Mel Hopkins

@Kalexander2Nope... Me neither! LOL! I still think Queen Elizabeth II is straight up gansta. I know I wouldn't cross her. I remember shopping in London - and the taxes on my stuff equaled the cost of goods. The queen don't play. And one would have to wonder why her dynasty hasn't been overthrown like Ethiopia Monarchy. @Pioneer1 It is amazing that so many people don't question why they have to get a state sanctioned marriage license. Marriage is a state-sanctioned business. Children are (fruit of the labor) of marriage. But so many folks are under the fairy tale impression it's because " I love him/her" - NOPE! In fact it has nothing to do with religion either - - as some familiar with marriage laws - say the state allows G-d to be party to the marriage but here in the U.S. ; God is optional. @Cynique Yes, I saw that too. According to the New York Times article, (October 13, 2017) Joel Makonnen had dated Ariana Austin for 12 years before he admitted that he was the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, Ethiopia's emperor who was ousted (1974 ) After an civil war the monarchy was overthrown in 1991. Makonnen is a prince without a country. Still, the story of their wedding brought Ethiopia back into mainstream news. After your post, I started thinking about how stories of folks in the African diaspora don't get coverage like European diaspora in america . For example. if Ariana Austin met Prince Yoel in 2005; you mean to tell me, no other media knew he was living here in the U.S. Where are the stories on him prior to his wedding? He could only keep his identity a secret because he knew American Media wouldn't cover him. @Troy I agree we have to do better with getting media coverage for our community. I know I've been responsible for getting my fair share of folks on record - but I'm just one journalist/media consultant. I knew about Meghan before the world started talking about her - because I watched the first season of suits and I'm huge hallmark channel watcher... I thought it was funny how they would cast her in racially ambiguous roles... and then she got all this hate mail when Suits cast Wendell Pierce as her overprotecting father. Folks started complaining that she hid that she was black - and she responded that she never said she wasn't black to her critics. But anyway; this thread reminded me of when I pitched a story to an Essence editor in 2007 that black men were getting "snipped" (vasectomies) in record numbers - they were interested at first - then shelved it. Ten years later, I saw a similar story in the NY Post where white men said they are getting snipped to avoid gold-diggers and child support. Maybe if I'd pitch baby mama drama Essence would have ran with it. If you tiring of hearing about Harry - and hate how every made a big deal about the wedding - blame media - especially mainstream black media. They don't want to do stories that are important to the black community, in a timely fashion. | (Note: Ebony is always interested in cutting edge stories from the black community. I've always had an easier time "selling" stories to them. )

@Kalexander2 Ok, now I understand your position. In your comment above you left out the part about marrying for money to gain citizenship for yourself or someone else. Based on the information you've provided, I wouldn't now if that makes you a follower or even obedient to authority. This could be one area that you feel it's wrong to take money for something you'd do for free. There's no way I could know your threshold . \ Besides, following rules without question is not the same as honoring one's integrity.

@Kalexander2 how would you abuse your citizenship by marrying for money? Are you a U.S. national? Marrying for money isn't illegal in U.S.

