Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Learn Portuguese!

Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Learn Portuguese! The Benefits of Learning Portuguese Chapters1. Portuguese is One of the Most Spoken Languages in the World.2. Travelling to Portugal3. Traveling to Africa4. Traveling to Latin America5. Discover a Musical Language6. Learning Portuguese in Order to Discover a Beautiful Culture7. To learn the mother tongue of Brazilians and Portuguese8. Why Learn Portuguese: To What Professional Ends?9. Learning Portuguese in Order to Sing Cesaria Evora…10. To Learn a Language Close to SpanishYou might be thinking; why learn Portuguese? As a language which comes from a small European country of just over 10 million people, can there really be that many benefits of taking the trouble to learn this Latin language? The answer is most definitely yes!Portuguese is so much more than just Portugal. In fact, learning it could be  a significant opportunity for you!Speaking Portuguese will not only bring light to new linguistic horizons, but also touristic and professional ones...From its popularity, to the fact that it is in use in many differe nt parts of the world, let's discover the 10 reasons that should push anyone to start taking Portuguese lessons London.Rather than learning French, Spanish, German, or Italian, let's tackle the language of Vasco da Gama, and find out why we should learn Portuguese!The linguistic proximity is often forgotten given the different accent and pronunciation, which is very specific to where it is spoken -  Brazil or Portugal, or even Cape Verde.Taking a Portuguese course will make the task of learning Spanish much easier, and likewise if you can already speak Spanish, then this will facilitate the task of learning Portuguese.

