Mel Hopkins

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@Pioneer1 , wrong question. I don't believe in "past, future" per se... I only know that "Now" exist... (and sometimes "Now" is even shaky) I may refer to the past -or even indicate that there's something I'd like to come to past but I use those references for conversational purposes. At this juncture, I can't conceive of a location for the past or future... I asked you because you said, you're convinced that only your God knows the future. Anyway, to answer your question - yes. I have met people who knew the future and prepared for it in their past ... My father was one such person. His foresight made sure his family would be taken care of economically and financially long after his untimely death. Also, we both know one person who saw the future - his name is @Troy,. He is in that long list of people who prepared in their past for something that today has met and or beat expectation. Oh and I have to include Larry Silverstein . I don't know him but I've read enough about him to know he had to see the future YES!!!

YEP!!! Nailed it...

This has been my experience... My relationship model hasn't worked for me until either he or I left the relationship. I'm a firm believer in being friends with my intimate partner or spouse - but while in the relationship it seemed as if my mate was always suspicious of my motives. When it was finally a bust - then the dude always came around to be one of my best confidants and friend...(you can imagine how many guy friends I have now - that I can actually count on when I need them. ) Still It was bizarre to me , still is, but from your perspective I can see how our culture breed adversaries and how and why my relationship model has been difficult at best. Good talk, good talk!

So you don't really know. You just have your reasons to believe. Cool I just wanted to know how you arrived at your conclusion.

But it isn't. or you'd be a clean slate with no perspective. You only know something is offensive to you based on life experience. For example, when flying to Dubai, I wouldn't offer my left hand to any passenger unless I'd want to offend them. Or, you didn't know you were a human male as an infant or even a toddler . You began to have experiences, such as seeing similar beings that forced you to realize you weren't unique, you probably identified with those who looked like you, young or older and you began to imitate them. Then your experiences shaped your life as a boy and you grew into a man. Life experiences and instructions are how we develop our perspective, a point of view. You can be intuitive as in building on what you already know; but intuition is knowing without the benefit of experience, facts or (gasp) proof on a subject.

@Pioneer1, Yes, how do you know, God knows the future... you've mentioned that you've test humans and they've failed. Have you test God in this respect? THIS! - I do this as well but this is almost a mathematical ability - almost on the order of fictional movie PI - How do we separate ability from intuition? Or do you see them as one in the same?

It doesn't have to be ideal but a model so you'd have a bit of road map on how to cultivate a relationship. Growing a relationship isn't dependent on a changing culture - relationship building skills are timeless. My parents grew up together and were best friends - I took my first clues from their marriage and modeled my intimate relationships after there's; sometimes with mixed results. You've been married since the 1990...this would give an indication you have a clue to how to build your relationship with your spouse. Now this doesn't mean you can advise me on how to build a relationship but you do know how to build a relationship that matters and it's a long-term one with your partner. That's what I meant. Today, many people don't have that first relationship to imitate. So they turn to the streets...and then as you mentioned " do NOTHING to facilitate a long term relationship with women." and that's problematic.

I think people confuse gender roles with sexuality... I blame commerce

Exactly!!!...you either see it or you don't and it doesn't have to be a subatomic particle either...we all have different experiences therefore we are all going to perceive things differently. Unless we have additional tools for viewing all we can do is empathize. I believe you do see something racist in those photos. My not seeing it doesn't change what you see. Your seeing it doesn't change how I see it. I grew up in middle class family - I started school in Germany, I owned my first house at 18 years old... I negotiated my first entertainment contract before 25... I raised my daughters in victorian mansion (not a mcMansion a bonifide national historic register got the plaque to prove it mansion) my family were the 3rd owners in its 100+ year history) I've dined with old money - got yelled at by Jay Rockefeller (I didn't see things his way either lol) and hung out with people in the hollars of the Appalachian mountains. I've been broke quite a few times and I've had a net worth far above zero...My life experiences will allow me a different perspective than someone who's only worked minimum wage job and lived in an tenement all their lives. I'm not going to say what that person "sees" isn't valid. It's just that my upbringing and life experiences won't frame what they see in the same way. That's what makes something, as you say, imperceptible... Our thoughts shape our lives our living shapes our reality.

LOL! You clearly haven't been married to a white man...hahaha @Troy, why is culture a problem? When I say a relationship -role model, I'm referring to the fact we learn how to relate to others from the relationships we witness early on. We model what we see - so the first intimate relationship we witness is our parents. What ever they do in their partnership - is what we will do/and seek in our own intimate relationships. In the absence of witnessing a relationship of mommy and daddy - we go to grandma and granddad...after that it's to the streets and "relationship gurus"

@Pioneer1 Interesting, why are you convinced? Is this something you were taught or is it something that you know intuitively? And what is God to you? (you may have answered this but I haven't heard it and would like to understand your answer better.

I think about this too. I often wonder if the earth is here because we believe it is...and if that could be true, what happens if we simultaneously stop believing it exist? clairolfacation / clairescence...I just looked it up. some folks can smell "sickness" too.

No it's impossible to see what's not in their perspective... see how hard it is for you to understand that? It's because you can't perceive it. You are not unwilling to recognize it - you just can't perceive it. As for Trump voters I want to know why 15% of black men voted for Trump. Further I want to know why 400,000 black men electorate - didn't vote period even though they could. Everything is in your own mind. Your thoughts and beliefs make up your reality. This is why it's important to free your mind from its beliefs and engage in productive thinking so you can "see"... Debates and discussions are important because no one can see and experience everything. Books are very handy for this reason. We can share experiences through our discussion and debates teach us empathy for what we can't see or have experienced.

