Mel Hopkins

@KENNETHAnd they are viable opinions too! I was fortunate to work on a multimillion dollar project in West Virginia like the one you've mentioned in community development. It works but there is a lot of push back from people who believe they are too proud to accept help. Thank you for adding to the list!

Absolutely, this too! I just hope when the democrats and independents gain control of congress again - they move quickly. Exactly. So make sure you aren't responsible for any woman's decision to have an abortion.

This is the one thing that makes me crazy about democrats and the independents that caucus with them. Write that ish into law when you have a (REAL) majority. When President Obama was elected in 2008 -the 110th Congress should have lined those legislatives proposals up and got them signed before 2010.

All billionaires supply the wants of those in need. (Or they inherited from someone who did.) Supplying wants is how anyone earns money. Find a person's need to fulfill their desires. For example, your ability to read the stars is the answer for someone who wants to hedge the predictions for their future. They need to be self-sufficient. Some of us determine "wants" better than others. And those who do earn a lot of money. I earn money from clients because I pay attention to what people want from me. People usually want me to prepare statements. It doesn't matter what type of statements - they all have one thing in common. Many people need to appear versed in their vocation, and they are, but they sometimes have difficulty expressing what they know. So I help them. I can't make millions from helping people - because I help one person at a time. I could scale my knowledge by writing a book. But I don't know how to address their want commercially. And I NEED to get it right. (lol) BUT billionaires have figured out how to scale their product/service to sell to multi-millions. And I think all billionaires have a need to create the future.

"skipped over" maybe, but it's obvious you didn't stop! Thank you. Old-school Journalists never lose their skills! I can only imagine how your brain was working through the scenarios. People often think journalism is about telling other people's stories. And yes, on the surface abortion does seem like a woman's problem...But that is exactly what "Right Wing Wackos" want the electorate to believe. Journalists may start with a subject but that's just the beginning of any story. Thank you so much for the follow up!

Is this your belief? It’s not fact - but if this is your belief it does make your position clear to me. I don’t debate “beliefs.” I thought you were stating what you witnessed. And I didn’t see any empirical evidence. But now I understand the perspective is more nostalgic “Make Black America Great Again.” Although I I have more in common with iconoclast. I don’t have a strategy. I observe what is and analyze migration and the structure of movement. A movement doesn’t care about what you believe or how you feel about it - but it will run you over if you don’t adapt.

@richardmurray Those are institutions/organizations, NOT a community. Using the definition of community from both Merriam Webster (definition 1 ) and also using the description of Umoja on page 158 refers to "Oneness." See Linguistic Dilemmas of Afrocentricity The Diaspora Experience Ali A. Mazrui | State University of New York, Binghamton, New York Alamin M. Mazrui | The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. A community is a group of people with shared interests and likeness. The Black community continues its growth stage. It quickly becomes a large, diverse, decentralized, peer-to-peer networking community. The Black population in the USA is 46.8 million strong (second only to German-Americans at 49 million people here in the U.S.) Further, these individuals, many whom are immigrants, have chosen to identify as Black/African American. These individuals self-identify as Black, which is what makes us a community. Presently the black community mirrors Del's assessment. Definitely, not the community of enslaved Africans you continue to refer to when you mention war between the states. But it is understandable why newly unshackled Africans needed a central meeting place the laws codified Africans as less than. Still, Institutions and organizations that outlive their usefulness tend to die. And self-directed individuals take their place. If you're interested in reading about the trajectory of the black community, PEW Research already did the heavy lifting. All that is left to do is independent research to fact-check.

Panic would only happen among people who don’t understand decentralized finance. Even when hackers hit Coinbase - folks didn’t panic. The took the L but coinbase also has criminal insurance. Most cryptotraders don’t even deal with exchange platforms. They trade peer-to-peer. Coinbase is for people looking to play it safe … which is why coinbase content does it best to explain’s cryptocurrency’s movement and volatility.

From this reasoning, It appears you agree with @Delano assessment. “If people learn to be independent the movement doesn't stop when the leader no longer leads.” And from your reasoning, it appears even after we lost the use of our language - we retained our cultural heritage, oral tradition and cipher that maintains our community without a so-called “leader.”

Please share your perspective. Are you referring to day workers - who harvest produce? When I think of laborers, I think of blue collar, plumbers, lineperson home builders, road construction. etc. This is exactly the age we’re living in - the two generations after the boomers are making their own rules … and building communities around their similarities.

I haven’t. And I am naive when it comes to certain aspects of finance. I only think about unsecured creditors when it comes to lining up for money after filing bankruptcy. But I think people are getting confused between traditional finance and decentralized finance. There are few protections in DeFi. traders are own their own and risk and reward is very high. When you mentioned coinbase - I was looking at from a trading/depositor perspective. Once cryptotraders get coins they deposit in their noncustodial wallets like mycelium - cryptotraders know not leave large sums in coinbase.

