Top Five Things To Look for In An Online Algebra Tutor

Top Five Things To Look for In An Online Algebra Tutor Maths is always a matter of concern for maximum parents. Students generally develop a phobia for the numbers and it becomes more traumatic for students when alphabets are added onto them in the middle school. Get help of online algebra tutor to overcome this fear. There are very less number of pupils who actually enjoy this section of maths. Even if the students have a lending hand for homework, maths often becomes a problem for them. This is because; this particular subject needs some definite logic behind making it understandable. It would be beneficial for the student if he/she gets a good guidance from a professional. These numbers with alphabets often become nightmare for students. Therefore, the parent must appoint a perfect professional in this field to make it beneficiary for the student. However, the parents must keep in mind before appointing them for their kids. How To Sort And Solve Elapsed Time Story Problems http://t.co/j3zGC5Q6m8 #algebra #backtoschool #homeschool pic.twitter.com/dzdb9M73Rl â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) August 4, 2015 Why parents should opt for online algebra tutor? In this rush of knowing everything, students are also over-scheduled with their tasks. Regular classes in school with extracurricular activities, any child does not really have a quality time to study. But, unfortunately one has to run to be successful in the near future. An online algebra homework help can be very beneficial for students in mid school. There are certain aspects that need to be kept in mind before appointing an online tutor. The First Ladder To Success In #Algebra Is Right Tutor http://t.co/WHQqrujiah #backtoschool pic.twitter.com/RyHhluTBVn â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) September 2, 2015 Five such important points are: The teacher should have a background on maths or science and not any other arts major. You also need to find out whether the teacher has any definite experience or not on being a  online algebra tutor. All the more, it should be noted whether the teacher has fine techniques of teaching. However, many teachers holding big degrees in maths and having done specialization on algebra may not be of great help to the students. Whereas, somebody who knows the basics of algebra can make a student absolutely phobia less in this subject for the rest of their lives. The teacher should also be flexible in changing their techniques while teaching. These online tutors are also handy for the college students who are doing a specialization paper on algebra. They may appoint a good professional for algebra assignment help. They can be guided for their assignments, dissertation papers and for seminars through these online tutors. The next point is to note whether the teacher has right access to online teaching. The tutor should have advanced software to be accessible to students. Will they be able to conduct online tests? Will they be accessible when the student needs help with his/her homeworks? Or whether they can provide your child with proper chat room that may help in the learning process etc.? There should also be safety assurance from the tutor to the child. Parents should be properly acquainted with the background of the teacher before the teacher comes in contact with the child. There are also rules where the parents can undergo solid character check before appointing them for the students. The fees that becomes the major issue in these online courses, needs to be handled carefully. There are many such fraud cases that gets reported with the names of online teaching. Therefore, the students , if matured enough and understands the online payment procedures should handle it very carefully only after getting proper authentication. If they are unable to understand that, they may take the help of their parents to ensure a secured payment.

