Online Communities or Mental Pictures? :: Internet Communication Chats Essays

Online Communities or Mental Pictures? It was 1100 p.m. on a Tuesday night. I sat at my computer typing and uneasily waiting for a response. Hello how is everyone tonight? I am from Virginia, where ar all of you from? No one responded to anything I said. I tried again, Does anyone want to scold? Again, I was ignored. I felt lonely, confused, and upset. What is wrong with me? I thought to myself. I hated knowing that I was the one being rejected in this questionable community.Are there really such things as online communities? Can you form friendships with the people you come across in an online community? There ar legion(predicate) claims that there are such things as online communities. That is true if you classify a community as a group of people having common interests (Dictionary.com) but having a common interest did not play a significant role in the forum I worked with. Online communities can be overrated and not meet the standards for which they are intended if the people participating do not follow the proposed rules and are not there for the correct reasons. In fact, when I was in the Teen lambaste room no one talked about fashion, which is the topic of the site. In the discussion forum, some of the posts were off of the subject. Some online communities may appropriately be classified as a community, but the teen forum that I participated in was not a virtual community. Online communities are not physical places, instead they are a state of mind a place which exists only in the mind of the participant.I participated in an online community in the Student Center which is sightly a site dedicated to teens. From this site, you can access many other sites such as diaries, teen forums, groups, tests, etc. I accessed the teen forum sectionalisation where you can choose many different topics under the four main categories. The categories are Advice and Sexuality, Entertainment, General, and Information. Under each category you can choose a detail subject of your interest such as dating and relationships, health and fitness, sexuality, fashion, sports, music, movies, religion, and job search, along with others and be involved with it. I chose a teen forum concentrate on fashion because I really enjoy learning about different styles.

Savage or Peaceful Essay -- American History, Native Americans

During the 1800s the homegrown Americans kept the peace while the Americans were self-serving in their search of land. The Americans believe in the lucid Destiny. The Native Americans did only that they could to remain in peace with the Americans. The Americans fought persistently with the Native Americans to gain Native American lands. The Americans wanted to come to the Native Americans of what they thought was land given to them by God. The Americans believed they had the world-beater to control all of the U.S., because they were given the right to by God. They also believed that the Native Americans knew about the Manifest Destiny, and that they should touch on off of the American lands. The Americans thought that the Native Americans leaving their lands was, a touching sight,(Brown 31), that the Native Americans had realized that leaving their pasts behind was their destiny. The Americans believed that Native Americans felt obligated to move off of the land bec ause of the Manifest Destiny. They believed that the Native Americans were happy to leave. The Americans also thought that by moving the Native Americans to reservations that they were helping the Native Americans. The reservations, the Americans thought would free them from the power of the states,(Jackson 133) and force the Native Americans to move to leave their savage ways behind. They thought that by forcing the Native Americans to assimilate to the Americans that they Native Americans would be a happy and prosperous people,(Jackson133) quite of the savages the Americans believed them to be. The Americans believed that because the Native Americans had realized that it was there destiny to give up their lands that the Native Americans were going to ... ...,(Jackson 134) so that all of the lands could be theirs. The Americans were only concerned with taking all of the land from the natives so that they could expand the United States and keep all minerals with in the new la nds. In the 1800s the Native Americans kept the peace while the Americans were selfish in their crusade for land. The Americans thought that according to the Manifest destiny they were the sole rulers of the Native Americans lands. Although the Americans wanted their lands, the Native Americans wanted to remain in peace with the Americans. The Americans continuously fought with Bernier4the Native Americans even when the Native Americans had done no harm. The Americans were uncaring in gaining Native American lands. The Americans were the savages in their pursuit of the Native Americans land.

Geography of Barbados :: Essays Papers

GEOGRAPHY OF BARBADOS Barbados is the most windward, or eastern of all the Caribbean islands. Its the only island of the Caribbean that lies before the sixty-degree squint line. Pedro a Campus, who arrived there in 1536, first discovered it. Pedro a Campus was sailing for Portugal at the time of his discovery. Upon his arrival he concluded that the island was uninhabited. The island remained this way until it was settled by the English in the later Seventeenth Century. The shape of the island, is somewhat of an irregular triangle. The circumference Of the island is approximately fifty-five miles around, with a length of twenty-one miles and a largeness of thirteen miles. Its size is approximately two and a half times the size of Washington D. C. Coral Reefs line almost the entire coast of the island, and at some points, are up to three miles seaward. This creates problems with navigating to an d from the island. The northeastern portion of the island contains heights of 1000 feet, while the southeastern part has sandy beaches which are protected by the coral reefs. The highest elevation is Mount Hillaby, which is 1147 feet above sea level at the center portion of the country. The rest of the island is relatively flat, but elevates as it rises to the Central Highlands. Scotland River is the chief(prenominal) river which runs through the island. Other rivers include Joes River and the Indian River, along with a handful of natural springs, mainly Haggats. The island has a tropical climate and it rarely fall below seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The months of June to October are generally considered the rainy season. The island only occasionally suffers from the wrath of hurricanes. Another natural disaster that the people of the island encounter is periodic landslides.

The Boy Next Door and the Psycho Killer: Producing Society’s Extremes E

The Boy Next Door and the Psycho Killer Producing Societys Extremes Two boys walk down the corridor of a friendly, residential, populace high school. As they approach, the crowd slowly parts as its bystanders just st ar at the boys. The boys walk with a certain aire about them, as their infringe coats swing from side to side and their gloomy faces meet the eyes of the rest of the students. They are pointed at and called names such as fag or freak-- for they are members of the infamous trench coat mafia. These two boys can also be described as the murderers in the Columbine High School shootings. Somewhere crosswise the country in another friendly, residential, public high school, a good looking boy of the same age walks down a similar hallway, and has a similar effect on the crowd. Instead of universe laughed at or called a fag, this captain of the football team, Corey Johnson, gets a few good job at the game yesterday or hellos from people that deplete only heard of him and wis hed to actually know him personally, for he is notorious for being cool. Rather than being called a fag as walks down the hallway no one even suspects or even contemplates the fact that he is a homosexual. These individuals are as well in various aspects age, sex, surroundings, and others, but yet have managed to be labeled and categorized so differently and so harshly. So what are the social conditions that have allowed such opposing figures to take shape in our culture? What is it that forces youth to be successful at being normal or unsuccessful and weird? The answer is the confining and forceful methods that our society has used to produce its norms. These two particular cases are just representations of many types of kids who are forced into two in truth dist... ...nes, ads, schoolsthe devastating effect is one that is constantly making deviants the outcast. These outcasts take on labels that usually have a negative connotation of a freak. Should these deviant groups whole step to fit this normal expectation and assimilate into a culture that has rejected them or rather try to gain strength to add to their uniqueness? distributively individual has a role on how he is perceived.This role is not control but rather a path that can be interpreted to control their position according to the norm. It is debatable if Corey Johnsons face to the nation as an icon was an action to make the gay race seem more normal, or to show that there are exceptions to the rule within the gay name. No matter the standpoint or path a group in society chooses take, there will always be one outstanding central ground With your norm, youve always got your deviant.

Representation in TV Essay -- essays papers

Representation in TV Youth in Television harbor been portrayed in many different lights, anywhere from the criminal to the young at heart. With their resistance to the dominant culture, many studies concur been done concerning the meaning of the political challenges to the social formation involving investigating cultural objects and media artifacts. Historically young people have fallen into distinct exactly dependent categories youth-as-fun and youth-as-trouble. One might acquire why any of this is pertinent to the study of television. However in the 1950s consumer boom, youth-as-fun became a major advertising strategy. Once advertisers identified teenagers as a valuable consumer, more and more positive images of youth became evident on TV. Photography of youth has been historically produced out of ideological interests, constructed by new markets in an attempt to turn over financial resources young people had gained access to. Even still today it is amazing to view how television views and portrays youth for the benefit of making a sale.Youth-as-trouble have been seen in most aspects of the factual media such as the nightly news. These shows have the major impact of building images, which in turn are taken as examples of how young working- class people generally behave. This leads to an ideological regime of images, which serve to naturalize the media construction of youth-as-trouble (51). Images of youth-as-trouble are not only limited to news media, but can be seen...

Representation in TV Essay -- essays papers

Representation in TV Youth in Television have been portrayed in many different lights, anywhere from the criminal to the new at heart. With their resistance to the dominant culture, many studies have been done concerning the meaning of the political challenges to the affable formation involving investigating cultural objects and media artifacts. Historically young people have fallen into distinct but dependent categories youth-as-fun and youth-as-trouble. One might ask wherefore any of this is pertinent to the study of television. However in the 1950s consumer boom, youth-as-fun became a major advertising strategy. Once advertisers identified teenagers as a valuable consumer, more(prenominal) and more positive images of youth became evident on TV. Photography of youth has been historically produced out of ideological interests, constructed by new markets in an attempt to gain financial resources young people had gained access to. Even still today it is amazing to view how television views and portrays youth for the benefit of making a sale.Youth-as-trouble have been seen in most aspects of the factual media such as the nightly news. These shows have the major impact of building images, which in turn are taken as examples of how young working- class people generally behave. This leads to an ideological regime of images, which serve to naturalize the media construction of youth-as-trouble (51). Images of youth-as-trouble are not only limited to news media, but foundation be seen...

