On 5/11/2019 at 9:14 PM, Pioneer1 said:

Are Haiti, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Jamaica nations that are part of AMERICA (not U.S.A), or are they not ?

I see being a part of the AmericaS and being AmericaN (U.S.A Citizen) as different. All those places can be a part of the AmericaS, in fact. But not be AmericaN. So it really depends on what is meant. Based on maps online, the attached is what is actually, in modern times, considered The Americas.

10 minutes ago, Troy said:

@zaji I'm doing fine.  I moved to Tampa, full time, back in December 2017 and am really enjoying it. 

I'm near Melbourne, FL.

8 minutes ago, Cynique said:

To my girls, i love you all.  It's been "real".      Buh-Bye!

What's your facebook link? You can private message me if you don't want all eyes to see it here. LOL. Would love to continue reading your words.

6 minutes ago, Troy said:

Hey @zaji we miss you (or I'll just speak for myself.  I miss you).  You coming to the Black Pack Party?

Hey there! Partially I have been busy. But mostly staying low and watching words unfold. It's always interesting. I won't be able to make it to the Black Pack Party. How have you been?

4 minutes ago, Mel Hopkins said:

@Troy  I can't remember disagreeing with @Cynique   @Chevdove or @zaji  in any way that would cause me to want to express that disagreement.    I may have a different opinion about something but their presentation allows for me to consider their perspective. I've  even found myself doing some research and keeping an open mind for more information to possibly advance the discussion.  But I don't disagree with them.  Even if you can find where I said "I disagree" know that I misspoke. 

I believe most women are socialized to have a perspective that is built on a foundation of evidence.  Unfortunately, here in America women are often dismissed as NOT having knowledge about a topic.   Even In your thread about instagram - you decided I didn't have knowledge of world wide web and its commercial activities. You didn't even ask me, first.  But that's the world women live in - so when we express an opinion or subjective observation, trust most of us have a mountain of evidence to back it up.  

I don't bet on stuff.  Aside: I used to bet on horses but racing horses is cruel and inhumane so I don't do it anymore. 

I would absolutely miss Cynique if she leaves the board - but I saw that in my email and I had to stop what I was doing to respond to this thread.  I really appreciate you @Cynique ! You add the je ne sais quoi to this forum that allows so many of us to think and consider your words, experiences and thoughts.  You are a magus and beautiful philosopher!

I am the same way. I typically try to merely express my opinion/views, not launch into outright disagreement, as though in a war. Additionally, if I have ever used that language (I disagree), it is not hard and fast disagreement. I am always open to discussing anything, regardless of my personal views. I know one fundamental thing, no human (including myself) knows everything. No human has a monopoly on truth. I try to carry a sense of humility around things/ideas/knowledge, as long as the thing isn't so overboard that it can do great harm. Then humility or not, I must do everything to stop the verbal harm being done. Generally, however, I will discourse to a point. If I see there is no balance, I stop talking.

On 7/24/2018 at 10:18 AM, Troy said:

I stopped using Google search engine as my primary search engine years ago. 

LOL

@Troy  Good points. Wikipedia is always having some fundraiser, banner splashed across my screen taking up 3/4 of the page sometimes. Yet, if I were to add/update/edit using my knowledge and research time, I get nothing from it. Nothing. Just a pat on the back and a thank you for advancing humanity, as they enjoy yachts, planes and mansions. And the freedom to do for self. Maybe some of the in-house editors get paid, but not the majority of people who have built Wikipedia to what it is today, a resource that helps lead people, at times, to primary or secondary information. Wikipedia is mining our intellect for free.

Anyone who is active in the arts community in New York knows Kojo. 

@Troy Oh my goodness!! LOOK AT US!!

I spoke to Kojo only a few months ago. Never stayed in touch with Mosley. He probably doesn't even remember me. LOL.  Wow. I can't believe I've known you that long.  Amazing how time flies.

3 minutes ago, Mel Hopkins said:

I agree and that's what makes me feel bad for not participating in the editing.   But I do have adobe's convert this webpage into a pdf and before that I used to copy & paste and I have files that no longer exist on the web - which is a bit scary to me too!

