The Critical Thinker

I was raised to treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO. I'm sure you've come across this meme at some point or another and if not you get the idea. In my view, there is no such thing as a "menial" job. There is no such thing as a big job or a small job as ALL jobs are important. Learn more about it by listening to this episode of The Marc Medley Show.

While I can be very critical of the actions of our current president, in this instance I happen to side with him. Not that I am condoning his childish responses on Twitter concerning the matter; however, I can understand where he is coming from. Truth be told, I would hope that Mr. Trump did not make the effort to free the young men from the Chinese prison just for praise, but out of truly being concerned for their well being as U.S.Citizens.I have traveled outside of the U.S. on multiple occasions throughout the years and I am always mindful to do a little bit of research about the customs and cultures of where I'm about to travel. I do this because the last thing that I would want to happen on my trip is to do something that is considered offensive or against that country's laws. The last I checked, stealing is wrong regardless of where you travel and shoplifting is a form of stealing. I don't care how valuable or valueless the article(s) may be, stealing is wrong and illegal no matter what country you are in. At the end of the day, those boys had absolutely no business whatsoever of even attempting to take anything without paying for it whether they were in the U.S. or abroad. Ironically, I was just in China in July.One would think history would have deterred those young men from even attempting to do anything out of line in a foreign country. Clearly, the names Michael Fay or Otto Warmbier meant nothing to LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley because if they did, I doubt very seriously if they would have committed their act. The fact that we do not know our history, pay attention to, or learn from it is a topic for another blog post so let me not digress. Back to Elder Ball saying "Thank You." In Luke 17:11-19 we read the story of how Jesus heals ten lepers and only one of them came back after he was healed to give thanks. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Now unlike Trump, Jesus did not go on a rant or throw a Twitter fit; however, he did ask about the other nine. If you were to read the story, you would see that all ten asked to be healed in loud voices and yet only one said thank you when their request was answered in their favor.This is the problem I have with Mr. Ball not saying thank you to the president for whatever role he played in getting the boys out of that Chinese prison and back home. Whether it was a phone call, a text, a tweet or just the relationship that Trump has with the president of China if it played a part in getting those boys home than a thank you was indeed in order. The bottom line is, those boys could have still been sitting in that Chinese prison. In the Michael Fay case then-president, Bill Clinton was able to get the Singaporean government to lower Fay's penalty to four lashes from six; the caning was administered on May 5, 1994. Otto Warmbier passed away shrouded in mystery shortly after his return to the U.S. from North Korea.Think about it, is vandalizing property in Singapore, attempted theft of a poster from a hotel in North Korea, and taking items from three stores in China without paying for them worth the price these individuals had to pay? They all acted abroad as if they were on U.S. soil and did not expect the swift and harsh consequences. Presidents had to step in to get them back, so yes Mr. Ball a thank you was in order and no it ought not to be predicated on flying on Air Force One. Your son, as well as those other two boys, could still be sitting in that prison in China. There’s a Chinese expression, “Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.” Other countries do not tolerate or take the posture that we take in the U.S. of being innocent until proven guilty. So the fact that the boys were able to come home is certainly worthy of a thank you. How big of a deal is it to say "Thank You?"

