I have been subscribing to ATL magazine on and off for over 35 years. This year's magazine is by…read morefar the worst publication. October 2019 has 74 full page ads out of 138 pages. This is not counting 1/2 or 1/4 pages ads. There is NOTHING to read. The ATL is such a great place to live, it's an embarrassment that this is what represents the city.

Depending on the month's featured topic, I like this magazine. A lot of the articles (picking out…read moreschools for your kids?) aren't relevant to me right now, but it's a great general magazine. And thanks to a friend that clued me in on the fact that a yearly subscription is only $12, sign me up! Buying it off of the newsstand will run you $4.95 for a single issue!

For R&B oldies but goodies listen to Classic Soul 102.5 Fm. Classic Soul is home of the highly…read moreacclaimed and nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning show as well as the Michael Baisden show which airs 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Both shows air Monday through Friday and showcase classic hits from the seventies, eighties, nineties as well as new school hits along with entertaining commentary. During the late morning and early afternoon Michael Eric Dyson and Al Sharpton are on talking politics and Simon Baby is on every night. I just love hearing old school Luther, Patty, LeVert, India Arie, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and so many more. Classic Soul 102.5 WAMJ-Fm is a Radio One Station. For other on air personalities, events, contest, play lists and content, visit www.classicsoul1025.com.

Did Steve Harvey Predict Occupy Wall Street?…read more In 2005, I had the pleasure of ending a 3-year contract with the King of Comedy, Steve Harvey. It was a pleasure to serve a man that was more profound than the persona he portrayed. My daily routine two weeks each month began at 2:30 a.m. with a drive to my small café in Bedford, Texas, to gather the linens, china, glassware, portable cooking devices and any other special requests by Mr. Harvey to complete his daily breakfast and lunch meals. In the first six months of my employment with Steve Harvey, I would listen to his morning inspirations speeches as I prepared everything from egg white omelets and T-Bone steaks, to hearty oatmeal, fish and grits. He never could remember my name and I never looked at him as a celebrity. To me, he was just Steve, the man that loved his wife, cherished his children and longed for his mother. One morning, Steve started his show by giving advice on finance. I listened carefully because of my constant need to make ends meet as a small business owner. He told his audience that if they wanted a long-term relationship with a bank to find a small branch in the middle of nowhere or a small credit union, because they treat you better. He said they have personalized service and sometimes you would probably see the bank president. He told a story of how he put his money in a small suburban bank outside Dallas Texas. I never forgot his advice. It's now 2011, and people are occupying Wall Street, banks are corrupt, the economy is going down the tubes and Americans are frustrated. In 2007, when Steve left Texas in pursuit of bigger and better things, I began federal contracting. To my surprise, after only 90 days in the process, I received my first government contract. To no avail, I went from bank to bank looking to secure funding. Although I passed the initial interviews and analysis, and had a government contract in hand, my request was still denied. Reluctantly, I headed to Washington, DC. to satisfy the terms of my contract and remain in good standing with the federal government. To survive, I borrowed money from friends and family and sold items on eBay. I refused to allow the poor lending practices of big banks to deter my entrepreneurial dreams. Recently I decided to leave Chase, Capital One and Citi because they acted poorly in overseeing my financial future. I thought an average balance of $25K and a half-million in sales would at least warrant me a dedicated banking officer. I was wrong. Today, I bank with Cornerstone Credit Union in Lancaster Texas. They were ecstatic that a defense contractor was moving to their bank. My decision to move to a smaller bank was based solely upon the advice that Steve Harvey gave his listeners years ago--patron small banks because the big banks are not willing to work with businesses who make 70 percent of the jobs in the US. Thank you Steve Harvey for showing me how to grow my business. It's comforting to know that despite your wealth, you support small businesses! Until next time Chow-baby! Chef Tonne Khabir Chef, entrepreneur, small business advocate

