Is 90 Days in Jail too Extreme?

Sheila Kearns, 58 of Columbus, Ohio was convicted in January, of 4 felony counts of disseminating harmful material to juveniles, and sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Kearns who was hired as a permanent substitute teacher for a spanish class at Columbus’ East High School showed the film titled “The ABC’s Of Death,” in April 2013.

After reading about Kearns I proceeded to watch the film via Netflix and I must say she definitely should not have shown this film, period. The movie consists of 26 shorts all by different directors who were given an alphabet and free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death. Some of the shorts put you in the mind of a Quentin Tarantino movie but on a smaller scale. The titles ranged from D is for dogfight to O is for orgasm. Q and W were my least favorite although W made me LOL! Because it was exactly what I was thinking. S was my favorite it was well put together and it had a clear message. I, personally enjoyed the film but what can I say  I’m a gory type of gal, but I also must reiterate THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SHOWN IN THE CLASSROOM UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES.

Okay so back to this 90 day jail sentence. In my opinion I  think that’s a bit extreme granted it should have never been shown and she should never be allowed back in a classroom but to give her jail time for showing these children something they see everyday is harsh.

One of the assistant principals saw the movie being played and confiscated it. The students who watched the movie ages ranged from 14-18

Kearns stated that she did not view the unrated movie before showing it to the class and that her back was turned as it played. A student testified during trial that Kearns watched the movie in it’s entirety, now how a right minded adult could feel comfortable watching this type of movie with children is beyond me.

But, what I do know is that Kearns is not the only one who should be in trouble I feel the school district should be held responsible for hiring a spanish teacher who does not speak spanish. According to the school district they couldn’t find anyone who spoke spanish and they needed to fill the position. Although the judge did blast the school district for hiring her I feel more should have been done because that’s where the real problem lie and parents should be asking questions as to why was she even hired to do a job she was not capable of doing. What do you think? Does Sheila Kearns deserve 90 days in jail for showing this movie? Before you comment I do suggest that you watch the movie.

Is Technology replacing Intimacy?

I feel like I should start this off with once upon a time, but that would probably be a bit extreme. So I'll just start like this, there were times when you would be waiting in a waiting room along with several other people and you were able to enjoy real human interaction. Although some people were not as eager as others to talk to strangers but more interested in reading a magazine or a book, but you could still engage them by asking a question about their reading material.

Now and days you enter a room and everyone is on their phones, it’s like they have a do not disturb sign on their forehead. So waiting rooms can be a pretty depressing place for people like me who thrive off of human interaction. I have even seen couples at dinner in very nice restaurants and instead of talking to each other both are on their phone.

Has technology taken over intimacy? Are people forgetting how to interact with real people, and instead using social media as their only form of socialization? Or is social media or our blind dependence on it a smoke screen for our true loneliness?

After studying our relationships with phones Larry Rosen, Professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills and author of  iDisorder: Understanding our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us, shows that our false sense of obligation to our phones are a result of anxiety that we are missing out on something.

Do we not realize that while our eyes are glued to a screen that we are really missing out on the glorious life that surrounds us.

Technology has dumbed us down and one by one we are becoming slaves to the Internet and victims of social media. Self-worth is attributed to how many likes you get for a scantly clad photo. Instead of breaking up a fight you videotape it hoping to be the first to post it on social media. New laws have been made to stop people from texting and driving. If you meet someone and exchange numbers instead of calling first, you text.

Why have we allowed technology to take over our lives?

On average people check their phones at least 150 times per day. I’m not against smart phones they are awesome in more ways that one. It’s our constant reliability on them for the very things we could and should be getting from good old fashioned person to person socialization is not only unhealthy but detrimental to ourselves and our families.

Do you agree or not? What is your relationship to your smart phone? I would like to hear from you.

Will all the real men please stand up

I watched bits and pieces of the 2015 Espy awards and one of the parts that I caught was Bruce Jenner receiving the Arthur Ashe award for Courage. Now I don’t have a problem with Bruce deciding to embark on this journey, high-five to him, but to receive an award for it. Really?

What he decided to do was a personal choice, nothing award worthy. Danielle Green, a women who lost an arm in Iraq, and still decided to give back was better suitor. If Bruce can receive an award for deciding to be transgender then Ciara and Russell Wilson should receive an award for putting Jesus first in their relationship and deciding to be celibate in an over-sexed society.

But that’s not the most disturbing part, the disturbing part is seeing everyone stand up and applaud him. So you mean to tell me that in a room full of pro-athletes, actors and entertainers that no one had a problem with this? I have to admit I was waiting to at least see one look of disdain, but I didn’t. Is this really the behavior that we are awarding and is this really the message that we want to give our children. Have we forgotten how impressionable children are and how many watch this show?

A man who decides a to become a woman after three marriages and six children is what we call courage? So I say again will all the real men please stand up!

Get Healthy or Try Dying

                                                  Get Healthy or Try Dying

            The first step to getting a healthy dis-eased free body is education. You have to educate yourself on the human body; the most intricate machine there is. You don’t have to go to medical school to understand how your body works.

