7 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

However you CAN prove that it exist to my liking by showing me how to get there so I can see for myself.

@Pioneer1 I can't prove anything to your liking, that's an inside job. 

But seeing that you've successfully completed this thought exercise, however, I'm satisfied that I've  provided you direction to see AR for yourself. 

5 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

You sound like you don't want to hear any excuses for why poor people are obese or make bad decisions.

@Pioneer1 You're correct. Excuses are the tools of the incompetent.   I agree, we make our decisions based on the information we have, but here in America there's nothing preventing us from access to information.  If one has never learned to read - there's a organization out there most likely in the poorest neighborhood to help.

I'm not a high-achiever; I am well-read.  I acquire so much data, I have to set aside  time to process it.  

A high-achiever is someone who has accomplished a lot, to produce a lot for the betterment of society.

For example, someone who has created a process where everyone has clean drinking water; or made it easier for us to communicate and/or share ideals, etc.   I'm not that person. I follow my interests (thanks mom and dad) 

However, we don't live in an nanny-state for a reason.  We, as a society, may capitalize off of what we  believe are poor choices but we don't prevent people from doing what they want.

Pharmaceuticals are heavily regulated and made illegal because Big Pharma has seized up the patents and can't make a huge profit, if "Pookie" is dispensing on the corner. 

FDA don't give an ish about safety... if they did "Hillbilly Heroin" (Oxycontin) wouldn't even be available by prescription. There would be a tracking system in place to make sure abusers  don't go doctor-shopping to get scripts.  In fact, some of the drugs on the market will kill and maim you quicker then a bad batch of smack. 

Our laws have nothing to do with our safety...I spent 7 years in News and when I wanted answers about laws I looked to Trade deals and followed the money trail .

Soda is taxed heavily in some communities but not because of the sugar content - but rather it's a cheap way to get energy.  if it doesn't grow from the ground or have eyes ...then it's nothing more than a 64 oz bottle of soda, packaged in a box.  Even anything should be regulated it should be the sugar producers!

Still, I believe people choose how they want to live their lives.  

I started smoking cigarettes after I got married , and continued smoking well after my divorce.  Then one day, when I was about to do a photo shoot for my black enterprise article, something in my mind said "you don't want to be known as a smoker." (now of course the article was for "Techwatch"  there wasn't going to be any mention of me smoking )  I quit the day before the photo shoot. I haven't picked up a cigarette since. It was my decision. 

No one should be making decisions for another person.  That is unbelievably arrogant.  It is also arrogant to think people don't know what they're doing just because they don't fit into a construct we've built.

4 hours ago, Delano said:

Mel What if she said cool?

@Delano not a clue.  No one has ever asked.  I've actually wanted to see what would happen too.  Some of my married men friends introduced me to their wives earlier on. Those men were about networking and achieving other goals - so often if we were seen out together it was perceived as business. (it was)

12 minutes ago, Troy said:

 

Mel, did you immediately shut down the amorous advances from the married men and make them feel like the cheaters they were?

 

@Troy, anything that goes beyond harmless flirting is greeted with my standard line, "let's ask your wife."

1 hour ago, Troy said:

Can we agree that Time has a sensibility that is not optimized for presenting Black women, and that sensibility is rooted in white male dominance?

Well interestingly enough that could be case -speaking from experience, the majority of white men love their black women milk chocolate to dark chocolate... So that photo of Viola might be quite appealing to them.  Yep there's yet another perspective.   

 

1 hour ago, Troy said:

Mel, again you are unique. Some people could never live in poverty despite the odds, their upbringing, or the adversity encountered.  You are one of them.

@Troy, Did you read my "struggle" blog post?  LOL

 

1 hour ago, Troy said:

Why is the cheating always placed at the feet of men, especially Black men?

A single woman can't be labeled a cheater because she hasn't taken any vows to uphold anyone's marriage. "homewrecker" , "sideh* " is the extent of the labeling.  I have heard that a single woman can be sued for being party to alienation of affection (common law tort) but even that's difficult.   It has to be proven love existed in the marriage - and if the husband steps out to date another women then chances are he didn't respect or love his wife enough to maintain their covenant.  

