1. Egypt has been under Emergency Law since 1967: Enacted during the Six-Day War, Egypt’s Emergency Law has been in effect almost continuously for more than 40 years. (There was an 18-month respite ending in 1980.) The law grants law enforcement officials extended powers, and it also legalizes censorship and deprives citizens of certain constitutional rights. Basically, any anti-government demonstrations or publications are verboten, a dictum that’s led to the internment of more than 17,000 political prisoners. The law also extends the power of the president, in this case Hosni Mubarak, letting him restrict citizens’ right to assemble and to arrest anyone suspected of "posing a danger." This restrictive set of rules is one of the many things Egyptian citizens are protesting.
2. The protests were sparked by similar uprisings in Tunisia: In mid-December 2010, Tunisian citizens took to the streets to protest government corruption, poor living conditions, and laws that restricted their freedom of speech. The protests led to the eventual resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in mid-January, who fled to Saudi Arabia, ending his 23-year rule. The Tunisian revolt spurred citizens in many other Arab nations to stand up for personal freedoms, including the people of Egypt.
3. The Egyptian protests began on a national holiday: The unrest exploded on January 25, dubbed the Day of Anger, but the 25th was already a marked day: it was National Police Day, a federal holiday commemorating the Egyptian police officers killed in 1952 when they refused to hand over their weapons and station to the British Army. The 25th was chosen as the first day of protests specifically because it was already a holiday, meaning people would be more free to participate.
4. The U.S. and Egypt have a tricky relationship: President Obama’s administration has handled Mubarak’s regime with a blend of private exhortation for change and public non-committal when asked whether the U.S. supports Egypt. It’s a balancing act that mixes diplomacy with global rule, and it’s one that’s gotten tougher since the protests began. Obama publicly spoke of Mubarak’s need to allow his people to participate in reform, but he likely sent much tougher messages via envoys and diplomats. Even in press conferences, Obama used the phrase "the Egyptian government" instead of calling Mubarak by name. The U.S. has worked with Egypt for years and provided financial and military assistance, so it’s not easy for U.S. officials to merely pick a side and stick with it.
5. China has blocked its citizens from searching for information: Ever wary of outside influences that could lead to civil unrest, China blocked Egypt as a search term on its Twitter-style microblogging platform. Users who search for "Egypt" on the site are met with this: "According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the search results are not shown." Chinese media have also downplayed the events in local coverage.
6. Al Jazeera has spearheaded the media coverage: Between constant online streaming and massive chunks of airtime on DirecTV, Al Jazeera has been dominating the coverage of the Egyptian revolt. But Al Jazeera English isn’t available in many parts of the U.S., which has led many commentators to note that a majority of U.S. citizens are deprived of the option of watching the news network that has put American media to shame with its Egypt stories. It’s not that U.S. outlets have presented slanted coverage; it’s that they haven’t covered it, period, or not to the extent of Al Jazeera.
7. Egypt is too crowded to survive the stresses placed on its people: Egypt has more than 79 million citizens, and most of them live along the banks of the Nile River. Their population has tripled since 1950. Better health care but a lack of education, especially for women, has led to a glut of children and younger people, and the resulting crowds are even more unstable when you factor in the growing unrest from living under a fickle and unfair political regime. In a way, the protests were only a matter of time.
8. The government attempted to block all Internet and social media: In an attempt to disrupt the protests by making it harder for people to communicate their plans to organize, the government pulled the plug on the Internet and text messaging services. The move wasn’t 100% effective, but it did make it tougher for citizens and journalists to use Facebook, Twitter, and other services.
9. Most Egyptians are very poor: One of the contributing factors to the growing unrest has been the swelling numbers of Egyptian citizens living in poverty. About 40 percent of the population can be categorized on the continuum from "near poor" to "extreme poor," living on the equivalent of $2 per day. Basically, what an average working on American spends on coffee could power an Egyptian for three days.
10. President Hosni Mubarak has been in office since 1981: Egypt’s current president has been in office since Ronald Reagan was sworn in, and he’s continued to win elections with more than 85 percent of ballots. Unsurprisingly, there have been many strong claims that Mubarak has tampered with the election outcomes in order to ensure that his administration stays in power. Mubarak has also imprisoned citizens without the benefit of a trial, his administration has faced countless corruption charges in recent years. He is seen by the protestors as the public face of a regime that needs to change or die. On February 1, he announced he wouldn’t seek another term. Omar Suleiman was sworn in as the country’s first vice president in 30 years.