@Wendy Jones T Thank you for responding! What exactly has you squeamish about bitcoin? My mother says she doesn't trust anything that she can't hold in her hand. lol. Anyway, here’s a good resource. https://bitcoin.org/en/getting-started Bitcoin is the original decentralized cryptocurrency. Altcoins (alternative coins) are cryptocurrency coins that are not bitcoin. Cryptocurrency coins can be traded (bought and sold) and stored on a cryptocurrency exchange such as Coinbase, Bitstamp, Kraken et al. These digital transactions are secure because Blockchain technology is difficult counterfeit or hack. Every block in the chain serves as verification for the block that came before it.  If someone adds a wanky block to the chain that doesn't include the transaction information of all that came before it; it will be rejected. Aside: this is where bitcoin mining comes in; which is a lot like a lottery because any available computer can mine bitcoin but only one will get the reward. No one knows who will be awarded bitcoin for processing the transaction either. Also, there is a total of 21-million bitcoin available for mining period. Bitcoin (or altcoins such as Ethereum Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash) rise in value based on demand. Yes, cryptocurrency trading is volatile. And no, it's not regulated by a central banking system. Decentralized means there is no middle person. Blockchain technology is what makes bitcoin cryptocurrency possible. After the housing crisis of 2008, the bitcoin creator wanted to make sure the world wouldn't have to depend on the central banking system ever again. With bitcoin we don't have to - well as long as we can communicate via wireless technology. See this article: bitcoin without the internet You and I can make a transaction through our digital wallets without ever involving centralized agencies. We are virtually anonymous to the centralized banking system unless they can track us through our cryptocurrency address. Now, once the transaction is made; it's final. Our transaction is subject to a mining fee - but it’s a trade between you and I. If you say, I change my mind, oh well. But since you and I know each other I could send you the value you sent me. -Note: The value we originally exchanged could be worth more on less on the day the new transaction is made. For example, I bought $5 of bitcoin - and minus the transaction fee (mining) I ended up with $4.20... at the time I'm writing this my bitcoin share value is $4.02 USD - I need to include 1 – bitcoin is currently valued at $6,146.30 , But I digress. There are also tokens in the cryptocurrency system and that's where it gets tricky. Tokens are NOT cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency exchanges won't except tokens for trading. But to understand the concept of a token, consider this; a token represents something of value in the system. For example, in the 90s, you needed a NYC subway token to ride the train. You gave the token booth clerk $1 and s/he gave you a token coin to ride the subway. That token had value but only in the NYC subway system. Take that token elsewhere and it isn't worth the money you paid for it. That's how tokens work in the cryptocurrency system. A token is programmable digital asset that has value within the owner's system. It can serve as a utility, equity, security or service token. For purpose of this post we'll discuss utility tokens. The token functions within newly created software application built on blockchain technology. But tokens aren't mined like bitcoin or Ethereum. A founder of a startup can sell tokens for cash or cryptocurrency to fund their cryptocurrency or technology projects. It appears startups such as Publica is using utility tokens. When startups sell tokens to fund their project it is called an ICO (Initial Coin Offering). In this case, Publica is offering a Book ICO to would-be authors. The author sets the price for the token in their crowdfunding campaign. Once the book is finished it's published on blockchain technology. Patrons investing in the author's proposed book will purchase tokens with centralized cash i.e, dollars. They will receive something like a digital coupon in return. The author gets the cash to work on their manuscript. When the book is complete the patron will receive a copy. So of course, trust is factor. We are writers/publishers not software developers building an application on blockchain technology. We must trust that all these moving parts will add up to actual cash for us and a book for our readers. I also need more information on publishing on blockchain. I will continue to publish updates here. I'm new to cryptocurrency and blockchain but this represents my current understanding. Feel free to ask me anything - but please understand this is information is not for investment purposes. It's just an overview. But if you choose to sign up for a Coinbase account – here’s my referral link. https://www.coinbase.com/join/5b11cf8faa08ff01f4db26b8 Thank you!

@Kalexander2 Here in America, we are still have due process. We are innocent until PROVEN guilty, And if anyone is following the rules without question that makes them a follower who is obedient to authority, That is the antithesis of being a leader. I asked because your comment was sending mixed messages and I needed clarification. YES!!! Now that's someone with the spirit of a leader.

@Kalexander2 what wouldn't you want your daughter to do? avoid jail, exile or other repercussions? And do you believe these women were guilty without due process?

That's what I say!!! GOAL MATES!!!

@Troy as I'm sitting here watching bloomberg - and looking at the board -the value changes depending on demand and that's how we treat people. We do it in the work place - and it seems to carry over to relationships. Again, I'm not saying "YOU" - I'm saying our society does it when it comes to people and I dream a world when we simply look at our community based on our goals. You wrote Harry wouldn't marry Gabby in billion years... I get the sense that's statement was made on some arbitrary value assignment. Is that correct?

@TroyThis ^ ... I have a hard time following the topic when it's cluttered with name-calling/bickering. It's too bad there's not a vote-down collapse feature - where only those who are involved in the bickering can see their comments.

@Troy your very statements make the case for people being commodities. Assigning value makes them commodities!

@Troy Yes! But not just you; our entire western civilization society! "Marrying up" or "She can do better" "He married beneath him" Those sayings are predicated on value. Something useful or valuable is a commodity .

