Prosper Me! Motivational CD Volume#

10 Ways to Motivate Yourself

Wish we could all stay motivated forever – but we all know that that is not possible. There are however steps you can take to get yourself back into groove sooner rather than staying low for long periods of time. Here are my top ten ways to get yourself motivated:

1. Motivation Books: This is my number one tip. Books written by experts are full of tips and strategies to motivate you. True motivational stories are inspirational.

2. Motivational Music: Music can always do wonders to your mood – Buy good motivating CDs, MP3s or download from iTunes. You can just let It play in the background and continue doing your work. I like to listen to positive music – irrespective of whether or not I need a dose of motivation.

3. Audio Books: These again can be played in the background – does not require too much of your involvement (like books). Listening to interview podcasts with successful people is another effective method.

4. Take a Walk: Sometimes just getting away from you work and taking a walk can be very effective. It refreshes your mind and helps you get clarity on issues at hand.

5. Motivational Quotes: Just a few well written quotes can do wonders to your mood. This is why desktop calendars with good quotes are so popular. Reading a quote at the start of the day can help you start your day on a positive note.

6. Past Successes: Remember your past successes. Remind yourself how you worked through the obstacles and achieved your goal at the end. This can be quite uplifting.

7. Become Picky: Be very picky about the type of news you consume (in the media). Too much television or too much depressing news can have negative effect.

8. Break Up Your Goal: Break your goal into simple actionable steps. Do a few easy ones first. Once you can actually see what it will take to get your goal, things will seem far more attainable.

9. Deadline: Set yourself a deadline – share with others that you plan to finish something before a certain day.

10. End Result: Spend some time thinking and listing down all that you will gain by moving ahead on a project – at the same time also list down what you will lose by working on a project. Sometimes just seeing it all paper can work miracles on your mind.

About the Author

The author, James W Terry, is passionate about helping people reach their goals. James believes that reading Motivation Books is one of the primary ways in which you can stay motivated for all round success. Check out his website for resources on Motivation. On his website, he presents to you some of the most powerful and inspirational Motivational Books ever written.

Motivational Songs for a CD?

I’m making a CD for my math class, and my teacher wants songs that’ll motivate, inspire, and pump up the spirits of us students. What songs do you recommend?
also, they have to clean (no cussing)
*to BE clean

stronger–kayne West
right round–flo rida
magic–the pilots
im yours–jason mraz
here comes the sun–beatles
untouched–the veronicas

Inspiring Motivational Message

The Five Steps of Creating Your Vision Board

A vision board is typically a collage of images or words that you’ve assembled representing your deepest goals, dreams and desires. The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.

Bob Proctor from the movie ‘The Secret’ explains that “Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it’s attracted by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind. It’s what you’re thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you.”

The utilization of a Vision Board is so effective, because it guides the images you are holding in your mind! You see, your mind works like a magnet; that which you focus your mind on grows and manifests into your life in the form of events, people or circumstances that will assist you in reaching your goals.

More…”For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” – Proverbs 23:7.

The human brain receives thousands of pieces of information a second, flooding in from the senses. It is said that we have daily some 60,000 thoughts and many of those are the same we had yesterday. So by having a vision board we can begin to determine the thoughts we want to focus our lives on and manifest into our lives.

This process works by way of what is called the Reticular Activating System. The Reticular Activating System filters through all these pieces of input and decides which messages receive top priority and full attention.

When setting personal goals, especially after committing them to writing, the brain has a specific subject or task brought to the forefront.

So if you then repeatedly think about, and re-write the goals, the brain is focused and suddenly becomes aware of related matters and needed resources which are important in the realization of the goal.

Anthony Robbins in his book ‘Awaken the Giant Within’ explains that “This shift in mental posture aligns you more precisely with your goals. Once you decide that something is a priority, you give it tremendous emotional intensity, and by continually focusing on it, any resource that supports its attainment will eventually become clear.”

Buddha taught about the Law of Attraction – “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become” Buddha 562-483 B.C.

Studies show that only 4% of the population set goals for themselves. So it’s little wonder that most people never really get to where they want to because they don’t have and clear picture of what it is they want.

The scary result of the consequences of not having a clear picture of where you want to go is illustrated by insurance industry statistics. Of 100 people who reach retirement age, only one will be wealthy. Four out of the hundred will be financially independent; fifteen will have some savings put aside. And the other 80 will be dependent on pensions, still working or broke – this after a lifetime of well-paid work in the most affluent society in human history.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” ~ Jim Rohn

If you want to not be one of the eighty who is average then here are some simple steps to Creating a Vision Board:

Step 1: Set aside some quiet time with a pen and a notebook so that you can write down all the goals, experiences, dreams, and things you want to own in your life. This will form the basis of your dream board. Once you have an idea of what you want in your dream board you need to go and find the pictures to represent them. Common places to look are magazine, advertising material and the internet. Have fun compiling the pictures and phrases that inspire you.

Step 2: Go through the images you’ve collected and sort them out according to the ones that most inspire and motivate you. Obviously you would also want the vision board to represent some of your most important goals or ones that you most want to accomplish in the short term, mixed in with longer term goals and dreams. You want to start to lay them out on the piece of card board and see how it looks. There is no right or wrong way to sort out your vision board. Some people like to have a picture of themselves in the middle and their pictures scattered all around them. Others like to go with themes such as spiritual, financial etc placed in each corners of the board others just like to scatter the pictures on the board without any real theme.

Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. You don’t have to keep to only pictures, if you feel the need to add your own creativity to the board by writing on it, painting on it then go ahead. This is your vision board and you can do whatever you think is going to best motivate and inspire you.

Step 4: Now that you have completed your vision board you want to put it somewhere that you will see often. It will serve no real purpose if you need to go searching for it. Some useful places to put your vision board are your bedroom where you will see it morning and night, or the bathroom door. The most important thing to bear in mind is that it is somewhere you will see it often to remind you of your visions and goals for your life.

About the Author

For the young at heart, find inspiring and motivating articles for every aspect of your life. For more information visit: http://www.4evayoung.com

weight loss forum/message board support group?

I really wanna start losing weight and going for walks everyday. I was wondering if there are any free forum/message board support groups with people losing weight. I think it would be a great motivation to talk to people that are in the same situation as I am.

Small online Support Group

http://www.mydiettracking.com/msgboards/viewforum.php?f=14

Kevin Abdulrahman, Best Inspirational Speaker India Direct Message to Sales Directors HR Managers

EBook Downloads

Categories and Sub-categories: Film Television, Music, Body Art, Photography, Magic Tricks, Fashion, Dance, Art, Humor, Radio, General, Theater, 

2)  General, Lottery, Casino Table Games, Horse Racing, Football, Poker, Soccer, 

3)  General, Equities Stocks, Foreign Exchange, Small Biz Entrepreneurship, Careers Industries Professions, Marketing Sales, Derivatives, Real Estate, Economics, Outsourcing, Personal Finance, International Business, Commodities, Management Leadership, Debt, 

4)  Software, Programming, Operating Systems, Hardware, Web Site Design, Graphics, Web Hosting, General, System Administration, Networking, Databases, Email Services, System Analysis Design, 

5)   Recipes, Baking, Special Diet, Bbq, Cooking, Wine Making, Drinks Beverages, Special Occasions, Vegetables Vegetarian, Regional Intl., General, 

6) Affiliate Marketing, Blog Marketing, Marketing, Niche Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing, Article Marketing, Sem Seo, Email Marketing, Market Research, Ecommerce Operations, Paid Surveys, Ezine Strategies, General, Promotion, Pay Per Click Advertising, Submitters, Domains, Classified Advertising, Auctions, Copywriting, Consulting, Banners, 

7) Test Prep Study Guides, Educational Materials, K12, Higher Education, Student Loans, Admissions, 

 Job Listings, General, Job Skills Training, Cover Letter Resume Guides, Job Search Guides, 

9)General, 

10) Strategy Guides, General, Console Guides Repairs, 

11) Alternative Energy, Conservation Efficiency, General, 

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14)  Spanish, French, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Sign Language, Arabic, Other, English, Hebrew, Thai, Russian, Hindi, 

15) Security, Video, General, Developer Tools, Ringtones, Apps, 

16) Pregnancy Childbirth, Parenting, Education, Marriage, Special Needs, General, Divorce, Genealogy, 

17) General, 

18) Automotive, Consumer Guides, Catalogs Directories, General, Writing, Law Legal Issues, Education, Gay Lesbian, The Sciences, Etiquette, 

19) Marriage Relationships, General, Stress Management, Dating Guides, Motivational Transformational, Success, Personal Finance, Selfesteem, Time Management, Eating Disorders, Self Defense, Public Speaking, Abuse, 

20) Reverse Phone Lookup, Background Investigations, Foreign Exchange Investing, Registry Cleaners, Video, Drivers, System Optimization, Email, Security, Utilities, Internet Tools, Web Design, General, Anti Adware Spyware, Productivity, Education, Digital Photos, Mp3 Audio, Graphic Design, Hosting, Screensavers Wallpaper, Other Investment Software, Communications, Developer Tools, Dating, Operating Systems, Networking, Personal Finance, 

21) Hypnosis, General, Witchcraft, Numerology, Magic, Paranormal, Religion, Astrology, Psychics, Tarot, 

22) Golf, Martial Arts, Training, Winter Sports, Individual Sports, Outdoors Nature, Extreme Sports, Basketball, Running , Soccer, Baseball, Water Sports, Automotive, Volleyball, Football, Racket Sports, Coaching, Hockey, Cycling, General, Softball, Other Team Sports, Mountaineering, 

23) Specialty Travel, General, United States, Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, MiddleEast, Africa

About the Author

http://cbtopsites.com/r/sosiete1     autors t hisis article to interest bussines online work of home ,real bussines ,online jobs ,dowloads ebook ,software,digital product to themes-

how to start a real business from home with computer andinternet connection and all necessary electronic tools andtutorials for this activity!