Ask an Admissions Expert Ralph Becker

Ask an Admissions Expert Ralph Becker Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Ralph Becker received his Bachelors degree from Yale Universityand his MBA from UCLAs Anderson School of Management. He served as an alumni interviewer on the Yale admissions board and eventually founded Ivy College Prep, a college counseling and preparation service. For many years, Ralph has helped a number of students gain acceptance into top schools such as Brown University, Rice University, Northwestern University, and more. VT: How far ahead of time should a student begin working on his or her college application? Ralph: I like to get students working on the first draft 6-8 weeks before the due date. Often its useful to take a first shot at an essay, and just let it sit for 5-7 days. Starting early allows for such a luxury of time. VT: What are the best ways to go about selecting a terrific essay topic? Ralph: Certainly there are topics best avoided: death of a pet or the big tour of Outer Mongolia are twobut, for the most part, write about what interests you; dont worry about what might, or might not, interest the reader. Trust that your enthusiasm will be reflected on the page. Know your topic thoroughly. If it has to do with cars, know the transmission, alternator, and manifold. VT: Are there any essay topics you get tired of seeing or would warn students to stay away from? Ralph: Ive read dozens of essays about the big game, vying for first seat in the Wind Ensemble, and the difficulties of acculturating into the US from China. You can only imagine what a reader for UCLA (who received over 90,000 applications last year) could say. No matter, if it truly evokes a meaningful emotion in you, and you can get it down on paper, write it up and see what youve got. VT:What is the biggest mistake a student can make on a college application? Ralph: Thinking that he/she can bluff his/her way through the question, What about Northwestern makes you want to apply. Know the school youre applying to well. Realize the admissions people will recognize when you havent done your homework. VT: What is the typical process an admissions officer goes through to evaluate applications? Ralph: Once your application reaches admissions, it goes to your first read. The first read is, oftentimesespecially for Ivy League schools, the colleges regional representative for your high school. Consequently, if a college that youre interested in visits your high school, go to the meeting and introduce yourself to the representative; he or she can greatly influence the success of your application. First reads will give your application a thoughtful review: usually spending between 15-35 minutes with it. Moreover, the first read creates your electronic data sheet, which includes your hard data and basic information. (So if the school super-scores your SAT, the first reader will usually assemble your highest scores from each section of the test.) Interestingly, after the score and GPA are factored out by the first read, its rare the original test scores or transcript will be accessed. The rest of the data is then assembled: race or ethnicity, special status, extracurricularThe fir st read then determines whether your application is admitted or denied, or warranting further discussion. Your application will then workflow to a second reader. If both readers concur on denial or acceptance, then its likely your application will go to the dean of admissions for final authorization. If the two are in disagreement, or your application is somewhere in the gray zonethe purgatory between acceptance and rejection-- then it goes to committee for consideration.VT: What do you think is the single most important thing a student should make sure they present in the best possible way on their application? Ralph: Assuming the application contains essays, within the scope of these essays, the applicant should put forth an image of a knowledgeable, eager, interested candidate who has a decent sense of humor and would be a pleasure to have on campus. If that comes across clearly to the admissions office, the essays have done as good a job as they ever will. VT: How should students go about determining the culture of a university, and whether they would be a good fit? Ralph: Students need to ask themselves some questions: What type of educational methods work best for them? What kind of academic atmosphere best fits their learning style? What college environment do they prefer? Where do they want to live for four years? What kind of social environment is preferred? This list isn't exhaustive, but it's a good place to start. Visiting a campus, sleeping over in a dorm and eating in the cafeteria help a student gain a sense of the school. Trust your gut. VT: Early-action, early-decision, binding/non-binding, regular decisions...With so many choices when applying, what do you recommend to students? Ralph: Applying ED limits your access to financial aid, commits you to a place that you might not like, and surrenders your ability to search and consider many other fine institutions during the admissions process. Under early action (EA), the admitted applicant is free to apply to any other school and has until May 1st to make a final decision. Then there is early action single choice, in which you can only apply early to one school (e.g. Yale), but all the benefits of EA remain. There is also regular, rolling, and open, but, the key issue for most students is to have options. Stick with EA and, unless youre absolutely in love with the college, avoid ED like the flu. VT: How important are grades and standardized test scores when admissions decisions are being made? Ralph: The higher a students grades and test scores, the more options that student will have. The higher both, the more selective schools one might be admitted to, the