World History Humanities Portfolio

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World History Humanities Portfolio

• Semester 2, 2004-2005
• Joshua Grant
• Sophomore
• Spartanburg, SC

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Personal Introduction

• This portfolio was created with the purpose to
  showcase my intellectual growth and understanding
  of what has been presented to me this semester.
• As you will see I have displayed this in relation
  to the Journey to Excellence goals, and show how
  my scholastic efforts have aided me in furthering
  my understanding of these concepts.

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The Stuff In Here
Acceptance of God
Commitment to the Church
Interpersonal Relationships
Intellectual Development
Communication Skills
Responsible Citizenship
Personal Management
Healthy Balanced Living
Aesthetic Appreciation
Career and Service
Personal Intro
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Acceptance of God
During this class, several times I have really
struggled with my relationship with God. I have
often faltered simply because I do not take
enough time for Him and open the door to let Him
come in each and every morning. I still have
trouble with this and have to make a strenuous
effort to make myself sit down and take time. I
have found it is true that just by taking a half
an hour or so in the morning helps to "set the
pace" for the rest of the day. I find myself much
more relaxed and not as jumpy and uptight as I
get often enough. I also tend to be much more
focused and am able to work much better end more
efficiently and not be so distracted. I would say
the biggest thing that has helped me come to
accept God are the CLQ journals that we do. They
help me because they enable me to see what Christ
is like and help me to understand Him better and
better.
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Acceptance of God cont.

• Once I am able to see what God is like I can see
  all of the great things that He has done for me
  and how I need to mirror the example that He set
  for me. It enlightened me so I was able to see
  that this is the way for me to come closer to
  God. In the same way that Christ, while here on
  earth, never strayed from the example that Christ
  set for Him, I must not waiver either.
• As I continue my walk with God I will continually
  look back and remember these qualities that
  Christ displayed. I believe I will continue to
  develop this characteristic. I know that it will
  be challenging seeing what mental obstacles i
  have already overcome in simply getting to the
  point where I am at now. I have no doubt that
  when I truly put all my heart into it that Christ
  will be there to help out every step of the way
  and completely guide me and direct me so that one
  day I will be accepted into His eternal Kingdom.