The so-called studious musical genre is no other than classical music. This might seem like a bore to those who don’t favor this particular type of music, but studies suggest that hearing some of the best classical artists like Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin can substantially increase the amount of information you absorb. That’s not to say that you should blast the music at maximum volume—this will undoubtedly distract you from the task at hand. But having it softly play in the background while you read, write or review old material can help you in a numerous of different ways. According to researchers not only can it help you improve memorization, but it can also relax you and inspire.

The reasons why researches suggest that classical music in particular helps with retention is because of the specific beats per minute and the fact that no lyrics are attached. With that said, other genres that can most likely have the same affect if you are not a fan of classical music is smooth jazz and trance. While most are familiar with artists such as Kenny G and the smooth jazz musical genre, many are unfamiliar with trance. Trance music is sub-category of electronica dance, but it has more of a soothing affect. Key terms to watch out for in song titles are Adigo, progressive and ambient.

No matter what genre of music you choose to listen to (if any) make sure that it is something that is not too overwhelming and something that you won’t suddenly get the urge to dance to and distract you from your studies. Meaning, don’t select a song that is so catchy you’ll find yourself singing along— thus lyric-less songs are best.

When taking courses online, you actually practice a lot of the skills you need to be a significant contributor in the workplace. Taking courses online requires you to learn how to be an efficient and effective communicator through new forms of social media and electronic communication: email, instant-messaging, even Facebook and LinkedIn. All of these ways of connecting with people require good interpersonal skills, especially interpersonal skills that are applicable to new media. Next time you are at work, think of successful interactions you’ve had with your professor and try to replicate those interactions with your supervisor.

Another thing you should try to do is make explicit connections between your school projects and your work projects. You want to not only benefit from your online degree program in the long-term, but you also want to have your current study help you accomplish short-term goals you have for yourself at your job. For example, if you are studying business management in an online degree program and you have a semester assignment to complete, think of ways you can incorporate that into your job. Could you interview your supervisor? Could you interview fellow employees? Could you create a management proposal to submit to your company’s Chief Executive Officer? The closer the connection between your studies and your job, the better you’ll feel at how important such an education can be for your career.

Finally, see if you can involve your supervisor in your education. After all, he or she has been a significant part of your job experience, so it makes sense to also use your supervisor to help you with your education, because it will directly improve the company as well. If possible, ask if the company will help fund your schooling. Try to update your supervisor on the progress you’ve made. If you are open and forthright about the importance of your education and your career, then you will demonstrate to your company that you are becoming a great asset to keep around. Maybe you’ll even get a reward or raise out of it!

Actresses

Can’t get enough of these leading ladies? See what books they choose as their favorites for a little star-inspired reading.

1. Angelina Jolie, Vlad the Impaler, In Search of the Real Dracula by M.J. Trow: Jolie still holds onto some of those things that made her dark and edgy in her early career, including a love for all things vampire. This book showcases the life of one Prince who might have been the basis for the literary Dracula.
2. Brooke Shields, The Hours by Michael Cunningham: Made into a feature length film, this book follows the lives of different women, documenting the struggles each must face to get through the day.
3. Nicole Kidman, The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis: While Kidman didn’t star in the film versions of these classics, she is a big fan of these highly-regarded children’s books.
4. Kate Winslet, Therese Raquin by Emile Zola: British actress Winslet chose this book as her favorite, packed with love, intrigue, murder and maybe even a few ghosts.
5. Natalie Portman, The Ministry of Special Causes by Nathan Englander: Set in Buenos Aires during the mid-seventies during a military takeover, this novel follows a man and his son as they battle each other and try to find a place in their changing country.
6. Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Widely regarded as a must-read novel, this Fitzgerald classic set in the Jazz Age is a favorite of this actress.
7. Jessica Biel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman: This inspirational novel helped millions, including Biel, ask questions about the meaning of their lives, the universe and spirituality.
8. Gwenyth Paltrow, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Gwenyth names this famous Russian novel about a killer who rationalizes his crime as one of her all-time favorites.
9. Diane Keaton, Untitled by Diane Arbus: Keaton didn’t opt with the standard novel as her favorite book. Instead, she chose this collection of photographs by artist Diane Arbus as one of her top reads instead.
10. Claire Danes, Deception by Philip Roth: While Danes acknowledges that the characters in this book may be a bit unlikeable, she names it as one of her favorites because of Roth’s innovation and skill as a writer.

