Troy

Writegirl, reading books that have been so badly edited that I can not complete them is a rare occurrence. Typically it is the subject matter or style that prevents be from completing books -- rather than run sentences or a misplaced modifiers. How do you decide which books to read? It seems to me you'd be able to avoid the really badly edited or unedited ones with a little scrutiny or using a good source for recommendations.

Stove top I use it everything I prepare a Thanksgiving feast. I add a pound of crumpled spicy Parks sage sausage when I prepare min. Sometime i stuff the turkey, but all that does make cooking the turkey a little difficult. I bake the Turkey and stuff it afterwards if I want to make an impression. I actually I don't; even like Turkey (unless it has been fried or covered in gravy), I don't even eat it during the holidays if there is another meat available. this year I had ribs :-) Our family's Christmas dinner is ordering Chinese take out. I usually get Peking Duck.

Dorothy congrats on your latest novel! writergirl870 welcome to the discussion boards!

A Christian pastor suggesting one view porn is absurd. Typically the participants engaged in sex in a pornographic film are committing adultery. Why any pastor would encourage someone to view this stuff is beyond me. As far as everyone, else participating in them or watching them -- that is up them; as long as folks are doing it voluntarily (I know a very slippery term), I have no problem with it. I do however believe people can get a warped sense of what to expect in the bedroom especially if most of their experience is based upon porn. But sex is such a charged and sensitive subject few people including married coupled can have a meaning conversation about the subject. If Haggns spend a split second he might have figured out the underlying problem and given them more helpful, advise more inline with their supposed belief system.

Hickson, Biaunca, I completely feel where you are both coming from. The lack of cohesiveness is appalling. I can give you hundreds of personal anecdotes from over the last 15 years that would have you shaking your head. Exacerbating the problem is that we, effectively, do not control our own voices. Because of the fact this very issue will never be reported on in the mainstream media. The average person really has no idea what is going on. I just sent this message to another internet entrepreneur as few moments ago: Hickson, you are right bookstores on line and off HAVE to be come more creative to stay alive. The problem is resources are hard to come by which makes it impossible to grow. Our best resources go to "majority" owned business. It is not because they pay more. Many Black writers will write for the HuffingPost for free. Many Black authors will quote every "Major" source before the quote a black one. I've done events for Black authors who will announce Buy my book at B&N or Amazon -- every where but AALBC.com. They are not being mean -- they just don't understand. Some do, but most don't. it is a very profound problem. But there is hope. There are conscious people who understand the problem and are willing to do something about it. In fact AALBC.com would not be alive were it not for individuals like this. I'm not talking about famous people or very rich people. [Amazingly I've NEVER received an ounce of support from a famous or rich author - even though I strongly support them]. Most of my support comes from regular folk, and relatively unknown authors, like the people who regularly contribute to the conversations here. There are also others on the web -- doing their thing, day in and day out, grindin' not because they are trying to get rich, but because they believe what they are doing will benefit our people, and in turn the world.

I went back and posted the full conversation. I have admit I was beginning to loose patience with the person, but I really wanted to understand her concerns. Often the harshest critiques come from people who have never done what they are actually critiquing. But these folks are still the audience I'm attempting to serve. So while I appreciate they have no clue how difficult what I do is, I always to try to address any feedback that seems to be sincerely presented. I also realize I'm very biased, so I was hoping someone could help me understand this exchange. Am I wrong for welcoming the financial support of sponsors like Twisted Sista? Also keep in mind the Twisted Sista campaign is doing well. The success has actually help support the premise that non book related ads can do well on the site. Twisted Sista is also sponsoring a contest: http://www.aalbc.com/fun/twisted_sista.html

Yeah I heard the broadcast with Tommie and Juan, Unfortunately money in sports has removed what little consciousness these athletes had left..

Hazing on a marching band seems... silly. Unfortunately this incident had catastrophic consequence. I had the pleasure of watching FAMU's marching band perform earlier this year. I had to sit through USF 2nd string team 70-17 mauling of FAMU.

Cynique. It would be interesting to know why you write Weber work is not taken seriously. Please explain sometimes I can get out of touch from my vantage point.

