turkey.

CMC PRESENTS THE PAYBACK READ-A-THON! ENTER TO WIN A KINDLE FIRE OR, THE GRAND PRIZE - A TRIP TO NYC TO DINE WITH WAHIDA CLARK! Wahida Clark, the Official Queen of Street Lit, pens the final chapter to her New York Times Bestselling Payback Series! To celebrate the finale, Blood, Sweat & Payback, Cash Money Content will be hosting a fan appreciation "Payback Read -A-Thon" throughout the month of April 2014. The Read-A-Thon will feature all four books; (Payback is a Mutha, Payback with Ya Life, Payback Ain't Enough and the finale - Blood, Sweat & Payback!) Each Tuesday in April - beginning April 1st through April 22nd, CMC will release the weekly - "Payback Question of the week." The "Payback Question of the week." will feature a trivia question from one (1) of the four "PAYBACK" books. Participating fans must complete a video response by the deadline each week and email their video link to CMC's contest email: CMCBOOKSCONTEST@GMAIL.COM (Please note - Questions from Blood, Sweat & Payback will not appear until after 4/22.) Fans will have until Saturday midnight of that week to email their video link to CMC! (Videos cannot contain curses or nudity. ) The fan with the correct and most entertaining video response sent in by the weekly deadline becomes eligible to become the weekly winner! Wahida Clark will choose the weekly winner! Weekly Winners will be announced on CMC's Website and social media pages on Monday Morning the following week! (4/7; 4/14; 4/21; 4/28) Weekly Prize One Winner will be chosen each week to win the weekly CMC Prize Pack including: (1) A New Kindle Fire (2) New music from Cash Money Records! (3) A gifted Kindle copy Blood, Sweat & Payback on 4/22! Ultimate Fan Grand Prize: All entrants will also become eligible for the "Ultimate Fan Grand Prize" - A trip to New York City where one fan and their guest will have dinner on the town with The Queen of Street Lit - Wahida Clark herself! Wahida Clark will choose from all of the videos submitted during the contest month. The Ultimate Fan Grand Prize winner will be announced via video from Wahida Clark on April 30th and spotlightedon CMC's website and social media pages! FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.CashMoneyContent.com Please note, All video submissions may be featured on CMC's website and social media pages. Videos that contain curses or nudity will not be considered. (Submitted videos may be featured on Cash Money Contents social media pages including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). #PaybackReadAThon #BloodSweatPayback BLOOD, SWEAT & PAYBACK COMING 4/22/2014 www.bloodsweatandpayback.com