Athenian Artistic Performances Were They a Form of Propaganda Essay

The glory that was Greece reached its height in 5th century BCE in Athens, under the leadership of Pericles. He opened Athenian land to the ordinary citizen, was responsible for the construction of magnificent temples and statues on the Acropolis and he, in effect created the Athenian empire. The definition of propaganda is the planned use of any form of public or mass-produced communication designed to affect the minds of a given group for a specific purpose, whether military, economic or political (Linearger, p. 39, 1954).This has connotations of dishonesty and while population assume it is a modern phenomenon, its roots go back much further. The question is however, was propaganda rife in 5th century BCE Athens and if so, was it the driving hale whether explicitly or not behind worldly concerny of the public displays? A funeral oration or epitaphios logos is an official speech delivered at a funeral. The epitaphios is regarded as a virtually unique Athenian concept, although e arly elements of such speeches exist in the Epic poetry of Homer and in Lyric poetry of Pindar in addition modern parallels have been drawn between Lincolns Gettysburg address and Pericles.When Pericles gave the epitaphios for Athenian soldiers who had been killed in the first year of the Peloponnesian War. He took the hazard to not only praise the deceased, but Athens itself, in an oration which has been both praised as enshrining the archetypal democratic system and condemned as barefaced propaganda. In Thucydides book History of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles Funeral Oration is a powerful rhetorical piece. In addition it is important evidence for the study of the Athenian sense of individuation and the way they represented themselves and others.It eloquently discusses the ancient democratic model and the picture it portrays serves as a prototype for democratic states today (Abbott, 1970). Thucydides specified a man would be chosen to make an appropriate speech i. e. it matched formulaic prescriptions of the epitaphios, which according to Edinger, consisted of a number of recognised topics praise of the dead, praise of the ancestors, praise of the city, consolation of the families of the dead.

Principal Leadership: Diversity, Development and Distribution Essay

The jumper lead is the de facto leader of the public school. With this comp integritynt comes no sm altogether degree of bosom and responsibility. And as the nature of education changes and evolves, so too does this role and that which is implied by it. In many moods though, there remains a great philosophic divide on how principal leaders is to be pursued. To the perspective of this research endeavor, this divide is based on varying conceptions of how leading and education might best(p) be integrated for the office. Therefore, the research seeks to appeal to the conceptions of those most directly effected.This proposal is intended to serve in a preliminary capacity for a broader wad study which would engage principals on matters of their experience with modern political realities, with c beer development and mentoring and with theoretical di good deal on the matter of centralized versus distributed leading. Findings and recommendations will be directed toward the warrantin g and fashioning of an effective survey and survey study design. Rationale This study is designed to explore the various career development aspects of becoming and cosmos a public school principal that contribute to the effective ability to serve in a leadership capacity.The principal has a unique role in both the lives of teachers and students, serving as both a figure of permit and as an advocate in the face of administrative and political demands. This makes the principalship a deeply complex position, imposed upon by the challenges of organizational stewardship, economic constraint and political imposition. The experience of developing into and serving in the position of the principal is of importance to those aspiring to evolve to the role.For one-on-ones viewing the principalship as a career elbow room, firsthand accounting of the obstacles, opportunities, demands and distinctions there associated might be an invaluable source of verification for that which whiz might e xpect. This serves as the rationale for the approach taken in this research report, which contends that the administering of surveys to individuals who are serving forthwith in the role of principal should patron to effectively yield data which can be of value to individuals desiring to follow in their footsteps.The primary thesis of this research is that a reflexion of existing studies both which help to define terms for this investigation and which provide precedent for the use of survey-based data-gathering should help us to confirm a clear course for the format and content of a survey for distribution. The study proposed in this investigation would be designed as a primarily qualitative study which focuses on the beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of principals on both their careers and the path of their career development.The method being proposed in this study is qualitative and descriptive research using the combination of a literature go off on the paper and a survey of school principals. A descriptive design, according to Gigliotti (2001), is to provide an perfect profile of a variable, group, individual and/or phenomenon. It is a design that involves making careful descriptions of phenomenaparticularly educational, which has greatly increased knowledge about what happens in schools. The issues which will be considered in a survey instrument will concur been gleaned from the literature review which is to follow.This review indicates that the responsibilities of the principal as a leader in various capacities essential be heavily considered, particularly in elation of such issues as the heightened demanded for leadership in the face of new and permeating political realities. Issues such as the assume to answer to various sectors of the community, the demand to establish a rapport with faculty that induces support and the overarching presence of such all-encompassing frameworks as the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy all curb the effect of shaping the leadership responsibilities and experiences of the principal.This literature review is justified as a means to clarifying the alliance between these conditions and the perspective of the principal on such issues as career development and leadership distribution and will touch upon the above-noted issues in shaping the focus of its research instrument. Literature reexamination Principal Leadership Theory That schools in the United States in particular have generally experienced a decline in standards, in implementation and in personnel commitment is evidenced throughout the field.To many theorists in the last decade, this is indicative of a core problem relating to the orientation and distribution of leadership. This is in particular a challenge for the principal, whose leadership responsibilities are inherent but who faces myriad obstacles to the effectiveness of this leadership. Overly centralized ways of designing curriculum, of engaging students and of e valuating functioning of teachers and students, any(prenominal) will argue, has had the impact of disassociating school leadership from the environment which it impacts.This is wherefore in the view of many analysts, the task of transforming a school is too complex for one person to accomplish alone. Consequently, a new model of leadership is developing. (Lashway, 2002, p. 6) This new model is something that developing school principals and serving principals alike must prepare for. The leadership of the school administration or principalship is often looked upon as the sole determining factoring the curricular standardization and approach which pervades a learning institution.As Grasecks (2005) article reveals, the perceived singularity of this leadership is both a product of a fundamental misapprehension of the opportunities for in-school leadership and may be a contributor to a negative educational experience all around. At the heart of Grasecks model for administrative lead ership is the notion that too much vested authority in this position will tend to create what he refers to as a wall, which reinforces an improper notion that administration exists above principalship and belief on a hierarchical scale.A perception which may be shared by both parties, it is likely to cause an improperly aloof administrative approach to leadership which is more dominated by bureaucracy than a true and inquiring interest in the improvement of education. Equally as destructive, such an attitude imperils the security system of the teaching faculty, which tends to respond to being undervalued with resentment, occupational antipathy and diminished morale. As we enter into this interchange, it is important to recognize that this is a dilemma which centrally impacts the authority and leadership opportunities for the principal.The presumption that more effectively distributed leadership will ultimately produce positivistic performance outcomes for a school is underscored by heretofore existent positive evidence as to the impact of effective leadership overall as a determinant of student outcomes. check to Spillane (2003), over the past few decades researchers have consistently reported that school leadership, principal leadership in particular, is critical in developing and sustaining those school-level conditions believed essential for instructional improvement. (Spillane, 2003 p. 343) According to Lumby (2003), it may be accurate to state that an evolution in our appreciation for classroom level ingenuity inherently incites the need for a more distributed approach to leadership as pertaining to the relationship between principal and teachers.As his research claims, leadership is embedded in the activities of staff and students, including delegated management, and can be understood to be both distributed and systemic. (Lumby, 2003 p. 283) This is to indicate the pictorial solve of educational development will require this type of dynamic contri bution where the relationship between the principal and teachers facilitates a sense of leadership closing for the latter which can help to stimulate their invaluable support of the former. Indeed, for educators, the heightened emphasis on the opportunity for contribution at the highest levels can improve motivation and individual ingenuity.To this end, according to a study by Harris (2004), there is cause to infer that the outcome of this leadership approach for the principal will be to improve the choice of a school overall. Accordingly, the author notes that such forms of leadership can assist capacity building indoors schools which contributes to school improvement. (Harris, 11) For teachers and different staff members who are prone the opportunity to offer their skills at the leadership level, the framework will accommodate greater innovation, personal stake and perspective variance.All of these may be argued to get along the advancement of school quality as an experienc e for both student and educator. This review uses an extensive number of studies available on the subject of principals in education. roughly of the research directed the fix of our attention toward the external pressures which denote the need for a principal to develop a clear base of support from within the school. The challenges inherent in the No Child Left Behind legislation, according to the findings of most survey studies considered here, have compromised the ability of principals to lead effectively.The implications of externally shaped standards and performance consequences are undermining to the capacity of the principal and his or her faculty to lead in the shaping of curriculum, philosophy and evaluation. Some of the research available on the subject demonstrates the need to develop a clear strategic approach to leadership in the face of such pressures. To this end, according to Crum & Sherman (2008), the heightened emphasis on standardized testing and other practices r elated to No Child Left Behind has created a condition wherein the principal is found to be for the most part at the center of an host of really inflexible demands.The result is that the principals performance evaluation is directly connected to the capacity of the school and its students to comport with the standards created by such legislation. Therefore, principals are progressively finding it necessary to take a hands-on approach to providing leadership in public schools. As Crum & Sherman indicate, the burden for school improvement in a time of accountability falls squarely on the shoulders of principals as new requirements demand that they act as instructional leaders. (Crum & Sherman, 562)This study is of particular value to our discussion both for its association to the inherent case for a more widely distributed approach to leadership and to the establishment of our core methodology. The study in question is largely based on the data-gathering process of surveying thos e with measurable experience in the areas of principalship discussed. The issues of leadership and the distribution of authority are both recurrent in the self-reports self-collected by Crum & Sherman, which focus in useful detail on the aspects of the position which demand the intimate leadership oversight of a highly involved principal.According to the data gathering process which the researchers undertook, the principals provided valuable insights into their daily practices that foster an environment which is supportive of high-student achievement. These practices are categorized in the following themes developing personnel and facilitating leadership, liable delegation and empowering the team, recognizing ultimate accountability, communicating and rapport, facilitating instruction, and managing change. (Crum & Sherman, 563) Here, the principals who served as key respondents would generally come to an agreement on the crucial importance of using ones leadership to invoke leader ship initiative and the command of responsibilities amongst those who are theoretically subordinate. This means developing, maintaining and feeding a set of healthy relationships betwixt the principal and teachers and faculty. The principal must cultivate an atmosphere where trust and a sense of value allow teachers to effectively carry out the message, mission and pressures of the principalship.At the core of a data-gathering process such as this is the finding that the principal cannot act alone. Though accountability will typically be closely associated with the job of the principalship, the support which the principal enjoys from the teaching staff will be tantamount their willingness to support him or her. In turn, this support will translate into an effective staff which maintains the principals vision and standards of efficacy. Self-reporting proves here to be an illuminating process, driven by observations made by principals operating under the provisions of No Child Left Be hind.Though the No Child Left Behind is not the core focus of this investigation, its mention here denotes another aspect of the survey which makes it valuable to our purposes. A wide array of subjects in survey make voluntary mention of No Child Left Behind. With no connotation, the issue remains a relevant one today for its pervasive impact on the way that schools and students alike are assessed. The use of evaluative testing as a means to enforcing a universal standards for academic competence holds all members of the academic community under a microscope.Whether responding positively or negatively to its implications, a great many respondents to the research surveys which this source review encountered recognized that its provisions are a significant factor in shaping leadership strategy. Ferrandino (2001) wrote about the subject of the principalship over the transition into the 21st century, which proverb the inception of our current policy approach. Ferrandino analyzed the jo b itself and noted that being a principal today is furthest different than it was even 20 geezerhood ago.Principals work longer hours, have responsibility for a much broader community of pupils and staff (that is, pupils and staff from a diversity of cultures), are required to be far more politically savvy, and have to meet a much broader range of demands. Ferrandinos (2001) research addressed the claim that too many principals are in short due for retirement and there are insufficient numbers of teachers and educators with the training, education, and qualification to replace this aging workforce. (p. 441). The author posed and addressed the question as to why there appears to be shortage of competent candidates for such positions.In resolution, the article finds that many potential candidates do not want to cope with the inherent pressures of leadership and the requisite long hours of the job. According to the survey research gathered in the Ferrandino essay, the politicization of the academic process has become a deterrent for many serious and qualified candidates. The issues provoked by No Child Left Behind are played out today in the administrative conflicts which shape education as we know it, with the principal at the center of disputes.And quite indeed, as pedagogical approaches clash with each other (constructivism versus traditional teaching, for one example), more in the way of direct leadership is expected of principals than ever before. To some extent, this is causing many to shy away from even applying for the position. Ferrandino (2001) notes that this is not simply a problem of a shortage of candidates, but implies that which is at the crux of research, that there are institutional shortcomings which have disinclined a proper pool of candidates.The complexity of leadership demands in the position are dominant in either disinclined candidates or rendering the position too exclusive. The research by Langer and Boris-Schacter provides a model f or consideration as we meditate on the notion of using the survey methodology to produce a data set on the selected subject. In the research of Langer and Boris-Schacter (2003), it is support that Ferrandinos perspective that the role of the principal is one that leaves many of its beholders feeling frustrated and uncomfortable with the constantly changing demands of the job.Their study showed that most of the principals surveyed experience curt job satisfaction, that the job has a negative affect on their personal lives, that they have less and less leisure time, and that the constant demands on their time are often unreasonable. (Langer & Boris-Schacter, 14) One of the primary concerns noted by the principals surveyed in their study is the intrusiveness of new state and federal legislation. Surveyed subjects expressed the concern that there is a movement towards an emphasis on standardized test scores over quality of education in the classroom.

