Mass shootings and more…

This is not a political post; this is not anti-gun or pro-gun. These are just some quick and dirty facts that anyone can look up and everyone should be concerned about.

I will start by giving you two numbers: 388 and 5959; and I will also tell you that these numbers are from the year 2014 until now.

Mass shooting affect more than just the victims, it leaves a scar, it makes us afraid and wonder how this can be happening in places we consider safe. Churches, schools, shopping malls, movie theaters, etc. The thing is, terrorism (and mass shooters are terrorist by the very definition of the word) is something we have not experienced at the same level many other countries or continents have. I know right there has set some people off, but it is simple fact and we should be thankful for it. No one wishes regular terrorism on anybody.

The two numbers should concern us, because they are both numbers of people killed in this country (wounded would double each number).

388 is the number of people killed by mass shooters. 5955 is number of people killed by police, both from 2014 to current 2019.

5959, if a profession is responsible for such a large number of deaths of its own citizens, don’t you think it is time to reexamine that profession? How can any profession be responsible for so many deaths and not be help accountable? Military members must account for every bullet they fire, they have rules of engagement they must follow lest they be court marshalled; and most of these military members following these rules are straight out of high school. But they still understand.

We need more than a conversation, because it seems like the deadliest thing in America right now, is the police.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

PS, I would love to be proved wrong on this, but I do not see how because those people are still dead.

Non-Partisan Elections

There was a time at the local level, that all elections were non-partisan, political parties were not included at all, and quite frankly not needed. We have seen that creep away quickly over the last 15 years, and we need to go back to that.

Let’s take it a step further and suggest that we do that at more national levels of politics as well because party affiliations have simply divided people into three tribe, with two of the tribes on the verge of civil war and the third (really mixed smaller tribes) wondering what the heck is going?!

Between 1861 to 1865 we have had tribes fighting, and it led to a huge number of deaths, and we still have not reconciled that fight it seems.  There are still actual children of soldiers from that fight still alive today, collecting VA benefits.

Anyway, I digress, so let me put it in simple terms. I am tired of political parties going at each other in the way we are seeing now, nothing is getting accomplished, and remember the parties (tribes) are not the same now as they were after 1865, that is a simple fact.

People are voting the party without considering the candidate for that party, and a lot of these candidates are coming up short. Can you also imagine the money we could save without primary elections? How much good could be done with those billions of dollars in saving?!

Slavery does exist still, both literal, and in this case figuratively. Some of you are slaves to a political system that you do not even understand, really care about (you are just programmed to care), and it certainly does not care about you. Blind loyalty means the blind are leading the blind.

Notice how I did not mention political party names? I know each group is going to read this the way they see fit and understand, and that is ok because that means you have stopped posting your rhetoric on the internet for a couple of minutes to think.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Old religions

“Santería, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla de Ifá, or Lucumí, is an Afro-American religion of Yoruba origin that developed in Cuba among West African descendants. Santería is a Spanish word that means the "worship of saints". Santería is influenced by and syncretized with Roman Catholicism”

“Voodoo is a religion that originates in West Africa. In the Americas and the Caribbean, it is thought to be a combination of various African, Catholic and Native American traditions. It is practiced around the world but there is no accurate count of how many people are Voodooists”

“Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religious tradition, practiced mainly in Brazil by the povo de santo. Candomblé originated in Salvador, Bahia at the beginning of the 19th century, when the first temple was founded”

Common thread of these religions is that they are all of Yoruba origin because of the people an the descendants who practice it, and like all religions, don’t believe all the negative hype (except believe those catholic priests have sick fucking habits). There is nothing inherently evil about these religions, in fact, quite the opposite because they are about life; but then bullshit and Hollywood films got involved and we have the idea that we have right now.

