This is the start of the paper by X .....

Dr. Mendel's website is a valu ble resource for those seeking information on creativity and critical thinking. The diversity of sites adds to the distinctive nature of the course an provides students with an endless trove of information that is theoretical, et practical. In my very limited spare time, I often enjoy perusing the w bsite and examining the various links that are available. One particular link aptured my interest this week: Thin Gruel by Diane Ravitch.

Dr. Diane Ravitch is currently a professor at New York University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Insti te but has held a vast array of prominent positions including Assistant Sec etary of Education (she was appointed by both Clinton and Bush). She has uthored many books that examine and illuminate different aspects of ed cation. One particular area of interest to her is the recent phenomenon of" olitical correctness" that has captured psyche of many publishers, educa ors, j oumalists and politicians.

Dr. Ravitch claims that censor hip has been utilized as a vehicle by both the political right and the left to rther their own ends and promote a paradigm that is representative of their constituents. She asserts that the casualty of this assault on ideas a d creativity is truth and the American people are ultimately deprived of eality as a result of this push for censorship that has occurred on b th sides of the aisle.

The political right has fought 1 cal school boards, state boards of education and other academic inst' tutions to remove references to and portrayals of secular humanism, i orality, and evolution. This fight appears to be a backlash from yea s of censorship from the political left which has fought to remove book from the shelf that include any views that promote individualism and censor any item that failed to meet their established "bias checklist"(i.e.-p litical, social or cultural views other than their own).

I would encourage everyone to~visit this particular website and come to their own conclusions as to the ve acity of Dr. Ravitch's assertions. This site, like many others was both in ormative and entertaining.

This is the end of the paper by lXI.

 

This is the start of the paper by Xl ...

Dr. Mendel's website is a valu ble resource for those seeking information on creativity and critical thinking. The diversity of sites adds to the distinctive nature of the course an provides students with an endless trove of information that is theoretical, et practical. In my very limited spare time, I often enjoy perusing the w bsite and examining the various links that are available. One particular link c ptured my interest this week: Thin Gruel by Diane Ravitch.

Dr. Diane Ravitch is currently professor at New York University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institu e but has held a vast array of prominent positions including Assistant Secr tary of Education (she was appointed by both Clinton and Bush). She has a thored many books that examine and illuminate different aspects of edu ation. One particular area of interest to her is the recent phenomenon of" olitical correctness" that has captured psyche of many publishers, educat rs, journalists and politicians.

Dr. Ravitch claims that censors ip has been utilized as a vehicle by both the political right and the left to fu ther their own ends and promote a paradigm that is representative of heir constituents. She asserts that the casualty of this assault on ideas an creativity is truth and the American people are ultimately deprived of ality as a result of this push for censorship that has occurred on bo h sides of the aisle.

The political right has fought I cal school boards, state boards of education and other academic insti tions to remove references to and portrayals of secular humanism, i orality, and evolution. This fight appears to be a backlash from years of censorship from the political left which has fought to remove books from the shelf that include any views that promote individualism and censor ny item that failed to meet their established "bias checklist"(i.e.-po itical, social or cultural views other than their own).

I would encourage everyone tOfisit this particular website and come to their own conclusions as to the ver city of Dr. Ravitch's assertions. This site, like many others was both inti rmative and entertaining.

This is the end of the paper by Xl.

This is the start of a paper b Rose Stealth.

Once again, here we a e, writing about the mind room and the "top 10" questions. This mind room attempt was not as successful as before. I coul not visualize the balloon, the clouds disappeared as soon as I thought about them, and my room was hazy and was in c nstant flux. My mind room exercise was a flop.

However, once I realiz d what I could or could not visualize

. during the mind room exerci e, I asked myself "What is going on with my life that I can't imagi e my mind room?" I was relaxed, but I could not focus on the t sk at hand. The answer soon came to me.

Pressures at work are ounting. Other than during nights at class, I spend approximat Iy nine to eleven hours at work a day to meet deadlines. My f mily is upset because I do not spend as much time with the as I used to. This is not to even mention the friends who feel as if I've abandoned them. And a love life? Oh, you can forge that one. I it hard enough finding time to sleep, let alone spen quality time with a new significant other.

I took a hard look at th se pressures and realized that I'm prioritizing everything in my life INCORRECTLY. Do I have to meet my deadlines? Yes. But I really should be putting family and friends before work. I m de the decision to schedule dinners and time with family and frie ds and leave work when I need to in order to keep those appoint ents. The one thing that I wasn't feeling pressure about was school, and I believe that this isn't a pressure because it is the number one priority in my life right now. I can focus on work an play when this experience is over.

What does this have to do with the mind room? Everything.

Although I was not able to b in my mind room and I couldn't see the clouds, I was able to tap into my problems and come up with solutions to fix it. Isn't that t e purpose of the mind room?

This is the end of the paper y Rose Stealth.

Ms. Nicky 2/26/07

This is the start of a paper by Ms.INicky.

