Author Archive for alex.chrum

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Facebook to Buy Instagram for $1 Billion

By: alex.chrum, April 9, 2012 in Internet and News. Closed Tags: , .

Facebook, Inc. announced Monday that it is purchasing the popular photo editing and sharing app Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock.

Facebook announced today that it has acquired the popular photo app Instagram

The deal is Facebook’s largest acquisition to date, as the company has a history of purchasing smaller, cheaper start-ups in order to utilize their talent and manpower. The $1 billion deal presents a quick and easy goldmine for Instagram, which was started in 2010 by two Stanford graduates and presently has a total of about 12 employees.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the acquisition on his blog, maintaining that while he plans to integrate some aspects of the application into Facebook, Instagram will remain its own independent company.

“We will try to learn from Instagram’s experience to build similar features into our other products,” he said in a statement. “At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook’s strong engineering team and infrastructure.”

On Instagram’s website, the small start-up also reassured users that “Instagram is not going away.” Instead, they say, “We’ll be working with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network. We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photo experience.”

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Shocking Dallas, Texas Tornados Caught on Video

By: alex.chrum, April 4, 2012 in News. Closed Tags: , , .

Tornado season made a shockingly violent debut for residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area yesterday, as a series of as many as twelve tornados touched down across the region, leaving thousands without power and an estimated 650 homes damaged.

The ferocious storms hit the cities of Arlington and Lancaster particularly hard; footage from television helicopters shows a breadth of homes without roofs and numerous flattened buildings. Ten people were injured in Lancaster, and three in Arlington, where an estimated 12,600 homes remained without power as of Tuesday evening. One particularly disturbing video shows a funnel cloud picking up tractor trailers and tossing them around like ragdolls.

Tuesday's storms wreaked havoc on the Dallas-Forth Worth area

“It wasn’t like a freight train like everybody says it is,” said Patti Gilroy, an employee at Green Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which lost an entire wing to the storm. “It sounded like a bomb hit. And we hit the floor, and everybody was praying. It was shocking.”

Thankfully, only a handful of injuries and no fatalities have been reported as a result of the storm.

April is typically the worst month in the tornado season that stretches from March to June. National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Bishop suggest that after yesterday’s events, “We’re on pace to be above normal” this season. If what Bishop predicts is true, residents of “Tornado Alley” will surely be in for a rough spring this year.

To help those affected by yesterday’s tornados, you can donate $10 to the Red Cross of North Texas by texting REDCROSS to 90999 or visit their website. If you wish to volunteer to help with clean-up efforts, contact the Volunteer Center of North Texas.

1940 Census Data Goes Online, Interest Crashes Website

By: alex.chrum, April 2, 2012 in Government, Internet and News. Closed Tags: , .

At 8:30 A.M. E.T. Monday morning, after waiting the mandatory 72-year confidentiality period, the National Archives and Records Administration released the intimate, individual responses from the 1940 United States Census. For the very first time, the National Archives made these records available online to the general public for absolutely no cost, giving the world a firsthand glimpse into post-Depression and pre-World War II life in America.

A Census enumerator interviews a woman and her family in 1940

This afternoon, roughly three hours after the records went online, the National Archives’ website crashed due to an inability to handle a perhaps unexpectedly high volume of traffic.

“We’ve had 22.5 million hits, as of about noon,” National Archives spokeswoman Susan Cooper said. “There is trouble. The reason there is trouble is because there is a lot of interest . . . We’re working very hard to fix this because we know how important this is to Americans everywhere.”

Speaking around 1 P.M. E.T., she had hoped the problem would be fixed within the hour. Upon visiting the site around 3:00 P.M. CT, the website still appeared to be down.

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Transcendental Meditation Works for Oprah, David Lynch, and Start-Ups

By: alex.chrum, March 26, 2012 in Celebrities. Closed Tags: , , , .