What is it Like to Attend University of Pennsylvania

What is it Like to Attend University of Pennsylvania The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Jennifer is a Boston tutor who specializes in SAT prep tutoring, ACT prep tutoring, Chemistry tutoring, Writing tutoring, and much more. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry as well as a Masters in Chemistry. See what she had to say about her alma mater: VT:Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Jennifer: Penn is an urban campus to the west of center city Philadelphia, across the Schuykill River. It is moderately sized, spanning a six-by-four block area. It takes about ten to fifteen minutes to walk from one end to the other end of campus. Penn is one of the few colleges where all of the associated schools (law, dental, medical, etc) are all on the same campus--which is extremely advantageous when it comes to taking advanced courses or participating in research. Because there are so many schools located within a small urban space, the buildings tend to be close to each other which made getting from one class to the next on time pretty easy. Penn's campus borders West Philadelphia which might raise concerns about safety. However, Penn employs one of the largest private security forces in the world. Police officers can be found patrolling the campus by bike at any given time of night and are happy to escort you back to wherever you need to go. There are cameras mounted at the intersection of every street for a ten block radius past the western edge of campus. I had no qualms about walking across campus at four in the morning. Nevertheless, one should probably still practice the common sense required of living on an urban campus. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Jennifer: In terms of professors, I think it depends on the subject being taught. I generally tended to email TAs in my lower level science classes where the class size was well into the hundreds and generally received prompt and helpful replies. For smaller classes of under 20 people (many of my English classes and my graduate science coursework), the professors were very approachable and happy to help. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Jennifer: I lived in the Quad during my freshman year (I think it's the quintessential freshman experience) and became fairly close with my hall. The dorm rooms in the quad are very nice for how old the buildings are. Most students aim for one of the three high-rises once they become upperclassmen where each unit is shared between four roommates and it's easy to hang out with other people in the same building. I moved off campus with a friend after my sophomore year and since everything is so close, still found it fairly easy to hang out with other people. From what I hear, the dining halls have improved significantly since I stopped having a meal plan, and Penn has been pushing local food and sustainability. Even without a meal plan, there is plenty to eat in the area--between the various food trucks on Spruce or 38th and the many restaurants near campus, it's easy to find whatever you're in the mood for. The Chem Cafe in the Chemistry building makes a pretty good meatball sub and if you're ever up early and want a cheap breakfast, the cafeteria at CHOP gives you a lot of food for a very reasonable price. There's also a fruit salad food truck at upper Quad gates that I'm convinced gives out more fruit than all the other fruit trucks on campus. Outside of class, the best way to meet other people is to join organizations that you're interested in. There is a huge variety of groups on campus and it's not difficult at all to find a group of people with similar interests. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Jennifer: There's a good mix of majors at Penn but there's no denying that Wharton Business School is a major presence. One thing that I would have to mention about any field of study at Penn is that people tend to be very career-driven; there are a lot of pre-med, pre-law, pre-something students. On-campus recruiting is a huge deal not only for the Business students but for various other majors as well. I was in the Vagelos Program for Molecular Life Sciences which allowed me to graduate with both a BA in Biochemistry and MS in Chemistry in 4 years. I thought that my academic education was pretty comprehensive--but the most important aspect of studying science at Penn was the vast number of principal investigators on campus who are willing to take on undergraduates. I learned a lot through my coursework, but I learned so much more by working and tackling my own independent research project in lab. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Jennifer: It's easy to socialize and make connections with new people if you put in the effort. You will probably start out by hanging out with your hall before you find the people who will become lifelong friends. Greek life does play a role in campus social life, but it's not necessarily significant. I was part of Alpha Phi Omega and made close friends there, but my closest friends tended to come from the Vagelos program. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Jennifer: The pre-med advisors and Career Services were both fairly helpful. One thing that's great about Career Services is that they have many Penn-specific contacts that might be able to help push students past the initial screening process--plus the alumni network across the globe is pretty extensive. Many reputable companies definitely do recruit on campus but I don't know much about the process firsthand since I didn't participate. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Jennifer: Van Pelt is the biggest library on campus and has a good number of desks/study space areas. I used Van Pelt's study room reservation system through to the end of my senior year for group projects and study groups. For individual studying, I tended to hang out with a few close friends in a conference room in the research buildings where we could spread out and use the whiteboards. There were various other libraries on campus (Fischer Fine Arts, Biomedical, Law) or areas in each dorm building that were available for study as well. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Jennifer: Penn is a short subway ride away from center city Philadelphia. Between the historic sites, the various museums, and the restaurant scene, there's a lot to do. Art galleries in old city open their doors for free to the public on every first Friday of each month. Philadelphia is also home to various theatre companies (Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arden, etc.) who have done some really excellent productions. If you have access to a car, Valley Forge is a quick drive away. Take advantage of the urban location of Penn's campus and spend some time in Philadelphia! VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Jennifer: Penn is pretty big since all of the students are congregated on one campus. For lower level classes geared towards freshmen or sophomores, the class sizes are pretty large, especially for basic science courses. When I took it, Organic Chemistry was taught by two professors with maybe around two hundred students in each class. However, the more advanced the courses got, the smaller the class size became. I had a memorable graduate Cardiovascular Biology course with 11 other students, listening to professors at the top of their field give lectures about different aspects of vasculature and metabolism. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Jennifer: The most important professor I had at Penn was a Creative Writing professor that I took classes with for three semesters. From the very first time I workshopped a piece in his class, I had my entire view of creative writing swept out from under my feet. I broke down my way of writing and rebuilt it into something much more compelling, much better. He was the sort of professor who spoke quietly, who could pinpoint exactly where I could improve, who observed everything and understood me better than I did at times. He changed not only the way I write but the way I approached life, all for the better. Check out Jennifers tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