In my quest for satisfactorily add essing Dr. Mendell's question in regards to the purpose of this course, I re ected on the term "lateral thinking." This course, Visionary and Creative Management creates a medium through which lectures and readings have become more familiar with literary and social models of resistance of red by a diverse group of writers and thinkers. Issues such as styles voice, ability to view another's work critically and definition of on's professional aims are reviewed and assessed by their peers. By su porting and critiquing other's writings, I explore the way to different kinds and degrees of imagination and innovation. Sometimes, I am no quite certain whether these writings are fiction or non-fiction.

However, throughout this course, I have been able to engage issues both as a critic (by writing) and as a creat r (by analyzing) which leads me back to 'lateral thinking." The term may e defined as the ability to test your powers of questioning, deduction and per istence. If at first the direct approach leads nowhere, . you may want to try c ming at the problem from the side. Lateral thinking is concerned with gener ion of new ideas. It also addresses the idea of "breaking out of the concept risons of old ideas." For instance, in the mind room, you encourage late al thinking to generate as much creative solutions as possible. This ma result in you deliberately seeking out irrelevant information; not for its own sake but for its effect. You may have to be wrong at some stage in 0 der to achieve an innovative and correct solution.

Nonetheless, in the writing by 0 e of my classmate, Cleveland, particular attention should be given to the innovative thought process of the subconscious mind, during his/he experience in the mind room. It is usually the right side of the brain contro ling your creative, visual, spatial concepts while the left side of the brain i controlling your logical, judgmental and analytical activities. For example his/her analogy between the struggles of organizations is something that e can all relate to, especially when lateral thinking and problem solving is a play.

This is the end of the paper by Msi. Nicky.

This is the start of a paper by chut*pah18 February 20,2007

When Professor M spoke about p ting pictures of his students up on the internet, I was uncomfortable. Ha ing photos on the internet can be a very dangerous thing and I am glad he ook these pictures off. As he was telling the story and speaking of identity heft, images of a movie entitled "The Net" entered my mind. The Net as about a woman who was a genius in the area of computers. She worke developing software and she was a workaholic. Since she was a wor aholic her social life was also based around the computer. Her life con isted of chatting on the internet; she ate alone ordering pizza delivery onli e. She lived alone, had few friends and an ailing mother. Her reclusive n ure made it easy for a predator to steel her identity as very few people wo ld realize if someone else was impersonating her. When I first s w this movie, the concept of identity theft was very scary, however, at the ti e, I viewed it as purely fiction. I remember thinking that these horri Ie things could not actually happen, and I was comforted by that belief mu h like we all feel about monster movies I saw this movie again f-lils_ tw years later. I then realized that one's identity could easily be stolen us in the internet as a vehicle and that the danger is real. Even after victims rove what happened, they still have to contend with financial burdens. S meone in the class commented that it is not enough to have good ideas but you have to have the support of the organization, and gave the exampl of using "My Space" in order to promote a program. The parents said no, Ii ely because they did not want their children to stumble across somethi g or someone harmful on the internet. I agree with the parents Yet it is tru you must have good ideas and the support of the organization in orde to make things work. Before class I was searching for music by a specific oup, it is very difficult to find CD's for sale by this group. I never found t e CD's but there was a concert by them on UTube. I think it is safe to say hat soon, as TV as we know it today will be rendered useless, the professor lways wants us to pick a topic when going over power 10 questions. I uggest we apply UTube to at least one of them.

I observed that my classmates had rore to say and asked more questions that ever before. While I am in thi class, I never think of a question.to ask or a comment to make. I think of i all later and put it down in this class journal.

This is the end of a paper by chutztbah18

This is the start of a pap r by the Driving Range Golfer. I enjoy doing the mind room activity in class. It gives me the opportunity to hear myself breathe and to sh t off my brain. So far, I have been able to relax and imagine half of th mind room steps. The breathing, the sawdust thing and the ascent i to the clouds brings me to a deep peaceful place. It then becom s an effort not to fall asleep. My greatest challenge, past remai ing focused, is figuring out who to talk to once I am in the room.

So far, my mind room 10 ks like a tropical resort, with big open French doors about every twe ty feet all the way around the room. Large Mexican tiles are on the floor and the ceiling is a bright white with a wide dark wood fan. Th . room contains an oversized poster bed of rich wood with white sh ets. Floor-to-ceiling lush vibrant plants and flowers decorate the room. Some other pieces of furniture line

the walls, including a dresser, irror, and couch, which are also white. It doesn't look prison or hospit I wall white because of all the greenery. It exudes a feeling 0 serenity, lightness, and openness.

As I sit on the couch an look just off the side of the four poster bed, I can see the "visiting roo ." The first time, it was a small hallway that led to a huge am hitheatre, where I sat to watch someone give me information. No one showed up. The next time, the "visiting room" was just a smal room about 15 ft x 10ft with a door. It was set-up as if an interview as going to take place at any moment, with a pad of paper, a pen, an chairs placed around a rectangular table in the center of the room. No one showed up for the interview.

