Miami Beach City Manager Offers Recovery Plan to Reopen Restaurants

Yesterday, Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy L. Morales sent a memorandum to members of the city's Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee that outlines what he described as a "Resilient Recovery Plan" for the city, including restaurants.

Morales did not set a schedule, but he based his approach on the White House's recently released Opening Up America Again guidelines and noted that the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington estimates June 8 as the "earliest date that Florida can relax social distancing with containment strategies that include testing, contact tracing, isolation, and limiting gathering size." 

The plan addresses many aspects of daily life, including schools, childcare, transportation, government services, parks, places of worship, community centers, hotels, retail, beaches, entertainment, bars, and restaurants.

Restaurant reopenings would proceed in two phases, according to the memo and accompanying information.

Phase one would allow restaurants to open with outdoor seating only at first, and would request that restaurants consider special hours to accommodate vulnerable populations. In addition, restaurants would operate at 50 percent capacity or require a minimum of six feet of space between tables. Employees would be required to work staggered shifts and wear masks, and hours would be reduced and menus limited. Restaurants would be required to implement measures to prevent servers and bussers to cross-contaminate tables. Establishments with liquor licenses could offer table service, but bars would remain closed to patrons.

Under phase two, restaurants would be allowed to relax social-distancing measures and increase capacity.

Read the full article here.

Record-Breaking Tropical Depression Just Formed in East Pacific

About three weeks before the official start of the East Pacific hurricane season, the first tropical depression of the year has formed and official broken records.

Far to the south and west of Mexico, a tropical low was churrning at the end of this week. On the morning of Saturday, April 25, the low strengthened to become Tropical Depression 1E.

The tropical season for the East Pacific Ocean officially begins on May 15. The start of the tropical season for both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Central Pacific Ocean traditionally gets underway June 1.

"The tropical system was spinning over relatively warm waters, allowing for it to become a tropical depression," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Edwards.

The atmosphere around a tropical low has a significant influence on its chances of developing into a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane. Both warm water and low wind shear are important for a tropical system to strengthen.

There is only a small window of time that Tropical Depression 1E will have access to these favorable conditions.

"The best chance for this system to strengthen, and remain organized is through early Sunday before it moves north into cooler waters and stronger winds," added Edwards. By later Sunday, cooler waters and strong winds are likely to begin weakening the low.

Read the full article here.

Watch Rosalía Cover Frank Ocean, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, and More From Quarantine

Rosalía, like most of us, is finding new ways to stay entertained at home. So, on her Instagram Stories yesterday (April 23), she sang a bunch of her favorite songs, as Billboard notes. Among the tracks Rosalía covered were Frank Ocean’s “Dear April,” Billie Eilish’s “when the party’s over,” Beyoncé’s “Halo,” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now,” and Ariana Grande’s “God is a woman.” Watch her stay-at-home performance below.

Last month, Rosalía shared the new song “Dolerme.” And, in January, she won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album for her sophomore album EL MAL QUERER. She recently told Zane Lowe that she’s “almost done” working on a new song with Billie Eilish.

Revisit Pitchfork’s 2018 Rising interview “Get to Know Rosalía, the Spanish Singer Giving Flamenco’s Age-Old Sound a Bracingly Modern Twist.”

Eminem Launches Love Your DJ Competition

Eminem’s charity the Marshall Mathers Foundation has announced a new competition for DJs based in Michigan. The Love Your DJ contest allows DJs to submit their mixes for a chance to have their mix air on Eminem’s SiriusXM channel Shade45. The first 500 qualified entries—in accordance with the rules—will also receive a cash prize of $313 (the specific number being a nod to the Detroit area code). Fifteen grand prize winners will then be selected from the first 500 entries by a panel of judges from Shady Records. Those 15 winners will have their mix played on Shade45. Submissions can be made here until April 29 at 12 p.m. Eastern.

According to press materials, mixes will be judged on sound quality, originality, and texture. Winners’ mixes will be played starting May 2 during Shade45’s “Love Your DJ Mixshow Takeover,” hosted by Eminem. The competition is an attempt to offer support and opportunity to Michigan DJs financially affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Eminem’s Marshall Mathers Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to assisting disadvantaged and at-risk youth primarily in Detroit, Michigan and its surrounding communities.

Read about Eminem in Pitchfork’s “The Year in Protest Music 2017.”
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GRAMMY-Nominated Producer “Khao” Cates Offers Educational Resources to K-12 Students for Distance Learning

GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum music producer Dr. Kevin “Khao” Cates pushed pause at the height of his music career in 2008 to create a 501c3 organization that creates engaging educational material for at-risk K-12 students. In light of schools having to close due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Cates has converted his school-based learning to online-based learning as a way to help students stay on track with their studies along with keeping their mental health on track.

The two programs – Bridge Da Gap and KOOLriculum – are already embedded into hundreds of schools across the U.S. and the Bahamas.

Bridge DA Gap – Geared for 6th-12th graders, this program utilizes music to provide solutions for youth through music, education and other resources by combining hip-hop music, education and mentoring. Bridge Da Gap addresses issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, the loss of loved ones and violence. As well as helping opening and establishing lines of communications between the parents and their children. Bridge Da Gap is taught via video by actress and board member Meagan Good and Cates. The program has gained numerous notable endorsements from individuals such as Dr. Ben Carson, Kevin Hart, Ludacris, Nipsey Hustle, Queen Naija, John Paul DeJoria, Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and Gabrielle Union among others.

KOOLriculum – Geared for pre-K-12th graders, this program is an innovative, technology-driven curricular approach that teaches core English, math, science and social studies to K-12 students. All of the songs follow standards and grade requirements. There is also an online program for pre-K children to learn phonics and numbers quickly and properly. KOOLriculum consists of more than 600 songs and videos that teach math, science, social studies, and ELA through hip hop music aligned to common core, national, and state standards. Students are able to login, select their grade level, subject and search for topics that they have to learn.

“As a father of three students, I know firsthand that the Coronavirus has made schooling difficult right now for students of all ages and their parents; however, it’s my hope that students will maximize their time at home to focus on learning important school subjects and life lessons,” said Cates. “I believe that the KOOLriculum can serve as an amazing online resource for younger students to remain on the right path with their core curriculum, while Bridge Da Gap helps older students stay mentally fit and on track during this uncertain time.”

Cates has sold more than 30 million records and is known for revolutionary tracks from the likes of T.I., Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Lil’ Wayne and many more.

They are now both available for online subscriptions at $14.99 a month for homework assistance and edutainment. For more information about Bridge DA Gap, please visit www.bridgedagap.com. For more information about KOOLriculum, please visit www.KOOLriculum.com.