The topic of transcendental meditation, or TM, has garnered much attention these past few weeks, as both Oprah Winfrey and David Lynch have stepped forward to endorse the practice as an unparalleled means of finding peace and relaxation. Most recently, Forbes writer Peter Cohan boasted the advantages this practice can have for start-up companies looking to change things for the better.

Oprah practicing TM on last night's show

Last night, Oprah devoted her OWN show entirely to the topic of TM, as she visited Maharishi University in Fairfield, Iowa, named after the founder of the TM movement, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Oprah claims she found the practice last year, and introduced it to her employees with staggering results.

“You can’t imagine what has happened in the company. People who used to have migraines, don’t. People are sleeping better. People have better relationships. People interact with other people better. It’s been fantastic,” she told Dr. Oz last year.

Filmmaker and Twin Peaks director David Lynch, always a media ambiguity, also recently came forward to attest to the hope he found in TM. “I was filled with an anger and sorrows and doubts and melancholy. And I took it out on my first wife. I made her life pretty much a hell,” he said. “So I started transcendental meditation, and two weeks later she comes to me and says, ‘What is going on? This anger, where did it go?’ Things lift away so naturally.”

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Kim Kardashain Flour-Bombed on the Red Carpet

By: alex.chrum, March 23, 2012 in Celebrities. Closed Tags: , .

Thursday night, reality star and Hollywood socialite Kim Kardashian was ambushed by a flour bomb at an event in Hollywood promoting her new fragrance line, True Reflection.

Kardashian on the red carpet post-flour bomb

As Kim walked down the red carpet at the London Hotel in West Hollywood, a young woman flung an entire bag of the white powder at her from behind, leaving the star, who was dressed head to toe in black, almost completely covered in cooking flour. As she did so, the apparent animal rights activist reportedly shouted, “Fur hag!” (You can watch the video here.)

Seemingly unaffected, Kim immediately resorted to a private room, where she took her jacket off, brushed the flour from her hair and quickly returned to her event.

But was she super offended?

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Mauritania Arrests the ICC’s Most Wanted Libyan

By: alex.chrum, March 19, 2012 in Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , .

This Saturday, the African country of Mauritania announced that it had arrested former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi, brother-in-law of Muammar Qadhafi and one of the most prominent figures of the country’s regime that was ousted this past October.

Al-Senoussi was arrested this past weekend in Mauritania

Al-Senoussi is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, specifically murder and persecution, for allegedly masterminding attacks on civilians in the early days of the Libyan uprising that ultimately toppled Qadhafi from power. He is also wanted in France, after being sentenced in absentia to life in prison for the 1989 bombing of a French passenger plane over Niger that killed all 170 people on board.

Mauritania’s state information agency said in a statement that al-Senoussi was arrested at the airport in the country’s capital city of Nouakchott after arriving from the Moroccan city of Casablanca with a fake Malian passport. The Libyan Foreign Ministry has not yet confirmed the arrest, but the ICC, France and Libya are already fighting over who “gets” al-Senoussi.

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Local Belleville Nonprofit Seeks to Help Children With Autism

By: alex.chrum, March 14, 2012 in Juggle.com, News and Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , .

For many of us not directly connected to someone with autism, the disorder remains as illusive and misunderstood a topic as, say, college-level calculus or physics. We know it exists, we know it is important; however, if we are not forced (for whatever reason) to learn the ins and outs, it remains to us a relatively abstract idea.

“Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive. It colors every experience, every perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence.” –ADAPT4Autism brochure

Autism, like many other neurological and psychological disorders, remains elusive for two reasons. First and foremost, the exact causes of this and other “disorders of the brain” are shrouded in mystery. While there is believed to be a genetic source for autism, other theories posit environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines. Second, the behaviors of autistic children are often either mistaken for simple bad behavior or even mental retardation. On the contrary, however, these children are typically very high-functioning intellectually, and simply need assistance in understanding normal social cues.