Film: a Form of Literature and Understanding It

Film A Form of Literature and Understanding It The purpose of literature non only describes reality exactly also adds to it. Its not merely a depiction of reality it is rather a value-addition. Literary works are interpretations of the thinking patterns and social standards established in society. They are portrayals of the incompatible aspects of everyday life. Literary works serve as a provision for thought and a boost for imagination and creativity. Reading and understanding literature laughingstock help someone understand life better. They help a someone take a closer look at the different sides of life.In numerous ways, it can change ones perspective towards life. There are different forms of literature, like mental picture. Film can be considered a form of literature. Literature is about utter a horizontal surface and entertaining its readers. Film is the exact same way it tells a story and entertains us throughout it. In take and literature they frequently relate to someone in some way. They can give lessons in life, and can have an influence on our behavior. This is because we often find ourselves try to harmonise with what we empathize and search for similarities between these characters and ourselves.They can develop our progress to consider things morally. For example a movie with an anti-war theme can make a person rethink what war should be just because they portrayed the film in a particular way. This starts with reading what the film has to offer in terms of what its trying to portray. When trying to study what the film has to offer, its not just about what the movie is about and who is acting, but rather in what way the film is presented to you. There are five key elements to reading and analyzing film. These five key elements are the narrative, staging, cinematography, editing and sound.We will be analyzing the film Troy. In some films such(prenominal) as Troy there is narration in the beginning of the film as well as the ending o f the film. It starts like this with Odysseus saying, Men are preoccupied by the vastness of eternity and so we ask ourselves Will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and admire who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved. This foreshadows what the film is going to be about. It sets the mood for the film which you know is going to be about war and the legacy of the heroes who fought in the conflict of Troy.The film ends with Odysseus narrating again. He says, If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles. This just sums up how epic the film was in terms of showing the significance of the war and heroes. It makes you wonder about if Hector and Achilles were really that great. Staging consists of the climb, space , lighting, acting and choreography, and costume and make-up.The setting is very realistic in terms of the time period of which it supposedly happened. Its very symbolic to the film because it creates the imagery during that time. Every scene you see brings a sense of awe because its so realistic in terms of getting everything right with the costumes, the make-up and props used. The atmosphere and lighting of the film are very clear and natural. The acting was amazing and it definitely made the film more believable and the strong acting could manipulate sympathies towards the characters. It created suspense and complexity within the acting such as the battle scenes and emotional scenes.For example when Hector and Achilles face off, you dont want either of them to die but someone has to. Hector has a wife and newborn baby while Achilles is out of vengeance and avenging his cousins death, creating complex emotions for the viewer. Cinematography was rather queer in Troy. In some scen es of the movie it looks much sharper than others. The other was the zooming to me it was just too much and didnt match some particular separate of the story. Like when Hector opens the doors of the city to face Achilles, it didnt really make sense in this film. It just made it look way more melodramatic than it needed to be.The editing done in the film had lots of cuts throughout the film especially the battle scenes, but they are necessary. The music of this film makes the story more dramatic to look at. The music is very on key with how they portray the scenes and characters in the movie. It creates a more epic effect with the music. The foundation of the grievous concepts to understand the movie Troy better are noticeable. From the sound to the staging and acting it makes the story more dramatic. It creates an artistic view to the film because of what its trying to portray based off the narration from Odysseus.

Difference of hero and saint

The adept vs.. Saint is something I initially thought I could differentiate easily. I initially believed it to be either a person who pull throughs life to the fullest day to day without any thought of what happens after death which would be the hero, or someone who lives life by a genuine set of standards and sacrifices certain things for the sole social occasion of something promised after death. After listening to Professor Ambrosias lectures and some discussion I have found that I wasnt exactly correct In my Minimal hinging and that it isnt exactly what I thought.Initially my thought on the hero was that they would be a self-seeking person Just living for themselves and their suffer glory. I have found that this Is non veritable at all. While the glory part I believe Is somewhat true It Is not for selfish reasons but for a sense of accomplishment. Yes a hero does things for glory, however It Is for reasons which better the world around them. They also do things because i t is the logical and fair thing to do. In other words the hero uses his head and not so much his heart when dealing with issues.I believed at first that to be a saint essential mean someone who is very religious. Have found that is also an incorrect thought. I was thinking too literally about the word saint and permit my own religious beliefs cloud my thought process and gave me tunnel vision. While someone who is very religious probably does lean toward the saint view it does not mean someone who is not very religious cannot also lean towards the saint view on life. A saint is someone with a spacious heart and uses it along with compassion and love to make decisions and lead them through life.I believe most of us live somewhere in between saints and heroes. I do not believe that someone has to choose one side over the other and I believe that in most cases it is better to live somewhere in between. However I do feel that on certain occasions we must choose between them and eithe r make a decision based on fact even though it may not be the most compassionate answer or make a decision which even Hough isnt the smartest is the kindest and most heartfelt.sometimes there Is no in between answer and the answer does Ill completely on one side or the other which forces us to the hero or saint. BY entreaty initially believed it to be either a person who lives life to the fullest day to day without purpose of something promised after death. After listening to Professor Ambrosias lectures and some discussion I have found that I wasnt exactly correct in my initial Initially my thought on the hero was that they would be a selfish person Just living or themselves and their own glory.I have found that this is not true at all. While the glory part I believe is somewhat true it is not for selfish reasons but for a sense of accomplishment. Yes a hero does things for glory, however it is for reasons which I believed at first that to be a saint must mean someone who is very r eligious. I though isnt the smartest is the kindest and most heartfelt. Sometimes there is no in between answer and the answer does lie completely on one side or the other which

