Ms. Nicky 2/19/07

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This is the start of a paper by Ms. ~icky.

During the last few classes, Dr. M ndellmentioned different analogies such as "thinking outside of the box" a d "the best is the enemy of the good." Then as I proceeding in my secon i experience in the mind room, I thought of the underlying value of the exp timenting self and safekeeping self and here is how I explored this journey.

I asked myself, what does all ofth's mean? Soon I was faced with a crucial reality of virtues vs. vices. As are ult, I analyze these theories on the basis of intrinsic value and extrinsic vale. The safekeeping self can be said to be intrinsic in that it has "in itself," o "for its own sake," or "as such," or

"in its own right." It lies at the hea of ethics. On the other hand, the experimenting self may be perfo ing for the sake of something else to which it is related in some way, be ng concerned in its best interest.

On another note, the analogy that' the best is the enemy of the good," promotes the idea that the experim nting self can do the best in any given situation. However, when situation arises in which we aim unrealistically high, the safekeeping self wishes t at we had aimed lower thus, creating an equilibrium. In addition, this creat s mediocrity by reducing the desire for the best. The justification would b that all the effort to be the best would be wasted if someone else is more ef cient in performing or achieving the tasks.

In my experience in the mind roo , when I saw the best way of performing a task, there were usually two diff! ent perspectives at play, each ignoring the other. The better approach tu ed out to be not the most effective for either of the two aspects being ana yzed. As I continued upon this journey of finding myself, my subconscious sems to keep drifting further into what I consider a twilight zone with so mch more to explore.

I envision the results of my accommlishment in the mind room to be sufficient to my stated goals.

This is the end of the paper by Ms.INicky.

This is a much calmer week for e. Actually, this week I'm not sure what to write. Each week I find mysel searching for the political way to express myself. Again, this week we had discussed in detailed the mind room. I had tried to participate. Unfortunately, I had only found myself thinking of our next class. Does this truly w rk? I'm not sure. I had tried to perform this at home. Unfortunately, onc again it did not work for me. It could be the possibly that I am living in a alfway house with a lot of noise. I think I will try it on my housemates if th Y would allow me to. No! I've changed my mind. These people are alre dy crazy. I think if I was to try to do a mind room experiment on them i would not only be dangerous to me but to society.

All do respect to Dr. M., I just do 't believe in this stuff. I think it's a dangerous game to try and play ith someone's mind. Who's to say that there are no social paths in the c ass? Can this make them worse? I am going to try this again for one more week to see if it will work on me. Although I do not believe in this tuff, I am very curious about it. I do want it to work.

One thing that interests me very uch is the futuristic questions. I have been applying these questions to my research and topics at work. I have to admit that this is very helpful to e in writing my reports. It helps to give me a complete perspective of th topic. I plan to use these questions for all of my research. I strongly sugge t that others should try this.

Signed,

Off My Chest

Whose mind is it anyway?

By Cleveland Febl-uary 19^th,2007

Within all organization there is a st ggle for the minds of its employees, never mind the heart- it only cause heartburn anyw' y. The organizational culture tries to influence not only productivity but the subconsci us of its workers in order to provide what it thinks is a good working environment, eah right! When you look at the techniques used by the organization-pay raises, promoti n, probation, dismissal and transfer to outer Mongolia if you screw up- you find tha these efforts are merely to add to the bottom-line in business or performance in the publi sector, but this is an all out assault on the thinking of the target individual. The or ly safe place for the employee is in the confines of his or her inter-thoughts, a safe-wav n from the culture war going on around them between the organization and our own ersonal ethics and beliefs as to who has the right to control our behavior.

As with anyone in a combat zone, the mind must be able to defend itself from the outside voices and actions that it deems a threat in this hostile environment. The co­worker whose main job is to distract yo from your work by gossip, the boss whose main purpose is not to get fired or transferre , because they can't function anywhere else. The structure of the building you work in th t says, "You are mine and you will never escape", the ugly co-worker who for so e reason won't stop harassing you for a date, even after you move to another part of the building. Your brain is on constant alert for the onslaught of stupid questions; misco unications and the Monday morning slow down of work in the office. No wonder the su conscious takes a holiday during the work hour in order to have strength enough to hel the brain deal with the realities of this environment after lunch.