5 Reasons to Fit Jam Sessions Into Your Guitar Lessons

5 Reasons to Fit Jam Sessions Into Your Guitar Lessons Suzy S. Is jamming with friends and noodling around on your guitar beneficial? We say yes! In fact, incorporating jam sessions into your guitar lessons can be a great way to build your chops. Check out Wheaton, IL teacher Scott C.s thoughts here Anyone who has ever taken or taught music in some capacity has probably come into contact with what I call “Human Tablature” lessons. In short, this is where you show up, you ask the teacher to teach you a song, and they teach it to you. A perfect example is when American Idiot by Green Day came out; it was almost like every guitar teacher in the country was given a full month’s lesson plans all they had to do was show up and show the student where to put his or her fingers. These lessons are usually so boring you can audibly hear your life getting duller, and both the teacher and the student are constantly shooting shifty glances at their watch. Guitar lessons like this, even when accompanied with theory or fundamentals exercises, do little to improve the student’s skills, and in my experience never get the student to love music or to continue their education for that matter. What they are doing is simply playing the role of a guitar tab or an online instructional, in which case the lesson is expendable because we live in the age of YouTube. The student becomes stunted, bored, and gets sick and just as tired of American Idiot as the rest of us. Something that has shot adrenaline into my own lessons has been to teach improvisationâ€" in whatever way goesâ€" as soon as possible with a student, and then to leave pure, clean, well-lit open space at the beginning of every lesson. What this does is make each lesson not just a time for musical education, but a musical experience, which is exactly why we all wanted to learn music in the first place, right? I know, I know, you might be thinking that you can’t possibly “jam” when you are just beginning, but fear not, it just takes a little calibration. What it looks like for me is simply teaching the most base form of a scale at the beginning of a season of lessons, laying down the fundamentals of improvisation (even if it’s just with a few notes), and then consistently allowing time and space for music to happen, for creativity to strike, and for you to land a killer note or fill that positively gets your blood pumping. If we are learning a particular song together, I will usually start out with that at the next lesson for a jam, and then we will see where it goes. This is great for five grossly beneficial reasons: It’s fun! It instills the blueprint for creativity and improvisation from the very beginning, which sharpens and hones your theory and technical skills, so that you don’t become a musical robot. It puts music in your court where you taste what it’s like not to just learn music, but to make it. It is an easy way to go over and remember things previously learned from other lessons. It makes your lesson time exciting, and gets you psyched about that hour or half-hour. Scott C. teaches guitar, drum, bass guitar, songwriting, music recording, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and music theory lessons to students in Wheaton, IL. His specialties include folk, bluegrass and country music styles, and he joined the TakeLessons team in October 2012. Learn more about Scott, or search for a teacher near you! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by L. Bernhardt, Resident Loon

Central Dogma Theory Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace

Central Dogma Theory Online Biology Tutors Tutorpace The chromosomal DNA contains complete information about all the specific proteins to be synthesized in the cell for their needs. It is coded in the DNA as the particular sequence of bases called genetic code. The unit of genetic information is called codon which is a group of three adjacent deoxyribonucleotides that specify a single amino acid in a polypeptide chain. A polypeptide is a single chain of amino acid. Theinformation for the synthesis of polypeptide chains of proteins is found on DNA molecule. This information is given to single stranded RNA molecules which act as a messenger. The messenger RNA transfers the message to ribosomes for the synthesis of a protein molecule. This unidirectional flow of information from DNA to RNA and from RNA to protein is called central dogma. Central dogma of molecular biology was proposed by Crick in 1958.In this genetic information is stored inthe 4 letter language of DNA.The same is transferred during transcription to 4 letter language of messenger RNA but with two differences. 1. Complementation in code language 2. Replacement of letter T with U. In 1970 Temin and Baltimore discovered retroviruses which contain RNA as genetic material. The virus produce an enzyme called reverse transcriptase which performs the central dogma reverse by synthesizing DNA over template of genetic RNA.The newly synthesized DNA then functions as a master copy producing RNAs controlling translation to synthesize polypeptides. The process of formation of DNA from RNA is called reverse transcription.

