1. DCI74 wrote:

I’m digging the Barbershop Notebooks 2.0 (yeah Marc you can have that!). It’s more user friendly than the old version and things are much easier to find. I really like the fact there’s a search option, been waiting on that for a minute. I’d like to see more polls about the reasons why people don’t fill out online polls lol.

2. MrDeeTroit wrote:

I like the old sight, for the simple reason that it was easier on the eyes. But then again, this is my first time back in a loooooooong minute, so my comment and opinion probably doesn’t hold my weight.

3. Tom Penn wrote:

The lead story is, “Black Activists Wrong to Come to Lovell Mixon Funeral?” Yet, there is no place for readers to to give an answer to that question. I hope this is not the beginning of a trend, where peeps are only invited to “watch” the “Marc & Bill Show”

Which reminds me Dr. Hill, does Fox News that you are an ardent supporter of cop killers?

A Masters Thesis topic: The correlation between the sanctification of Philadelphia’s most notorious cop killer and the recent epidemic in said city of the killing Police Officers by men born during the decade of the 1980s.; the decade where cop killers became heroes: Kill a cop, and receive requisite worship.

4. DCI74 wrote:

That story is on page 2 Tom but you make a good point. Marc just like the rest of the posting if you could link whatever the lead story is to the actual thread that would be easier than scrolling through the pages.

5. Mrs. Rivers wrote:

I like the new site although I think you need to change your image at the top. I know you’re going for a more serious debonaire look but you’ve practiced that TV smile so much, its time you put it to good use!

I also agree with the header video. its not really necessary unless it has a link to where one can post their comments.

6. ~JJG~ wrote:

The new site looks great, but I do think it’s a little too dark. I suggest a dark gray background (IDK), just something lighter. Also, I think you should put the comment number next to the comment (like on the previous layout). This will help with addressing replies.

7. ~JJG~ wrote:

And oh…echoing Mrs. Rivers…a picture with a smile.

8. anita wrote:

it’s snazzy…. but i liked the old site because it had a comfortable feel to it. However, progress is a good thing

9. anita wrote:

JJG- I think that’s his cat-walk face

10. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

Tom,

It wasn’t my intention wasn’t to have a “marc and bill show”. the idea was that the big video screen would be linked to the video of the day below. otherwise, it would be a video blog on most days that would be separate from the actual blog. that said, i think you’re right. i’ll find a way to link the comments section straight from the top.

your comments about me “supporting cop killers” is dishonest and irresponsible. on the the video of above, I referred to the death of the police officers as an “awful tragedy.” i do not support mixon or his behavior. in fact, i have repudiated it. I do, however, believe that the lives of those officers’ lives are worth no more (or less!) than Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, or the countless brothers and sisters who have been murdered by police. The violence must stop, against police and everyone else.

as far as mumia abu jamal, to whom i assume you’re alluding, i do not believe that he is guilty. i stand behind him as political prisoner (and dear friend) who has not received a fair or just trial. if i thought that he murdered a cop, i would not support him. even if you disagree with my stance –indeed many people do– it is unfair to say that i support “cop killer”. such a statement would imply to people that i acknowledge that people have murdered police officers and support them nonetheless. this is simply untrue and you know better. disagree with me on the facts of the case, but do not suggest or imply to people that i support the murder of police.

11. R.oB. wrote:

I’m good with the look, but there are operational bugs. For example, leaving replies keeps adding a “Http://” in your website field. If it’s blank, you get broken links on the comment feed. i also found some posted videos to not work. Stuff like that.

12. Tom Penn wrote:

“awful tragedy”

Dr. Hill, if a mounted Police Officer was thrown from his horse and died as a result of his fall, then that would be termed an “awful tragedy.” If a Police Officer was accidently hit with a bullet from the gun of a fellow officer during a shoot out with a criminal, then that would be viewed as an “awful tragedy.” And if some young punk steals a car, runs a red light, hits a police car, and the officer inside said car dies, then we would deem that too as an awful tragedy. However, if someone knowingly and willfully kills a Police Officer, then an entirely different set of referential language would come into play. Your use of language here with “awful tragedy” suggests that a passive action occurred. That the incident was merely an accident, and therefore outrage need not be expressed either emotionally, linguistically, or legally.