@Troy @Pioneer1 People are NOT commodities. We are members of a networked community. So, marriage is not a step-up but rather a strategic partnership based on goals. Since marriage is also government-sanctioned some people marry to expand their territories. In this case, Meghan Markle put herself on a path to be a major player on the world stage. By the time, Kensington Palace announced Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's engagement - she had already had several international speaking engagements (one at the United Nations) and was a world ambassador for World Vision Canada Diplomacy isn't a new venue for Markle. She graduated from Northwestern University with a dual degree in Theater and International Relations. Before she graduated Markle briefly worked at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires while there she also took the test to be a Foreign Service Officer. She didn't pass. By the time she met Henry Mountbatten-Windsor, Markle was already a multi-millionaire. In addition to her starring role on "Suits" she was a successful entrepreneur; she'd launched a lifestyle website called The Tig named best website by Elle and InStyle Magazines. She also had several endorsement deals including Ralph Lauren and Reitmans department store . At 36, maybe she decided it was time to pursue her first vocation in diplomacy but full time. Prince Harry seemed to clearly understand her goals and indicated it worked for him. In their first media interview after engagement announcement, Prince Harry said, "...I know that the fact that she'll be really unbelievably good at the job part of it as well is almost is a huge relief to me because she'll be able to deal with everything else that comes with it. But, no, we're a fantastic team. We know we are. And, we hope to over time try and have as much impact for all the things that we care about as much as possible." Although, Hollywood may paint women as starry-eyed romanticist; it would be foolish for anyone to believe that's the truth. Those who are surprised by the strategy and tactics women employ in achieving their goals aren't paying attention. Markle marrying Prince Harry is a means to an end. It's also a great partnership because now Markle can really attend to world affairs. In fact, it's part of her job description as Duchess of Sussex.

@Kalexander2 telling a young girl or young woman to "man up" is just as bad as telling a young boy or young man to do the same... If a parent wants to raise a child into healthy adult - He or she will encourage them to experience and process the full range of emotions - not stifle them. We have a world full of people who don't know how to process their emotions - and as I mentioned earlier in this thread - it means these people are lying to themselves.

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.

Anthropologists , statisticians and everybody else are making it tough for biologists to get around it -because they reference the original Y-DNA in these published scientific research articles. I have noticed, however, more of a focus on what happened once "we modern humans" left out of Africa...

TRUTH!!! As I just mentioned in the other thread - I found a lot of missing parts in hebrew talmud and text called pseudepigrapha (false writings ). It filledin a lot of the blanks especially where women are concerned http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/

LOL! Thank you! I grew up reading and watching Agatha Christie mysteries. I hated learning that one of her books was entitled The Ten little N-ers" But Jessica B. Fletcher ? I want her life! LOL ... I remember when Netflix licensed Murder, She wrote ... I binged watched every episode - some twice. Now, I fall asleep to her shows at night LOL! I love the performance! I don't know why I'm so weepy but I felt a bit nostalgic watching them perform. It appears there are several tribes represented in the dance segments. And one of those dance segments reminded me of the Djembe Nyabhingi drumming. I wrote about it in my book as it marks the moment when one of the women becomes an Obeah High Priestess and possessed by the spirit of Nyabhingi - According to some articles, women aren't allowed to play the djembe drums ... but the first Djembe drummers were allegedly WOMEN. The mythology allegedly traces it roots back to Women Warriors defeating German colonist who were attempting to conquer Uganda ... https://jah-rastafari.com/forum/message-view.asp?message_group=6450 https://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/lioness-nyabinghi-priestess-queen-mother-of-africa/ "The African warrior Queen Nyabinghi was believed to be the reincarnation of the Lioness Kemetic warrior goddess Sekhmet. Queen Nyabinghi was known for playing her powerful, mystical trance drum. Her Ugandan female followers, called bagiwas, were so fearsome in victory that the invading colonialists had them branded as witches performing rituals with the drum. The drum was eventually outlawed. The Nyabinghi rhythms of resistance have long played a major role in Rastafarian culture."… The drum is therefore a divine tool of the Supreme Being, a womb or beginning of created life."The name Nyabinghi was a synonym for Sekhmet. Though the true details of her life has been subsumed in legends, Queen Nyabinghi was the archetypical Priestess-Queen of a province of Upper Kush (Ethiopia-Egypt), who rebelled against the oppressive life-denying evil regime which disrupted order and stability in the motherland through the instrumentality of foreign occupation, external manipulation and local collaboration. " As you can see, I was determined to let my daughters know who they are - and what black women really mean to this world. I even found the names of the heroines of that are left out of the traditional scriptures ... Noah's wife... the wives of the sons that were on the ark; Judith slaying General Holofernes ... I had to reference Talmud for that info... but these women figure into my story. I find the old testament scriptures the greatest occult book ever written and it serves as a foundation to my novel. The Testament of Solomon still scares me - lol I'm considering re-editing my novel to be a bit more conventional in storytelling and see if I can get a traditional publisher to release it this time. If you'd like to read it - before the changes; here's a link http://theleadstory.org/paperbacks/2755-2-paranormal-romance-excerpt/