The only people to cross my mind to join me were my spouse and Marilyn Monroe, my spou because I would want Shorty with me in such a beautiful and rei xing location and I am not sure why I thought of Marilyn. Maybe bec use of the Anna Nicole thing being in the news and because Marilyn is someone who seems to have had

so many secrets. None of the residents or geniuses seem appealing. Part of me believes the perso in the mind room with you should be a contemporary you have conta t with because those people may truly hold a key to a question you c rrently have. What does Marilyn know about my life and the big ques ions? However, maybe the mind room person should not be someon you know, because you are aware of their thoughts already. Maybe arilyn or someone else from the past would enable me to see things from their point in time or from their perspective. I am still just tryin to get someone to show up in the room with me. This is the end f a paper by the Driving Range Golfer.

This is the start of a paper ~y Princess Leah,

The mind room experi nce this past week was again very interesting. I always h ve so much on my mind so I am not sure if I can focus enou h to gain the full experience. Something that I have noti ed lately about myself, as I have been recording my dreams, is that on nights I have bad dreams the next day is terri Ie for me. I am in a bad mood the whole day following a n ghtmare. Why is that? This week I have the biggest exam ye this semester and it is worth 50% of my grade! I am hop ng that the mind room this week in class will help me to rela a little considering I am so nervous for this exam, I'm reaming about it. This semester has stressed me out more han any ot~ers. I would like to learn how to try the mind r om on myself when I need to just calm down. Since I don't h ve anything much to talk about and really must get back to studying, I will leave some comments on other studen s papers.

***** You are soooo funny!! I love reading what you have to say since it is nothi g at all to do with class. I look

                                           forward to it every week.      ake me laugh next week even

more!

-Anita Bath ... very fun~y name! Also, I enjoyed reading your paper.

-Chillin, you sound veriY intelligent.

-Ilene Dover I believe ,n lethal injection but think old

sparky better does the trick -HeavyMetal. .. 1 love eavy metal.

Spring break is comin up everyone! What is everyone going to do? I am going to Vegas, I have never been! I am sure we are all looking fo ard to some time off from school.

This is the end of a paper ~y Princess Leah.

This is the start of the paper by Nexu

Norms are the unwritten rules or cOdds societies and groups follow in accordance to their culture. Norms determine "what is" apprOP!iate behavior, customs, and practices for its members. However, social norms have bee viewed as a hindrance to the autonomous individual. The autonomous individual is d scribed as a person who has complete control over his/her destiny whereas norms represent a hIndrance to his/her creativity. The experimenting self is a reflection of the autonomous indivi ual, ignoring social norms and often following his/her own path. The safe-keeping self is i s opposite, who finds security in following the rules while adhering to the social norms of his /he culture. Today, I feel we have an abundance of autonomous individuals with no regards for ivicness and community.

Individual empowerment is an extrao dinary accomplishment for any society. It is a true representation of development when individ als are provided the opportunities and resources to choose his or her destiny. However, with s ch an abundance of autonomous individuals any connection to the civic community has been lost. The civic community according to Robert Putnam is a culture that regards the actions f its members in service to a higher purpose. In this case, members of a civic-minded comm nity have an understanding of substantive democracy. Whereas substantive problems re not just the problem of the individual but the community, the autonomous individual doe not value helping others with similar problems since he/she is too concerned with his/her pr blems. From this perspective, the substantive problems will never be solved.

I do not advocate the abolishment of i dividuality and thought, rather, consideration for the civic community and a higher understan ing beyond personal concerns. To re-connect members of society to the civic community advocate John Kirlin's call for social learning whereas politics, ideology, and the market c n be brought into the discourse between government and the citizenry. From this per pective, the autonomous individual can be rejoined with the civic community but still fI el that his/her individuality has not been compromised.

This is the end of the paper by Nexus

This is the start of another paper l1Y HeavyMetal.

The fifth class, as well as c mments from the fourth papers submitted will be the topic. We got to hear hat the course is useful for, creative escape, become an original proble solver, have skills that can be useful in Public Administration, see proble s ahead of time and think outside the box. Funny stories about Professo Mendell nearly getting fired at Pratt­Whitney and FlU. Someone obser ed that he has a problem with authority. I don't know if anyone actually esc ped to the Mind Room, but it was relaxing. I still don't understand hy F AU was open on a national holiday, so it was tough to come to class.

The papers submitted were ascinating this week. I got a kick out of "Off my Crest" wondering if the ind Room was a dangerous game to play, with potential sociopaths in the cl ss, you never know! Another worried about their own health and mind andered to other topics, other than the gondola, I suspect most are doing his. "Rose Stealth's" comment about the morons getting through the MP A rogram, though harsh, could be very true. "Anita Bath" complaining that wi hout experience it was tough to find a job in Public Administration should b an eye-opener to anyone who thinks this degree is an automatic ticket to an hing, in fact very little practical knowledge comes out of any of th se courses, unless you want to rant and rave all day about globalization a d the impact on the third world, I guess that's a real marketable skill!