Yeess!!! I also have information on my computer that I can no longer find ANYWHERE. It's frightening! 

@Mel Hopkins  I have an account as well. LOL. But have never done a thing with it.

I think my fear is it turning into some sort of Orwellian machine where they begin to change history/knowledge without people realizing it. Even primary sources can be rewritten, erased. Happens all the time. Look at history books? They are always trying to change history. Look at our ancient knowledge? Much of it, gone, erased.

@Mel Hopkins. Yes Mel. I scroll straight down in Wikipedia to the sources and go through them before taking the final word of what is written. That is why although I don't care for it, it is an ok first step to help me on my journey to finding facts and primary sources of information. They usually provide the primary sources up front.

@Troy. Let me add, a lot of companies have taken to adding Wikipedia to their resources. For example, Apple has it built into the Dictionary program a selection for Wikipedia. This way, if I search for a word, I can see the definition, synonym and any Wikipedia entries for that word. When I first saw this a few years ago, I felt it was an assault on my intelligence and intrusion. Still feel that way. I am allowed to "uncheck" the box for Wikipedia so the entries don't show when I do a word search, but they do not have an option for me to delete the mess. I would need to go in and find the folders with the raw file and get rid of it, if that is possible.  I am forever tweaking my computer to block all sorts of things. I primarily use my Hosts file to block any websites I feel are intrusive. I tend to block a lot of ad sites via my Hosts files. While Safari and Firefox have plugins/extensions that can do this, I block some of them from my system level in the Hosts file. I also use a program that monitors outgoing/incoming connections. Nothing I don't want gets to phone home about my internet usage. I additionally use a VPN 99% of the day.

Wikipedia has become intrusive on a whole other level. And the fact that Apple is endorsing this and allowing them to intrude on my Dictionary program is outrageous.

@Troy, I'm fully aware of the slackness that Wikipedia is and don't fully trust them as far as I can throw them. But, it was late and I really didn't fell like spending my time hunting for the information through more reputable sources. So I gave the quick and dirty version from Wikipedia. But to be frank, I don't like them at all. Trust that. For me, they are a quick peek and then I go on to verify anything written there given that it is, in fact, only a community written/edited information center. Anyone can add to Wikipedia. Yes, they've taken to locking certain entries due to either abuse or inaccurate information being purposely or ignorantly added. But in general, they are not to be taken seriously when it comes to the majority of information. I tend to double check, triple check, anything I find on Wikipedia.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate it. But I am not a Wikipedia groupie. Been hating on them for over a decade now.

As worded online. Not my words.

Shirley Anita Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author.^[1] In 1968, she became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress,^[2] and she represented New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.^[2]

As a third-party candidate in the 1968 election, Charlene Alexander Mitchell was the first African-American woman to run for President of the United States. She represented the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and her running mate was Michael "Mike" Zagarell, the National Youth Director of the party. At 23 years of age, he was younger than the constitutionally required age of 35 to hold office. They were entered on the ballots in only two states.^[9] Mitchell's brother and sister-in-law Franklin and Kendra Alexander had also been active in the party.

5 minutes ago, Cynique said:

Maybe the aliens were black.  

LOL. Don't get me started. I've considered the idea that maybe we are not from here. Maybe we did a bad thing on our planet and this planet is our prison. We were put here for bad behavior, punishment. Or more specifically, we were born here after our ancestors did a bad thing on our home planet.

6 minutes ago, Troy said:

People who say that aliens came to Earth to help build the pyramids are racists.  People who will say anything to diminish the accomplishments of Black people.  OK I dont completely believe that but you know what I mean.

 

I will say that all I know about the Pyramids tells me they we have indeed forgotten something over the millennia.   What was lost, forgotten, and often destroyed goes beyond just the construction of the pyramids. What we've forgotten is our understanding of nature and how we relate to it.  We've forgotten how to relate to each other and our place place in the universe.

 

It feels like we are reinventing the wheel even when it comes to spirituality.  Today we can only hope to discover a fraction of what we knew thousands of years ago.  SO we are susceptible to believe anything that comes along.  In much the same way some in he Black community have latched on to the world of Wakanda as a source of pride...