Comediennes

These funny ladies picked some serious tomes as their favorites.

11. Amy Poehler, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: From its famous opening line to its personalized account of the French Revolution, Poehler ranks this classic as a book that truly made a difference in her life.
12. Samantha Bee, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion: Correspondent for the Daily Show Samantha Bee chose this sad but touching novel about this writer’s incredibly difficult year of deaths and illnesses.
13. Lily Tomlin, The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx: This novel about tragedy and rebirth among a Newfoundland fishing community ranks at the top of this comedienne’s list.
14. Rue McClanahan, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Best known for her work on Golden Girls as the sexy Southern belle Ruth, it seems only fitting that McClanahan chose this classic set in the south as her favorite.
15. Tina Fey, Leni Riefenstahl by Leni Riefenstahl: Tina Fey found this autobiography about one of the leading Nazi propagandists fascinating.

Writers and Journalists

See what famous women writers are reading– it could just inspire your own literary epiphany.

16. Ann Landers, The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery: Take the advice of this famous advice columnist and pick up this children’s classic about a lonely boy traveling between planets.
17. J.K. Rowling, Emma by Jane Austen: Author of the famous Harry Potter series, Rowling found this novel to be simple and brilliant.
18. Zadie Smith, Pnin by Vladamir Nobokov: Award-winning author Smith chose this novel about a bumbling professor as one of her favorites.
19. Nora Ephron, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon: This epic novel by Michael Chabon about the lives of two comic-obsessed friends inspired Ephron, and it will you too.
20. Ellen Gilchrist, The World as I See It by Albert Einstein: Check out this book by Einstein to learn more about the mind of a genius.

Athletes

Athletes don’t spend all of their time training. When they’re not running, jumping and pumping iron, they choose to read great books like these.

21. Laila Ali, The Color Purple by Alice Walker: Daughter of famous boxer Muhammad Ali and a great athlete in her own right, Laila Ali named this book about a black woman’s struggle for empowerment as one of her favorites.
22. Billie Jean King, Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad Yunus: This famous tennis player was inspired by the work and the writing of social entrepreneur Yunus.
23. Maria Sharapova, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Tennis star Sharapova is no exception, naming this classic detective novel as her favorite.

Singers and Musicians

From pop sensations to long time divas, you’ll find selections from an assortment of women in music.

24. Miley Cyrus, Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel: Expect to cry at this novel about a woman and the terminally ill man she’s in love with.
25. Gloria Estefan, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith: Superstar Estefan names this compelling book about the effects of poverty on a girl and her family in Brooklyn as her favorite.
26. Mandy Moore, A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks: It only makes sense that Moore would choose this love story by Sparks as one of her favorites, as she starred in the movie made about it.
27. Bette Midler, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: Actress, comedienne and singer Midler loved this quirky tale or a topsy-turvy world as a child and still does.
28. Beyonce Knowles, Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan: Detailing the lives of four friends who are still waiting around for Mr. Right to show up, this popular novel is a favorite of Beyonce.
29. Patti LaBelle, Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Diva LaBelle names this children’s classic as one of her favorites, and recommends the book to others, children and adults alike.

Politicians and Leaders

Get an education in leadership from the books these famous female leaders chose as their favorites.

30. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: Senator, former First Lady and current Secretary of State, this feisty female has done it all.
31. Condoleeza Rice, The Lives of the Great Composers by Harold Schonberg: Once aiming to become a concert pianist herself, this famous politician names this book about famous composers as one that still captures her heart.
32. Madeline Albright, Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton: This famous Secretary of State found this novel about a man searching for his son in South Africa inspiring.
33. Ann Fudge, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum: President of Kraft, Ann Fudge, takes a break from her duties to enjoy spy novels like this one by Robert Ludlum.

TV Personalities

Whether you want reading advice from newswomen, famous chefs or the almighty Oprah, you’ll find it here.

