#1 Create a History

Every person has a past, so it is important to create a past for your character – even if you do not share the entire contents of that past. People evolve over the years because of their experiences and surroundings throughout their lives, and your fictional character is no different, so you need to develop a fictional past for him or her. When you are initially developing a new character, you are getting to know that character, just as your readers will get to know that character when they read your story. It is important to understand why your character will react or make decisions the way that he or she does, so it is important to have a back story that goes along with the personality that has been created for that character over the years.

#2 Show (don’t tell) His or Her Emotions

If you have not heard the phrase now, you will a lot throughout most of your English related courses: show, don’t tell. Simply saying that your character is feeling sad is not a proper description of a realistic character. People don’t feel the same emotions in the same way. Some people cry when they are sad, while others scream or go completely silent. You need to show how your characters are feeling, rather than just say how they are feeling.

Bad Example: Nora became angry after reading the letter. She just couldn’t stand it anymore.

Good Example: Nora’s face became hot after reading the letter. She viciously began to tear                       apart the envelope when she couldn’t look at its content any more.

Showing a character’s emotions through actions lets your readers get a better idea of what kind of personality someone like Nora has.

#3 Give Your Character Habits or Quirks

People are remembered for the little things they do that are different from anyone else, and everyone has something peculiar them that seems unique. Giving an interesting habit or strange quirk lends personality to your character. It can be as small as eating M&Ms all the time, but refusing to eat any other kind of chocolate. Or as big as having your character insist on eating at the exact same restaurant every day, and is thrown off if something disturbs this regimen. Whatever habit or quirk you give your character will allow your readers to get to know him or her better. Sometimes you can give an explanation for the behavior, but you don’t always have to. Either way, your readers will have another reason to think, “Hey, this character is interesting.”

#4 Show Relationships

We can learn a lot about individuals by the way they interact with others. If your character is very sociable, then you should show the character interacting with a lot of random people at work, talking on the phone, and even chatting with strangers on the street. But, if the character is more of a recluse and only has one or two friends, show the bond between those few characters, and maybe even show the uncomfortable feeling that character gets when dealing with new individuals.

#5 Reveal Character’s Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations

People live their lives with a particular purpose. They don’t just go through the motions of school or work without having some reason to do so. If you are going to show that your character is unhappy with his or her job, then be sure to explain why that character continues to keep that job – what is his or her motivation? Is she saving up for a car? Is he trying to pay off a loan? These are the kinds of questions that readers ask about characters who are interesting. And, if you are answering those questions, then your readers are going to enjoy your character and your style of writing that much more.

Well, it’s that time of year again: Oscar season. This Sunday, March 7,  the Academy Awards will showcase the best films of 2009. The program, which will be hosted by 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin and noted comedian and actor Steve Martin, will set a new record with the most films nominated for best picture. We thought it telling that some of the best films of the year were book adaptations that we reviewed last year. This is setting the bar high, even for an awards show, and so this year we at Eduify thought we’d help narrow the nominations down to this year’s very best.

1. Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

This year’s best picture nominations feature ten diverse and exciting films: James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar, Quentin Tarantino’s World War II romp Inglourious Basterds , An Education , Peter Jackson’s District 9, A Serious Man by the Coen brothers, Precious (and adaptation of Sapphire’s novel Push), Pixar’s Up, Up in the Air starring George Clooney, The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock, and Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. Could there be a more diverse range, from 3D half-men half-alien avatar adventure flicks to corporate lackeys searching for human connection?

Although all of these films demonstrate Oscar-worthy talent, Eduify’s pick for Best Picture this year is The Hurt Locker. The film stars Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant James Williams, who heads a team of American soldiers whose job it is to find and disarm Improvised Explosive Devices (I.E.D.s), homemade bombs that are responsible for the deaths of countless soldiers serving in Iraq. Set in 2004, The Hurt Locker is one of the first seemingly objective films about the controversial Iraq war, and it delivers not only in intense action scenes, but also in the emotional complexity of its characters. Says New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, Kathryn Bigelow uses “hyperbolic realism, distills the psychological essence and moral complications of modern warfare into a series of brilliant, agonizing set pieces.”

2. Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

Although Jeff Bridges may be best known as “The Dude” or “Duderino” in the Coen Brothers 1998 classic The Big Lebowski, he shows subtly and versatility in his role as aging country singer Bad Blake in Crazy Heart. The independent film follows Blake as he trucks across the American West, performing in out of the way venues and crossing paths with his protégé Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) and Jean, a journalist from New Mexico (Maggie Gyllenhall). Bridges’ acting performance is made even more powerful by the film’s score, which includes the song “The Weary Kind,” written by singer Ryan Bingham and sung by Bridges himself. The song is also nominated for Best Original Song.

Bridges is up against tough odds, though: this year’s Best Actor picks include George Clooney (Up in the Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).

3. Best Actress: Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)

Director Lee Daniels saw something unique when he cast Gabourey Sidibe as Precious in his film adaptation of Sapphire’s novel Push. It takes a complex and compassionate reading of character to fully embody the role of the film’s protagonist, a young woman who as a teenager has been impregnated twice by her father and is emotionally abused by her mother. Sidibe’s greatest strength are her small, measured movements –shrugs, mumblings and stares—that communicate far more about the reality of this character’s life without melodrama.

The other actresses nominated for Best Actress this year are Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia), Carey Mulligan (An Education), and Helen Mirren (The Last Station).

2. Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

Kathryn Bigelow is the fourth woman to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, and if she won, she would be the first. That aside, this honor is well-deserved: not only does The Hurt Locker capture a tense yet important part of the Iraq war, but it does so by relying on a strong narrative and powerful cinematography, creating a psychological and complicated view of war. It’s worth mentioning that this is a big step for Bigelow, whose previous films (Point Break, Blue Steel, Strange Days) were interesting but not challenging in the sense that The Hurt Locker truly faces its spectators.

Bigelow is up against her ex-husband James Cameron (Avatar), as well as Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds), Lee Daniels (Precious), and Jason Reitman (Up in the Air).

1. Best Animated Feature Film: Coraline (Directed by Henry Selick)

In the year of exciting 3D films, Coraline takes the cake, not only because of its imaginative and slightly macabre animation, but because its plot and character journey are truly unique. Based on the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman, the story follows a young girl who discovers a portal to an alternate universe in her house. The film is ingenious in part because it borders that line between childhood playfulness and adult thriller, all in vivid color and eye-popping 3D. Its cast includes Dakota Fanning as the title character, Teri Hatcher, and comedian John Hodgman.

Other films in this category are Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson), The Princess and the Frog (John Musker and Ron Clement), The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore), and Up (Pete Docter).

Sunday’s Academy Awards are sure to be quite the cinematic showdown. Who do you think should win? Download a ballot for this year’s awards and compete with your friends to see how accurate your predictions are!

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Do not let the name fool, there isn’t anything about marine life in the book. The main character, T.J. Jones, is an adopted teenager who is smart, funny, and an all-around cool guy, who is incredibly humorous to read about. The story deals with a team of underdog swimmers, and T.J. just happens to be the only popular guy on the team. Acting as the wise-butt hero at times, this book had me stifling my own laughter because I was afraid someone would hear me guffaw too loudly.

Darwin Awards Books

For those who are not familiar with the Darwin Awards, they are a comical competition that relay the odd, stupid, and funny things people do in life, as well as the interesting outcomes of these actions. There are at least seven of these books by now, so the options are wide and the hilarity of man’s stupidity just continues to entertain readers. If for some reason you cannot finish one of the books, there is no harm in putting it aside to come back to it on another rainy day. The chapters do not have a sequence of events, so there is no plot to keep up with. You can read one funny story after another. Or, if you somehow finish one book in a day, there are more to read out of the series.

A Bad Beginning, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett

Yes, it is part of a series, but what better day is there to try out a new series of books than on a rainy day? And, there is never a dull moment in A Bad Beginning, not to mention it is a relatively shorter book, which also makes it a quick read. Funny, exciting, and sometimes creepy, the Series of Unfortunate Events relays the story of the cruel Count Olaf, who is trying to take the inheritance of three incredibly talented orphaned children. Don’t knock it just because it’s in the young adult section; this book even has adults enthralled to read the whole series.

