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Never in my wildest dreams (and yes I have wild ones) would I think a short observation would spur such a nourishing conversation! Thank you @richardmurray, @Troy and @Kalexander2 for you evocative perspectives!

I never heard this before, but it is a brilliant observation.

Thanks Richard. Of course spam on your blog has increased since i blocked guest posts on the forum… i honestly believe someone just wants to make my life miserable. @Pioneer1 would say it is an overt act of racism.

I would like to live in this painting (the house by the river) with someone.

Thank you, Mel. You have made my day. Yes, the text next to each picture gives ingredients, process, and an anecdote that includes a quote from my mother or a story that illustrates not only her philosophy about food, but, of course, about life. From the beginning, I make it clear that it is not a cookbook or a how to book, but a book that will inspire some to create their own culinary art, others to enjoy the art when they frame the perforated large format prints on their wall, and everyone to be touched by my mother's story. It is a companion book to the first book, An Extraordinary Life: Josephine E. Jones. The talented illustrator has created an elegant cover that is a work of art, just like the contents of the book. Now if I can get the emergency loan-grant to pay the publicist, I won't have to attempt to do it myself. Thanks again.

Okay, WOW! I am going to make a notebook to keep up with this information. Thank you @Mel Hopkins I am going to break this down and digest this. OMGOSH! I can understand this.

@Chevdove Thank you for asking!!! (I'm so excited)...ACCESS = LOCATION and refers to where people are most likely to get information about something that interest them. Example - If you are interested in creole cooking - you're are likely to show up to a location that either serves creole food or teaches creole cooking. You will most likely search for creole recipes and even find a creole history club to join locally or the internet. You may even show up here AALBC to look for books on the origins of creole culture or if experts post here. You might even start your own thread about creole culture. NOTE: business owners provide what customers need so the customer can get what they want. Your interest in creole cooking means either you or loved one wants to eat it. So business owners fills the need - by selling a cookbook, opening a restaurant or inviting you to take a trip to the source. So, someone who is promoting, lets say Louisiana travel tours, will make sure they share their information at all those access points where you are likely to show up. They will be at the places where you might look for information creole cooking. It may be advertisement or even information about authentic creole cooking spot on the tour - or even the best dish and include a recipe... Now they have your attention you may even jot down their information for future reference - and remember them when you plan your trip so you can get some good food. This is how the best marketers are getting noticed in today's marketplace. EDUCATION = A MOVEMENT A lot of independent authors think they don't know their audience. My suggestion is to start of movement of one. Ask yourself, "what do I believe needs changing?" I did something similar when starting this blog. I believe Marketing = Change. Marketing is a force that shakes up the status quo. I believe independent authors are unaware they use marketing in the course of their daily living. Therefore, my mission is to help authors realize they can create change through intentional use of the marketing techniques they unwittingly use daily. I was the first person in my "marketing is a four-letter word" movement. I was the first one in the audience. I'm so passionate about this topic, I just want to spread the word to anyone who will listen. I believe, "If you don't believe in your movement or are passionate about it - no one will be." Creating a movement of one is the first step. It will help you clarify what you intend to change. Then, you will be able to identify the people who are interested in your subject matter. You'll notice there are "followers" who will agree with your mission. (note: it might not happen immediately - that's why you have to be patient and passionate.) These people are your core audience. Don't waste your time trying convert anyone who is not interested. Focus on those who are interested. -These "followers" will become your ambassadors who will bring other like-minded people to the movement. How to start a movement: Now, the best thing about being a writer is ideas and words are our movement. We just have to educate others and lead them to the goal we he hope to accomplish. If we didn't believe in changing something we wouldn't write in the first place. And the best way to help others make a change is by sharing information (Education). So when you start your movement answer "Who, what,where, when, why and how." from there you will understand what information you need to share to build your audience.