ANYONE who has been here since the 90's have my gratitude and admiration!

Cynique you can always go back and edit (or at least you should be able to). Carl Weber has been around a long time. Actually he is one of the most prominent African Americans in the field. The comparison with a self-published urban author is like comparing apples to oranges. http://aalbc.com/authors/carlweber.htm

Subject: TwistedSista Ad Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 6:26 PM Please remove the TwistedSista ads from AALC. I come to your site to purchase books, not to view ads designed to stir up hair issues within the black community. Please keep your ads limited to those directly related to books. Concerned Visitor [Editor's Note: an alias] -------------- On Mon, Dec 5, 2011 at 8:04 PM, Troy Johnson <troy@aalbc.com> wrote: Hey Concerned Visitor, I appreciate you taking the time to email me your feelings about the Twisted Sista ad campaign on AALBC.com. I have no control over authors or publishers decisions to place ads on AALBC.com. Indeed, book advertisements represent a small percentage of advertising revenue generated by AALBC.com. Book ads represent such a small percentage of ads on AALBC.com, I would not a viable business without the non-book ads. I’d be interested in reading why you find the Twisted Sista ads so offensive. The performance of the ads, based upon the number percentage of people who click them, indicates that a large percentage of people do not take offense with the Twisted Sista products. As an aside, I run the site entirely on my own. It is literarily a daily struggle to keep AALBC.com profitable and remain true to my mission of providing visitors with the variety of literature that we produce. We have lost many book sites over the last few years. No one in the business of selling books by and about Black people, does this to get rich, it is a labor of love and a lot of hard work. Support – especially financial support, is very hard to come by. Take a look at these articles and let me know what you think. Black Book Websites Need Love Too http://aalbc.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/09/black-book-websites-need-love-too/ What Happened to the Best African American Literary Magazines? http://aalbc.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/28/best-african-american-literary-magazines/ Peace, Troy Johnson President, AALBC.com, LLC --------------- Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 10:31 PM To: Troy Johnson Hi Troy, I can appreciate everything you stated in your response. My reasons for not wanting to see Twisted Sista ads at a site black women know, trust, and love are as follows: Although Twisted Sista caters to us naturals, it contains a bunch of junk-garbage ingredients - perfume, parabens, alcohol, cones, glycerines, and a long list of stuff nobody can pronounce. The ad itself is supposed to be for black women, yet shows a nearly white woman in the advertisement. This is what I "read" when I view the ad: Unless YOU look like HER, YOU should NOT wear your hair natural. YOU may as well continue relaxing, flat ironing, straightening, weaving, and wigging your hair. These five-and-dime products are attempting to take advantage of the uninformed. Society seems to WANT black women to continue walking around with short, broken-off hair. These products are DESIGNED to convince us that our hair will not grow, is incapable of growing, and in dire need of a relaxer, and hair weave or wig. Did I mention that the product line is terrible? The shampoo is drying and coating. I abhor the coating on my hair, which is responisible for making my hair feel so stiff. And my scalp seems to get sweaty faster than it does with other shampoos. The conditioner leaves the same coating on my hair. It completely dries the hair out, leaving it parched and begging for a sip of moisture. All the best. Thanks for writing back. Love your site! Concerned Visitor --------------------------------------- On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 9:38 AM, Troy Johnson <troy@aalbc.com> wrote: I’m glad you like the site Concerned Visitor. Again I appreciate the feedback. I’m in no position to judge the relative merits of the Twista Sista product line. However I did read the ad copy and the products are designed for people with straight or curly hair. I suspect, judging from the models used, the product is targeted to mixed raced women (perhaps competing with the Mixed Chicks products). In addition, Twisted products are inexpensively priced. Apparently there is a market for this type of product here in the US. Presumably the product achieved some success in the UK. The product that appeals to everyone has yet to be invented. People have even complained about some of the books that are on the site. Does that mean, for example, that because someone has an issue with Urban Fiction that I should pull all of the Urban Fiction off my site? The Twisted Sista’s make AALBC.com possible. If you support AALBC.com you should be glad Twista Sista is spending money to reach my audience and promotional effort with us. You don’t have to like their products – personally, I have no use for them either :-) Troy Johnson President, AALBC.com, LLC -------------------- Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 8:39 AM To: Troy Johnson Subject: Re: TwistedSista Ad You know Troy, if that is your stance then there was never a reason for you to ask why I took issue with the ad. I took the time to answer your question because you asked it. There are new web sites being developed to serve the best interests of black women everyday. Goodreads, for example, sponsors ads that are book related - period. I belong to a group of 6800 networked ladies who are waiting to learn your response to this inquiry. I will assume that I have your permission to share, as I consider this a done conversation. --Concerned Visitor ----------------------------- From: Troy Johnson [mailto:troy@aalbc.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 9:20 AM Subject: RE: TwistedSista Ad Deep. You think Goodreads only displays ads for books (please review their site you’ll find non-book ads)? You want to compare an independently owned company, run by an individual with Goodreads -- majority owned and operated, with millions of dollars of private investment? You feel Goodreads serves the interests of Black women (I can’t recall the last time I was a Black book on the Goodread homepage). Please share the conversation. Again, I’m open to reading and hearing the feedback. If you are sincere, you might be moved to harness your network of ladies to help constructively correct the problems you perceive. Please share the conversation. I’ll do the same (without your name and email address) Troy Johnson President, AALBC.com, LLC