Short Stories by Nikolay Gogol

For those who want a fun, yet slightly more sophisticated read, the short stories by Nikolay Gogol never seem to disappoint. Although most short stories are a good pick for rainy days, Gogol’s are both deep and amusing at the same time. Stories like “The Nose” is so incredulous to have a nose as the supporting role, while “The Diary of a Madman” is so funny, I almost felt guilty as I laughed at the poor narrator. Gogol’s short stories are a bit longer than others, but you can still several with a day’s time. And, with a collection of shorts, it is easy to just put the rest of the book aside once you have finished a particular story. There is no commitment to reading all of the short stories if you do not have time.

Psych – A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read by William Rabkin

If you are a fan of the show, you are going to love the books, particularly this one. Although many popular shows are providing a series of books alongside their show, Psych is one of those shows that is both smart and funny at the same time, which is exactly what the books are like, too. A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read happens to be only 273 pages, which makes for a quick read with all of the dialogue and humorous activities.

Salmon

People used to think that tuna fish was the ultimate brain food, but some experts have found that the high content of Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are what really juice up your brain by helping your brain matter, helping your arteries, and even improving your mood. Other fish contain great nutritional value for your brain, too, but salmon (particularly wild salmon) was the top pick for experts because there are less contaminants than farm bread  fish (http://www.brainready.com/blog/thetop5brainhealthfoods.html).

Eggs

These are just another reason to eat a good breakfast in the morning. Eggs not only contain protein, but they are an amazingly common food that is great at providing your memory. Choline, which is found in egg yolks, is what help your brain cells continue building upon themselves (http://www.webmd.com/balance/brain-food-quiz-results?redirectUrl=brain-food-quiz-results&x=35&y=3).

Walnuts

You don’t have to be a squirrel to enjoy this healthy snack; it turns out that walnuts also contain a high amount of those Omega-3 fatty acids that improve your brain‘s strength. And, if you ever have a hard time remembering what they are good for, take a close look at the weird lines and shape of the walnut, and see if it doesn’t remind a little bit of the pictures you’ve seen of your brain in biology class.

Berries

The growing popularity of the acai berry is not without its merit, but we should not forget the blueberry, blackberry, or cranberry. It is interesting how much nutrition these little guys can hold. Full of antioxidants that help preserve brain cells over the years. But, these berries also contain the Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the protein we have already mentioned the benefits of. These berries not only make a sweet treat, they may actually help your brain cells through your whole life.

Curry

It’s not just for spicy food, it may be the spice of life that keeps your brain in good health. Helping to clean away the plaque that tends to slow down our brains and cause the Alzheimer’s, curcumin is the chemical that acts as that cleaning agent for our brain. Just like drains need be clear of build up to run smoothly, our brains need to be clean to continue thinking clearly.

As the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver come to a close, spectators worldwide are reminded how sports and international competition function as yet another way to tell stories. Think back to the best moments of this year in Canada: American Lindsey Vonn’s gold medal in downhill skiing, Yu Na Kim of Korea’s winning free skate performance, or Team Canada’s men’s hockey win in overtime. When these athletes go home, not only will they take their medals, but they’ll take something perhaps more significant: the record that they beat and the odds that they faced; in effect, their very own Olympic story.
Speaking of stories—there is a long legacy of Olympic athletes teaming up with journalists and biographers to share their stories as memoirs. Here’s a list of 5 Books about Inspirational Olympians to get you started.

5.  Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics by Jeremy Schapp

Jesse Owens’ life was not just one, but several important stories. Owens was the first American to win four track and field medals in one Olympic Game—the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, to be exact. His athletic achievements notwithstanding, Owens’ decision to participate at all was an act of courage, given the intense backdrop of what would later become Nazi Germany. Schapp’s book takes a cinematic approach to Owens’ life, starting with his childhood in 1920s Cleveland, through his early track career to Berlin, where the concept of the Aryan race was just gaining popularity.

4. The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey

In 1980, the U.S. men’s hockey team was up against the Soviets, the reigning international hockey champions whose legacy made them seem unbeatable. The New York Daily News sportswriter Coffey approaches the pivotal 1980 games from U.S. Coach Herb Brooks’ perspective, describing the physical and psychological exercises he used to build up the American team. Unlike many sports stories, Coffey seeks to make both teams human, showing not just their strengths and weaknesses, but their attitude in light of the Iranian hostage crisis and the Cold War.