Malaysia Green Motivation Program : Summer Camp Training for German Student 2008

Study English Plan

First step ” Choose your Goal” for learning English

Goals are your motivation, what do you wish to accomplish with English?

• Sell and market your products to English speaking countries
• Be able to operate a business completely in English.
• Publish an authoritative business, scientific journal article in English
• Be admitted and study in a North American university.
• Travel independently in English speaking countries.
• As an Artist, perform for English speaking audiences
• Enjoy entertainment produced by English speaking artists
• Immigrate into an English speaking country
• Be promoted in your company, or get a better job
• Use English instructions for computer applications. Surf the net in English
• Score 950 on the Toeic test or 280 on the new Toefl exam

Second step “Summarize the Learning Methods” how you learn best

Examples of questions to determine “how you learn best”

• What English can you learn the most while studying alone?
• What English can you learn the most studying in a group?
• Can you listen once and remember the pronunciation and vocabulary?
• Does it help to see pictures of nouns or action verbs demonstrated?
• Do you have to write and repeat words to memorize vocabulary?
• How many times and ways must you use a word to “know” its proper context?
• How often do you have to repeat lessons?
• Can you create and use mnemonics to remember lists
• Does music or games help you to relax making learning easier?

Third step “Form a Plan” use the best learning methods to reach Goals

An example of a two year plan to learn English:

• (First 6 months) Start with picture dictionaries, study pronunciation, watch TV, listen to taped conversations, for 1 – 2 hours each day.
• (Second 6 months) Add grammar, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary studies, start to read newspapers/magazines, for 1 – 2 hours each day
• (Third 6 months) Add one hour of English conversation classes everyday for 6 months, review grammar and vocabulary.
• (Fourth 6 months) Travel to Canada for 400 hours of English conversation
  classes, perform some volunteer work, take a special interest course and travel using English.
• (After two Years)Continuing education with one conversation class per week, watch English News on TV, read English newspapers

Fourth step “create a cost & benefit analysis for your plan”

• What FREE English learning resources are available on the internet?
• What FREE English learning resources are at the library, community or cultural centers?
• What FREE English Learning clubs offer conversation classes?
• What FREE English Language exchange clubs offer conversation classes?
• Compare the costs of books, texts, tapes, Cd’s for self-study.
• Analyze the cost of instruction by tutors in a small group of 3 or 4
• Analyze the cost of instruction at local English schools
• Analyze costs of foreign travel and accommodation to study English abroad.

Fifth step “Start your Plan”

Need help with your Plan?

Use the following chart and Answer questions with a %

How do you like to study?

By yourself____%

One partner____%

Small groups____%

Large groups____%

Total of this group = 100 %

What learning materials do you like to use?

audio CD’s or cassettes____%

DVD’s, videos or television____%

CALL and interactive computer programs____%

picture dictionaries____%

ESL workbooks____%

regular subject text books____%

newspapers, magazines____%

Total of this group = 100 %

Conversation Practice

group pronunciation drills____%

Conversations with native speakers____%

Low structure ESL student conversation____%

High structure ESL teacher talk____%

Total of this group = 100 %

Original Post by Ross McBride

http://www.eslincanada.com/learnenglish.html

Ross Mc Bride – career teacher

http://www.eslincanada.com

O, Hai Thur!

Reading Buddies: Its Effect on Emotional Intelligence and Reading Comprehension

Reading Buddies: Its Effect on Emotional Intelligence and Reading Comprehension

It is 8:15 on a Friday morning and half of my sixth grade students are preparing materials for their trek to Mrs. Stewart’s third grade classroom, while the other half prepares for their third grade visitors.  Mrs. Stewart and Mr. Alvarado have teamed to provide a little Reading Buddy program for their classes.  Every Friday morning Mr. Alvarado’s 6th grade students take their third grade reading buddy through the lesson plan that was created the day before.  The lesson plan outline consists of 5-10 minutes of phonics review/instruction, 15-20 minutes of basic sight word development, and 30 minutes of shared reading and comprehension strategies.  The hour is intensive with lots of conversation, laughter, and excitement about reading.  Mrs. Stewart and Mr. Alvarado frequently discuss the challenges of such a program, but on a larger scale celebrate the positive activities taking place.  Celebrations included the improvement in sight word development; a similar result was found in a study by Butler (1999), improvement in reading ability and confidence, improved self-confidence and empathy of our students, and an overall student excitement over this activity, to name a few.   In point of fact, research supports the informal observations of Mrs. Stewart and Mr. Alvarado.  For example, Bower (2001) suggests students gravitate towards reading with a buddy as opposed to reading by themselves.

As a reading teacher, I could not imagine operating my sixth grade classroom absent a Reading Buddy program for my students and the affect it could have on improving the reading ability of their little buddies.  The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001has the potential to exclude a program, such as reading buddies, from being a component to a rich literature environment.  In a study conducted by Bower (2001), third grade students, the experimental group, were paired and subjected to six weeks of reading buddy comprehension activities.  The control group, an equal number of students, read and completed the comprehension activities independently.  The findings, although not statistically significant, supported the researcher’s hypothesis that the experiment group would outperform the control group in improved comprehension skills.  Equally, Cazden (1988) found reading partners with an emphasis on literature discussions to be an effective component to a reading program.  Because NCLB is supported by the findings of the National Reading Panel (NRP) of which its research methodology is credentialed as Scientifically Based Reading Research (SBBR), the NCLB legislation has the support in place to potentially discourage, if not prohibit, teachers from using Reading Buddies.  Because of its influence on reading instruction, it’s important to understand the mission and the finding of the National Reading Panel.

National Reading Panel

In 1997, the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) was given the directive by congress to ascertain the state of reading instruction programs in the United States of America.  The request was adhered to, and as a result a National Reading Panel was convened.  The charge of the panel was to:

…assess the status of research-based knowledge, including the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children to read.” The panel was charged with providing a report that “should present the panel’s conclusions, an indication of the readiness for application in the classroom of the results of this research, and, if

appropriate, a strategy for rapidly disseminating this information to facilitate effective reading instruction in the schools. (NICHD, 2000, p. 1-1)

One of the challenges that faced the NRP was the timeline to meet its directive.  When faced with the 100,000 studies, it devised methods to focus on what it considered to be the best.  Its solution was to establish a set of prerequisites in the form of focus topics and guiding questions to consider when identifying reading research studies that best fit the directive of congress.  The focus topics chosen were Alphabetics, Fluency, Comprehension, Teacher Education and Reading Instruction, and Computer Technology and Reading Instruction.  The guiding questions considered were as follows:

1. 1. Does instruction in phonemic awareness improve reading? If so, how is this         instruction best provided?

2. Does phonics instruction improve reading achievement? If so, how is this instruction best provided?

1. 3. Does guided repeated oral reading instruction improve fluency and reading   comprehension? If so, how is this instruction best provided?
2. 4. Does vocabulary instruction improve reading achievement? If so, how is this   instruction best provided?

5. Does comprehension strategy instruction improve reading? If so, how is this instruction best provided?

6. Do programs that increase the amount of children’s independent reading improve reading achievement and motivation? If so, how is this instruction best

provided?

7. Does teacher education influence how effective teachers are at teaching children to read? If so, how is this instruction best provided?