better the financial package offered, and the better access to a schools honors program. Options make a students life more interesting. VT: What tips do you have for students asking their teachers for letters of recommendation? Ralph: Be very selective about which teachers write your recommendations. Preferably, you can find a teacher from a class in which you participated actively, enjoyed, and, as a consequence, did well. If in the class, you wrote a strong paper, or performed admirably on a test, all the better... Additionally, the teacher should be someone with whom you have a solid rapport. Of utmost importance, make certain that she can write well. It doesnt matter how much a teacher might admire your academic gifts, if she cant express herself well on paper its not going to benefit you. To raise the bar a bit more, its important that the recommender be experienced, preferably with five or more years of classroom experiencemeaning she should already know how to write a decent recommendation and know their import--, and from a class you took in your junior or senior years. Check out Ivy College Prep to learn more about Ralph and the services his company offers.The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

What To Ask During A Phone Interview - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / What To Ask During A Phone Interview - Introvert Whisperer What To Ask During A Phone Interview In order to know what questions to ask in the phone interview, you have to first understand what the purpose of the phone interview is for the hiring business.   Essentially, they have an opening, numerous resumes and they have now identified those resumes that appear to be best qualified for the position.   In order to better understand the candidates and to potentially eliminate any that don’t meet some top level criteria, they use the phone to streamline the process. Usually, the phone interview is to further reduce the pool of potential candidates so it can be a fairly short call with the hiring manager or recruiter asking only a few key questions.   In this bad economy, many hiring managers also use the phone interview as a partial interview in order to save money in flying candidates to the company to interview, if they will fly them in at all.  Usually, the initial call is a screening interview and should they want to do a second call it will be less of a screen than a partial interview.  It’s important to understand the reason for the phone interview in the first place in order for you to be prepared and to set your expectations appropriately.  Some people get off the phone of a phone screen and feel like they were just part of a hit run it went so fast.   As a candidate in the phone screen interview, you want to ensure you know and understand the following basics: Which opening they are referring to â€" you may have applied for several What is the company â€" you may have applied to a “blind” opening or they may be recruiting you making it vital for you to know exactly what company this position is for You may not need to ask those questions if the person you are speaking has freely offered this up to you.   You do want to schedule the phone interview to allow you enough time to prepare when first contacted, even if it is later that same day.  The person calling may really want to push to speak to you then, since they have you on the phone â€" so do your best.   Keep in mind that in a phone interview, they are very likely to be more oriented toward screening you out and may not allow you much time to freely ask questions or sell yourself.  In a typical in-person interview the dialogue is expected to be a bit more evenly split so you can ask them several questions at that time.    If you can inject some key questions you should consider these as your highest priority: What are the important or key elements of this position and what they are looking for in this position â€" This is a good question because it will help you focus your responses on the most important aspects of your skills as it relates to this position.  While you may not be able to fully share that information during a phone interview, you do want to make note of it for the full interview. What created this opening â€" It’s good to understand if a position has been newly formed or if it existed previously.  Positions that are new tend to be somewhat unformed and they may rely on someone who has a history of developing new processes rather than adapting to existing. If you don’t do well with ambiguity of a newly formed position, you may want to ask about their expectations for setting things up and consider pulling yourself out of the running if you’re concerned.  This may also give you an indication of departmental issues if there have been multiple turnovers.   In terms of closing or ending the phone interview you should: Ask about any hesitation or concerns they may have with your qualifications so you can quickly address them before the end of the call Ask about next steps and timing Between those questions and the ones, they need to ask you probably have filled the allocated time.   You always want to be prepared to treat a phone interview the same way you would treat an in-person interview.   Be prepared; be organized and familiar with your resume and the position.   I’d like to share with you more vital Leadership insights and skills on how to plan both Change and Transition no matter what level you are â€" along with all the skills to make you an inspiring Leader.  The new, live interactive program is: “Lead Like You Mean It” Leadership Development Program Click here for more details: https://introvertwhisperer.leadpages.co/leadlikeyoumeanitpilot/ From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran Let me emphasize that Self-Promotion doesn’t have to be obnoxious to be effective.  But, if you don’t Self-Promote you, who will? If you ever want to get ahead, you have to learn how to Self-Promote. I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my video that shows you simple, yet effective ways to Self-Promote. Start watching now by clicking here! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