The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire The Roman Empire from its Origins to its Fall ChaptersWhen and Where was the Roman Empire?The Origins of the Roman EmpireThe Golden Age of the RomansThe Achievements of the Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire Splits: East and WestDecline and Fall of the Roman EmpireWe have got so much from the Roman Empire â€" our language, our roads, our law. But what exactly was this ancient civilization, what was its political system, and how did it become quite as influential as it did?At its peak, the Roman Emperor ruled over five million square miles and about seven million people. If we say that was some 21% of the world’s population, that’s the second largest empire ever after the British Empire â€" and it stretched from as far as Britannia in the west to Syria and Arabia in the east.Just by the way, the Romans also invented the term ‘Empire’ as we know it now â€" as it came from their word for Emperor, imperator, meaning commander. MarkHistory Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JohnHistory Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarjotteHistory Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErinHistory Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ChantelleHistory Teacher 5.00 (2) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyHistory Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeterHistory Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SerenaHistory Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhen and Where was the Roman Empire?The Roman emperors ruled in a period between 27BC, officially speaking, and 395CE. At this point, the Empire splits into two distinct parts â€" the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Empire. After a century, in 476, the emperor of the west is deposed, and the Eastern Empire continues under a different name â€" Byzantium.As happens with all empires, the frontier of the Roman Empire fluctuated and changed as successive rulers lost and gained territory in battle. Yet the borders of the Empire spread to what is now Iran and the Persian Gulf in the east, through Asia Minor, Europe south of the Danube, to France, Spain, and what is now England. It also governed territories on the north coast of Africa â€" in modern Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya. It was centred around the Mediterranean.This map shows the Roman Empire at its largest, in 117. Isn't it huge?The Origins of the Roman EmpireRome was founded in 753BC, supposedly by brothers Romulus and Remus, and it becomes a republic in 509BC with the establishment of the Roman Senate. This brought about the leadership of magistrates, who collectively debated and made decisions about the governance of Roman society. Continually expanding its borders, it did not stretch outside of what is now Italy until 300BC â€" and, whilst it was not yet officially an empire, this behaviour was already vaguely imperial.In 45BCE, after successes at war, a certain Julius Caesar was given the title of ‘dictator’ of Rome. Yet, j ust a year later, he was assassinated and, given his popularity amongst the lower classes of Romans, there was a revolt and, ultimately, a civil war.Whilst this was pursued by Marc Anthony and Octavian â€" Caesar’s adopted son â€" against Caesar's assassins, the two ultimately turned against each other, and the resulting war ended in Marc Antony’s defeat in 31BC. Octavian is consequently given by the senate the title of ‘first citizen’ â€" and this is thought to be the first moment in properly imperial Rome.Octavian became known as Augustus, and he came to dominate the senate which was, in name at least, still the highest authority in Rome. Augustus’s dynasty led the Romans through a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity. MarkHistory Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JohnHistory Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarjotteHistory Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErinHistory Teac her £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ChantelleHistory Teacher 5.00 (2) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyHistory Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeterHistory Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SerenaHistory Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Golden Age of the RomansJulio-Claudian DynastyOctavian, or Augustus, was the first emperor in what became known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. His rule was hugely successful in expanding the territory over which the Empire ruled: he conquered parts of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria, as well as most of the northern Mediterranean. He also brought Roman control over the Iberian Peninsula, what is now modern Spain and Portugal, and made peace with the Parthian Empire in Iran to ensure a stable border on the eastern frontier.The Julio-Claudian dynasty comprises Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Emperor Nero. Claudius began the conquest of Britannia, whi ch continued through major expansions under the reign of Vespasian and with the famous wall across the Scottish border by Hadrian.Nero’s famously capricious personality ruled unhappily through the year of the Great Fire of Rome of 64AD, and his suicide led to a civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors, of 69AD. This ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty.Flavian DynastyThe Flavian Dynasty starts in 69 with Emperor Vespasian, who was the last of the Year of the Four Emperors. He was the Emperor to build Rome’s famous Colosseum, which was completed and updated by his heirs Titus and Domitian (this is why the structure is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre).Whilst beset by a number of massive issues â€" the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the fire and plague of Rome in 80 â€" Titus is considered a very able ruler. However, he died young, and his younger brother, Domitian, replaced him in 81.Domitian was assassinated in 96, as he was kno wn as an autocratic and severe emperor. He was replaced by an advisor, Nerva.Nerva-Antonine Dynasty, or The Five Good EmperorsThe dynasty that Nerva founded is known as the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty, and the five emperors included â€" Nerva himself, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, and Marcus Aurelius â€" are known as the Five Good Emperors.Trajan, the only Roman emperor not to be born in the Italian peninsula, built the Empire into its most extensive form. He conquered Dacia â€" what is now Romania, Moldova, parts of Bulgaria, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia, and Poland â€" as well as Syria.The Nerva-Antonine Dynasty ruled between 96 and 192, and it is Commodus’s reign, the final in this dynasty, that is believed to signal the decline of the Roman Empire.Marcus Aurelius was one of the great Roman emperors - and his death signaled the start of Rome's imperial decline.The Achievements of the Roman EmpireAs with the British and the Mongolian Empires, the Roman Empire presided over a long period of peace â€" at least within the boundaries of its rule. This was known as the Pax Romana, which allowed a flourishing of trade that had never before been seen. In very practical terms, a major legacy of the Roman Empire was in engineering â€" in the building of roads (famously very straight) and aqueducts. An aqueduct is used to move water and the Romans constructed and used them to bring water into cities, markets, and farms. The Aqueduct of Segovia, constructed during the reigns of Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan, is a famous example of this.In the arts, Roman culture excelled in poetry, drama, and sculpture â€" and anyone who has studied Latin at school will know that we still study these achievements now, as they formed the way that we write, read, and are entertained, even today. Latin is, itself, what became the language of politics essentially across Europe for almost the next thousand years.The later Roman Empire â€" after its split â€" made Christianity the official re ligion, starting with Constantine the Great’s conversion. This led to the spread of the religion, and Judaeo-Christian culture in general, from east to west across the empire.The Roman Empire Splits: East and WestAfter the last of the Five Good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius, Commodus’s reign begins the decline of the empire. In 192 he was assassinated, beginning the Year of the Five Emperors. This introduced a massive political instability into the empire, culminating in the Crisis of the Third Century, beginning with Septimius Severus’s seizure of power in 193 which set a precedent for the rest of the century.After a number of barbarian invasions throughout the century, and with plague and natural disasters ravishing the empire from within, Diocletian took over the empire in 284 and ended the crisis. His response was to split the huge empire into two.The Eastern would be ruled by Diocletian in Constantinople, or Istanbul, and would be known as the Byzantine Empire, alongside the Western, which moved from Rome to Milan.Constantinople - modern-day Istanbul - became the capital of the later Roman Empire.Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireUltimately, both of the now independent empires collapsed, although the Eastern lasted much longer in the guise of the Byzantine Empire.It was Odoacer, the barbarian King of Italy, who ultimately caused the collapse of a Western Empire severely weakened by incompetent leaders and by invasions by Vandals, Ostrogoths, and the Visigoths. Odoacer, a Goth based in northern Italy, overthrew the last Wester Emperor, Romulus Augustulus in 476.The Eastern Roman Empire, better known as the Byzantine Empire, survives until its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, reclaimed land lost during the Crisis of the Third Century, whilst Justinian (527-565) sought to reconquer the lands of the Western Empire.Justinian’s contribution to law, his sort of massive building projects, and his presid ing over a time of greater prosperity have made him known to history as Justinian the Great â€" and even as the last Roman Emperor. After this, the Byzantine slowly declined, and Constantinople was finally conquered by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453, the Ottoman Emperor.Find out more about The Russian Empire and the Qing Dynasty in our other articles on the great empires in history.