In addition to the focus topics and guiding questions used to narrow the scope of the research, other characteristics were incorporated in the selecting of the research studies to be analyzed.  A concern that many should have about this process is that many research studies were not considered in the analysis of establishing the report to congress.  As an example, 364 potential studies were available for analysis in oral reading instruction, after inspection through the NRP’s research methodology criteria, only 16 studies were accepted and quantified to be a meta-analysis (NICHD, 2000, p. 12).  This example represents approximately 95% of the non-acceptance rate of the studies available for analysis to the NRP and should have been an indicator to the potential flaw inherent in the process.  Garan (2001) suggests that the NRP conducted a meta-analysis on so few studies because of the narrow model of research they included. 

Another key finding in my research as to the possible inconsistency of the NRP’s research methodology exists within guiding question number six.  This question focuses on whether independent reading improves reading achievement and motivation.  However, Yatvin (2003) reports that the NRP did not have enough time to follow through and research certain focus topics including motivational factors in learning to read.  Additionally, one of the more important focus topics considered in selecting the reading research studies to be analyzed was comprehension.  However, Garan (2001) stated “the panel did not include reading comprehension or the application of phonics skills in authentic literacy events as necessary criteria in establishing what it termed a “general literacy” outcome.” (p. 6).  These examples need to be considered as it establishes a question as to the accuracy of the report generated by the NRP and significantly draws the validity of the report into question.

NRP and Sound Research

A consideration that I wish to instill in this position paper is that a Reading Buddy program can improve Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and reading comprehension.  This position paper is given strength in that the NRP report did not specifically dismiss these concepts, but rather it is my contention that because the NRP failed to follow through with the original outline of areas to research, opportunities for activities that promote EQ and reading comprehension should be considered.  In addition, the many questions that challenge the consistency and integrity of the NRP are validated again when consideration of the response to the NRP’s lack of time to research areas of motivation and comprehension are weighed.  The NRP (Garan, 2001) acknowledged the studies that it used in its research to determine a general literacy outcome did not include reading comprehension.  In its investigation of key questions to consider in choosing research studies, the NRP identified the following as guiding question number six:  Do programs that increase the amount of children’s independent reading improve reading achievement and motivation? If so, how is this instruction best provided?

            According to the National Reading Panel summary (NRP, 2000, p. 19) a time limitation resulted in evaluating the research for purposes of meeting the congressional report deadline date.  As a result the NRP was unable to follow through with its commitment of researching topics that fell within the parameters of the guiding question regarding reading achievement and motivation.  This omission of this criterion does one of two things; first it has the potential of insinuating that motivation is not an important element of a sound reading program, or second, it can leave open an opportunity for research on this particular element.  The position of this paper will focus on the latter and provide research on the area of Reading Buddies. 

Reading Buddies

1. Understanding the success that reading buddies can bring to a school makes it vitally important to understand how to incorporate such a program.

Incorporating a successful Reading Buddy Program

1. In addition, lesson design instruction, in reference to amount of time available for the reading activity, was important to meeting the goal of the reading assignment (Friedland & Truesdell, 2004). 

The coaching big buddy’s to read to and with their little buddy is an important element of the Reading Buddy Program.  Big buddy’s were responsible to model and solicit responsible reading strategies of fluency and expression.  Others strategies required during this reading buddy program were prediction, discussion, and comprehension (Block & Dellamura, 2000/2001).   An important consideration to analyze here is that many different strategies are employed to the teaching of reading with comprehension being the winner.  As Garan and DeVoogd (2008) notes in their Sustained Silent Reading paper, the NRP had trouble finding research on SSR largely in part because it focused on research that relied on component-skills model of reading as well as its focus on fluency and not comprehension as an outcome (Paris, 2005).  The NRP specifically states that it ran out of time in identifying studies that researched comprehension.  It is my contention, based on the facts, the NRP was destined in finding inaccurate results in the role comprehension plays in reading instruction.

To further increase the opportunities of comprehension, the big buddy was provided with a list of guided questions that would act as a catalyst for comprehension strategies (Block & Dellamura, 2000/2001).  Theurer and Schmidt (2008) cite the following guided questions:

“Does this book remind you of another book you have read?

Who was your favorite character? Why?

What is the message in this book?

What was your favorite part of this story?

How would you change the ending of this story?

What character would you like to be? Why?

What is the problem in this story? How was it resolved?

Did you like this book? Why? Give two good reasons!” (p. 26)

Reading buddy programs have been shown to improve the reading ability of students with disabilities.  Garan (2001) cited findings from the Reports of the Subgroup, (pp. 2-96, 2-135) stating, “…effectiveness of systematic phonics instruction were derived from studies conducted in many classrooms with typical classroom teachers and typical American or English-speaking students from a variety of backgrounds. . .  Thus the results of the analysis are indicative of what can be accomplished when systematic phonics programs are implemented in today’s classrooms.”  This statement and the NRP’s research failed to demonstrate how students with disabilities would benefit from such programs.  Buter (1999) reported successful results on her Class-Wide Peer Tutoring (CWPT) program.  The program called for tutoring buddies to be paired with students of disabilities.   Findings included a one year growth in sight word development and academic and social growth as well.  Butler indicated that peer tutoring programs can be structured to benefit all students with additional successful components in the areas of academic and social development.  Butler’s findings, one research study that took me about  1 hour to locate, add value to the possibility of reading buddy programs and what they add to improving academic and social intelligences. 

The big buddy reading program’s goal of improving the reading potential of their little reading buddy was not the lone result that the director’s had in mind when venturing into this arena.  An additional element that reading buddies has the potential of improving is one’s emotional intelligence.  Goleman qualifies to be emotional intelligence: getting along with others, self-motivation, persistence, controlling impulses, empathizing, and regulating one’s moods (Goleman, 1996).  Theurer and Schmidt (2008) share an important focus of the training is the interacting with their buddy.  Big buddies were mentored in the importance of greeting their little buddy with a smile and to say goodbye when they left.  The big buddies also practiced encouragements that complimented their buddy as well as strategies on what to do when their buddy was not listening, cooperating, or behaving inappropriately. 

1. Following are some of the flaws to the brain research used to posture the establishment of the NCLB act.

Flawed  Brain Research

The Reading First Program, a derivative of the NRP findings, was an initiative set forth by President George W. Bush based on scientific brain research. This research has some flaws in that its findings were, largely in part, due to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri), a process to measure differences in the brain activity (Willis, 2007).  . 

The issue with this fmri process is that the researcher only considered one portion of the brain’s complex reading network.  The study, favoring the NRP’s position, was that the study was conducted in a region of the brain that is known to be more active during phonics processing (Willis, 2007).  They say that when something looks and smells like a rat, it probably is a rat.  Well, an interesting fact is that this portion of the brain became more active when the students tested on phonics processing activities.  Again, if the goal is to learn constrained skills then fine, but reading involves comprehension and comprehension involves the development of unconstrained skills.  Willis (2007) suggests that, “we cannot generalization from these findings that all reading improves when the so-called phonics center becomes more active.” (p. 3).

Willis (2007) reports that the brain glitch theory treatment of reading as an isolated and independent cognitive process is counterproductive to the complex process connecting multiple learning and association centers in the brain.  Reading, at the minimum involves the limbic system, occipital cortex, associational subcortical frontal lobe centers, and medial temporal lobe and should really be aligned to instructional practices that stimulate multiple brain areas.

In addition, Willis (2007) cites (Brembs, Lorenzetti, Reyes, Baxter, & Byrne, 2002) having found interesting research on dopamine, brain proteins that are released and carry information throughout the brain.  Dopamine release has been found to increase during pleasurable and positive experiences.  Willis (2007) suggests that early studies show the amount of dopamine released by the brain increases during activities that involve playing, exercising, laughing, being read to, and recognizing personal achievements.  It is my contention, based on the reading buddy research, that opportunities like these are abundant.

The education literature has included theories about the effects of emotion on language acquisition for decades. Dulay and Burt (1977) and Krashen (1982) proposed that strong positive emotion reinforces learning, whereas excessive levels of stress and anxiety interfere with learning.

1. Many are feeling that equally important is the educating of the “whole” child. (Rattigan, 2007).    

As an example of benefits in educating the whole child, Rattigan (2007) shares that educating the “whole” child includes social and emotional aspects of learning which are strengthened in resilience skills.  Henderson & Milstein (1996) define resilience to be “the capacity to spring back, rebound, successfully adapt in the face of adversity, and develop social, academic, and vocational competence despite exposure to severe stress or simply stress that is inherent in today’s world” (p.7).  This idea of resiliency is one that can be taught and learned via the building of one’s emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence

In addition to successes noted in academics, reading buddy programs demonstrated equal amounts of success in the areas of emotional Intelligence.  Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a term coined by Yale psychologist Peter Salovey and University of New Hampshire’s John Mayer.  They describe EQ as the qualities one possesses to control one’s own emotions, empathize with the emotions of others, and regulate one’s feeling in times of crisis to improve the quality of life one lives (Gibbs,1995).  Goleman offers that all students need to be made aware of emotional intelligence characteristics within the educational environment (Pool, 1997).