The University of Michigan College Experience

The University of Michigan College Experience The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Fun received his bachelors degree in engineering and his masters degree in accounting at the University of Michigan. He is currently a tutor in New York City specializing in accounting, finance, and economics, among other subjects. See what he had to say about his experience at the University of Michigan: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. How urban or rural is the campus? Did you feel safe on campus? Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Fun: The University of Michigan campus is very safe. It is located in a suburban setting in the beautiful small town of Ann Arbor, located roughly 45 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport. The Ann Arbor and campus bus systems cover all of your transportation needs from commuting between North and South campus, and trips to the mall or grocery store. You do not need a car on this campus. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Fun:The professors are busy, but the teaching assistants will provide time during office hours and post-class time. It is wise to use the study sessions prior to exams. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Fun:The University of Michigan requires that freshmen live in the dorms during their first year, which is a remarkable experience, in my opinion. To be so close to such a diverse background of intelligent, social, energetic kids is an amazing experience. I still keep in touch with the network built during that first year at the dorms. The rooms were small and fit only two beds and two desks. There was a common bathroom area for all of the males on the floor. You can also meet other students in the cafeterias, gyms, and communal study areas of the various dorms. There are tons of restaurants in Ann Arbor with many types of ethnic cuisine such as Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mongolian, Middle Eastern, and Ethiopian. There are also tons of coffee shops. 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? Fun:I studied engineering and business, so my experience surrounds the accounting, finance, and industrial engineering departments. The University of Michigan has top-notch computer labs and research facilities. The university gave me a very strong academic foundation and work ethic that I still take with me. Because it is such a big school, one has to be a self-starter and find the right people to help you along the way. 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? Fun:The school is huge and the student body is even larger. I strongly suggest joining as many organizations and student groups to network and meet people. The school has a large out-of-state population, and Greek life is huge on campus. Football also carries a lot of weight, so go out, watch some games, and make friends. You can also make friends in specializedstudent groups and academic societies. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Fun:From my perspective as a business student, the Career Center provided me with the tools to connect with employers and helped me develop a resume. Many large companies such as Ernst and Young, Deloitte, and PriceWaterhouse recruit at the University of Michigan. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Fun:The Media Union on North campus was my favorite place to study, with its high ceilings, top-notch computers, and accessible printers. The Shapiro Undergraduate Library on central campus is where many students go for more casual studying. The graduate and law libraries have very quiet study areas. It gets busy during exam time, so some students study in the student union for a more bustling scene. 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? Fun:College sports are huge at the University of Michigan. We usually have the largest football attendance in the country, with over 100k capacity. Basketball and hockey games are also fun to attend. The campus and downtown are very close to each other, so students go to both on weekends. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Fun:It is a large student body at roughly 50,000 students. The introductory classes at the University of Michigan are large, mostly set up in large lecture halls with more than 400 students. When you are specialized in your program, you are in a typical class size of around 30 students. I enjoy the small group size. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Fun:My most memorable class experience was a group trip to the hospital to examine their patient data and analyze trends using statistical tools. It was real-world experience that gave the class life. Check out Funs tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Ordering Breakfast in English - Listening Exercise