Another common thread is that all these religions were disguised under catholic saints. How is that possible? How could they have been intertwined with Christian religion? The answer is simple, and surprising to some; the Yoruba religion is monotheistic in nature. There is one big guy, “Olodumare also known as Olorun (Almighty) is the name given to one of the three manifestations of the Supreme God in the Yoruba pantheon and one and only god the Yoruba believe in”. You do not bother him for little things, that is what the helpers were for, just as saints are there to help the Christian god.

Sound familiar? Because religion is a human creation, truth is truth, and as humans, the ties that bind us are closer than we think, and sometimes closer than is convenient for some.

Things to think about…

Dr Flavius Akerele III

The law and our children

Policemen need to be perfect; this is a simple truth. Imperfection in a job that can cost people their lives, has no place. Sorry but that is absolute the truth, so if you are not hiring the best educated, the most honest people, you are doing society a disservice. If you are not instilling the “civil service” part and the “public safety” part, you are being criminal.

An airline pilot that accidentally crashes planes will not be a pilot for long, a doctor or nurse that accidentally kills patients will probably be prosecuted and certainly sued. Heck, teaching is a profession where we acknowledge and embrace mistakes, teachers get vilified, hounded, sued, and prosecuted for things that would not make the news if they were not teachers. Bus drivers that crash, taxi drivers that drive drunk, train conductors that derail trains; all these people would lose their jobs and probably be in jail. How come a police officer that kills people is exempt?

Police get exonerated because they ‘followed procedure”, we know the procedure is wrong, but so be it. However, when police are hurting, maiming, and killing kids; how can they be following any kind of procedure? When we lock away a teenager for 65 years for a teenage mistake, when we treat them as an adult when they are no where near being one, what does that say about the value a society places on our kids?

For a supposedly ‘civilized and developed” society, we have some very barbaric views and practices when it comes to children, because even the most primitive cultures for the most part have a simple and sacred rule about children. CHILDREN ARE TO BE PROTECTED!

How does a society allow police officers to hurt and kill our children and not only face no legal consequence but keep their jobs?

Am I missing something here? What changed? Or have we always allowed this, and we are just noticing?

Law enforcement is a job, it is not a profession, because a profession means you have truly certified professionals doing the job. Maybe it is time we required professionals?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

PS, there is no justification possible for what is happening, so please do not troll and give the usual arguments.

Constitution for all or just the people you like and agree with?

Patriotism: “devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty”.  Nowhere in this definition does it say hate. Furthermore, since only about 0.5 percent of the population are serving in the military, being patriot is not just the providence of military folks. You do not have to have been a combat veteran in order to truly have served in the military (most military veterans have not and will not see combat)

Showing ignorance and hatred towards a group, religion, or people is not patriotic!

People practice patriotism everyday by being good citizens, raising good citizens, and by being kind to your neighbors. Trying to live a good life and helping others live a good life, despite the struggles we all have, while struggling to put food on the table, and never giving up, is about as patriotic as you can get!

If you do not have a flag in front of your house it does not mean you are unpatriotic (most of you are breaking flag code by the way), you can disagree (and should disagree) with your government and still love your country, and you can dislike aspects of your country and still be patriotic. After all, we want it to get better right?

America cannot get better if you truly do not believe we should all be treated equally. I am not saying we all have to agree all the time, in fact healthy disagreement is good for growth; but at least disagree with the intent to try and find common ground and not just to argue. We do not have to believe in the same things, but we are entitled to our own individual beliefs.

The Constitution: if you do not believe we are all entitled to its rights and protections, then you really do not believe in it all.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Comments and healthy debate are welcome, disrespect will not be tolerated.

Education: a funny profession we work in

I have been fortunate to have worked in education for more than 20 years now, but, there are some days I say to myself: WHY?!

I have seen kids grow from teenagers to adults with kids, I have been invited to wedding, been to some their funerals. I have been a passenger on my students’ journey.

Along the way I have met some great people, I have also met some horrible people who made me wonder about humanity.

