Now, as an expert in business systems and Veteran housing, with over four generations of family involved in real estate, Joshua is an experienced and creative housing crisis problem-solver.

In addition to 16 years of grassroots, faith-based, and nonprofit service,  Joshua founded Vets For Trump in 2016 to insure the Veteran Voice was heard. In fighting the homeless housing crisis Joshua’s contributions started by volunteering as a Project Manager with the 2011 Virginia Beach Extreme Home Makeover project.

Continuing as Co-Founder of Veterans Homefront whose team was honored as a key instrument in the 100 day governor challenge in 2014.  This success allowed Virginia recognition to be the only one to reach functional zero in Veteran Homelessness.  Most recently Joshua was honored to be designated as Chairman of the Veterans For Trump Coalition growing with his team the largest Veteran Coalition seen since JFK around a President.

Joshua spends his days speaking to business owners, congressmen  and women, cabinet members and their policy makers alike.  Working with the Vets For Trump team he maintains communication with 500,000 grassroots Veterans asking for change in their backyard through numerous Social Media outlets and websites.  Alongside 2nd District Congressman Scott Taylor Joshua looks to create jobs supporting the DOD as well as our Veteran Communities. As a Bio-Technology innovator Joshua continues on his track for PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology working on projects in B.C.I (Brain Computer Interface).

As a father of three young boys, Joshua believes in modeling philanthropy and has devoted his time to creating housing solutions across the country. He hopes to set an example, for both his sons and others in the community, by establishing a legacy of Veteran housing assistance, Veteran Activism, Technology and Social Integration.

The post About Joshua Macias appeared first on JOSHUA MACIAS.

Here are the 5 Memes for your consideration:

                     Meme 1

Meme 2

Meme 3                           

                           Meme 4

Meme 5

If you already have a favorite, please head over to my Twitter profile, where you’ll find the test pinned to the top.  Then, like or retweet your favorite and you’ve joined the campaign by that simple act.

Also, however, don’t be afraid to offer any ideas, or come up with your own contenders if you enjoy making memes yourself.  Once we have the results of this test in and close it down, we’ll go into analysis mode and generate more memes with which to run a second test.  We’ll continue testing as long as the process is fun and interesting, or until we find a true, runaway winner.  One of the most positive parts of this process is that, while we’re engaging in the testing phase, we’re also living up to the mission itself and getting the word out, farther and farther.

If you’ve read the previous articles on our hashtag campaign, you know our goal is to win General Flynn’s full and complete exoneration.  We won’t stop until his reputation has been fully restored from the horrible and criminal attacks perpetrated against him.  The testing phase empowers great growth in our reach.

Once we find our ultimate winner, we will then convert from the Testing Phase to what I call the Concentration of Force Phase.  At that point, our goal will be to come as close to flooding the internet with that one meme as our movement is capable.  Traditional media views social media, rightly, as a competitor and they do not like to report on social media movements for obvious reasons.  But, if our campaign attains true critical mass, our voice will grow so loud that even they will find themselves reporting on us.

This is important because the Washington DC bubble ONLY pays attention to what breaks through into traditional media.  It is also important that our movement find its voice in the halls of power directly, so that our House Representatives and Senators in Congress hear about our will, and grow to fear our presence at the polls in coming elections.  In spite of the fact that those steps obviously in front of us, it is absolutely important for us to build an invincible and unassailable vision of unconditional victory.  We will not stop until General Flynn has been cleared, fully, 100% and has had his full voice, honor and reputation restored.  We can and will achieve this.

Returning to our current testing project, after you’ve selected your own favorite meme, please reach out to your friends and encourage them to join us.  Share this article, and recruit them to join in the testing.  And encourage them to reach forward to their friends as well.  The technical term for this is Network Effect.  If you remember the first fax machines, or the first cell phones, you know that they were very expensive and hardly useful.  They succeeded, however, as more and more Nodes – which is just a single unit, a single fax machine or a single phone – were added to the network.  There is a Tipping Point that occurs when the network itself begins to grow more and more rapidly, unit costs start to drop, and then values begin soaring explosively.  The exact same phenomenon occurs whenever a viral movement occurs in social media.

It is that tipping point that we seek, and the process of testing our memes is one of the most critical steps on the path.  We have every reason to expect that our finalist, the winning meme will attain true viral force.