34. Ann Curry, The Once and Future King by T.H.White: Composed of four stories about the legend of King Arthur, television journalist Curry feels this book is good enough to share.
35. Rosie O’Donnell, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger: O’Donnell is one among many celebrities who recommend this classic coming of age novel as a must-read.
36. Tyra Banks, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume: Model and talk show host Banks felt this young adult novel made a huge impact on her life– it might do the same for you.
37. Oprah, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: Oprah is one of the richest and most powerful women in the world but she still got swept up in this epic Russian romance.
38. Paula Zahn, From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman: Newswoman Zahn chose this book about the conflicts in the Middle East by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Friedman as her favorite and a great choice for anyone hoping to learn more about the region.
39. Julia Child, The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection by Michael Ruhlman: If you’re looking for a great foodie book recommended by a great foodie, look no further than this Julia Child favorite.
40. Nigella Lawson, The Naughtiest Girl In the School by Enid Blyton: British chef and TV personality Lawson shares this children’s book as one of her all-time favorite reads.

The two most common uses of the semi-colon are to join two independent clauses together without using a comma and conjunction and to separate items in a series if one or more of the items is compound and includes a comma.

For the first guideline, see this example, which is initially presented as two independent clauses joined by a comma and conjunction.

I walked to the creek, and I saw a turtle sunning on a log.

Now, when we replace the comma and conjunction with a semi-colon, it reads as follows:

I walked to the creek; I saw a turtle sunning on a log.

Regarding compound items in a series, notice how the comma is used to separate basic items, and then notice how we must use semi-colons once those items become compound.

Pizzas, hot dogs, and sodas are the most popular items served in the student center.

Contrast that series to the more complicated one below:

The gift package included several free backstage passes; tickets to shows in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City; and a guitar autographed by the lead singer.

As for colons, they most often function to introduce a series or to connect two clauses, the second of which explains or amplifies the first. Let’s talk about the series first, as it’s the easier usage of the two.

When introducing a series, in this case a list of appositives which modify the noun ‘materials,’ you can use a colon in order to signal that the remaining elements will rename a noun in the previous clause.

For example, check the following sentence:

For this exam, you are allowed to use the following materials: a number two pencil, a graphing calculator, and your notes from the review session.

The colon between two clauses, the second of which explains the first, often looks like this:

After he received the good news, he did something that surprised me: He began to cry.

Keep in mind that you can choose to capitalize the first word in the second clause or you can let it remain in lowercase. In either case, make sure that the second clause explains the first clause. In this case, the fact that ‘he began to cry’ explains what exactly it was that so surprised the speaker.

One final thing to keep in mind regarding colon usage is that when you insert a colon into a text as we’ve done in the two examples above, always make sure that the clause before the colon is a complete, independent clause.

For example, the following sentence makes use of a dangling participle:

Having finished his soup, the main course arrived on a silver tray.

In this case, the subject of the sentence is ‘course,’ but the participial phrase that grammatically modifies it is instead meant to tell us about the man eating the soup. Notice how the shift in the writer’s thinking occurs after the participial phrase; the writer turned his or her attention on writing about the elegance of the main course instead of sticking with the initial focus of the sentence.

There are two ways to correct these kinds of errors. The first is relatively simple. All you have to do is change the initial participial phrase into a complete clause so it doesn’t have to modify the following subject. It will have its own subject.

After the man finished his soup, the main course arrived on a silver tray.

However, if the writer wishes to keep the initial participial phrase intact, then he or she must revise the main clause so that the subject is correctly modified. This will require more revising than in the previous solution. One way you could revise this reads as follows:

Having finished his soup, the man watched as the main course arrived on a silver tray.

The key to both avoiding and solving dangling participial phrases is to be able to learn how you as a writer shift between ideas, and how that shift affects the structures of your sentences. Look through your sentences for places where phrases and clauses join together, and see if you can find a mismatch. Those mismatches are places to check for whether or not you’ve got a dangling participle.

One of the first things you will need to do is to create a study space for yourself. Find a room in the house that experiences little foot traffic, such as a guest bedroom or office. You can use this room as your "classroom" every time you must study or work. Avoid using rooms like the kitchen as your classroom because the amount of people and activity that goes on in the kitchen each day will surely keep you from getting your assignments completed. In your chosen room, make sure that you have a comfortable desk to sit at with space on which to take notes or read materials. You should also rid the space of any potential distracters, like toys, knick-knacks, and electronics. If there is a television in the room, you should also get rid of the remote control so that you will not be tempted to turn it on whenever you are feeling bored from studying. Turning off your cell phone is another important step to ensure that your studies will be free from distractions.

