Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and welcome to the latest and greatest episode of the official Dom J radio show. To everybody out there listening, thank you for tuning in, I hope you're social isolation and social distancing, coronavirus distancing, however you want to pray that I hope that's going well, hope you're not out there going stir crazy. I kind of hope you are attempting to though, in the sense of staying inside unless your classified as an essential worker will delve into what that means and how that's impacting everyone still, or you're making that trip to the grocery store. Hey man, if you're not doing those two things, you don't classify for that, get your ass back in the house man.
But in all seriousness, diving into how this has impacted the world on a global scale, it's in so far, it's tribal education, sports, entertainment, everything. I have guests of the show, stopped by and discuss how it's impacting their lives personally, and we dive into everything, all this and much more. So my first guest is a friend that's going to be family in the near future, basically considering her sister-in-law already. My friend Megan, who's in education, the Dean of Students for a charter school in Brooklyn, I had her stopped by because as you know, I'm in education as well, and it's gone virtual.
And you know, trying to make the best out of the situations everywhere for a lot of students, education has gone virtual, school has been canceled through the end of the year effectively. I started out here just in Florida, through the middle of April, then it was schools out to the end of April, and I was basically pushed back in Georgia until I think it's the first of May, so effectively schools out. And so everybody's trying to make the change and crossover to virtual as much as possible. I've been working with my own instructors here, doing my job, trying to make sure they have as much information and resources possible, whether they're using Skype or using FaceTime, or using Zoom or something of that nature.
This isn't an ad for any of those people, by the way. But in our efforts to continue getting education to students in some capacity, I wanted to have another educator I'm discussing how it's impacting her life and her students life. Yeah, so COVID-19 has really impacted how we are educating our scholars. Most of my friends that I know who are educators are all moving towards an online platform, and so really it's putting a lot of ownership on the kids.
I'm in a high school setting, so this is a really good transition for them, especially for my seniors because they'll be having to do a lot of independent work next year. And so I think the biggest impact that COVID-19 has had on me and my life personally is just thinking about how are we really preparing ourselves from when to think out of the box and really push ourselves to the next level, and really consider what we really need and what is kind of like a luxury. Yeah, I think that's a great point as far as level of preparedness and needs versus wants. A pandemic time where any time in general is never a bad opportunity to sort of revisit that and see what can I really live with and what can I live without, but don't want to live without.
Because I think those are two very important points of differentiation, if we will, in what people do essentially during these sorts of occurrences, like I said, for students having to utilize more independence during this time as far as being accountable, especially if you're, like I said, in a high school setting. And from this point forward, mom and dad aren't going to be doing as much oversight as they were doing your pre-K and primary school years as you verge into being a semi-adulgent going off on your undergraduate adventure. So I think that's a great point, especially considering that this is a great opportunity to sort of see for yourself if you're in that age bracket, what do I really need? Can I survive to a certain extent with just these limited things afforded to me, no matter what your social position or might be?
I think this is a great opportunity to sort of embrace that challenge. It's a mental hurdle that I think a lot of people have to keep in mind again as well for students making that adjustment from the classroom to the virtual classroom setting and really still having to stick through with that. That's very, very important during these times. I think the other impact that COVID-19 has had on education is really helping students see how important the classroom setting is.
The way we've been having to do this online platform, a lot of my students have been saying how much they miss the teachers given in the person feedback, being able to just go to office hours and have that one-on-one connection. So I'm hoping that also when we get back, that we'll see a true desire for education in the classroom and less disruptions because they know what it feels like to be without. I think this was a really awesome opportunity that we can get to our scholars to value the luxuries that other people really don't have in this country and around the world. Now that's a real talk.
I think it's a great opportunity for class clowns to realize, you know what, maybe I should stop being a class clown. Or really just disrupting the teacher watching to get this lesson in general. I think like you said, it's odd in the sense that it's making people make adjustments to the 21st century, but then I think it does give those points of clarification as to just how pivotal a role a teacher can play as far as giving that one-on-one instruction at individualized instruction or being that voice to just sort of chit chat or shoot the breeze with on certain things during office hours. That's one of the biggest adjustments I know instructors that I'm working with currently are trying to make and still being able to afford students that sort of one-on-one time to really delve into any interest or what they want to do.
Or things that they may not be able to normally get through the students I feel just for being in person because the sort of vibe feedback you get virtually versus in person are different. But I think like you said, everybody's trying to make this adjustment and this is an opportunity to see still how impactful teachers are in students lives trying to make this sort of customer service experience and learning the best as possible. It doesn't adjust my favorite. Yeah, so just a little background, my demographic is majority black slash African students with a small Latin ex population as well.
Our district kind of in New York anyway mimics that model except for when our schools is mostly Latinx. And so something I'm really, really proud about is we didn't let limits and limitations stop us from serving our kids. We serve underprivileged youth and we were able to distribute laptops, make sure they got internet access and so much support for their families, giving them training as well. And so it really gave us a chance to be on the right side of history on this COVID-19 impact and a lot of other districts have started to mimic that model.
We have the resources so why not share them. It really wanted my heart to hear that. And I think that was also one of the biggest things I was proud of. My two biggest counties here do all the St.