"Bushwacker's" discussion of the I 0 questions as related to breast implants was very imaginative, an certainly caught my attention. I happen to disagree with "ChillinJ", the ro e of the government is not to be a babysitter to help and support peo Ie, how about personal responsibility and the roll of the family? But I do ag ee with "Illene Dove" about lethal injections, and take it a step furth r; the murderer should die in the same manner as their victim, who cares

This is the end of the paper ~y HeavyMetal.

This is the start of a pa r by Middleman. Unfortunately it was another stressful work. I thought I would get some relief once I discovered my test results were normal. Ho ever I continued to feel lousy so I went back to the doctor for another rou d of tests, I should have the results by the time I am sitting in class on Mo day evening. I am hoping it is good news and perhaps I just have a bug or omething. I am looking forward to getting into the mind room to help to aIle iate some of this stress.

A week ago 1 would not ha e been as eager but I guess one would say I had a 'break through' last week I shocked myself when I saw 'someone I look to for advice' in the mind r m, this person was so clear and visible; I even felt her physical presence. This is a person that I only get to see a couple times a year because she lives in another part of the country and I was almost brought to tears whe I saw her. I thought it was fitting that I would see in her in a time when really do need her physical touch. Like I said I surprised myself because y mentality prior to Dr. Mendell reading the mind room scenario this past eek was negative that the exercise doesn't work. So this past week I figure what the hell at least I can get a nap and relax. Then gradually the words s rted to sink in and I felt relaxed and when I was in my comfortable worksp ce my wise person was in the room with me and I felt very emotional. I feel almost silly even writing about this experience but hey it happened s I might as well open up. I am hoping this week I am able to get some advic from my wise friend instead of just being in her physical presence.

The mind room is not jus a relaxation exercise. I think it's also a visionary exercise. If you can se yourself doing something you are more likely to do it. Having visions du g the mind room exercise is like having a dream but in reality. When I sa my 'wise person' I envisioned it really happening and her physical tou h felt real to me. Perhaps this can be translated to the reality; I know fo example if I need motivation to workout, I envision me doing it and how g d I will feel afterwards. I feel almost as good without the workout but I 0 physically have to workout to actually have the feeling rather than j st envisioning it. When one envisions something they are more likely t do or feel it. There are aspects of these sensations in the mind room. Per aps the mind room is meant to be multi­dimensional and if applied to e work environment could help to spur creativity, which would make a y employee and employer very happy. I guess I will be able to test out y theories this next week when again we enter the mind room. This is the e d of a paper by Middleman.

This is the start of a paper by Amazilng to Be.

So, today's journal will be what I like to refer to as throwing up on the page or as my first college English professor pu it "stream of consciousness writing". This is when you write down every possi Ie thought that comes to mind and don't stop until you have a page full of text. I'll ry to leave out the obscenities although I have a feeling Dr. Mendell might enj y them.

I tried reading up on being eccentri~but I couldn't get focused. I read everyone's journals and although ve interesting most people are talking about the Mind Room including me and I a ready for something new. I can tell I haven't been exercising and/or getti g to Yoga class because I feel like I have been in a fog for over a week now.

I caught my yearly cold and fought t at this past week and now my whole perspective seems changed. Not s re what happened there except that I was in bed for three days and literally going crazy. I have been updating a phone book at work all day and in my opinion th y should all be burned and 411 should be free and accessible on every phone ust like 911. I mean what a waste of time although they must come in handy i a power outage when you can't access the internet. My eyes hurt, and I am se ing double from staring at each line on the screen verifying that the web-based ersion matched the print version.

Do you ever feel like you are being unished? Like the world is out to get you for no particular reason except to be en ertained at your expense. I would venture to guess if most people think that way, hen they can't possibly be out to get one another because they are too worrie about who is out to get them. Strange yes, but true ... I know I have worried my elf sick over things like how I look, what other people are saying or thinking bout me and come to find out they were wrapped up in their own little world 0 self-involvement worrying about exactly the same things.

Why do we humans do this? Would e do it in the absence of societal rules and boundaries? Maybe not, but on the f ip side would we behave so barbarically and have no regard for others? I suppos it doesn't have to be so black and white and maybe we would live more bala ced lives without all the stress of worrying about being perfect in such an impe ect world.

It's fun sometimes to ask yourself th se thought-provoking questions, similar to the futuristic ones we talk about in cl ss it gets your mind going and stimulates the creative side of the brain. At lea t for me, I can't say I have done any extensive research on the subject, b t I know after working all day behind a desk most of the energy I am exerting is c ming from my brain and it feels on some days very similar to the exhaustion 0 a physical workout.

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

 

PAD CLASS MONDAYNITES 02/19/2007

This is

The beginning)1 by: U 2 C;ute

ocll Socc----=.1o

Er··· .. ··· .. · Othe-rre9 aint life a e'cschOO to have come from so so so far

    """"""                                                .

just to fall into such a hovac. It h rd to resist, but only to exist as a number.

Wel still live in al world! of oppr ccion, depresscon, inflacion, concesscion, and deviat;/n It sames llike there' sn't going to be a change any time soon.