I'm sure married women cheat too but I have no experience in that arena.  I've only been approached by married men.

(I didn't see Fences on Broadway or in the theater)

Pioneer

Dang, those words contain some strong hate right there... whew!

4 hours ago, Troy said:

I think we all can agree that this is not a complimentary photo of Viola

Nope, no agreement here.  Ms. Davis  looks joyous with unbridled exuberance.  Something we rarely see in these posed and photoshopped images of today. 

25 minutes ago, Troy said:

The same goes for people who are poor and struggling, we don't see them... I mean really see them. 

I may not see the marketing but I do see people;  this is why I say don't play them/us as victims -  poor people make choices and own their choices.  They may not be the choices you or I would make but that doesn't mean they're not choosing.

I've actually reported on and interview "poor"  people when I lived in West Virginia. Impoverished people are very proud people, many are ashamed to take handouts, some are so religious they think handouts are a sin. 

Being in the trenches with all types of people inspired me to actually go back to service instead of report. That's  when I went back to working nonprofit. I  worked in the Department  of Justice programs as a program specialist working with people who barely had to nickels to rub together and ate their meals at the YWCA soup kitchen.  My job at the USDOJ Weed & Seed program was to inform and coax the stakeholders to use the resources we provided.  That was the most difficult job - so we figured out impoverished folks wanted a hand up not a handout.  We partnered with an organization called SeedTech and brought in a computer classes that I taught.  That's when I got their ear and convinced them to participate in the benefits we were offering to assist. 

Presence makes the difference in the lives of those who are being run over by society.

If you're not in the trenches or never been maybe that's why you don't see them. I do. I got my first full view at 15 1/2  years old as a Salvation Army camp counselor-in-training -worked every summer moving up to full counselor during high school years.  I never lost sight of the plight of those living below the poverty line.

@Pioneer1

Agreement is not proof.

Acceptance is closer to the definition - M-W

1a :  the cogency of evidence that compels acceptance by the mind of a truth or a factb :  the process or an instance of establishing the validity of a statement especially by derivation from other statements in accordance with principles of reasoning

2 obsolete :  experience

As I stated an experience can't not be verified.  I can search for the Library of Congress because someone said it exists on this plane...I could experience through observation that it exist but as soon as the experience is over so does the LOC.

So if you have an understanding of what I'm saying now, then move through the thought process you will have the answer to your question about Akashic records. 

14 minutes ago, Troy said:

 

@Mel Hopkins my blog https://aalbc.com/blog uses Wordpress, so the blog should be followable, but I'll have to look into why you are not being alerted.

 

No, wordpress is saying it can't be found.  boo!

15 minutes ago, Troy said:

It is interesting to consider @Pioneer1 's point about Time in the context of the treatment of Viola's presentation

@Troy I like Viola's picture - It captures a youthful innocence and joy that seems to be missing from so many photos/selfies today.  

Anyway, this gadget may appear to be innocent to buyers but I don't like for the reasons I mentioned above... It dumbs down the end-user by  interrupting  the learning process.

5 minutes ago, Troy said:

Perhaps where we may disagree is the source of the "psychological distress." I believe the source to be primary external.

Then we don't disagree.

6 minutes ago, Troy said:

But wealthy people are not targeted by marketers, they way poor people are. 

Yes they are...but they have more options.  But the wealthy also have other things vying for the attention - I wrote this in a blog based off a discussion created right here. "whose got your ear"  

Do you know the median income in my town is $45K   Do you know within a 5 mile stretch of Fairburn Road - we have 3 supermarkets with one getting ready to join the mix; german company "Lidl" supermarket; going next to chik-fila,   we also have 3 standalone retail pharmacies, 1 apothecary, and that's just to name a few... I live in a majority black town  with black leadership...We 're not a wealthy suburb but the same is true from the wealthy suburb I just moved from  where the median is $131K . 


@Troy I did grow up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, so I can tell you there were no malt liquor ads in my neighborhood... but my dad drank a lot of beer I just chose not too... Still don't. 
I have my own "drug" it's called sugar but even when that gets the best of me I stop.