@Troy The action is here! Some of Independent authors here seem to echo the same thing "I didn't know how to market my book." Except, they do. -It appears they're not strategic in their marketing practices. I was the same way with my first novel - I knew what to do but I didn't work my plan. I like how you call it a (book marketing )"clinic" because it is! We, independent authors, already know what's wrong - we just aren't consistent with our "outpatient" care. I'm writing this out for me too. I believe this is one the best places for original content on the subject. By the way, I like that I don't even have to repost it to my profile - the software keeps track of all my postings as long as I'm signed in. Oh! I'll check out @dtpollard. @Troy OMG @hen81 is my writing "hero"! He didn't come here to play with us one-book every 20 year folks !!! 65 titles according to his last post!

You are giving a clinic now @Mel Hopkins. DT PollarUsed to posr here quiet regularly. He really was cranking the ebook several a year (or so it seemed).

@richardmurray Thank you! Happy New Year! @Troy LOL! You don't miss a chance to give facebook the boot LOL GOOD JOB!!! Facebook and anything it touches is anti-life...

Making money trumps (pardon the pun) serving the community everyday of the week. Johnson made it clear the "E" stood for "entertainment," not enlightenment or education. The reality is that it stood for enrichment, Johnson's personal enrichment, and that is the legacy of BET.

true @Troy Just today @Mel Hopkins the mayor to new york city, blamed trumps election or racial biases publicity in the usa on rupert murdoch or fox news. He blames someone whose role is to make money through the media for placating how white people raise themselves in their community. It is not murdoch's fault that he saw a mob and played to it, to make money, in the usa, where making money is the way to anything. Again, merit does not matter. De blasio today suggest a certain philosophical merit must come before fiscal profiteering when the fiscal profiteering is the philosophical merit. One note, when chernobyl happened the soviet russian government had soldiers pick up the waste, all those soldiers died of radiation sickness. Over 10,000 have died from the world trade center wreckage, but if we all recall, mayor guiliani let those people ,fiscally poor people or municipal workers,pick up waste just like the soviet government did the military at chernobyl... ah welll

The irony of this article dated May 7, 2018 appearing here as a post is that I believe it was inspired by awesomelyluvvie article - dated April 17, 2018 - Still, It drives home the point that unless a black woman's feelings are echoed by a woman of non-color - then those words are just another "fart in the blizzard." Further, tears of woman of non-color are assigned as the attributes of all women especially black women. And if we don't cry at the drop of a hat then we are labeled Angry black women. Or we're not women at all, or rather we're acting like "men"...because we don't act weak. When in reality women are not weak at all - but women of non-color just play men that way. Now, they've joined the me-too movement to kick men out of their offices all the while playing victim but getting the corner offices in the process. All I got to say is "well-played women of non-color; well-played.

@richardmurray: Doubt sister Hopkins meant where that's going, but i'll leave it up her to check it up!

@Mel Hopkins true:) but, what separate a baby from a program is a baby while it is created at least physically through parents, its design is special. the parents can not determine what it will be, like all the rest created from humans. @Kalexander2 yes , the one key thing that black people must state or remember is that our vote would not had changed it. The presidential election in the u.s.a. is fifty elections. whomever get the majority vote in a state gain all their electoral votes, except for two states, where the votes are divided upon the percentage. Black people do not have a majority vote in any state in the usa, and the white vote this past election voted as a block for donald trump. The black vote voted against trump, all non white votes , voted against trump side carson, but none of them separately or together did and do have the quantity to win it alone, as the white vote proved.

@richardmurray ... OMG!!! this is true of everything we create. Understanding the creator reveals the creator.. I knew this to be true of my writing ... to read me is to know my heart - (good bad or indifferent). BUT now looking from your perspective I'd say this is true of what we consume. @Kalexander2., "It's not that I have something to hide. It's that I have nothing I want you to see." ~ANON (Netflix) @Kalexander2 If I understand this premise correctly, if the state is receiving the money - then why aren't officials distributing the HUD funds based on needs - rather than using the cash to integrate communities. One challenge, however, is to make sure millionaires such as Fox News Sean Hannity don't get the HUD money and then fix up buildings in areas - and charge exorbitant amount of rent for each apartment. https://www.11alive.com/article/news/sean-hannity-under-fire-for-allegedly-using-hud-money-to-help-buy-housing-property-in-georgia/85-548596246