Kling Cung ing Wong

Who fock wing thong Ding dong

Uh uh uh

Don't u lock stupid

In that thong. It sticking up your dsch. Can't you afford a full sise pantie Aint that uncomfortable ...

Wishy watchy

Don't scrach that bhoty

If I was u---I wont wear that s05r9480e;

Come hare

Come hare so I can tell u that you re aggravating me.

Don't you understand that I don't wonna be bodered wit your bullcroppe;;/d I aint playing that game no more. Because yore to boring. It's lame. Your shallow, not how low, buy wahlo ;j1 so go find a place to wah10w.

This is the end of my paper.

                       

                       

02/25/2007 PAD 6061

This is the beginning, by Who 2 U:

Wonde~ing

One Sunday aftern on, I found myself wondering how things are. Wond ring how various districts are designed in this so call d socioeconomic.

I've realized that th world we live in today is so, so segregated. That we eithe deliberately ignoring the fact or not actually realizing it. For instance, I found myself afraid sometimes, when oing into certain areas because the people begin starring me. And if the police is driving by, and notice you, he 'I drive right behind you. I get agitated and vary, and w ndered is this s**t still going on in today's society. I oft n do a lot of wondering while doing absolutely nothing.

Another Sunday aftel noon, looking out the window, at Dez Dios, I wondered hat is going on strip, because people just walking al ng constantly. What is the attraction because in between the intersections are business buildings, and ondos? Is it something we don't know that only they know? It finally hit tis world is design to accommodate specific roups. It is a silence rumor that was not aware of

And this is the end 0

This week we'd discussed the m nd room. This time I'd really tried hard to participate. Unfortunately, I'd on y found myself thinking of something else. Again, I ask the question, does t is truly work? I'm not sure. Once again, I'd tried to perform this at home. Unfortunately, once again it did not work for me. I had already figured tha it was going to be hard to perform this at home be it that I live in a halfway house with a lot of noise.

All do respect to Dr. M., I think th1's did not work for me so far because I just don't believe in this stuff. I think t's a dangerous game to try and play with someone's mind. I tried to have n open mind, but I think my beliefs are blocking me chance to experime t with the mind room.

Wish the mind room would work or me. I believe things would be easier at work. It's hard seeing people who do not deserve to be in a position gettin~ promoted over me, yet this pers n always ask me advice. Isn't that a kick in the head?! Why is that we wo k hard to get where we are and then some one younger gets promote over you. Do they not think that I would get the job done? Is it because I have too much experience? Is it time for me to start my own business?

Signed,

Off My Chest

                       

This is the start of a paper by Bushwhacker.

 

Considering Darold Powers' qu~stions, I would like to contemplate the product and services of Borin!! TJxt Books.

 

(1 )What did this look like fifty ~ears ago? Fairly similar - probably more spelling errors. What has hap ened to force change? Better printing methods. More schools and mor students. What would have to happen in the outside world for this to sta the same? A constant number of schools and students.

(2) If natural events take their curse, how will this look in twenty years? There should be fewer text ooks forced on students. Educational information will be electronically dictated.

(3) Is this fulfilling its origina intent? No. Information is too big for textbooks nowadays. At the tim this was created, what alternatives were discarded? More verbal commun cation. Might they be revived today? No. Paper books are a waste of the atural environment and no one likes them anyway.

( 4) Who or what has an interest ~ keeping this the same? Book sellers, book makers, and schools. Who has an interest in changing it? Interesting people. People who intuitively see all of these boring textbooks as a total waste of time and effort.

(5) Can any small changes be made that would appreciably change its performance? Yes. Sell them che per. Can any large changes be made that would not change its performance. Yes, sell them cheaper.

(6) How does this affect living ings besides humans? Boring textbooks destroy the natural environment 0 all species of plants and animals.

(7) Does this have a natural I fe span? Yes. What would cause it to disappear? Total revolution from those who are no longer willing to accept buying and reading them.

(8) What complaints have you heard about it? Too expensive and the contents are boring and pointless. Have you read any predictions about its future? Yes. Paper information is eading into extinction.

(9) What does this institution, pro uct, or service imply about human nature? Humans are very traditional, habi al and helpless over the book industry. (10) What are the essential featur s of the whole system of which it is a part? Forced compliance in the educa . onal worlds. How else could the system purpose be met? Cheaper books r no books. Make professors, instructors, teachers, and students talk more a out the purpose of their studies.

 

This is the end of the paper by Bushwhacker.

This is Black History Month. I won er who picked the coldest, wettest, shortest month of the year to remember the history of Africa people and their descendants in America. How did we come to have Black History Month in ebruary? Why not remember the history of Black people during January for the month Linc In signed the Emancipation Proclamation and the birthday of Dr. King? Perhaps, we could ecognize it during December for the make-believe holiday of Kwanzaa. How about June in r cognition of "Juneteenth," the liberation of slaves in Texas?