Great Apps for Teachers

Great Apps for Teachers Teaching in the digital age certainly has its advantages. You can teach digitally native students in a format with which theyre very comfortable, connect with students outside of the classroom, keep your class organized, and much more. There are many apps out there for everything from math to science, class communication to language arts. Here are a few to check out: ClassDojo ClassDojo is a communication app for teachers, parents, and students. It has tools for giving directions, playing class music that fits any activity (focus or free time), generating student groups, monitoring class noise, encouraging collaboration, and more. Blackboard Blackboards app, Bb Student, lets students view their prioritized events and actions, visualize their course timeline and important information, access their grades in real-time, engage in real-time video conferencing or chats, and much more. Seesaw Seesaw makes it easy for you to have a handle on what your students are learning and how they are progressing toward school goals while engaging parents in their learning. Students can save portfolios of their work that you share with parents. You can keep those portfolios over a students entire career to track their progress and keep a record of their learning. Kahoot! Kahoot! lets you create and share learning games with your students. You can make your own or search its database for other Kahoots to play or alter, and assign Kahoots as part of homework. Remind Remind is a simple way to communicate with your students and parents. You can send home updates for parents and encourage students to reach out to you via the two-way messaging feature. Looking for other great apps? Reach out to your school districts technology department for recommended apps with which they might be familiar.

