Top 10 Free Things To Do In Chicago

Submitted by: Andrea Ivey

Chicago, which is the third densely populated city in the USA, has something for all, from top-notch shopping, fine art galleries, structural designs, depositories and theatre to unique neighborhoods rich in exclusive cultural heritage. Despite the truth that Chicago is an expensive city, there are still a number of free things to do in Chicago. This article throws light on some of the free Chicago attractions, which are listed below.

Art Institute of Chicago

Visit the renowned art institute of Chicago without paying any admission charge on Thursdays. From camera work to structural design to textiles, this depositary offers an everlasting collection, which comprises magnificent works by great artists including Ellsworth Kelly, Eva Hesse and David Hockney.

Garfield Park Conservatory

One of the free Chicago attractions is the Garfield Park Conservatory which comprises eight internal display houses in addition to a number of outdoor gardens. Besides the stunning gardens, the Conservatory also provides free family events, demos, classes, and unique exhibitions. You don t need to pay any admission or parking charges.

Hyde Park Art Cente

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Hyde Park Art Center houses five big art galleries in addition to several artist studios, classrooms, a huge library, and facilities for reception parties plus meetings. This art center requires no entrance charge.

Millennium Park

Millennium Park comprises of sculpture, euphony, structural design, and landscape design. The park features the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the synergistic Crown Fountain, and a well-known sculpture devised by great British artiste Anish Kapoor. The park arranges free programs like Music Without Borders and Home Cooked Jazz all through the year.

Chicago Cultural Cente

Each year, the Chicago Cultural Center hosts an assortment of free programs as well as events. Check out some of Chicago’s flourishing musical groups free of charge through the Myra Hess concert series or be a part of the center’s free literary programs.

Oak Street Beach

Among cheap vacation spots in Chicago, we have Oak Street Beach. This is the most renowned beach in Chicago and accordingly is the most jam-packed. Still, this lively beach is a great place to hang out. It is situated on North Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, on the coast of Lake Michigan.

Jane Addams Hull House

This house is one of the unique settlement houses in the United States. At the museum you can enjoy pictures, creative pieces of furniture and an assortment of artistic items from the settlements time period.

Chicago Greeter Program

Among free activities in Chicago, this program helps visitors to watch the city through the eyes of passionate, city-familiar residents known as Chicago Greeters. Find out the assorted neighborhoods of Chicago, see the lakefront and city parks and enjoy top-notch and remote cultural facilities – all with a free guide!

Some of the other free Chicago attractions include Brookfield Zoo, Theatre District, American Girl Place, Field Museum of Natural History, fabulous Chicago jazz venues, Chicago Children s Museum and many more!

Did you know that there are thousands of FREE things to do, right in your own backyard? Shoestring Spots is packed with fun, fabulous activities in cities nearby and across the U.S. so you can plan a night out, daytrip, weekend escape or even the week-long trip you ve been dreaming of. Best of all, Shoestring Spots has something for everyone from walking tours and window shopping to arts and architecture.

About the Author: Andrea Ivey is a contributor on

Shoestringspots.com

, a website listing all free tourist spots, free things to do and see in your favorite cities in the US. Please visit

shoestringspots.com

and browse through hundreds of free attractions in US cities.

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Find Wide Range Of Custom Bracelets At Affordable Pricing

Submitted by: Atri Watson

If you want to impress your clients and market your brand then you can do so by investing in custom rubber bracelets. The wrist bands with messages and funky designs are quite popular with everyone and are now used as promotional gifts. They are affordable and are popular with everyone and this helps in making them perfect for being used for marketing purpose.

There are a variety of wristbands available these days. You can choose the color, designs and the material and then order for your custom awareness bracelets. It is best to buy good quality bands for promoting your brand as they help in creating a good brand impression. Instead of buying rubber custom bracelets, it is better to buy silicone ones as they are of higher quality..