In the article, "The Safekeeping Se f and the Experimental Self', it is the conscious state of being that is influence by the c ltural environment of the organization, while the subconscious is a place of dreams and ightmares. The same can be said of the work environment as well. That is where the lliance between the Experimental Self and the subconscious join forces to combat the ork environment by thinking outside the box and expressing the untapped store hous of innovation and ideas that combat and even triumph over the daily grind. Such an a liance can handle the work environment with wit, humor, drive and self-confidence by m king adjustments when needed by simple stating, "The situation maybe out of control, bu I am not". This establishes a conscious effort to handle the environment though an indi idual perspective that enables the employee to not only survive the workplace but succeed as well.

This is the start of the paper by Nexus

In class, Dr. Mendel discussed the re-c~rtification of the MPA program. In particular, he

                                                                         informed the class that we had nothing to wo                                                                          about since recertification was guaranteed. On a

broader note, it is interesting how the relianc of universities for certification have not only normalized college education but has created a clearly defined category for what is considered an appropriate education and what is not consid red an appropriate education whereas the commissioning board, in this case NASP A, d termines which universities fall within either category.

Michael Foucault introduced the conce t of normalization, it pertains to a process where individuals are separated into categories by a ormalizing body according to who has followed the rule and who has not. Falling outside the no not only creates a stigma for the individual but also deters others from deviating away from the n rm for fear of being stigmatized. In relation to accrediting boards, I do notadvocate an end t standards only consideration for what is produced by the process. The acknowledgement of an ind vidual's academic achievement extends beyond his/her degree attainment rather the validation of the egree depends on the universities status as falling within the norm of an "appropriate education' . Institutions falling outside this norm can invalidate degree attainment.

Once again, I do not advocate the abolishment of standards but consideration for the effects of accreditation and similar normalizing bodies t at rank and file schools in accordance to an a prior criteria that defines "appropriate". Students ho instantly devalue their college education by comparison with more "appropriately" define universities such as Harvard or Stanford personify the effects of a normalized education.

This is the end of the paper by Nexus

This is the start of a paper y Middleman. For this weeks journal entry I would like to again talk abou the 'Mind Room' and the importance of relaxation when it comes to wor and school. It's easy to talk about relaxing but actually doing it can be very . fficult especially for someone like myself who is stuck somewhere in the iddle of being an experimenting self and safekeeping self. Finding ways to relax and techniques like the 'Mind Room' can help to find a place entally that keeps one from going crazy in a fast paced world.

I am always looking for a ay to get ahead so that I have more time to relax but when I have that time my mind begins to wander and I end up worrying about things out of my control so then I shift my mind to work or school so that I won't think abo t the things that I should not be worrying about. However I had a scare the last couple weeks that shifted my thoughts to legitimate concerns about my health. Luckily, so far the doctors I have gone to have not found anything ong that is life threatening and I am think going to be okay, but the last fe weeks have been very mentally straining and my concentration on work and school has been extremely lacking. Though 'Mind Room' technique itself really did not do anything for me I understand its purpose. In order to mentally focus and refresh your mind everyone needs to find a way to relax their body and their mind. So during my tenuous couple weeks the c ncept of relaxation techniques could not have come at a better time.

When I was in the 'Mind oom' the last two weeks I tried real hard to think about the script that Dr. M ndell was reading out loud but about half way through my mind began to drift. I did find myself relaxed but rather than think about the scenarios in the 'Mind Room' I was thinking 'what if scenarios. That is I was thinkin 'what if I am really sick?' or 'what will happen to my work, my school ork'. Then my thoughts focused to how I will deal with whatever comes m way and then I combined the words of the mind room to my thoughts toealize the time now is to relax and not worrying about things out of y control. It was a very empowering experience since it was at the po t, once I was relaxed, that I could handle ANYTlllNG thrown my way and that's it ridiculous to be this worried about something that mayor may no exist. I am going to try really hard to continue this empowering feelin and apply it not only my personal life but also work and school. I am inte sted in seeing what else I discover about myself when I enter the mind r m again next week. This is the end of a paper by Middleman.