By Pasquale (Pat) Scopelliti – @ThyConsigliori | Foreward By Joshua Macias @JoshuaMacias

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Everyday people are faced with situations in life that demands us to make choices. Leadership of a Delegation is one of the ideas that got developed by Raymond Saner in his book Expert Negotiator.  He illustrated how leadership gets exhibited in different situations and the influence that it has to people.  Various leadership styles that get used differ from one cultural background to the other as explained by Saner.  According to Saner, group functions is closely related to leadership as a group of team members can get directly involved in developing leadership systems hence make crucial decisions.  The purpose of a team gets related to the subject at hand which accrues from the identified problem, information that needs to be collected and disseminated.  Leadership and groups go hand in hand with each other, and the two are inseparable where the personal interest of each of the member in a group needs to be satisfied.  Leadership gets characterized by the ability to involve negotiation skills, effective communication and decision making that is ethical.

In making decisions, the involvement of a team is crucial where members of a team get involved in reaching a consensus on matters about issues at hand.  Leadership is essential in making decisions where the leader direct other members of a group on what need to get done.  It is, therefore, that we ensure there is effective leadership with the aim of reaching for quality decisions that will lead to development.  The applicability of leadership is evident in the real world and revolves around day to day operations. For example, a close friend once worked as a team leader for a group that was involved in community mobilization activities targeting in educating local population on hygiene and proper sanitation.  As a team leader, one gets entitled with providing leadership to the other members of the group which at times is not an easy task.  He faced challenges concerning negotiation skills where some of the members felt that they could stand out and oppose what the leader decided.  He, however, ensured that he undertook all communication initiatives to inform them what gets expected of them depending on what needed to get done at any level.  In making successful negotiation skills, it is important to employ good leadership qualities to ensure that as a leader you have the significant influence towards other people.

Negotiation skills and effective communication are vital in the ethical decision-making process.  Our daily routines demand that we make decisions that are healthy to our well-being which is unavoidable as they are part and parcel of our life.  Various researchers have built their work on identifying how negotiations vary from rationality. (Raiffa, 1982) developed a decision analytic approach to negotiations which dictated how we should behave.  Raiffa focused on offering prescriptions to negotiators but called for descriptive research to assess the behavior of their counterparts who are impacted by the decision that gets made.  His ideas got based on the argument that as a negotiator, one should get to understand the likely behavior of the other people.

Studies have revealed that because people egocentrically interpret what is fair in negotiations, they can adopt different standards, which get based on whether they introduce a certain decision or they are a victim of the same (Babcock and Loewenstein, 1997).  People tend to develop these different standards and qualities without their conscious awareness (Banaji, 2003).  These varying perceptions have been viewed as a way of initiating conflicts between parties.  If one party views a certain action as ethical and the other sees it as unethical, there tends to exist a barrier which gets to continually develop a significant barrier hindering the development of a relationship.  From this statement, we can conclude that decisions will always affect one party or the other either negatively or positively.  Failure is never welcome to people and thus when such result affect one negatively; it gets viewed as failures which can results to more barriers between the parties involved.

According to Forgas (1998), emotions get connected with how negotiators select certain strategy to implement in certain decision making processes.  Those who exhibit anger were found to be less competent compared to those who were jovial.  According to Loewenstein et al., (1989), anger makes negotiators more self-centered and this affects their preferences hence making them decline offers that would assist in the development of ventures.  Research has also focused on the role of emotions and how they affect the ability to judge and behave.  It also aimed at examining cognition and the distinguishing element between good and bad moods and how they lead to different information strategies (Forgas and George, 2001).

More so, emotions influence decision making in negotiation processes.  Some of the regulatory processes may be expressed through emotions control efficient decision making through both implicit and explicit knowledge (Damasio, 1994).  The connection between emotional intelligence skills and negotiation outcomes got laid down by Barsade and Gibson (2007) where they sought to find the effects of generalized versus discrete emotions on decision making.  This means that the mental condition of an individual gets to influence his ability to engage in decision-making and the quality of decisions that he makes.