In order to get a wider variety of custom awareness bracelets, you can contact companies like wristbandwarehouse.com. They help you to order and buy your bands through the site itself and you dont have to worry about going anywhere. It is time saving way to order your customized bands that can promote your company easily.

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Some of the other popular design in bracelets includes glitter bands, glow in the dark bands and other features. The message can be embossed, debossed, silk screened or can be printed on the bracelet as per your requirement. You can get bands in single colors or in multiple colors as well.

Various companies have now started using the bracelets and get them personalized as per their own requirement. Many of them use it as custom awareness bracelets wherein the band carries a social message on one side and has the company s logo on the other side. The custom bracelets are then distributed at different events like promotional events, trade fairs and at other such places. It gives people the chance to know more about the company and helps in creating brand awareness.

When you gift the wristbands to your potential customers then it works as a marketing tool as well. Whenever they would wear the custom bracelets, it would remind them of your brand and is thus effective. So it is best not to compromise on the quality of the band and instead buy them through wholesalers. This would help you to get the bands at a good price without compromising on the quality.

Some of the companies that deal with wholesale custom rubber bracelets also provide the clients with free designing facility. With this service you can get you personalized bracelets designed in different ways and impress your clients. Other services like free shipping etc. are also offered by some of the companies and can help you to cut down on the expenses.

The custom rubber bracelets are popularly used by different companies for promoting their own brand. The bands are now available in a range of different designs and colors. This allows the buyers to select the design that appeals to them. The bands are affordable and are impressive as well. This makes them all the popular and this is why they are popularly used as promotional gifts.

About the Author: I webmaster of wristbands which specializes in Custom Bracelets and Custom Rubber Bracelets . For more information about Custom Bracelets please visit at:

wristbandwarehouse.com

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2010 Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure becomes world’s largest Komen race

Saturday, June 12, 2010 

The 2010 Susan G. Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure, held earlier today in St. Louis, Missouri, became the world’s largest Race for the Cure, with over 71,000 participants.

2010 marks the twelfth year for the race in St. Louis, which raises money for breast cancer research nationwide. Originally brought to the city in 1999, it has raised over US$19 million. It was sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors, a locally-headquartered brokerage firm of the financial services provider Wells Fargo. Nationally, the Race for the Cure is hosted by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a non-profit organization supporting breast cancer research.

In 1999, there were only about 10,000 participants in the St. Louis Race for the Cure. In recent years, the number has grown to over 60,000, and today’s 5K race saw over 71,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers. Despite the heat and humidity, 1,090 teams signed up, and over 4,500 breast cancer survivors participated. Overall, the race raised more than US$3.3 million. A phone bank set up by Wells Fargo and local television station KSDK contributed over US$28,000 of that amount in four hours.

Prior to the race, there was a parade of all the breast cancer survivors who had signed up for the race. The actual competition began at 8:30 a.m. CDT (1330 UTC) with the wheelchair race. Following them were the timed runners, the untimed runners, the walkers, and lastly, the “fun walk” participants, who had only opted to walk one mile (1.6 kilometres).

The Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure is only one of many Races for the Cure, which is the largest group of 5K runs and walks in the world. The first Komen race was held in 1983 in Dallas, Texas, but has since spread to over 140 cities throughout the world. Proceeds from today’s St. Louis race will benefit both local institutions and the rest of the United States. At least 25 percent of the money raised will go toward funding national research on breast cancer, while the rest will be given to organizations in St. Louis for breast cancer awareness programs.

Scientist: Sulfur remedy for greenhouse effect backed by data

Sunday, December 17, 2006 

Nobel Prize winner Professor Paul J. Crutzen has stated he has data to support his controversial claim that injecting sulfur into the atmosphere would negate the greenhouse effect.

The data is intended to quiet critics of the theory he first discussed in the scientific journal Climatic Change in August, 2006.

The 1995 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry stated “Our calculations using the best models available have shown that injecting 1 million tonnes of sulfur a year would cool down the climate so the greenhouse effect is wiped out.”