This is the start of a paper by Rose Stealth.

As I ponder our class ex erience, I wonder who is truly going to leave this semester with an e hanced knowledge? Will meditation open the eyes of the straight-I ced professionals in the MPA program? Will the 10 questio s unveil the creativity of those individuals? Unfortunately, each time I think of this, the answer is no.

The answer is not "no" due to Dr. Mendell's lack of desire for teaching. Dr. Mendell has a g nuine aspiration to teach and guide those of us in the program. H also has a wealth of knowledge with a down to earth attitude. Althou h he may rub some students the wrong way, he's "real". Dr. M ndell doesn't censor himself as other professors do. He gives the r al picture of the outside world - and by outside world, I mean the woring world!

The answer is not "no" due to the students not wanting to learn .... or is it? Perhaps Dr. endeU's teaching strategy and style allows for some students to p ss by without blinking an eye or straining a brain cell. But for t ose of us who want to learn and be challenged, we accept the va tness of the homework assignments and run with it. The others si ply want an "A".

This brings me to anoth r point. It intrigues me that some people in this program receive an "A" in a class when their writing is incoherent and poorly researc ed. How do these people make it through? Why are some people able to coast through a master's program and others struggle i the mud to complete a simple assignment? The brain powe of the students vary. The knowledge of the students vary. So, why is it that morons are getting through these classes, if not the entire MPA program?

Perhaps my questions ill best be answered in my Mind Room.

Thoughts that weigh heavy on my mind during class would probably be the first thing that pops up here. Let's just hope that the late night meditation/Mind Room doesn' put me to sleep.

Relax .... relax .... relax ....

This is the end of a paper by Rose Stealth.

This is the start of a paper y the Driving Range Golfer. How does someone not give into performan e anxiety? I have performance anxiety about everything. I feel like such fake when I pretend to know the best answer or turn the questions on 0 hers. It would be nice to have a button located on the back of my neck t at could turn off performance anxiety because it inhibits abandoned cre tivity. When I try to think of alternative solutions to a new problem, my b ain automatically evaluates as the ideas flow through my head. If I had th s button, I could push it and then just let the ideas flow without evaluating the pros and cons of each. This would help me to create a cluster of ideas tha , with tweaking, would lead to innovative solutions.

I think I struggle with per£ rmance anxiety for two main reasons. I am a first born and an athlete. Like ost first born children, I have this inherent fear of failure. I was my parents' only focus for my first two years of life and I succeeded grandly as a child be ause of their effort. I walked early, talked early, potty trained immediately d played well with others before everyone else my age. The reason for my s ccess ... my parents pushed me. They continued to push me towards ex ellence in all that I did and expected me to succeed in academics, athletics, I adership and character. I appreciate their attention and support because it as led me to except nothing but the best from myself.

Being a college athlete ha also increased my performance anxiety. It not only mattered how well I pIa ed, but how everyone else on my team played, because ultimately we al had to play well to win. There was such a focus on performance (batting a erage, fielding percentage, on base percentage) that other things fell to the way side, such as sportsmanship, camaraderie, fun, and academics

Last week, Dr. Mendell s . d that at some point in this class, the light bulb comes on and you get the pint of the class or the goal of the class. My performance anxiety revolves n t around my grade, but around whether or not I will ever "get it." How do ou know if you understand the point? If you embrace the flow of the class, th lack of structure and the prodding for thoughts outside the box, does t at mean you "got it?"

I have been socialized or I ed into the mind set that the results of the action taken determine its value. Likewise, the results of the person determine his value. I don't me to think this way, but I naturally do this and then have to talk myself int not measuring people by what they can produce. I will conquer this, Lo d willing and with my spouse as a role model. I think this class will hel me to diminish my focus on performance. This is the end of a paper by the Driving Range Golfer.

Princess Katera

Creative and Visionary Class Spring 2007

February 18,2007

The mind room works better thel second time around. You know what to expect while the process is goint on. I still believe that being more comfortable would better help t e hypnosis process. I think that I might record myself doing the hypnosi speech and then play it when I am home in my comfortable full siz bed when it's a cold chilly night. I wonder would it have the same ffect or would it be better. One day I will try it and see if and how it ill benefit me in the comfort of my own home.

