Article by Jacob Wilkowsky (Q19)

Waking up on the morning of November 7^th, I quickly grabbed my laptop and went online. Although out of the country, I followed the election race closely. Depending on whom you asked, President Obama was an 86% favorite or Governor Romney was a point ahead. But as we now know, the former was the truth. President Obama won the race by a very safe margin. In addition to the president’s reelection, gay marriage ballots passed in Maine and Maryland, and ballots on the legalization of marijuana for recreational use passed in Washington and Colorado.

In retrospect, we will always remember November 6^th, 2012 as a celebration of our most fundamental democratic liberty. However, the day will not be remembered for its bipartisanship. In fact, many have claimed, with merit or without, that America has been more divided these past years than any other time since the civil war. Now I hope that is an exaggeration, but in past years we have clearly witnessed a blaring lack of bipartisanship in our government. In recent years, Congressmen refused to pass widely supported job bills during a crippling recession because, by admission, their number one goal was to get President Obama out of office. Senators were unable, or more likely unwilling, to pass budgets so that our government and economy could work most efficiently, and most importantly, leaders from neither side were able to break the a extended gridlock in the legislature and create compromise. This extreme partisanship has real costs on our government, economy, and the confidence of Americans. It should be noted that this incompetence is not limited to elected officials. More and more Americans have seemed to assume a polarized point of view.

As partisan as our elected officials acted, it is difficult to discern whether our elected officials have been feeding the fire or just representing their constituents. Partisanship has no more a pronounced form than deeming the President of the United States a terrorist, claiming he is an illegal alien, or labeling him a radical Muslim.  Let alone making all three of those claims the foundation of your political party. These beliefs took roots and grew. In response, many citizens badgered fellow Americans about their personal faith. These attacks were equally as repugnant, and further divided our country. Whether we can discern the cause of the partisanship, I am not certain. We can however recognize that the ideal of compromise has long abated the national political conversation.

So now we face the question stands, “How does partisanship affect this country?”

Luckily, this election offered Americans a window into a changing United States and its future. While the sight might not be fully visible, hopefully there is a discernible image that can help us answer this question.

• The first black president elected to his second term.
• The Gay Civil Rights movement making its most significant gains against conservative America to date.
• The long controversial War on Drugs finally in the spotlight.

We find that the United States is pursuing a more liberal agenda. Older generations say they never thought they would see a black president. Well, he is on his second term now, and I never thought I would see POT LEGALIZED FOR RECREATIONAL USE. American liberals are making gains. Has the base grown? Certainly, in coming decades minorities will replaces whites as the majority of this country—demographics are changing. Maybe the increased presence of college students in politics is playing a role? There are many factors to consider, however, to truly understand this growth maybe we should look backwards about 40 years.

Peering through the lens of history, we see these current “radical” changes emanating from social tensions that have existed for decades. It was 44 years ago that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, fighting for the rights of blacks to drink from the same water fountains as whites.  It was 35 years ago that Anita Bryant launched her gay crusade to remove homosexuals from their jobs in every state. It has been 41 years since President Nixon started the War on Drugs, which has turned a multibillion-dollar industry into a black market, fueled Mexican cartel violence, and has incarcerated American minorities overwhelmingly disproportionately. Today doesn’t seem so radical now. These tensions between “liberals” and “conservatives” have existed for decades. And through the natural push and pull of American politics we have reached where we are today.

And that’s democracy. It’s push and pull. If we want change, we can throw everything and the kitchen sink to get it. That’s where our partisanship has grown from. However the ones who were truly great, the legends like Harvey Milk and Martin Luther King Jr., they weren’t the sink throwing types. The ones who created generation-defining change, they rose above the sink throwing. The great leaders elevated the conversation, because they knew it isn’t as simple as liberal and conservative. They knew how to make progress by strengthening our union, not diminishing it. They led their country by uniting its people, and provided an example for us to do the same.

Finally let’s get back to that question, “How does partisanship affect this country?”

The short answer is not well. Because a government of the people, by the people, for the people is only as unified and effective as its parts. The problems we face today are descendants of the problems we faced yesterday. How we face those problems is what defines our success or failure. And the burden we leave to future generations is how history will remember us. It’s the natural course of things, and we need to make sure that every citizen is focusing on process innovation.

Editor’s Note: Inspired by the spirit of giving that defines this wonderful holiday, QUEST students have shared some of their favorite Thanksgiving recipes with the QUEST community to try.