Something else you should consider doing is establishing regular study hours. Not only will this get you accustomed to learning on a regular basis so that you do not fall behind, it also will make your schedule more predictable so that others will know when you are free and when you are busy. Inform your close friends and family of your study hours so that they will know not to plan an outing during that time or to come over and bother you. This will decrease the temptation of skipping a study session to go out to dinner with friends because they will know not to plan a dinner date during that time.

Finally, force yourself to study. It can be difficult to concentrate when you are not surrounded by your peers, but once you fall behind in an online course, it can be near impossible to catch up again. For this reason, be sure to create a study space and establish regular studying hours so that you will stay on top of your assignments and graduate with a degree quickly.

There are different ways to organize your bills, but until you tailor a system that works perfectly for you, start out by keeping a bills calendar. Organize your bills into different pay periods or times of the month by due date. Some will inevitably fall towards the end of the month, while others might need to be paid by the 15th. Write down on a calendar which bills need to be paid when, and then assign yourself two days each month to pay all the bills in each set. So, on the 5th, you would pay the bills due on the 15th, and on the 20th, you’d make payments to bills due on the 31st.

Keep all your bills in a specific spot. Create an inbox for yourself by using an hold shoebox, a folder filing system, or a folder in your actual e-mail inbox. You can color-code bills based on their due dates by using post-it notes or sticky colored tabs. Write PAID or file into a PAID folder once you’ve made your payments. If a bill is lost in the mail or is never fully processed online, you’ll have a paper trail to back yourself up.

And if you’re splitting bills with a roommate, divide up whose name bills will fall under, to keep things fair and both of you equally accountable. A community calendar in the kitchen or other shared space will remind each of you when payments are due.

Because the scholar is the most important part of the information regarding your works cited, that is the key bit of information that you will repeat when you cite a work in the text. Consider the following three examples:

In fact, we should strive to avoid consistency, as through consistency we are trapped into a single way of existence (Emerson 132).

According to Emerson, we should be wary of remaining too consistent in our thoughts and actions, as such consistency does not allow us to free our minds of the past (132).

"A foolish consistency," writes Emerson, "is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines (132).

You should notice how in each example, Emerson is given credit for the criticism of the concept of consistency, regardless of how he is quoted or paraphrased. The first example is a generous paraphrasing that uses Emerson and the page number in the parentheses at the end of the sentence. The second example is another paraphrase, but it emphasizes Emerson in the actual text of the sentence. The page number of the source is again relegated to the end of the sentence. The final example is a direct quotation of the famous saying of Emerson’s. It names him in the text, puts quotation marks around his words, and again places the page number of the quotation at the end of the sentence.

You can see, then, how important the scholar is in this style of citation. Readers will see the emphasis on Emerson, and, using their knowledge of his work, can then interact better with the argument you are making in the paper about Emerson’s ideas. They can find the same book you used, check page 132, and then think how they too would have interpreted that part of Emerson’s essay on self-reliance given the full context of the passage from which you have quoted that famous sentence.

The reason why two main styles have come to dominate academic courses is because they’re actually widely applied to their respective disciplines beyond college. In other words, those who work in psychology or those who study literature and language have to follow a specific style of writing and citation so their colleagues can easily track their research. The styles have come as a way of helping everyone in the fields better connect their research together.

So when you’re in a literature class, for example, you’re studying not only literature itself, but also the act of being a literary scholar. You’re required, then, to practice how to be a literary scholar, so you must use the tools of the literary scholar. MLA is one such tool. In MLA style, a scholar cites his or her sources predominantly by its author, as the humanities courses that use MLA style place more importance on the thinkers who wrote the ideas down. In MLA style, a greater connection between thinkers is more important to emphasize. That’s why MLA style has you citing the author’s name more often.

But when you’re working with APA style, which is a style that scientists and those in that field use, the more important information is the date of the source and the date of the research. That’s why the date is more predominantly cited in APA citations. APA style emphasizes the chronology of scientific developments because without a solid understanding of this chronology, it’s hard to find a place for one’s own research to fit into the chronology. In other words, scientific progress is more important than the names of the people who advanced that progress further.

The most important thing to consider is the discipline you’re working in and how that will affect which style you use when you write you papers and perform your research. If you have any doubts, you should talk to your professor. He or she should be able to help you both choose the right style and follow those style guidelines.