This is the start of a paper by Ama*ing to Be.

Mind Room, what does that mean nyways? I tried Googling it and found out that Italy used it to prepare its sec r team for the World Cup game last year. I am a big believer in meditation an . relaxation for both spiritual and creative purposes. It takes awhile sometim s, but if you really concentrate on your breathing and center your attention i8Way from all the hustle and bustle of day to day life there is a lot of enlightenm : t to endure. I take a yoga class once a week which includes an exercise s'miJar to Dr. Mendell's mind room, and I I've got to say if I miss a class I am not as focused mentally Of physically that week.

Although the setting is not ideal, f Ii e the fact that Or. Mendell indudes this in our class time, especially toward the e p of dass as it helps me to wind down from

all that thinking. I would suggest a couple of improvements such as slowing down the process and letting it run or 30 minutes or more. i felt a little rushed in the last session to find that place 0 peace and serenity. Turning the lights all the way out and possibly alternating th exercise with another version would be nice. And finally, using a pre-recorded v sian so that Or. Mendell doesn't have to be scrambling back and forth to read t e screen or straining his eyes in the low light.

In the workplace the mind room cat. be very helpful. When things get busy and at times unbearable I know I can al ays escape to a place of peace and sort through my thoughts. It helps me .•. ake better decisions about work and to keep my emotions in check when dealin with difficult people.

Taking walks and using the mind r bm outdoors is also very freeing. I can remember as a child lying out in m front yard staring into the blue sky daydreaming and imagining myself ~ying through the air. It was always peaceful and sometimes very exciting. I thi k children have the mind room mastered and can go there just about anytime, a I , t more of the time than adults do. They are naturally connected to the universe and don't have the inhibitions yet that we are trained with throughout life in socie y. These are probably the same children that are diagnosed with ADO, but could they just be exploring their creative side?

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i think more people need to be ex . sed to the mind room and other forms of meditation and learn to slow down heir lives. We are so obsessed with technology and getting things done and constantly moving forward. When we do we ever stop to smell the roses an more and live in the moment? Be grateful for what you have today because tom !'row it might be gone.

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This is the end of the paper by Am~ing to Be.

This is the start of a paper by Princess Leah

Unfortunately I could not attend last weeks lecture.

This is only my 2^nd absen e in the last 4 semesters I have taken with Jay Mendell, th best professor ever! I read the class postings and could ot stop laughing, at one in particular. **** you are ve funny and I loved reading what you wrote and I read it off 0 one my friends. I have never been to a reggae concert ut it definitely sounds like my type of environment. I have been to a bunch of rock concerts and the cops there don't care bout marijuana either because they are high too.

I really enjoyed the ind room experience. I have done something like that in a p ychology class back in high school. Some weird thing were popping into my head when we were being put into a reamlike altered state of consciousness. It takes a lot for me to relax and I hardly ever get to so this was a ice break. I would like to do more of them this semester in c ass. I am certainly going to miss Jay Mendell when he retir s.

I looked at the next s t of links on the syllabus and found them pretty interest ng. Manhole and access hole were two common sexist ords found in the English language. I think they ar funny words. Racism is definitely very serious and I am tot lIy against it. I hate ignorance. According to Webster's di tionary, racism stands for a belief that race is the primary d terminant of human traits and capacities and that racial ifferences produce an inherent superiority of a particular ace. I strongly recommend the movie American History to anyone who is so ignorant as to think they are better than nyone else. Also, the movie Crash was pretty nuts!

This is the end of the paper by Princess Leah.

This is the start of a paper by Iphaba.

I would like to apologize in advance because I feel that my writing for this class will be so ewhat scattered in thoughts. I have noticed that since we have be n doing the "ask futuristic questions" exercise, I am suddenly aware that my thoughts go from one subject to the next in the blink of an e e. I'm not so sure I like this exercise because it gets quite unnervin to acknowledge thoughts that seem to be jumping from one idea to another with no logical progression. In class we can at least see how e get from one topic to another but in your mind ... poof your just ther and eventually you are thinking how did my original thought lead to this thought (if you can even remember what your original t ought was). I apologize again if none of this seems to make any sen e. I assure you it does in my mind.

