Are we afraid to ask the hard questions about what really happened?

The principle known as “Ockham’s razor” states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. In layman’s terms, we shouldn’t make any assertions for which we have no proof.

The assertion has been made that the attacks on America on September 11, 2001 were carried out by alleged Arab terrorists affiliated with Al Qaida, under orders from Osama Bin Laden. Somehow that led to a war against Al Qaida in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

While the news media reported that the hunt was on for Osama Bin Laden, the suspect in question was laying in a hospital bed in DuBai under the care of American physicians. Where did the media get their information that Osama was responsible for the attack? Did they get it from the White House whose occupant has strong business ties with the Bin Laden family? And if Osama was in fact the culprit, why did the news report his whereabouts unknown when the United States government knew the exact location of Osama Bin Laden?

Why did prompted the sudden shift off of Bin Laden in Saudi Arabia and onto Al Qaida in Afghanistan? Is it a mere coincidence that Vice President Dick Cheney had a significant stake in Halliburton which in turn had a significant stake in the oil pipeline being laid through Afghanistan? Is it a coincidence that oil prices suddenly made the rich filthy rich while causing the perception of a global oil crisis? Is it a coincidence that Condoleeza Rice had an oil tanker named after her?

Then how did we jump from Al Qiada in Afghanistan to Saddam Hussein in Iraq? How was Saddam responsible for 9/11? Why did the Bush Administration lie about Weapons of Mass Destruction? And when none of the lies were as effective as it was hoped they would be, how did we go from finding those responsible for 9/11 to liberating Iraq from a tyrannical dictator?

The Florida election that allegedly gave George Bush the Presidency was eventually proven to be a fraud. Whether the election was fixed, stolen or bought - it wasn’t legal. Chaos followed.

Today it seems the masses have gone along with the official story about what happened on 9/11. Careful and independent investigators have found all kinds of holes in the official story. Perhaps because the questions raised aren’t from “professional” or “traditionally accepted sources,” the American public is skeptical. The fact remains, however, that there is little if any proof corroborating the official story. The documentary “Loose Change” does an excellent job of highlighting some of these discrepancies.

What does it all mean? Maybe Y2k was nothing more than a social experiment - a preliminary run at guaging social psychology and behavior. Marry that to the “Shock & Awe” doctrine espoused by the Bush Administration and the picture becomes clearer. Become a student of history, sociology, politics, psychology, finance and economics - and you get more of the picture. It means that somebody is paying attention. Is it you?

1. Understand ‘why’ the problem exists. What is the actual root cause for the problem? If you know something about why the problem exists, you’ll have a better time of resolving the problem. Let’s take the example of a child who doesn’t want to come to school. Before you can help identify a solution, it is important to find out why the child doesn’t want to come to school. Perhaps there is a bully involved. So one of the first steps to becoming an effective problem solver is delving into the root cause of the problem.

2. Be able to clearly identify the problem and the obstacles that the problem presents. All too often, individuals refer to a series of problems instead of tackling the actual problem at hand. Clearly state the problem and what obstacles the problem presents to you. Again, the child who doesn’t want to come to school has the problem of it having a negative impact on his/her academic success.

3. Once you have clearly stated the problem, you need to understand what you have control over and what you don’t. Your efforts to resolve the problem must be within the areas where you have control. You may not have control over getting a child to come to school, but you do have control over dealing with the bully that is causing the problem of the child not wanting to attend school. Your efforts to solve the problem must focus on the areas for which you have control over.

4. Do you have all the information you need? Solving problems is often like becoming involved in investigations. Have you thoroughly researched why the problem exists? Do you have all the information you need? If not, be persistent and seek out all information before tackling the problem.

5. Don’t jump to conclusions. Once you have all of your information, analyze it carefully and look at it from various viewpoints. Be as objective as possible and don’t be quick to judge. Remain judgment free as much as possible. This is a time for you to use your critical thinking skills.

6. Now determine your options for solutions. How many options do you have? Are you sure? Which options seem reasonable? Have you weighed the pros and cons of your options? Are there any limitations to your options? Are some options better than others and why? Are there advantages and disadvantages you need to take into consideration?

7. You should now be ready to act. A well thought out strategy/solution is now in place. However, what is your plan to monitor its outcome? How will you know that your solution is working? Once your solution is in place, it is important to monitor and evaluate the outcome regularly.

Tips:

1. Clearly state the problem.
2. Know what the obstacles are related to the problem.
3. Determine what you have control over and what you don’t.
4. Make sure you have ALL the information you need.
5. Identify all of your options and implement the best option for a solution.

by Sue Watson

45.6% Percent (~ 98,192,028) of all whites over the age of 16 in 2005 who were enrolled in some type of adult education course.

46.4%Percent ( ~ 16,222,632) of all African Americans over the age of 16 in 2005 who were enrolled in some type of adult education course.

source: U.S. Department of Education

General characteristics / Estimate / Percentage / Margin of error

One race
                282,820,953         98.1         +/-63,453

White
                215,333,394         74.7         +/-115,546

Black or African American
                34,962,569         12.1         +/-41,001

American Indian and Alaska Native
                2,357,544         0.8         +/-22,280

Asian
                12,471,815         4.3         +/-30,771

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
                397,030         0.1         +/-10,869

Some other race
                17,298,601         6.0         +/-121,998

Two or more races
                5,557,184         1.9         +/-63,453

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
                41,870,703         14.5         +/-10,385

One of THE most inspirational videos I’ve EVER seen!