3. Wobbles: an Olympic Story by Nadine Neumann

Australian swimmer Nadine Neumann writes of her struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a young woman, a condition that, although challenging, never kept her from international competition. She finished sixth in the 200m breast stroke at the 1996 Atlanta summer games, breaking her personal best. Her memoir describes the intricacy of competing for the best race while overcoming the daily challenges of a chronic condition. In addition to her accomplishments as a swimmer, Neumann went on to become a teacher, coach and writer.

2. A Skating Life: My Story by Dorothy Hamill

Dorothy Hamill skated onto the ice in Innnsbruk, Austria, in 1976, and into a new life. At age 19, she was about to accomplish her primary goal: to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Her 2007 memoir traces her childhood on the ice, showing not only her athletic achievements, but also the complexity of her family relationships. Hamill went on to become a pioneering star in the Ice Capades, the touring skate shows that incorporated stories into skate performances.  Hamill’s work on and off the ice has proven her not only to be a professional, high-achieving athlete, but a leader in youth fitness and performance.

1. Silent Gesture: an Autobiography of Tommie Smith by Tommie Smith, Delois Smith, and David Steele

Tommie Smith won the gold medal in the 200m running race at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. As the “Star Spangled Banner” echoed across the stands, Smith raised on black-gloved fist to the air, creating perhaps one of the most highly politicized images of the Olympics. This single moment sparked a flurry of responses: did Smith, who had an incredible track record at San Jose State University and later became a successful as teacher and coach, intend for spectators to glean some greater political meaning from his black glove? Smith’s autobiography explores both his views on athletics and his young life, describing how one “silent gesture” redefined him not only as a runner, but also as a leader in the civil rights movement and beyond.

Still not inspired? There is an entire cannon of Olympic stories out there, and (most likely) there will be more to come in the months following the 2010 games in Vancouver. Are you an athlete? Let us know what sports you play and what stories you hope to one day tell!

Internships are a great way to earn some money and/or school credit while you, the student, earn some experience in a field that may lead to your future career. If you make a good impression with your internship, it is possible that a permanent position could be earned in a higher level, and at the very least, you could earn some very strong references for your resume. However, the full potential of a good internship can only be attained if you are a good at your internship. Here are some tips and tricks to becoming the perfect intern that your co-workers and managers cannot help but recommending.

#1 Be On Time

Although it sounds simple enough, too many people have the habit of showing up five or ten minutes late to work every day. This does not give a good impression with the people you work with. Being a few minutes late means that you are probably running into work out of breath, which does not look professional. Even if you are just strolling in late, then your managers are likely to begin to view you as a slacker or someone who only does the bare minimum at the job. The bare minimum is not going to impress anyone. It is a much better idea to show up about five or ten minutes early to your job instead. The extra few minutes you have will let you get settled just before you start working. And, if your manager and coworkers notice that you are showing up early, they are more likely to look at you as a dependable intern or future employee.

#2 Dress Professionally

It may just be an internship to you, but to everyone else working there, it is their job they take seriously. Therefore it is important that you show the same respect by dressing appropriately to work. Coming into work wearing jeans and a t-shirt is not a statement that anyone should take you seriously. Coming into work with slacks and a button-up shirt shows that you are prepared to work in a serious manner. Although people are not supposed to judge each other by their looks, it is still an unavoidable trait in most individuals. In my own experience, I have noticed that when I dress more professionally at work, I receive more respect from the teachers and students who talk to me in class.

#3 Take Initiative

Interns who do the bare minimum do not get noticed by their managers and co-workers. Interns who take initiative and keep themselves busy at work will get noticed for their diligence. I have known interns who do their work, and then sit around looking bored for an hour. The interns who stand out to me are the ones who are constantly looking for work to do. If they finish their work, they look for more by asking their superiors what else they can do to be helpful. I have even known some interns who take it upon themselves to tidy up the work area as a way of keeping busy. These are the interns who are not lazy, who want to do a good job, and who will definitely be noticed and admired by the managers.

#4 Show Interest

Asking your supervisor questions and trying to learn more about the work that is entailed with your internship is a great way to show your managers that you are interested in your work, which means that you care about your work, and that indicates you want to do a good job. Managers appreciate having workers that try to learn more about their job because an interested intern is a better worker than ones who stands around looking bored all day because they could care less about their job.