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CLQ Journal
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Commitment to the Church
I think that this goal is closely related to the
previous one of Acceptance of God. When you truly
do accept God and let Him into your heart I
believe that it will lead you into this goal of
commitment to the church. God has a plan for your
life and by putting it into His hands His will
is going to be done, which will most likely have
something do with spreading the Word somehow,
however he wants you to do it. So my accepting
Christ as your Savior you will begin on a journey
to spread the good news of Christs return to the
entire world. Even as I have stated above, that
accepting God will lead to commitment to the
church, that doesnt necessarily have to be the
case. I know there have been times in my life
where I havent been as close to God as I should
have, and times where I probably had almost no
connection with Him, but I would say that I was
very committed to the Church. In fact looking
back on it, I think that I actually might have
been trying toI feel that this has always been
one of my strong points. Even though, as I have
said, I have struggled with my relationship with
God, my commitment to my church and church family
has not wavered. I have always been willing to
help out people who might need help with a thing
or two that they either don't know how to do or
are might not have the strength to because of age
or other such issues. Looking back I often see
myself doing these things for the wrong reasons.
Doing them more as a front to put on the act of a
good "churchy" boy, while although I wasn't "bad"
and I did know that it was going to help out a
person of greater need, it wasn't totally coming
from the heart. I did it more for myself as a
means of justification rather that for that
person. By doing these good things I was able to
say, "Oh, I helped out Mrs. ... so now I'm
alright with God." When in reality it couldn't
have been further from the truth. There really
wasn't anything in it for God and I would even
give Him the credit just to strengthen the façade
that I built up.
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Commitment to the Church cont.
The legacy project has been the turning point in
this. Not just mine, but seeing the other site's
projects as well has opened my eyes and cause me
to realize that I am being misleading to myself
and to others. I should change what my motives
are and really do it for God and not for myself.
With this assignment I looked more at the
people's reactions whom I was helping and could
tell that I was greatly appreciated by them. I
was also awakened by the realization of what an
effective witnessing tool I can be. By changing
the reasons that I do all of these things I have
no doubt that I can and will be a messenger of
God's word. It says in the Holy Word that
whatever we do to the lowest, poorest, worst off
people that we also do that to God. By showing my
commitment to helping others who are unable to
provide whatever services for themselves, I am
showing that I am committed to God as well. do
so many things in the Church to appear as though
I was close to Him or to try and make myself
think that by doing all of these things it would
make up for not really having a solid
relationship. Of course it doesnt.
HOME
Legacy Project
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Interpersonal Relationships
This is one goal that I am pretty good with most
of the time, but once you push me over the edge
I'm going to take you down first. I am almost
always very patient and understanding, but there
are just those people who it seems that no matter
what they say it always rubs me the wrong way. It
is with these people that I have an incredible
time dealing with. Thankfully, I don't know very
many that are like that so that is why I don't
get that way very often. I just like things to be
done a certain way. I'm not saying that for
everything there is one exact way, but there is
one way that is the best to me and that is the
way I want things done. I try very hard to
control these impulses of control and I do a good
job of it, it's just those few times when for
whatever reason I get fed up with whatever it is
that the person is doing and must lash out in
some way. The CLQ journals have helped me with
this as well. The journals help me realize the
way that Jesus interacts with others and how He
is able to cope with the less tolerable people he
came in contact with. Christ always acted in an
appropriate manner no matter who it was. He might
not have always been kind, but He responded to
them in a respectful, non-demeaning manner. I
would hope that my criticisms could become those
as Christ had that helped people, but I do not
think that is how they currently are.
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Interpersonal Relationships cont.
I hope that I can grow enough where I can learn
to handle these people better. I think by growing
closer to Christ I will gain more wisdom and will
give me the right words and the right actions to
relate my feelings without creating any turmoil
that would somehow stress our relationship and
make me an ineffective witness. Christ is our
ultimate example and when we give ourselves
completely up to Him, He will always show us the
best way to handle any situation.
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CLQ Journal
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Responsible Citizenship
I feel that this is also another one of my strong
points. I haven't ever struggled with this from
what I can remember. I do have a strong
allegiance and respect for the people and
surroundings around me. I think that this is a
characteristic that my parents instilled in me
from an early age. I have never been a trouble
much of a trouble maker, I have my week times
just as anyone else, but for the most part I do
my best to be as polite and respectful as
possible. As any person I do have much room to
improve as I am still a long ways away from ever
being able to give to others the kind of respect
God gives to each and every one of us. I like to
see people who are happy especially when I know
that it's something I have done that has aided in
their joy. The legacy project helped me to
understand and apply this goal as well. There was
a great responsibility that came with this
assignment. We not only had to come up with the
idea ourselves, but we had to organize a plan of
implementation, allocate resources, and set it
all in motion. It wasn't just supposed to be a
project that we did. It was meant to be an
endeavor that was capable of being passed down,
to someone else once we were no longer able to
continue it. This adds an even greater difficulty
seeing as it must be so fool proof that no one
would be able to mess it up.
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Responsible Citizen cont.
As I continue to proceed and get nearer to a time
when I will be able to begin this project I think
its enormous potential will become clearer to me.
Even though I know it well be a tremendous
blessing to many people, I have a feeling it will
be much greater than I ever imagined, as long as
I do it all for the glory of the Lord.
HOME
Legacy Project
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Healthy Balanced Living
Healthy balanced living is a goal where I would
say I'm about half way there. I am not unhealthy,
but I know for sure I am not nearly as healthy as
I could be. I'm not talking about my health in
terms of my diet, but more of a physical health.
Thankfully my body is not at the stage of its
life where it is depositing fat in undesirable
places or else I would be in a state much worse
that where I am now. Ever since I started AE21,
the time that I spend outside has dramatically
decreased. It's not just that the work load is
overbearing, but a lot is my fault because I
don't use my time wisely (but we'll get into that
more in Personal Management). Back to the matter
at hand. I have noticed my physical endurance has
just plummeted, and I have given a little effort
to working myself back to where I was, but to no
avail. Not only does my physical health affect my
endurance and so forth, but it also plays a large
part in my mental health too. The assignment
that I can think of that helped me most with
healthyalthough not with the aforementioned
problem in particularwould be the media task
assignments. They helped me realize the tactics
that marketers use to make us feel inferior some
way so that we will think that we need their
product. This assignment helped me to uncover the
techniques they use and helped me to not be as
affected by them.
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Healthy Balanced Living cont.
I can nurture the growth of this goal by becoming
more physically active, which in turn will
promote health in other areas, such as mental and
physical. By taking what I have learned from the
media assignments, I will have a much higher
level of self worth. I will be capable of
assisting others because I know how to help
myself and I have learned what the snares are
that are out there and I will be able to share
that with them.
HOME
Media
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Intellectual Development
I have always been an intelligent child, so
school has never been anything that terribly
difficult. I have a belief about what a smart