I will give you a brief exa pie of what I mean. Follow along only if you can. I woke up this morning and was trying to decide what to write about for class. I started hinking of my experience in the mind room. This made me think of t e companion that came to stay with me in the mind room. I was su prised to see that it was my dog from my childhood. I guess I did not realize how much I missed her. Then I looked at my current dog and as wondering if she knew that my other dog was the one sharing the mind room experience instead of her and if she would feel betra ed by it. Then I looked at my cat and wondered the same thing befo e realizing that it would be her form of kitty torture to have to spend a I of eternity stuck in that mind room with me, which got me thinking to the differences between cats and dogs. I won't get into these diff rences because there are so many but I did bring me to the questi n of which is a better companion a dog or a cat. I of course love b th but then started thinking about security. A dog can protect yo from a physical threat, however my mind started drifting to spiritual threats. I believe in ghosts and spirits but that does not mean that I ant to share a space with them. So I started to think that a cat woul be a better companion because they have a gift of seeing such spiri s and can make you aware if there are any. Dogs don't have that abili y. So you see, I went from the mind room to thoughts of spirits and the super power of cats to see them.

I hope that I can gain co trol over my wandering mind because it is going to drive me crazy. I f ellike I have developed a sort of attention deficit disorder.

This is the end of the paper by Elphaba.

This is the start of a paper by

Well this week I was wa ching TV and two pieces of item feature appeared to be intere ting to me. Well the first one was about where Bank of America is allo ing illegal immigrants to open bank accounts and also apply and ualify for credit cards. Well the news also provided information as t the requirements to do such financial transactions and based on wh t the rules and regulations are the bank has not violated any. Th y have not violated any laws in allowing immigrants who do n t have legal paperwork to live and work in the country but they d have the required paperwork to open a bank account or credit card ccount. So since they have not violated any laws in allowing il egal immigrants to conducting financial transaction the bank is now bing accused of not considering the immigration law and by doing usiness with illegal immigrants is encouraging their behavior a d the violations of the laws.

Another piece of news it m I heard was about two border patrols who are currently bein imprisoned due to them doing their job. Well an illegal immigrant ho is a known drug dealer was attempting to cross the border with drug and was shot by border patrol was later given amnest and allowed to go free because his word was believed over those whom we have given the authority to protect. What were these bor er patrol personnel to do allow the illegal drug smuggle immigra t to cross the border and be able to sell drugs to our kids and be able 0 make living doing so and yet violate the immigration laws. I think b sed on this particular news item the only person we have violated re those whom we have put in place to protect our borders and then t rn around and charge them with a crime for doing their job effecti ely. I feel these border patrols have been violated and let down by our country that is the person or person who have agreed to h ve them charged and then imprisoned for doing their jobs. I guess th next time a border patrol sees an illegal immigrant crossing that personnel will think twice as whether to apprehend or take actions to revent the violation of the law.

After listening to both ite s I can see how contradictory of country is about their laws reg rding illegal immigrants one minute we defend them and the other tim we prosecute them which is the right thing to do and who determine that since the one who does not violate the law is being based nd the one who is given the privileges as if he is not.

This is the end of the paper byl*****.

                       

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This is the start of a paper by Bu~hwhacker.

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Considering Darold Powers' qqestions, I would like to contemplate the

product and services of vanity Bnbst Imnlants.

(1 ) What did this look like fifty ears ago? There was not much use of this product or service unless it w $ part of a medical necessity. What has happened to force change? A m re accepting attitude in the world - where larger sizes automatically mean larger social status. What would have to happen in the outside world for is to stay the same? Accepting the same levels of vanity, social climbing, nd weird competition now existing.

(2) If natural events take their curse, how will this look in twenty years? More natural appearance - more standard issue. Could this be, or has this been, used for anything else? his service has been used for mastectomy patients and other reconstructive fforts. The products are evolving.

(3) Is this fulfilling its original ntent? Yes. At the time this was created, what alternatives were discarded. No direct alternatives. Fewer dates, less advancement opportunities. Mig t they be revived today? No. Vanity has become a major industry sup orting personality distorti.ons and social climbing enhancement opportunit"es.