As a Philadelphian, I don’t think I need to remind you that in the very recent past, here in Philly, we’ve had seven Police Officers murdered while on patrol. None of those were deaths “awful tragedies; they were all premeditated assassinations of public safety workers. And whether you like it or not, in most towns and cities in this country, the life of a public safety worker is considered far more valuable than the person who killed him.

You may recall that on August 10, 1999 a man broke into a Jewish Children’s Day Care Center in Los Angeles. Thank God, he failed to kill any children or teachers while he was at the school. However, after leaving the school, he saw a Postal Worker delivering his mail. He then shot and killed the man. As a result of his actions, California law mandated that Buford Furrow, the killer, receive the death penalty, because California law holds the life of a uniformed government worker higher than that of a regular citizen. If Furrow had shot either killed you or I, the most he could have received under California law, would have been life in prison. And that is Cali!

The same principle applies to uniformed public safety workers who leave their homes and families EVERYDAY not knowing if they will return that evening; I know that feeling because when I was a kid, every time my father kissed me goodbye when he left for his shift, I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again. Hence, society DOES consider the lives of Police Officers who are assassinated by cold blooded killers to be more valuable than the one who shot the fatal bullet.

And things are only getting worse now. I’m sure you’ve heard that when a child molester is put in prison, his fellow inmates beat the you know what out of him because even they consider his behavior to be unconscionable. Well, there is a new ritual that goes on in “our” prison system. If word get outs in the jails that the new dude killed a cop, then he is automatically given huge props and lifted to the top ranks of the prison population hierarchy; in other words, they give him madd props! And now we have public mourning and signs of support for Cop killers in Cali? All I can say is, that better NOT happen here in Philly!!!

13. Lisa wrote:

Hi Marc,
I just read through all of the comments and now I am staring at a white textbox screen with very very light grey text as I type. Wow, I can barely see the text. I think the color scheme/theme has too much contrast. It makes my video driver wack out too.
I have followed your site for months and months. I like the new options, but the color scheme makes it hard to read and gives me a headache.
Thanks for asking.

14. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

Tom,

First, I disagree with the idea that referring to something as an “awful tragedy” connotes something passive. The bombing of the World Trade Center is often referred to by Americans as the “9/11 tragedy”. Many murders, rapes, and attacks are referred to as tragic by people of all political persuasions.

But that wasn’t the point.

You made a claim that I support cop killers. I responded and you, for the most part, ignored what I wrote and continued to condemn those who “have public mourning and signs of support for cop killers.” While I echo your concern, you’ve done nothing to address my argument. Am I to assume that you no longer believe that I support cop killers?

15. ChgoSista wrote:

Hi, Dr. Marc. My thoughts: The new site looks “blogspot.com”-ish whereas the original site did not. That’s what I’m not crazy about with your new joint–aesthetically, it’s like all the others. Your original one was set apart. I hope this makes sense–my coffee hasn’t officially kicked in yet.

16. Logic wrote:

I think the new site features are great. I do not dig the color scheme, though.

As far as the picture goes, I think it is Marc’s attempt to look “gangsta”. If you’re from the hood, you have to pose like that or lose points. I even had a few of these poses from my wedding day. However, since Marc is an intellectual with major credentials, he has to tone it down a bit, hence the pseudo-gangsta look in the photo:) I see you Marc.

17. wendi wrote:

the white type on a dark background is very difficult to read…. so hard that I don’t read many of the posts because the type is small and with all the competition on the internet, it’s just easier to go to another site where I can actually see what’s going on. the content is good though, just aesthetic things that need a little tweaking.

18. Carrie wrote:

I do think the layout looks nice and slick, from a graphics point of view, but the contrast of the white font on the dark background does make scanning the text a bit more of a chore.

19. MrsPickron wrote:

Hi All! I miss being here! I like the new look! I’m viewing from my phone, therefore; I may not get the full effect. I think the new look is “upscale”. More like a “black tie affair” rather than a “casual event”.