#5 Be a Friendly Worker

Getting along with your co-workers can be tricky sometimes, but if you are able to be friendly with the people you work with, they are more likely going to say good things about you, which can be transferred into finding a better position for you with them in their company, or earning yourself a strong recommendation as a worker who is easy to get along with in other jobs.

“In the centuries since African Americans first arrived on our shores, they have known the bitterness of slavery and oppression, the hope of progress, and the triumph of the American Dream. African American history is an essential thread of the American narrative that traces our Nation’s enduring struggle to perfect itself. Each February, we recognize African American History Month as a moment to reflect upon how far we have come as a Nation, and what challenges remain. This year’s theme, ‘The History of Black Economic Empowerment,’ calls upon us to honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it.”

Well said, Mr. President. And just how do we recognize these leaders in business, in the arts, education, science—those who are showing just what it means to be “economically empowered?” And just what does it mean to set aside one month of the year to recognize the achievements of African-Americans? Today in Eduify we’ve chosen 5 Notable African-American Leaders whose accomplishments have informed not only other African-Americans, but other Americans and citizens worldwide.

5. Langston Hughes

Perhaps one of the greatest American poets of his generation, Langston Hughes wrote lyrically about the black experience in Harlem, New York, as well as commentaries about race and society. His work, which has often been associated with jazz and blues rhythms, laid the groundwork for what later became performance and slam poetry. More important than the form itself, his desire to describe his experience as an African-American set a precedent in American literature. He put it best in a 1947 essay entitled “My Adventures as a Social Poet”:

“…certainly, racially speaking, my own problems of adjustment to American life were the same as those of millions of other segregated Negroes. The moon belongs to everybody, but not this American earth of ours. That is perhaps why poems of the moon disturb no one, but poems about color and poverty do perturb many citizens. Social forces pull backwards and forwards, right or left, and social poems get caught in the pulling and the hauling. Sometimes the poet himself gets pulled and hauled—even hauled off to jail.”

4. Dr. Benjamin Carter

Dr. Benjamin Carter is a contemporary African-American doctor whose long list of achievements include being the first person to successfully separate Siamese twins in 1987. Dr. Carter was born in Detroit in the early 1950s, and was raised by a young single mother who, after noting his poor behavior and bad grades in school, assigned him her own homework assignments and encouraged him to participate more in school. Dr. Carter later went on to get degrees at Yale and the University of Michigan, where his dexterity as a neurosurgeon was first noticed. He became the first Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital at the young age of 32.  Dr. Carter’s success has inspired a new generation of health professionals, many of whom he and his wife Candy support through their Carson Scholars Foundation.

3. Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to be elected to U.S. Congress in 1968, is best described in her own words (and the title of her first book): “Unbought and Unbossed.” Chisholm served in the House of Representatives as a Democrat from New York, and she championed causes such as education, daycare, inner city youth and city works programs. She became the first African-American woman to run for President of the United States in 1972, which became a revolutionary year in the world of politics, not only for African-Americans, but for minority groups in general. She ran against Patsy Mink, an Asian-American Congresswoman from Hawaii, and together the two women represented a new movement in American government: that of empowered, educated, intelligent women fighting on behalf of their states and the greater American community as well. She published The Good Fight in 1973, and was later the subject of the PBS documentary Chisholm ’72—Unbought and Unbossed.

2. Angela Davis

Angela Davis grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1944—a time and location that set the stage for her future involvement in the civil rights movement. Davis grew up in the South, but later won an opportunity to attend high school in New England. During her college years at Brandeis University, she seized opportunities to study French, philosophy and politics in France, Germany, and Switzerland. She was studying in France during the 1963 church bombings in Alabama, hate crimes that affected not only her personal and political ties home, but also triggered her activism in civil rights groups. Her political leanings and involvement with the Black Panthers later affected her career as a professor and academic. She was listed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list in 1970 for an incident involving Judge Harold Haley, an accusation that was later lifted when there was not enough evidence to convict her of anything. Davis went on to become a prominent civil rights leader in California, working specifically within what she called the “prison-industrial complex.” She has lectured at UCLA, San Francisco State University, Bryn Mawr College, Stanford University, Syracuse University, and UC Santa Cruz.

