Last week, the Reader didn’t publish a Gig Poster of the Week–concerts have been pretty unanimously postponed or canceled to help slow the spread of COVID-19. This is a tough time for gig-poster artists, as it is for so many others, but the Reader‘s audience is full of fantastically creative people. We have an activity suggestion that will not only provide an outlet for that creativity but also keep these posts coming until we have live music again: send us your fantasy gig poster!
Nicole Marroquin’s poster this week illustrates the kind of performance she recommends giving to your houseplants during the stay-at-home order. But “fantasy” can mean a lot of things: shows that have already happened, shows that you wish had happened or would happen, even shows far enough in the future that you’re actually planning on going to them.
We’d love to see submissions from our readers of concert posters for those shows. Were you too young to see Black Sabbath at the International Amphitheatre on the south side? Do you wish the 1972 lineup of the Art Ensemble of Chicago could play at Constellation? How about Dolly Parton and Wesley Willis at Lounge Ax? Or Kraftwerk on the moon? Did it happen? No! But you can still make a gig poster for it!
Posters should be original drawings or designs, and you need to be OK with the Chicago Reader publishing them on our website and possibly printing and exhibiting them at a later date. If your fantasy gig happens in a real place, please stick to Chicago places.
To participate, please e-mail [email protected] with your name, contact information, and your illustration (you can attach a JPG or PNG file or provide a download link). We won’t be able to post every submission, but we’ll feature as many as possible while the pandemic continues.
Even if you can’t make a fantasy gig poster, you might still be able to support the staff of your local music venues–our list of fundraisers is a good place to start.
This week’s poster: ARTIST: Nicole Marroquin SHOW: Nicole writes, “During a pandemic, you can sing your favorite DeBarge songs wherever you want. Your family or roommates might not love it, but your plants will.” MORE INFO:nicolemarroquin.com FUNDRAISER: Nicole would like you to know about the Little Village Diaper Bank.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Former Syracuse football coach Frank Maloney, who succeeded the winningest coach in school history when the program was in decline, has died. He was 79.
After leaving coaching, Maloney worked 27 years as the Cubs’ director of ticket operations.
Maloney died Monday at his home in Chicago, his family told the university. The cause was metastic brain cancer, according to Syracuse.com.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Maloney. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and former players,” Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said. “Coach Maloney led our football team during a time of transition.”
Maloney played center and guard at Michigan from 1959-61 and served as an assistant coach, mostly under Bo Schembechler, at his alma mater from 1968-73. He was hired at Syracuse to succeed Hall of Famer Ben Schwartzwalder, who had won 153 games since 1949 and guided the Orange to their lone national championship in 1959.
Maloney inherited a team that had finished 2-9 in Schwartzwalder’s final season and guided the Orange for seven seasons. His teams went 32-46 from 1974-80 at a school with a deteriorating stadium and financial troubles that had mulled not playing major college football in the aftermath of a boycott by nine players who had demanded change and racial equality in 1969.
Maloney’s tenure included the closing of old Archbold Stadium with a win over nationally ranked Navy at the end of the 1978 season and the opening of the Carrier Dome in 1980 with a victory over Miami of Ohio before a crowd of 50,564, still the largest in Carrier Dome history.
Maloney’s best season was 1979, when Syracuse played its entire schedule on the road because of construction of the Carrier Dome and finished 7-5. Home games were played in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Orchard Park, New York; and in nearby Ithaca. The Orange capped the unusual season with a 31-7 victory against McNeese State in the Independence Bowl, their first postseason win since the 1961 Liberty Bowl.
Maloney had an eye for talent. He mentored 19 future NFL draft picks, including Joe Morris and Art Monk, and he hired Nick Saban, Tom Coughlin and Jerry Angelo as assistant coaches.
“I talked with him every two weeks ever since I graduated,” said former Orange quarterback Bill Hurley, whom Maloney recruited to Syracuse in 1975 as a running back before moving him to quarterback, where he was a four-year starter. “We talked about family, kids, sports, everything. His sense of humor appealed to me. Having him screaming at me was not much different than my parents yelling at me. We had a good rapport both on and off the field that carried on. We were together so much at school that it just seemed natural to continue that relationship.”