Progress for Undocumented Students in the United States

On June 15, 2012, President Barak Obama gave a brief speech on a new Department of mother country protective covering Immigration polity. This new policy bequeath benefit thousands of un documented scholars life here(predicate) in the join States that were brought by their p arnts since they were young children from their native home. A policy called the Deferred act for Childhood Arrivals. As President Obama mentioned in his speech round what undocumented students atomic number 18, he mentioned part of a directence that got to me. President Obama utter the following, They atomic number 18 Americans in their construet, in their minds, in every single way but one, on paper (Obama).This is very rightful(a) in my point of view, as I shed realized just just that growing up. As a young girl, I was never told whether or non I was documented or not whether I was a citizen of where I was growing up or I wasnt. I was never disquieted about my legal position in the United States. My main focus has evermore been school and progressing to be a rise-educated citizen that is part of the United States. Thats how I see myself as, as of straight off a citizen of the United States, perhaps not in paper, but in tit. This is the place where I conduct been raise since the age of two, till today at the age of 17 flat doing that I am undocumented.I love the fact knowing Im Mexican and go forth unendingly be by my culture and by a large majority of my family, but thats not the place I know by heart or grew up. That is not the country that has helped my progress as an individual. It is here in the United States where my foretastes and dreams are at for a punter future. The Deferred act for Childhood Arrivals go away open job opportunities for undocumented students, avoid universe deported back to their native country for at least two years, and throw away them a sense of hope to give for college and scholarships, no longer fearing of being denied be cause they do not fox a social security number.Although the process for this policy depart take a while and cost hundreds of dollars, thousands of undocumented students volition be thankful for this opportunity given by the Department of Homeland Security Immigration services. As well, as thanking President Obama for making this step by step process a candor. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals also known as the DACA policy was counterbalance perceive of on June 15, 2012. That day President Obama made a public speech that lasted almost nine minutes long explaining how this will help undocumented students living in the United States since they were young children.The DACA is NOT a path to citizenship right away, but a sense of relief for undocumented students. This policy will has its requirements to be able to apply for it and be eligible. Around Mid-August of 2012, the Department of Homeland Security Immigration services started receiving about 180,000 applications and 4,500 of those applications were eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. However, in the first two months U. S. Citizenship and Immigration run peckd and accepted for processing 179,794 deferred-action requests (Fitz, Oakford, Garcia).In order to be eligible an undocumented student must(prenominal) have been living here in the United States before their 16th birthday, be under the age of 31 years of age, were in the Unites States on June 15, 2012, have proof that they are politic attending school or have graduated, serving in the U. S. military, have been living here in the United States for 5 continuous years without go forth the country, and have no felonies, no more than three misdemeanors or significant ones, and not considered a public or issue threat ().Proof that can gift that you have all those necessary requirements are certificates a student whitethorn have received from school, house bills, medical testifys, even some affaire as simple as old receipts from stores that someone may have. As soon as an undocumented student has all that, they can apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy and will most likely be eligible. Undocumented students practise from all over the world, not just Mexico, or Spanish speaking countries as some(prenominal) close-minded people believe.It is sad how when someone sees a Hispanic/Latino student they automatically think they are undocumented and are from Mexico. That is not always the case. There are Hispanic/Latino students in the United States that are documented. The reason why many parents essay their deportment to come here to the United States as an immigrant is because they want a meliorate future for their kids. Even when they have children in their native country, they try their best to direct them to the United States along with them as young children so they are able to get a better education and life.For their kids to be able to receive and have a life th at will be a million periods better than the one they would have if they stayed in their native country. Every day I am grateful for the risk my mother took for me. For giving me the chance to grow up in a country where I know I am getting a better education. Where I was taught English as my second language and have mastered it just as oft as Spanish that is my native language. The United States is where I feel like I am home. Although at times I had the fear of being deported, or have racial comments said to, this is still home.Mexico is all a country where I was born at, raised for the first two years of my life, but remember nothing about it except in pictures, and not know how it is to live there personally. *This data was taken from the (Fitz, Oakford, Garcia) article. Within their article they have a map where you can rapid growth in and see exactly where undocumented students that applied for the DACA came from and how many. Here, I did it by region and visualized the nu mber of approximately the thousands of undocumented students are originally from by adding them up region by region.Australia and Canada are the only two regions where there were not a number of thousand. Only a total of just 9 undocumented students came from Australia and 114 from Canada that applied for the DACA. In total there is an approximately of 172,624 undocumented students. * The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a step by step policy that takes in between 4-6 months to process, as well cost hundreds perhaps even thousands of dollars per undocumented student that can apply and be eligible.There a 3 forms that must be fill up out and process to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to be looked at and be handled case by case. The 3 forms that MUST be filled out are frame of reference I-821D, the Application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Form I-765, the Application for Employment authority Document (EAD), and lastly Form I-765WS, the Emp loyment Authorization Worksheet. There is also a recommended, but not mandatory form which is Form G-1145, the E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance (). On top of those forms that need to be filled out, there are fees.Form I-821D has a fee of $465, a $380 work authorization fee, and an $85 fee for biometrics. All of those fees put together, already make a total of $930. Additional fees are getting the birth certificate of the undocumented student translated into English, which is usually around $35 and getting a criminal record to prove that, that student had no felonies, misdemeanors, or are a public or national threat in society, which usually costs $25. There, there are an additional $60 added for a grand total of $990 spend per undocumented student, almost reaching $1,000.Once all forms, translated birth certificate, criminal record, and the proof necessary that shows that an undocumented students has been here for more than 5 continuous years, still in school, or ha ve already graduated, or are serving in the U. S. military, are self-contained together, they are then sent to the United States Citizenship for Immigration Services. There they take a look at case by case that is sent to them. Afterwards, the student will receive an electronic mail 1 to 4 weeks later after sending their applications, where they can take a look of their applications progress.Then, within 2 to 4 months, the student will receive a letter by mail that will have their particular date to go get their biometrics done and the time that they need to be there by. On the day of the appointment, they must bring a type of identification, such as a passport from their native country. Their appointment will be at an Application Support Center also known as an ASC. Lastly, the last thing to do is wait for the approval for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, the workings take into account for 2 years, along with a social security number.Once the 2 years are up, they will have to continually re-new their working permit for another 2 years and so on. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be able to go to this process with no problem. for each one case may be different for every person, meaning the process may be a long one or a defraud one. It is just estimated that most will last between 2 to 6 months. With the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that the Department of Homeland Security Immigration Services gave to many undocumented students with hopes and dreams, this has lift a weight off of my shoulders.I no longer have to wake up every day fearing that I may end up being deported back to my native country. That the next time I hear about a job opening in a place I know I can have a part-time job I can go in and ask for an application. When I hear about a scholarship, I know Ill be able to apply for it without have that thought in the back of my mind that I dont have a social security number. My mother has worked her w hole life to give me a better life because she knew that back in Mexico, I was never deviation to be able to get the opportunities I have here in the United States.My motivation has always been my mother, to give her detect and thank her for everything that she has done for me and has provided me with. As an undocumented student you learn to be thankful for what you have and never take anything for granted. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, has opened much more opportunities for thousands and thousands of undocumented students and myself. aim has always been a main priority, and will always be. I can now make my dreams of going to college a reality and make my mother and family members proud.All give thanks to the Department of Homeland Security Immigration Services and President Barak Obama for giving that public announcement for the whole country to hear what undocumented students can go to help progress this country. We are not a threat, but a help for the co untry to progress economically. We are DREAMERS that will now make our dreams come true. We are fighting in the nations forces to protect this country. We are citizens of the United States in heart. As President Obama, mentioned in his speech, It is the right thing to do (Obama).Progress for Undocumented Students in the United StatesOn June 15, 2012, President Barak Obama gave a brief speech on a new Department of Homeland Security Immigration policy. This new policy will benefit thousands of undocumented students living here in the United States that were brought by their parents since they were young children from their native home. A policy called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. As President Obama mentioned in his speech about what undocumented students are, he mentioned part of a sentence that got to me. President Obama stated the following, They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one, on paper (Obama).This is very true in my point of view, as I have realized exactly just that growing up. As a young girl, I was never told whether or not I was documented or not whether I was a citizen of where I was growing up or I wasnt. I was never worried about my legal status in the United States. My main focus has always been school and progressing to be a well-educated citizen that is part of the United States. Thats how I see myself as, as of today a citizen of the United States, perhaps not in paper, but in heart. This is the place where I have been raised since the age of two, till today at the age of 17 even knowing that I am undocumented.I love the fact knowing Im Mexican and will always be by my culture and by a large majority of my family, but thats not the place I know by heart or grew up. That is not the country that has helped my progress as an individual. It is here in the United States where my hopes and dreams are at for a better future. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals will open job opportunities f or undocumented students, avoid being deported back to their native country for at least two years, and give them a sense of hope to apply for college and scholarships, no longer fearing of being denied because they do not have a social security number.Although the process for this policy will take a while and cost hundreds of dollars, thousands of undocumented students will be thankful for this opportunity given by the Department of Homeland Security Immigration services. As well, as thanking President Obama for making this step by step process a reality. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals also known as the DACA policy was first heard of on June 15, 2012. That day President Obama made a public speech that lasted almost nine minutes long explaining how this will help undocumented students living in the United States since they were young children.The DACA is NOT a path to citizenship right away, but a sense of relief for undocumented students. This policy will has its requir ements to be able to apply for it and be eligible. Around Mid-August of 2012, the Department of Homeland Security Immigration services started receiving about 180,000 applications and 4,500 of those applications were eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. However, in the first two months U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received and accepted for processing 179,794 deferred-action requests (Fitz, Oakford, Garcia).In order to be eligible an undocumented student must have been living here in the United States before their 16th birthday, be under the age of 31 years of age, were in the Unites States on June 15, 2012, have proof that they are still attending school or have graduated, serving in the U. S. military, have been living here in the United States for 5 continuous years without leaving the country, and have no felonies, no more than three misdemeanors or significant ones, and not considered a public or national threat ().Proof that can show tha t you have all those necessary requirements are certificates a student may have received from school, house bills, medical records, even something as simple as old receipts from stores that someone may have. As soon as an undocumented student has all that, they can apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy and will most likely be eligible. Undocumented students come from all over the world, not just Mexico, or Spanish speaking countries as many close-minded people believe.It is sad how when someone sees a Hispanic/Latino student they automatically think they are undocumented and are from Mexico. That is not always the case. There are Hispanic/Latino students in the United States that are documented. The reason why many parents risk their life to come here to the United States as an immigrant is because they want a better future for their kids. Even when they have children in their native country, they try their best to bring them to the United States along with the m as young children so they are able to get a better education and life.For their kids to be able to receive and have a life that will be a million times better than the one they would have if they stayed in their native country. Every day I am grateful for the risk my mother took for me. For giving me the chance to grow up in a country where I know I am getting a better education. Where I was taught English as my second language and have mastered it just as much as Spanish that is my native language. The United States is where I feel like I am home. Although at times I had the fear of being deported, or have racial comments said to, this is still home.Mexico is only a country where I was born at, raised for the first two years of my life, but remember nothing about it except in pictures, and not know how it is to live there personally. *This data was taken from the (Fitz, Oakford, Garcia) article. Within their article they have a map where you can zoom in and see exactly where undo cumented students that applied for the DACA came from and how many. Here, I did it by region and visualized the number of approximately the thousands of undocumented students are originally from by adding them up region by region.Australia and Canada are the only two regions where there were not a number of thousand. Only a total of just 9 undocumented students came from Australia and 114 from Canada that applied for the DACA. In total there is an approximately of 172,624 undocumented students. * The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a step by step policy that takes in between 4-6 months to process, as well cost hundreds perhaps even thousands of dollars per undocumented student that can apply and be eligible.There a 3 forms that must be filled out and processed to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to be looked at and be handled case by case. The 3 forms that MUST be filled out are Form I-821D, the Application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Form I-765, the Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and lastly Form I-765WS, the Employment Authorization Worksheet. There is also a recommended, but not mandatory form which is Form G-1145, the E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance (). On top of those forms that need to be filled out, there are fees.Form I-821D has a fee of $465, a $380 work authorization fee, and an $85 fee for biometrics. All of those fees put together, already make a total of $930. Additional fees are getting the birth certificate of the undocumented student translated into English, which is usually around $35 and getting a criminal record to prove that, that student had no felonies, misdemeanors, or are a public or national threat in society, which usually costs $25. There, there are an additional $60 added for a grand total of $990 spend per undocumented student, almost reaching $1,000.Once all forms, translated birth certificate, criminal record, and the proof necessary that shows that an undocumented students has been here for more than 5 continuous years, still in school, or have already graduated, or are serving in the U. S. military, are gathered together, they are then sent to the United States Citizenship for Immigration Services. There they take a look at case by case that is sent to them. Afterwards, the student will receive an e-mail 1 to 4 weeks later after sending their applications, where they can take a look of their applications progress.Then, within 2 to 4 months, the student will receive a letter by mail that will have their appointment to go get their biometrics done and the time that they need to be there by. On the day of the appointment, they must bring a type of identification, such as a passport from their native country. Their appointment will be at an Application Support Center also known as an ASC. Lastly, the last thing to do is wait for the approval for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, the working permit for 2 yea rs, along with a social security number.Once the 2 years are up, they will have to continually re-new their working permit for another 2 years and so on. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be able to go to this process with no problem. Each case may be different for every person, meaning the process may be a long one or a short one. It is just estimated that most will last between 2 to 6 months. With the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that the Department of Homeland Security Immigration Services gave to many undocumented students with hopes and dreams, this has lifted a weight off of my shoulders.I no longer have to wake up every day fearing that I may end up being deported back to my native country. That the next time I hear about a job opening in a place I know I can have a part-time job I can go in and ask for an application. When I hear about a scholarship, I know Ill be able to apply for it without have that thought in the back of my mind that I dont hav e a social security number. My mother has worked her whole life to give me a better life because she knew that back in Mexico, I was never going to be able to get the opportunities I have here in the United States.My motivation has always been my mother, to give her break and thank her for everything that she has done for me and has provided me with. As an undocumented student you learn to be thankful for what you have and never take anything for granted. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, has opened much more opportunities for thousands and thousands of undocumented students and myself. School has always been a main priority, and will always be. I can now make my dreams of going to college a reality and make my mother and family members proud.All thanks to the Department of Homeland Security Immigration Services and President Barak Obama for giving that public announcement for the whole country to hear what undocumented students can go to help progress this country. We are not a threat, but a help for the country to progress economically. We are DREAMERS that will now make our dreams come true. We are fighting in the nations forces to protect this country. We are citizens of the United States in heart. As President Obama, mentioned in his speech, It is the right thing to do (Obama).