In Common’s “I Used to Love Her” the rapper/poet lyrically leads us through his personal relationship and observations with the art form known as Hip-Hop. Comparing the art form to a lover, he tells of how at one point Hip-Hop came to prostitute herself and how she was pimped. At her core, Common insists, Hip-Hop is still a beautiful woman. But it doesn’t take a pair of bifocals to figure out that Hip-Hop is still being pimped - by record companies, record labels, and yes… even her children. Rappers like 50 cent and The Game seem to be the poster children for this highly promoted phenomenon, while rapper/poets like Common and Talib Kweli, who some would argue represent the best of Hip Hop, are relegated to the status of the underground.

It is because of this dynamic that Hemanth Venkataraman, a teacher in New York City, speaks on ‘breaking cycles,’ addressing the major issues affecting inner-city youth in the classroom and in life. Venkataraman articulates well the challenges before us and suggests a solution that begins with a possible redefinition of Hip Hop.

Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for FREE? Several Black Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.

The “Call Me MISTER” program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina’s lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities. The program is a collaboration between Clemson University and four historically black colleges in South Carolina: Benedict College, Claflin University, Morris College and South Carolina State University.
The project provides:

* Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.
* An academic support system to help assure their success.
* A cohort system for social and cultural support.

Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm for more details and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.

How does one address poverty? Give a man a fish or teach a man to fish? Does poverty merely describe a deficit of economic capability, or does it more accurately describe a state of mental handicap brought on by a combination of sociological, emotional and psychological traumas derived from an environment of sophisticated systematic oppression so keenly devised that it has become self-propagating? Who will inspire the progeny of a generation overwhelmed by the challenges of a society in which they struggle to survive? How will a social structure with an evolving morality and ethical awareness address the sins of it’s past and nurture the seeds of the future imprinted with psychic memories of generational oppression? A mouthful, huh? Just some thoughts generated by the following article by Robert Warner for The Enquirer.

Taylor started thinking about the bigger level at an early age — he developed a passion for designing video games at age 12 and created his own company.

Ephren Taylor had ‘em after these questions:

“So what is your plan to actually make some money? Are you gonna get gangsta, go out and rob somebody, rob a bank, take a couple cars, make a little bit of money? Are you gonna stand on a corner and sling a little bit, make what I call outfit money? Just a little bit of bling to buy a coupla outfits.

A millionaire at 16, he was perfect to walk into Battle Creek’s South Hill Academy on Friday afternoon at age 24 and give the last-chance kids there a little hope that, like him, they could translate a tough past into an amazing future.

Taylor, of Kansas City, is the owner of two publicly held companies and an occasional Fox News commentator. He joined BET correspondent and National Public Radio contributor Jeff Johnson — former youth director of the NAACP — and motivational speaker and author Q. Scott Riley of Chicago onstage for a presentation as part of the Urban Wealth Tour, which concludes its two-day visit to Battle Creek today.

After Taylor made $3,800 for two weeks of work building a Web site, he found out the site’s owner made $800,000 from the site.

Taylor asked, “How many (Air) Jordans can you buy with $800,000?”

He continued, “Ask yourself: Which side of the equation are you on? Do you want … to make an impact on your community, make an impact for others, or do you want to sit here in these chairs, sit here day in and day out, sit here through all of these classes, and then one day wind up like everybody else? I don’t think anybody wants to be like anybody else.”

Standing arm’s-length from the front row of students, Riley held up a $10 bill and asked “Who wants this?”

Students shouted and clamored for it for more than 20 seconds before a girl in the second row simply reached out and grabbed it.

“Nobody is in the business of funding your dreams for you,” he said. “You have to go get what you want.”

New Yorker Johnson tuned right in to his audience, both in message and street dialect.

“Half y’all know that if somethin’ else go down, you kicked out. That’s it. Period. So the school system and the city have already labeled you as troublemakers. … So you gotta learn how to sing, dance, … somethin’, cause you trapped. Forget it. You better learn how to entertain these white people,” he said, laughing. “Get to dancin’,” he chuckled as he shucked and jived in front of the students, who laughed uproariously.

Turning serious, Johnson said, “The problem with the mindset of most of us is we want to be ghetto rich, not real rich. We just wanna be ‘hood rich.

“Not for real, because at the end of the day, most of those we’re trying to emulate, they got a rented car and a rented house and some rented hos and some rented jewelry ’cause the video, they ain’t making no money. … And y’all are emulating mediocre people when you’ve got excellent gifts.

“Today I heard about 25 times before this event started, ‘Nigger.’” Johnson said, citing several examples.

“So what is your mentality in this room? The mentality you have is gonna block you from even using what they talked about to become a millionaire, because you have to believe that you are valuable before you can be valuable to somebody else.”

Clearly aware of the issues confronting the community, Johnson took a major one head-on with those who can do something about it.

“In this city, you got gangs,” Johnson said.

“They broke.

“You being rich don’t mean you roll in no Cutlass with no rims on it, livin’ at your mom’s house.

“You’re broke, killin’ people who’re broke, too.

“But y’all ain’t fightin’ the conditions that’s keepin’ all y’all broke. So who’re the real gangsters?

“You’re shootin’ people reppin’ a block where your moms don’t own the house, fightin’ somebody else on a block where their moms don’t own the house.

“So y’all are bangin’ for the landlord.”

Robert Warner can be reached at rwarner@gannett.com.