Monarchy Decision Making | Square Puzzle Round Puzzle

Negotiation is closely related to intuitions, and as much as we tend to think that the ability to negotiate is a natural occurrence, we cannot assume that the gut feeling plays a greater role in this process. Keith ( 2000) developed two systems of thought that characterize emotions which influence how we negotiate.  One of the systems got viewed as being automatic and effortless while the other as deliberate and systematic situations.  As much as we have control over how we think about situations, when it concerns complex decisions and negotiations, the effort shifts to the thought that is automatic and effortless.   According to Dijksterhuis and Nordgren (2006),  what we strongly feel may indeed allow us to make better decisions especially when it has to do with decisions that get to be complex. According to research, some negotiators are better than others and as Thompson (2005) stated, successful negotiation can get primarily attributed to natural skill or talent.  However, arguments against this have gotten developed with the ideas that we all learn to become better negotiators.  Research has also shown that the ability to negotiate can increase with training and boost the level of interactive agreements too (Thompson, 2005).  The benefits of training may also be transferred over time although there are suggestions that the type of training may affect the optimal levels that can get reached.

Despite the existing knowledge about the positive impact of training on negotiation performance, implicit beliefs concerning skills and performance may not necessarily match explicit knowledge (Brown, 2009).  The idea of whether we are born with certain levels of negotiation skills or whether we learn them remains a matter of discussion to most researchers.  This ability is a determinant of the communication levels and strategies to engage in when making decisions.

Developing a key communication strategy is vital in ethical decision-making procedures.  Leaders need cross-cultural negotiation skills to maintain their competitiveness (Okoro, 2012).  They need to develop a system that is easy to inform as well as enquire if anything is not clear so that it reduces cases of misunderstanding.  Tones and words that are chosen to deliver information should be friendly so that a good and friendly relationship gets maintained.  It is recommended that leaders undergo training related to interpersonal development so that group success (Okoro, 2012).  As the saying goes that “Actions speak louder than words”, leaders should get to recognize their nonverbal communication methods and be aware of acceptable behavior as well as restrict the same depending on cultural variations.  Open communication can lead to a well-developed relationship between the leader and the followers thus leading to trust and respect in the leadership system.  The presence of effective communication develops the leader’s credibility and increases the royalty of the followers towards their leader (Choan, 2003).  In this regard, every communication opportunity should get treated as a way of building a relationship between the leader and the group members.  A leader should have the ability to understand his team so that he can detect how to involve negotiation processes with them and make vital decisions that are crucial to everyone.

Leadership cuts across all spheres of life and all the leaders are expected to portray certain traits that are relevant in the world today.  As a leader, one is mandated with the powers to lead others into developing courses of actions which are applicable depending on the situation at hand.  When we talk of leadership, we cannot leave out the negotiation element since it acts as a backbone to any decision maker.  A good leader should have the necessary negotiation skills and use them to source for appropriate strategies.  Communication goes hand in hand which is a vital part in the success of any agenda.  When there is no appropriate communication between different parties, there develop loopholes which lead to communication shortcomings.

In making decisions, leaders should ensure that there is an ethical standard which meets the criteria that get set.  Group dynamics should be observed and ensure that all the members are directly involved in all of the decision-making procedures.  A consensus is necessary so that the decisions made are acceptable among all the team members.  Great delegations have fallen apart without this observation.

Watching current organizational leadership grow in the world of Political Science I have seen first hand how this lack of decision making hierarchy leads to further dissension and disorganization.  Cultural differences and the lack of proper communication style can lead to disenfranchised spirits and further ether is brought between team members.  By breaking down the separation between interconnected groups more efficient decision making was seen in a local Volunteer group that I organized.  Through team building exercises built around a local campaign for Veterans Initiatives I watched this unfold in a real time situation.  The results of this leadership style built influence, organization, partnership through the divide which lead to productivity completing the needed missions in hand.  Furthermore although the Gut cannot be scientifically proven it’s influence in the outcome of every negotiation or decision cannot be negated either.

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Self-driving autonomous cars provide the ability to change and improve the way public and private transportation is managed and the options that people have within cities. Self-driving cars are created with an artificial intelligence that does not get distracted, fall asleep while driving, or make minor mistakes that cause collisions with other cars, pedestrians or objects like humans can. Human error is virtually eliminated in the use of a driverless car. The passenger no longer has to be concerned with traffic patterns and routes, construction obstacles, speed limits, weather, or quick maneuvering to avoid an accident. In a recent CNN interview in 2015 with the current CEO of the Autonomous Cars project for Google, John Krafcik stated that “Self-driving cars could save thousand of lives, give people greater mobility, and free us from things we find frustrating about driving today.”