The Effects of False Advertising

Final Draft The Effects of False denote Since the evolution of communication, media has been used to transmit informations to those provideing to absorb it. Now, victimization powerful technologies such as television or the internet, information has been made accessible to people in e precise aspect of our daily lives, trying nowadays to influence our choices more than than ever before done advertisement. However, for the most, the goal behind advertising is personal profit.Therefore, the things we be exposed to in advertisements atomic number 18 not always true they often tend to make people try being someone elses idea of perfection while ignoring their own goals, and then conduct the consumers to deception. As for anything else, regulations on advertising do exist and are set by the Federal Trade centering. But still, the problem of deceptive advertising does exist and is very persistent.My goal is to discuss the problem of deceptive advertising, by analyzing the strength s and the weaknesses of the FTC policies on advertising, the causes and effects of the problem and finally propose eventual solutions. Part I According to its ex officio web site, ftc. gov, The FTC deals with issues that touch the economic disembodied spirit of every Ameri green goddess. It is the only federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy, ( close the Federal Trade Commission) advertising included.As any institution of this scale, the FTC has very strong policies regarding the field it deals with. And acts such as false advertising can be heavily punished by the law, according to the FTCs many laws and acts. However, disregardless the numerous regulations that make the FTCs strengths, it possesses a major weakness, since as far as the commission punishes unfair methods in advertising, and it fails to clearly dress the word unfair. William F.Brown says in his article that the term unfair methods remains a genera lization that the FTC essential translate into usable policies, or standards by which specific methods can be judged (the Federal Trade Commission and False Advertising II). More specifically, its not always clear what would be included within the scope of the commissions authority. This I would rather qualify unexisting part of the FTC policy, creates a goggle hole through which the problem of false advertising slips out.And I can in truth forgather where this problem might apply We can always see or hear from commercials all the benefits of a result, but, usually all the undesirable side effects are either written in very infinitesimal caps at the bottom, so that no one can see or practically said at the speed of light, making them incomprehensible. From my consumer point of view, I can say that these are unfair methods however, I can hardly see how the FTC is going to punish such an act, because in fact, everything about the product is there regardless how the information is delivered.Part II Along with the FTC policy problem, there are more causes linked to the false advertising problem. For starter, I can tell from personal observations that the States is a highly competitive country with a very capitalist nature. So much that in order to sell its products, companies will not falter to lie. For example, I still dont know which phone companys network is Americas fastest, especially when most claim to be (ATT, Verizon, and t-mobile are really brookting me confused. Then there is also the people mindset that is problematic. By that, I mean people tend to respond to timbre rather than reason a commercial full of fallacies, for example, will get customers to buy a product simply by being entertaining. I recall that peoples response to advertisements in America is different because of the way they are implemented. For every 10 minutes of a television show, there are 5 minutes of advertisement it gives a 1/3 ratio, meaning that more than 30% of what peo ple see on television are commercials.Even on radio stations and all over the internet there are commercials. What Im saying is that over time, people stop noticing them, plus they bring about boring (think about how often you skip channels when an ad is on), thats when marketers, in need of new ways to keep consumers attention on a product, use humor, entertainment, or make some commercials so stupid that they are rarely unnoticeable. Also, somebody desperately in need of change in his life is most likely to consider any possible option, even the most irrational.I will take the specific case of over the counter weight hurt products, which has a huge market value at the moment Approximately 100 billion dollars and expected to quadruple by 2015 (Money Spent On Weight-Loss Programs in America Today). A study from John Cawley (Cornell University), Rosemary Avery (Cornel University) and Matthew Eisenberg (Carnegie Mellon University) revealed that as of 2008, 68% of the American adult population was overweight, 33% obese, and that out of the volume of those trying to lose weight, 33. 9% had used over the counter weight damage products.The same study also showed that their spread is increasing because weight loss products are very loosely regulated and have a history of little efficacy and dangerous side effects (The Effects of Advertising and delusory Advertising on Consumption). One cause to that is They are treated like food. Therefore, they are sold in supermarkets and pharmacies as well as through the internet without any need for manufacturers to prove benefits from the product, and bearing responsibilities for showing safety before marketing (food is assumed to be safe).It is then up to other governmental institutions to reveal the product to be unsafe. As a result, manufacturers of weight loss products have considerable slack in the marketing of these products. But truth is, they are very unavailing and can have severe side effects. Most of the weight l oss products contain components such as phenylpropanolamine and ephedra, which have been identified by the FDA as increasing risks of stroke and cardiac events, as well as caffeine like products that increase the heart rate to give the impression of a faster metabolism.One big case was involving Redux, a drug that was designed for obese singulars, but had many people, including doctors, who were slightly overweight experience pulmonary hypertension, valvular heart disease, and neurotoxicity. Even without being an expert on this topic, I can accurately say that its impossible to lose weight without doing any cordial of exercise so the best these products can is ease the weight loss process. And as a matter of fact, if they were really working we would already see decreases in the overweight rate in the population.Unfortunately, not everybody understands the facts about advertising certain products, and people end up falling into deception by using a lot of them, ultimately affectin g themselves as individuals and the population as a whole. In a long run I can hold it responsible for phenomena like emotional conflicts, because, in addition to lies, some advertising programs show a distorted stunt man of reality which often become peoples new standard. For those influenced deeper, physical and mental problems occur, including bulimia, anorexia, the employment of harmful dietary plans, low self esteem, or thoughts of suicide.Unless the truth is revealed, some will continue to suffer. To my opinion, consumers could find products more attractive advertisements were done by normal people or without all the extra mind blowers. Other side effect to deceptive advertising is that forever deceived consumers can actually turn their back to some product, and give negative feedback to their entourage. In some cases, it gets so bad that there are several individual law suits against a single company.Such mistrust into local products can go as far as bringing the economy d own, especially if people break up to stop purchasing things of the same kind. Plus, manufacturing products that are not going to be consumed by a majority of the population is a waste of resources. Part common chord But like for every problem, there are a few solutions, or at least ways to lessen it. I believe the FTC need to create a clear definition of the term unfair methods in its policy, so that every questionable, literally or implicitly false advertisement will be subject to revision, especially for those that can have an impact on health.In addition to this, if the public could try viewing advertising only as something to get ones attention, and recognize the commercials playing on peoples insecurities, as well as those using humor and entertainment over facts to sell a product (According to the article The Use Of Humor To Mask Deceptive Advertising in The Journal of Advertising, The content analysis of 238 humorous ads showed that 73. 5% of them had deceptive claims and 74. 5% of these claims were wrapped by humor).Until either is accomplished, the negative effects of deceptive advertising will be felt by the vulnerable, people, and companies will still make profit. result Overall, its clear to see that the practice of false advertising is very persisting and influences several aspects of our live, either by getting people to by ineffective products then fall into deception or sometimes setting new standard in society by showing a distorted image of reality or beauty.However, I believe there is no better wall to this problem than self-defense. By that, I mean it is up to the people to truly open their mind and rely more on reason, to try finding and understanding more facts about the products on the market, so that their actions toward a product define new standards for manufacturers instead of the other way around. Work Cited About the Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission June 17, 2010Ftc. gov April 18 2011. Electronic. Brown, Wi lliam F. The Federal Trade Commission and False Advertising II The Journal of Marketing (1 July1947) 38-46. April 18, 2011. Print. Cawley, John, Rosemary Avery, and Matthew Eisenberg. The Effects of Advertising and Deceptive Advertising on Consumption. Economics Seminar Papers (30 July 2010) 3-11. Electronic. Mialon, Hugo M. and Paul H. Rubin. Economics, Law, and single Rights. 2008 New York Taylor & Francis Routledge, 2008. Electronic. Money Spent on Weight Loss Programs in The USA Today. Worldometers Information 2009. Worldometers. info April 18 2011. Electronic. Mundy, Alicia. Weight-loss Wars. U. S. News & World Report 15 February 1999, Vol. 126, Issue 6 42. April 18, 2011. Electronic. Shabbir, Haseeb and Des Thwaites. The Use of Humor to Mask Deceptive Advertising. Journal of Advertising Summer 2007, Vol. 36 Issue 2 75-85. April 18, 2011. Electronic. What Is False Advertising? Astra, Chan, Gurst, and Thomas P. C 2006,Aboutfalseadvertising. com. April 18, 2011. Electronic.

