In a tech-savvy world filled with smartphones — in the U.S. alone, 81 percent of people own a smartphone and 13 percent own a mobile phone that’s not a smartphone — you would think that companies would catch up to the technology times. But a conversation with contractors will slowly but surely show consumers that they just have not let up off of traditional payment methods — checks and cash. …

My great great aunt lived to be 100, and I think she was one of the coldest women walking around the planet. Toss a coin, and chances are we were arguing about something — from my high school years straight up until adulthood. But I still enjoyed hanging out with her. After a temporary move, she told me via phone that she felt lonely not being in Chicago anymore. I went to the ballot box that day (for a local election several years ago), filled up my tank and kept on driving until I reached her new home in Flint, Michigan. She was stunned when she saw me on the other side of her door. …

BLACK VOICES IN MARKETING

In a 2020 economy, getting people to buy things that aren’t necessities (i.e. hand sanitizer, soap, toilet tissue, etc.) is going to be quite the task for entrepreneurs and marketing execs in 2021. The global health pandemic has made consumers prioritize their needs more than a few wants. Impulse buys have dwindled over the past year. And certain industries such as retail apparel, restaurants and movies got hit harder than other more essential businesses.

So how are you going to prove yourself to your audience? How can you make them feel like you’re connecting with them? …

“Are her father and brother going to be there?” my friend’s grandmother asked.

I paused over that question, wondering how were my father and brother relevant to me asking my Girl Scout friend come over for a slumber party. I’d had plenty of them growing up, usually with my brother randomly coming in to scare the bejesus out of my friends while wearing a Jason mask and my father trying as much as humanly possible to stay out of the way — minus an offer to cook breakfast. He and my mother would peer into the living room or my bedroom to make sure we were all still breathing. …

I didn’t care about the saga story of Shep, the Labrador Retriever/German Shepherd mutt mix that my mother carried along to our car. My 9-year-old self wanted this dog to be gone. I was unmoved by the way the Black Lab mom chewed his tail to a mangled rope and that he was the only puppy of a basket full who looked like his father — a golden brown and black German Shepherd. That was puppy momma problems that had nothing to do with me.

I didn’t like dogs. My mother knew it. I knew it. And I wanted her to take that abused dog right back to my godparents’ home with his ruthless mother. But my own mother refused to do it. I didn’t understand the appeal of dogs. I was appalled by the delight on her face. I would leap onto our kitchen counter when she let him inside before he could try to rub against my legs. I thought dogs were stupid, and this furry ball always smelled like lemons. …

A home resident sets up surveillance cameras, some of which have lenses pointing at the backyard and back door of a neighbor. The neighbor writes into NOLO inquiring about whether this is an invasion of privacy. It’s a valid question for any homeowner, condo owner and/or renter to ask. State laws largely determine what goes and what doesn’t.

For example, in the State of Illinois, “a person may not videotape another without that person’s consent in a restroom, tanning bed/salon, locker room, changing room or hotel bedroom, or in the other person’s residence.” From one property owner to another, this law is pretty clear. But how does one narrow this down in a multi-unit building where tenants (or owners) can feel like they’re being watched entering and leaving their home — regardless of whether the camera is watching everyone? …

The ringtone on one of my smartphones is Tobe Nwigwe “Try Jesus.” I’m not exactly the first person who will back down from a fight — physically or verbally. I’ve lost a couple, left with an even result and won a few more. I don’t take a whole lot of pride in this; it just is what it is. But when it comes to squaring up verbally and debating, I’m almost always up for the challenge with anyone but MAGA supporters. …