Ordering Breakfast in English - Listening Exercise The video for this English listening exercise is from one of my favorite movies and this scene is a great example of ordering food at a diner style restaurant in the United States. A diner is like a mix between fast food and a café. Usually at diners you order your meal by a number, but you have a waiter come to your table to take your order. This specific exercise has some good terms you might hear at a restaurant.Watch the video clip and answer the questions below:Listening Exercise. Answer the questions in comments and well respond.1. How much are they allowed to spend?2. Im going to have the ______  _____ with ______.3. Number 7 ____  ____ with grapefruit juice.4. I would like a fruit plate. Do you have chamomile? with ______, please.5. I would like the lumberjack and _____ and extra _____.6.  What does Olive order with her waffles?7.  Olive, Richard is an idiot. I like a woman with ____ on her _____.8. What does the above idiomatic expression mean?9. Does anyone want my ice -cream?Writing Exercise:  In the video you see there is some worry over Olive, the little girl, ordering ice-cream. In your country do parents regulate their childrens diets? Do you have unhealthy options at restaurants, like ice-cream for breakfast? What is the best way to keep your children healthy? How do you explain that ice-cream and candy are not good for them? Is obesity a problem in your country? Muhsin Kassem hi very useful clip and they talking in usually words which used to dealing with other. but should be giving answer in order to check my understanding for learning. thanks so much LOIEnglish If you answer the listening here, in comments, I will correct them. Carlos How much are they allowed to spend? 4 dollars2. I’m going to have the number five with coffee.3. Number 7 ____ ____ with grapefruit juice.4. I would like a fruit plate. Do you have chamomile? With honey, please.5. I would like the lumberjack and coffee and extra bacon.6. What does Olive order with he r waffles? Ice cream7. Olive, Richard is an idiot. I like a woman with meat on her bones.8. What does the above idiomatic expression mean? That he likes the fat girls9. Does anyone want my ice-cream? LOIEnglish Carlos, good work! Question #3: over easy (This is how the egg is cooked. In the United States, you can have your egg, sunny side up, over easy, over medium, over hard, or scrambled.) I look for pictures of the different styles to share with our students.Question #8: meat on her bones doesnt necessarily mean fat, maybe curvy is a little closer. Silvia Deplano 1)4 dollars 2. I’m going to have the number 5 with ______.3. Number 7 of rice with grapefruit juice.4. I would like a fruit plate. Do you have chamomile? with honey, please.5. I would like the lumberjack and caffe and extra bacon .6. What does Olive order with her waffles? An ice cream7. Olive, Richard is an idiot. I like a woman with on her bounds.8. What does the above idiomatic expression mean? Skinny9. Does anyone want my ice-cream? The video stopsno answer LOIEnglish SilviaGood.Question 2: with coffee Question 3: over easy, see the explanation I give to Carlos.Question 7: meat on her bones Question 8: actually this expression means, not skinny, maybe not fat like Carlos said but perhaps curvy is the correct word.Good listening Silvia, I think you are improving, keep it up! LOIEnglish Thanks MonicaSometimes we have listening exercises with the dialogue. It is good to practice both. Most of the tests: CAE, TOEFL, First Certificate do not include the dialogue with their listening exercises. Ilka 1. How much are they allowed to spend?Four dollars.2. I’m going to have the number five with cofee.3. Number 7 ____ ____ with grapefruit juice.4. I would like a fruit plate. Do you have chamomile? with honey, please.5. I would like the lumberjack and cofee and extra _____.6. What does Olive order with her waffles?Ice cream7. Olive, Richard is an idiot. I like a woman with ____ on her _____. 8. What does the above idiomatic expression mean?A woman that is not so thin and not fat.9. Does anyone want my ice-cream?It doesnt show. LOIEnglish Ilka, #3: over easy (it is a style in which eggs are cooked) #5: extra bacon 7: meat on her bones 8. curvy, not skinny Rafa 1. How much are they allowed to spend? 4 dollars2. I’m going to have the number fiver with coffee, please.3. Number 7 ____ ____ with grapefruit juice.4. I would like a fruit plate. Do you have chamomile? with honey, please.5. I would like the lumberjack and coffe and extra bacon.6. What does Olive order with her waffles? Ice-cream7. Olive, Richard is an idiot. I like a woman with meat on her bones.8. What does the above idiomatic expression mean? A little fat person9. Does anyone want my ice-cream? Yes the little girl LOIEnglish Rafa,Good listening! Question #3 is over easy. It is a way of preparing fried eggs. A little meat on her bones means not a little fat person but a person that has a little bit of f at on them. So it doesnt mean a fat person it means not skinny Wellington 1. How much are they allowed to spend? They were allowed to spend 4 dollars. 2. I’m going to have the numbre 5 with coffee, please,4. I would like a fruit plate. Do you have chamomile? with honey, please.5. I would like the lumberjack and coffee and extra bacon.6. What does Olive order with her waffles? She ordered an icecream with her waffles7. Olive, Richard is an idiot. I like a woman with meat on her bones LOIEnglish Good work. Wellington In my country which is Dom. Rep. parents do not regulate their childrens diets. There are some sorts of restaurants that have much less care as to how they do things. I do not like ice-cream for breakfast. The best mothod for keeping our children healthy is giving them the things that are good for health. For explainig to the children that ice-creams are not good for them I would say: that if they eat too much ice-cream they would grow up fat and ugly and the woul d be the laughing stock of everybody. In my country I think we have the average amount of obese poeple, therefore it is not considered as a struggle. LOIEnglish Wellington be sure to use your commas: In my country, which is Dom. Rep.,There are some restaurants that care less how they do things. In my country I think we have AN average amount of obese people therefore it is not considered AN ISSUE. Thanks Wellington for the response. It is interesting, in the Dominican Republic is there a problem with body issues for women? Are women constantly trying to lose weight and do you have problems with anorexia or bulimia?