Conventional wisdom asserts that IQ is the best predictor of future success. Current research is suggesting that IQ may only be responsible for 20% of a person’s success, leaving 80% to other forces.  Those forces are what Goleman suggests to be emotional intelligence: getting along with others, self-motivation, persistence, controlling impulses, empathizing, and regulating one’s moods (Goleman, 1996).  The challenge then becomes for school staffs to not only increase test scores, but also assist in increasing student’s emotional intelligence. 

            The dilemma many educators confront when wanting to incorporate social-emotional curricula into the school day is that it challenges the traditional core curriculums (Harrington-Lueker, 1995).  However, Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence has not come without criticism from his colleagues.  Margarita Muniz, principal at Raphael Hernandez school in Boston, feels that there is not enough evidence of what constitutes a sound emotional-development program or how to even measure emotional aptitude.  Other researchers argue that it is premature to insist that emotional intelligence can be

taught like polynomials or that these skills will help improve academic achievement.  Linda Baker, guidance counselor at West Mills Middle School, New Haven Connecticut, says, “Finding time to teach EQ in an already packed school schedule is tough.  It is equally difficult to find teachers who are adept at emotional skill building” (Harrington-

1. It is not either-or, it is both” (Harrington-Lueker, 1995, p. 3).  

When considering what types of learning should be taking place inside of an educational institution, all stakeholders to the future leaders of our society should contemplate the function of the brain.  The brain is composed of three main parts; the neo-cortex, limbic system, and brain stem.  It is in the limbic system that all of our emotions are controlled.  Within the limbic system are found two amygdala’s, which are responsible for receiving and sending all emotional messages.  The amygdala’s are always communicating with the neo-cortex, which is responsible for analytical and verbal tasks.  Our analytical thinking is always controlled by our emotions (Pool, 1997).  Individuals who are mature and healthy have better connections with their amygdala’s, or emotional responses, therefore allowing the neo-cortex to make better decisions.  Children who are constantly angry, frustrated, or subjected to bad environments experience interference by the amygdala, therefore making it hard for them to concentrate and thus learn.  Because the amygdala doesn’t mature until a child is 15 or 16, we have

many opportunities to teach children how to handle their feelings (Pool, 1997).

Today’s children have created a new perspective for schools to consider when approaching the curricular and teaching strategies.  In addition to teaching reading, writing, and math curriculum, schools are now becoming a center for social learning as well.  Because children appear to be receiving less and less guidance and direction from their homes and communities, schools are having to commit themselves to creating an infrastructure that can address the student’s social and emotional deficiencies (Lantieri & Patti, 1996).  As educators begin to brainstorm how to handle this decline of social adeptness, they along with parents and administrators worry about tradition.  They are concerned that devoting class time to addressing this deficit will hurt traditional academics and ultimately create a decline in test scores (Elias & Butler, 1997).

There is still much to learn on how the brain learns and therefore, it is irresponsible to assume that any instructional strategy is best for learning to read.  For the present moment teachers of reading must be guided by their professional knowledge base and their never-ending study of scientific evidence on how the brain responds to stimuli.  There exists promising areas of research and practice.

Putting It All Together

I have often wondered what it would be like to not have been able to take my sixth grade students through our Little Buddy Reading Program.  I was witness to my students benefitting in both Emotional Intelligence and Academic Intelligence.  For several, the academic success came as a result of strengthening their emotional intelligence.  My third grade colleague would also share, and had data to support her findings, that her third grade students grew in reading levels which required comprehension to increase. 

The National Reading Panel having conducted its research with its interpretation of what constitutes sound SBBR, had a huge fan base in former President George W. Bush in creating reading instruction policy.  This support system, in all honesty, should have prevented me from practicing the reading buddy program, but I felt it important for reading improvement and emotional intelligence growth. 

In hindsight to the many flaws that have been discovered regarding the NRP, I find myself dancing in the rain, if you will, as to my decision in finding the time to make the reading buddy program work.  First, the NRP established, in its own definition, a meta-analysis of the reading research.  Its error was that it failed to recall that a meta-analysis is a comparison of results that encompass many and varied research studies; varied in the sense that it used relatively obscure methods in its study selection. In this weeding out process or selective process of research topics, the NRP failed to find research studies regarding comprehension.  This omission established a hole in its committed research of comprehension and thus could have possibly omitted the benefits of a reading buddy program.  One of the biggest blunders, if I may be so frank, of the NRP is its admission of running out of time to research studies on motivation and comprehension.  Reading Buddy programs have shown to strengthen motivation and comprehension skills.

A sound reading buddy program has been shown to include activities that involve peer to peer support in the area of reading.  The goal of my sixth grade reading buddy program was for the big buddy to assist his little buddy in reading and comprehending the story through strategies that support reading and comprehension.  Some of these activities involved spelling practice, phonemic awareness strategies, fluency practice, and reading comprehension strategies.  Many of these activities offer both constrained and unconstrained skill practice and development.  The NRP’s research was based on constrained skill research, which offers another reason as to why many research studies were omitted.  In addition to omitting research on comprehension, the NRP was selective in its brain research to support their findings on reading achievement.

A main poster child of the NRP findings was the establishment of The Reading First Program, an initiative enacted by former President George W. Bush.  I recall being a reading first school and many times was questioned about my reading buddy program and how it was not an approved NCLB practice that improved reading achievement.  This research was based on flawed scientific brain research that only considered one portion of the brain’s complex reading network.  In addition, this research favored the NRP’s purpose of finding research that showed reading achievement occurring in the brain region that is most active during phonics processing.  Again, we are reminded that The Reading First Program was a phonics based curriculum, and from first-hand experience it was a “sleeper,” but, it did however fit the NRP’s bill of identifying research that focused on constrained skills.   The NRP’s failure in this thought process is that comprehension is a crucial criterion for reading achievement.  The Reading Buddy Program has proven to be positive for comprehension and as an additional component has been positive for improving emotional intelligence.

            Reading Buddy Programs involve students working together for a common purpose of reading development.  Evidences have demonstrated that brain activity is intensified during this process that involves laughter, being read to, and receiving confirmation of good work.  All of these attributes of what a Reading Buddy Program has to offer is associated with Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence, as defined by Goleman, is the ability to get along with others, be self-motivated, empathize with others, control impulses, and regulate one’s moods.  A need for emotional intelligence to be taught in school is found in research that demonstrates the success of person amounts to 20% of academic intelligence and 80% to emotional intelligence.  Understanding this relationship of intelligences to success would prompt educators to planning their teaching on lessons that espouse these two types of intelligences.  Reading buddy programs can be a way to compliment the two intelligences.

Bibliography

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The Reading Teacher, 54(4), 364–370.

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About the Author

My name is Johnny Alvarado and I am a middle school principal. I am currently working on my doctorate degree and have an assingment of attempting to public an article. This my first article in attempting to publish, so I am awaiting any first attempt comments you may have to share.

Do you think before you speak?

(And, from yet another motivational poster in a high school math classroom)

spasmodically

Donnie Darko

Plot

In 1988 Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a brilliant teenager, has been seeing a psychiatrist, as he seems to be going through a particularly painful puberty. His mother becomes worried about him, after his sister suggests over dinner that he hasn’t been taking his medication. Later that night (October 2) Donnie is awakened by a voice and goes downstairs as if sleepwalking where he meets Frank (James Duval), a man in a menacing rabbit costume. Frank tells him that in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds, the world will end. While he is outside, a jet engine crashes through Donnie’s bedroom.

Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) wakes Donnie where he had fallen asleep on the golf course. Donnie notices his forearm where the numerals 28:06:42:12 are written in jagged script. Returning home he is surprised to find police and firemen have cordoned off his home. Donnie is told a jet engine has fallen through his room, although it is unknown where it came from.

As Eddie, Donnie’s father, drives him to the office of Dr. Thurman (Katharine Ross), Donnie’s therapist, Eddie nearly runs over Roberta Sparrow (Patience Cleveland), also known as “Grandma Death”: a seemingly senile old woman who spends her days walking back and forth from her house to a mailbox for a letter that never comes. Grandma Death whispers something in Donnie’s ear that startles him. It is later learned that she had whispered, “every living creature on earth dies alone.”