Maybe, I'm anomaly but I'm a media junkie, just not influenced by it.

So Troy, I can't say I have seen any outdoor advertising in poor neighborhoods -and I've done quite a few site visits when I work in nonprofit.  OMG I just don't see it. I guess that's insight right there.  Maybe there' something to be said about how our brains our wired and what we're receiving. 

OMG this is a major reason why people are getting dumber every day!  [M-W-Definition : 7:  not having the capability to process data] 

Even if we put aside someone having intimate knowledge of us that isn't an intimate partner; even if we put aside not being a mark - - why are we turning our allowing our learning process over to a gadget?   Or what about the fact, that if we use these types of gadgets we begin to lose sense of self.  No one can tell me what I like to wear... I don't care if no one finds what I wear attractive, if I feel comfortable or it makes me feel good about me, I'm wearing it! No one gets a vote on my existence - yet here's a gadget that encourages me to get opinions from outside strangers.  

Pro/con this is a perfect gadget for clothing designers/retailers/stylists . But I can't see why they would want to turn over their trade secrets to the competition?  

On 4/27/2017 at 9:45 AM, Troy said:

I blogged about it, "Amazon‘s Echo Look: Exploiting Our Inner Narcissist." 

@Troy  How can I follow your blog?  I follow you but I don't get notification (and yes I did indicate I want email notification) but I'm not getting any notices on site or in my email.  I do get the newsletters, so I'm thinking I'm missing something. 

8 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

The Library of Congress exists.
It's real.
It's in Washington D.C.....whether I believe it or not.

If I want to go there, all I have to do is get the directions and a plane ticket and I can be there by tommorow....nothing strange or mystical about it.

Now either the Akashic Records exist and you know how to access them....or you don't.

@Pioneer1 LOC is only real in your presence.  For everyone else who is not present, it's an idea...  While it may be real when you visit, once you leave it you cannot prove it exists...
Using someone's verification, such as asking directions, and purchasing a plane ticket, that LOC exist is based on trust and faith. 

Mel

"I'm still not sure I totally understand your answer. To make it clear, I'm asking 2 questions:"
"The first is about YOUR experience...."

"LOL this made me giggle. I was trying to think how I can verify experience especially since experience is in the moment. "

"Mel during your experience, were you able to verify if such a "grand library" or system exists? " ~ @Pioneer1

"Keep in mind, I just agree calling this place where  information is stored "Akashic records" because the description has been my experience . "

"whether or not you can verify it to me is immaterial."

Then whom am I supplying verification?  This makes no sense to me. 

"Have YOU verified the existence of the Akashic Records or some other grand cosmic system of information retrieval?"
Who wants to know? Because you mentioned the answer doesn't matter to you. 

"Then the second question....which is to you or whoever can answer.....
Does anyone know a SURE way to access this system?"

8 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Something is being put in this food to not only attract Black and Brown people but also affect their bodies by disrupting their natural hormones and chemistry.

Have you noticed how so many Black and Native American/Latino young people are this fat "puffy" shape today?

@Pioneer1 I have noticed this - - especially when I was flying and would eat certain foods especially in NY/Houston.  I think it's due firs and foremost to all the added SUGAR. Next,  fish/meat that is genetically engineered or receive genetically modified feed.  Shrimp, fish, such as cod, tilapia, salmon it is usually packaged "farm raised" and it's deadly to them and humans.  The best fish is "wild caught" but it cost more and can be scarce depending on the supermarket.    A lot of packaged foods and breads contain "soy" products which are harmful and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) - a chemical compound that is used as sweetener but is known to cause liver damage. Oh and again... "SUGAR"!!!

I feel like we're  in the movie "Constant Gardener" where the poor Africans had to give their consent to be "guinea pigs" for pharmaceutical testing or they wouldn't receive health care or food. 

1 hour ago, Del said:

Ignorance generally doesn't know. 

DGAS? Mel how often have you seen knowledge replace ignorance in arguments?  100% or less? 