@Troy Yes yes and YES!!!

@Troy I was probably all of 12 years old when I played with magnets to levitate metal objects. I had such a blast doing it. Very basic, elementary.

For me, the use of sound to levitate objects is far more fascinating. The reason is, a magnet can be touched. But I cannot touch and lift sound with my hands, hence why i'm interested in sound levitating things. I read a while back that the ancients may have used sound to build monuments, including, possibly, the pyramids.

Sound waves can be used to levitate and move objects, study says

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/sound-waves-can-be-used-to-levitate-and-move-objects-study-says/2013/07/15/4d808a5e-eb15-11e2-8023-b7f07811d98e_story.html?utm_term=.214792e69e48

It all feels subjective to me. Some go to college and go on to be wealthy because of it. Others go to college, Ivy League even, and can't find a job to save their life (I indirectly know a few who are in this position). Some have zero higher education and even dropped out of high school and are multi-millionaires now, others dropped out of high school and either can't find a job or live on minimum wage. It really seems to depend on the person and the situation. I hear stories on both sides of the education fence and it varies wildly. Education has helped some, it hasn't helped others. For some it hasn't helped, they have nothing. For others it hasn't helped, they are rich and brilliant beyond anything we could imagine. We each get what we get, or don't get what we don't get based on our life experiences and drive. Nothing seems hard and fast when it comes to individual experiences with education.

43 minutes ago, Troy said:

@Pioneer1 (anyone) do you think the construction of the Pyramids is an example of science applied?

It could be. In this modern time, I would define it as science. But what if it is something more, something we have lost? What if we've gone backwards and what we now see as science is child's play? The tinkering of childish minds desiring to know the world, but have destroyed the knowledge of those who truly knew the world? What if the method by which the pyramids were built was so beyond anything we could imagine, that we can't even consider it?  What if?

@Troy. I agree with you. We don't see it differently at all. That is exactly how I see it...we use our limited experience in an attempt to describe the entire elephant. I still come to my same conclusion based on how we both see it. See, we see and agree on how we see the elephant poem, but come to different conclusions. I've mentioned this exact thing in previous threads as well.

Yes and yes again, VERY blind to a larger whole. VERY arrogant in our ignorance. Again, yes. Still, I come to my conclusions that I stated, even with us agreeing! See how life is?

In one sense they do defy gravity. I won't pick around with the terms. At the end of the day, if people stuck with what they observed about gravity and didn't take advantage of certain principals they were told could not be taken advantage of, we wouldn't have planes. Anyway you slice it, a principle was manipulated where whole populations scoffed at the idea that it could be manipulated. I will be the one scoffed at for seeing the principles of science in a different way...so i can learn to fly. LOL.

I never said gravity was wrong. I said gravity was right, a FACT! That is what i wrote. BUT, the fact that it was right did not deter people from attempting to manipulate it, to the raised eyebrows of most people around them who thought they were insane. THIS is my point...people dismissing people who want to look at a scientific fact differently. People telling people they are crazy because they want to look at a scientific fact differently. Discovery is made when we are open to anything and everything...when we can look at a scientific fact and say, what if? What IF we can get around gravity and do something that everyone thinks cannot be done with it? What IF we can create a machine that allows us to fly, thereby "defying" gravity to a degree? What if? I live in the "what if" of life, because I believe that anything is possible. It has been those scientists who have asked, what if, and have barreled into discoveries as their colleagues laughed at them. Until they finally surfaced on the other side with proof of their "what if" theory. I sent a list to this group of scientists who were scoffed at because their theories were outside of the scientific "norm" or truths known at the time. Some lost their jobs because of their theories. Yet, they prevailed and were vindicated when they could prove what completely went AGAINST what science said was true. They are the modern day plane inventors. They didn't care what anyone said about what can't be done or what wasn't possible. They went forward anyway to test THEIR theory.

All I'm saying is, we should ALL stop dismissing ideas because we NEVER know.

I agree reference opinions and preferences. I discuss this all the time in other circles.