Remember @Kalexander2 every machine purpose stem from its creator, not itself

The esteem commentary here is encouraging and I'm especially happy to hear Black folk speak this way. All too often people tend to hide from themselves, who they are and how they feel. While I'm no great admirer of anyone putting all their cards on any table unnecessarily, I do believe anyone with something to hide exposes everything about her/his self. Machine learning, AI, data mining, analysis, etc., does indeed seek to learn in efforts to control and manipulate to gain some advantage over others; to little avail, because there is no 'human' touch (or intimacy). There may be an advantage, however, when people, government advance programs based on such intelligence; what they think they see or know, because a person's true feeling, beliefs, and principles get ignored in all the excitement of so-call innovative technics of 'social engineering,' (use of centralized planning in an attempt to manage social change and regulate the future development and behavior of a society). Thanks guys, for giving me an additional way of seeing things.

@richardmurray , interesting perspective and one that makes a lot of sense - especially with the history of humans seeking to control each other.

I see @Mel Hopkins yes, one member in the masses at a time:) Nice line Data analysts can collect all the information in the world; sift through it and concoct part of our stories but it will never be accurate. It will always lack intimacy. For me, artificial intelligence will never be truly intelligent. Merely an illusion alluding to intelligence that serve the vanity in humans to be masters to something.

@richardmurray & @Troy I hadn't thought about involuntary ways we share our stories. I was thinking more about how we share moments, and events with each other. For example, I can tell a part of your story, Troy, that took place at Brooklyn Tech because it was my journey too. Or Richard, I can share a little of your writing journey as I know it from AALBC because both of us look for ways to get our words to the masses. But your responses allow my little observation to become so much more than I'd realized. Data analysts can collect all the information in the world; sift through it and concoct part of our stories but it will never be accurate. It will always lack intimacy. Humans are too fluid. We possess innate ability to connect with another human in a way that allows us to feel what the other person is feeling in that moment. This is one reason, Artificial Intelligence will never become the standard. It can never be intimate - because it doesn't understand vulnerability. Such as the intimacy of community. In a community, we allow ourselves to see others and " be seen" by them. Looking through our data and trying to figure out the human experience is as hard as looking through our excrement and understanding WHY we eat the things we do. To know WHY we eat, takes sharing a meal and feeling the nuances of the story we tell. Speaking of meal and stories, -Amistad author Michael W. Twitty, won the James Beard Foundation Award for his book - The Cooking Gene. But I digress. I happened to stumble on this early tedtalk yesterday and while the speaker rambles on, he expands on this concept when he said "emotional empathy, feeling with the other person" His talk reminded me of why it is a lot easier to turn humans into robots than it will be for Artificial Intelligence to reach the level of humanity. Humans will always have shared stories; AI, not so much.

That would pretty much be anyone with a smart phone. Even tbe senior citizen with all those plastic rewards card attached to their keyring. It is hard not to freely share your information.

I amend:) especially today:) I do not have the numbers but how many people had their informatios shared from others, given freely from others in the internet age.

@Troy @richardmurray I get them as well and just delete them.

I probably won't ask a question since I've never been into dungeons and dragons, but the movie looks very interesting. I might have to give that a looksee. In terms of boards games I'm more of a One night ultimate werewolf kinda woman. lol I also love monopoly, trouble, and others.

exactly, @SpeakHerTruth anyone who knows a woman who is a competitive martial artists , any style, knows she is muscular. That chun-li has no muscle I can see it the beginning of the story P.B.: "Ohh piglet , I need to get to the honey" Piglet: "Pooh! , that big blue creature is coming for you" P.B. "Don't worry Piglet..I will just sit and be cute " TO BE CONTINUED:)

"Who does this chun-li fight in the street against? pooh bear?:) " No, but for real too funny

my pleasure @Troy as always, all the best to AALBC

Thanks so much Richard for your response. You make a good point that goes to the heart of the contradiction in American history. The genocide of indigenous people and enslavement of blacks were conscious collectively racist acts by people who built a legal and constitutional framework around individualism. In a sense racism is systemic even collective yet it enables white people to view themselves and function as individuals. They then deny the systemic problem and black experience.

