Thrill of the Hunt

The store became one of my ‘go to’ spots in the area. Some have frowned upon outlet stores. They gawked, “Those are last seasons’ clothes” or “I do not like to hunt for anything.” The key is purchasing items that are not too trendy. I only buy classic looks. And as far as hunting, most of the outlets that I have encountered since then are displayed and arranged just as well, if not better than the ‘regular’ store. So what if my Gucci sunglasses hit the runway in the fall of 2007, I purchased it in the fall of 2008 for less than half price. Yes I said Gucci! Names like Diane von Furstenberg, Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Balenciaga, Escada, Fendi, Prada, and Dior will make your mouth water.

Chelsea Premium Outlets

Tanger Outlets

Soul Food

By Diaz Allen

Unless you have lived under a rock since 1926, you know that February is Black History Month. I know, I know, we should celebrate being of color every day. Many do. In these hard economic times we need to be more creative with our leisure time. For many the days of traveling to Disney World and Six Flags are over. We need to take the time now to pull our children away from the video game systems we charged on our credit cards and educate them about who they are. There are many museums and galleries right under our noses that hold a world of knowledge for our families. Remember when you said the last election showed you that it is a new day in America? Well now is the time to prove it. If we do not appreciate where we come from and what we have been through, how can we be appreciative of our blessings in the future?

Here is a short list of facilities that may be of interest to you in February and every month thereafter. Most major cities have something similar waiting for you.

African American Museum in Philadelphia

701 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

215-574-0380

California African American Museum

600 State Drive

Exposition Park

Los Angeles, CA 90037

213-744-7432

African American Cultural Complex

119 Sunnybrook Road

Raleigh, NC 27610

919-250-9336

African American Museum of Nassau County

110 North Franklin Street

Hempstead, NY 11500

516-572-0730 Photo Courtesy of Greensboro News & Record

DuSable Museum of African American History

740 E. 56^th Place

Chicago, IL 60637

773-947-0600

African American Museum Dallas, Texas

3536 Grand Avenue

Dallas Fair Park

Dallas, TX 75315

214-219-2049

FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE PRICE

Location: Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE ( Lenox Rd.) Atlanta, GA 30326

CREDIT 101

By Diaz Allen

FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) has created the best-known and most widely used credit score model. The FICO score is calculated based on information from a consumer's credit files. This score is used in credit decisions made by banks and other institutions for secured and unsecured credit. A FICO score is between 300 and 850, with 60% of the population between 650 and 799. The higher your FICO score, the lower your chances of credit denial, higher interest rates, requested collateral, or income and asset verification. Scores are often used to determine rates for auto and homeowner's insurance. Some agencies that generate credit scores have been generating specialized insurance scores, which insurance companies will use to rate the quality of potential customers. Some companies request permission from job applicants to run a credit check as part of their application process. The information can be used as an indicator of an applicant’s level of financial responsibility. Applicants have rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and are not required to consent to the credit check.