@Del
DGAS = "Don't give a sh*t" ( until we do.)   Exactly!  Ignorance is not knowing ( the state or fact of being ignorant :  lack of knowledge, education, or awareness _)  It's not a bad word. 

I was ignorant to the ways of nature until I moved to the country.  

I haven't heard a lot of people argue their ignorance.  I've mostly heard people argue their perspective of a topic.     

1 hour ago, Troy said:

Mel I think in this case you are viewing the world from your perspective  

@Troy  I am .. My perspective is from years of working with, for and volunteering with disadvantage and impoverished people from in New York,  New Jersey, Wheeling, WV  and Chicago, IL ...  since I was 15 years old.   If people believe they have no choice, they've lost hope already which goes back to my original comment. 

ORIGINAL STATEMENT - "All are pleasurable to me...but if I'm 100 lbs overweight, obviously being serviced by food is a sign there's psychological distress."  

If someone makes poor food choices something is wrong. The person is in distress and needs tending to... Or they are simply lazy or ignorant - but again those are choices too.  
 

34 minutes ago, Del said:

Mel I had a relative that grew up in tje city. He went to the country and saw fresh vegetables for the first time. He said, "I thought string beans came from a can.

@Del This is priceless!

I didn't know Turkeys could fly until I lived in Wheeling and saw them take flight in my backyard.  Your relative and I suffered from the same affliction; (DGAS) until we did.  Ignorance is a choice though

2 minutes ago, Del said:

People don't always know they have choice. 

What would be the instance when people don't know they have a choice? Who are these people?

9 hours ago, Troy said:

Unfortunately, if it were not for trolls I would have very few comments being made on the website..

Ohhh!  wait that's right! When folks are  in agreement they rarely respond. The content has to be provocative and contrarian to get folks riled.

4 hours ago, Troy said:

Hi Mel, why then is obesity in impoverished communities to high and life expectancies so much lower?  

@Troy  The answer,  like I mentioned earlier, is 

Choices. 

I won't join you on the slippery and dangerous slope you are traveling. I'm frustrated that people voted against their own best interests in this last election, but I respect their choice.  They still voted their interest - it just was the best interest.   Same with transportation and distance...We're talking about inner cities here - transportation is the hallmark of inner cities -

if you want to eat healthy you make the effort...it's not like we have sow and reap this year's crop or slaughter a cow or pig

By the way, just like with hypnosis, there's no amount of marketing that can make someone do what they're not prone to do.  We make choices to satisfy our wants. 

4 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

When I got older I found out that women tend to attach more feeling or emotion into sex than men do,

@Pioneer1 Then how do you explain the world's oldest profession?   

Don't let them women run game on you... they're quite tricky with that "catching feelings" stuff. LOL 

I think men confuse emotion with guilt... We women tend to have buyer's remorse or guilt when think about  judgment but it only last until the next time we jump into bed with next dude... In fact, a lot of us women talk about throwaway sex - there are just guys you don't care to impress so you have sex to get some... and then there's the men you really like so you take a long time to have sex with you want to get to know him and ... you don't want him to think you're "easy"... If you think a woman has "caught feelings" that's a good sign - she wants you to think "sex" is very special to her.

 

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Mel during your experience, were you able to verify if such a "grand library" or system exists?

@Pioneer1 LOL this made me giggle. I was trying to think how I can verify experience especially since experience is in the moment. 

Well, there is probably a physical location because of vibration but maybe it's a 4th dimensional construct.  One that we can access at a certain level of consciousness.   

Keep in mind, I just agree calling this place where  information is stored "Akaschic records" because the description has been my experience .  When you look at the etymology of the word, it states it is derived from the Sanskrit word "Akasha" which means aether...  As I mentioned in an other thread - that's what I called the place I returned to when I "died".

Maybe death is just another level of consciousness; a flat line but a consciousness nonetheless. 

Here in this animated form we experience delta (change) which allows us to bounce between levels of consciousness. 

 So maybe you can access the "Akashic records" by going to deeper or different levels of consciousness. 

22 hours ago, Troy said:

I would not put the food industry in the same category as sex workers--the food industry is far worse.

