World History Humanities Portfolio

Semester 2, 2004-2005Joshua GrantSophomoreSpartanburg, 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. HOME

The “Stuff” In Here

Acceptance of God

Commitment to the Church

Interpersonal Relationships

Responsible Citizenship

Healthy Balanced Living

Intellectual Development

Communication Skills

Personal Management

Aesthetic Appreciation

Career and Service

Personal Intro

Acceptance of G

od

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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.

Acceptance of G

od 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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Commitment to the ChurchCommitment to the Church

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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 Christ’s return to the entire world. Even as I have stated above, that accepting God will lead to commitment to the church, that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. I know there have been times in my life where I haven’t 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.

Commitment to the Church cont.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 doesn’t.

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Interpersonal Interpersonal RelationshipsRelationships

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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.

Interpersonal Interpersonal Relationships cont.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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Responsible Citizenship

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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.

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.

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Healthy Balanced LivingHealthy Balanced Living

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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 healthy–although not with the aforementioned problem in particular–would 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.

Healthy Balanced Living cont.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.

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Intellectual Development

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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.

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.

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Communication Skills

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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 concept–which 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.

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.

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Personal Management

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Personal management is one that I greatly struggle with. I find that often times I have difficulty controlling myself–it 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.

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.

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Aesthetic Appreciation

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Art is something that I have never really been an extremely large part of my life–fine 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.

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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Career and Service

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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.

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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PoemPoemJoshua Grant Joshua Grant HU HU PoemPoem

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

Aesthetic Appreciation HOME

Vocab

HOMEIntellectual Development

Joshua G Vocab Dengue- an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, and characterized by high fever, rash, headache, and severe muscle and joint painEnclaves- A country or part of a country lying wholly within the boundaries of anotherLambasted- To give a thrashing to; beat.Mitigate- To moderate in force or intensity; alleviatePyre- A heap of combustibles for burning a corpse as a funeral riteSordid- Filthy or dirty; foulUbiquity- Existence or apparent existence everywhere at the same time; omnipresence

CLQ JournalCLQ Journal

Joshua GrantJoshua GrantJournalJournalCLQCLQ

My favorite FFT was the one by Pierre Bayle. I believe that tolerance brings 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 don’t like. And it about peace. There are a lot of people who do things that we don’t like. And it really doesn’t matter whether or not we agree with them. God gives them the really doesn’t 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. 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 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.something, they just put a consequence along with the crime you commit.I believe that tolerance is showing unselfishness to those people around you. 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 You show that you care about how they feel, because you respect them then even if you might not like what they’re doing you try and help, but ultimately even if you might not like what they’re doing you try and help, but ultimately you let them make their own choices. This can tie in a lot with some of the 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 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 let you be compassionate towards people. It will also be a good characteristic for interpersonal relationships because you show that respect to the other for interpersonal relationships because you show that respect to the other person. And by being a responsible citizen you give others the God-given person. And by being a responsible citizen you give others the God-given freedom to use their mind and make their own choices. freedom to use their mind and make their own choices.

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Here is one example of my CLQ Journals.

Interpersonal RelationshipsAcceptance of God

Legacy Project

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Joshua GrantHULegacy 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.

Responsible Citizen

Career and Service

Commitment to the Church

Media Task

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Name Lauren and Joshua Hour ______You’ll notice that each slide has a number. Some slides have questions thatrequire 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, andgives 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 acrossthe 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 livelinessand gives it a more personal feeling. Also, they're showing that if it's goodenough 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 ofimportance, and on a trophy stand to give it a sense of greatness and as away 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 theviewer think that while you consume this product you will have a good time.

Media Cont.6. Slide #15 response:This is meant to induce a sense of want. It also shows the versatility of theproduct, showing it can be used for a variety of situations. It displays theproduct in an attractive way to make you think that you can be like thepeople in it.7. Slide #17 response:In this ad the mother was speaking. Pretty much everyone takes theirmothers 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 isknown 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 inthe 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 noticethat 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 happy10. 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, AnnaKournikova does the "speaking" by being there and by her posture.

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Debate

Germany – The US – JapanAll 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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Leadership ResearchHere 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,

n.d. 143.

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