In his English class Donnie meets a new student, Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone). Meanwhile, Frank continues to appear to Donnie and tell him that he can do anything and will not get caught. Frank also tells Donnie about time travel, further confusing him. Donnie, apparently at Frank’s urging, commits several acts of violence against property; flooding the school and torching the home of Jim Cunningham, an inspirational speaker. Cunningham’s methods have been much admired by Kitty Farmer, one of the teachers at Donnie’s school.

Gretchen and Donnie grow closer. She is one of the few people he opens up to about his time-travel visions. Dr. Thurman increases Donnie’s medication and begins hypnotherapy with him. Frank continues to appear to Donnie.

With the inspirational speaker, Jim Cunningham, accused of running a “kiddie porn dungeon”, Kitty Farmer asks Donnie’s mother to accompany the schools dance team to LA for an appearance on the show Star Search. Donnie’s sister Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Donnie decide to throw a Halloween party while their mother, Rose, and younger sister are away. The night of the party, October 30, Gretchen comes to Donnie’s house for safety because her mother has suddenly disappeared.

At midnight, Donnie realizes that the 28 days have passed, and that only 6 hours remain until the end of the world. Convinced that Grandma Death is in some way connected to Frank, Donnie persuades Gretchen and two other friends to leave the party and go with him to her house. There, they are assaulted by the high school bullies (Alex Greenwald and Seth Rogen). Gretchen is knocked unconscious and thrown into the street. An approaching car scares the bullies off but swerves to avoid Grandma Death who is standing in the road and runs directly over Gretchen. Stopping the car, Frank gets out and starts yelling at Donnie, who lifts his father’s stolen pistol and shoots Frank through his right eye (a wound seen earlier as the ‘menacing rabbit’ Frank pulled off his mask).

Grandma Death tells Donnie (Director’s cut) that he must hurry as a storm is forming and he has a lot to do. Donnie can’t wake Gretchen and ends up carrying her lifeless body to his home. There he kisses his sleeping sister’s forehead, grabs some keys and speeds away in the family car with Gretchen. We see a strange, inverted, black cloud forming over Donnie’s house. Next Donnie watches from some road in the hills above town as a tornado forms over the city. Donnie seems at peace now, as a vortex engulfs the jet his mother and sister are returning home in, apparently they are caught up in the storm above Donnie’s home. Suddenly the jet is shaken violently and we see the engine torn from the wing and begin to fall, creating a whirling pathway through the sky.

Director’s cut ending

Suddenly Donnie’s elder sister opens the family’s home’s front door, closes it, and leans against the door, as she had done at the beginning of the film. Her father is asleep in his chair. Donnie, lying upstairs in his bed, starts to laugh maniacally, then the noise grows as the house begins to shake violently. Donnie is now seen asleep in his bed. As the house starts to fall apart, we see his mother in her bed as the massive jet engine that had, only minutes before, fallen from the plane carrying his mother and sister, crashes through Donnie’s bedroom.

Theatrical version ending

In the theatrical version it is once again October 2. Donnie is once again in bed, having possibly travelled back in time to create an ontological paradox, where his future self takes the place of his past self. On this occasion Donnie has returned to his bed, where in the beginning of the film he had followed a strange voice, as he walked outside and met Frank. As he laughs maniacally, a jet engine crashes through the roof, killing him.

Common ending

All the people affected by Donnie’s actions are then shown in short scenes that briefly reference the events as they happen with Donnie never having taken his walk to meet Frank. The Tears For Fears’ song “Mad World”, covered by Gary Jules, is played with the words matching the scenes. As Donnie’s body is taken away, Gretchen, having never met Donnie, rides by the Darkos’ house on her bicycle. She learns from a neighborhood boy about what has just happened and then waves to Donnie’s mother who stands smoking a cigarette.

Director’s interpretation

This section does not cite any references or sources.

Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

Writer/director Richard Kelly does not deny the validity of personal interpretations, but has expressed his own theories through the extra commentary on the two DVDs, and in various other interviews.

According to Kelly and his fictional Philosophy of Time Travel, at midnight on October 2 – a Tangent Universe branches off the Primary Universe around the time when Donnie is called out of his bedroom by Frank, immediately before the appearance of the Artifact, the faulty jet engine. The inherently unstable Tangent Universe will collapse in just over 28 days and take the Primary Universe with it if not corrected. Closing the Tangent Universe is the duty of the Living Receiver, Donnie, who wields certain supernatural powers to help him in the task.

Those who die within the Tangent Universe (and would not have died otherwise) are the Manipulated Dead (Frank, Gretchen). Frank, at least, is also given certain powers in that he is able to subtly understand what is happening and have the ability to contact and influence the Living Receiver via the Fourth Dimensional Construct (water). All others within the orbit of the Living Receiver are the Manipulated Living (e.g. Ms. Pomeroy, Dr. Monnitoff), subconsciously drawn to push him towards his destiny to close the Tangent Universe and, according to the Philosophy of Time Travel, die by the Artifact.

Frank appears in the story in two guises (three guises if we assume that he ‘never’ dies on account of the restoration of the Primary Universe through the negation of the Tangent Universe). First, there is the Manipulated Dead Frank who appears to Donnie as a premonition from the future of the Tangent Universe in the disturbing rabbit suit. Dead Frank is aware of Donnie’s fate and destiny, and impels him to realize it so that the Primary Universe can be restored at the point where/when the Tangent Universe branched off from it. Secondly, Frank appears alive as Donnie’s sister’s boyfriend, whose fate unfolds within the Tangent Universe by means of Donnie’s successes in realizing his mission. This living boyfriend is fatally shot by Donnie towards the end of the film, a killing which was foreseen by Donnie.

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko

Jena Malone as Gretchen Ross

James Duval as Frank

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Elizabeth Darko

Mary McDonnell as Rose Darko

Holmes Osborne as Eddie Darko

Katharine Ross as Dr. Lilian Thurman

Drew Barrymore as Karen Pomeroy

Noah Wyle as Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff

Patrick Swayze as Jim Cunningham

Daveigh Chase as Samantha “Sam” Darko

Beth Grant as Kitty Farmer

Stuart Stone as Ronald Fisher

Alex Greenwald as Seth Devlin

Seth Rogen as Ricky Danforth

Patience Cleveland as Roberta Sparrow (“Grandma Death”)

Jolene Purdy as Cherita Chen

Ashley Tisdale as Kim

Jerry Trainor as Lanky Kid

William Adams as little boy in the end

Production

Filming

The Long Beach, California home used in Donnie Darko as the fictional, upscale home of motivational speaker Jim Cunningham.

Donnie Darko was filmed in 28 days on a budget of $4.5 million. It almost went straight to home video release but was publicly released by the production company Flower Films.

The film was shot in California. The “Carpathian ridge” scenes were shot on the Angeles Crest Highway. Loyola High School, a prominent Catholic school in Los Angeles, California, was used as Donnie’s high school. The house where the Darko family lives is located in Long Beach, California. Donnie awakens in a golf course in Long Beach, California; the hotel where his family lodges is the Burbank, California, Holiday Inn; and the Aero theater where Donnie and Gretchen watch the double feature is a cinema in Santa Monica, California.

The home of Patrick Swayze’s character, Jim Cunningham, is at 4252 Country Club Drive Long Beach, California.

Music

Main article: Donnie Darko (soundtrack)

In 2003, composer Michael Andrews and singer Gary Jules found their piano-driven cover of the Tears for Fears’ hit “Mad World”, featured in the film as part of the end sequence, and the song was the UK Christmas Number One single in 2003. One continuous sequence involving an introduction of Donnie’s high school prominently features the song “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears, Samantha’s dance group, “Sparkle Motion,” performs with the song “Notorious” by Duran Duran, and “Under the Milky Way” by The Church is played after Donnie and Gretchen emerge from his room during the party. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division also appears in the film diegetically during the party and shots of Donnie and Gretchen upstairs. However, the version included was released in 1995, although the film is set in 1988. The opening sequence is set to “The Killing Moon” by Echo & the Bunnymen. In the theatrical cut, the song playing during the Halloween party is “Proud to be Loud” by Pantera, a track released on their 1988 album, which would concide with the time setting of the film. However, the band is credited as “The Dead Green Mummies”.

In the re-released Director’s Cut version of the film, the music in the opening sequence is replaced by “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS; “Under the Milky Way” is moved to the scene of Donnie and his father driving home from Donnie’s meeting with his therapist; and “The Killing Moon” is played as Gretchen and Donnie return to the party from Donnie’s parents’ room.

Release

The limited release of the film occurred during the month after the September 11 attacks. It was subsequently held back for almost a year for international release, where it garnered more favorable reviews.[citation needed] From this point, a large cult following for the movie began. Its DVD release gained an increased American audience for the film.

