blog

Chicago Hosts NATO

Mon, 21 May 2012 08:55:32 -0500

Chicago will finish hosting the 2012 NATO Summit today. As an institution that values international dialogue and takes pride in serving as a leader in reaching out to students across the globe, SOLEX congratulates Chicago on a job well done! The 2012 NATO Summit marked the first occasion that the summit took place outside Washington D.C. when being held in the United States. Over three dozen nations sent representatives to McCormick Place for the 2 day event which runs from May 20-21, 2012.

Lollapalooza Line Up Around The Corner

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:40:26 -0500

The official line up for Lollapalooza, Chicago’s premier music festival, will be revealed in early April. Three day early bird passes are currently available for the discounted price of $200.00 direct from lollapalooza.com. The festival will take place August 3-5, 2012 in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Lollapalooza has drawn many of the world’s biggest performers to the outdoor stages of Chicago’s beautiful Grant Park. Recent years have seen performances from Lady GaGa, Eminem, Muse and Coldplay. The festival also has an area dedicated to electronic music by today’s top D.J.’s and a child friendly area known as “kidsapalooza.”

Labor Day

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:26:00 -0500

Labor Day was first celebrated on September 5, 1882 by the Central Labor Union in New York. 12 years later, President Grover Cleveland made it a federal holiday. In America, Labor Day is a day set aside the first Monday in September to celebrate and honor all the men and women who work. It is designated a day to relax... and to party.

To many, Labor Day marks the end of summer. As such, it is traditionally celebrated picnic style with cold drinks and hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. Many small towns and big cities in the United States celebrate the holiday with a local parade featuring everybody from local high school bands to political figures. What a great way to kick back, enjoy your friends and family, and relax.

And that's exactly what I plan to do this weekend. How about you?

Books to be Replaced with Facebooks

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:01:00 -0500

Technology has taken the driver seat in terms of furthering education. No longer are books revered as the treasure chest of information. Children are exposed at a very early age to the benefits and pitfalls of digital content. A recent study conducted by a British literacy charity has found the influence of technology on children's reading habits to be startling. "Schoolchildren are significantly more likely to be exposed to mobile phones and computers in the home than novels, according to researchers. They also found that reading frequency declined sharply with age, with 14 to 16 yearolds being more than 10 times as likely to avoid books altogether as those in primary education."

While the statement is true, and the results justified, they only look at the advent of digital reading from one standpoint. Look, if you will, at all the possibilities digital learning offers to English language learners. One of the biggest obstacles in learning a language is to capture the syntax and purpose of the cultural relevancy behind a language. Books can only take you so far. But overseas learners can gain a stronger sense of understanding by being exposed the English language in the digital realm.

While reading does play an important role in learning a new language, speaking and pronouncing words can be learned through auditory practices. Seeing, reading, and hearing allows English language learners to gain a firm grasp as they study. This isn't to say that books, and American literature should be ignored. There is no better way to expand one's vocabulary and understanding of a culture through reading a classing Hemmingway or Twain, but it works hand-in-hand within the digital space to show, as well as tell.

Haley Reinhart Homecoming

Fri, 13 May 2011 10:16:00 -0500

A big shout out and congrats to "American Idol" finalist Haley Reinhart. After advancing to the Top 3 on this week's past show, Haley will be heading to her home town of Wheeling, IL to meet with her fans and have a free concert.

The concert will be at Arlington Park on Saturday, May 14 for her homecoming performance. 12,000 free tickets are available online only, at www.arlingtonpark.com to see Haley perform a free concert. The American Idol contestant continues to excell on the show, and Haley is looking forward to coming back to Wheeling.

The whole town is supporting her, so come out and show Haley some love!

Huge Microsoft Savings

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:46:00 -0600

Microsoft currently has a fantastic promotion available on select software. Their website offers Microsoft Office Professional Academic 2010 for only $79.95. They list the regular price of this product at $679.95. It is compatible with any Microsoft operating system.

Microsoft Office Professional 2010 includes the following software:

Word: To write reports and papers
Excel: To organize information
PowerPoint: To create presentations
Outlook: Manage multiple email accounts
OneNote: Manage and store important information
Publisher: Design online and print publications
Access: Share important information

Does this sound too good to be true? Well, it just might be. Like many other offers and sales, this one has a catch. But this time it is simple. You just have to be a student enrolled in at least 0.5 credit hours at a United States educational institution and be able to prove it. This can be as simple as providing your school email address (it has to end in .edu). For more details on eligibility, please visit The Ultimate Steal full terms and conditions page on their website.