@Chevdove No she's not my daughter! My youngest daughter sent me this story - sorry for the confusion. I wanted to share with you their perspective of the people they admire. But I'm glad I included the video of "the only" black woman trader in the last post. My daughters are usually "the only one" too - I was the only one too - and you mentioned you too were the only one... It is a difficult path but at the same time you find out who you are by what you choose to tradeoff. I used to tell my News coworkers " I don't have a phD in negrology (and I got that from quote from the film director Melvin Van Peebles) but being the only black female news anchor /reporter allowed me to give voice to a perspective that only I could share with the millions of viewers. When you are the only one YOU MUST remember your goals that brought you there in the first place. Journalist extraordinaire Malcolm Gladwell just did a podcast (Revisionist History) on "the only one" Sammy Davis Jr...and the part of his humanity he had to give up to be the only one. I tell you I was crying like a baby at the end of the podcast. Could be. My daughters date but their focus is on career and social life. AND they travel a lot. My middle daughter has a dual degree in psychology and statistics so she is preparing to go to grad school. The oldest is advancing in her legal career and it takes up a lot of her time. The youngest is focused on building a business (she hasn't said what yet ) lol and she has a steady beau. I don't think they get that from me - though. I tend to be in love with love and in the absence of a "GOAL MATE" , I'm immersed in my profession." WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??? (Ok I'm just being nosey) but it reads like The Loving V. Virginia Supreme Court Case @Chevdove nah, I don't think I do. You got this. I'm a journalist... I read a lot and my copyeditors/factcheckers keep me honest about providing source documents for what I think I know and write. lol

@ChevdoveI was 17 years old when my father died. I don't know what it is but black women back then modeled those in British monarchy - Those women seem to believe emotional outburst in public is unbecoming. Do you remember how Jacqueline Kennedy, Coretta Scott King, and I think even Ethel Kennedy carried themselves at their husbands' funeral? When I look back on those archives , it appears as some unwritten rule of conduct. I wrote about it in my debut novel "sleeping with a d-man", I wrote it for my oldest daughter before she left for college. In fact, my occult novel explores the role of women of African descent from times immemorial to the present. That's why I have all that research on mtDNA. (full disclosure - I needed to research it for my book) I wanted my daughters to understand how society relates to black women... which is counter-intuitive to our role as mother of all civilization. I was a "star" to my father so he balanced my mother. When he was gone my heart broke. He was the symbol of the "savior" I spoke about earlier in this thread. Black men and men in general play a huge part in parenting and cohabitation. The father supports the mother while the mother nurtures the children. The father is the physical strength in the family - and it's displayed in imagery as when you see the father help the son or daughter put a star on the christmas tree. It is such a beautiful symbiotic relationship. When the father is absent (emotionally, physically, financially et al) the mother has no emotional support. It is quite rare to see a mother display the balance necessary to raise an emotional healthy child. For example, An imbalance of Hypermasculinity and Hyperfeminity come to mind - such as when a woman allows her children to be sexually assaulted while she pretends not to see. But I digress. I was lucky because I had a huge support system for my oldest daughter (I didn't marry her father) and I was married before the twins came along ) Still I had a huge support system with my girls. Today, my oldest daughter has a Juris doctorate now and she's not married. In fact none of my girls are married . They seem to have wonderful social lives balanced with their professions. In fact, my youngest just sent me an instagram of the only female trader on the New York Stock Exchange she's a young black woman, shown here -https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/06/13/lauren-simmons-is-the-only-full-time-female-trader-at-the-nyse.html I adore my daughters and I think they like me too (smile) They are loving and caring - So that could be due to their upbringing. my ex- husband believes I should write a book on how I raised, in his words "Three Aces" but the book is already written because I knew it would take a village to raise healthy adults; so I created one

@Chevdove LOL!!! I was just getting ready to edit to update it to say - not extinction of MEN - just the "Y" . One those studies indicated post modern humans created different sexes in other ways...