When he resigned after the team finished 5-6 in 1980, Maloney left coaching and never looked back.
“I just made a decision to leave football,” he told The Associated Press in a 2003 interview. “Most coaches move around a lot, and I didn’t want to do that. So I decided to come home to Chicago and started looking around.”
Maloney found a new home at Wrigley Field, joining the front office of the Cubs, where he worked in ticket operations for 29 years, including 27 as the director before retiring a decade ago.
“It’s been a great ride,” he told the AP. “One of the nice benefits is I get to see a lot of people who I ran across in football. It’s a people business, and I’m a people person.”
It is Mock Draft season, and we’ve got a few great ones for the ChicagoBears.
NFL free agency has cooled off a little bit, and now much of our attention shifts to the upcoming draft. Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears have had an interesting couple of weeks, bringing in several veterans to try and add depth to what most think is an already-strong roster.
Of course, the primary issue that you’ll see most talk about is at quarterback. We can talk day and night about the talent this Bears roster has, especially on defense. But, at the end of the day, it’s been the quarterback position which causes people the most concern.
Pace and the Bears went out and made a move to land their guy in former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles, and now the questions revolve around whether or not he comes to Chicago as the starting quarterback.
If Foles is as good as Pace hopes he will be, what else is there for the Bears to do with this roster? Some of the concerns, still, are at positions like the offensive line, tight end, wide receiver, cornerback, edge rusher and maybe even running back or safety.
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The offensive line, though, is the main concern. If the Bears come away from this draft with some competition up front, I think many will be thrilled with that outcome. But, with where the Bears are picking first, having two picks in the second round, they could see some very strong talent fall to them.
The problem then becomes, does Pace go for the best player available? Most general managers would like to say that they abide by that strategy. However, it’s easier said than done. Let’s look at five highly intriguing mock drafts which would see Pace land some serious talent in the second round, but at different positions — followed by adding competition and depth later on.
At the end of it all, you can tell us which of these is your ideal outcome.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 25: A general view of the bleacher entrance to Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs were scheduled to open the season Monday March 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 25, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The Major League baseball season has been delayed by the COVID-19 crisis. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
David Kaplan of NBC SportsChicago and ESPN 1000 joins to give some thoughts and insight on how he sees the 2020 Chicago Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs are one of the more interesting teams in Major League Baseball as far as projecting their chances in 2020. They are a team that can win the NL Central if all goes well or come in third place if all goes wrong. Nobody really knows exactly how these next few seasons are going to pan out for them but there are reasons to believe it will be okay.
One man who might know a thing or two about that is NBC Sports/ESPN 1000’s, David Kaplan. He does a great job covering all five of the major sports teams in the city of Chicago but he makes it very clear that the Cubs are his number one favorite. David was kind enough to give me a few minutes of his time to talk about these Cubs. I asked David some questions about them to see what he thought about certain players’ contracts, their performances on the field, and the pitching rotation. This is what he had to say:
Q: So let’s start with the new guy, David Ross. How do you think he is going to positively impact the Cubs’ clubhouse this year?
Well, I look at a guy like David Ross as a guy who comes in and is a totally different type of leader than Joe Maddon, but he is also an unproven commodity as a Major League manager, because Joe Maddon was a guy who had taken a team to the World Series when he showed up in Chicago, the guy who had consistenly been in the playoffs when he arrived in Chicago, David has never done anything. He has never made one decision in game as a Major League manager so again, he’s intense, he’s driven, he’s a wonderful person and I think he’ll be a good manager but it is going to take time. It’s not a plug and play situation.
Q: So he’s (David Ross) worked with these guys in the past, one of them being Kris Bryant who just lost his arbitration case a couple of weeks ago. How do you see him panning out as far as his contract situation, status with the Cubs, and eventually his production on the field once baseball comes back?