Hulk friend let Hulk review today. Sunday Paper makes Hulk ANGRY. Too square to be edgy, too…read moreintown to please squares, Hulk no want to read. Puny syndicated columnists that Sunday Paper print not to Hulk's liking. Hulk gives credit to SP for carrying both "liberal" and "conservative" columnists, but Hulk tired of seeing usual suspects given column inches. Local columnists not much better, with attempts at humor decidedly forced. ARRRRR! Hulk SMASH lame selection! Maybe Hulk not smash puny Sunday Paper. It not fair to hound SP like army always hounding Hulk. Hulk not understand target demo for Sunday Paper. Maybe because Hulk not intown female between ages of 18-35 like Hulk's girlfriend Betty Ross. Hulk ask Betty about Sunday Paper. Maybe she help Hulk understand SP's mix of local articles which somehow manages to be simultaneously tedious and pedantic--like stupid Banner! Hulk HATES puny Banner! Sunday Paper makes Hulk angry and the madder Hulk gets, the STRONGER he gets! ARRRRR!

Oh, how appropriate...it's Sunday…read more I had some hope that this would be a consistantly decent weekly publication when it first came out about 3 or so years ago. I'll admit that while I enjoy Creative Loafing, sometimes it too damn hip for it's own good and I have absolutely no idea about half the subject matter in some issues. It's the journalistic equivalent of a trip to a pretentious record shop. You can also count on CL to lean to the left on almost everything, which I have no problem with. I thought The SP would bring a more fair and balanced(heh) viewpoint on issues that affect Atlantans. Sadly, this paper has turned into not much more than a local tabloid. Here's the formula: Run story on an issue that's loaded with hysteria and has little relevance to the average reader's life and milk it for all it's worth(ex. this week's story on "Hooker School"). Run a weekly story on the same small circle of Atlanta celebrities that are constantly having their ass kissed by local media(Usher, Andre 3000, Ludacris, Jane Fonda, Ted Turner). "Discover" the new trends months after they've become old news in other publications. I will give this pub some credit for at least having a sports section, although it's not particularly thorough. I will agree that this paper does have an identity crisis. It wants to appeal to the trendy and fashionable while at the same time cover local issues. I will say that it fails miserably in presenting issues that matter to Atlantans in an in-depth way. Whatever news story that has the most shock value, as opposed to actual value, at press time is bound to be the cover story. SP is always parading the pathetically short list of Atlanta A-Listers. These celebrities, if they were ever much to celebrate, fade quickly. It's the nature of the beast. Are these people even relevant in their respective fields anymore? So an opportunity to be more than advertising space and mindless reactionary news is wasted. Don't expect this publication to make you think.

Here is what is great about Creative Loafing. Not only is it a great weekly, but they do giveaways…read morequite often and you have to go down to the office to pick up the passes. The staff is always super friendly and they have a little sitting area with plenty of magazines to peruse while you wait. I will say that the address is deceiving as it is an 18th street address, but the office doors are actually on Market street (hiding behind H&M).

Came by with the beau early last week to pick up some tickets for The Great Gatsby in 3D. Before…read morethis, I did not know that CL headquarters was right in Atlantic Station. The general location was easy to find, as it is marked on the directories. The more difficult part was trying to locate an open door to actually go inside to access the elevator to the second floor. Just a hint, depending on where you're coming from, we had to walk through the alley between H&M and Z Gallerie. Once we arrived, the elevator opened up right to the waiting area with a couch and some other seating. The staff is friendly and one particular lady was keeping tabs as to who was arriving and took a mental note on the order. When enough people came, she gave out tickets to those who came first. I've always been a fan of their publications and their giveaways are great!

The Creative Loafing of Atlanta sports, but without ads for massage services and call girls on the…read moreback page. This free publication focuses on sports of all types and levels in the Atlanta area. If you're looking for an alternative to the AJC sports section, than here's your move. It's got high school, amateur, college, and pro sports all under one roof. There are articles by lots of the sports talk radio and television personalities as well as the staff writers. Good coverage of local sports, and it's available at tons of places all over the metro area. The website is pretty spare, basically just information on where you can pick up the print copy and some pdf's of older issues. But you can't argue with free...