@Chevdove also when I was searching for my source documents - I saw the 2013 article of the man with Y-DNA that branched off from the modern humans - THE PLOT THICKENS! I started reading about mitochondrial eve and human migration back in 2005 - I follow up every so often because I find it fascinating. BUT I missed the development of the Albert Perry's Y-DNA dating back 340000 years! I look forward reading more research on this new development. Thank you for the update!

@Kalexander2 I blame it on black mothers - who would tell us, " Cry and I'll give you something to cry for". I wasn't even allowed to cry at my father's funeral. My mother said, "Don't represent your father that way"

@Chevdove As it relates to anthopology, the mtDNA mutates almost every 8000 years . The mutation here refers to assigning mtDNA haplotypes into halplogroups which is represented here in this phylotree ( A comprehensive phylogenetic tree of worldwide human mitochondrial DNA variation, currently comprising over 5,400 nodes (haplogroups) with their defining mutations.) http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0008260 Molecular Clock of the mtDNA hominid credit: van Oven M, Kayser M. 2009. Updated comprehensive phylogenetic tree of global human mitochondrial DNA variation. Hum Mutat 30(2):E386-E394. http://www.phylotree.org. doi:10.1002/humu.20921 Also, the mitochondria is not a chromosome such as the Y that recombines slightly or X that recombines with the other X chromosome and a little with the Y. (See this 2001 study on the question of mtDNA recombination https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1461814/pdf/11606549.pdf ) The Mitochondria are small membrane-bound structures contained in the cell's cytoplasm. It is responsible for generating energy needed for cell function. The mitochondria contains its own DNA and protein-synthesizing machinery. It reproduces by splitting in two to make a second copy of the DNA . https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-researchers-trace/ The offspring inherits the mtDNA from the mother. The father inherits his mother's mtDNA but males cannot pass it on. The Y only passes from father to son, whereas the mtDNA goes from the mother to both son or daughter. This link leads to an early study of Y-Chromosome mutation https://www.nature.com/news/2009/090827/full/news.2009.864.html . And yes, mutation is limited for the Y-chromosome because its the X that has all the genetic information to combine with the Y to form a viable human. Recent studies, previously stated the Y chromosome was on its way to extinction because it only recombines to provide genetic information for male reproductive organs - and had emptied itself of other genetic material. According the article (link) it has found a way to stabilize itself. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/140513_ychromosome https://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/evolution-y-chromosome But as you know the origin of mankind was the X chromosome. According to studies, and the aforementioned article) there was no Y chromosome until about 180 million years ago. .

(((HUGS))) @Chevdove WOW, if this was a memoir it would be riveting because what you shared here rocked me! Your mother was sad she didn't give birth to sons? Oh snap, As you mentioned this took a terrible toll on you and your siblings. And if I understand correctly, she had your children taken away? See, this is what I mean about broken people. If your mom is broken - then how does a broken woman raise children and not break them too? In ways that she may not realize? I had to realize that about myself - there are certain behaviors that I developed in response to my upbringing. - My parents were loving parents to me - but they were broken too and that can't help but spill over into the home. I agree - if you let western society have their way, black women aren't even supposed to get pregnant ... We are made to feel ashamed for taking time to have babies in wedlock - and if we choose to be single parents -then...well that's unacceptable. I wrote a blog post about Bridget Jones ' Baby - because a black woman could have never starred in that movie, without all of society especially black america having the movie pulled before it aired LOL.... I remember when I was carrying my twins - and I had to go on bed rest; My woman Indian doctor, at the time, was reluctant to say mine disability papers lol... Even after the emergency room doctor ordered it. I found a black woman ob-gyn with quickness to care for me and deliver my girls. So yes, I absolutely understand. You have a very powerful story - I hope you've shared it already - and if you haven't I hope you find your voice.

@Kalexander2 , My thoughts? I haven't read the studies so I don't know if a bias exist. Once I select the studies, I compare and contrast everything I read if I haven't experienced it first hand.