Marketing

The Donnie Darko Book, written by Richard Kelly, is a 2003 book about the film. It includes an introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal, the screenplay of the Donnie Darko Director’s Cut, an in-depth interview with Kelly, facsimile pages from the Philosophy of Time Travel, photos and drawings from the film, and artwork it inspired.

NECA released first a six-inch (15 cm) figure of Frank the Bunny and later a foot-tall (30 cm) ‘talking’ version of the same figure.

Home video

The film was originally released on DVD and VHS in March 2002. Strong DVD sales led Newmarket Films to release a “Director’s Cut” on DVD in 2004. Bob Berney, President of Newmarket Films, described the film as “a runaway hit on DVD,” citing United States sales of more than $10 million.

The director’s cut of the film was released on May 29, 2004, in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle International Film Festival and later in New York City and Los Angeles on July 23, 2004. This cut includes twenty minutes of extra footage, an altered soundtrack, the director’s commentary assisted by Kevin Smith, the director’s interpretation, and visual excerpts from the book The Philosophy of Time Travel. The director’s cut DVD, released on February 15, 2005, included the new footage and more soundtrack changes, as well as some additional features exclusive to the two-DVD set: excerpts from the storyboard, a 52-minute production diary, “#1 fan video,” a “cult following” video interviewing British fans, and the new director’s cut cinematic trailer. The director’s cut DVD was released as a giveaway with copies of the British Sunday Times newspaper on February 19, 2006.

The film was released on Blu-ray on February 10, 2009.

Reception

Box office performance

Donnie Darko had its first screening at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2001, and debuted in United States theaters in October 2001 to a tepid response. Shown on only 58 screens nationwide, the film grossed $110,494 in its opening weekend. By the time the film closed in United States theaters on April 11, 2002, it had earned just $517,375. It ultimately grossed $4.1 million worldwide.

Despite its poor box office showing, the film began to attract a devoted fan base. It was originally released on DVD and VHS in March 2002. During this time, the Pioneer Theatre in New York City’s East Village began midnight screenings of Donnie Darko that continued for 28 consecutive months.

Critical reception

The film received widespread critical acclaimotten Tomatoes gave the film an 84% rating (the Director’s Cut received 91%), while Metacritic gave it a 71 out of 100 (the Director’s Cut received 88 out of 100). Critic Andy Bailey billed Donnie Darko as a “Sundance surprise” that “isn’t spoiled by the Hollywood forces that helped birth it.” Jean Oppenheimer of New Times (LA) praised the film, saying, “Like gathering storm clouds, Donnie Darko creates an atmosphere of eerie calm and mounting menace — stands as one of the most exceptional movies of 2001.” Writing for ABC Australia, Megan Spencer called the movie, “menacing, dreamy, [and] exciting” and noted that “it could take you to a deeply emotional place lying dormant in your soul.” At first when the movie was released, Roger Ebert gave the film a less than positive review but later became more enamored by the film after seeing the release of the director’s cut.

Awards

2001 Richard Kelly won with Donnie Darko for “Best Screenplay” at the Catalonian International Film Festival and at the San Diego Film Critics Society. Donnie Darko also won the “Audience Award” for Best Feature at the Sweden Fantastic Film Festival. The film was nominated for “Best Film” at the Catalonian International Film Festival and for the “Grand Jury Prize” at the Sundance Film Festival.

2002 Donnie Darko won the “Special Award” at the Young Filmmakers Showcase at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The movie also won the “Silver Scream Award” at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. Kelly was nominated for “Best First Feature” and “Best First Screenplay” with Donnie Darko, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal being nominated for “Best Male Lead,” at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film was also nominated for the “Best Breakthrough Film” at the Online Film Critics Society Awards.

2003 Jake Gyllenhaal won “Best Actor” and Richard Kelly “Best Original Screenplay” for Donnie Darko at the Chlotrudis Awards, where Kelly was also nominated for “Best Director” and “Best Movie.”

2005 Donnie Darko ranked in the top five on My Favourite Film, an Australian poll conducted by the ABC.

2006 Donnie Darko ranks ninth in FilmFour’s 50 Films to See Before You Die.

It also came in at number 14 on Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 50 Best High School Movies and landed at number 2 in their “Greatest Independent Films of All Time” list.

Sequel

Main article: S. Darko

A 2009 sequel, S. Darko, centers on Samantha Darko, Donnie’s younger sister. Again played by Daveigh Chase, Samantha begins to have strange dreams that hint at a major catastrophe. Donnie Darko creator Richard Kelly has stated that he has no involvement in this sequel, as he does not own the rights to the original. Daveigh and producer Adam Fields are the only creative links between it and the original film. The sequel received mostly negative reviews.

Adaptations

Marcus Stern, Associate Director of the American Repertory Theater, directed a staged adaptation of Donnie Darko at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2007. It ran from October 27 to November 18, 2007, with opening night fittingly scheduled on Halloween. An article written by the production dramaturg stated that the director and production team planned to “embrace the challenge to make the fantastical elements come alive on stage.” In 2004, Stern adapted and directed Kelly’s screenplay for a graduate student production at the American Repertory Theatre’s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (I.A.T.T./M.X.A.T.).

A 60 second version was created for the Empire Film Awards by Tea Fuelled Art

References

^ a b c Richard Kelly (director). (2004). Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut. [DVD]. 

^ a b c d “Donnie Darko”. The Numbers: Box Office Data, Movie Stars, Idle Speculation. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2001/DARKO.php. Retrieved 26 August 2009. 

^ The AV Club – “The New Cult Canon: Donnie Darko”

^ a b “Donnie Darko film review”. Rotten Tomatoes. IGN.com. 2001. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/donnie_darko/. Retrieved 2008-09-11. 

^ “‘Darko’ takes a long, strange trip”. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-02-14-dvd-donnie-darko_x.htm. Retrieved 2005-02-14. 

^ Poster, Steven (Cinematographer). (2004). Donnie Darko Production Diary. [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 

^ a b “Donnie Darko”. Indie Wire. http://www.indiewire.com/movies/movies_040722darko.html. Retrieved 2006-05-17. 

^ a b “Donnie Darko (2001)”. Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniedarko.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 

^ “Donnie Darko”. Indie Wire. http://www.indiewire.com/movies/rev_01Sund_010121_Darco.html. Retrieved 2006-05-17. 

^ Review of Donnie Darko, by Megan Spencer, for ABC Australia.

^ “Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut”. Rogerebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040820/REVIEWS/408200303/1023. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 

^ “My Favourite Film”. ABC. http://www.abc.net.au/myfavouritefilm/. Retrieved 2006-07-11. 

^ “C4 relaunches Film4 with ‘50 films to see before you die’ list countdown”. Brand Republic. http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/br/article/567497/c4-relaunches-film4-50-films-die-countdown/. Retrieved 2006-09-16. 

^ “IGN Article”. IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/873/873472p1.html. Retrieved 2009-01-28. 

^ “S. Darko review”. A.V. Club. 2009-05-13. http://www.avclub.com/articles/s-darko,27924/. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 

^ “rottentomatoes.com”. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/s_darko_a_donnie_darko_tale/. Retrieved 2010-02-03. 

^ Sarah Wallace (2007-08-07). “Bringing the End of the World to Life”. American Repertory Theatre. http://www.amrep.org/articles/6_1c/bringing.html. Retrieved 2007-10-14. [dead link]

^ “Done in 60 seconds competition”. empireonline.com. http://www.empireonline.com/awards2010/donein60seconds/. Retrieved 14 February 2010. 

Commentary with Kevin Smith (2003), Donnie Darko Directors Cut, Faber and Faber, ISBN 0571221246 

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Donnie Darko

Official website

Donnie Darko at the Internet Movie Database

Donnie Darko at Allmovie

Donnie Darko at Rotten Tomatoes

Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut at Rotten Tomatoes

v  d  e

Richard Kelly

Director

Donnie Darko (2001)  Southland Tales (2007)  The Box (2009)

Writer

Donnie Darko (2001)  Domino (2005)  Optimistic (2006)  Southland Tales (2007)  The Box (2009)  Vanishing Point (TBA)

Short films

The Goodbye Place (1996)  Visceral Matter (1997)

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About the Author

I am a professional editor from
China Suppliers
, and my work is to promote a free online trade platform.
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welcome to visit!

How to quickly create motivational poster design elements

Whether you are an organization of 25 or 5,000, one of the greatest obstacles to a well run team is getting your managers and employees to consistently treat your clients and customers right.

Far too often, the customer service training program that is completed gets mediocre results. The employee of the month program seems to die a quiet death. The Motivational Posters urging employees to excel in being a team player and delivering excellent service appear to be useless. What is the missing link that will bind these and other reinforces together to create the changes you want?