A local nonprofit agency, ADAPT4Autism, has dedicated their efforts to making life more navigable for Southern Illinois children and families living with autism. Located in Belleville, Illinois, ADAPT provides educational programs and pro-social therapy for children on the autism spectrum. The organization was started in 2010 by Chris Gibson-Cipfl, an educator of children with autism, and Alice Howe, the parent of a child with autism. Together, they have developed numerous programs, including camps, aquatic and music training, and family- and team-building exercises, all aimed at improving the overall quality of life for those suffering from ASD.

On April 14, 2012, ADAPT4Autism is holding their “Run4ASD,” a 5K race to raise funds for the various activities provided by the organization over the summer. This year, those special events include camps as well as swim lessons. Every Wednesday from June 6 to August 1, ADAPT will run a day camp at Cornerstone Christian Church in Belleville, as well as an overnight camp on the 12th, 13th and 14th of July. They will also be offering swimming lessons July 23rd through 27th. All of these events, in addition to the myriad of services the organization already provides, truly help autistic children enjoy and experience life without the scrutiny of judgmental eyes. Moreover, they help teach these children the skills they need to lead happy and normal lives.

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International Women’s Day: More Relevant Now Than Ever

By: alex.chrum, March 8, 2012 in Holidays. Closed Tags: , , , .

For over a century, men and women have been celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8 in roughly 100 places all over the world. At the movement’s start in the early 1900s, millions of men and women took to the streets to campaign for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained and hold office, and to end discrimination against them as a whole.

March 8 marks International Women's Day

To date, IWD is recognized as an official holiday in roughly 30 countries, marked by sons, husbands, fathers and male friends giving the women in their lives gifts and words of appreciation and encouragement. This year, there are over 500 events taking place to commemorate the event in the U.S. and Canada alone.

While President Obama named March of 2011 “Women’s History Month,” the United States has yet to acknowledge IWD as an official holiday. This is especially disturbing considering the recent movements against women’s reproductive health, which are largely being spearheaded by male politicians. For this reason, it is important that International Women’s Day receive extra special attention this year. Continue reading ‘International Women’s Day: More Relevant Now Than Ever’

Earthquakes Rattle the San Francisco Bay Area

By: alex.chrum, March 6, 2012 in News and Science. Closed Tags: , .

This morning, residents of the San Francisco Bay Area were jolted awake by two back-to-back earthquakes, which were reportedly felt as far as 60 miles away from the epicenter.

At 5:33 A.M. Tuesday, a magnitude-3.5 earthquake struck roughly eight miles northeast of San Francisco. A mere eight seconds later, a 4.0-magnitude quake hit near the city of El Cerrito. Luckily, there have been no reports of any damage or injuries as a result of the earthquakes.

Two back-to-back earthquakes hit the Bay Area this early this morning

This morning’s events stand as a reminder of the looming danger facing residents of one of the most highly-populated areas in the United States. Seismologists report that the quakes took place along the Hayward Fault, which many consider to be one of the most dangerous fault lines in California. In 2003, the United States Geological Survey reported a 27 percent likelihood of 6.7-magnitude quake in the Hayward Fault within the next 30 years.

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Bomb Squad Called to Home of Rush Limbaugh

By: alex.chrum, March 2, 2012 in News and Television. Closed Tags: , .

Thursday evening, a bomb squad was called to the residence of conservative radio and talk show host Rush Limbaugh after security personnel discovered a suspicious package on his Palm Beach property. While X-raying incoming mail (which is standard procedure in the Limbaugh household), security detected what appeared to be wires in one package.

The bomb squad descending upon the Limbaugh household yesterday

Fearing that the parcel might be dangerous, they called Palm Beach Police, who immediately sent a bomb squad to the house.

Palm Beach Police spokesman Fred Hess said the package appears to not be dangerous or hazardous. According to reports, it was sent from a man in Pennsylvania, who was offering Limbaugh “a business opportunity.” Inside was an “electronic [plaque] commemorating the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth.” The sender has yet to be publicly identified. However, according to officials, he or she apologized for the suspicious packaging and insisted that it was not a bomb.

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