I remember the autumn gatherings when I was a girl; sparkling gala’s where my parents dressed me plus my siblings in glittering attire. I loved it. I felt always like a princess. The pumpkin pie, the cranberrry sauce, the rice pudding, the apple custard, the watermelon slices, the corn bread … I loved it all. A peaceful rearing for me, the magic was in merely being alive; I had no need of unicorns from mystical worlds gated in forests or aliens from beyond the sky or anything unearthly. I had a brilliant summer, and now my Autumn. My autumn is simple and in continuity, a life from a woman alone. My job I like to do while it pay the bills, allow me to save, and give me time off. I am unmarried, but I have all sorts of comforts: masculine,friendly,inhuman; I am not alone. I am the autumn, and I am at peace as when I was the summer. Thank you for reading, if you want to read more of my work read below Poetry or More https://www.kobo.com/ebook/poetry-or-more-1 Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/richard-murray-16885e64-6c28-459e-bf5f-45c7d458ce49 AALBC https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/blog/29-richard-murray-hearth/

@Troy@Mel Hopkins@Cynique maybe AALBC community can do something together ? Wild idea throw, a panel on black owned websites? thoughts @Sarah Gordon Weathersby @sabine ziya@Maame Dede maybe shesolidarity panel on womens empowerment in comics? @rosa@Uniquelymade7 @Lauretha Ward@Neftali Rivera Jr@Jasonnicholson05@M'Bwebe@Tyr1Jax@zetkabawn FIYAHCON is a virtual convention centering the perspectives and celebrating the contributions of BIPOC in speculative fiction. Put in your email to get updates! Hop around the website and see all the features we have coming your way. Get involved! We're looking forward to bringing this to SFF BIPOC fam https://theconvention.fiyahlitmag.com/ ACTIVITIEs The Meloscriptorium- add a spotify song, good idea to get your name in the list- add a song Chef’s Tables- host recipes from your kitchen, discuss food as a vital element of world building- host a show The Tea House- a place for small gatherings Panels + Presentations - for panels to discuss topics- suggest one Office Hours- one on one meetings, suggest you be a host Workshops- 1 to 2 hosts doing an interactive learning session - host one https://theconvention.fiyahlitmag.com/features/ GET INVOLVES Volunteer Submit an idea to program OR place yourself for consideration Host an office hour Add to the MELOSCRIPTORIUM - https://theconvention.fiyahlitmag.com/get-involved/

Hello, Mel Gladys Mae West is another Hidden Figure. She reminds me of my mother. Quite a story. I read your reply earlier, but I Just found this. Thank you. Having another example is helpful. I will refer to your questions to create the promotion for my next book, The Culinary Art Portfolio of Josephine E. Jones. I have mostly finished the text. It just needs one more revision before I send it to the developmental editor. What I came up before asking your questions was this: The Culinary Art Portfolio of Josephine E. Jones with Ready-to-Frame prints, where food and art intersect. This is my revision after using your questions. Please let me know if I'm on the right track. Who, Why, and How: The Culinary Art Portfolio of Josephine E. Jones with Ready-to-Frame prints The first black woman in management at a Fortune 500 company in 1967, who overcame racism, sexism, and classism, to create food that looked too good to eat.