Consistently using a system for providing positive reinforcement to your managers and employees when they “do right” is the golden key. Remember, having a system and not using it is no better than not having one at all.

First identify the behavior and results you want to see. Both you and your employees need to be tuned into the same channel for the kind of customer service you want delivered. Their perception of what good service is can be quite a bit different from your perception.

Make sure you positively reinforce any improvements you see in behavior. One way to do this is tell the individual directly. It might sound like, “Sally, you did a good job in handling that last customer’s concern. By asking the right questions and listening, you were able to help him resolve the issue he was experiencing. That’s the kind of service we want to deliver”.

By telling Sally that she asked the right questions, listened and was able to resolve the customer’s issue, reinforced her behavior of using the right questions to resolve the concern.

As the saying goes, “never expect what you don’t first inspect”. If you want the right behavior from your employees, be sure to inspect it as they do it. This way you can help them make the necessary adjustments. It is vital that you continue to periodically reinforce the right behavior. How often do you continue to periodically reinforce the right behavior. How often do you reinforce it? A good rule of thumb is a lot in the beginning and intermittently after that. Three of the most powerful ways to reinforce behavior are:

1. One-on-one verbal “atta boys or atta girls”

2. Praise the individual in front of others.

3. “Talk behind their back”. Praise the individual when he or she is not present (word of your praise will usually get back to them by way of the grapevine.)

In conclusion, identify the type of service results and behavior you want, and be sure to systematically reinforce it. Be consistent and persistent and your managers and employees will follow through with quality service you want them to provide.

Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting Development & Training. He is a business and organizational consultant and trainer. He is the author of the book Making Service Count. Over the past 28 years, he has worked with his clients and helped them to change their business paradigms. Tom shows small business owners how to “think outside the box”, tap the potential of their managers and employees, and take action to help make their businesses more profitable and successful in a down economy. You can contact him at 734-812-0526 or visit his website at http://www.tomborgconsulting.com.

Looking for Motivational Posters?

Hi,

Hi J.D.

You might want to check this site out.

http://picturemyquote.blogspot.com

or

http://www.picturemyquote.com

they’re both the same site really.
You can create your own poster there with whatever you want on it.

Cheers,

Todd.

A planted old story with political motivation – RT 100614

You And Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster was one of the greatest orators of all time. They say he even out talked the Devil to save a man’s soul. What he said wasn’t as important as the way he said It. But one sentence from his speeches sticks in my mind. “Let us,” said Daniel Webster, “in this our day and generation perform something worthy to be remembered.”

How many of us are living up to this challenge? Most of us spend our time like sleepwalkers – the blind leading the blind. We’re afraid to stick our necks out. Afraid that if we do, it will just get us into trouble.

All around us now we see trouble. Children are starving. Men and women are unemployed. Families are falling apart. Old people are unhappy. Our cities are getting unbearable. Our air isn’t fit to breathe. Litter pollutes our surroundings. But what are we doing about it? We complain a lot. Or we pull the shades, turn on the boob tube, and lose ourselves in make-believe, so we won’t have to see what’s going on outside.

What good is building up your own confidence to where you think you can move mountains, if you’re too lazy to bend over and pick up a piece of paper in the street. Or don’t have time to help a neighbor in distress. Getting excited about life and becoming happy are only a part of the Dare to Be Great philosophy.

Daniel Webster knew what he was talking about. He knew that we are only here on earth for a day. And so he asked us to do something worthy of being remembered in that brief time. It’s popular to laugh at the Boy Scouts and their daily good deed. Some people will sneer at anything. But how many of us can boast of a good deed a week or a month or even a year? I believe anybody can become a success. But the richest man on earth is a failure if he measures success by what he does for himself. So we should all reach out and touch someone with a positive word, deed or action. It may be as small as saying, “Hello”, and giving a smile to someone who is lonely. Or you could volunteer at a hospital or old age home for a few hours. The greatest gift you can give is yourself and your time. Showing gratitude to others when they show kindness to you is a great gift that you can give back to them, it shows honor and respect for their act.

What are you doing that’s worthy to be remembered? So think about what Daniel Webster said. The next time you’re tempted to complain, ask yourself, “If I don’t do something to change things, who will?” No one. But you can change the world if you believe in yourself, and be remembered with love and gratitude by those who come after you.

Mr. Glenn W. Turner was founder of Dare To Be Great the first motivational company to teach the masses the secret to success and happiness. He was over 35 years ahead of his time. Today we hear of “The Secret” on every daytime talk show. Over 1,000,000 people were touched by this philosophy, and this has been passed on to many of their children. Today many proudly contact Mr. Turner to tell him how Dare to Be Great changed their lives and families to the better.

About the Author

Mr. Glenn W. Turner a Master Motivator, Speaker, Happiness Coach and Author. His life began in 1934 in SC born with a harelip with everything against him. He over came the impossible building an empire in the 1970s, to lose it to the Nixon Gov. He is still happy and healthy

http://www.glenn-w-turner.com

Motivational Poster Montage

Brand: Unleash the power within

Branding: Unleash the power within

What is a Brand?

Brand is an identification of a company and its products. It can be in the form of logo, symbol, color or just a name. This identification helps distinguish itself among its competitors.

Creation of brand is not just creating a logo or byline statement or a symbol. It is the creation of experience, which would make the customer, want more and more of it. An experience, which can create strong positive emotions, something that can lead the customer to trust and become loyal to it. First thing that qualifies a company or product to be a brand is the ability to create emotions. Brand has to be associated or should trigger emotions.

Logos, colors, symbols, statements, advertisements and promotions are the main tools for the communication of a brand. Now coming to the main point of the article -Unleashing the power of brand internally & unveil a new power, i.e. Internal Branding or promoting the brand internally among employees so that they are aware of the capabilities of the company and are proud to be working for it. With the help of internal branding, a new source of powering the brand comes to force. All employees are people who connect with the outside environment after office hours. All positive vibes sent out by employees to their friends, neighbors, relatives, etc creates a compounding effect on the image of the company.

The pride the employee shows to be working for an organization itself speaks volume about the company. The manner in which employee behaves itself portrays or communicates something about the image of the company. It can be either positive or negative. So how do we go about the internal branding? How do we harness this hidden power?

First Step:

To be able to harness this power, there needs to be a synergy between the organization and the employee, a bonding, or you can say an environment in which the individual can thrive and bring out his best for the company. Every organization has a different culture and every individual a different temperament, this should match. I hope I have made the point now. So lets move ahead

The whole process starts with recruiting, recruiting people who can gel in with the organization. Any Employee joining the organization or selected to join the organization needs to be evaluated in terms of his personal characteristics.

What about existing employees?

In case of existing employees they need to be conditioned to behave or exhibit certain characteristics as deemed fit. All this is possible only with the motivation of the individual and Focus.

In a company the employees are the first customers of the brand and the brand should be able to fulfill their promises. Brand is also the outcome of all the company employees’ efforts; so they need to give in their best to the brand.

Who is responsible for Internal Branding?

Internal Branding is the responsibility of the Top management/Leadership or the Brand Manager in charge of the particular brand. Alternatively the best solution is to have a team of Marketing, Admin and Finance guy to form an internal branding team.

Some tactics to internalize the brand:

1. Brand the atmosphere

The workplace atmosphere affects the way the person works. Put on the posters of the brand and its promise or attribute visible to everyone. The brand promise visibility in the office should be exceptional.

For eg: Put up a notice board and highlight every day some news about the brand progress or send an email to everyone on the update or the progress made by the brand or by the executive working on the product. (I don’t mean a formal email stating simple fact what has been done, an email, which evokes passion, smile and motivate. Some time an email with good intentioned criticism also helps to push people, personal notes by leaders inspire staff)

1. Team Involvement:

Ask for suggestion, start in a forum where ideas can be discussed openly without the fear/hesitation of organization hierarchy, but make it clear who the decision maker is. Keep everyone informed. Keep the buzz on don’t ever give the guys time to slack down. Keep them charged, keep them interested

1. Responsibility, Credit & Incentive:

Give out Responsibility and authority to carry it out and give credit where it’s due.There is nothing like incentives, which can really motivate people along with appreciation. Give out a ” Champs of the month” in various functions for the brand like marketing, admin, customer service, sales, merchandising, etc

1. Brand Training

You might have heard of product training, but brand training is different and unique. Educate, Reinforce and inculcate the attributes that really make the brand stand out amongst the other competitor in the employees.

If necessary, Spoon-feed the staff on the behavior that compliments the brands, especially the staff that will come in contact with the outside world.

In simple terms each of your employee has to be a brand ambassador. Let everyone hear the facts and things that need to be projected for the brand.