(4) Who or what has an interest n keeping this the same? Plastic surgeons, chemical design and develop ent industries. Who has an interest in changing it? National Organizati n of Women and some democrats.

(5) Can any small changes be made that would appreciably change its performance? No. Can any large hanges be made that would not change its performance? Make and install th m cheaper.

(6) How does this affect living t ings besides humans? Larger breasts may mean better chances of mating a d having children. The children may want to build houses thus destroying m re natural habitats of other animals.

(7) Does this have a natural life s an? No. What would cause it to disappear? Proven diseases caused from the use of this product. Men and women who now prefer smaller breasts. Decre se in vanity.

(8) What complaints have you h ard about it? Causes disfigurement, some surgical problems, and some ps chological problems. Have you read any predictions about its future? No. redictions are: "It's a growth industry."

(9) What does this institution, pro uct, or service imply about human nature? Humans are very vain, insecure, short-cut takers. However, I must say, it might be cheaper and more pr fitable to have enhancement surgery for success as opposed to a college e ucation.

(10) What are the essential featur s of the whole system of which it is a part? Attention getters. Manipulators. ow else could the system purpose be met? Better social training. Individual orth and responsibility encouragement.

This is the end of the paper by Bu~hwhacker.

This is the start of a paper by Anita Bath.

Making yourself more val able to an organization can save you in many ways. Dr. Mendell brough up the idea of becoming "important" to your organization if there were y questions about terminating your position regardless of the reason. By becoming important or an asset to your organization, you can prevent su h a thing from possibly happening. This is valuable information because if t e employee is an asset or important to the organization they usually do this through their expertise. This puts the employee in power with expert p were This type of power can be one of the most important to have because t e organization relies on your expertise or knowledge of a certain area to k ep the organization running smoothly.

The question for some college students, especially those in the public administration program with no j b experience, might be how they can find a job. As a recent graduate, I wa shocked with how hard it is to fInd a job in the public sector with no expe' ence. My fIrst experience came when I was so-called job-hunting for an 'nternship as a requirement for my fIrst job. I began searching for paid intern hips as I thought that would be an added benefit as well as gaining some e perience. Unfortunately, 9 municipalities later nothing was offered or even considered. Finally, I put my efforts in just trying to gain some experien e in the public sector as that is all they seem to care about. I emailed 9 ifferent city's mayors or city administrators and offered my se ice voluntarily just to get some experience in the public sector. ut of those 9, one replied and offered me a student internship position with 0 pay. I gladly accepted the position and within 3 weeks I was promoted t a paid position with benefits. With this in mind, those that are recent grads d experiencing the same situation this may be a route that you could pu ue.

This is the end of the paper by Anita Bath.

This is the start by chillinj

In this weeks journal I have a large amount of information from the class to discuss. My impressions of this cia s are that public administration follows many of the same laws and standards of the private sectors of business. One of the many differences between the two is that the government is responsible for the public good of society. Public admi istration does business with an outlook of effectiveness and not efficiency.

I have the impression of the constitution and its amendments as being old and outdated. How could our for-fa hers predict the amount of technology we use in our daily lives? There are n amendments stating how airplanes fly and who could have known the Interne would play such a key role in our lives today. Many of our amendments have to e translated for today's world. The best example perhaps is the right to be r arms in this country. This amendment gives the right for every American to obt in a firearm. However, as with many other American freedoms, people have isinterpreted the meaning of this amendment. Some people feel tha it is their right to own sub-machine guns and large assault rifles for defense. Thi amendment was supposed to mean in a time of war you had the right to def nd yourself and your loved ones from enemies attacking your homeland. People like to use the constitution to manipulate and misinterpret their ri hts and I believe that is highly unethical.

The government is a giant e tity that many feel is too large already.

Though this may be true, it is no r ason for one party to think it needs to shrink. The government is large because any Americans need the help and support that they cannot provide for thems Ives. I think there should be more government involvement in our live but we first have to stream line many of the processes that government agenci s use. In the beginning when the constitution was being written, many of the writ r's wanted a small government with very little power over the people. As time ha past by though, America has changed very rapidly and become much more ce tralized.

Ethics is a crucial fundamen al in running a correct and just government.

