When Are We Going To Learn That a Baby Is Not A Toy?

Via The Sun reports:
"ECCENTRIC Kanye West wants to call his baby by Kim Kardashian NORTH. The rapper, 35, came up with a list of potential names for the baby — due in July — but North is at the top because he thinks it sounds good with his last name."

Are we ever going to learn that a baby is not a toy? I mean North????  Really???? North West??? Something to critically think about. I welcome your comments in the commentary section of this blog. You are invited to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01. 

(Q) What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? (A) A Basketball Player; A Football Player............

Let me begin this post by stating right up front that there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be a basketball player in the NBA or a football player in the NFL or any other professional athlete. For most students, particularly boys, that is the low hanging fruit answer. Of course the dreams of grandeur of being rich and famous come into play, but for the most part it is a pat answer to a standard or routine question to children.

I am writing this post because I just learned that former New York Knick Ray Williams passed away from colon cancer at the relatively young age of 58. I was saddened by that because I remember watching Ray Williams when he was in the NBA. I have actually been to what was at that time Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ (The Meadowlands) when Mr. Williams played for both the Knicks and the Nets. I can hear the Nets' public address announcer now saying "Raaaaay Williamssssss" as Ray's shot entered the basket.

What saddened me even more than his passing was a line from one of the media sites reporting his death. The title of the article in examiner.com was Ray Williams Dies After a Life with Basketball, Diabetes, Homelessness, Cancer and the line for me that was most chilling read "After having invested most of his life in basketball and having no educational degree or professional skill, Ray Williams struggled financially and filed for bankruptcy in 1994." This line was the impetus for this post. 

To our boys and girls, there is nothing wrong with aspiring to play in the NBA, NFL, etc. etc. but you MUST get your education, an education that will lead you to and allow you to have a professional skill. At one point in Mr. Williams' career he signed a three-year, $1.5 million contract with the Nets. He had the money and the fame and yet was unable to manage it. Unfortunately this story is not just the late Ray Williams' story. In fact it happens too often. 

Parents, we must continue to mandate that our children get their education no matter how athletically skilled they may be. Their education is not an option. Even if they make the NFL, NBA, etc. etc. they still will need to know how to manage their money and to one day do something productive when their playing days are over. 

My condolences go out to Mrs. Williams and Ray's family and I hope this will serve as yet another lesson for our children coming up who want to be a basketball, football, baseball, soccer, etc. etc. star. Do not let it be said that you did not have your educational degree or professional skill. Something to critically think about. I welcome your feedback in the comment section of the blog and by visiting the floating "Feedback" tab on the right side of your screen. You are invited to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01. 

I Have to Take Off My Shoes, But I Can Bring a Knife Aboard

I know I haven't posted in a while, but does this make sense to you? In order to board a plane, we have to take off our shoes,  have not only our belongings but ourselves X-rayed and groped, yet we will now be able to bring small pocket knives on board an airplane. Can't take more than three ounces of shampoo or shaving cream, but we can take a small knife. Does that make sense to you? Maybe I missed something. Maybe some of you critical thinkers out there can clue me in. I have to get barefooted, but I can take a knife. I have to be body scanned, but I can take a knife.......... As usual I welcome your thoughts in the comment section of the blog. You can follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thecriticalthinker01. Feel free to also post your feedback by visiting the tab alongside the right side of your screen that says "Feedback."

There is No True Orator Who is not a Hero.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated that "There is no true orator who is not a hero," and I found that to be the perfect title for this post as I celebrate five young heroes who were indeed heroes this morning. This post is a tribute to all five of them and their parents/guardians. As many of you who follow The Critical Thinker know, I have been on the war path for the last couple of weeks because of a series of events that have caused one to wonder just where is our future going based on what we are seeing with our up and coming generation. There was the young lady in Florida who blatantly disrespected and disregarded a judge to the point where he increased her fine and sentenced her to thirty days in jail due to contempt of court and then there was the story I shared with you on The Critical Thinker Podcast concerning the young man who was in the upscale restaurant I was in on Valentine's Day donning a flipped and twisted baseball cap while no other being in the building had on a cap or was dressed like he was. To make matters worse, he was with a female who didn't know any better either. But alas, listening to these five young heroes this morning let me know that indeed all hope is not lost.