Why February? Slavery was abolis ed by Congress in April 1862; the thirteenth amendment was ratified in December of 1 65. Why not one of these months? The modem history of Africans in America began with the arrival of Columbus; slavery began in August 1619 at Jamestown, Virginia. It seems to me th t recognition of Black History was chosen with no recognition of history. However, the real uestion should not be what month, but why. Why do we celebrate or commemorate the history f one race of Americans with a special month? I understand the pride Black Americans hav in our history and contributions to this country. However, I fail to understand why we insi t upon government recognition, news specials and public acknowledgment of our contributio s.

The history of Africans in America s well as that of Black Americans should be maintained privately within the culture, no paraded out every February. When we allow the government, the schools, media and others to lead the remembrance of our history, we are in danger of losing it. I applaud the NAACP in Oceanside, California as they take the lead in preserving Black History with the Junetee th celebration and Martin Luther King awards. Both are private, cultural events that will guaran ee the integrity of the history. Nevertheless, let us rethink the idea of a special month for Bla k History.

The Black community is far too complex t be identified as one culture and our history is far too complex for one month. We, Black Ameri ans, should recognize our historical responsibilities every month. There is a lot to gain from history and a large debt to pay. While we honor the contemporary heroes in our communities 1 t us not forget why we honor them. There are black men that served with the Tuskegee airmen f W orId War II, retired Marines that broke the Marine color in the 1940's and many other istorical accomplishments.

However, the real lessons of history are no what they did but why they were forced to do so. Discrimination, segregation and a racist cu ture forced and shaped our history. If we honor the history of a struggle, we owe a debt to hon r the price paid in the struggle. Being the descendants of African Kings and Queens is of little value if we are acting like paupers and sheep. It does not matter what month we c lebrate our history -- it matters only how you honor it. There is no honor in remembering their sacrifices if we are not going to take advantage of what they gained. They broke open the do rs; the real celebration will be going through them. Struggling through adversity is our history. What we do with the victory is our legacy.

Let us not spend more time rememb~ring our history than we do in making tomorrow's history. We cannot take pride in what someone else has done with his or her situation, only in what we have done with ours. It is called "self-pride."

By: Dammien

This is the start of a paperl by Ilene Dover.

During this past week I h d a conversation with my brother, Ben Dover, abou the Experimenting Self and the Safekeeping Self. I have tendency to think ,vith the Experimenting Self, but I sually express myself with the Safekeeping Self. It's lik I want my Experimenting Self to be dominant, but I can' let it all out. My brother, on the other hand is definitely m re of an Experimenting Self. He says what he thinks, some imes to his own detriment. It seems strange that we sha e so many of the same physical traits, but express ourselv s so differently.

Perhaps that is why we ha e chosen the career paths that each of us have taken. W both have very different jobs, but we both use analytical skills in our profession. We also approach our personalliv s very differently. I believe, as stated by world traveler, t at as we grow up, we have to take a step back and look t the decisions we are making. Some of us, even after ste ping back, choose not to change the choices we make and pend the rest of our lives regretting it and wonderin "what if. .. "

I am saddened a little that this week will be the end of the mind room exercises in cl SSe I have enjoyed the exercises so far, but I think I need a little more experience with it for it to truly be beneficial to y life.

This is the end of the pap~r by Ilene Dover.

- This is the state of a paper by enegade.

Is failure really failure? Ju t because you do not succeed at something, that does not mean t at you did not learn something. Perhaps, you learned a lesson. I you failed at something, you now have the knowledge to keep someone from going do that same road. You are able to tell that person, "Hey, It ied that and it did not work." With any lucky, the person will heed your advice and not fail. So, your failure has just prevented someone from fai ing and you have gained some wisdom and insight.

For example, you get divo ced and you say, "My marriage failed."

Then, a friend is about to go thr ugh a divorce. You are able to coach that friend on what to do and no to do. You now know to make certain that college for the children is in the divorce papers because you failed to put it in yours. You advise th t your friend should not openly speak out about your new lover because the courts found out about yours and now, you lost your children for eing an unfit mother. (This happened) Maybe you do not coach your fr end about getting divorced at all. Instead, you may tell your frien to go to counseling and try to work things out with their spouse bec use you know what a hard road it is to be divorced and fell such bittern ss to your spouse. You may have failed in your marriage, but look at all he good you just did if you were able to help your friend work through a ery difficult time and rekindle that love for his/her spouse that he/s e once had. How can that be a failure?

I once heard someone say at they were good for nothing. The thought occurred to me that they could always serve as a bad example. We learn from our mistakes, fro our failures. These failures define us. They make us strong. They buH character. They certainly make us appreciate the successes. If we s cceeded at everything, we would appreciate nothing.

Life's lessons are often har , but they make us a better person.

They help us to guide our childr n through life. We do our best to keep them from making the same mis akes as us while they, on the other hand, pat us on our head and act ike they know everything.

- This is the end of the paper by enegade.

This is the start of a paper by Beach Belle.

This week I got a good senI of the significant difference between the "safekeeping self' and the "experimenting self'. I'd like to be able to say that I personally had s me type of breakthrough - but truth be told, I'm stuck in the safe-but- ure mode.

