Mel Hopkins

Put it this way, I only style my natural hair and it caught my attention!

Because Facebook ads - made Mark Z ruler of the world. - So why can’t you get some of that ad money. Then you too can “buy” a U.S. senate seat.

I wasn't clear. You were clear. Here’s another take. Her words speak volumes if she said, “I was surprised he drugged me.” Case-in-point, If she was willing to take drugs there was no need for him to “drug” her. . She would simply take the drugs herself. So, it appears her words in this context, speak to his pathology. His alleged need to control women like I’ve written “a monster.” Aside: In his deposition, under oath, he said he never drugged anyone. Which is possibly another reason the PA supreme court overturned the prosecution’s case.

Really? I can understand from an emotionally-invested perspective … But from a legal standpoint the PA Supreme court got it right. We still have rights under the constitution. So if prosecution wants to keep playing these shoddy legal maneuvers, then those guilty of crimes will be on the street. Especially since, the more money you have the better access you have to exercising legal rights. Now if you’re broke and black, the wheels of justice turn slowly. Did you see the story of a Black man who was finally exonerated after serving 34 years in prison? If he were wealthy he would have never served a day.

OMG! It’s so rare to see my face in another person! And we even wore our hair the same! Aside: Funny thing is I kicked Italian Victor’s azz when he called me a n-er. We were rolling around in the school yard until Mr. Weintraub with the awful toupee finally pulled us apart. Then Mr. Weintraub whispered to me “Your mouth finally got you in trouble” My 4th grade teacher hating on me! lol… But I digress. This video made me cry. When you grow up in certain neighborhoods, like those children you’re so innocent, so sheltered. You think the whole world is beautiful. You think every black kid lives the same life you’re living - and you think every white, brown, beige, person is loving you too. Then one day, you ride your bike smack into hate. You’re never the same. My Afghani friend calls it the “full stomach syndrome.” Those black kids had full stomachs until that day. Those white kids were filled with even more hate. That was they day they leaned their parents were liars. Thank you for calling me out @Pioneer1 -I didn’t know this happened in Rosedale. My college sweetheart grew up in Rosedale right around this time. His father was an engineer. He never talked about this time period, although he lived through it. Now, I understand a little more about his life before we met. wow. just wow.

No, not them. My former co-worker was a NYer from Harlem. And he was around our age or a little older. But I remember Willie Tyler and Lester - so it was really inspiring to see another brother come up in that field too.

My daughters would say, “this dude sounds “kinda rapey.”” Our social media generation - millennials & Zs are very in tuned to language and phrasing. Have you ever told your daughters about going out after dark alone, or showed concerned about provocative outfits they’ve worn or wanted to wear? Have you warned them about certain types of boys? - If you’ve ever discussed any of that with them - you’ve taught them how not to get raped. Don’t you think we’re way past the time of teaching boys NOT to rape through the same type of messages we share with girls? I’m not trying to convince you though. You and I both grew up on the tail end of the age of “let boys be boys” I’m offering a perspective that you may not have considered.

@Pioneer1 and that was the lesson I leaned when I was almost 17-years-old. It was the best lesson I learned about men, and women for that matter. I will never forget him - and i’ve searched the internet to find him - but I think he left the entertainment business. He was an excellent ventriloquist. Yep he was a Black ventriloquist with a Black puppet. I get her confusion. And this illustrates my point perfectly. A good man who is NOT a monster would get her help - NOT drugs. Like I wrote, the Cosby I met isn’t the monster we’ve come to learn exist. I get it.

If we teach boys not to rape it wouldn’t’ be necessary to determine whether a woman is less sophisticated or promiscuous. We already know, as a man, he would not attack her under any circumstance. Her state of mind is only an extenuating factor if she’s unconscious or under the influence. But he wouldn’t need to worry because he wouldn’t put himself in the position to harm her. Sadly, this society doesn’t teach boys to be mindful of their behavior. We teach girls to be responsible for their own behavior, and the behavior of boys and men. So, yes it needs to be said over and over. Boys who learn not to rape girls grow up to be men who won’t rape women. As for your question, I couldn’t think of one reason to be alone with Cosby in his hotel room. But even if I were, I’d expect him or any man to respect my boundaries. i’d respect his just like I did on the plane. He invited the crew (men and women) to take pictures with him.

