Some reflections on OST, Bin Laden, etc.

[Alan Stewart]

A propos the comments of Harrison and Joelle on this (below) on working
within the informal system and perhaps not knowing what can't be said and
done:

I had the experience of working as a non physician or laboratory scientist
in a medical school. (My field at the time was Nutrition).

In this situation people did not know what to make of me. For a long time
neither did I! - and I'm still wondering!!

What I did come to appreciate is that, while I had no 'power' in an
orthodox sense I could have substantial influence. And so I took the
libertty
of saying things which noone else would dare to.

I had enormous fun in doing so, including acquiring skills in presentation
and hiring a red sports car specifically in order to make an impact at a key
gathering of all faculty members and other stakeholders.

This was in the course of deliberations about switching to a graduate entry
curriculum  - similar to that in the US - from one in which students entered
directly
from high school.

My 'feral' activitues had a considerable bearing on the formulation of a
Vision and Goals for the new curriculum, through the Dean inviting me to be
a member of a three person group to come up with a guiding document on
these.

As a consequence the underpinning philosophy of the new curriculum has a
different balance from more traditional medical training, with a more
humanitarian
focus and a lesser emphasis on scientfic knowedge and technical skills.

Good to converse, with love

Alan
Adelaide

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joelle Lyons Everett" <JLEShelton at aol.com>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2001 5:31 AM
Subject: Re: Some reflections on OST, Bin Laden, etc.


> In a message dated 10/18/01 3:23:17 PM, owenhh at mindspring.com writes:
>
> << True. but what is also "true" is that the tighter the system, the more
you
> can get away with. 'cause nobody suspects that anybody would dare. This is
> not about terrorism (though I guess it could be) -- but as a denizen of
one
> of the largest "closed systems" -- the US Government for 20 years, I did
> what I thought then (and now) were wonderful and wild things (read GOOD)
by
> playing in the realm of the Informal System. Never had a problem, because
> nobody could believe I would actually do such a thing.
>  >>
>
> Harrison--
>
> I've noticed this phenomenon myself from time to time.  Sometimes there is
a
> lot of freedom in not knowing what can't be done.  Or trying something so
far
> outside of the ordinary for that situation that no one has ready defenses
> against it.
>
> Joelle
>

*
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