Mentor By Tom Alan Pace

Film Feature: 10 Most Controversial Moments in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly ...

Rowling’s spellbinding final book into two parts, director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves had much more time to pace each sequence and develop each character to the best of their ability. The added minutes have enabled them to deliver a rousing finale to one of the greatest franchises in history.

That being said, I freely admit that my experience of growing up with Harry Potter has contributed considerably to my impassioned involvement in the subsequent film adaptations. To say the books are better than the movies would be to miss the point entirely. Literature and cinema are entirely different languages and must be judged on their own terms. The extraordinary thing about the “Potter” films is the fact that they have continued to get better and better with each passing year. Yet even in the sublime “Deathly Hallows,” there are a handful of moments that have caused otherwise entranced moviegoers to raise their eyebrows.

Instead of dismiss these reservations as mere quibbles, I’ve decided to deconstruct each of them in order to determine whether they indeed hold the film back from greatness. After gauging audience responses at three separate screenings of “Part 2,” I have come up with ten moments that I would deem the most controversial in the entirety of “Deathly Hallows.” A word of caution: this article is intended solely for moviegoers who have seen the final film, and judging by the film’s record-breaking opening week at the box office, there are a great many of you out there. Nearly every single one of these moments could be deemed a spoiler, so for the Muggles who haven’t seen “Part 2,” please do as soon as possible (it’s the hottest ticket this season, by far). For everyone who already cheered (and jeered) at the epic showdown between Harry Potter and Voldemort, I encourage you to join in the debate regarding these wisely disputed scenes.

Press Release: Cross-Sector Leaders Unveil Major New Plan to Close ...

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Spearheaded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and MENTOR, leaders from government, nonprofit, and corporate America today launched a national campaign to close the mentoring gap, unveiled a comprehensive blueprint for action, announced a new Federal Mentoring Council, and shared commitments by Fortune 500 companies to find a caring adult mentor for every child that needs one. They also set an initial target of 3 million additional mentoring relationships by the year 2010.

MENTOR unveiled the National Agenda for Action: How to Close America’s Mentoring Gap a detailed roadmap for closing the mentoring gap that resulted from an 18-month national conversation. The National Agenda for Action identifies 21 action items focused around five interconnected strategic areas related to mentoring: Generate Adequate and Sustainable Funding; Foster a Culture of Mentoring; Safeguard Program Quality, Elevate the Role of Research, and Build Necessary Infrastructure.

“The plan of action we are announcing today is critical to stepping up the pace of using the nation’s resources, both public and private, to give every young person access to someone with experience who can guide them toward a successful and productive life,” said Alan Schwartz, President and Co-COO, Bear Stearns & Co. Inc., who co-chaired the national conversation on mentoring with Haim Saban, Chairman and CEO, Saban Capital Group.

The Corporation for National and Community Service announced a new Federal Mentoring Council to increase collaboration among federal agencies and develop policies to enhance mentoring. The Council will include high-level representatives from the Departments of Education, Labor, Justice, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and others. Theresa Clower, past director of the Delaware Mentoring Council, was named as the Council’s new director.