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you Critical Thinker readers out there! If you recall in my last post (www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com), I began it by sharing with you how I was at that time waiting for the plumber to come and repair or replace my hot water heater that had suddenly sprung a leak. Well indeed the plumber did come and $750 later, the hot water heater was replaced and I had hot water once again. This week was Thanksgiving and I thought back to last weekend and about how everyone in the house was thrown off a bit by not being able to just turn on the faucet and receive hot water. We had to boil water in several pots in order to bathe, wash dishes, etc. etc. We had become so accustomed to just being able to turn the faucet to the right or to the left and the water would just flow either hot or cold depending on our need. What seemed to us to be disastrous was in reality a mere inconvenience for a couple of nights. I shared with my family how there are countries who do not have running water at all let alone hot water. I also shared with them how when I was a child and would visit my grandmother's house in South Boston, Virginia (Halifax County), that she did not have running water in her house and we had to boil water and take a bath in a metal tub. We boiled cold water from the pump/well that was located outside of the house and that the bathroom was an out house located several yards down the hill away from the house.  As I looked upon our hot water heater dilemma, I then thought about how many other things we just take for granted until they do not work as expected or are gone. There is that old cliche that "You don't miss your water until your well runs dry,"(no pun intended) and in some respects that is very true in terms of us taking things for granted. As you are reading this, think of some of the things we take for granted such as our car starting when we turn the key; our computers booting up when we press the power button; our heating systems kicking in when the thermostat reaches a certain low temperature; the lights illuminating just by the flicking of a switch; the refrigerator keeping our food and beverages cold; our online connections buffering at the speed of light or faster; and the list goes on and on. Some may say we even take God for granted. I was speaking with someone this morning and when I asked her about her Thanksgiving, she responded that it was quiet, but she also shared with me that when she was talking to her brother he said to her that he had nothing to be thankful for......nothing. My response to her was, he is breathing isn't he? He awakened on Thanksgiving morning, didn't he?  She agreed and went on to share that after her conversation with him that she did not go to his house on Thanksgiving. She said she did not want to be around that negativity particularly on Thanksgiving. Speaking of breathing, we even take that for granted. We take for granted that we are going to wake up each morning when we lay down to sleep at night. My point of this post is to bring to our consciousness just how much we have to be thankful for and if you don't believe me, let the proverbial "well run dry" and see just how much you miss what you were taking for granted. Something to critically think about and I invite you to join the conversation by placing your commentary in the comment section of the blog and follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and on Tumblr at thecriticalthinker01.tumblr.com.

This podcast deals with illiteracy and why we must learn how to read and read well. You can read this podcast in Blog format at my blog site of the same name as the podcast The Critical Thinker at www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com .  The blog post has the same title WHY WE MUST READ. There is a difference between decoding words, fluency and comprehension.We must read with our children and have our children read to us. We must turn off the TV and other electronic devices and take some time to just read an old fashioned book.  You are welcome to tune into The Reading Circle with Marc Medley on Saturdays at 6 a.m. ET on gobrave.org and WP88.7 FM. You are also invited to follow me on Twitter @thinkcritical01 - Tumblr @thecriticalthinker01.tumblr.com and  Instagram @readingcircle01.

For the written blog version of The Critical Thinker  visit  http://www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/q-what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow.html#.UU5xIBdJP4s"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."

Take a listen to my experience at a relatively upscale restaurant on Valentine's evening while at dinner with my wife.

This podcast deals with the disrespect that our children and teens have become so accustomed to that they feel they can disrespect anyone regardless of title, age, or gender without suffering any consequences.  It is clearly seen in this YouTube video of a teenager who disrespects a sitting judge in Florida http://youtu.be/3BxJa_G9XQk.   I also address the issue in The Critical Thinker Blog at www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com.  I invite and welcome you to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and to read The Critical Thinker Blog at www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com

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 (see YouTube link below). I wish all of us a blessed, luggage free and prosperous new year.http://youtu.be/3Mlc4-luWU8 (Seinfeld The Airport - Running)www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com

May you have a blessed and prosperous 2013. Take a listen to the first Critical Thinker Podcast of 2013. It is my New Year's greeting to you.

Merry Christmas everyone!!  Please take a listen to my Christmas Day podcast. I think you will find it thought provoking providing you with some things to reflect upon about Christmas.  Enjoy your day with your family and friends and remember what Christmas really is all about.  Feel free to follow me on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and the blog at thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com  I am on facebook under the name Reading Circle and Inistrumental Jazz. I look forward to sharing with you for the remainder of 2012 into 2013.  Be blessed.