Google X, their exclusive research incubator for its self-driving cars, has partnered with Ford and other automobile manufacturers in a joint venture that could usher in the technology of self-driving vehicles for hire in addition to providing the cars to the general public. It is hoped that the self-driving cars in and of themselves and the implementation of this technology in the commercial sector will allow Google and car manufacturers to compete with companies such as Uber and regular taxi services located throughout the country.

In addition, self-driving cars are expected to do well in fulfilling the needs of all employers to transport their own employees, whether it is moving people from meeting to meeting, moving goods across town, or sending groups of workers out to various job sites. This could make a huge financial and strategic impact on corporations that is favorable to companies, such as Google, that pay to transport their employees.

Having autonomous cars available for company managers is paramount.  No long will they have to arrange for and coordinate rides for groups of employees. This will save the company an enormous amount of managerial time and the related expenses associated with moving employees. (Personally, I feel that one of my biggest frustrations within my current organizations) It is very difficult to find the time to look for outside transportation and to plan the pick up and drop off schedules for employees needing transportation. In my current organization it is often necessary to transport a team of workers from job to job several times per day. With the emerging technology of self-driving cars it will no longer be necessary to pay Uber drivers or traditional taxi drivers to transport our employees. I would also no longer have the cost of maintaining any corporate vehicles!

Google has successfully implemented this new technology in the cities of Mountain View, California, Kirkland, Washington and Austin, Texas. In 2009 Google first began testing its self-driving car technology in California. Later in 2014 they started testing the cars on public roads. By July 2015 their cars were in being tested in the city of Austin, Texas and Kirkland, Washington. The main focus of these tests are to collect data regarding weather and traffic patterns, road conditions, and the differences that the separate communities may have in their driving techniques.

Google now expects to expand into four additional cities within the next year, although Google and car manufacturers have not announced which cities have made the cut. They are striving to have these cars ready for use in several sectors by 2020.

This coming year holds great promise for the expanding use of autonomous cars with the expansion into these cities and the continued testing of the cars. New style designs such as the Lexus SUV model are currently on the road for tests, while Google studies how people interact and use the new technology. According to the January 2016 report on the Google car website, there are a total of 55 cars on the streets at this very moment.

As the technology expands and improves, individuals can look forward to improved safety on the roads and corporations can project major cost savings in the form of cheaper insurance and less management and labor costs.  Stay Tuned to more updates!

See more in the links provided below

For those who still believe that Self Driving Cars are a Gimmick check out the following links :
G. (2015). Google Self Driving Car Project.
Retrieved January 30, 2016, from https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/where/

Gitlin, J. M. (2016, January 11). Ars talks self driving car technology with Ford at CES.
Retrieved January 23, 2016, from http://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/01/arstalksselfdrivingtechnologywithfordatces/

Korosec, K. (2016, January 05). Ford Hits the Gas On Self Driving Cars.
Retrieved January 27, 2016, from http://fortune.com/2016/01/05/fordselfdrivingcarfleet/

Krafcik, J. (2015, September 14). Google hires a car guy.
Retrieved January 29, 2016, from http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/14/technology/googleselfdrivingcar/

Shepardson, D. (2015, December 22). Google, Ford in talks on self driving car.
Retrieved January 25, 2016, from http://www.reuters.com/article/usalphabetautosautonomousidUSKBN0U600U20151223

Oremus, Will ((2015, January 14) Google Is In Talks With Big Automakers to Build Self-Driving Cars
Retrieved February 22, 2016 from
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/01/14/google_self_driving_cars_may_be_built_by_gm_ford_toyota_or_mercedes.html

Mearian, Lucas, (2015, December 22) Google and Ford To Build Self Driving Car Company
Retrieved February 25, 2016 from
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3017796/car-tech/google-and-ford-to-build-self-driving-car-company-report-claims.html

Google Self Driving Car Project (Website)
Retrieved February 25, 2016 from https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/

Greenbough, John (2016, July 29) 10 Million Self-Driving Cars Will Be On the Roads by 2020
Retrieved February 23, 2016 from
http://www.businessinsider.com/report-10-million-self-driving-cars-will-be-on-the-road-by-2020-2015-5-6

(2016, February 22) What’s Next for Self-Driving Cars?
Retrieved February 24, 2016 from http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/02/22/467724324/whats-next-for-self-driving-cars

(2016, January 29) Google Preparing to Expand Self Driving Car into Four Cities
Retrieved February 25, 2016 from
Google Preparing to Expand Self-Driving Car Program to Four More Cities

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