My first question is what is the right amount of ethics we should use in future government jobs. Many governme t officials deal with this problem everyday. Who should get funding? Where s ould the money go? How much money do they need and how much can I giv them? A government worker feels hindered by ethics and does not understand uch of what ethics means or requires.

In conclusion I feel that if ou government does not drastically change its fundamentals in the next twenty-fiv years we will be left behind while other nations pass us by. Our administra ive processes need reform because it takes a masters degree just to understand xactly how our governments works. The funny thing is that if you need such an authority to understand much of our government, you would think they ould realize that the whole system is much too complicated and should be sim lified.

This is the end by chillinj

This is the start of a paper by oss Lady '08. This paper is a follow-up the class session held on February 5^th. e continued our focus and discussion on the ten futuristic questions. The best way to deal with the questions is to not think about or care about the results. Think abo t it ... Often times, when we are trying to solve problems, find solutions or r suits, correct mistakes, we find ourselves spending a tremendous amount oftim trying to brainstorm, and thought-processing could go on for hours at a time. 0 en times, creative ideas come at the most inopportune moments or when one is not even thinking about a problem. A perfect example is dreams. Think about it .. we--for the most part-have no control over the nature, subject, content, or speific details of our dreams. Sometimes our dreams may be based on the events f day or a particular situation in which we are involved. And, sometimes we actually come up with workable and realistic solutions to problems or dilemmas. But even still we continue to produce and engage in dreams precisely at random without ny control over what, where, when, how or who.

In today's business world, creat ve thinking and innovation are more important than ever. More and more success is determined by our ability to come up with new ideas, innovative and creative solut ons to opportunities. It's all about thinking differently and more often than not w just need a bit of prodding to do just that. As Dr. Mendell has indicated on a coupl of occasions, don't try to explain to someone where the ideas come from, instea make up a story with a strong degree of rationality-logical thinking. Emphasi e that coming up with the idea or solution was very complex and difficult, and that h /she owes you for locating or producing the solution. Hey, this is the whole idea ehind business enterprise-- right?

Okay, I cannot conclude this paper without devoting some time, focus and discussion on the Mind Room. What is this all about. Does anyone really know? Do we actually know what we are doi g or why? Where did our minds take us last week. This was our second trip into he Room. Was there anything different than the first? Did we experience any this time that we did not the first time? Were we able to divulge our minds and thought processing to realistically put ourselves in the atmosphere of this mind experience?

I'm not being funny. These are just some ofthe questions that run through my mind as I evaluate the experience. A tually, I think it's a great and neat experience. Then again, I am big on psychology a d most thought-provoking ideas, information and experiences. I didn't even fall sleep this time. I did, however, drift away sporadically a couple of times but wa able to return to the Room before losing my space on the ride. I can even tell t at I beginning to become more flexible and creative with writing these papers every week. Some of the traditional "got to make sure it's right and by the book" thought are starting to disseminate, and I am starting to let my thoughts flow at will witho t full control or worrying whether or not the information is what the instructor is e pecting or looking for. Now, there you have it.

This is the end of the paper by IBoss Lady '08.

This is the start of another paper b~ HeavyMetal.

The fourth class, syllabus a d suggested readings, as well as comments from the third papers s ~mitted will be the topic. Dr. Mendell's new cellphone, and his adventure b purchasing the phone, was quite humorous. Although his relating t e experience to Power's Questions was certainly offbeat. Lesson to those ho are late for class, your homework will be thrown in the trash!

I liked the original title oft e course, "Values and Technology in the Post-Woodstock Generation", it s ems that people who were at Woodstock would probably relate very well t the course, certainly the Professor's hippie buddy and his liking ofbo ks on sex and drugs (what happened to the rock and roll?).

I was also amused by the 1ndell's 14^th precept and the trick of letting people think you have wor ed really hard to help solve their problem, they will owe you. Also good to ake up logical stories to let others know where you got good ideas.

The discussion of the safek eping self, experimenting self and rambling from one topic to anothe with Power's Questions was repetitive. Although I enjoyed the talk about he Spanish soap operas, I used to watch Betty La Fea. Learned something ew about tenured professors and how the college keeps them in line. The tri to the mind room was the same as last week, I was expecting to hear a di ferent story, but since I was real tired from work, it was relaxing.