I have learned that as educators we tend to be gossipy in nature, and not just about students but about each other. I have learned that we must simply struggle to make ends meet sometimes, but that there is always a way. I have been laid off more times than I care, but I have always worked. I have worked for some wonderful institutions, and I have found wonderful opportunities only to lose them to something completely beyond my control.

Education is a rollcoaster, and that is a pity. It is a pity because we are supposed to always be that stable presence in the lives of our students, we are supposed to that rock that keeps the country steady. After all, a good education should lead to even better opportunities right? It should not be a rollcoaster, it should be a steady train that is always on time and always reaches its destination.

Education should not play favorites in the classroom, nor should it play favorites to determine who gets to teach in the classroom. It should not be who you know, but how much can you demonstrate and impart (on to others) what you know.

What have we done to change the system we have? What are we allowing others (who are not qualified education professionals) to do to our profession? Are there plans for true change? Are there plans for the for-profit sector and non-profit/traditional sector to sit down and learn from each other?

I could go on, as could anyone who is passionate about this profession could; but I wish I couldn’t. I wish I had all the answers, or better still, the right questions to ask so we could all find the right answers.

What are you doing to steady the ship? What are you doing to get our profession into the 21^st century? Those involved in education policy who are not educators: what are you doing to help educators and to work collaboratively with educators?

Share your stories, some positive news is always welcomed!

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Managers need training!

Managers,

Do you find yourself always listening to what people around you say simply so you can give your opinion?

Do you find yourself always having to give advice to other people’s lives and things such as: the food they eat, their lifestyle choices, or their political choices: even though nobody asked you?

Do you find yourself always wondering why everyone is wrong and why you are always right?

Do you find yourself always looking over the shoulder of your really good experienced employees to the point that they do not feel satisfied with their job anymore and leave?

Wouldn’t it be nice to actually feel secure about insecure yourself and make others feel more secure and appreciated in their jobs?

Do no despair! You can get help for it, it is called training! Management training is a real thing, you no longer must keep “faking it until you make it”.

If you are serious, feel to reach out the ETeam and we will happily point you in the right direction! http://www.theeteamconsulting.com/contact-us.html

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

#certification #leadership #training #management #theeteam

Judgment, hypocrisy, and other sins in today’s world

Are you always the perfect one and everyone else is slacker? Do you have all the answers all the time? Do you find yourself pushing your views on people and attempting to make them feel guilty about not thinking like you? Do you like to announce to the world your latest diet and then make sure everyone eats just like you? Are you the only person in the world who cares about the environment and the downtrodden? Then congratulations! You are probably suffering from something, and ticking off a lot of people around you!

I know this is a sarcastic way to start an article, but sometimes things like this need to be said. This is not about politics and political parties, and this is not about social justice or morality. This is about how the internet has made everyone an expert, this how social media has made people forget how to be truly social with real people, and this how the term “IN VINO VERITAS” became a reality due to the anonymity of mobile technology.

We are witnessing hypocrisy in its highest form by people who are supposed to profess Christian values, and we are witnessing a mockery of religion from those who claim to be Christians. Mahatma Gandhi famously said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ”. This could also be said for Islam, and Judaism; the world’s other largest religions. Hate has always been spewed in the name of religion, but now we have to hear and see it in this never ending news cycle.
 It is ok to believe what you want to believe, it is ok to support whatever politics you want to support. Whatever you believe and whatever you support, make sure you are espousing your own thoughts and using your own words, make sure that your beliefs are part of the authentic you; and make sure that you are consistent and not a double-standard hypocrite

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam                  

PS, I do not claim any religious expertise, but I though these quote from 3 religious books were appropriate

·         John 4:20: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen”.

·         Surah AT – Tawbah – Verse 67: “The hypocrite men and the hypocrite women are as one another; they enjoin evil and forbid good, and they keep their hands shut. They have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them, (too). The hypocrites are indeed the transgressors.”

·         Sotah 22: “What is a pious fool like? For example he sees a woman drowning in the river, and he says: 'It is improper for me to look upon her and rescue her'”. Piety is great but misplaced piety is deadly.