I thought about “salary cap,” when I heard - high labor cost were the root of inflation. I never looked at it like that before. It makes sense though because the higher the wages the more we can pay for goods. If I charge a 1.00 for an apple - and someone wants it for a 1.25 - I’m selling at that rate. So, the feds attempt to slow down the economy and make some work for “slave wages” to keep prices low. But can work today? Especially with digital technology and cloud computing? Both allowed for sex work to go virtual during lockdown. Sex and Tech became bedfellows no pun intended. And the same for labor and digital technology too. Remember the call centers in India? Well thanks to AWS and “Intel inside” laptops - There’s a business called live ops where anyone with a laptop, internet and two weeks to train can handle customer service calls for as many fortune 100 clients they can handle. And they can make their own hours and a decent salary working from home. Because of semiconductor chips, the same is happening with repetitive labor inside factories. These are just some examples that come to mind. I like your analogy but don’t forget about all the information workers in this society now.

Yes, but if we only use it for trading cryptocurrency. Once you make a purchase...send it to your storage wallet.

Sadly this true. But only because of perspective. In fact, there was something you wrote in the abortion anti-abortion thread that help me have a paradigm shift. Once we start looking at things differently- things change!

If President Biden actually forgives student loan debt...this will partially come true for those who went to college in the past. I still blame Reagan for the end of free college tuition

Why? Because if every black person in America were a multimillionaire that would absolutely liberate us here in the U.S. - Or do you believe the white nationalist power structure coded in U.S. laws prevents it?

A while back for a political platform for black people - and after a billion years later someone finally answers! Thank you @Stefan WAIT... I lied! We did start to develop a black political platform thank you @Pioneer1!!! (I hope you're doing well!)

Thank You for responding. I can see how it may attempt to solve the white nationalists’ numbers problem. But, I’m Black woman. Therefore, I look at the harmful effects of any legislative proposal and how it can impact the future of the Black community. I don’t care about the white nationalist movement and their desires. I do care about Black people and other disenfranchised groups. We are always hammered by their laws and initiatives. For example, Nixon earmarked funds for the Medicaid program to sterilize Black and Brown women back in the 70s. There was a whole program to sterilize women in Puerto Rico that still some say still haunts them to this day. Yes, I’m sure that was a numbers game then too. But those women didn’t get a pass. I agree, It is important to peep their game but it’s even more important to prepare the community.

The Anti-Abortion group says their next step is a federal ban on contraception and abortion. This move criminalizes women and will also stomp over the right to privacy. When I first began visiting this forum in 2010, there was a lot of talk about the fall of the Black community because unmarried Black women were having babies with multiple men. I noticed, too - no one put the onus on men. I'll never understand that perspective, mainly since men cause 100 percent of unwanted pregnancies. But let's say women lose the right to choose abortion. And any attempt to abort, a woman becomes a felon. Felons lose their rights to participate in society, especially in the political system. Black women are the most consistent voting block, but we're no match to combat voter obstruction. So, what's next? The government subjugates and returns black women to breeder status? Speculation aside, if black women lose their rights to exercise agency in this society, what's next for the Black community?

Yep, black multimillionaires exist, and most of us probably have very close relationships with them. What always amazes me is the various ways mm achieve their wealth goals.

YES!!! Perfect word! I started flying international routes in '08. Best gig ever! Well, until we got the low-rent gangster Smisek for a CEO. I left the job soon after. Many flight attendants hated Glenn Tilton. Someone in scheduling (or higher up) requested me for the lead flight attendant for the executive merger transition team flight. Tilton was on that flight, and I found out he was all about the passengers. Tilton was older, but many of United's passenger-technological upgrades began under his leadership. He was also a gentleman. Smisek, in comparison, had no honor - and the airline went down under him.

I've been on a weight-loss diet since puberty - so yes, exactly! Moderation is the key! But here's something else I've learned. Movement. A lot of us forget to move when we get older. I'm not talking about exercising for 30- 60 minutes a day, although that is good too. But I mean getting up and moving every hour for at least 9-10 hours a day. I jog for 3.30 minutes every hour. And I don't eat after 6 PM. Well, at least 6 days a week. Ok back on topic: - I'll eat soul food (poultry/ fish, greens, oats and corn meal, but I've cut back on wheat. Baked macaroni for holiday meals. But no peach cobbler, ever.

OMG, I thought I was the only one who doesn't eat dairy in the winter! They are hilarious but no lies detected. Belly is full but no nutrients. And yes, I can cook my a - off but I know that food is bad for the heart. Even though it's good for the soul.