However, I did get a glimpse of how freeing the "experimenting self' can be through the experienc of a friend of mine. After five years in the public sector, he's made the life-changing decision to go into private practice for himself. e's giving up the safety and security of a government job for the un ertainty, insecurity, but FREEDOM, of opening his own law firm. Sure, he's a little afraid of whether or not he'll bring in enough money t pay the bills the first couple months, but he's absolutely joyful about the prospects of becoming his own boss and being able to run h s practice in accordance with his own principles and ideology.

As momentous as this type 0 career change is, there's more! He's also made a decision to run for an elected office next year. Talk about a risk taker! I can't im gine taking on so many challenges ­and certainly not all at the sa e time! While the idea of going into business for myself and runni g for political office absolutely terrifies me, I've got nothing but com lete respect, admiration (and a lot of awe) for my friend. He's got a dream, and he's willing to go for broke (literally!) to make it come true.

While my dreams may be a bit more modest, I'm happy to be fulfilling one of them by being in thi class. After having graduated from college more than 20 years ag , I'm finally back in school to complete my masters degree. I admit to being influenced by a standard answer that "Dear Abby" wo Id give to people who wrote to her saying they really wanted to go back to school, but were concerned that it would take them 5 year to finish and then they would be 40­45-50 years old by they time t ey graduated. Dear Abby's standard answer to such concerns was to ask, "how old would you be in five years if you didn't go back to s hool?"

This is the end of the paper by BeadhBelle.

 

This is the start of a paper by Boss Lady '08. This paper focuses on the class meeting held on Monday, Fe ruary 19, 2007. On this night, we entered The Mind Room for the third visit. his trip, for me, allowed for more focus on the details, elements, and speci ic techniques used for relaxation (deep breaths, slow breathing, light bea s to detect and release tension, soaring through and above the clouds, ha ging idle in the balloon etc.), and allowed for a more loose disposition. Mind wandering has been greatly decreased since the first visit. It has now bec me a more peaceful and adventurous ride.

Looking forward to the final trip n xt week.

Class discussion also ensue on creative thinking and how this concept has affected decisions, operations and innovations in different organizations. Personal experiences were shar d which made for a very interesting class discussion and additional insight. It's amazing how much Professor Mendell has encountered, created, endur d, explored, and escaped over time. He brings an abundance of talent, re I-life experiences, and humor to the class. Creative thinking is a concept that is applicable to all facets of life-both personal and professional. A cr ative mind is sort of like old wine-it gets better and better with time.

I think the best and most pr minent use of creativity is utilized in the Marketing and advertising busin ss. Television commercials are a perfect product of creative thinking const ntly in action. Over the past few weeks, I've seen some of the most hilarious ut very creative commercials. I guess the biggest day of the year for creati e advertising and marketing is, you know, Super Bowl Sunday, where it see s the creativity begins and never ends. But it's builds tremendous anticipatio for a break in the monotony. Although I wonder how well and to what ex ent is creative thinking is utilized in public agencies. Does government rules and regulations, policies and procedures allow for much creative thinking nd any resulting innovations?

On another note, the discussions on the safekeeping self and the experimenting self are always int resting as well. Putting all things together and in prospective, I would say hat the experimenting self individuals will exercise creative thinking more s than safekeeping self individuals-just by first impression. However, on th other hand, I would venture to say that the safekeeping self will-at times feel an inclination to explore, innovate, deviate from the norm or dare t be different, so to say. After all natural instincts leads us to do a variety of things at times regardless of the circumstances, situations, risks r consequences at hand. Just think ho"," many top executives, millionaire , billionaires and other well-known leaders made it to that place "outside of t e box."

This is the end of the pape by Boss Lady '08.

This is the start of the paper by world traveler ...

This week I have decided to write bout something that has been on my mind over the past few weeks. D . Mendell is an excellent professor with an incredible amount of nowledge. He challenges those in his classes both directly and in irectly. He makes his thoughts and opinions known and is us ally open to hearing another side of the story. However his recent ac ions concerning the flyers in the classroom have made me uncomfo able.

I know that this sounds like a ridic lous issue to bring up but I have been offended by it the past few c asses. I understand that he wants his classroom to be his and have the focus on him and his teachings. However, he works at a univ rsity with educators and students of all kinds. He knows that this is the way universities work. Unless he has a set classroom, he can ot expect to have a room completely clean of information concer ing events and groups found on the F AU campus.

In addition, we have discussed th t people have different learning styles. Some of us are visual I arners while others of us are auditory learners. The same goes for g thering information. Sometimes we need to physically see flyer to know about an event. I just feel as if he may be preventing so eone from experiencing an incredible opportunity because he doesn't want flyers up in his classroom.

I am also surprised by his insiste t behavior since he is very

much into networking and sharing idea. He encourages people to go out and meet others, discuss ideas an experiences they have done and share to encourage others. It almo t seems as if he feels threatened or challenged by these flye s. I just don't know.