thank you @Mel Hopkins

MLK jr day 1/20/2020 Many presented videos or text concerning M.L.K. junior today, the twentieth of January. As a point of note, Martin Luther King junior's birthday is on the fifteenth of January, not the third Monday of every January. I am not interested in trying to rewrite the legend of MLK junior. MLK junior like most other historical figures in the USA was made legend after doing legendary things by others, not themselves, by those with agenda. It is more important to change the message in current media than to try to change the influence of past media using current media. My issue is ownership. Martin Luther King junior, asked a simple thing to the black statian, the black community in the USA. Do not use the ways of whites on the path to ownership. It may sound simple but, it is not, historically the ways of whites have never been undone concerning ownership. Comprehend a simple historical fact. People of white European, white is a phenotypical label while European is a geographic, descent are not the majority owners in the united states of america based on positive merit, or decency, or any positive angle. Every inch of land in the u.s.a. today is owned or controlled by the u.s.a. government, itself ranked mostly with whites, or in private white ownership, through various transfers after it was originally taken by killing native americans. Absent land how many firms will exist in the USA? What will the banks or the agricultural firms be in the u.s.a absent slavery? For all the technological modifications by usa based agricultural firms or investments in Silicon Valley in the stock markets, where will any bank or agricultural firm be in the usa without their original fiscal activities involving slaveholders accounts or slave labor for growing produce. Notice I did not refer to an individual person. I am speaking to the white community. The white community in the usa used negative means to become owners and then become financially successful owners. Martin Luther King junior spoke to Black people, grow, be strong, become owners of your own community and beyond; but don't kill another for their land, don't take another person's land, don't enslave another, do not do for yourself, your bloodline, your community by harming others. This is the reality of ownership in the u.s.a. White people help themselves, their community, built on their forebears originally harming others or themselves continuing to harm others. Martin Luther King Junior did not want black people to develop a negative character, a negative legacy, to be unmerited while trying to help their own. He asked a very challenging thing. Martin Luther King junior once said, it is a crude jest to tell a bootless man to lift himself up by his bootstraps. But he also felt the bootless man should not lessen his character by stealing another man's boots. He felt the bootless man should be strong enough to merit his boots through craft, labor, or another's kindness. As a black kid growing up, in a black community, incorrectly labeled but widely labeled, the black mecca, I realized how little the black community in Harlem owned. And in parallel, I knew how much various white communities in New york city owned, more importantly how they owned them. What would the Irish or Italian or white Jewish communities be in new york city absent their mobs, correctly glorified in constant movies. It was the white jewish, italian or irish mobs, the gangsters, the rum runners, the extortionists, the thieves, that had a largest or initial role in the development of ownership in those communities in New York city. I end, with a simple truth, the Black community in Harlem, a cultural district in Manhattan in new york city in new york state, in the united states of america, owns little to nothing in Harlem, yesterday or today. The history of the u.s.a. proves all ownership in the u.s.a. comes from those who were willing to negatively, or through negative actions, earn it. MLK junior asked black people to reject that historical truth, even when we own so little. If the Black statian can keep that hope of MLK jr. alive and one day exist in a u.s.a. where Black people own more than all others, or at least enough to not need another community. It will be a testament to MLK junior’s faith. And make the Black community have a pride, worth more than all the years whites owned far more. https://youtu.be/RnKP__N7MNI Poetry or more audiobook series https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Poetry or More&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=06baba96-5af5-5d24-9b8a-f06360287dc9

This was a made up example but Gladys (Brown) West is the "hidden figures" of the GPS. I don't think her biography is complete but I read her story recently

Yes, that was it @richardmurray ! I mistakenly identified audio with musical but this is what I was referring to when I mentioned you had extensive experience with Kobo. Thank You for the update!

I can understand why sites don't allow guest posting so many abuse the privilege. It is a pain to manage.

Richard Murray https://photos.app.goo.gl/6Xf56Bb391NQuBo66 Black meaning the most ancient black peoples aside the current black people, Red meaning the forebears to the current black people, Green meaning the history from the forebears cover one Brown fist pairing each. Brown for the skin that link nearest all black people. A yellow text phrase the black/red/meaning colored for the bind between the sun side the soul. The blue is the water in which all black peoples have forebears who were forced in through slavery or war by others. Ann-Michelle Thurmond Powell A shield of peacock feathers symbolizing strength, power, wisdom and peace, 4 teal, purple, gold, green. Cream represents the unity of black people unbounded by their shade of skin or internal biases . https://photos.app.goo.gl/RnsG4hc5CR5ojdcj9 LeQuenta Marshall butterfly on a thorny rose. Butterflies represent transformation. The rose, commonly associated with classical beauty and romance, but it protects itself with the thorns. Purple is her favorite color/signifies royalty. Yellow is bright and signifies hope and sunshine. Sky Blue for clarity, calmness, & peace. https://photos.app.goo.gl/39B1oq9zyzcy1oR29