person is that is based on a saying that I heard
once a long time ago. Most people view an
intelligent person as being someone who knows a
lot, but as this paraphrased saying says, 'A
smart person is not one who knows all the
answers, but simply knows where to find them.' I
have treasured this simple sentiment for many
years, and its thought alone has developed much
of the knowledge that I have today. My father
also aided in my search for wisdom, as he too is
quite a brilliant, well-versed man. From an early
age he fostered my learning and taught me all
about the new world I was just beginning to
explore. The assignments that have helped me the
most in my eternal quest of intelligence would be
the vocabulary assignments. I feel that a strong
word base is invaluable when it comes to the
higher levels of learning. The more words you are
capable of understanding, the clearer the lesson
will become. When the lesson is clear you will be
more apt to retain and process the information in
a deeper and more critical way.
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Intellectual Development cont.
I love to learn. I know for a fact that I will
never stop learning because I am the type of
person that not just wants, but needs to know how
and why things happen the way that they do. I do
not understand how some people can choose to be
ignorant. I cannot wait until we go to Heaven. To
not even be able to comprehend all of the
knowledge that we will learn is well,
incomprehensible. To think that we could
possibly spend forever learning about Creator and
all of His glorious creations is something that I
know I will look forward to.
HOME
Vocabulary
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Communication Skills
My communication skills vary greatly between the
different mediums. My communication through
writing is quite good and most of the time I do a
good job at relaying my intended conceptwhich
has much to do with Intellectual Development.
Orally on the other hand, although not terrible
my speaking skills could be improved. I am often
told that I mumble, or at least combine my two
bad habits of talking quickly and quietly to
produce an utterance which cannot be understood.
Some times I tend to stutter briefly, but that is
usually when my brain thinks too fast for my
mouth and my mouth cannot spew forth the words
quick enough and I st-st-stutter, I have been
forced to improve my annunciation and so forth
whenever I must participate in a debate. The main
purpose of a debate is to present and persuade
your specific topic or subject. Thankfully when I
debate I can use my quick speech to my advantage
and pack in much more information. The drawback
is I must be extremely clear and loud enough so
that every single word I say sinks in to the
audience's minds. You see communication is the
most essential element to any project.
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Communication Skills cont.
In fact the Bible contains a prime example of
exactly this. The Tower of Babel was an enormous
undertaking by the people of that day. Citizens
traveled from tremendous distances to assist in
the construction of this awesome monument. A
monument constructed to make humans equal with
God. For a while God allowed them to build, but
suddenly everything came to a halt. What
happened? God took away their ability to
communicate. He didn't take away their tools or
create massive destruction. All He simply had to
do was prevent the people from understanding one
another and just like that nothing more could be
done. I believe that my ability to communicate
with others will only escalate. Christ was
extremely effective in reaching every person no
matter who they were. When we allow ourselves to
be guided by his example we too will be
understood and welcomed by those that we meet.
HOME
Debate
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Personal Management
Personal management is one that I greatly
struggle with. I find that often times I have
difficulty controlling myselfit is usually
related to school work. Some reason this year I
found myself not motivated to accomplish my work
when I had the time, but rather I would wait
until the very last moment and then try and rush
it and get it done. I was quite inept when it
came to how I managed my time for mostly the
whole year, and never really got myself to the
point where I completed the assignments early on
so I would be less stressed. My procrastination
in this area often carried over into other areas.
It appeared that I had seemingly less time
because I was always cramming something in under
some kind of deadline. I seldom had time for
other things that I would have liked to have
done, simply because I piddled away my time in
less important areas. The assignment that really
helped me out in this area was when we had to do
research for our research report about
leadership. I found many places that talked about
how to properly manage ones time to make the most
of yourself and of your employees. It gave me
insight on what I need to do to become motivated
and how I can then accomplish what I need to from
there.
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Personal Management cont.
The biggest thing I need to do is just take the
initiative. I will have to force myself to sit
down and focus whatever it is that I need to
accomplish at that time. Christ tells us that we
can do all things through Him. I know that He is
able and willing to help me get through this, and
although it might not seem like an incredibly
important thing I believe that it will have
great effects on many other areas of my life.
HOME
Leadership Research
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Aesthetic Appreciation
Art is something that I have never really been an
extremely large part of my lifefine arts in
particular. I have never been all that excited or
moved by art like many other people are. It
simply doesn't have the same meaning to me, maybe
because I am not an artist myself. I do have
great respect for art though, and am often awed
by the creativity of a single mind. I know that I
could never create anything like that so I do
have the utmost respect for these types of arts.
Musical art is something that I know much
better. I have played one musical instrument or
another since I was six, and now it is
intertwined with many other things and is part of
my life. I will carry this with me for the rest
of my life now matter where I go and I believe I
will always carry with me respect for those who
are more advanced than me.
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Aesthetic Appreciation cont.
I feel the poetry retells really help us get at
least some exposure to a form of art. Poetry is
just like a painting to me. First you have to
have come up with a main theme. Then you take
words and brush them out with fluid, moving
sentences. When you have a masterpiece the words
will be contrasting and work together, just like
the pigments in a painting. Poetry has helped me
in other areas as well. For example, I must often
use a thesaurus to look for a new word to use,
which helps out my intellectual development. When
you are writing poetry it is also imperative to
have well rounded communication skills so you are
able to portray a message within the confines of
whatever type of a poem you're creating. I think
I am moving towards cherishing art much more, and
I believe I always will in some form or another.
Art is all around us and in so many different
forms. It is what makes our world beautiful.
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Poetry
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Career and Service
This is a goal which I believe I am fairly
developed in. I do a lot of service for others
and in most cases I do it willingly because I
know that they really appreciate it and need
someone to help them with these types of things.
Being in Pathfinders, they are always involved in
some kind of project for those in need whether
it be distributing can goods, cleaning up a local
park or volunteering at the summer camp to clean
it up, there are many ways in which I give of my
time for others. Our report on servant
leadership revealed one important aspect to me. A
servant leader is one whose life is a continual
act of service. He puts other people before
himself and worries about the hunger of others
before his own. I don't think there could be any
assignment more fitting for this goal that the
legacy project. This project is essentially based
around the premise of helping someone in some way
that will have a positive impact on them. Christ
often demonstrated his willingness to serve and
helped all people if they asked and believed that
He would. There is no doubt that, not just mine,
but all of the legacy projects have the
capability to give this same kind of help to
those in our day, that Christ gave to those in
His.
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Career and Service cont.
I do my best every day to be a relief to those
around me. Recognize then respond. This can only
be accomplished through the help of the Lord.
Many people are suffering in ways that no one
else knows about but God knows everything. With
His help He will direct us to bring aide to those
who are in need and will mold us to become
servants to all of those around us.
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Legacy Project
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Poem