Look, Kris Bryant is a superstar, he’s a great baseball player. He’s an even better person. They don’t make them better as a guy, than Kris Bryant. That said, I just don’t believe that the Chicago Cubs are willing to give him an eight year contract at 35 million dollars a year, which is what the top guys at his position get. That means you’re talking about 250 million or more dollars, a full no trade clause, and every dollar guaranteed, until age roughly 35 or 36. I don’t believe Theo Epstein’s philisophical plan involves Kris Bryant or anybody getting a deal of that magnitude that takes you to to that age, and hamstrings the team from ever being able to trade said player so that’s where I’m at on it. Kris is a great player, any organization would want him, I’m not sure the Chicago Cubs philosophically are going to pay him in line with what he and Scott Boras think he deserves.
Q: So the other superstar on the team, Javier Baez. This is a guy who came within an arms reach of an MVP. What do you see his contract looking like and what do you see him bringing to the Cubs once baseball is back.
I think they love Javy. I think they would love to hang on to Javy. I think they are going to pay Javy commensurate with what the top shortstops in the game are going to get. Again, I don’t believe that Theo Epstein wants to hamstring himself with full no trade clauses so if Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, wanna sign eight year deals and have absolutely everything in their favor – opt outs, no trades, I’m not sure if Theo is going to co-sign that. He might roll the dice on one guy, and I think if he was rolling the dice on one particular guy, it would be Javy Baez. But again, another great player. You got him for two more years of team control, if we even play this year. You certainly have him for another after that and I think you’re going to see players – and again we couldn’t have predicted Corona was gonna do to our world what it has- but if you’re a player and you see whats going on, and you know that the financial reverberations of what has happened are going to continue for the forseeable future. I mean, there has been billions of dollars lost and will continue to be lost while we’re not playing. I really believe that you are going to see guys more willing to take long term deals for less money that might not have all the bells and whistles that they want because they want some security for their families going forward.
Q: You have Yu Darvish, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, and Jose Quintana as the big four in the rotation. Nobody has been announced to have won that fifth spot in the rotation yet, but how are you with that as the base of the rotation?
Look, Jon Lester has to prove that he can be the Jon Lester that we know and love. He’s 36 years old, he doesn’t have the same stuff that he used to have at 28-31. He is also one of the rock solid leaders, not only in that locker room but in the game. I love Kyle Hendricks. I think Yu Darvish has great stuff, he is never really put together a full season over the last five years. A full season, he has had half seasons where that made you think he looked really good. He has also had injuries, Tommy John, he had a surgery during his first year in Chicago, so the stuff is there but he has to prove he can stay healthy long term. I’m not a Jose Quintana fan but I never was, nice guy but not a very good pitcher in my books, very pedestrian and they overpaid for him because of his contract. Then, I think Tyler Chatwood had won that spot, I really do. I thought he was going to get that spot, he’s got great stuff and it’s the last year of hs contract. They’re gonna have some financial flexibility after this season because you’re gonna see Lester off the books, your’re gonna see Chatwood off the books, there is a handful of guys on a one year deal in the bullpen, you’re gonna have well north of 40 million dollars off the books. They should have an opportunity to FINALLY be able to go out and spend in the offseason.
Q: Is there anybody in the offseason, based on everything you just said, that you would like to see the Cubs go after?
Well, it’s got to be starting pitching. They have to go out and add more starting pitching. It is essential for them to be successful. They’ve got to start doing a better job developing pitching. That is an understatement because they’ve developed zero, zero pitching since Theo arrived in Chicago in 2012. That’s probably the most dissapointing about this whole deal for me. I love Theo Epstein, I’m a big Theo Epstein guy. Jed Hoyer, love that guy and they brought us the World Series. That all said, they’ve done a horrific job developing pitching. Horrific. That has to get fixed and I mean fixed quickly. We’ll see where all of this heads. They’re going to have to spend their money on pitching, has to be.
Q: So pitching development hasn’t gone the way it should but is it fair to say that developing everyday position players has worked up since Theo and Jed showed up?