The Knowledge Taught in Vain

If you were to ask a teenager to solar day if he or she would rather study or watch television, what do you return the answer would be? From what I rich person thr possess in myself when I was a teenager and in nigh e truly unrivalled that I meet, nobody would rather study. Todays fast food culture has sucked the beauty expose of individual judgment and the acquirement of knowledge. Schools give an insufficient amount of knowledge on a variety of different topics and sub-topics without whatsoever encouragement of critical thought and analysis on the knowledge.Indeed, if grooms required children to do so as a part of their information then the politicians, people of elite status, and get worders would be shown that the instruction they bemuse been doing social functions, and they expressive style they atomic number 18 doing things, is wrong. Some people who do actu wholey think round things and disagree are rare non only because its hard to find inte continue in somet hing man command has made arbitrary and because doing so results in universe a social outcast. Some still disagree everyway.It is non allowed in the classrooms so they drop out of schools, die their hair black, get body piercings, become pessimists, and become stamp as trash to express their reships bellion against being trained to think in a way that does nonhing exactly confuse thought itself. The simple fact is that if young people were encouraged to transpose our current situation instead of being cast out and beaten down, these same tattooed drug pilfer losers would be Nobel Prize winners.Its not these rebels that are causing environmental problems, sucking up all the unattached re ascendants at the expense of people living in poverty, and sending American callings across the Mexican molding for the sake of a greasy buck. It is not the individualist envisionary artists we call elements of a demoralized young extension that are over taxing the people to build machi nery for wars that, most of time, are n one and only(a) of our damn business.It is not the gun carrying gangsters that are engaging in the politics of deception and manipulation to lie to the major(ip)ity of square people in this country and take their money to fulfill their bloodthirsty wallets at the cost of peoples lives. These proprietorship social outcasts are defense mechanisms that result from the disgusting maginalization of the current system. Where does it all begin? In the creation schools are the roots of the problem. What helps it? The media with its advertisement propaganda waters those roots.There are galore(postnominal) problems in our confederation that alternate from one thing the miseducation of our children. There are many problems in the education of our children that spring from one thing students are being taught what to think instead of how to think. The core of our education of children should not be the amount of true(a) give chaseed unless the en couragement of thinking close to the material which should be presented with a spirited detail of honesty with emphasis on awareness and responsibility. On many occasions in public school I can remember inquiring on the splendor of material only to be laughed at by the class.In eleventh circle English, designed for vocational students, we read To Kill a flouter by Harper Lee. We read during class and each Friday had tests on the material without any discussion of our mapping for learning it. One day when I questioned why we needed to learn it and the class laughed at me. The teacher told me that it was just part of the curriculum required by the state. I can remember that adding to the anger and frustration of my already rebellious attitude. The rebellion that I felt at the time was against everything that I was being taught.I at the time, like most people, had grown repulsed by learning since the knowledge had been distributed in a way that made it seem like it was a waste of my time. There were seven class periods a day. each(prenominal) class was less than an hour long and there was little time to go over the things of real importance. When things of real importance were taught, I had six other classes crowding in trying to choke any desire that might have been there to investigate the matters further. Consequently, books and knowledge brought to mind nil but the nonsense(prenominal) boredom of the manner in which they were presented in school.Whether in school or out, reading books sucked. When that last bell rang it al shipway sparked the conditioned thought of myself hanging out with friends, watching television, listening to music, smoking pot, and doing anything but being productive. Being productive seemed like something that old people do because they need to survive, not because it is something that they go to sleepd to do, and its privilege implied hours of monotonous dedication to memorizing conceptual relics from a former epoch that have no relevant pertinence to my modern life.Watching television consumed most of my out of school time since that was mostly what people in my surroundings peached approximately. Why was it important? It provided for my parents a relief from doing work that they do not enjoy all day. It provided for me and my fellow students an automatic identity and purpose since school had degraded the idea of constructing one from history, science, literature, and philosophy to nonsense(prenominal) syll opens that invoked sleep.If a public school student were to actually pay attention in school and tweak to get an A, lets say, in history class, that person might be able to tell you that Thomas Jefferson wrote the resolve of Independence. That person might be able to tell you that the Declaration of Independence says we are all created equal, but if you told him the truth that Jefferson had slaves and that he cheated on his wife with a slave for the better part of twenty years, she would a ny think you are dumb, laugh at you, or both.When I was riding the bus to school in the twelfth grade, I saw that a girl with a calculus textbook. I tried to talk to her about it and told her that Kempler, one of the fathers of calculus, developed the subject for the study of astronomical bodies. She was an honors student, smart enough to be in calculus, but she did not believe that what I was saying was true. Calculus has nothing to do with astronomy she said. exclusively I could think was how boring this subject was because its history and meaning had been negated.It made me angry that the teacher neer described exactly what happened in history or how much depth and beauty is in mathematics just because its not a part of the curriculum. Most people think of mathematics and reading books as boring. This is a direct result of people being showed things like geometrical shapes, the battle of Gettysburg, and the periodic circuit board of elements without indicating their signific ance at the time that these things were discovered or occurred, or their significance in modern day life.When most people think of school they see one subject, instead of a vast straddle of topics and interests, and they think of that subject as dreadful, boring, and a waste of time. For instance, Mike Rose wrote about the public education own in his book I Just Wanna Be Average The particulars will vary, but in essence this is what a number of students go through, especially those in the so-called remedial classes. They open their textbooks and see once again the familiar and impenetrable formulas and diagrams and terms that have stumped them for years.There is no excitement here. No excitement. Regardless of what the teacher says, this is not a new challenge. There is, rather embarrassment and frustration and, not suprisingly, some anger in being reminded once again of long-standing inadequacies. No wonder so many students finally attribute their difficulties to something inborn , organic That part of my brain just doesnt work. Given the troubling histories many of these students have, its supernatural that any of them can lift the shroud of hopelessness sufficiently to make deliverance from these classes possible.This situation is not just applicable to this particular case, but is a good generalization of the majority of people who experience public schools first hand. Put simply, the government designs a curriculum. In that curriculum it is set up for students to cover a certain amount of material however, I cannot remember one class in public school where we finished a text book. It appears like the government sets unreachable curricular goals because there is no desire for them to invoke critical thought in the minds of the students.They know that if a student were taught to think about too much, the things that are wrong in our government, socioculture, and environmental ecology would be criticized. That would mean a major change in the way that we are doing things, and all those who are taking advantage of the system for their own greed would be brought to light. Many people would lose their status, power, control, and luxuries. So, while people are trained, in a sense, to see education and knowledge acquirement as monotonous and boring, they are being prevented from being able to do anything about the wrongs in our world.To aid in this suppression, the powers that be also use television to inform, and misinform, the plurality of the problems and solutions. As a result, people are being spoon-fed what to think without having to think, because thinking is something that is not of primary importance whatsoever, for the reasons above. The hardly a(prenominal) people who do are such a small amount that it is hard to exchange the masses who are being zombified that that is in fact what is happening to them. There are a few wonderful exceptions.Some public school teachers deviate from the curriculum because their passion over-ri des their fear of not accomplishing their job requirements. For instance, Jonathan Kozol wrote about a teacher in the city of Chicago in his essay Corla Hawkins. She did her best to teach her kids how to think about what they learned, how to teach each other what they learned, and how what they learned applies to their life. The thirty children in her fifth and 6th grade class were seated in groups of six or five called departments. Each department was cool of six desks pushed together to created a table.One of the groups did math, another something they describe as mathematics art picture composites of geometric shapesand the other is studying careers, which on this particular morning in the essay were writing about successful business leaders who began their lives in poverty. Then, they all switched groups while one stayed behind to teach the rest the ropes of that department. This teacher, Mrs. Hawkins, was showing them how to communicate intrapersonally and interpersonally inf ormation that would be of use to them.The essay made it clear she cared more about the way her children thought and less what her children thought. This is the point of it, she says. I am teaching them three things. Number one self-motivation. Number two self-esteem. Number three you help your sister and brother. I tell them theyre responsible for one another. I give no grades in the first marking period because I do not want them to be too competitive. Second marking period, I team them two-and-two. You get the same grade as your partner. Fourth marking period, I tell them Every fish swims on its own. But I wait a while for that. The most important thing for me is that they teach each other (178) This is an terrible example of teaching the kids how to think. Sadly, though, these kids are most likely being suppressed outside of school. Although education is something they believably look forward to every day, the companionship slightly them does not place much importance on edu cation at all. In a textbook, Invitation to Psychology, I read the work of psychological researchers Harold Sevenson, Chuanshen Chen, and Shin-Ying Lee. They compared children from 20 schools in Chicago and 11 schools in Beijing.The study, ironically, was on fifth graders, as in the class state above and eleventh graders who were compared ten years earlier. Their results can show us much on the nicety of intellect. On computations and word problems, the lowest scoring Beijing schools did better than the highest scoring Chicago schools Only 4 percent of the Chinese children had scores as low as the average American child. Interestingly, the Chinese had worsened facilities and larger classes The Chinese parents were also poorer and less educated than the American parentsIn this case, the government propagates to its society the importance of education because it benefits them. Since it is a Communist society, people who are more productive and intelligent benefit the high ranking po litical parties. Because of this, Chinese students are anticipate to devote themselves to their studies, but American students are expected to be well-roundedto have after school jobs (74 percent of them did, compared to only 21 percent of the Chinese), to have dates and an active social life (85 percent to 37 percent), and to have time for sports and other activities.Contrary to the assort of the stressed and overworked Asian student, it is American students who are most likely to report that school is a source of stress and academic anxiety. Asians actually had the lowest incidents of stress, depression, insomnia, aggression, and physical symptoms. American students do not value education as much as Asian students do. They are also more complacent about average work. When asked what they would wish for if a wizard could give them anything they wanted, more than sixty percent of the Chinese fifth-graders named something that related to their education. goat you guess what the Am erican children wanted? A majority said money or possessions. (216) It is not an funny notion to think that the US government and the economical superpowers of this country propagate materialism, simply because it fills their pockets continuously. The solution to many of our worlds social and economic problems would surface rather quickly if we changed our curriculum to promote critical individual thought. pay off now the current system may not be intended to fill the pockets of the wealthy and the polititions, but that is sure what it does.Rather than keep filling their pockets with money, lets fill our global, national, and communal problems with solutions. The best way to do this, clearly, is to come apart over feeding our childrens minds with the water of knowledge and to start planting there more seeds of thought. A very prolific man, Neale Donald Walsch, makes a great suggestion of how to do this in Conversations with God I am talk of the town about focusing your childrens attention as much on understanding the core concepts and the theoretical structures around which their value system may be constructed as you now do on dates and facts and statistics.In your society you have created a system in which little Johnnie has learned how to read before getting out of pre-school, but still hasnt learned how to stop biting his brother. And Susie has perfected her multiplication tables, using flash card and rote memory, in ever earlier and earlier grades, but has not learned that there is nothing shameful or embarrassing about her body. Right now your schools exist primarily to provide answers. It would be far more beneficial if their primary function was to ask questions.What does it mean to be honest, or responsible, or fair? What are the implications? For that matter, what does it mean that 2+2=4? What are the implications? A highly evolved society would encourage all children to discover and create those answers for themselves. place Data should not be the foundation garment of Present Truth. Data from a prior time or experience should always and only be the basis for new questions. Always the treasure should be in the question, not in the answer. And always the questions are the same.With figure to this past data which we have shown you, do you agree, or do you disagree? What do you think? Always, this is the get word question. Always this is the focus. What do you think? What do you think? (127-128) Through out life I have been fortunate to know very intelligent, charismatic, thoughtful people. The best of them all combine to form the ideal place model. The actualization of their thoughts, each with a distinctive power, wonder, grace, is nothing less than an amazing vision of beauty that cannot be described on paper, only felt in observing.The public school system, if anything, has attacked my comprehension of and capability of add to this beauty. The struggle that I call my past could have been a plethora of aesthetics if I had been shown the ways of the thinker instead of the ways of a zombie. Anyone who has felt a personal feeling of deep expression would agree that its goodness could not be replaced or taken away by anything external or material. Those people are the ones who evolve the current system. Instead of these people loving themselves through their students, they will love their students through wisdom.