The theory uses the idea that an added layer of sulfates in the stratosphere, approximately 16 kilometres above the earth, would reflect sunlight back into space and reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface.

Critics have shown that the earth has struggled for decades to reduce sulfur pollution, and how it is a component of acid rain that kills plantlife and animals.

A large-scale experiment would be impossible to conduct, however scientists have noticed that massive volcanic eruptions have had similar effects on the earth. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines lowered temperatures around the world for two years, according to data taken at the time.

Crutzen resparked discussion on the topic, a theory which has been dismissed up until now as dangerous. “Until August this was a taboo issue. But the paper I published really set off some movement in this area. It never hit the level of seriousness which it has taken in the past months,” Crutzen said.

Environmental groups are skeptical but agree the idea should be investigated. “This idea should be examined and as a last resort it can buy us a few decades,” said Steve Sawyer, a policy adviser for Greenpeace International.

Gunman at Illinois campus said to have stopped taking medication

Friday, February 15, 2008 

After the death of five students in Illinois from the shooting Thursday, in which police say a former graduate student entered a university classroom at Northern Illinois University with several guns and opened fire, hitting over 20 people before taking his own life, a day later students are expressing shock.

Students today held a vigil for the 5 dead students, who died after the gunman entered the hall dressed in black and carrying a shotgun and three hand guns and began firing as students sought cover under desks. One student who escaped unharmed told reporters his life has changed as a result of what he experienced.

“I am going to be in class from now on, looking over my shoulder, because if he would have come through the back door, I would not be here right now. I would have been dead,” he said.

Police say the gunman was Steven Kazmierczak, 27, a former graduate student in Sociology at the school. Police say he purchased the shotgun and two of the handguns on Saturday, indicating he may have planned the attack in advance, but authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting.

Kazmierczak had no criminal record but had been a patient for a year at Thresholds-Mary Hill House, a psychiatric treatment center for teens. Under Illinois state law he would not have been able to purchase a weapon legally if there had been a record of arrests or mental problems, but police said he had stopped taking an unspecified medication recently and his behavior had become erratic.

Kazmierczak received a Dean’s Award from the university’s Sociology Department in 2006. He served as a member of the school’s Academic Criminal Justice Association and was considered a good student, but he was not enrolled this semester.

Thursday, police arrived on the scene of the shooting within two minutes, but they were too late. Witnesses say the gunman fired multiple shots in a matter of seconds, reloaded, fired some more and then took his own life.

In Washington Friday, President Bush reacted to the shooting. “This morning I spoke to the President of Northern Illinois University,” said Mr. Bush. “I told the President that a lot of folks today will be praying for the families of the victims and for the Northern Illinois University community. Obviously a tragic situation on that campus, and I ask our fellow citizens to offer their blessings, blessings of comfort and blessings of strength.”

This is the latest in a string of shootings at U.S. schools in recent years, the worst being the shooting at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia 10 months ago that left 32 students and teachers dead. That incident ranks as the deadliest armed rampage in U.S. history. The shooter also killed himself in that case.

British government apologises for suggesting the Pope could create a brand of “Benedict” condoms

Sunday, April 25, 2010 

The British foreign office has apologised, after a leaked memo about a visit by Pope Benedict XVI suggested that he might launch a “Benedict” brand of condoms, bless a gay marriage, and open an abortion clinic during a papal visit to the UK.

The memo followed a brainstorming session, where members of the Papal Visit Team came up with ideas for the first papal visit to Britain in 28 years, and was sent to senior civil servants via email on the 5th of March, with the title “Policy planning ahead of the Pope’s visit”. Attached files included an “ideal visit list”, and said “Please protect; these should not be shared externally.” However, the memo was leaked, and published in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

The ministry apologised, saying that it was “ill-judged, naive and disrespectful,” and that the responsible member of staff had been transferred to other duties.

Other suggestions were that the pope should change policy to allow female bishops, sponsor AIDS clinics, “spend night in council flat in Bradford” and “do forward rolls with children to promote healthy living.” A further idea was to change the national anthem to a charity song “God Save the World”, performed as a duet by Queen Elizabeth II and the pope.