Chaos at the Istanbul Pride March

Chaos at the Istanbul Pride March Image via Philip Host My flatmate’s voice sounded worried as he prepared to leave for the Istanbul LGBT Pride Parade. It was a little after two and the parade would not begin until five, but he told me that he was leaving early; the police had deployed armored water-cannon vehicles known as TOMA around Taksim square, where the parade was supposed to begin. Preparations for Pride Week had kept him extremely busy in the preceding days and today he had an air of resolve, or perhaps resignation to whatever the coming hours might bring. As he walked out the door I half-jokingly reassured him that there would be a lot more of us than them and he responded with something between a smile and a grimace. I arrived at Taksim Square a little before five o’clock. The atmosphere was jovial, but confused. Police had formed a barrier across Istiklal Caddesi, a huge pedestrian street down which the parade was supposed to proceed. As I pondered the situation a nasty itch grew in my lungs and I began to cough. Soon I noticed that the people around me were coughing too. I realized that the burning was tear gas and as I saw the panic in the eyes of nearby protesters a proportional fear began to swell in me. We surged away from its source and it quickly dissipated, leaving us to wonder why they had deployed so little gas so early. Later I would be thankful for that small introductory dose. The parade started off at 5:00 p.m. as scheduled, but instead of heading down Istiklal it wound its way through the smaller streets of the surrounding neighborhood. I did not know at the time that the parade had been banned only minutes earlier by the Istanbul governors office, but it was clear from the start that the parade would not end without incident. Police separated the parade into segments, shouting at some protesters to move back and driving others forwards. This did nothing to quell the noise or excitement. At many points the parade’s progress stalled, but its energy continued to boil. Colorful signsâ€"mostly in Turkish but frequently in Kurdish, Arabic, or Armenianâ€"and rainbow banners waved and billowed, or were thrust into the air and held steadily and proudly; the streets were packed and the chants, cheers, and whistles could be deafening. Shopkeepers stood in their doorways and the windows up above were speckled with onlookers. My standards may be low, but their lack of visible disgust was frankly moving; here, together, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual people could walk down the street and, as the name implies, feel a rare sense of pride and belonging, even approval from the people around them. We marched on for some time; the police mostly looked on as gay and lesbian couples kissed atop cars that drove along with the parade and rainbow flags were launched into trees. Then, as we mounted one of Istanbul’s many hills, a panicked mass of protesters came rushing back to meet us. There was a long moment of confusionthe necessity to act coupled with an electrifying sense of anticipationand then thick white gas was billowing ahead and behind, and people were knocking one another out of the way as they tried to scatter into one of the many side-alleys. My eyes burned and ran and I hopelessly tried to cough out the fiery gas; I was grateful when a door opened and allowed us to stream in. I found myself in bar newly packed with coughing and gasping protesters. I made my way upstairs and realized that I was lucky to have been on the fringe of the gas; one girl, who may have had asthma, was holding a wet cloth to her throat and struggling to breathe. But the coughs changed to bursts of coughing laughter, grins, and sudden camaraderie. Somebody switched on the news; we cheered as we watched an opposition parliament member mount a TOMA in protest to the crackdown, and we collectively drew a sharp breath when a water cannon blasted one protester off of his feet. The bar did great business that day and despite a good deal of head-shaking a wild, almost manic elation filled the room. One of my professors later described it as “the thrill of overcoming your initial fear” and to that I can only add a certain fatalistic elation in knowing that the police brutality only further validated the LGBT cause. When it comes to politics in Turkey, everyone is a conspiracy theorist