Reading through the class p pers is very interesting. Since I work in the government the tales of corru ion in West Palm Beach County hit home and are so true. The person who w nt to the Reggae concert had a good time, and is so right, music brings us all together. Try a headbanging event like Ozzfest to see more blatant drug u e. I drink Coca Cola all the time, so the paper on Coke was pretty scary, a d makes me think twice about drinking it so much. I guess most people like the mind room and certainly many people related it to working in Pu lic Administration, although I don't see the connection yet.

This is the end of the paper ~y HeavyMetal.

This is the start of a paper by chut*pah18 February 19, 2007

Last week as I was reading throug my classmates' journal entries, one of them caught my eye. It is my und rstanding that this person lived in a community with very little diversi y. His or her teacher set out to teach the students in the class about cultures and religions they had never been exposed to. The writer said that t e teacher assigned a book by Chaim Potok. Here is a complete listing fhis popular books in case anyone in this class is interested:

The Chosen The Promise

My Name is Asher Lev The Gift of Asher Lev In The Beginning

The Book of Lights Wandering

I Am the Clay Davita's Harp

I have read The Chosen and its se uel The Promise. I am currently in the middle ofDavita's Harp and I wo ld recommend all of Mr. Potok's books. I didn't participate much in the min room this week but I was very relaxed. Right after I got home, I expected 0 go to sleep, but instead I spent 3 hours completing a complex section of a short story I have been working on. Maybe this class and/or the mind r om exercise is a good cure for writer's block.

In other news, about three weeks a 0 I wrote in our homework journal that I wanted to teach in a particular fiel and I was going to ask a person I know about it a second time because I di not get an answer the first time I asked. I still have not done that since I ha e been very busy; however, another person who works in that field is t aveling to Florida from outside the country, in mid March and putting together a teaching workshop. This person asked me if I would be inte ested in writing material for this workshop. Of course I said yes, I ould love to. I am hoping that this project will lead to a new job. In t e meantime, I plan to finish composing my other email by the end of the eek and hope I get an answer to my question this time.

In my last entry, I changed the font as requested; hopefully it will be easier to read.

This is the end of a paper by chutznah18

This is the start of the paper by X 1.

Although the purpose of this class as not been clearly defined, I believe that it is to allow us to enhance our critical t inking skills and expand our own personal paradigms while learning as much as e can about our own limitations and abilities. The content of the course is rimarily designed to encourage the class to become better decision-makers by alt ring our established framework for solving problems. There are several obstacles that all of us our forced to confront in order to achieve success in our personal an professional lives.

The fear of failure can be a debilit ting characteristic that can haunt one throughout their life. While success I people view failure as simple feedback or results of a specific action they have aken, unsuccessful people allow this failure to seep into their future decisions an often have a difficult time overcoming an undesirable result. The Tom Peters interview from the website should be a model for overcoming fear of failure and tra sforming negative input into positive results.

Another obstacle that can inhibit uccess is the failure to adapt the proper framework for asking questions and xamining issues. The web link to Dr. Darold Powers was extremely insightful and ~hould serve as a script during the examination of problems that require ~ unique approach. The questions "what did this look like fifty years ago?" and" bw will this look in twenty years?" are extremely significant as they allow e decision-maker to view the problem within its appropriate chronological context It is characteristic of human nature to assign more value to a problem than it readi y deserves. The question "who or what has an interest in keeping this the same'" ill allow the decision-maker to identify the potential underlying motives of othe s who may be associated with the problem. It is important to be wary of the motiv s of other problem solvers so that one can maneuver through the decision-maki g process unscathed and successful.

Finally, one must be able to overcome these aforementioned obstacles to success by enhancing their own crea ivity in order to produce new ideas. Seth Godin's Unleashing the Idea Virus i an intriguing account of the contagiousness of ideas. The author, Mr. Godin, co pares these ideas to a virus and asserts that the future of mankind is dependent u on the spread of this virus throughout our society. The enlightening message t at is found within this book should serve as a first line of defense against groupthi k.

This is the end of the paper by Xl.