I would beg to differ with you in terms of the development side. Look, they made a great trade for Anthony Rizzo. That will go down as one of the best trades in the history of the franchise but that wasn’t a draft and develop. Kris Bryant went second overall, if you miss on the second overall pick, shame on you. Javy Baez was drafted and developed by Jim Hendry, Willson Contreras was signed and developed by Jim Hendry, they don’t really have a second baseman that they drafted and developed unless Nico Hoerner makes it this year and I think he has a chance to. Go to the outfield, Kyle Schwarber has been a good player but he hasn’t been a star. He was the fourth pick overall, has his best yet to come? Maybe. In the centerfield spot, Albert Almora Jr 6th overall, that’s been a back pick. You’re right fielder, they overpaid grossly for a guy that they would never do that deal again in Jason Heyward. Victor Caratini was not drafted and developed, he was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. While there is this perception that they have developed position players, but when you do a deeper dive you can see that they’ve been great traders, not great developers.
Q: You brought up Nico Hoerner. They have to hit on this guy right?
Yeah, absolutely. He was a first round draft pick, now he was 26th overall which means there is a bigger shot that he doesn’t make it than a guy drafted 3rd overall at the same position, like Nick Madrigal of the Chicago White Sox. We’ll see how Nick Madrigal pans out on the south side, I like what I’ve seen from Nico Hoerner. I’ve gotten to know him a little bit from interviewing him and I’ve found him incredibly awesome to deal with. Really quality dude, so let’s see how this all shakes out, let’s see what Nico Hoerner becomes but they have to do a good job in drafting and developing because they’re overpaying to get guys to fill holes that they missed on.
Q: Do you feel they did some of that overpaying because they felt that they could have won multiple titles with this core?
Yeah, they felt like after they won that they can do this again. The problem is that they used all of their assets trading for Alex Avila and Justin Wilson, that didn’t work out. They gave up assets for Jose Quintana, that certainly didn’t work out, they only have him for one more year. The savings you got on a cost controlled Jose Quintana, you spent on Brandon Morrow, Tyler Chatwood, and Yu Darvish. So far to this moment, none of that has worked out. Then they were offered at the trade deadline in 2017, he begged to be a Cub, Justin Verlander. We saw how he pitched in Houston and they said no thank you. Again, they have done amazing things. I love them, I would hire them to run my front office. They have also made thier share of mistakes.
Q: With all of that put together, the Cincinnati Reds got better, the Milwaukee Brewers took a step back, and the St. Louis Cardinals are always there. Where do you see the Cubs stacked against the rest of the division?
They can win this division. There is no question about it. They can absolutely win this division. We don’t know what the season will look like if we have one. It’s not going to be 162 games so they have to get off to a quick start just like everybody else and they’ve got to keep thier older players healthy. Rizzo can’t be on the DL with a back injury. Jon Lester can’t go down. Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish can’t go down. The team is starting to get more veteran like, it’s not this young vibrant group from 2016. Let’s see how this all shakes out but if they stay healthy, there is no reason they can’t win the division.
It sounds like Kaplan is confident that the Cubs have the ability to do some damage in the National League if baseball is played in 2020. They certainly have a good enough starting lineup to score some runs. The most important variable is going to be pitching. The starters need to stay healthy and be at their best while the bullpen proves some people wrong and hold leads for them.
David Kaplan sure knows a lot about his Cubs and is as plugged in as any local Chicago media personality. He was so kind with his time and gave me every answer as thoughtful and candid as I could have asked for. Once again, I thank David from the bottom of my heart for the interview. Make sure you check him out on NBC Sports Chicago and listen to his radio show on ESPN 1000.
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Hello everyone, Don Dziedzina here. I hope many of you remember me from my blog here at ChicagoNow titled Illinois Outdoors.
The Illinois Outdoor blog still exists, however I’ve not made any posts there in quite a while. I had to step back and shut down my TV Show, Illinois Outdoors, my co-hosting of the Fishing and Outdoor Radio Show, and all of my writing in local papers and magazines. Let me just say it was for health reasons.
But I’m doing okay now. I miss sharing my outdoor experiences with viewers, listeners and readers. It’s always been fun and I appreciated all of the positive response that I received for well over 35 years.
So here I am. Saying I’m back in the ballgame, but that’s not exactly proper. I’d like to say, I’m “Back in the Outdoors”
I’ll be submitting blog posts as often as possible. I’ll be writing about fishing, hunting, other outdoor sports as well as some travel destinations where I feel others will enjoy learning about for a weekend trip or a week-long vacation.
I invite you to feel free to comment on the posts or ask questions.
