Mel Hopkins

4 hours ago, richardmurray said:

will you share a video to your multilog @Mel Hopkins

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘multilog’. Also to what video are you referring?

15 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

maybe I will go on your lulu, to start this thing rolling with you. 

What do you mean, "go on your lulu, to start this thing rolling with you." 

I did publish my first book and an updated short story via lulu.com [ https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/melhopkins ]. 

I'm looking for content to post on readingblack.com  Technology and I think you've seen my blog on here marketing is a four-letter word  I also post on my portfolio website, melhopkins.com occasionally but I'm not writing a novel or even nonfiction at this time. 

16 hours ago, Delano said:

When the World Tour happens for either of us, we have to sit down in person.

as Chris Tucker said, "And you know this, Man!" If I ever plan a trip down under...and I'm not blowing smoke - I'm messaging before I make the travel plans! 

49 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

think the paper based book industry while it will grow will not grow in the direct sales way. Whereas the same books in ebook or audiobook, will grow. 

2021 - Print book retail sales increased but publisher’s weekly also reports people are also reading/listening to digital books.  digital content sales increased when bookstores were on lockdown but once they opened again digital returned to the previous years’ rate. [Forbes  “Sales are up nearly 9% for Print Books - But who’s reading them” Jan 7, 2022 and Statista] 

And people are buying print books based on digital promotion.  So one thing that remain constant is book marketing gets folks to buy print books.  
 

But like you, I’ll also share my habits. In 2021,  I purchased about 8 books. I bought 3 of one title through am*zon unfortunately. My friend published exclusively on am*zon so I couldn’t get it through any other seller.  I  bought 3 hardcovers through Penguin Random House 2 hardcover backlist through abe books.  I only started to read one of the books I purchased last year.  I read everyday but I read more digital content than I read print books.  It appears my habits reflect the statistics.  

9 hours ago, daniellegfny said:

Looking at the grant, its clear that they aren’t talking about nicotine or weed

This should thrill “pro-life” conservatives.  It appears the goal of this grant is to save lives. “All lives matter” right? 

On 2/8/2022 at 3:35 PM, Cynique said:

What is the meaning of a life versus purpose

I don't know.

Purpose gives me meaning -and meaning is purposeful.  So, knowing a purpose is what I'd like out of life.  However, I like what @richardmurray shared - it was simple not easy - but very satisfying.  He said, a human's purpose is to live on this planet." So if that's the purpose -I say "Hell Yeah!"

To know what purpose the human species serves. It appears every other species are caretakers of this planet - and accomplishes their role in the ecosystem. I'd like to know the human's purpose.  

Coming Soon: We discuss how 5G wireless communication technology and device-to-device (D2D) communications will help independent authors produce, promote, and sell their books directly to their readers.  

Share how you're using computer technology to accomplish your business goals too. 

48 minutes ago, Chevdove said:

 

I miss @Mel Hopkins too!

 

I miss you too!

And in typical “me” fashion - I’m still putting together the files and links from the research I promised to send to you.  The main reason I got side track is because I found a PhD Kenyan woman who hosts a blog that is adding primary source data!    I will do my best to send what I have -including the link to her blog!

On 1/12/2022 at 11:10 PM, Cynique said:

Just dropped in to get a whiff of what's going on here since I made my last departure, an exit that deferred to my aversion for being around those I can't stomach.  And what a good decision that was. OMG!  I can only gasp at how the vibe here has become even more irritating.  'Felt like I had stumbled into a FOX "News" echo chamber, reeking with the gospel of right wing half truths, and rampant with hysterical conspiracy theories involving the ubiquitous  "they".

 

And, oh yeah.  Fuck Retrumpican obstructionists!   

 

I’m so glad @Del tagged me or I would have missed this deliciousness!  Blessed Be for your wit @Cynique! It is beautiful!   Happy New Year!!!

51 minutes ago, Delano said:

 @Cynique @Mel Hopkins and @Troy I miss you, and the exchanges. The dialogues made me change my mind or examine my position.

Thank you,
Del

Neither for me, nor with me.

I miss you all too and yes @Pioneer1  You all challenge me and broaden my perspective!  Thank You! Happy New Year!  

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Well....lol....now that you know who I REALLY am...

I get to go to my next unmasking!

8 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

You now realize that I AM Dave Chappelle?

It finally makes sense! LOL!

I don't even watch comedy on Netflix …In fact the last comedian I probably listened to was Eddie Murphy. BUT with all the 'faux" controversy I had to watch.  Wow Dave Chappelle's THE CLOSER sent a message I definitely needed to hear!