Bravo! Art is often commentary and commentary reflects a perspective. Eliminating that perspective or the one who perceives it is akin to censorship ... and similar to what happens in war. Removing artwork and the artist is an attempt to silence. Not cool. I rather be offended than to be a witness someone losing the right to express themselves.

I'm glad you took the feedback as it was intended. We can all use Feedback.

Ok, I learned about the Onmyoji contest on friday. While going to deviantart to look at some entries for the Jaeger contest. Well, having no knowledge to the online massive multiplayer game Onmyoji, and little time to conceptualize what my entry will be, I came up with the following. https://hddeviant.deviantart.com/art/Onmyoji-submission-emma-and-the-seven-748288623 The idea was the character emma aside seven deadly sins. I am content for such a hurried creation while having no thoughts to the content. In contrast, I am a fan to gundam, or mechas in general so the jaeger comes with more familiarity for me. In a prior post, I utilized links to my skydrive storage area, but i realized upon more videos that a space limit is inevitable. Thus, i had to figure out where to go to place the stores. I chose google photos. Instagram or snapchat are used for personal purposes. I know artists in that system but usually they focus on photos not videos. Laslty, google photos space is the largest. AALBC is my blog place, and I invite you all to join AALBC, especially if you are artist. But, the black owned website, has obvious limits to loading content like videos. Below are links to videos made as I sketched or created. My first time doing so many, and especially while drawing. Another learning experience. If you are seeing this in an email, the photos stages are attached at the end. If you are seeing this in AALBC, the videos are all their is. ...before the links to the Onmyoji videos , here is a link to the Jaeger contest which end in seven days. I invite you all to share any ideas you may have to that. https://go.deviantart.com/journal/The-Pacific-Rim-Uprising-Global-Jaeger-Contest-744541834 Do tell me if the links are blockaded, they are supposed to be public. Onmyoji-Fan-Art-Contest-Creation (1) https://photos.app.goo.gl/nW0odvDqiOuoW0R03 Onmyoji-Fan-Art-Contest-Creation (2) https://photos.app.goo.gl/RrdyWvyoJV07cLjt2 Onmyoji-Fan-Art-Contest-Creation (3) https://photos.app.goo.gl/P3FCCHJQZjQh5mhG3 Onmyoji-Fan-Art-Contest-Creation (4) https://photos.app.goo.gl/UnRC54SQJZYMf80k1 Onmyoji-Fan-Art-Contest-Creation (5) https://photos.app.goo.gl/mLkeakVn11ZiS5nF2 Onmyoji-Fan-Art-Contest-Creation (6) https://photos.app.goo.gl/bhHi7wbFG6XJVE3i8 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part2 (1) https://photos.app.goo.gl/rRnc6ZxWERa9EY4V2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part2 (2) https://photos.app.goo.gl/yNojWgufIqFNJVbC2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part2 (3) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jo9T6xeLZTewubky2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part2 (4) https://photos.app.goo.gl/VCP3PtNBAeTpXeHb2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part2 (5) https://photos.app.goo.gl/KsmDiPPcjd9rxtJN2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part2 (6) https://photos.app.goo.gl/hvCI58LxBb92ge4U2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (2) https://photos.app.goo.gl/3vNwF9x7iowBOUm03 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (3) https://photos.app.goo.gl/S3ZlhhTTuTDdBRw12 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (4) https://photos.app.goo.gl/uyoEcd9Mq8M5nDj29 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (5) https://photos.app.goo.gl/01GHnNcGc4wuojpr1 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (6) https://photos.app.goo.gl/TtLsnDtYVNMvbeVL9 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (7) https://photos.app.goo.gl/ryKTzb9eCrDyVN5z1 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (8) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qurjw6pK3hxhcvZk2 onmyoji-fan-art-contest-creation-part3 (9) https://photos.app.goo.gl/EF2M5ynf8RzO33Bs1 The Folder Link https://photos.app.goo.gl/mZJ2RICfACZaSgtD2 Happy creating

ok @Mel Hopkinsmany today... maybe most readers <I assume that absent proof> are into nonfiction mostly, thus why biographies are huge money makers today.

