Troy

Hi Mystic Woman, just post the youtube long link http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2EhaPUqG3M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2EhaPUqG3M

Who keeps a condom receipt? Funny that the receipt tripped me up and I'm not domestic violence involving the police...

I mentioned Condi because I once described her as attractive, sexy in a way a I said I would "go for that". I was looked at like I had too heads by the women. One even questioned my sanity. I was like home girl has money, power, has never been married and can even play the piano -- whats not to love. Quick name one Black republican that is respected by the Black community? The congressional Black Caucus doesn't even embrace Black Republicans. I get grief for having folks like Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, or even folks like Juan Williams. The culture need spiritual renewal. I can't see that coming for your garden variety preacher though...

I hear you Cynique, I know there are at least two sides to every story and a third -- the truth. So if the shooter said, "hey, I'm a cop" does that mean they would not have kicked his ass? Or rather, it is OK beat someone down, as a result of an accident (they caused), if he was not a cop? No matter how you look at it they should not have ganged up on the guy. But again I was not there, However, the way the article reads I think even our friend, Milton would have whipped out his piece to prevent himself from being killed. I was in a similar situation; driving down a city street someone walked out in front of my car, from between parked cars, in the middle of the street, against the light. I slammed on my breaks, but was unable to stop in time. I hit homeboy, he flew into my windshield, smashing it, and landed in front of the car. I did not know if I'd killed him or not -- but I do know there was nothing I could have done to avoid hitting him. When I got out the car to see what happened I was immediately surrounded by a mob of folks -- one yelling, "He did it, I saw him, he did it!!" This enraged me (good thing I did not have a gun), but I was also scared what might happen next. Out of nowhere some plain clothes cops -- just told me to get out of there. Which I promptly did. I'm Black, the crowd was Black, we were in Harlem, the cops were white. I truly believed those cops saved from a bad situation that day. The guy I hit was intoxicated and survived. They refer to Philadelphia as "Killadelphia". We could probably come up with a list of similar names other dangerous chocolate cities.

"Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell have escaped this stigma..." Well Cynique that depends upon the circles you role in -- especially for Condi. "Real humanitarians [sic] and philanthropists don't require trophies and plaques. Their rewards are derived from the satisfaction of helping those in need." This is very true, but because of the way we recognize people, the real humanitarians do not get the resources that they could get. Those funds go to the most popular. So all those awards mean something in that they can help raise the profiles of real humanitarians. But they generally go to celebrities, which is more profitable.

I asked Milton, because while you did present home protection as an argument for gun ownership, you also admit our neighborhood is extremely peaceful... But I hear you, I actually believe in personal freedom to own a gun. But when folks demonstrate an inability to avoid infringing on on the freedom of others by shooting them to death, it is up to society to correct the problem. No one has presented an argument to convince me that the murder and mayhem we have is a reasonable tradeoff for the freedom of gun ownership is worth the trade off (home protection in a peaceful neighborhood does not count ) First you have to buy into the fact that we have a serious problem with the use of guns. Some folks don't agree with this. I think they are crazy or so far removed from the situation they simply don't care. If you accept the fact that we indeed have a problem; the issue becomes what do we do about it. I guess as long as poor folks are the majority of the victims, I guess nothing will be done. So Milton while we don't have to worry about you shooting up a crowded theater or gunning down another Brother over some silly beef, there are too many other folks out there that we do have to worry about. What do you propose that we do about it?

Cynique, the shooting in Maywood while tragic seems justified. A little girls darts into the street and the off duty police officer crashes his bike trying to avoid her. The girl's family starts to beat the crap out of the cop and he shoots in self defense.

Here is the video from the 2nd article: LIL MOUSE-GET SMOKED http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSgpwhF8Dbc The US is firing on all cylinders when it comes to destroying Black folks. I know someone will say it is Black folks in and shooting this video so why blame the US of America. Of course getting into all the conditions that led to this situation would involve more time than I have right now.

Being a police officer, especially, in New York City is a difficult job. The work is stressful, your see the worst humanity has to offer on a regular basis. The job can be thankless. A role that is needed, desperately in some locations, but if a mistake is make the general public is all over you. That said I can not fathom a single justification for the senseless murder of a 51 years old Black man in broad daylight on a crowded NY City street. 12 shots fired by 2 officers, hitting the Brother 7 times (or so I've heard). I don't get it. They decided to execute kill this man. The police commissioner said the actions of the officers were justified. I don't see it.

Milton, is your neighborhood so dangerous that you need a gun, even a 2nd one? I just noticed your avatar is wielding a sword. Remind me not to get on your bad side Brother I'm not even convinced the NY City police should be trusted with guns.

Hi Milton I received a direct message from @crazyquits on Twitter If you are interested in responding please follow up directly

I think this documentary, has the potential of being very interesting and would appeal to people unfamiliar with publishing.