The absence of a relationship-role model should be recognized as the no. 1 reason for marital failure... Having an understanding on how to relate to a partner/spouse will allow the couple to navigate the other obstacles presented here.

@Del what was their definition of masculine & feminine attributes?

Heh, heh...

Question: What is your strongest psychic (ESP -Extrasensory perception) ability? Would you, Could you and/or Do you use it for economic gain? Note: Below are general definitions from Merriam-Webster - not necessarily accurate but provided for discussion. Feel free to expand. intuition - (M-W) a quick and ready insight telepathy - (M-W) communication from one mind to another by extrasensory means psychometry - (M-W) divination of facts concerning an object or its owner through contact with or proximity to the object clairaudience -, (M-W) the power or faculty of hearing something not present to the ear but regarded as having objective reality clairvoyance - (M-W) the power or faculty of discerning objects not present to the senses precognition - (M-W) clairvoyance relating to an event or state not yet experienced or retrocognition - (M-W) direct or extrasensory perception of past events ? My strongest psychic ability is Clairvoyance. I can read, feel, hear energy involving living things ... I've used it for financial gain as it relates to gaining the upper hand for securing employment position. For some reason, it hasn't worked in winning the lottery...although I wish it would. But I mostly use it to "read" people or help them.

#4 because it has history -and if "bestseller" written out across the badge like it was on "the power list"... #s 6, 1, 3 (in that order of preference) makes use of the AALBC colors which promotes the AALBC brand wherever anyone uses the badge...

There can be no unwillingness to "recognize" racism...You either perceive it or you don't. There can only be an unwillingness to speak out against what one perceives as racism. If one "sees" racism but says nothing then they're completely ineffective in the fight against oppression. When I see/experience racism, I DO something about it. When I experienced what I believed was racial/sexist bias at my workplace - I filed a complaint against my employer...No lip service. No ignoring it 'hoping it would go away. I. Filed. A. Complaint. In an emergency - "you don't fight the smoke - you fight the fire...Using your resources and energy on the fire " prevents the house from burning down to the ground or a plane from burning up in the sky A subjective photo ... is smoke. Black men being executed in the streets for our viewing pleasure... is the fire ... I fight fires... Speaking of those who don't recognize racism (or danger for that matter) when it's staring them in the face... 94% of black women voted for Hillary 15% of black men voted for Trump

@Troy Unfortunately, the statistics don't support your assumption. Majority of Americans are still glued to the television including black Americans to get their news . So it's important to continue to remind television execs that it's not cool to show black death on television for any amount of revenue. Our youth should not be subjected to such a high disregard for black lives. Your response is confusing to me - you want me to be all up in arms about your perspective of beauty or athleticism and how it's pictured but this is how you respond to something you know exist and can mentally harm us.. "Mel I simply do not consume news on TV and have not for decades. So I have less than zero motivation to write them." I won't watch when television news shows graphic images of murder - but they will hear from me every time they broadcast black murder. Gratuitous violence at the cost of black lives is not cool - whether I'm a consumer of television news or not. If I hear about it - I'm writing. As for 45, I didn't vote for him... I voted for Hillary in the last election. I couldn't care less if he's a racist - he's not qualified to be in the highest office of the land.

@Troy, I'm surprised that you can't believe you're not the arbiter of all things racist. LOL! This is why there's no yes or no answers to subjective questions such as racism. From my perspective the LeBron picture IS NOT racist even by your definition. Someone else could see this picture and demand apology ...but me? meh. I stated what's disconcerting to me about the photo - and that may amount to nothing more than jealousy on my part. "Here is a new question for you (anyone). Do you believe that the media (news, entertainment, etc) is capable of being racist?" Nope... but I believe General Managers, News director, exec producers, reporters and in anyone in the position to make editorial decisions can be. Many make decisions where the true definition of racism comes into play - but so far, I think I'm the only one who has actually spoken out against one of the most egregious decisions of late. What I'm referring to are the state-sanctioned executions and maiming of black men shown on our local, cable & network nightly news. I've written to my local stations, tweeted to cable stations about their decisions to show state-sanctioned murders in heavy rotations - desensitizing the viewing public to black murders... This is a double standard (racist act) because they won't show the murders of white people on television. When that truck driver mowed down people on that bridge in France on Bastille day and the casualties and dead were strewn along the streets every American Cable station made the decision not to show the carnage - their reasoning was due to young viewers watching...To me that sent the message Black dead bodies aren't of concern or disturbing because they're just "blacks" ... Why no consideration for black men being shot in the street, tasered or run down by cars? Because in their ears ...black executions are entertaining as public hangings back in the jim crow south. Have you written to your local station, network or cable station about this type of bias? Have you "noticed"?

racism: Definition of racism 1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race 2a : a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principlesb : a political or social system founded on racism 3 : racial prejudice or discrimination Nope. This photo doesn't fit the definition. Erm @Troy... this photo is Peter Mensah who plays Oenomaus, a top notch gladiator and teacher of Spartacus, in the Starz series "Spartacus"... Spartacus is a story inspired by a small group of slaves fought against oppression of oligarchy, overthrowing a large roman army... Maybe there's some truth to how blinding racism can be...

So glad you did not! I'm so glad I listened to "THE VOICE" that told me to take some time on the board tonight to read" ... I enjoy your voice and your messages and I gravitated to your words when I first noticed your posts... I agree there's a kinship and it feels as if I walked past you , (or any one of the vocal crew here ) on the street, sight unseen, I would immediately turn around because of the spiritual/energy connection. I know I'd say, "Have we met somewhere, before?"