• Joshua Grant HU PoemThe 1800s came and a
  revolution was taking place, Many people moved
  into big cities and to other countries to escape.
  As reality began to set in around the world
  artists also began to reflect this new
  face.Throughout Queen Victoria's reign, rights
  of the middle class increased.Countries like
  Australia, Canada and New Zealand were looking
  for freedom from the motherland duce. France was
  going through turmoil. Monarch to republic and
  through many a wars.During all this mess, the
  U.S. stayed strong and gained much land through
  the other counties' wrongs. Latin America was
  overthrowing the wealthy creoles in hopes to
  write the beats to their own economical songs.
  The Catholic crusades came with much destruction
  and terror to the American lands. Later missions
  learned to accept the culture and be harmonious
  with those who lived at hand. Christianity
  helped bring the realization that all men are
  equal and have the same rights. The great
  awakening brought many to realize Christ's soon
  coming. Although not when they expected a few
  stayed true and continued to believe.

Aesthetic Appreciation
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Vocab
Joshua G Vocab Dengue- an arbovirus transmitted
by mosquitoes, and characterized by high fever,
rash, headache, and severe muscle and joint
pain Enclaves- A country or part of a country
lying wholly within the boundaries of
another Lambasted- To give a thrashing to
beat. Mitigate- To moderate in force or
intensity alleviate Pyre- A heap of combustibles
for burning a corpse as a funeral rite Sordid-
Filthy or dirty foul Ubiquity- Existence or
apparent existence everywhere at the same time
omnipresence
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Intellectual Development
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CLQ Journal
Here is one example of my CLQ Journals.