If you’d like to be notified of future posts, please subscribe to this blog. No other emails will be sent to you and you can opt out whenever you like.
Don Dziedzina of Illinois Outdoors Inc., has been involved in the outdoors industry for over 40 years.
Don has written columns for numerous outdoor magazines and many local newspapers. For a couple years he wrote outdoor columns for the Chicago Tribune in the Sports section. Today, his columns are published in MidWest Outdoors and Adventure Sports Outdoors Magazines. He also produces outdoor news columns here in ChicagoNow, a blog owned by the Chicago Tribune.
Over 19 years ago Don began producing and hosting the Illinois Outdoors TV show. It airs now on Comcast, Insight, and MediaCom Cable having a reach of nearly 7 million viewers.
About 9 years ago he was asked by Jim DaRosa to join the staff of the Fishing and Outdoor Radio Show as co-host. Since then Jim and Don host the show that airs every week, simulcast on WCSJ AM 1550, WCSJ FM 103.1, WSPY FM 107.1, WSPY AM 1480, WSQR FM 93.5 and WSQR AM 1180.
On the Illinois Outdoors TV Show, Don always says, “Great Fishing (or hunting) is not that far away.” tm On the radio show they say “We fish, we hunt, we live the outdoors.” tm
Veganism. HOOO BOY. What a humongous topic, right? It’s a natural segue for me since I became a vegetarian a little over a year ago. Actually, I would bet that if you knew that I recycle, compost, drive a fuel efficient car and own a Mac, you’d say I was a breathing vegan stereotype. But hear me out. Stereotypes are harmful but sometimes, SOMETIMES, they are in place out of an acknowledged truth many are aware exists. And many things in this world have natural progressions. If you were in an English class you really enjoyed, you’d likely take an advanced version of it next semester. And because of these classes, you’d probably end up reading and falling in love with certain authors and a particular style of writing. From there, you might branch out to other genres and start reading more and before long, you’d be writing and your writing would evolve. Not long after, you’d venture into the publishing world and make money. WHAT?I know, real green money. Go you.
Hopefully you see where I’m going with this. Veganism is a natural move from vegetarianism. Publishing is a natural progression of establishing yourself as a writer. Eating better is a natural progression of wanting to be healthier. Becoming a vampire is a natural progression of having an aversion to garlic but insatiable taste for blood. Who knew? You knew, that’s who.
Back to veganism. I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries on food and factory farming, diseases and the health industry, food myths and different diets. There’s a lot out there so I just started to watch a little of everything, even on the stuff I knew about but didn’t subscribe to fully. Like on the addictive nature of sugar (this is irrefutable) and the effectiveness of the Ketogenic Diet (not into this diet, but I learned quite a bit) because it limits sugar and carbohydrate consumption. But I just finished a documentary that I’ll continue to carry with me like I do Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret. This one is calledThe Invisible Vegan, about the unhealthy dietary patterns within the African American community.
What I love about The Invisible Vegan is that it compels each of us to examine the role of food in our culture and to dismantle the ideas that hold us back from making better eating choices. One of the biggest reasons against veganism pointed out in this documentary is how this lifestyle change is considered to be a white thing. I get it, I’ve thought this before too, but it’s a silly argument. Actually, it’s not an argument at all. Caring about animal welfare isn’t a white issue. Wanting your community to be healthier and live longer isn’t a white issues. The desire to create a more sustainable world is not a white issue.
Factory farming and slaughter houses are not humane. I sincerely believe that if more people saw footage of the deplorable conditions these animals live in, they’d think twice about what they ate. In the documentary, writer and activist Christopher-Sebastian McJetters says we lose our humanity when we consume meat. We are so separated from our food sources that we aren’t even curious about the foods journey to us. When it comes to dairy, it starts getting real when you think about how weird it is for humans to be drinking the stuff created for calves by their moms. Imagine a human mother’s breast milk being fed to cows. Weird, right?
