Articles

Feb. 20, 2009 - A video from TuMultimedia and LISC/Chicago: Home foreclosures continue to damage Chicago neighborhoods at a rapid rate, but community members are coming together to put an end to this crisis.

Times are hard. Not every graduate has his or her dream job. What's a struggling young professional to do? When the going gets tough, the techies go networking.

If you have an interest in technology, as in being online, working online, creating a the next "killer app," or just networking to find collaborators to help you create the startup business you know will succeed, first check out the Chicago TECH cocktail site , and then their events. TECH cocktail is an umbrella social network site with lots of local sites, designed as  "A community for developers, designers, bloggers, technology enthusiasts & entrepreneurs interested in technology in local communities". As a student, going to events like those sponsored by TECH cocktail, will let you discover opportunities you hadn't heard or thought of. It is a way to meet people to find out about internships, "the next big thing," and to begin to establish your "brand" in the world beyond school. Lest it sound too serious, it is also a social event, where you can meet new friends F2F, instead of online.

See TECH cocktail COMMUNITY in action.

In April, they are sponsoring Startup Weekend , an intense 54 hour event aimed at bringing brilliant tech minds (developers, designers, marketers, etc.) together. The idea is to get people connected and working to create a company (or as many as the community wants) from concept to launch!

The idea of Startup Weekend is to combine fun and business, in a highly interactive weekend that encourages technology entrepreneurship. Over the weekend of April 3-5th, there will be Startup Weekend events in many other cities, pitting Chicago's best minds against the rest of the "technosphere."

To learn more about Startup Weekend Chicago please visit the website. http://chicago.startupweekend.com/ or to register, go to http://chicagostartupweekend.eventbrite.com/

ITA is the host for  Startup Weekend Chicago at their Tech Nexus space located at 200 South Wacker Drive - 15th Floor.

Feb. 19, 2009 - Americans are worrying themselves sick over their financial security in a declining economy. Doctors nationwide have reported increasing patient complaints of fatigue, irritability, sleeplessness and apathy, which are common symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to an October 2008 report by the American Psychological Association.

But just as the need for mental health services is reaching record highs, access to treatment for the insured and uninsured alike is shrinking, along with state and federal funding.

In March, four public mental health clinics on Chicago's South and Southwest Sides will close their doors due to state budget cuts, leaving only eight pubic clinics open in the city, said Tim Hadac, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health, which oversees the administration for the clinics.

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Feb. 18, 2009 - Solutions for the U.S. economy were at the forefront of the debate Monday at a Northside church, where candidates vying for Illinois' 5th Congressional District seat sounded off before a packed room of voters.

Early voting for the seat vacated by Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, began on Monday as candidates continued to seek support.

The 5^th Congressional District covers the north part of Chicago extending into the western suburbs.

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Feb. 17, 2009 - Chicago legal aid societies, providing services for some of the city’s poorest residents with non-criminal cases, are bracing themselves.

As a result of lowered federal interest rates, these organizations will see a sharp cut in funding, while requests for their services has, in some cases, doubled.

Legal aid societies have benefited from a program called Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Accounts, or IOLTA. Interest gained from short-term accounts, such as real estate transactions and retainers, are placed in this pooled-interest bearing trust account.

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Feb. 16, 2009 - A legislative effort to require CPS to develop a comprehensive facilities plan addresses a longstanding concern of advocates for neighborhood schools: without public oversight and accountability, they say, the district's decisions on building, repairing, closing and privatizing school facilities are arbitrary, opaque, and unfair.

State Representative Cynthia Soto -- whose bill would enact a one-year moratorium on closings and initiate an open facilities planning process for CPS -- said she's responding to the concerns of her constituents. The CPS proposal to shut two successful neighborhood schools in her district due to "underenrollment" reveals some of the contradictions in the district's facilities planning.

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Feb. 13, 2009 -

Feb. 12, 2009 - Don't intend to send love, and end up sending a world of computer trouble this Valentine's Day, warns the Better Business Bureau of Chicago. New-fangled ... showings of love can instead cause grief this Valentine's Day, so consumers are urged to use caution when opening electronic cards or sending flowers.

People are expected to send millions of electronic Valentine's Day cards this year. If you unexpectedly receive an electronic greeting card (e-card), be careful. Instead of carrying words of love, it might contain the Storm Worm computer virus.

"Unexpected emails are often the culprits that spread computer viruses," said Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois.  "Suspicious emails often direct the recipient to click on a link to retrieve an e-card. Once the user clicks on the link, a virus is downloaded to the computer or mobile device and it becomes infected."

Feb. 11, 2009 - College students from low-income households stand to benefit most from the educational provisions in the economic stimulus package, but paying for college will remain a daunting task for many Illinois families.

The House of Representatives' version of the economic stimulus package designates $15.64 billion for Pell Grants, with an additional $1.47 billion in "recovery funding" for the need-based scholarships, for the next two school years starting this fall.

The Senate version calls for less money, but students who qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award would likely see a $400 to $500 increase in the size of their annual grants in the compromise legislation that could be worked out yet this week.

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Feb. 10, 2009 - Gloria Campos and her three-month-old son were the only members of her family to board the last Red Cross plane out of Nicaragua during the revolutionary war in July 1979.

Campos, then 21, was the daughter of a high-ranking government official, who also owned a cotton farm and electricity generators. Since her father worked for President Anastasio Somoza, there was a target on his back.

"All the guerrillas (Sandinistas) the people that were in the mountains were coming into the city of Managua. And of course they were happy because they were celebrating. I think that that was the only time in my life that I have learned and felt defeat. It was not pleasant," said Campos, now 51, who now lives in Murphysboro in southern Illinois.

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Feb. 10, 2009 - This is an update of our previous story, New Smart Card Program Aims to Reduce Dependence on Cars, Save Commuters Cash 

CTA and I-GO Car Sharing have collaborated to create the new Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card, which can be used to access CTA buses and trains, Pace buses and I-GO’s fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles. I-GO maintains about 200 vehicles in more than 30 Chicago neighborhoods. Many I-GO cars are located next to CTA train stations and near train and bus routes. The CCP/I-GO Card makes it easier to transition from one mode of transportation to the other — and expands your public transit options. The CCP/I-GO Card is available to new applicants who currently do not have an I-GO Car Sharing membership. Existing Chicago Card Plus account holders can obtain a CCP/I-GO Card by first establishing a new I-GO membership account. For more information about the CCP/I-GO Card, call I-GO Member Services at 773-278-4446.

http://www.igocars.org/chicago_card_plus

Feb. 9, 2009 -

Coach House from meryl. on Vimeo.