And by the way @Pioneer1 I finally know your real identity lol

1 hour ago, Troy said:

really? i did not know that until now. So who  actually does it? How can the IRS  enforce this?

Troy, I’m extremely curious about new technology - I pitched the crypto story to EBONY/ JET.  I’m not sure it was on their radar - but I found a way to make it easy to understand.  And they commissioned it.  https://melhopkinssite.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/coin-collector-by-mel-hopkins.pdf

Here’s  some info from the IRS

Virtual currency that has an equivalent value in real currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency, is referred to as “convertible” virtual currency. Bitcoin is one example of a convertible virtual currency. Bitcoin can be digitally traded between users and can be purchased for, or exchanged into, U.S. dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies.  

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/virtual-currencies

I earned about $30 in cryptocurrency just by taking short 5

-10 minute classes in the selected “coins.” I just checked and found I have about $20 worth of crypto-classes waiting in my account.

These founders really want others to be educated crypto-collectors. 

28 minutes ago, Troy said:

the reward gets halved every 4 years but the value, if it continues to increase will continue to make business sense for the biggest players. They will be Ming going long after we are gone…

the limit is 21 million bitcoin in circulation - when that number is reached there is no more reward. The incentive shifts. There are reports that incentives could come from other avenues such as transactions fees Read the white paper.  I linked to the Bitcoin founder’s paper here on the site.  

NOTE: Not to be confused with trading value - I am talking about mining. 

31 minutes ago, Troy said:

es the record is public, but the transaction are anonymous. One could also transfer between alt  currencies and really complicate tracking.

The FBI just recently caught a ransomware gang because every transaction is PUBLIC - I think you mean the bitcoin owner is anonymous - But that doesn’t mean much when the IRS and FBI can determine who got paid.  

“The blockchain—bitcoin’s historical ledger of all transactions—is publicly viewable at all times by anyone, so that there can’t be any under-the-table cash transactions. Software firms such as Chainalysis and Elliptic have supported federal investigators with a suite of analysis tools intended to help trace criminals and tax cheats, including those who try to obscure the bitcoin trail through dozens of successive transactions.”. WSJ “Untraceable Bitcoin Is a Myth”

How could the FBI recover $2.3 million of the pipeline ransom? It isn’t a mystery.

By Ezra Galston June 16, 2021 12:27 pm ET

37 minutes ago, Delano said:

On this particular instance I dropped my pegs about 5 times. And I felt a bit off.

This just makes me more curious about what you tapped into!

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

see Mel Hopkins @Mel Hopkins  has something going on in a couple of the forums where she's providing inform

Yep! I did a deep dive and wrote an article on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency for EBONY magazine (2018)

 I’m sure I linked to the original bitcoin white paper.

Also you must report every cryptocurrency trade when you file income taxes.  

Aside: The weird part is cryptocurrency volatility. It can be a loss or a gain by the time you file. So that serves up some type of conundrum. 

But anyway, you must report. It’s now law.  

Even if you have a wallet and key,  The Bitcoin  ledger or any cryptocurrency ledger still keeps a record of transactions. So, if officials wanted to do some digging there’s a record. 

Speaking of which, the true value of bitcoin is its tamper-proof blockchain.  Which brings us mining.  Some reports indicate it cost about 9 years worth of household electricity  to mine bitcoin.

The thing is we don’t produce our own electricity - so I can only imagine that Con Ed officials will report what’s going on at that “wild house” at the corner of the block.

Also, there’s a limit to how many bitcoins will be mined - (read the white paper) Somebody is going to be left holding a crazy-a electricity bill and equipment with no way to pay for it.  Yes, conjecture but it only makes sense. 

32 minutes ago, Cynique said:

Go Daddy is still blocking ProfD, and Mel mentioned she has problems with being blocked from time to time, 

Yep! Just yesterday I got the GoDaddy block firewall.   After I posted my latest topic I went back to change the font size and correct syntax and BAM GoDaddy said NOPE. So I left it alone.  

6 hours ago, daniellegfny said:

These workers aren’t mentally incompetent. When they change their focus their conditions will change. 

We don't disagree here .  The most difficult part of living, is CHANGING A MINDSET.

16 hours ago, ProfD said:

This link is to an article regarding the artwork on his album:

Wow  Anglo "dad", are you ok?  I think he needs a little bit of  cultural exposure. - Shout out to Meek Mill for commissioning art work from a black woman! 