My goal isn’t to typify the annoying vegan everyone dreads. I don’t want to shove my beliefs down your throat because honestly, the biggest changes happen when something within you clicks of your own free will. I just want to give you the facts. Veganism isn’t a white thing. We don’t need to hurt and kill things to survive, there’s enough plant-based food to feed us all. You can eat a plant-based diet and still be healthy. You can eat plant-based and still be big and fit if that’s what you want (giraffes and cows are, to name a couple). Vegan food doesn’t taste bad and it pushes you to cook more. A plant-based diet can be affordable and sustainable. It can fill you. No, eating only plants doesn’t make you less of a man. Yes, you can still shower and be a vegan. No, you can’t use deodorant and be vegan.
Kidding, please, for the sake of us all, use deodorant.
If you want to learn more about what happens to animals on factory farms and slaughterhouses and/or want to know how you can adopt a plant-based diet, vegan.org is a great resource to browse.
If you’re looking for some suggestions on vegan alternatives for some refrigerator staples, here are my favorites:
Milk substitute: Simple Truth Oat Milk–the texture is the closest thing I’ve found to milk and unlike almond milk, which can be too watery, tastes awesome in coffee.
Ground beef and chicken substitutes: Quorn products. I can’t say enough good things about this brand. I discovered them by luck because my friend bought them while hungry and when I tried one of the faux chicken nuggets, I was floored. The texture is on point but the flavor is even better, I’ve had the nuggets, spicy meatless patties, and grounds. Can’t tell the difference, no joke. I say this as someone for whom chicken was the hardest thing to give up.
Butter substitute: Earth Balance Soy-Free Butter Spread–my way of testing if alternatives taste like the real thing is to try them by themselves. I tried this butter straight on and could not tell the difference.
Cheese-substitute: I’m not gonna lie, I have yet to discover a cheese alternative that tastes and behaves like cheese. I’m convinced there is no such thing. I hope the world proves me wrong someday.
If you like my posts, type your e-mail address in the “Subscribe by Email” box to the upper right, which you can opt out of at any time.
Mahjabeen is an essayist, young adult librarian, book reviewer, and storyteller. She has a BA in creative writing and an MA in library and information science. She loves to laugh, talk books, and send you unsolicited photos of her cats. Learn more at mahjabeensyed.com or on Twitter @WMagicS
Hey Laisha! Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to learn more about LLF- Consulting.
Please start by introducing yourself and then tell us a little about your background?
Thank you for having me. I’m Laisha L. Fox, CEO of LLF-Consulting and Professional Development maven. I assist professionals with climbing the ‘Corporate Ladder’, I too help entrepreneurs take their business(es) to the next level. My strategies have proven to be effective both on and off the job. My customized best practices and tools have improved business bottom lines and increased paychecks. I have over 18 years of combined experience in Project Management and Human Resources. I was born and raised in Chicago. I attended Northern Illinois University where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications. I started my career in the Project Management industry and have led projects for a variety of organizations. Some to include: Microsoft, Dell and Careerbuilder. After earning two Master’s degrees (Project Management and Human Resources) I coupled my education and professional experience and created LLF-Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in Professional Development.
That’s amazing and quite impressive. Tell us about some of the services you specialize in?
My most popular service is coaching, career and business. I also offer professional resume writing services: resumes, cover letters, reference letters etc. I also offer branding services. I offer a complete suite of professional development products & services.
Great, what do you love about being able to help people better themselves?
Like most professionals, I experienced my fair share of adversity when starting my career. Unfortunately, I overcame adversity alone. My most troubling days, made me want to be an extension of help if I ever rose above the occasion. So, here we are.
I love that! What do you think makes an experience with Coach Lai different from other professional coaches?
I’ve helped hundreds of professionals accelerate their career. I also happen to be a product of my own best practices. Not only do I talk the talk, I walk the walk. I’ve helped professionals seamlessly transition careers, negotiate higher wages and even secure their dream job. I’m a ‘No Nonsense’ Coach, I pride myself on producing high-quality results.
Yes, I’ve attended a few of your workshops and I love your style. What has been some of your most proudest accomplishments?
Helping over 500 professionals achieve their career goals
PUMA l Fashion Geek Collaboration, Coat Drive
Black Enterprise feature, 5 Ways to Propel Your Career Forward
Launched an online store with, career tools, masterclasses, templates & more
That’s definitely a list to be proud of. Ok, let’s shift gears a little bit. We know that entrepreneurship is certainly not easy. What types of obstacles have you faced along the way?