@Troy

O/T

First, I have to state, if one is able to make decisions for themselves and is not incapacitated then we all have the power to make choices and are responsible for our actions.  

Having  said that, I have to put sex and food industries in the same category - . Consumption is based on choice, supply and demand.  Malnutrition and starvation are different.  I'm not including starvation in this scenario.  Malnutrition is preventable in a America and doesn't matter where you live.  Prior to this administration there was always assistance to eat well, whether it was through the government or nonprofits. It's not easy but it can be done.

I remember growing up, there were some members of my family, one in particular,  my 2nd cousin was single with 5 sons. I don't believe she finished high school at the time - but she kept her boys well fed, clothed and roof over their heads.  Once when I was hanging out with her (she's about 13 years older than me) her boyfriend visited.   He drove my cousins (one of her sons) and I to Sheepshead bay because my 2nd cousin had to go grocery shopping.  He bought some food and she had food stamps to buy the rest.  This was a regular practice for her. that is until they opened up a big red supermarket in bed-stuy. Then she took her shopping cart, just like her mother and grandmother before her, and walked a distance to purchaseg groceries.   Before I left Brooklyn I would go to "Big Red" too because the produce and sales were excellent.  No one is trapped in their own neighborhood when it comes to purchasing groceries... yes it's an inconvenience to travel outside your neighborhood to buy food but its doable.  

22 hours ago, Troy said:

However, when one hides something that means you don't know about it,

Back on topic "Why (black) Men Cheat"

@Troy that's my point - if I'm in an intimate relationship - such as marriage there shouldn't be anything to hide.  I don't snoop. If a man feels the need to hide something from me. I'd prefer we just not be physically together.  It doesn't make sense to live with a stranger.   

The root of cheating is subterfuge (deception to achieve one's goal)  and it takes away the opportunity for the partner involved to make decisions based on good intel.  "Why  Men Cheat"  is simple, they are dishonest and/or  can't face the truth of their own desires. 

 

48 minutes ago, Troy said:

The Klan with a Tan."

OK but this a little bit funny...

8 hours ago, Troy said:

if your husband got horny and hired a hooker cause he just wanted to be serviced, do you view that the same engaging in an on going extramarital relationship?

@Troy, I can't rule out if it's the same activity or not without knowledge of either.   However, I don't believe there's a world of difference between the two.  If someone engages in sexual activity whether it's solo, a commercial pursuit, domestic or casual - there's still a level of intimacy.  People say "It's just sex" and  while that phrase may be true, I've learned that we humans can turn the most perfunctory behavior into a habit.  

Also "servicing" comes in many forms to satisfy psychological needs.  If we're in an intimate relationship I don't believe our spouses shouldn't be kept in the dark.

Case in point, I enjoy cooking for my family and sitting down to eat a great meal with them.   I also snack on junk food that has no nutritional value, eat chips in bed when I'm really not hungry. I enjoy going to great restaurants and can easily spend almost $100 on a meal. All are pleasurable to me...but if I'm 100 lbs overweight, obviously being serviced by food is a sign there's psychological distress. 

With food intake, or lack thereof, there are physical signs so it's difficult to hide this activity from my spouse.   If I hide my sex servicing activity (unless it leads to STD or a baby,) from my spouse, then we're not intimate.  He's just a roommate and not a very close one at that. 

By the way, I've never really known any man to hide his masturbation habits from me,.   Not really sure what I should read into that lol

 

5 hours ago, Delano said:

Yes i am reading a book.  And I'll post an idea. And then i see the same r a similar idea.

Which fo me is something new.

@DelanoTowards the end of my post, after I describe what I call conduit thinking, I mentioned that I don't know how to continuously tune into the channel that is supplying me information.  Your comment has just pointed me in the direction.  Acquiring tunnel vision to channel thinking could be effective.

["Tunnel vision : :  extreme narrowness of viewpoint :  narrow-mindedness; also :  single-minded concentration on one objective. ]

Tunnel vision has a negative connotation.  As usual, what the powers-that-be frown upon may be the way to secure information from what some mystics call the "Akashic records"