A Leadership Profile of American Project Managers Essay

Although the needs and demands of clients have sustainedly been the highest priority for any forcing out four-in-hand, increasing global competition, ever heightening client expectations, and the magnitude of the nominates carry on on a familys bottom line has begun to place great emphasis on the skills necessary to victoryfully make pass immediatelys escort police squads. Historic on the wholey, strong prissy skills and knowledge of the persistence would have been the key selection criteria. It was, in many cases, simply assumed that men and women who suffered these qualities would transcend the get a line to a successful closure.Todays complex realize environments require even greater skills at lead than ever before. Cookie-cutter formula-based attention was probably never correct, but in todays environment it exit inevitably lead to disaster. Performance expectations for quality, cost tellingness, timely delivery, and a soldiers of other client measures a rgon ratcheted-up a nonch each year. In the highly war-ridden line of military control in which most projects operate, be they external or internal, the requirement to produce results that exceed client expectations has get going the norm.As one respondent shared, I have not worked on a project in the past five years that was not viewed by the client as being fast lead story The stakes are high, and getting higher. The days when cost bothwhereruns and delayed apogee were common are history. So are the projects where technical personnel were once allowed to experiment until they got it right. With the coach-and-fourial practices of outsourcing, downsizing, total quality management and endless improvement becoming even to a greater extent prevalent in our geological formational environment, it can be anticipate that project managers are experiencing amplifyd implementation pressures.Internal project managers are possibly just as vulnerable to not having their contracts re innovativeed as external consultants and contractors. Recent Literature Jeffrey Pinto and Om Kharbanda shed light on this problem in two journal articles published in Business Horizons, Lessons for an accidental profession (1995) and How to let on in project management (1996). These authors emphasize the increased need for projectmanagers. Increasingly technically complex products and borderes, vastly shortened time-to-market windows, and the need for cross-functional expertise make project management an important and powerful besidesl in the hands of organizations that understand its use (Pinto & Kharbanda, 1995).In their follow-up article, How to fail in project management, the authors write a stinging criticism of the practices that combine to produce project failures (Pinto & Kharbanda, 1996). Karen Ayas (1996) takes a broader brash to the whole issue by means of what she describes as a project network structure. The design of the system should stress the synergies betw een organisational strategy, structure, nicety and systems to allow organizations to build and expand learning capacity. The application of process management view to project management was reported recently in Harvard Business Review. The study of leading companies such as AT&T, Hewlett-Packard and Raychem over an eight-year time span led the author to report that, managers can benefit by applying a process management approach to their product come upment process.Companies can create an aggregate plan that allows them to assign practices to theirprojects with an estimate of needed resources managers can eliminate congestion and long hours by evening out workloads (Alder, Mandelbaum, Nguyen, & Schwerer, 1996). (See also Jungen & Wowalczyk, 1995. ) curtsey Lewis (Info World, 1996) sets forth the five keys that he believes differentiate successful projects from the others scope control regular, concrete, reasonable results weekly status meetings team buy-in to the plan and walk ing around. experience management is considered a vital tool for the implementation of business process reengineering. Project management allows organizations to break things down into simple processes and assign these activities and modules to individuals. This approach helps organizations identify live built-in dependencies among processes A multidimensional forum for enterprisewide visibility is crucial and will lead to significant productivity and cost savings. Project management is the organisational glue that binds together dispersed, high accoun send back teams finishedout the organization. Teams will seek and demand a framework to ensure their success under the new rules of rapidly ever-changing intensely competitive markets. Project management provides the framework, encourages dispersed leading and provides visibility of effort to stakeholders throughout the organization (King 1996). Clearly, project managers are being viewed as pivotal leaders in the introduction an d implementation of most(prenominal) operational and behavioral managerial changes.Are project managers viewing their roles and responsibilities in the same light as the authors of leading journal articles? What do practicing project managers believe are the critical oddballistics necessary to be effective? On the other hand, what reckons ensnareer to producing ineffective project managers? On the operational side, what do they see as the primary causes of projects that fail to meet budgetary and time constraints? What do they see as the most effective project management tools, and the extent to which these tools contribute to the success of a project?Finally, how powerful is the leaders factor in the success of a project and what are the specific characteristics and behaviors of leaders that will have a supportive yield on organizational strong suit in the next decade? The authors found no look into that specifically addressed these questions nor reported results obtaine d directly from project managers.Research Instrument Design The research agent was compressed of both open-ended and forced-answer questions. In addition, the respondents were asked their agreement or valuation of several statements through the application of a traditional five-point Likert scale ranging from a high of 5 to low of 1. The despatchd instrument was then pretested by 12 project managers and executives in a number of firms. completely suggestions were incorporated into the concluding research instrument. The research instrument was then mailed to a selected sample of 100 senior-level project managers who, it was assumed, would possess a wealth of experience regarding the issues being studied. The authors received 76 usable responses to the research instrument from the placard of 100.The extremely high response rate was imputable in part to an aggressive premailing and postmailing telephone campaign. The respondents were all relatively senior project managers with a minimum of 10 years experience in projectmanagement. whole of the project managers surveyed were employed in large architectural and engineering consulting companies. Research Results and Discussion What Are the Characteristics of stiff Project Managers? The following results (presented in dining table 1) were obtained from an open-ended question that asked respondents to list, in rank order, the characteristic that they believed was substantive for durability.Possibly the most kindle aspect of the project managers responses to this question was the fact that technical competence was the third highest rated characteristic. Eight of the nine characteristics were managerial in nature, hypothesizeing a basic understanding that say-so is directly related to the ability of theproject manager to lead and manage more than simply possess exceeding technical skills. This finding is consistent with the academic literature, but is more powerful when drawn from open-end responses of ex perienced practicing project managers.What Factors Contribute to Ineffectiveness Among Project Managers? In order to examine the question of effectiveness in a different light, the project managerswere then asked, via open-ended questions, the specific nature of personal flaws of project managers that directly contribute to ineffectiveness, as well as the organizational factors that produced the same results. The intent of these questions was to identify how both personal flaws and organizational factors contributed to producing an ineffective project manager.To a large degree the personal flaws are a reverse fancy of the characteristics of ffective project managers from Table 1. There seems to be a good deal of internal consistency among the respondents (see Table 2). The organizational factors that contribute to becoming an ineffectiveproject manager are equally relevant, but not surprising. Lack of upper-management commitment and support is a well-documented source of project pr oblems. Theproject management literature has addressed each of the organizational barriers to effectiveness and it is again reinforcing to discover that the responses document that practicing project managers perceptions fully support the literature.The past few decades have not seen the elimination of these classic sources of organizational ineffectiveness, although their negative impact on project surgery has been cognize for somewhat time. Resistance to change and a reactive approach to environmental turbulence are signs of a firm struggling with adjusting to new competitive conditions. Traditional reward systems are generally not well worthy elucidateroject management. Traditional reward systems tend to have very little direct linkage between the performance criteria of a project and fee.With competition being very intense in some sectors, some projects are priced and sold at dangerously thin multipliers with little opportunity to show a significantly positivist return. W hen the realistic expectations for the project are not considered in the compensation plan, it can be expected that dissatisfaction with the compensation or reward systems are bound to be voiced. Project managers know that under difficult competitive conditions, jobs are taken to keep the staff utilized and the expected network margin is possibly at breakeven.It is often just as difficult to manage a project with no expected profit than one with above average profit expectations. In addition, reward systems seldom reflect the nature and vary degrees of difficulty of the task and often focus solely on the final profit numbers. Failure to develop a reward system that reflects the specific nature of the project can create potential semipermanent conflicts. Consider how new market entry is normally achieved the firm buys a project. The firm intentionally bids a project below what established competitors minimum bid to get the work and, hopefully, enter a new market successfully.Logic would suggest that a firm would want one of its best project managers to lead such a project to ensure success. But if the projectaffords no opportunity to earn a performance bonus based on project profitability who would volunteer to take on a known loser? In too many cases, organizational insensitivity to the negative realties created by poor organizational practices and policies are not understood or simply ignored. The result of these negative practices and policies is the eventual erosion of a potentially high-quality professional staff.The lack of upper management support and commitment results in a complete breakdown of trust and respect. One of the sure killers of motivation is when project managers become conditioned to being accustomed by their management at the first sign of client conflict. As one project manager described the situation its like discovering that your management is sitting on the client side of the table at every meeting, and that you are left alone to d efend every decision. It doesnt take too many such experiences beforeproject managers modify their style of management to protect themselves.Under these conditions one is not probable to find that the project team is performing to the maximum potential. What Are the Primary Reasons That Projects Experience Budgetary and well-timed(a) Completion Problems? Table 3 reports the respondents reasons for why projects run into budgetary and timing problems. The most frequent responses reflect both organizational and managerial problems. As an example, failure to utilize the toolsavailable to manage a project to shutting in a timely fashion and inwardly budget was the most frequent response. Poor leadership on the part of the projectmanager was the second most frequently reported cause of problems. Lack of effective interorganizational communion and a lack of timely decisions and corrective action were also reported. The entirely external factor mentioned by the respondents was the cl ients failure to respond in a timely fashion. Almost everyproject manager has dealt with clients who seemed unavailing or unwilling to make timely decisions yet retained their expectations that the project would be completed on time and within budget.It seems that managing the client is an art that only experience can teach. This need to learn the treat of client management becomes increasingly important as a client-oriented strategy is recognized as essential to survival. What Are the Project Management Tools Most Often Used and How Effective Are They? Managing the project requires the skillful application of projectmanagement tools that are designed to assist the project team complete the project on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of the client.Table 4 reports the responses from experienced project managers regarding the extent to which they use eight recognized project management tools and the extent to which the tools contribute to the success of a project. As yo u would expect, the two highest rated tools (actually tying for first) were the project plan and theproject budget. Irrespective of project size or complexity, these project tools were rated highest in use and first and second in terms of contribution to the success of the project.Of the eight project management tools that the respondents were asked to evaluate, none were reported to be of no value. Some of the more detailed tools were used less often and consequently whitethorn have been comprehend as less valuable to project success. Despite the discussion in the projectmanagement literature regarding the need to increase the degree of accuracy in the determination of the percentage of project completion, the earned value reporting tool, was rated the to the lowest degree used and correspondingly reported to have made the least contribution to the success of a project.The top five projectmanagement tools most often reported as used (project schedule, project budget, project cos t system, project execution plan, and client communication log) were also rated as making the greatest contribution to the success of the project. Clearb more effective project managers exercise managerial discipline in the consistent application of what they have found to be the most valuable project management tools for achieving success.What Are the Other Factors That Contribute to the Success of a Project? In addition to the direct managerial actions that project managers can take through the implementation of project management tools, project managers focus on their managerial and leadership skills as controlling sources of influence that contribute to the successful completion of projects. Table 5 reports the source of influence on successful completion of a project as reported by the project managers surveyed.As expected, the decision made by the client was the strongest influence, with responding to the changing client request second. The third source of influence on the suc cessful completion of a project is the desire to excel, reflecting the strong positive personal motivation of project managers to make every project they lead a success. The decision made by the project team and the pressures from inside the project were the next highest rated sources of influence reflecting the need for the project manager to focus on the leadership of the project team. evenly interesting are the lowest rated sources of influence on the success of aproject. Respondents give little or no credence to luck or external politics as barriers to success. How Critical Is the Leadership Factor to Project Success? Given the many factors that can directly or indirectly influence the success of a project, do projectmanagers believe that there is one overriding factor that contributes to whether a project will be a success or a failure? In fact, the answer is yes.When asked to weigh the percentage of success or failure of a project that can be contributed directly to the pressu re of either positive or negative leadership the responses were powerfully revealing (see Table 6). Positive leadership contributes almost 76% to the success of a project. Consider what this response means. Variation in projectsuccess can be contributed to the leadership displayed on the project by 76%. Equally meaningful is the second statistic negative or poor leadership contributes 67% to the failure of projects.Clearly, firms that fail to train and reinforce the need for project managers to practice positive leadership seem to run an unacceptable risk. In a recent interview with five vice presidents of major(ip) engineering consulting firms, a question was posed regarding the number of projects in the past five years that failed receivable to a lack of technical competence on the part of the project manager or the project team. In what was estimated by them to be more than 1,000 projects, both large and small, the executives could recount only 10 failures due to lack of technic al competence.Yet, when you ask most company executives what the most critical criteria for promotion to project manager is, technical competence generally leads the list of responses. Possibly what is absent is the recognition that technical competence moldiness be supported by persons who are capable of managing a project and providing positive leadership to the team. All the evidence of recent research supports the idea that successful projects are led by individuals who possess a blend of technical and management knowledge, but beyond both, leadership skills.Sensitivity to the clients needs, the root word of the project team, the strategic importance of the project to the firm, and the technical requirements of the project reflect themselves in a continuous stream of communication and personal interactions that serve to reveal the true nature of theproject manager. Project managers were asked to rate 50 characteristics or behaviors that they believed, based on their experience, would have a positive influence on organizational effectiveness in the next decade.Tables 7 and 8 highlight the highest and lowest rated characteristics and behaviors and reveal some very interesting findings. The highest rated characteristics and behaviors build a profile of an individual that most of us would wish to work for. The profile reveals a leader who recognizes that it is absolutely essential to build aproject team, reinforce positive behavior, communicate, demonstrate trust and respect, develop team members and empower them to perform and set goals while remaining flexible to respond to the inevitable changes.Important by their absence from the golden dozen are characteristics and behaviors such as technical expertise, individualistic, effective organizational politician, or detail oriented. The profession has moved beyond the mind-set that the best-qualified individual to promote to the project managers position is the best technical person or some flashy politically s avvy character with the right contacts. Table 8 reports the characteristics and behaviors that practicing and experienced project managers rated as the 12 least important characteristics for the transaction of organizational effectiveness.Some of these responses were a surprise to the researchers while others were not. Project managers rated strategic thinker very low. This may be explained by the fact that many project managers are totally operations-oriented and become involved only when the job is sold. In terms of preparation for promotion into the firms executive ranks this shortcoming could be costly. Yet, this lack of recognition of the need for the practice of strategic thinking may explain the managerial practices of some firms who employ project managers.