In New Partnership, MyGuru to help Elite Illinois Ice Hockey Players with Tutoring amp; Test Prep Services

In New Partnership, MyGuru to help Elite Illinois Ice Hockey Players with Tutoring amp; Test Prep Services Improving Academic Performance As CYA’s Official Academic Partner, MyGuru has agreed to provide discounted tutoring and test prep services to CYA players, families, and friends. MyGuru’s tutors will also be able to travel directly to the rink to work with players before or after practice, if that’s most convenient for them. For high school sophomores and juniors, 1-1 or small group ACT SAT prep sessions will be available. To learn more about MyGuru LLC, please visit www.myguruedge.com, email info@myguruedge.com, or call 312-278-0321. CYA has just announced a partnership with MyGuru LLC, a local provider of 1-1 small group tutoring test prep services MyGuru LLC has just signed an agreement with CYA to be its Official Academic Partner, enabling it to provide discounted, on-demand, in-person, 1-1 tutoring and test prep services to all CYA players and families. With the 2010 season set to begin, the partnership recognizes the academic requirements surrounding the main goal of most CYA players - a scholarship from an elite college. Tier 1 AAA Hockey Academics It can be difficult to maintain proper focus on academics when playing a sport at an elite level â€" Still, AAA hockey players generally have a singular focus â€" obtaining a college scholarship. This always requires a minimum ACT score, but many colleges, including all Ivy League schools and Northwestern University, actually require scholarship athletes to meet the same, rigorous academic standards (i.e., grades and test scores) as general applicants. In addition, the jump many CYA players make after Midget AAA hockey can obscure the importance of academics. For most players, the next step towards a college scholarship is not college itself, but Junior hockey. If their time in Juniors goes well, it is 2-3 years later that many players finally enter college on scholarship. However, the academic performance required to obtain a college scholarship is not the issue that some who’ve been involved in elite youth hockey view as most important. It’s the question of what happens if the scholarship doesn’t eventually come. The issue is that, even for the top players in Midget AAA hockey, there ultimately aren’t that many scholarships to go around after Juniors. Some players will need to fall back purely on academics to gain admission into their college of choice. Furthermore, some of the best non-scholarship college “club” hockey teams, which do provide a level of hockey that can be similar to Midget AAA, Junior B or A, or even Division III (e.g., like Indiana or Illinois in the Big Ten), have relatively stringent admissions criteria.

Did you Ditch the Clichs this Mothers Day

Did you Ditch the Clichs this Mother's Day Jill and Polly in the Bathroom, 1987 (Courtesy of Tina Barney) Mother’s Day can be one of the most stressful days of the year. Why, you might ask? Mothers everywhere have a trick up their sleeve. Not to say they’re purposefully being sneaky or conniving but, realistically, mothers give up so much for their children. They say they don’t want anything: No, please do not get me anything for Mother’s Day. I don’t need it. I don’t want you spending money on me. Let’s just say my mother did not move from her new foot massager for a good two hours after opening it. I didn’t hear any complaints. Alongside the gift situation and the cards smeared with wet ink from being written in a dangerously close proximity to the time the card was delivered, how do you spice up Mother’s Day? Our mothers do so much for usâ€"sometimes too much for us. They deserve at least a day of fun! Ditch the clichésâ€"How many years in a row can you go out for a Mother’s Day brunch before you eventually regurgitate the same brunch you’ve been having for the last 19 years? Hit the Roadâ€"This year, my family hopped in the car after Mother was forcibly removed from the foot massager, and headed up to Wisconsin. No, we had no direct plans or directions for the matter. Yes, we were lost and wandering in a farm town for a good two hours. But we had nowhere to be and we eventually made an adventure out of it. When we eventually found a lake and a city, we watched the waves as we ate lunch. By that time, my father’s lack of direction had far surpassed the acceptable brunch-eating time. Break up the Big Groupâ€"Coming from a big family, I know this may sound like a family suicide. But even when you spent time with your extended family in the morning and just with your immediate family at night, make sure your mother can have her diva moment, the moment where it’s truly all about her, not all your aunts, grandmothers, or cousins. Spending time with the entire family is always a treat. But your mother did not give a birth to your grandmother or your aunts. So make sure she is getting that one-on-one time that the diva may desire. Go in on a Big Giftâ€"No matter how many different last minute necklaces my brother buys Mom from Walgreens every year, she’s really never going to be able to pull off that butterfly in public. Instead of small presents that Mother may or may not get the use out ofâ€"although she will pretend to love itâ€"splurge on a big item with the rest of your family. This years was a foot massager from Brookstone. And I saw zero fake smiles.