About the Documentary Black and Write: The documentary is about black authors and the publishing business. After 12 years and seven conferences, the Black Writer's Reunion & Conference will host one final conference. Black authors will share stories of successes and failures in the publishing industry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFMjAgtikJE The Structure - This film will be told in documentary form, by following the 3 types of authors attending and teaching at the BWRC. This includes: The VETERANS- Authors who have published 25 or more books and/or have been in the publishing business more than 10 years. The HUSTLERS -- Authors who are in the thick of hoping that their books will launch them into success. They have written 1-5 books and they trying to find the balance of working a professional job and launch a book career. The NEWBIES -- Authors who have never published material before. They are attending the conference for the first or 2nd time but have yet to produce a book. Conference Director: Tia Ross shares the story of why she started the conference for black authors and why she has chosen to make 2012 the final conference. The Resolution - Viewers of the film will be able to have a behind the scenes look at the challenges that black authors have faced in the publishing business. Length - The film will be approximately 70-90 minutes Visit http://www.cmikki.com/ to learn more about and to support the Documentary Black and Write

This is reminiscent of some of the stories in Warmth of Other Suns. This is not a book I would recommend for the faint of hearth it really exposes a very ugly side of America. It is a wonder any Black people are sane after the treatment we and our ancestors have received over the last several hundred years here...

Why does Obama consistently snub Black events? These are easy wins for him. Black folks ask for so little... The only political message I can take from this is that the Black vote is in the bag and spending time to woo this audience is a waste of limited resources. I got the email from the Obama campaign asking for $3 in return for an chance to meet him and Michael Jordan. I would rather spend the $3 bucks on a lottery ticket (and I rarely buy lottery tickets). Cynique "material for ridicule" is far more lucrative than knowledge.

Apparently teenage pregnancy has reached epidemic proportions in LA. It sounds like folks there are earnestly trying to do something about it. It is really easy for outsiders to tell others the 'right" thing to do when they never have to live with the disastrous outcomes. Of the set of issues preventing kids from obtaining a HS diploma, discouraging them from making babies during high school offers big rewards with relatively little effort. The fact that the school's effort to prescribe a consequence for children conceiving a babies, is causing controversy is astonishing given the severity of the situation.

The "holes" in the the study include included a variety of things, but most could be grouped into a the category of statements not vetted or missing information. Now I know this was not a piece of investigative journalist, but a case study written by students. The income statement end in 1993 it would have been nice to see the data out to 2002 when the store was taken over. The statements provided show that the store was not in the black as of 1993, was it ever profitable? I suspect the new owners were doomed from jump Why not check to see if in fact Hue-man was the largest independent. This would have been relatively easy to do and worth validating It would have been useful to know, specifically, what was done for marketing and promotion. The figures show in 1992 and 1993 show less than $5K was spent. Not a very big budget (much less than even their telephone expense) Statements like "Anglo Book Purchasing Behavior" needed to be explained. I have no idea what that means and how Hue-man countered the problem This is mostly off the top of my head if I re-read the document I could come with with more. At any rate, I found the study very interesting.

Nellicito! Well thanks doubly for stopping by and sharing here. Facebook is one of our other problems -- but I've given up trying to help people understand why... I'm not familiar with Urban Grapevine, but I'll look into it. Again, Nellicito/Nah'Sun you are, in many ways I'm discovering, the exception not the rule. I hope Urban Grapevine appreciates your contribution and that you grow together and share in the benefits.

Yeah Black and Nobel is doing their thing. I visited last year -- just spotted it in my periphery while driving up Broad Street. The lack of balance is not just killing Black publishing it is killing our culture -- but that is another conversation. You and I might make a point of supporting Black bookstores, but MOST people do not -- it took me 10 seconds to learn that lesson online. People want the cheapest one -- they don't make the "conscious purchase". We have to compete in an environment when money rules. For many reasons, authors of urban literature are much more successful at this than literary authors -- this is why there is little balance and the trend shows a worsening. This is not to put down Urban Lit., it is just that market forces in our system support Urban lit most efficiently. I think a world with physical bookstores, and a diverse selection of literature is possible. It is just harder and not likely to make you a multimillionaire. But you can make a decent living a fulling life and contribute something of value to the community. But we have to share information, learn from each others mistakes and support each other (minimally). Right now we all reinvent the wheel and learn the hard way -- that is what i liked about the Hue-man study. There were a lot of holes in it but it was the best (only) documentation of a Black owned independent that I've ever seen. I'm a Pagano's man myself -- Triple Cheese Steak Hoagie -- accept no substitutes

...and now you know the rest of the story. Assuming you are right, it sounds like Mejah, would benefit, a great deal, by relocating to a location where there was more opportunity for foot traffic. Admittedly this is easier said than done. This important factor was never mentioned in this video (or part 1 which I did not post). Honestly the closing of bookstores have reached epidemic proportions. I suspect however if you looked under the cover you would identify factors under the control of the store owners that might have prevented many, if not most, of the stores from closing. Here is a database of Black Owned, Independent Bookstores Also here is a related article Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Bookstore.