It also said that the Pope should acknowledge clerical sex abuse scandals; British-papal relationships are strained, following the recent resignation of an Irish bishop and other allegations of Catholic Church child sex-abuse. The pope has been criticised for not taking a firm stance. In March 2010, the Pope sent a letter to Irish Catholics, expressing sorrow for the sexual abuse by Catholic priests to minors, and promising reform.

The four-day papal visit to England and Scotland is scheduled to take place in September 2010, but a “highly-placed source in the Vatican” said, “It’s even possible the trip could be cancelled as this matter is hugely offensive.”

False cancer cure claims lead to federal charges against five US companies

Saturday, September 20, 2008 

The United States Federal Trade Commission filed charges against five companies for “deceptive advertising of bogus cancer cures”. An additional six companies also named in the federal agency’s complaint have settled and their cases will not go into litigation; however, they will be required to send letters to their former customers, and four will be forced to offer reimbursement

The five companies charged are Omega Supply, San Diego, California; Native Essence Herb Company, El Prado, New Mexico; Daniel Chapter One, Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Gemtronics, Inc., Franklin, North Carolina, and Herbs for Cancer, Surprise, Arizona. According to Lydia Parnes, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, “There is no credible scientific evidence that any of the products marketed by these companies can prevent, cure, or treat cancer of any kind.”

Attorney Richard Jaffe who represents the firm Native Essence, one of the companies charged, protested against the FDA’s action. “In our view it’s a battle between the right to speak and the government’s censorship.” Native Essence sells herbal supplements and informs customers of herbs that have historic use for cancer and other ailments. Jaffe asserts the claim of historic use is truthful and does not necessarily mean that the herb is effective. Other items marketed by the companies named in the action include laetrile, essiac tea, mushroom extracts, and black salve. FDA representative Douglas Stearn expressed concern that people who have cancer may select these items instead of treatments that have been studied and found effective, or that unstudied herbal treatments could produce drug interactions with conventional medicine.

Before filing legal action the FTC sent over 100 warning letters and many firms dropped or changed the health claims for their products. In conjunction with the announcement the FDA announced a new website http://www.ftc.gov/curious that urges cancer patients to discuss all treatments they consider trying with their physicians, warns about the dangers of delaying or stopping cancer treatments in favour of alternative medicine, and gives advice about spotting and reporting false health claims.

Homeopathy proponents jailed for allowing daughter to die

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 

In Sydney, Australia, Thomas and Manju Sam were jailed after being convicted of manslaughter on Monday. The court found they had failed to take their ill daughter to medical appointments, and shunned the effective conventional medical treatments offered. Instead they chose homeopathic ‘alternative’ medical treatments which the medical profession generally considers to be pseudoscience. As a result, their then nine-month-old malnourished daughter Gloria died of the skin disorder eczema in 2002.

In the evidence, the Crown prosecutor, Mr Tedeschi, said that the Sams ignored repeated advice to send Gloria to a skin specialist for her eczema. The severity of her condition made her skin so thin that it was constantly breaking and becoming infected. Creams provided by medical doctors were not used; they preferred to employ homeopathic drops as a method to treat her illness. By the time they finally sought treatment, “her skin was weeping, her body malnourished and her corneas melting”, and she died from the complications and massive infection caused by the effectively untreated eczema.

In his ruling, Supreme Court Justice of New South Wales Peter Johnson stated that “Gloria suffered helplessly and unnecessarily … from a condition that was treatable.”

Thomas received a maximum sentence of eight years and is no longer allowed to practice homeopathy. Manju received a maximum sentence of five years and four months.

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine which uses substances that have gone through a process of serial dilution so extensive that in most cases, no molecules of the original are likely to remain. There is no convincing evidence that it has any effect greater than placebo. For it to work as homeopaths claim, basic well-tested scientific laws would have to be wrong.