Start by getting a book on the human body. There are several good titles to choose from. “The Complete Human Body, the definitive visual guide,” by Dr. Alice Roberts is one I have used. Each day, read about a part of your body. It could be something as small as how your finger nails grow or even how your spleen works.

Next, get an herbal book.  “Healing Herbs,” by Diane Stein, “Little Herb Encyclopedia,” by Jack Ritchason N.D. and “African Holistic Health,” by Dr. Llaila O. Afrika are three titles to consider.

Cleansing your body of all the toxins that has accumulated over the years is an important step in getting healthy. There are several ways to do this. You can get on a complicated herbal regiment or, you can just change your diet to fresh fruits and vegetables for at least 30 days or, you can do an all liquid diet where you juice all of your fruits and vegetables. The documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a good film to get you acclimated with juicing.

The key is for your body to be more alkaline than acidic.

Alkaline foods have a high content of magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium. Most fresh fruits and vegetables are alkaline. Without large amounts of alkaline mineral elements in the diet the body becomes dis-eased. (Afrika, 2004, pg.201)

The three components to being healthy are mind, body and spirit. If your body is dis-eased, your mind is dis-eased, if your mind is dis-eased you spirit is not at ease.

Until next time…

Peace.Love.and.Light

Kyoka…

* Afrika. L, (2004) African Holistic Health

Put the burden on your own shoulders

We have elected the first black man to become President of the United States.
Now we see what happens when we work together and stand for something.
People really got out and fought to put Obama in office. Others to keep him out. Regardless of which side you were on, the hard work and dedication was powerful.
But does that stop now? We got him in office. He can do all the rest, right? Wrong!
Now is the time that Unity could not be preached more. We are going through so many things as a nation, not to mention our personal lives, that it would be detrimental to be divided right now.
We all have an important role to play. Just like we got out and registered people to vote, just like we walked and knocked on doors, just like we called people on the phone rallying up votes for Obama.
Let’s use that same dedication and determination to clean up our communities, become more involved in our children’s schools, become better steward of our finances, and, most of all, become better at uniting our families.
Remember, Obama can only do so much. We have to do the rest!

Remember the Past, don't Re-live It

You really don’t know how much you love a person until their gone. But when their gone, we have to move on.
My grandfather died on November 27, 2002, it was the day before Thanksgiving and five days after his 66th birthday, which was Nov. 22. I was a freshman in college when he passed, he got up and drove me to school every morning and picked me up every evening. I couldn’t have asked for a better grandfather. His name was Winfield Akers Jr., his friends called him Pig.
That morning in Nov. was cold and dry. My phone rang and my grandmother’s name and number appeared on the caller ID, it was around 7am. I thought she was calling to tell me they (she and my grandfather) were on their way to pick me up for school. But instead I heard frantic sobbing and the words that stopped my heart for what seemed like eternity, “I think your daddy dead.” It was my grandmother, screaming and crying.
My grandfather was a very reserved yet friendly man. He was big in stature and in integrity. He loved his family and we loved him.
I know how hard the holidays can be for families who have lost loved ones or have loved ones that’s incarcerated or even both. And when going through these difficult times we tend to have regrets about what we coulda, shoulda and woulda did. While clinging to the dead we’re neglecting the living.
Understand that GOD don’t make no mistakes, so thank him for all that you have been through whether good or bad, happy or sad and know that if it don’t kill you it only makes you stronger. Your life was made uniquely for you and God don’t make no junk!
Let’s learn to let go of all past hurts, focus on the present and embrace the future.

You Need A Check-Up

Everyone longs for companionship, it's human nature. But when we get a companion how do we treat them? Do we treat them with love and respect, are we honest, do we trust them? Probably not!
We nag, accuse, snoop, start false arguments and disrespect our so called loved ones just to satisfy, unbeknownst to us, our temporary insanity. Your better half may get a phone call where they fail to mention a name and oh boy there goes the attitude.
We want a significant other but when we get them they become punching bags for our blows of insecurity. We have to first understand that we are not perfect, so people are entitled to make mistakes. When we go into a relationship looking for the bad, nine times out of ten we are going to find “the bad.” If we go into a relationship looking for the good, we will find “the good.”
We must release past relationship garbage! I know it can be hard, but it’s worth it if you’re trying to find that special someone. Most people don’t even know the real reason they get into relationships. For many, it’s because they’re scared or embarrassed to be alone. But honestly that’s what we all need, some alone time.
After each relationship whether it was a good one or bad one we have to give ourselves a check-up, not the kind where you go to the doctor, which may not be a bad idea depending on the type of relationship you had, but the kind where you re-evaluate yourself.
Well how do I do that, you may ask? It’s simple. You just have to get reacquainted with yourself. Whether we know it or not a relationship can do one or two things: bring you up or pull you down. And when it’s over, we have to determine our damage. Some people can walk away without a scratch and others are not so lucky. But regardless of the damage, pat yourself on the back because you have made the first step and for some the hardest. You decided to leave!
The second step is getting to know you again. This is the fun part because you are building a relationship with yourself. Once you have a sense of self you gain a new found freedom built around your wants, needs and desires. Once you do this you can then determine what you will and will not accept in a relationship.
Now the third step is a matter of reflection. You have to determine what went wrong in the last relationship, what did you gain, what did you lose, did you grow or did you regress if you determine this now you can go into your next relationship on a clean slate and a little wiser. If you fail to do this, you will find yourself comparing your new partner with your old one and more than likely falling back into the same kind of relationship.
After you have done your reflecting, it’s time to set your standards- not six months into a relationship. It’s a matter of knowing what you want and getting what you deserve.

