The Student Government Association at Harold Washington College sponsored a Stop The Violence forum today for students to participate in due to the escalation of shootings in the Chicago area. According Latonya Vargas,  Vice President of the S.G.A., 247 people were wounded or shot in Chicago between May 26th, and September 1st (Memorial Day and Labor Day.) This was more than double the amount of U.S. military soldiers that were wounded or shot in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. Harold Washington College S.G.A. President Marina Uribe and Vice President Latonya Vargas Harold Washington students voice their opinions on the root of this epidemic problem to providing some solutions on how to combat it as well. One female student said she witnessed an older woman get “beat down” on the C.T.A.’s  69th street Red Line stop because of the … Read entire article »

Today I wanted to start expressing my gratitude, thanks and give praise to HIM which all blessings come from. I thought it would be a good idea to return to the church organization that I was baptized with fourteen years ago; The Chicago Church of Christ (I was actually baptized with the L.A. Church of Christ.)  Upon entering the I.I.T. campus auditorium where service was being held, I felt a sense of completeness that I have never felt before. I finally knew, without question, why I was attending church. Today, like no other day, there was a purpose. To give thanks for the many blessings I’ve received. Especially the wisdom and understanding of gratitude I that was bestowed upon me earlier this week. Service started off just as it did over a decade ago. First with a few songs of praise. Next would … Read entire article »

Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude. Having received one gift from God, they cut the wires which connect them with Him by failing to make acknowledgment. It is easy to understand that the nearer we live to the source of wealth, the more wealth we shall receive; and it is easy also to understand that the soul that is always grateful lives in closer touch with God than the one which never looks to Him in thankful acknowledgment. - The Science of Success – The Secret to Getting What You Want – Wallace D. Wattles I can’t seem to remember any book on creating wealth I’ve ever read, or church sermon I’ve ever listened to explain the concept of gratitude … Read entire article »

Ok, I admit it. Maybe it was a bit extreme. But how else could I get the attention of the thousands of people who walk to work like robots and carry such gloomy faces on Monday morning? I did make a few people laugh with my Jason mask during the Chicago downtown morning rush hour. I was standing in the middle of the block on Washington Ave, between Wabash and Michigan as people exited the Metra Station on Washington. Unfortunately for me, someone had the Monday morning blues and didn’t find my attire to be the least bit funny. This wonderful samaritan notified a Chicago Police officer regarding the fright that I placed on them as they walked past me this morning. A motorcycle Chicago police officer, backed his bike up to read the sign I was holding … Read entire article »

Chicago attracts some amazing talented people to the city. Attending the smARTshow on a warm but rainy Saturday night helped validate my theory. On the corner of North , Milwaukee an Damen Avenue houses over three dozen working Chicago artist from around the world. And that night, I became officially anointed by the artist spirit. The first artist’s work that moved me was Jeffrey Baumgartner. Jeffrey was introduced to the world of painting as an actor four years ago. Working on a very long production, he decided to take a painting class. Inspired by the woman’s figure, this twenty-five year professional actor has now masterfully added drawing and oil painting to his portfolio of talents. Jeffrey Baumgartner stands in front of his art exhibit. The next Flat Iron art resident that touched me was Lidoska Guietti. An … Read entire article »

When I walked outside to run this morning, I immediately noticed the overcast of clouds that covered the sky. I didn’t need to look at the weather channel to predict rain today. That would change my day’s plan to sell StreetWise. As I came in from my morning jog, I thought… What if I dedicated the four hours I was going to be standing on the streets of downtown today to my new network marketing business? That idea lead to me fully committing to working at least four hours a day to building my GBG business. What’s interesting is the work I did today is no different than the work I did for my former company. For four hours, I researched prospects, cold called and put into a communiaction system that included an email and putting into my calender a follow-up call. After finishing my new part-time business, I left to go to … Read entire article »

The Extra Income Guide Blog is promoting a contest.  The Prizes are as follows: Prizes : 1 – Grand Prize – 8 gb Apple Ipod touch 1 – Second Prize – $150 Visa Gift Card 1 – Third Prize – $75 Visa Gift Card 8 – Weekly Prizes – Choice of : 5000 Entrecard Credits or $10.00 deposited into your PayPal account. Rules and Conditions : When signing up for any programs or products you must use the sponsored links associated with those programs.  There are thirty chances to enter this contest and the Grand Prize winner will be drawn on Oct. 3.  The Entries must be in by Sept. 31.  If any programs are entered a comment with the explanation of completion of entry must be written.  All Prizes will be awarded/mailed by 15 Oct. … Read entire article »

It appears that bloggers seem to be holding a lot of online contest for their blog. Subscribe to their blog, write a post and a comment and you could Win!!! Since I’m looking for alternative ways to earn a living, spending a 1/2 hour doing a post about a blogger’s online contest would pay me 10 times what I would make selling StreetWise. For the next thirty days, I’ll enter a minimum of one online contest and track the results to see if it is worth my time. 1st Contest Bloganol is holding an online contest to win $25.00 and 1000 EntreCard credits. There are three simple rules to enter. Write a post about the contest in your blog (50 points) Subscribe to his feed via email (30 points) and mention your subscribed email i.d. in comment. Leave … Read entire article »

The Dream I knew at an early age I was creative and had a wild imagination. My step-father introduced me to the world of music which I fell in love with. My mother introduced me to the world of art. I fell in love with that too. I used to dream of being able to play guitar for a living. I just didn’t know how that could be done. And no one provide me with an answer to how. From the time I left the wings of my step-father, I’ve been introduced to many forms of art. Adam Remson, my first editor of my short-lived four issue music publication called Music Contacts introduced me to writing. At Harold Washington College, my photography teacher, Jane Regan introduced me to the world of taking photographs. These were moments of … Read entire article »

Since I’ve started my art drawing class at school, I’ve been accumalating quite a few sketches. I thought I would include them as a part of my blog. Water Bottle Candle Holder Work Cap … Read entire article »