• Joshua Grant
• Journal
• CLQ
• My favorite FFT was the one by Pierre Bayle. I
  believe that tolerance brings about peace. There
  are a lot of people who do things that we dont
  like. And it really doesnt matter whether or not
  we agree with them. God gives them the right of
  free choice and that is something that no mortal
  being can take away. Yes there are laws that
  govern our actions, but even they allow us to do
  something, they just put a consequence along with
  the crime you commit.
• I believe that tolerance is showing unselfishness
  to those people around you. You show that you
  care about how they feel, because you respect
  them then even if you might not like what theyre
  doing you try and help, but ultimately you let
  them make their own choices. This can tie in a
  lot with some of the Journey to Excellence goals.
  When you accept God He will change your life and
  let you be compassionate towards people. It will
  also be a good characteristic for interpersonal
  relationships because you show that respect to
  the other person. And by being a responsible
  citizen you give others the God-given freedom to
  use their mind and make their own choices.

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Interpersonal Relationships
Acceptance of God
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Legacy Project
Joshua Grant HU Legacy Project Up until
recently, I had not really taken this project
seriously. I did the assignments and did the
tasks you asked, sometimes. I suppose it seemed
silly, like even if I did do this no one would
notice or appreciate what I was doing. My mind
was really changed this past weekend. We went
over to an elderly widow's house to talk to her
about some things she had asked my dad to help
her with (i.e. painting, lawn mowing, hedge
trimming etc.) We must have spent over an hour
there, mostly talking to her. She expressed to me
several times how what we were doing really meant
a lot to her. I was a little shocked actually to
see that helping people with these types of needs
really can have such an impact on the rest of
their life. This experience alone will make me
think more about what I can do for others to help
them to be happier. The legacy project as a whole
has really shown me how easily I can do something
that can have an effect on generations to follow.
It doesn't have to be some grand scheme, helping
millions a day. Just doing something for a few
people can affect them so greatly that hopefully
your mission will grow and maybe one day it could
impact a tremendous amount of people.
Career and Service
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Responsible Citizen
Commitment to the Church
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Media Task
Name Lauren and Joshua Hour ______ Youll notice
that each slide has a number. Some slides have
questions that require you to write a response.
Record your observations on this sheet. Feel free
to ask questions at any time. 1. Slide 5
response The angle of this commercial causes the
vehicle to come across larger, and gives it a
more unique and gives it's own character. 2.
Slide 7 response This angle makes the car look
like its just about invincible. It brings
across the point that it is indeed small and
compact. 3. Slide 9 response The product is
placed in the hands of the girls, to give it a
sense of liveliness and gives it a more personal
feeling. Also, they're showing that if it's
good enough for these beautiful girls than it's
good enough for you. 4. Slide 11 response The
product is placed right in the center of
everything, to give it a sense of importance, and
on a trophy stand to give it a sense of greatness
and as a way of saying that it is the best. 5.
Slide 13 response The kid is like wild to
portray a sense of fun. This is supposed to make
the viewer think that while you consume this
product you will have a good time.
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Media Cont.