1. Brand Culture Development

Create & promote the culture of the brand in your organization, as most of the brand guru has said LIVE THE BRAND. Develop the culture in your organization that reflects the brand nature.

Once done, you might have single brand but 100 to 200-brand ambassadors (depending on the number of employees) projecting your brand everyday to the world. If I summarize, Internal Branding can create salesman out of every employee and who ever comes in contact with your employee will be influenced by the brand.

About the Author

Santosh Pania- A Marketing Professional Visit http://www.marketingbuff.blogspot.com

motivational poster maker?

i was wondering if there are any programs or anything that can put a border around an image for a motivational poster, like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuRpva5-j4w&feature=PlayList&p=D31B48DF0E44999F&index=15

Above is a link to a Youtube video. He gives tips on free software alternatives. I believe there was a good graphics program available.
Hope this helps

17-Year-Old Barely Survives a Brutal Beating, Thanks to Cop (Was Racism the Motivation?)

The Proper Care & Maintenance of Black Men

The woman who loves a black man has a special challenge. She will have to be diligent in her efforts to understand a man who often has difficulty understanding himself. It’s not that we black men are being purposely or intentionally elusive; many of us simply don’t know how notto be that way.

It’s part conditioning, part programming, and part choice. Black men enter relationships with a myriad of complex emotions which are often intertwined with unresolved childhood issues, unique socioeconomic obstacles to overcome, and the cumulative effects of racism.

By the time we are ready to “settle down,” our decision to do so is usually accompanied by trepidation. It’s not that we don’t want to commit; many of us just don’t know how to. Yes, we know conceptually what commitment means, but its definition is not reinforced by examples that we can see and emulate in our homes, our communities, in most of our friend’s relationships, or in our churches.

A random sampling of any urban radio station also reveals a subtle, yet insidious cultural affliction which undermines the value and respect for committed relationships: a gluttony of songs about being a player.

When black male teenagers inculcate these messages in their brains, it alters how they think about women, and how they view relationshipswith women. But they are not discouraged from listening to these types of songs. No one can do that; not even their parents who are usually trying to establish romantic relationships of their own, but more on that in a minute. At the very least, parents should encourage their young men to think about the misogynistic lyrics that they can recite better than the star spangled banner.

My many conversations with older black men about music in the 60s and 70s confirm one thing: the love song was alive and well back in the day. It was an integral part of the courtship strategy that black men used to “woo” women. Smokey Robinson, Barry White, and TeddyPendergrass supplied the soundtrack and the lyrics which influenced the romantic aspirations and psyches of young black men.

Babyface carried the torch in the 80s. After that, “booty calls,” “hook-ups,” and “friends with benefits” became – and still is – what the majority of Hip-Hop and R&B songs are about. You’d be hard-pressed to find a song which extols the virtues of being a family man, the love for one’s children, or a song that mentions the word “wife.”

Women have to view black men as computers. When they consider getting involved with a black man, they need to find out what programs the model of their computer comes loaded with. Ideally, you want a computer that’s equipped with the programs that cater to your needs, enable you to execute your daily functions, and fulfills your desires.

That’s not usually the case. Most women will have to add some programs, or do some reprogramming.

Because a successful relationship is really about having ongoing successful relations, the first area of concern -and undoubtedly the greatest challenge – is communication. “Black men don’t talk.” I’ve heard this before. I’ve never been accused of it, but I’m aware of it. What’s interesting is that women don’t say that black men don’t talk before they get into bed with them. Chances are he talks just as much now as he did before you became lovers. The only difference is that you are listening to (and viewing) him differently. With your new level of intimacy, you have a stronger need (and desire) to connect with him verbally, not just sexually.

He doesn’t feel the same way.

Yes he pursued you. Yes he expressed his desire efficiently and convincingly in the beginning, but once in a relationship, black men tend to retreat to safety. It’s part of our conditioning. The vulnerability that we feel is juxtaposed with the strength (a.k.a “swagger”) that we superficially display. Unfortunately, we don’t know when to drop it, or display it in a different manner (e.g., with compassion, tenderness, or empathy). Have you ever heard someone say, “He’s got a compassionate swagger?” Of course not. Swagger is all about confidence and strength. It protects us from other men, and makes us desirable to women. We just have to be programmed to know when it’s appropriate and safe to be swaggerless.

Because black men don’t talk openly and freely about the issues that affect them most (with their women or anyone else for that matter), they internalize a great deal of rage, anguish, and fear. Some manage it better than others, but we all have it to some degree. It stems from fragmented or non-existent relationships with our fathers, constantly being treated as perpetrators, and having to work two to three times harder than our white male peers to achieve the same success.

Unlike black women who benefit from the mental and emotional support of girlfriends, relatives, networks, or even co-workers, black men tend to be isolated – personally and professionally. On the surface, it would appear that black men are the kings of the jungle giving “pounds,” handshakes, and random hugs to random people. To any onlooker it would appear that they know everyone.

Nothing is further from the truth. We thrive in the area of social status because we often lack status in other areas; the areas that count the most. Publicly, our social persona helps us maintain the appearance of being someone, and being liked. It also fortifies the illusion of our swagger.

Privately, we go through it. Black women have their mothers to call for reassurance and direction which they can draw strength and exemplification from on a wide range of topics. Black men have a longing for their father’s guidance, and a desire to be connected with other men to receive emotional support, but it’s not to be.

Presenting one’s self in a weak, needy, or distressed light to another black man obliterates the perception (a.k.a “a front”) which we black men work hard to create, and even harder to uphold. It makes the creation of a black male support system exceedingly and unnecessarily difficult. So we suffer alone to avert judgment.

For the black woman who is in a relationship with a black man, know that he does not experience – nor does he see – the world the way that you do. You were embraced both socially and professionally before we were. You’ve never been considered a threat, and you’ve received more opportunities as a result. The world that your black man lives in can feel like an uphill race. A good woman (i.e., a woman who understands her man and how to positively motivate him) can help a black man embrace his struggles, and not feel victimized by them.

Statistics show that black men are lagging far behind black women in education, professional accomplishments, starting businesses, and executive advancements. Yes, in the words of Aretha Franklin, “sisters are doin’ it for themselves,” but they are doing it alone.

African-Americans have the lowest marriage rate out of all demographics. African-American women are three times as likely to never marry as their white counterparts – which has to be a contributing factor in 70 percent of black children being born out wedlock. Black men often feel displaced. They don’t see their place or their role in their homes when their women achieve the level of self-sufficiency that they have in the last decade.

Being in a relationship with a black man who feels displaced or undervalued is tough. What’s even tougher is reprogramming black men to see their own value; the value they hold to their women, and to their families. Any woman who is successful can’t help but to feel the urge to say, “Get it together and make it happen for yourself – I did!”

This phrase works better: “Get it together and make it happen for yourself. I know you can do it – your family is counting on you!” Sometimes that’s precisely what’s needed. Who else is more qualified to tell him this than his woman? Tread with caution and employ diplomacy though; black men have hypersensitive egos underneath their bravado which is why they are hesitant to commit to marriage, the arena where all of the fronting comes to an end.

The black men who do marry are apparently a special breed. According to published reports by the U.S. Census Bureau, 45 percent of black men and 42 percent of black women have never been married. Of the black women who do get married, 52 percent of them will marry by age 30, compared to 81 percent of white women who are married at the same age.

In spite of that, 65% of never-married black women have children, double that of white women. 22% of never-married black women with incomes over $75,000 have children, which is 10 times that of white women. 85% of black children do not live in a home with their fathers. With the reality of these statistics, the magnitude of the problems concerning the proper care and maintenance of black men can’t be overlooked by the women who love them. These problems also can’t be overlooked by the black women and families that are plagued by them.

At the root of so many of the problems which afflict black men is self-love. From self-love comes self-respect. From self-respect comes honor and pride in who you are; not what you do or how much money you make. Self-love and self-worth are delicately intertwined.

Women can love their black men to death, but if they don’t love themselves, they will never feel deserving and worthy of the love and the life they are blessed to have. Black men must be reprogrammed to use self-love as a foundation upon which a greater love of life, and love for others can be built. Self-love and swagger may look the same from afar, but one emanates from the inside. Now you will be able to tell the difference when up close.

About the Author

Gian Fiero is an educator, speaker and consultant. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor, and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) as a business advisor where he conducts monthly workshops on topics such as business development, career planning, public relations, and personal growth.

why is it worse to kill someone because of race than anything else?

I can walk up to a black man and stab him in the face, and when asked why, say because I hate black people. I could now get convicted of a “hate crime”

Killing is wrong, no matter what color. People like Sharpton MAKE it about color, to make it look like white are better than blacks. Both are the same, & should be treated the same.