I met Bill Cosby on one of my flights. He was one of the most gracious and accommodating passengers I flew with. His personal assistant was a black woman. You may have seen her on his perp walk to and from the court. The man those women identified as a rapist is not the man I met that day. I believe those women. If Cosby told the truth in his deposition - then he didn’t drug them without their knowledge. Sexual Assault is tricky. We women say no, or want to say no but sometimes we feel guilty for putting ourselves in a situation where a man can harm us. It is f-cked up some men are monsters. I was in that situation when I was a teen crushing on a cute boy who was nearly a man. (18 yoa) I thought he was a good boy. He wasn’t. It took another man to keep him from sexually violating me. Thank goodness for “iron sharpening iron.” A man protected me from a monster. I told all the other girls who knew him to stay away from him - I told them he was a predator. I TOLD. I also learned how to use my sexuality to get what I want from men. That’s the trade off for innocence lost or almost lost. BUT I didn’t file charges against him. Do you know my dad was a cop? I could have had all of NYPD on him. BUT I felt ashamed for putting myself in that position to like and trust a predator. This is why some women don’t come forward until 50-11 years later. Then it’s too late. I believe the PA Supreme Court Justices got it right. I also believe we must teach boys not to rape.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court has overturned Cosby's sexual assault conviction. He is set to be released from prison as early as TODAY The new ruling bars any retrial in the case according to CNBC reporting. HOLY COW. I did not see that one coming!~

@Delano here it is!

I think they are both freemasons. This would mean the imagery doesn't belong to either - it is sign - a signal to their rise in the group.

I was reminded of this thread after reading @Cynique 's interest in bio-centrism

THANK YOU! I miss your thoughts so much! I'm so glad you're still in this dimension too! Oddly we knew this to be true before it became a field of study - remember the saying "You'll see it when you believe it" I've always believe that to be the truth of this wacky universe. I remember us talking about on this platform too in @Delano's Magick thread. I also responded here. "Unknowable . " It is always good to hear from you!

I hope @Cynique wrote this book during the lockdown!

I’m sure it’s no surprise I believe this too. It is how some people can be a “pariah” at one time and then all of sudden find themselves celebrated. I think Jay Z is one of the notable people who have found out how to change his “fate.”

I haven't heard an African talk like that before, even the ones who dye their hair blonde, get online, and ask for wealthy men from Europe to come and marry them and get them out of poverty don't talk like that. It sounded kind of odd. Not sure if you remember when he first came on, but at first he didn't have a picture in his avatar. That picture of a Black man was introduced later on after he had posted 6 or 7 times. But perhaps he really IS a brother who just thinks like that. @Pioneer1 “they seem like a catfish troll who didn’t expect you to show up the way you did. But I agree that line gave “them” away. - The catfish trolls come in with a topic the target group will likely gravitate too - and they will gain confidence and then hit with some bull”like this… “They” appeared to be grooming the discussion group to believe something that would make us feel less than. But you handled “them” in away they didn’t expect. You asked for EVIDENCE! The debate ended there as far as I’m concerned. Seriously, why don’t more of us ask for evidence in situations that can impact our lives and perspective.

@DelanoDon't fall for it, Twin. Troy has met someone but she makes him uncomfortable and he can't find his balance in the relationship. He's asking you how to proceed because he can't find his normal. Just tell him to go with the flow -he's a strong swimmer. But the more he struggles the more he'll find himself in an undertow.

I laughed out loud when I read this - I've seen African men do this so many times! @Pioneer1 When I worked for United, I traveled to every continent except Antarctica and Africa - but that didn't stop me from meeting Africans in every other continent, and many were there to further their studies and/or conduct business. You know when an African couple opens a hair salon in Beijing They're definitely about that life lol https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-21421956 I agree - I hope they will before it's too late. We need a big-a shift in dynamics.

Did/Does Black Planet have video upload capabilities back in the 90s? I don't remember that feature.

Twin, I hadn't thought of it until you asked this question. First, my mental image of a psychic is someone who has the ability to visit the future and then interpret the information for those of us who are in their present. Intuitive means visiting the future and unknowingly acting on that information in the waking present. Also, I understand the past, present, and future operates on points on a circle - meaning it is happening simultaneously. Some of us dream vividly and have the ability to visit different points in on the circle within this universe. Some of us may even visit points in parallel dimensions in the multiverse.

If this is true of African immigrants - why isn't the entire continent of Africa host to the wealthiest countries in the world? I'm not asking this to debate - I genuinely believe this to be the case too. Without looking up the statistic, I get the sense that African Immigrants rarely sell their labor. Instead, they produce. Also, the percentage of African immigrants with professional and doctorate degrees outnumbers even white Americans. American Blacks and Latinos don't even measure up in that comparison. So why are some of the African countries so poor or in debt? As I write this, It appears to be the same reason that blacks don't collectively support social networks, lol.

I haven't met any - There are people like us, Twin who seem to have a firm grasp on what's not so obvious to the masses. But I haven't met a straight up Psychic? It would be cool to see how they work.