I had been working with these five students for the last couple of months as a part of our oratory club at my church, and today was their day to present to the larger congregation their oratory skills and present they did. Each self-selected his/her topic and was charged over the last few weeks to research and develop it. I served as the head coach along with others who served as coaches as well. There were some nights during practice I felt as if I were Donnie McClurkin and Coach Tiffany was Yolanda Adams or CeCe Winans on BET's Sunday Best. We coached our five students to hone their skills and they took our advice like a duck to water. This morning all of their hard work paid off. I stood and watched them deliver their speeches like a "proud papa."

I thank Stacy, Malachi, Da'Wan, Zhania and Jahlil for letting us all know that our young people can and will produce positively if we continue to work with them, guide them, teach them and believe in them. I don't know if you will take the time to view the entire video(though I wish you would and encourage you to do so), but for however long you choose to watch, you will see students doing something positive and seeking to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others by bettering themselves. I am excited and I welcome your feedback as always in the commentary section of the blog and by visiting the red feedback tab on the right side of your screen. You can follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and The Critical Thinker Podcast at http://thecriticalthinker.podbean.com/

There is a Time and Place for Everything; There Isn't That Much Cool In The World

Check out The Critical Thinker Podcast. It is the audio format of The Critical Thinker Blog.

http://thecriticalthinker.podbean.com/2013/02/16/there-is-a-time-and-place-for-everything-there-is-not-that-much-cool-in-the-world/

You are invited to join me on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and as always I welcome your feedback in the commentary section and the "Feedback" tab on the right side of your screen.

Look How Far We've Fallen

As I watched the news tonight the clip of the story about the teenager who disrespected a judge came on the air. As I watched the story, the first thing that came to my mind is the title of this post, "look how far we've fallen." In 2013, no one is respected regardless of his/her title or anything else. This young lady did not even have the wherewithal to understand that she was standing in front of someone who had the power to literally put her in jail. She cursed at him, stuck up her middle finger also known as flipping the bird and totally disrespected him with her sarcasm and body language.

 I don't know about you, but when I was a child, we did not dare disrespect an adult let alone one with a title such as a teacher or a judge. My father and mother would have killed me if they had learned that I had disrespected an adult. As a school principal, I see this type of behavior every day as too many of our children disrespect their teachers and making matters even worse is their parents condone it with their words and actions when the child's behavior is explained to them. What type of parenting (if any) did this young lady in the video receive? Where were her parents when she was cursing and flipping the bird at the judge?

It's a sad statement to hear a parent say "That's my child and I cannot do anything with him/her." Can you imagine a parent saying that? An adult saying he/she cannot do anything with a child. I would not be sitting here today if I had even thought about doing some of the things that I see children and teens do today. We are on a continuous downward spiral of our morals and values. I could go on and on, however, I will end this post as I began with, look how far we've fallen. I welcome your commentary in the comment section of the blog and your feedback by visiting the red feedback tab to the right of your screen. I invite you to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01.

It's Hard To Run Carrying Luggage

As I write this post I write not only to you the reader but also to myself. Since the new year arrived, I have been posting on Twitter and Facebook for us not to carry our luggage from 2012 and before into 2013 to remind us how luggage can and does slow us down. Of course like many things, it is easier said than done; however, we must find a way to check our luggage at the counter, curbside or at a kiosk of 2013. The metaphor of luggage is truly appropriate in terms of the things that we carry from one year to the next that constantly weigh us down. When you think about it, even at the airport you are only allowed to check a certain amount of luggage with each bag only allowed to weigh but so much. Ironically, dependent upon the airline you are travelling with you are now even charged a fee to check your luggage; so luggage costs. The luggage of life also costs. So let us go into 2013 determined to be able to run like Jerry Seinfeld is running and not be bogged down by luggage like Elaine. I wish all of us a blessed, luggage free and prosperous new year. I welcome your feedback in the commentary section as well as by visiting the "feedback" tab on the right had side of your screen. I also invite you to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01. The Critical Thinker podcast can be heard at www.thecriticalthinker.podbean.com.