Classic Cynique! Carey I hope you read what Cynique has written, think about it for a while, and reply with something that reflects that process.

Hi PiggyAnn, I appreciate the historical perspective, however I'm most focused on the situation today. I have to agree however even in today's environment the remaining Black owned newspapers are so very important. Here in New York Black Star News and the The Amsterdam News are really invaluable for the reasons you described. Those and other publications aside, for the moment, we have a very serious and worsening problem as it related to Black news and journalism in terms of how, what, and who is covering it -- especially online.

Carey, while all eyes are not closed some, like yours may as well be. If I just wrote that I would support Obama over any Republican candidate, how is it possible for me to be a closet Republican -- that is illogical, unless you think I'm lying or dumb. Sure my opinion of Obama is more closely aligned with that of Tavis and West, than yours, but how you construe that as being in support of Cain is beyond me. Would a closet republican run be running AALBC.com or engaged in an effort to identify and categorize all independently run Black websites without trying to make money in return for the effort. Brother you ain't makin' any sense today. Just accept the fact some people are not jockin' Obama the way you are and are willing to point out areas we he needs to do better. PiggyAnn, unfortunately anything can be spun by the media to make someone look bad, they tried with Obama using Jeremiah Wright, his smoking herb, being Muslim, having a middle name of Hussein, having an African father, etc, etc. People over looked this because they desperately wanted change. I seriously doubt, Martin Luther King, with his infidelity,or Malcolm X with his homosexual sex would have withstood a modern day media assault had those revelations been made public, when their most important work was being performed. Now that I think about it, the media assignation would have spared the physical assassination, without making them martyrs. PiggyAnn46 which Black media outlets, specially, do you respect the most? .

PiggyAnn4612, most of the secrets or behaviors we all keep from the public would not withstand the the media spin. Nor should it be fodder to evaluate a presidential candidate. Two questions: (1) Is it the "news" media's role to reports on alleged non-criminal sexual behavior of politicians? (2) Does the non-criminal sexual behavior of a politician matter? There was a time where this stuff was fodder for the national inquirer. Today's tabloids are indistinguishable. Venerable newspapers like the New York Times are catching up (OK, maybe that last point was an exaggeration, but on some levels they are). I'd have agree, Obama must have a squeaky clean sexual history. But that does not mean the media did not run with silly allegations, like the long form birth certificate bull.

"If you're havin' girl problems, i feel bad for you son I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one" I like the point about Cain actually "having" to run just to keep the paper flowing.