Cranberry Walnut Scone

Recipe Submitted by Mercedes Valero (Q19)

For the morning after Thanksgiving

Makes 16

• 2 cups flour
• 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons butter-diced and chilled
• Grated rind of 1 large orange (optional)
• 1/3 cup fresh or dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Any amount of the following spices to taste (optional)
  • nutmeg
  • allspice
  • pumpkin spice
  • cinnamon
  • ground ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease and flour a large baking sheet.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add in the butter cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Add the orange rind and cranberries

4. Gradually stir in the buttermilk to form a soft dough.

5. Roll out the dough about ¾ inch thick, stamp out circles with a cookie cutter or cut into triangles.

6. Place on the prepared sheet ½ in. to and inch apart

7. Bake until golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

~Cook’s Tips~

• For light tender scones, handle the dough as little as possible.
• More butter is ok, and makes for softer scones
• The key to light and fluffy scones is cold butter in a hot oven. I like to put my dough in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before I add the buttermilk to ensure that the butter is still cold (and not room temperature) when it goes in the oven

Sweet Potato Pasta

Recipe submitted by Audrey Morris (Q18)

Ingredients

• Large onion
• Olive Oil
• 1 14oz can of chickpeas
• 3 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 tsp of dried parsley
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
• Vegetable stock
• Large sweet potato
• Whole wheat pasta
• Shredded Parmesan

Directions

1. In a large pot, fry chopped onion on medium-low heat in olive oil for five minutes.

2. Add chickpeas, garlic, sweet potato, ginger, chopped sweet potato, parsley, basil, salt & pepper, and tomatoes. Increase heat and cook for five minutes.

3. Add the amount of pasta you want (I would recommend a standard box of rotini for 4 people if you would like leftovers) and add vegetable stock until pasta is just covered by liquid. Cook until pasta is ready (usually 15 minutes).

4. Plate the pasta and have each person add parmesan.

This is a really yummy, hearty dish that is always a hit in the fall and winter seasons. Enjoy!

Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp and Andouille

Recipe Submitted by Melanie Ashton (QUEST Program Manager)

Ingredients

• Buttermilk Corn Bread,  broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound andouille sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• One 2-pound bunch of celery, coarsely chopped
• 8 scallions, white and tender green parts only, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound large shrimp—shelled, deveined and halved crosswise
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
• 3 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Tabasco sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously butter a 10-by-15-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. Put the corn bread in a bowl. In a large, deep skillet, cook the andouille over moderate heat until lightly browned and the fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Add to the corn bread.
3. Melt the butter in the skillet. Stir in the onions, celery and half of the scallions and cook over low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, garlic, sage and thyme and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp to the corn bread.
4. In the same skillet, bring the stock to a boil. Pour the stock over the corn bread and stir well. Add the parsley and the remaining scallions and season the stuffing with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Spread the stuffing in the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until crisp and browned on top.

Book Review by Daniel-Jason Minzie (Q20)

An exploration of Dr. Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, which centers on a simple idea that makes all the difference.

Iteration. That verb represents a key philosophy of the QUEST initiative; how can we improve a process, perfect a product, revolutionize an industry? Each step in the iterative tango leads to something bigger, better, and ultimately more efficient – we are all in the pursuit of absolute quality.

But every quest has its dangers. One of the most dangerous traps lying in wait, especially for those of us focused on success – current students, faculty, and alumni included – is the ever looming specter of doubt: a fear of failure. Sometimes, this fear is so ingrained that we are not consciously aware of it and are thus limited by its constraints. We step on one another’s toes, skip a few beats, and lose our rhythm because we focus more on the ruckus of the inner critic than the sweet tones of possibility.

What’s the solution you ask? The answer, according to Dr. Carol Dweck, is a simple one: the key is to exchange perspectives. The solution is adopting a new mindset – a growth mindset, rather than a fixed one.

Dr. Dweck defines a fixed mindset as a fundamental belief that intelligence (linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, music, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) is fixed upon birth and that success is the result of inherent talent. And in contrast, a growth mindset is defined as the fundamental belief that intelligence is fluid and subject to change with concentrated effort.

She suggests that in order to escape our comfort zones and adopt more realistic and practical views of the nature of success, it is crucial for us to change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset; we must become fixed to grow.

Dr. Dweck has observed that society frequently regards “The Natural” as of greater inherent worth than the diligent, tireless worker: i.e. “The Try-Hard.” She believes it’s that very philosophy that lies at the heart of the fixed mindset. It is important to realize that regardless of initial aptitude at a particular skill, those at the upper echelon of performance are often the ones who have worked the hardest while grumbling the least. These high achievers have steadily developed the mental fortitude to withstand the many losses that they have unquestionably faced.

If you’re the type of person that thrives on success (and I know you are!), I would definitely suggest that you pick up Mindset: The New Psychology of Success for a read. The advice written in its pages is worth its weight in gold. Your mindset can be your most valuable asset or your greatest liability; what’s it for you?