I would encourage Dr. Mendell to examine the 10 questions and see what ideas he has to be able to all w the university to advertise but maybe "shut off" the advertisement when a class is in sessio.n. He is always encouraging us to think 0 tside of the box, I am asking

him to do the same.

This is the end of the paper by wbrld traveler ...

This is the start of a paper by Elphaba.

I once again read through the papers from last week to find inspiration in writing my excerpt for this week. For some reason not much is coming to me today. P rhaps I am just stressed about my Mid-term exam that I have this eek. Therefore I will try not to bore everyone with mindless babble and will just comment on a few things that caught my eye.

I love reading about peop e's mind room experiences and am glad to see that for the most pa everyone has been at least attempting to embrace the exp rience even though they may not believe in it. I think it is the idea of hypnosis that is bothering some people because, quite rightly, ho wants to allow anyone to control their mind. But I find myself to e in even more control over my mind in the mind room. It allows me 0 see my inner most thoughts that I usually sleep through during th night. I noticed that a few people remarked that they like the rela ation but that their mind would wander once they got to that r laxed state and they could no longer focus on the mind room. I think you may have found the point of the mind room if not just a second ry benefit from it. I think the point of the mind room experience is to allow you to relax and think about whatever is invading your mind at a deeper level and perhaps that is how you can solve those issue . I have not had success in that department because I am a ve visual person and love the exercise because of the place that I hav created. I have not had the opportunity to solve any proble s or talk to anyone in particular because I spend most of my ti e their with my companion who I have not seen in many years and wi I only have the ability to see in the mind room since my companio no longer exists in this realm.

For those having trouble with the mind room experience, I would suggest not focusing so much on the words that Dr. Mendell is reading but instead focus on t e ideas that are being portrayed through this scenario. Like Dr. Mendell pointed out last week. The script may not be the same for everyone. You don't have to float on a balloon, the mind room does n t have to be on the edge of a mountain, and who's to say th t it has to be circular with a dome top. The point is it can be any plac that you create and feel comfortable in. The mind room script is not ing more than a suggestion of what and where it could be.

This is the end of the pa~er by Elphaba.

This is the start of a paper by **** .

In life we often think about if we had more money how much happier we would be and how people with mo ey have everything they need. It is the general assumption that people wi money are far happier than those without. But is the really the case? Well I do not have a lot of money I am living a comfortable and living a v ry happy life and yes a little more money would make life a little easier by a lowing me to save some money for that "rainy day" .

I have come to appreciate what I h ve maybe because of how hard I have worked to achieve it but what abo t those who work to earn their net worth but still not happy and still not co fortable with themselves to the point where they are trying to make thei body perfect and buy their children what ever their little hearts desire, is tha the way to go.

For the past week or so I have wat hing and hearing people's opinion about the Anna Nicole drama. This is a 1 dy who appeared to have it all fame, fortune and fun she could possibly want but obviously she was not happy. She turned to drugs and explicit be aviors to the point where there are several men contemplating whethe or not they are the father of her daughter. Then there is the other si e to story her mother. We often heard how much of a relationship they di not have and now that she is deceased and her mother wants make the de ision in regards to her burial and the welfare of her daughter. Where wa her mother all these years when she would have been better off with so e motherly advice and love so she would not have to turn to the lifest Ie she did?

Do we see why it is important to 1 ve, care and nurture our children. Children look to their parents for a pro val and usually when they do not get it from them that is when they turn to others and the other they turn to is not usually the best persons because th yare usually influence by others who are involved in things less desirabl than what we would like our children to be involved in like drug, crime an elicit sexual behaviors leading to unwanted pregnancies and disease and life of incarceration.

I say this to say that it is important to love our children, give them our approval and always be there to su port them when they do the right thing even when they are failing at it. C ildren live what they learn and I hope to God this child of Anna Nicole will not follow in her mother or maternal grandmother's foot step since they obviously are not good or positive role models for this precious child.

This is the end of the paper by *****

This is the start of my paper, by J .. Prewitt. After last week's class I was thinking of the mind room exercise and h w as we get older we tend to lose or stop using our creativity. Our jobs and life for that m tter play to the contrary of it. The routine of life tends to dilute our urges to express 0 rselves in a creative manner. While I was in New York getting my undergraduate de ee, I was lucky to have met someone who re­ignited my creativity. He was a professor of mine who taught English. His story was unique; he had given up a successful Mar eting firm to become a Professor of English, which was a huge pay cut from his previo s job. During my time at school I took as many of his classes as I could as well as a Independent study over the summer months. In that independent study the professor n t only enhanced my ability to write better and more creatively, but also enforced the no . on of doing the things you love. When my independent study was finally finished, I h d not only written a 150 page novel, which to this day I believe is one of my best works, but also was given during in that time the trust to edit and advise on the professors' book which he later got published.

I believe it is truly fulfilling and im ortant to be creative, in whatever nature one prefers. The mind room is one of those in ibitors for us, it's paperless but can be as strong as text. As with writing exercises t at strengthen our writing ability, mind exercises as well strengthen our thought a d capacity to think more creatively.