Who is the best mother in fiction? any phenotype/religion/genre/language/age/species apply. @Mel Hopkins @Troy @Cynique @Kalexander2

Cryptocurrency is now a new object interest for me, thank you @Mel Hopkins. I've been researching, investigating digital assets that use cryptocurrencies using an encryption technique, for security; how it is used to buy and sell goods and services. People are able to use cryptocurrency under near-anonymity, peer-to-peer purchasing eliminating of financial intermediaries, and some other “smart,” programmable capabilities that Bitcoin currently does not possess. There two major categories utilized for the purchase of goods and services and those that allow for the creation of a sort of “smart contracts;” agreements that enforce themselves per a code rather than the courts. With over 1,000 cryptocurrencies in existence as of January 2018 (called “altcoins”); over 600 have market capitalizations of over $100,000. I've noticed at least five-countries using this form of digital financial assets as well as identified several major companies all of which are U.S. affiliated, and thirteen major retail outlets. Brother Troy is on to something very interesting, in his post response. Like the NRA whom I believe is unofficially trading in cryptocurrency. Though FEC has officially prohibited trading in this form of financial asset, some traders are seemingly getting away with it. I'm still sometime away from getting all the information to satisfy my curiosity; though the ease of getting involved and the direction global economics is heading, I'm quite skeptical. Cryptocurrency appear to be soaked in blood!

Stephanie Baskek wrote, 05/04/2018: "When there’s a gold rush on, the thing to do is not to dig. Instead, sell shovels to all the suckers who think they’ll get rich digging for gold. This is one of the lessons that investigative reporter Corey Pein learned when he moved to San Francisco at the height of the Silicon Valley start-up boom. In his analogy, the gold rush is the tech boom, and the suckers are all the start-up wannabes who flock to the Bay Area for a slice of the venture-capital pie. And all of us, the consumers, who fell for the excitement of the gig economy and the lure of a free social network that promised to never sell our data? We’re suckers, too." Cryptocurrencies are the modern-day 'Gold Rush,' this could be gold mine for Blacks with a few dollars to invest, but leveraging the benefits is going to take some 'creative' financial/economic smarts. CAREFUL!

Fair-housing advocates plan to file a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary Ben Carson for suspending an Obama-era rule requiring communities to examine and address barriers to racial integration, The Washington Post reported. Three fair-housing groups have signed onto the lawsuit, which claims the suspension was unlawful because it didn’t provide proper public notice or a chance for public comment, the Post reported. The 2015 rule required more than 1,200 communities receiving billions of federal housing dollars to draft plans to desegregate their communities — or risk losing federal funds. Carson, who described efforts to desegregate American neighborhoods as “failed socialist experiments,” suspended the rule in January, allowing local and state governments to continue receiving HUD grants without compliance with the full requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the Post reported.

Please share the link to your youtube channel or post a video.

Thank you for thinking of me, Richard. I will have to pass as I have a lot on my table now.

my pleasure @Mel Hopkins Well, I was thinking a set of us aalbc writers can each submit something and then get it translated into portuguese. I know some native portuguese speakers. @Troy I do think an aalbc story book will be good for this community

Maybe we aalbc writers can submit something to them? a compilation, views to the latino vistas para o latino from black anglo writers? https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2018/03/11/aimed-exclusively-at-contemporary-black-authors-male-publisher-aims-to-make-afro-brazilian-literature-available-in-a-book-market-that-has-long-ignored-it/ source article https://www.editoramale.com/single-post/2016/11/19/Nova-no-mercado-Malê-promove-escritores-afro-brasileiros @Mel Hopkins @Troy