1. Shani Davis

At 27 years old, Shani Davis has already flown around the world and the ice rink several times over. Just this past week, the Chicago native beat the world record for both the 1000 meter and 1500 meter speed skating events. Before Vancouver, Davis already had a gold and a silver medal from the Olympics in Italy in 2006. Although his focus is athletics, he has broken records not only in terms of his speed and technique, but also as the first African-American to place on the Olympic speed skating team in 2002. Davis represents many young African-American athletes of the twenty-first century, who aims not to be the first of his race to succeed in his chosen field, but simply to be the best, and leave it at that. He’s not done yet; the 2010 Olympics have just started!

There are African-Americans achieving great things in every field, just as there are people of every ethnicity, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation achieving just as much. That being said, February is a time to recognize leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Alice Walker, Richard Wright, and so, so many more, because it is crucial we remember their contributions to their fields, as well as to our country.  Who inspires you? Let us know!

The Web has a wealth of information about scholarships and once you are informed by the five useful resources below hopefully you will be able to use some of the informative wealth below to improve the bottom line of your student account. Award opportunities vary based on your country, state, and town. Awards can be offered based on very specific details and often times the are few applicants for an award so the odds of winning are very high. The best finders are usually the best hunters so if you use this blog post as the first step on your scholarship journey this will help you ensure your search will be a success! Many scholarships require that you write an essay, so we wrote one post about how to write a great scholarship essay and another post about tips for creating a great scholarship package.

1.StudentAwards.com

Student Awards is a great resource for students hunting for scholarships.

2. Earns Points to Win a Scholarship

Follow @winscholarships on Twitter and use ScholarshipPoints.com to have your name entered in a monthly draw for Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000!

Deadline: Ongoing.

3. The Open Society Institute Scholarships and Grants

Soros Justice Fellowships

The Soros Justice Fellowships support outstanding individuals including lawyers, advocates, grassroots organizers, activist academics, journalists, and filmmakers to implement innovative projects that address one or more of the Open Society Institute’s criminal justice reform priorities.

Deadline: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 (11:59 p.m. EST)

4. David A. Clarke School of Law Three-Year Full-Tuition Scholarships

Scholarship Information

The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL) will offer up to 20 three-year full-tuition Advocate for Justice Scholarships each year, beginning with members of the class entering in Fall 2008. The award of these scholarships will be based equally upon the Scholarship Selection Committee’s evaluation of applicants’ academic talent and their proven commitment as advocates for justice. Toward this end, the Committee will consider applicants’ undergraduate and graduate fields of study; grades; LSAT scores; publications; academic, personal and professional recommendations; as well as evidence of their professional experiences, community service and other pertinent information.

Due to UDC-DCSL’s emphasis on demonstrated commitment to working for justice, successful scholarship applicants may be more than a few years out of college, with “real world” experience. We strongly encourage second and third career applicants to apply. However, we also encourage applicants of all ages, including recent graduates who feel that their track record reveals a deep commitment to the social good.

5. Search Twitter for Recent #Scholarship Resources

Twitter is full of great scholarship resources.

Take this advice when you’re looking for scholarships on Twitter.

1. Search: Do a search on Twitter to find the most recent conversations about scholarships.
2. #scholarship: This hash tag will direct you to a wealth of tweets about scholarships.
3. Look for keywords: Search for keywords like deadline, www, application, and pdf.
4. Seek out links: Be sure to follow links from tweets about scholarships.
5. Look for scholarship deadlines: Search for scholarships with upcoming deadlines for fast money.
6. Look in your demographic and interests: Search for terms that include your demographics and interests.
7. Set up reminders: Subscribe to searches for specific scholarships so you’ll get reminders about deadlines and more.

10. Subscribe to useful searches: Use Google Reader to subscribe to searches that regularly produce results.
11. Network: Twitter is great for more than information gathering-you can network and connect with people who can help you land a scholarship.

As the curator of quotes for @EduifyQuotes on Twitter I have been scouring quotes websites across the internet in search of the very best literary quotes. As I have searched for the very best quotes I have encountered many quotes that are simply too provoking to tweet out without a warning first. You have heard this warning and decided to proceed.