to some degree and as we sat in that bar we began to discuss all the possible motives for banning and then attacking the parade. The official reason for the ban was that it took place during the holy month of Ramadan. But due to close ties between the police and Turkey’s leading party, the conservative Justice and Development Party (acronym AKP), many suspected that the latter group played a large role in the crackdown. (Paranoia is justified surprisingly often in Turkish politics, and connections between parties and sections of government are not altogether uncommon; the Turkish military, for example, is widely known to be secularist and much more closely aligned with Turkey’s main opposition party, the CHP, to the point where there is perennial discussion as to what level of AKP overreach might provoke a military coup.) Indeed, the pride parade did not consist solely of LGBT people, or even LGBT supportersâ€"many were there simply to protest the AKP; one Kurdish man confided to me that he did not particularly care for LGBT people but that as long as they supported Kurds, he would support them. No doubt the AKP had a vested interest in dispersing this coalition of its enemies. But later many people, including a professor of mine, ascribed a cleverer motive to the party. A recent election substantially reduced the AKP’s power and made a coalition government necessary. Coalitions are notoriously unstable, and many opponents of the AKP suspect that the AKP are deliberately fueling chaos in order to sell the benefits of a strong, central leadershipâ€"naturally led by the AKP themselves. Of course few if any protesters would deny that simple homophobia played a large role. Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but it is taboo. Nevertheless, pride parades have been occurring annually, without incident, since 2003. Back in the bar, a woman at the door gave us an all-clear and I left with two Kurdish students whom I had been chatting with for some time. The street was littered with abandoned signs and banners. I picked up a rainbow flag which was almost immediately confiscated by a group of officers. But when we got to Istiklal it was clear that the parade had only been fragmented, not stopped altogether; bands of rainbow-clad protesters cheered and whistled their way up and down the street, drawing cheersâ€"and occasional detractionâ€"from lookers-on. The parade gradually transformed into a number of street parties, all of which were eventually dispersed by gas or water cannon. Then the partiers would regroup; they would dance, cheer and sing till gas set them to panicked flight. I went home late and was still giddy and excited as I began to draw up this article. My flatmate came home much later and I happily asked him how he had enjoyed the parade. One look at his face brought me back down to earth. Where I had seen defiance, camaraderie, and reckless, laughing abandon in the name of human rights he had seen oppression and degradation, an attempt to drive LGBT people into the shadows, a societal disgust that the LGBT community should have the audacity to assert their existence. He did not go to work the next day. Instead, he went with friends to help them file claims for physical and psychological injuries inflicted by police attacks.

ICEAT

ICEAT ICEAT Our Vision: We build education and training programs that cater to the changing needs of individual learners.Our Story: We started our company in 2009. The reason was simple. We saw a need for strong and stable foundation programs in Saudi Arabia which could ensure quality education for future generations. We never set out to transform our industry but through the years we have raised the standards in terms of teacher recruitment, project management and by ensuring professional services to our clients and employees.Guided by humility, compassionand a strong desire to excel, we have grown our company thoughtfully. We are thankful to our clients and employees for their constant trust and support. We’re growing. With distinguished clients, strong partners, and incredible employees, ICEAT is setting the benchmark for all aspects of education management.While many things have changed since 2009, the principles on which we were founded have stayed the same: we partner with organizations in education and training to help them unleash the full potential of their human capital.