LLF-Consulting was my very first child. I endured labor pains and was overjoyed with the birth. I celebrated milestones, I too nursed bruises. I’ve watched my baby grow over the last five years and I couldn’t be a prouder mom. Prior to birth, I second guessed my decision to move forward and I couldn’t be any happier those abandonments, notions, and thoughts were cancelled. Fast forward, 5 years later I gave up my working class mentality and generated revenue from what I knew instead of what I did. Everyone has a skill but they don’t have my story.
My biggest struggle was time. As my business grew I unfortunately didn’t get more hours on the clock. My time management skills by default became a priority for me.
I can certainly relate to the time management struggles. What has helped you overcome this?
I learned to automate! Again, as my responsibilities grew my time didn’t. I learned to create systems that allowed me to automate my day-to-day tasks. For example, I use scheduling apps to aid with my social media management. I learned to work smarter and stopped working harder.
I love that. Now, I can imagine you to be extremely busy during a time like now. What advice would you give professionals displaced from work during this economic pandemic?
Keep looking! Your job search should continue, business as usual. Continue sending in your applications and update both your resume and cover letter. The job market will be even more competitive with more applicants. It’s likely companies may need to temporarily stop their search but once we resume normalcy, they’ll still need to fill those roles.
That’s some great advice Coach Lai! Before you go, you gotta give us a Lookclusive. What exciting things can we expect from LLF-Consulting this year?
eLearning, lots of it! Professional Development is a journey that should never end. Post this pandemic, I’ll be partnering with local businesses and hosting a job fair. My goal, is for professionals recently displaced as a result of this pandemic will be to secure employment.
Awesome, thank you so much Laisha it’s truly been my pleasure. Please tell everyone how they can find and connect with you?
I can be found on the web & social media. My websites are as follows: www.llf-consulting.com and
The below press release is via shopinplacechi.com:
In just seven days online, www.ShopInPlaceChi.com has become a website where Chicago residents can find more than 250 small businesses selling products essential for residents sheltering at home. Tens of thousands of Chicagoans have used the site to search for small businesses by category and neighborhood.
The website is free to the public courtesy of the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago (IJ Clinic). The IJ Clinic provides free legal assistance, support and advocacy for low-income entrepreneurs in Chicago.
“Neighborhood small businesses have a lot to offer to Chicagoans during this difficult time,” said IJ Clinic Director Beth Kregor. “The number of small businesses listing products they offer at ShopinPlaceChi.com is growing rapidly and it’s been heartening to watch new pins fill up the site’s map. The increasing number of businesses participating makes the site more useful both to consumers and businesses.”
One of the businesses listed at the site’s launch last week is Dinobi Detergent, which manufactures and sells all-natural detergent. Augustine Emuwa, co-owner of Dinobi Detergent said, “It may be early but we feel that this idea is turning into another great platform for building an ecosystem here on the South Side and Chicago as a whole.”
The website continues to welcome new submissions from Chicago small businesses selling products in categories such as bath and cleaning products, books, educational supplies, games and toys, food and more. Businesses interested in being listed on the website should visit shopinplacechi.com/submit-your-business/ and fill out a short form with information about the products they offer, their neighborhood locations, and how consumers can safely purchase their products through delivery or curbside pickup. Listings will be added after a review by IJ Clinic staff and volunteers.
Approximately 115 Illinois National Guard members spent the past week testing first responders and health care workers for COVID-19 at a testing facility on Chicago’s Northwest Side. It’s the first time the Illinois National Guard has been mobilized to primarily combat a medical issue. The Guard tests 250 people for the virus each day in just a few hours. Read the story.
I am so used to having some kind of deadline; a date by which I need to do something. Most of these deadlines and goals or projects, things I want or need to do, either no longer exist or they exist only in my mind. Well, most things, all the stuff we want or think we have to do; most of this stuff just exists in our minds. But I guess we need to feel like someone or thing needs us to do, whatever. We need to be needed. Maybe that is just me. The hard part is maintaining my daily routine. I shower, brush my teeth, change clothes, do laundry, wash the dishes, and on…. I call people or email them or, WRITE MY ESSAYS! Or whatever this is called. That is probably one reason I do this. I started writing it and now I do not want to stop.