I applaud your scandalous curiosity. Enjoy!

Anatole Broyard

“Sex almost always disappoints me in novels. Everything can be said or done now, and that’s what I often find: everything, a feeling of generality or dispersal. But in my experience, true sex is so particular, so peculiar to the person who yearns for it. Only he or she, and no one else, would desire so very much that very person under those circumstances. In fiction, I miss that sense of terrific specificity.”

Anthony Burgess

“Literature is all, or mostly, about sex.”

Robert Benchley

It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.

Bennett Cerf

Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman’s name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to a writer–and if so, why?

Joan Didion

Writers are always selling somebody out.

Colin Greenland

Plotting is like sex. Plotting is about desire and satisfaction, anticipation and release. You have to arouse your reader’s desire to know what happens, to unravel the mystery, to see good triumph. You have to sustain it, keep it warm, feed it, just a little bit, not too much at a time, as your story goes on. That’s called suspense. It can bring desire to a frenzy, in which case you are in a good position to bring off a wonderful climax.

Plotting isn’t like sex, because you can go back and adjust it afterwards. Whether you plan your story beforehand or not, if the climax turns out to be the revelation that the mad professor’s anti-gravity device actually works, you must go back and silently delete all those flying cars buzzing around the city on page one. If you want to reveal something, you need to hide it properly first.

Stephen Leigh

That’s the essential goal of the writer: you slice out a piece of yourself and slap it down on the desk in front of you. You try to put it on paper, try to describe it in a way that the reader can see and feel and touch. You paste all your nerve endings into it and then give it out to strangers who don’t know you or understand you. And you will feel everything that happens to that story — if they like it, if they hate it. Because no matter how you try to distance yourself from it, to some degree you feel that if they hate it, they hate you.

Which isn’t the truth, you understand. At least you understand that in your head…but not always in your heart.

George Orwell

All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.

Tom Wolfe

I think I am starving for publication: I love to get published; it maddens me not to get published. I feel at times like getting every publisher in the world by the scruff of the neck, forcing his jaws open, and cramming the Mss down his throat — ‘God-damn you, here it is – I will and must be published.’
You know what it means – you’re a writer and you understand it. It’s not just ‘the satisfaction of being published.’ Great God! It’s the satisfaction of getting it out, or having that, so far as you’re concerned, gone through with it! That good or ill, for better or for worse, it’s over, done with, finished, out of your life forever and that, come what may, you can at least, as far as this thing is concerned, get the merciful damned easement of oblivion and forgetfulness.

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Do you know of any other scandalous quotes? Which quote from the list above to you think was the most scandalous of all?

The Proclamation of National African American History Month during the month of February comes directly from the Office of the Press Secretary.

To quote the Press Secretary release:

This year’s theme, “The History of Black Economic Empowerment,” calls upon us to honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it.
 

Canada also recognizes Black History month during the month of february.

Below is a clip from Martin Luther King Jr’s powerful speech “I Have a Dream.”  Martin Luther King Jr is also quoted as saying: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

The US government has set up a website, africanamericanhistorymonth.gov, that you can check out to pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

A cool site that was set up by biography.com is the 101 Fast Facts about Black History page.  Here you can learn facts like Fact #22: L.P. Ray invented the dustpan in 1897, or Fact #41 Lewis Howard Latimer drafted patent drawings for Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, while working at a patent law firm.  There are many more examples of achievements of Black Americans throughout history.

The US Census has set up a page for African American History Month dedicated to the current and projected statistics of African Americans.  Two stats that are relevant to the Eduify community are the fact that there were 2.5 million black students in college in 2008, and among blacks 25 and older 1.4 million already have an advanced degree.

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History tracks the themes of Black history month from the inception of this memorable month, When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History week in 1926.

The White House even held a concert for Black History Month. Below is a video of that concert which featured an all-star line up of musicians including the Blind Boys of Alabama, Yolanda Adams, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson and others sang freedom songs in remembrance of the civil rights movement.

President Obama even joined in and sang during one of the songs. CBN has a page with full coverage of the event.

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How have you commemorated African American History Month? Share your thoughts about this month, and about the notable black Americans from recent history in the comments below.