Thank you for this link to the Artist, Nina Chanel Abney.  This is my first time seeing her work and it is inspiring!  #Sankofa  - It appears she is reaching back to ancient KMT to bring us modern-day hieroglyphs and nudes to tell her story. Bravo for  keeping African antiquity alive.  LINK: https://ninachanel.com/

15 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I know I'm not a Black woman so I can't answer for them but as a Black man I LOVE seeing the body of Black women.  

THIS! 

A lot of us black women love our bodies too.  No one wants to be objectified that's brain-damaged western civilization programming - BUT when black men LOVE our bodies it's endearing, it's foreplay. it's LOVE.  It says to us or (at least me) black men feel they're home 

32 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

The solutions for most poor and working class people must be SIMPLE so that the masses of them can participate.

This is heartbreaking because these workers need the most protection from greedy-a owners and management.

I’ll never forget Jeff Smisek former CEO at United. He hated that Legacy United had such strong unions and he did everything he could to destroy them.  But the pilots union dragged him .. and even the flight attendants union 25000 strong after the merger wouldn’t give or budge much on anything. He hated the work rules; and definitely hated the pay—

Dude even tried to get rid of aircraft mechanics at some stations and ended up paying other airlines to fix the planes.  In the end, the FBI had him under investigation and he resigned  with a golden parachute.  

But all those unions I mentioned  do have highly skilled laborers.  So, you may be right, it could make a difference. 

4 hours ago, Mzuri said:

have been retired since 2004 so I don't know what's 

going on with that union right now.  But back in the

day, we would not have stood for any of what is

going on today with the forced/mandated vaccines

or any of the other B.S. 

LOL I'm #UnionStrong and this is where they got me in the crosshairs of this vaccine mandate debate. 

I'm actually a bit angry with the SWAPA (Southwest Airline Pilots Association) because they started grieving their CBA (collective bargaining agreement) when their contract lapsed at the end of August. They lost a lot of workhours due to COVID so then the grievance was about changes to work rules and scheduling.  Now management includes jab or lose job to the equation [EDIT] and pilots changed the focus of the grievance.  I guess it’s a tactic to garner public support by entering into the political debate. The thing is, it’s  disingenuous and might weaken arbitration. [End Edit] 

Anyway, I stand with the pilots, I just can’t stand legerdemain for any reason.  

The pilots have a strong case.  Especially since the FAA hasn't made any changes to the airmen medical certificate for pilots or ATC (air traffic controller) specialists.  So technically they're not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  
 

2 minutes ago, Troy said:

Ben Crump is getting paid huh?

@Troy ,I laugh whenever someone says "Ben Crump" and "Paid" in the same sentence. They only notice him but never see the battery of attorneys who are co-counsel on these cases. I'm guilty of this too. He is the face of civil rights INjustice. This time I paid attention to whose name is the attorney of record. According to the lawsuit, Kim D. Parker is the first name listed. Christopher Seeger is also a co-counsel. 

The family of Henrietta Lacks' has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Courthouse in Baltimore, MD B against ThermoFisher Scientific. The pharmaceutical company, listed as a defendant in the case, is allegedly responsible for profiting off Henrietta Lacks' cancerous cells to develop the HeLa cell line. According to AP News, the lawsuit asks the court to "disgorge the full amount of its net profits obtained by commercializing the HeLa cell line to the Estate of Henrietta Lacks."  That amount could total over $250 Billion. You may recall published reports, indicate in 1951,  John Hopkins Hospital admitted Henrietta Lacks to treat cervical cancer.  Doctors took the cells of the tumor without her permission. Lacks family accuses Thermo Fisher Scientific of selling those cells. 
Lacks' cells helped medical breakthroughs such as the polio vaccine, gene mapping, invitro-fertilization, and even the research that led to the COVID-19 Vaccine. 
Ben Crump, and co-counsel Christopher Seeger says the lawsuit will name other defendants. Kim D Parker, Esq (also present in the video) is the counsel of record. 

Links:

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2020/vessels-for-collective-progress-the-use-of-hela-cells-in-covid-19-research/#:~:text=Scientists began studying COVID-19,ACE2%2C to enter the cells.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/

https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2021/10/henrietta-lacks-family-sues-thermo-fisher

https://apnews.com/article/business-thermo-fisher-scientific-inc-lawsuits-race-and-ethnicity-health-1b7942bb535b3656195d2347c9e676be

https://dockets.justia.com/docket/maryland/mddce/1:2021cv02524/500650

https://www.kpcounsel.com/

https://bencrump.com/

https://apnews.com/article/business-thermo-fisher-scientific-inc-lawsuits-race-and-ethnicity-health-1b7942bb535b3656195d2347c9e676be