A good friend of mine who is a teacher for elementary school, went in to her school 6:30 this morning to help with distributing iPads, I believe, to parents. She is planning the curriculum, doing what she does very well, teaching her students. She has a whiteboard at home and will be livestreaming I think. When I was in elementary school I loved having little lined writing pads. I used to write with a pencil. I had never heard of a computer yet. How the times change. Anyway so she is navigating doing distant teaching of her students while her high school son does his online learning. She goes for walks. Another friend cares for dogs and cats of others, and drives friends to doctor’s appointments. So many people are doing so many things for someone else.
I see a lot of people walking and running where I live. I no longer run. I walk and I take my dog out sniffing. It is hard for me to stay focused but I keep at it everyday. The exercise and being outdoors helps me a lot. I am starting to formulate a new sort of vegetarian dish. It would not make “Top Chef.” But I have fun fantasizing about it. Other than that, I keep working my part-time grocery store job. Partly, helps me with my bills, and I have explained to some friends and others that I just planned my retirement poorly. No, didn’t do drugs or anything weird. Partly, it does give me a job to do, if I don’t do it someone else has to. Not heroic, just being busy doing something someone needs me to do. Sometimes in the evening the trucks start coming in and I help out unloading because they are often short-handed. Not how I planned my retirement, but it is ok. There is a comradery I feel. I may bs a bit with the driver, ask him how long it takes to drive down from Wisconsin. Then I grab a pallet jack and start unloading pallets. If there is a very heavy one, one of the young guys says no I’ll take it.
So, no intentions of practicing medicine again, but today I received a text message from the State of Illinois about “IllinoisHelps”, a program of registering medical personnel of all kinds for help in an emergency. Like now; or in 1 week; or 2. So, I may be too old, though I could likely do something. I have almost no idea. So I signed up. I never wanted to retire and “sit on the front porch with a glass of wine,” or whatever. I don’t know why. For me the meaning of my life is more and more to go where my soul leads me. I am trusting it. There are many who believe that “The Divine” is within all of us. God, whoever, whatever that might be, within us. So, as my wife was dying of cancer over 13 years ago I began to meditate and pray for guidance for wherever I should go. So, many wonderful things have happened and I have come to know some wonderful people.
I do not know where my soul is going. I am ok with that. As I have said, my beliefs are non-traditional. I think it is all more complicated than some kind of Heaven or Hell. I believe in Reincarnation and the Karma of responsibility for my actions. Ha! I tricked some of you into reading my spiritual stuff again. OK, I am joking and also not. I never know how my blog will turn out. I believe I have a soul and am responsible for it as well as my sister and brother souls, whether or not I like them. So, maybe I will just go on trying to take care of all the details and someday I will remember how bad the epidemic seemed back when. But if I need to do something else I am willing. I am not a hero. I cannot imagine as a firefighter running into a burning building. Or a cop who faces down someone with a gun to save unarmed people. Cannot imagine it. I just try to be true to my soul.
So, people, please, let us all remember what is important. Yes, we should be careful. I am not hoping to die soon. Tomorrow, if I do not die in my sleep, I will be 73! I still enjoy life. But important is where we should go with our lives and how we help those near us, or farther away.
So, Be safe, stay well, believe in the higher powers. We can do this together.
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Just a word about my blog, “Docrambo”. It sounds weird to me and when I told a friend in one of the volunteer organizations in which I participate, she gave me a gentle smile. I think it meant “sounds funny but I think you are a nice person anyway.” It is ok. The name was a nickname I acquired while working at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago, IL. A navy hospital corpsman worked with me in the Pediatric Clinic. He was a bodybuilder and saw that I had some small hand-weights under my desk, which I used at lunch time to keep myself toned. I am anything but a Rambo-type of a guy, but we joked about it. He gave me the nickname.
I have been writing things since I was 15 years-old. I am a retired pediatrician. These are my ideas, experiences and feelings from all those years. They are about being a pediatrician, a doctor, and also about being a father, a spouse, and just a human being.
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