The thing about reading is this: it takes a long time. There are innumerable books in the world, and many more good ones than can be read by any mortal in a lifetime. It's hard to choose -- especially if you're a slow reader. So, to go along with the list of the best albums from 1963-2013, here you will find a single must-read book from each of the last 50 years.
I’m not going to preface this wonderfully written piece with my thoughts as I normally would. I’ll allow Mr. Okeem’s editorial from Hip Hop Republican to speak for itself:
The leftist assessment of the black conservative is that such a person is angered and frustrated at being born black, which leads to the adoption of conservative views in order to compensate for this perceived “congenital deficiency.” While this is a preposterous accusation to make against all black conservatives, it is intellectually dishonest to pretend as though this characterization of the black right came into existence wholly out of left field. Indubitably, there are some black conservatives whose proclamations and behaviors lend credence to the stereotypical leftist view of black conservatives.
Black conservatives are not intellectually monolithic, and we certainly do not read from the same script of talking points. Essentially, black conservatives can be divided into two groups: solution-oriented black conservatives and fame-oriented black conservatives. Solution-oriented black conservatives prefer to use their platforms to intellectually engage with people and offer serious ways to move black people forward. Inevitably, this encompasses astutely criticizing both the left and the right when criticism is required.
By contrast, fame-oriented black conservatives feign interest in issues regarding black progress, when, in reality, popularity among white conservatives and profit are their fundamental goals. Fame-oriented black conservatives never see an opportunity to bash black people and black liberal leadership that they do not take, but they conveniently manage to turn a blind eye to every shortcoming and malfeasance of white conservatives. Fame-oriented black conservatives are the right-wing versions of the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons. They are people who care more about their bank accounts than bettering the lives of black people.
There is a civil war occurring between the intellectual, solution-driven black conservatives and the fame-oriented, pseudo-intellectuals on the black right. The winners of this war will determine the political future of black America. If the black conservative continues to be identified as a self-hating person who is simply a puppet for white conservatives, black people will never associate with the Republican Party or American conservatism. However, if this war is won by black conservative intellectuals who are truly about black elevation—and not the elevation of their personal bank account balances—black conservatism has a chance of truly permeating the inner cities and changing the voting behaviors of black people.
The most identifiable feature of fame-oriented black conservatives is their absurdist addiction to the inconsequential issue of whether or not blacks choose to identify as African American or just American. They call this the “unhyphenated American” movement. While this issue is unimportant to regular people, it is deeply important to pseudo-intellectual, fame-oriented black conservatives, because it is the key issue that they use to ingratiate themselves with white conservatives.
When “Rev.” Jesse Lee Peterson—a darling of the white right and “unhyphenated American”—argued that blacks being carried on slave ships is equivalent to traveling on coach airplanes, before earnestly thanking white people for slavery and removing his forefathers from Africa, he was not making an argument to reach out to other blacks. Rather, Peterson was talking to a certain white conservative audience that enjoys such rhetoric—particularly coming from a black man. It is no wonder why Sean Hannity comfortably sits on the board of Peterson’s organization dedicated to the supposed “advancement of black men.”
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Consevative Libertarian blogger Talitha McEachin
One of the things I’ve noticed between the two holidays designated to honor parents, is that too many greetings toward men are more often phrased in a condescending way. Each year I see things like “Happy Father’s Day to the men who are taking care of their kids/doing what they are supposed to be doing/sticking around for their kids/not out in the streets/setting an example/not out there making babies everywhere…etc” – In other words it is more often phrased in the form of what a good father is not doing, and I think that’s a sad state of affairs. This is further exacerbated by greetings directed towards women on this day as well. Women aren’t fathers, so I find that especially silly. A woman who wishes mothers a “Happy Father’s Day, diminishes the role of men and in effect, attempts to render the institution gender-neutral – whether deliberately or out of ignorance. Excuse my candor, but being a father requires a penis, and if you were not born with one, you’re incapable of being a father.
I don’t understand why some cannot honor the institution of fatherhood without indirectly (or directly) reflecting 
negative images & stereotypes of men. I don’t know about you all, but I had a wonderful father who was very loving, affectionate, wise, a disciplinarian – his good qualities far outweighed any negative ones. I know some of you either didn’t have your Dad in your life or didn’t know him but just once, I wish those individuals would focus on the institution of fatherhood and honor it, instead of keeping the negative father/male images in the forefront of their greetings to men in general & the ones in their lives. After all, those who were not raised by a Dad, should understand (in some ways more) how important the institution of fatherhood is, having had it absent from their lives. I just don’t see this disdain on Mother’s Day, as if all mothers are good ones. Happy Father’s Day to all of the men who are fathers – with no strings attached. I appreciate you. I appreciate the institution of fatherhood. May God Bless you!
Psalm 103:13
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
Or, Egregious Use Of The Word “Authority” by S.R. Torris
http://youtu.be/QVNku50kSfA
I have heard the praise and rabid fanaticism associated with HBO’s “Game Of Thrones” and, yes, I’ve been told, “I can’t believe you don’t watch it?” and “You have to watch it!” a dozen times. Why not let myself be taken away by a great fantasy story? I’d done it before with the “Harry Potter” series and “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy; this could be another world added to the many I visit during those times when the journey of this world becomes less than hospitable.
We wanted to make a short horror film, and we believed we could fund it within our own community of friends and strangers who shared our dream of creating a story and characters we could be proud of.
Thanks to you, Danger Word has been shot, is being edited, and will have a trailer online soon! We are grateful beyond words for the support of our backers.
THE (almost) FORGOTTEN FRIEND OF STEAMFUNK!
Crowdfunding - or crowdFUNKing, in our case, dear Steamfunkateers - fundraising (or funkraising) by collecting relatively small amounts of money from many different people, has become quite popular in recent years.
We all know about the ever-so- popular Kickstarter, considered by many to be the king of crowdfunding, but we often forget the first startup to help the “little guy” bring his or her big creations to the world: San Francisco-based IndieGoGo, which has proven to be quite successful at helping to bring amazing Steampunk projects to life.