Thanks for stepping out an saying that Suzyq the problem you described with the media are actually getting much worse on a LOT of levels the wild thing is that this issue is going largely unnoticed. The main reason for these problems is that we do not own our own media. When we do, we either sell out, or conform to what mainstream media does. Of course an insatiable need for money is the driver. There however are many who struggle to create something positive. They go largely ignored and unsupported. I've been writing a lot about this subject recently. Please check out a Blog post about Black book magazines: http://aalbc.it/blacklitmags PiggyAnn4612 (not trying to pick on you), comments really illustrates why the negative is so profitable. I submit, this is the only reason the media focuses. The problem I have with it this is that someone call call up a news outlet, make an allegation, and presidential campaign and a potentially a marriage are destroyed -- all driven by the media created public spectacle. Again, all of this so that a few people can become fantastically wealthy. Carey your attempt to link me with Cain is puerile. If you bothered to ask you'd know that I would support Obama over Cain or any republican candidate. That is not to say, I don't have serious issues with Obama. Obama despite all the promise for "change" is merely a reflection of all that is bad with our government.

What's up Carey? On this Sunday morning as i write this my wife shortly be rising and preparing to go to church. Occasionally I join her or sometimes my mom, not so much for me, but for them. I've not read the entire Bible, cover to cover, but I neither has many church going Christians. I have read Psalms, the 10 commandments, Genesis, Revelations, and a good chuck of the rest of Good Book. However, I'm not sure why you use reading the Bible as requirement for being a detractor of the religion. Indeed for the majority of time that Christianity has existed most of it's adherents were illiterate. In reality many of the Bible's detractors or non-adherents have read not one but several versions of the Bible. Louis Farrakhan, for example, knows the bible better than most. Of course there is nothing "wrong" with the 10 commandments. But when you have most right wing of Christians, who support wars on several fronts, have to say about thou shall not kill? Of course we could go on and on... But as my very first post indicates, I agree with you it is a "fool's errand..." Ironsmith, yeah that does sound confusing (but honest), because the beliefs are incompatible. Perhaps this is why so many Christians are either fighting creationism or trying to modify the religion to accommodate (evolution, homosexuality, etc). I don't think the Big Bang theory, and it is still a theory, can be used as evidence to prove of disprove a God. Because the next logical question would be what was before the big bang? Then you are left to infinitely regress... There are some things man is incapable of comprehending, the nature of the universe is certainly one of them. Read one of those books on quantum theory to really get you head twisted Perhaps this is where faith come in.

Read the interview with Filmmaker Alrick Brown This film was shot in 16 days!

Paul Mooney is a riot! This Is Herman Cain: My Journey to the White House http://www.aalbc.com...erman_cain.html Ya' gotta love the title

Read: What Happened to the Best African American Literary Magazines? We have lost so many important platforms for advancing our culture in recent years that it is a crying shame. Even more interesting it the fact that no one seems to notice -- or even care. Our major, so called, Black media will ignore these signicant losses. it is up to us to support the reminaing entities. Peace

Yeah I remember seeing this opening sequence when it first aired. Omar the original homo-thug! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9kf1FeADYc

Xeon! I missed you. Logically, stating that it "never happened" and that "It's no one's business" are not mutually exclusive statements. Both can be true. Thus dispatching your argument with little effort. But this situation does beg a couple of questions not just for Cain (who at this point is not a serious contender), but for anyone. Does it really matter what two consenting adults do behind closed doors? Where do we draw the line draw the line on what is acceptable? Cheating on a spouse, going to a strip club, getting a hand job at a massage parlor, engaging in homosexual sex, a single person engaging in sex when they are not married, masturbation. There are people you have a problem with all of the above and other who have a problem with none of it and everything in between, Who decides who is the standard bearer of proper behavior? Even if we had answers to all of the above, does it really matter in terms of one's job performance? If so why? Is it really the media's role to dig up and circulate gossip, rumors and unproven accusations? If we all believed that Cain, affair was a factor on his ability to govern, the media still should not report it until it was something could prove. Besides even if Cain did have the affair how does that make in any different, or less potentially effective than Dr. King or Presidents Kennedy, or Clinton?

Liar's suddenly becoming honest under the cloak of anonymity. I'm still not convinced it is a trust worthy sample set. But I guess you might have a point regarding the rampant dishonestly that transpires online. I knew this one Brother who arranged for a date with what he believed would be a Black woman. The woman turned out to be an older Chinese woman. The woman said it was a good way to get dates my friend carried on with the date -- true story.