No, facts are not subject to individual whims. But they are not the end of the conversation either. Fact...gravity exists. Gravity is not subject to individual whims. BUT, lo', look at us, we are flying. Ergo, gravity found its way into being questioned and aspects of how we interact with it are now different than what we thought. Now, this fact is being further questioned and manipulated through various scientific experiments. They are now showing how sound can levitate water.  Folks are saying, be damned with this FACT of gravity. How can we manipulate this FACT, or, realize that it might not be a concrete fact, but we simply do not know how to interact with it and see it from a different perspective. If sound can levitate water, then what if chanting a certain sound frequency can levitate us? What if we actually can fly, but we have been so stuck in the FACT of gravity, we do not go forth to experiment and discover possibility? Again, they are now levitating water with sound...so we should deeply consider what this means.

I don't know any other way to express my feelings on this. Simply, do not be dismissive just because we know a thing to be a fact. We close ourselves off from discovery when we do so.

Exactly @Cynique! And that is why I courageously decide to be open to all possibilities in the universe! That is my extremely strong conviction that I will not vacillate on for anyone. I will remain open and respect the views of others, as long as it doesn't impose on my physical life and freedom. For me, that is the road to discovery and true growth and enlightenment. I agree with you 100% on that point.

7 minutes ago, Troy said:

@zaji, so you don't believe that some beliefs are wrong or incorrect and others are right and correct?  

 

If this does not accurately describe what you mean, you'll need to clarify it a bit more (at least for me) perhaps an example would be a good why to start.  

@Troy

What I'm saying is, we don't always know (for sure) which of our beliefs are correct or incorrect, just like the blind men and the elephant. They were all right and wrong at the same time, with none of them knowing they were wrong in the grand scheme of the question and what aspects of their understanding were close to right.

Some beliefs can be wrong, but we can't assume we know for sure which ones are wrong. That means we assume to know all. We should be open to some possibility. Be open to us not having the vantage to see everything there is to know about a thing. I'm not saying jump off a cliff because we think a seemingly erroneous belief might have some validity, but I'm saying we should not dismiss it out of hat. I gave an example  in another thread with gravity and people creating planes. Planes would not have been created if humans dismissed, out of hat, that gravity could not be defied based on their personal experience of falling whenever they jumped off something.  The belief that gravity exists and its nature is correct, not incorrect. BUT, someone or a group of people decided that the CORRECT belief and knowledge should not be taken as the end of the conversation. THIS is the crux of what I'm trying to express. Don't be dismissive simply because we have discovered something to be true or someone to be wrong. So what? Gravity is a FACT. So what? Anyone who jumps off a cliff will fall. Ok? Still, folks decided not to let that fact deter them from discovery. THIS is what I'm saying. Don't let what you think you know to be a fact and true cause you to close yourself off from the possibility of what another is proposing. Back in the day, I'm sure when folks proposed that we could fly through the air in machines, they were laughed at and and mocked (there is much historical evidence of this mockery) much in the same way I see folks dismissing other views on this board. Thank goodness those being mocked and chastised ignored those who were "right" about gravity. Cause we wouldn't have airplanes.

Even if one believes a person's beliefs are wrong, they should not dismiss them out of hat because there could be a discovery on the horizon, such as, airplanes. Being dismissive because we know something to be true stunts humanity's ability to grow and discover. If everyone just stood strong in the factual knowledge of gravity and decided not to test if it could be defied, simply because it is a "right" belief that gravity exists, then where would we be? Sometimes, we need to open our minds so we can see the other side of possibilities.

So yes, some beliefs are wrong and incorrect (as far as we know at this moment in time) and some beliefs are right and correct (as far as we know at this moment in time). But I won't dismiss/accept completely a wrong and incorrect belief, because I just might discover that I can fly. And I won't just fully accept/dismiss a right and correct belief, because I just might discover that I can fly.  I want to be pliable, so I can learn how to fly.

I also realize that there are some beliefs (opinions) that are neither right nor wrong, but a matter of preference. When we become too ridged, we cannot grow into discovery.  Just my opinion on this matter. Doesn't matter to me if anyone agrees or disagrees. I'm not attached. It's all good. Just sharing my thoughts.