Know Your Role And Your Worth

Role reversals in the black community is something that is all too familiar. Our households have consisted of absent fathers and drug addicted mothers for so long that we do not know our positions and better yet how to play them. Mothers have been forced to be fathers, daughter forced to be mothers and grandparents forced to be parents. We have a major problem in our community not only do we not know our role we do not know our worth. Women are looked at as sex objects instead of wives and mothers. Real men are looked down upon and boys are put in the position of men; meaning, a hardworking, respectful brother is looked at as lame but, the drug dealing, pants sagging, big rims having brother is looked at as the real man. We are truly confused!
Women first have to understand who they are. If women shape up society will shape up. Think about this, if there were no women to play the role as the “video girl” in music videos what do you think will happen? Will the artist just forget about the video or will they change it to fit more respectable women? When we wear clothes that are too little, too tight and mimic celebrities we wreak of low self esteem we would rather copy someone else style than find our own. We are so insecure that we would show every part of our body first rather than leave a little mystery so when approached by a guy we know it’s not because he seen our butt cheeks hanging out of a pair of shorts or a dress.
Men you have to start loving yourself enough to know that women are not the enemy. We have a generation of self-hating, irresponsible, fake, wanna-be men! You walk around with your pants hanging off your butt, a mouth full of gold teeth, a beat up car with RIMS and a system, flea market jewelry and you bobbin your head to songs like ballin! You don’t even have a house of your own, a job or money in the bank. If you aren’t the biggest lie I ever seen I don’t know what is. And women fall for the lie over and over again. We are so caught up in this Matrix that we can’t decipher real from fake if it’s standing right in front of us. Why is that? Simply because we hate ourselves and we are so scared to look inward for what we are searching for outward. As women we hold the position of being the giver and sustainer of life so why are we allowing ourselves to be used and abused by the very beings we birth into the world. As men you are the protectors and providers so why are women housing, clothing and feeding you! We have to get it together and become the power race that every great book talks about and every other race is afraid of!

I Am My Child's Teacher

Do we really feel that the public school system is giving our children the quality education they deserve? Or have we just been programmed to send our children to school even if they are not learning?
When will we take educating our children seriously? I feel that Black children are not excelling in school because they are not being taught the truth! They are being taught by black teachers that they were not the mothers and fathers of civilization. But can we blame a people for lack of knowledge? Not when your whole history has been erased and you were forced to learn a new way of life. So what do you do, how do we give our babies a knowledge of self when we as parents don’t know? Well, if we see that our child is good at a specific sport, we find a team to put them on. So if you’re raising a Black child in America we need our own school to put them in. Our children need to know their significance in this world. They are being programmed to be unproductive citizens, they are being programmed to hate themselves, they are being molded into teen parents, drop-outs and drug addicts. And this is happening at an alarming rate. Our children are the ones filling up the prisons, and the ones killing each other, if this is not a sign of Identity Crisis, I don’t know what is. If you never name a dog and stick him on a chain and feed him and give him water everyday, how can he be productive? He can’t! He can only be destructive. And that is what’s happening to our beautiful, brilliant race. We have been brought to a strange land and have accepted the fact that we are a color instead of a race! So if a dog is simply called a dog it will answer to anything and follow anybody because it has no knowledge of self.
But if you raise that dog to know that he is a German Shepherd and treat him as such, then he will act accordingly. If we knew that we came from wealth, power and royalty, other races envy us and are continuing to plot to destroy our very livelihood and existence, would we act in the manner in which we act today? Probably not! WHY is that everybody hates us when we have never bothered anybody? Isn’t that strange, people will go out of their way to oppress and enslave a people for hundreds of years for no reason. Why isn’t that statement alone raising eyebrows? Because we are being programmed to believe that racism is dead, we have equal rights and so on. But we know that’s a lie so why aren’t we doing something about it. Why is it that we know the truth but continue to live a lie! Everyone knows who we are except us. As long as we allow ourselves to be “dumbed down” and trampled on our children will do the same. Until we start the process of de-programming and educating ourselves we will never be the great power nation that we really are. It’s imperative that we teach our children the truth…that we are the chosen people, we are the original people and as long as the oppressors are able to keep us occupied with lies and nonsense, we will never know and this curse will never be broken.