"It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America." Every time one of these incidences occur,  reporters always find someone who says, "We didn't think that could happen here." My question when I hear that is , where is it supposed to happen? Why could it not happen "there."  This whole notion of anywhere being the safest place in America is absurd.  We must come out of denial and face the brutal truth that anything can happen anywhere at anytime.  Read between the lines or decode what the statement really says. It says it could happen somewhere else, but not here.  Why? Because it is quiet and has tree lined streets?  I truly wish the reporters would remove that line from the scripts. This also holds true for the phrase "Quiet tree lined streets" said in a hushed tone.  Does the fact that the community is quiet and have tree lined streets make them exempt from tragedy?  Take a listen to today's podcast. It is The Reading Circle with Marc Medley in its entirety for December 15, 2012. The show is heard live on Saturday mornings at 6 a.m. ET on WP88.7 FM and is web streamed around the world on www.gobrave.org.  My prayers are with the people of Newtown, Connecticut and everywhere else these tragedies keep occurring. Something has got to give because enough is enough.  Follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and follow the blog at thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com

Read both What's Wrong With These Pictures Parts 1 & 2 by visiting the links below:Part 1 - http://thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/whats-wrong-with-these-pictures.htmlPart 2  - http://thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/subliminal-racism-or-whats-wrong-with.html

Click the link below and take The Critical Thinker Challenge. Can you determine what is going on these ads? Be sure to critically think.http://thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/whats-wrong-with-these-pictures.html

Happy Thanksgiving 2012 and be sure to always and in all things give thanks.http://thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/is-it-that-hard-to-say-thank-you.html#.UK5KUuQ734sMarc A. MedleyHost

What are your thoughts concerning many retail stores opening for "Black Friday" beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.?  To learn my thoughts, visit The Critical Thinker at www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com  Feel free to also follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01.

Blog post Gee.....What Went Wrong?  Let's See.... was posted to The Critical Thinker on Sunday 11/11/12. It is a thought provoking and satirical look at possible reasons why voters voted the way in which they did in the recent Presidential Election.  To read the written version,  please visit www.thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com. You are invited to follow The Critical Thinker on Twitter @thinkcritical01

Welcome to my first Critical Thinker podcast. I am thrilled to be able to expand The Critical Thinker into yet another medium. There is the critical thinker blog, the critical thinker video blog, and now the critical thinker podcast.  The Critical Thinker is a spin-off of The Reading Circle a book talk radio show heard live every Saturday beginning at 6 a.m. ET on WP88.7 FM and is web streamed around the world at www.gobrave.org. My objective when posting to The Critical Thinker is to challenge you to critically think about the issues appearing in the blog. During each Critical Thinker podcast I will bring issues to you for you to ponder; thought provoking and in many instances controversial issues to jumpstart your thinking. The topics are usually things that you would not give any thought to unless it was brought to your attention. That’s what the critical thinker does; it raises your antennae and causes you to stop and pause…… to think. Many of the issues are taken from the sound bites you hear on the news and the question is asked, “Does that make sense to you?” The critical thinker really is for those who choose to move beyond the sound bites that are heard on the news each evening and the topics range from serious to silly to satire. For those of you who are old enough to remember Andy Rooney on Sixty Minutes and the sitcom Seinfeld, you will see that the Critical Thinker is a cross between the two. Here on the Critical Thinker, I ask you to give some thought to the issue at hand, triangulate information and come up with an informed decision or opinion for yourself.In this podcast you will have the opportunity to hear the audio version of the Critical Thinker while the written version can be found at thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com, so tune in frequently to see what the topic of discussion is for each broadcast. The tagline for the critical thinker is a quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. and the quote says "Nothing pains some people more than having to think." I challenge you to read the critical thinker blog, follow the critical thinker podcast and follow the critical thinker on twitter at thinkcritical01. Thank you and I look forward to sharing many thoughts in this podcast for you to critically think about. Again, I say welcome to The Critical Thinker.