"Black people have survived with each other in the past because THOSE generations struggled with each other and KNEW they NEEDED one another in order to survive" I agree 100% with this statement. I'm not even going to play devil's advocate to tease out any more of an explanation. "Point blank" A ) Many people lie about book sales -- not just Black authors. B ) Validated by the "white man' is a little misleading. It is a validation by the institution or entities that generate the most money that people seek. Of course the vast majority of these entities are run and owned by white men folks. Here is one of many anecdotes to support your point B: For years a big complaint I've heard from Black writers is that Black magazines, websites, etc don't pay anything or pay too little to Black writers. As a result, it was virtually impossible for Black entities to secure good writers. Fledgling websites and magazine, new ones in particular, struggled and died in part to a lack of good content. Meanwhile many of our best writers proudly wrote for the Huffington Post -- for free. It was only after the HuffPost was sold for millions did I hear anyone complaints. But Black writers still Blog for free to this day. For sure, some Black entities took advantage of Black writers trying to make a name for themselves by writing for free. But when the motivation is only money it is easy to see why folks would not hesitate to give away their content to the Huff Post versus a much small Black publication. The idea that we need each other is never a factor. I'll take it a step further. I get emails all the time from writers wanting me to promote the fact that they have published something on the Huffngton Post. Now I pay authors pretty much for everything I publish or give then a excellent barter deal -- rarely do they promote the fact that they had an article published on AALBC.com. I could go on... Na'Shun I still disagree about your assessment of the differences of the HBF and BBF. Both events attract attendees and vendors who live out outside of the physical locations of both events. Yes the authors showcased and vending at the BBF are more diverse in terms of race, but again that does not explain any of the issues Nellicito described at the beginning of this conversation. Many of the problems Nellicito and I described are relatively recent problems with the Harlem Book Fair. Some Black writers (who hustle) will make money, but the vast majority will not profit very much. The reasons are plentiful and have nothing to do with the existence of book fairs and more to do with the quality of the product. Consider this point I made earlier; "Self published authors, selling a single title, were over represented" at the Harlem Book fair. For the 1st couple of years I had a table where I sold books of many different authors -- it would be nothing for me to clear $400 in a day. I would be willing to bet money an unknown author selling a single title will not make this much. But more importantly a fair populated with a large number of unknown authors with a single book will attract fewer people than a fair with actual book sellers, and publishers. This is one big difference between the HBF and the BBF. Again, the Harlem Book Fair, in the past, attracted all of the big 6 publishers, many independent presses, antiquarian book sellers, book stores, even the likes of an AALBC.com. Again I could go on... Nah'Sun thanks so much for offering your perspective here. The willingness to express your thoughts, in a public forum, and not be intimated by someone who disagrees with you is an increasing rare thing.

Nah'Sun probably the biggest benefit Clara Villarosa derived from saying her store was "the largest" was how it raised her profile during a period when Black books were growing in popularity. She was the go to person for Black books during this period. But, as I'm sure you know, it takes more than simply saying you are "the largest" to keep a store open. Also check out Emlyn DeGannes owner of MeJah Bookstore as she makes a plea to the community to help save the bookstore that has served the community for 15 years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuvA9bH5XQU It is interesting the store owner says her store simply would not have survived were it not for urban books.

Nah'Sun's, impression of the Harlem, Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe, store is supported by many stories that I've heard as well. However, this case study actually examines the original Hue-Man Experience bookstore which opened in Denver well before the popularity Urban/Street Fiction craze. This story ends in 2002 after Clara sold the Denver store and opened up the Harlem store. The next 10 years would be a fascinating study. Unfortunately the ending includes the closing of both stores but so many lessons could be learned. Nah'Sun interestingly, Clara's quote that I posted would seem to support your It would be interesting to see what the next owners of the Denver store would have to say.

Nah'Sun, it would interesting to read what you think the target audiences for the Harlem Book Fair and The Brooklyn Book festival are and why they are so different that comparing them, in our opinion, is not valid. "Black authors, and Black people in general, cannot "think Black" anymore...you need to EXPAND" Your logic here is lost on me. I'm not sure what "think Black" means and how that equates to not "expanding". I'm not aware of a single author at the Harlem Book Fair and I know the organizers are interested is selling to a "broad and diverse audience". I'm not sure what the Harlem book fair, or Black people in general are doing to make you think otherwise. I'll approach it differently for you. The Harlem Book Fair came about not as an effort to exclude anyone. It was a reaction to the fact that Black books were an insignificant part of the world of books. The effort was is an attempt to enable us to be heard. In that regard, the Harlem Book Fair continues to be successful. If the Harlem Book Fair and all the other fairs like it went away tomorrow do you think Black writers and books would be in a better or worse position? The quote from Mo Betta Blues does not bolster your argument simply because it is untrue. It would also be interesting to read why you think that statement is true. "Black people have survived because of other Black people" - Troy from AALBC.com

7 dead Sikhs at a shooting in a temple in Wisconsin and the beat goes on....