• 6. Slide 15 response
• This is meant to induce a sense of want. It also
  shows the versatility of the
• product, showing it can be used for a variety of
  situations. It displays the
• product in an attractive way to make you think
  that you can be like the
• people in it.
• 7. Slide 17 response
• In this ad the mother was speaking. Pretty much
  everyone takes their
• mothers as a sense of authority and deserving of
  respect. Especially back in the day when this ad
  was created, parents were given even more respect
  than today. The reason that only females were
  used was to show that the product is gentle and
  that even "fragile" people can use it.
• 8. Slide 19 response
• Elton John is the person in this ad. I think he
  was chosen because he is
• known as a fun person. It might also have been
  because during this time he was making a slight
  comeback and so they chose him to star in this.
  He is an "icon" of sorts and many people know him
  and view him as a talented person.

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Media Cont.

• 9. Slide 20 response
• Point of view The point of view is mainly right
  on the product with the kid in
• the background as an added marketing technique.
• Position The position is a little off center to
  give the ad a more creative look to show how the
  product can be used and is fun to use.
• Posture The kid has a happy, fun, innocent
  looking face. Also, you'll notice
• that the plate to the right is empty to show that
  its delicious.
• Person speaking The kid is the one speaking.
  He's showing that the product makes him happy and
  that he enjoys it, and of course everyone wants
  to make kids happy
• 10. Slide 20 response
• Point of view The point of view is straight on
  right at the main product and at Anna Kournikova.
• Position They are trying to bring your eye onto
  Anna Kournikova by putting a huge picture of her
  right in the center.
• Posture Her posture is that which brings a
  sensuality into the ad. She is also standing in a
  kind of turned position which brings a sense of
  illusive ness into it. There is a lot of skin
  showing which brings attention to her and the way
  she is playing with her hair gives a playful feel
  to it. She also has a look that portrays a sense
  of want in the ad.
• Person speaking Even though she is not actually
  speaking, Anna
• Kournikova does the "speaking" by being there and
  by her posture.

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Healthy Balanced Living
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Debate

• Germany The US Japan
• All prominent names when thinking of WWII. Yet,
  there is another which is oft forgotten. Brought
  to the war by force to protect themselves, they
  remained committed until the end. The Soviet
  Army, after being crushed and trampled, regained
  its strength from the commitment of the
  ill-trained soldiers and on November 23, 1942
  encircled the German army in front of Stalingrad.
  The Soviets held the line around the some
  300,000 German soldiers and after a chance to
  surrender was refused they moved in, causing huge
  losses on the German side.
• Josef Stalin was also the first to have great
  effectiveness in defeating the German blitzkrieg.
  He used rapid successive attacks and brought in
  fresh soldiers to inflict serious damages upon
  the Germans. He gave hope to those countries who
  had once given up more out of fear than from
  actual combat. And led the way in showing Germany
  could be defeated.
• Then on July of 1943 the Red Army attacked at
  Kursk with over a million men and some 3,500
  tanks. Through this defeat and several others the
  Red Army put the German army on the defensive and
  began the push backwards along the eastern front,
  making way for other campaigns to allow for an
  expedited end to the war.

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Communication Skills
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Leadership Research

• Here is my works cited page of my research for my
  Leadership Report.

Works Cited Aguayo, Rafael . Dr. Deming The
American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality.
New York Simon and Schuster, 1991 3-224.
Walton, Mary. The Deming Management Method. New
York City The Putnam Group, 1986. 3-245. White,
Ellen G. Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and
Students. Mountain View Pacific P, n.d. 322.
White, Ellen G. Education. Mountain View
Pacific P, n.d. 78-79. White, Ellen G. The
Ministry of Healing . Mountain View Pacific P,
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