In Jacksonville, once the announcement was made, the classes were going to be virtual. I like that they both followed up with getting laptops and making sure students had internet access as soon as possible. Their morning drop off and pick up areas were converted to still be able to serve families who were using the schools as their free food sources for breakfast and lunch to still be able to come through and get that service throughout this entire duration of the school year. And I think that in addition to the laptops internet access has been things that have won my heart just about living in your own community and seeing which side of history they're going to be on during this coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.
And I think that's one of the best things we can continue to do is change with the times. Just in my own company, we do a lot of worksheet based learning and it's a lot of one on one's two on one sort of learning situations. And I think people have to make that adjustment and understanding. Obviously it's not going to be the same for everybody, but here's how we're going to make learning still available for everybody using online resources as best as possible.
Because like I said, if we have them, why wouldn't we still be using them and affording everybody that opportunity, whether they be underprivileged or not, they should still be having the same collective education experience because we're doing our part to ensure that. Alright, so I now want to be philosophizing and getting all philosophical about things on the podcast, but during this coronavirus time, I definitely believe in Darwinism. And I say that because people are exhibiting those sorts of behaviors that lesser species will be essentially eradicated for when it comes down to handling this whole situation. One of those people in that situation are sort of essentially showing their ignorance, so to speak, have been the people that have been collectively still gathering at beaches during this coronavirus outbreak.
Now here in Florida, they've been having to shut down beaches essentially based on county or city, whatever you want to call it, slowly but surely, before all these people would stop gathering it, it was confusing. Very, very confusing. I was like, wait, how do people think they're able to go to the beach and congregate collectively, because even if you're trying to maintain distance from somebody still collectively going to the same areas, probably more than 10 people presumably at a beach. So you're still having these opportunities to be a spreader or to receive this coronavirus in the middle of being told to be socially distant.
Now you can't go to a beach and be like, you know what, I'm going to be socially distant, that'll be just a very recluse of beach. People don't freak with it, maybe they don't know about it, could get to it, but this isn't that sort of situation because being in the midst of March for the majority of the public's, you know, sort of understanding it and getting this whole pandemic situation that adjustment made, you had spring break. And people wanted that spring break to still be lit, even though they had been being advised to not do so. So you still had Miami Beach being way too populated.
The mayor, contracting the coronavirus in the midst of shutting down the beaches, but because you haven't been able to collectively shut down and travel in the midst of everything, people were still taking big flights to and from this hot spot area, just continuing the mass spread of it. Risky business, bro. Risky business. You had just this week, the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, saying he didn't understand and didn't know that the coronavirus could be spread by asymptomatic people.
And it just recently learned that in the past 48 hours from the time of this recording, which is absurd because this is April 4th. And I knew back in the last episode that aired a few weeks ago, at least three weeks ago, that I could one, have it not know it, or two, be spreading it and not know it, or some sort of combination of that, even though I may not be showing the signs to having it. Until everybody is tested, essentially, you don't know if you're having it and aren't spreading it or just don't have it at all. Why?
Because it's not enough tests. But the National Institute of Health has been saying for weeks, you could not be showing signs and spreading it. For a governor, for the governor of the city in which the CDC is located only a few miles from your public office, for you to not know that the coronavirus could be spread by asymptomatic people. And so just recently, it's a terrible, terrible show of ignorance from the elected officials.
Now, I'm not going to get into all the political business of was he the better choice over Stacey Abrams was there, voter interference. I'm not going to even get into all that, but this to be the elected official. Again, the Georgia elected official governor and the CDC is located less than 15 minutes from your office. But then tonight, no this until last 48 hours again.
I wonder, I wonder is that willful ignorance or is this man just lying to you? Is he just capping on TV or what? Either way, Darwinism in full effects or anybody who's having to be led by that sort of leadership. Now, this is why I would recommend always looking at your own news and so far as I don't know, I'd say the world health organization.int, w-h-o.int, great source of accurate news, roitus.com, great source of global accurate news, the National Institute health website, another great source of accurate news as far as how this whole situation is sort of unraveling before us.
Because again, if this sort of governor within the proximity of so much information is just this willfully ignorant line, imagine your own respect of areas what you could or could not. So I would be remiss if I didn't talk about how I'm going through everything personally, making adjustments to the coronavirus social distance shelter in place situations we're all being confronted with. But I'd have to say I was blessed to already be living a sort of socially distant lifestyle. It's just become even more socially distant since the official shelter in place and safer at home, you know, requests or orders have came down.
And I think it's something that I don't take for granted. Just my own personal preferences, my sort of OCD nature about being a germaphobe, you know, things of that nature have led me to always be careful about touching my face while also being out in public, touching public services, coughing and sneezing, all of that, you know, very conscious about that. Working around kids, being more conscious of that, you know, having family members in the healthcare sector, making even more conscious of that. So, you know, taking into those sorts of mental thoughts I think I've been prepared and okay to cope with these sort of lifestyle changes.
But I understand it can be an adjustment for people who are not people that are used to being out and about on the scene, but still recommending that everybody, you know, get a little fresh air. I'm going to do it with a mask during these times, but get some fresh air. I'll be partially still walking my dog, ride the bike. Socially distant people with problems, because I ain't trying to get ran over or run over nobody.
You know what I'm saying? So, just taking the mental days, even though everybody may be switching to virtual work from home, where possible, you know, I'm still taking my mental days even from doing that. Because people are expecting you to be up to date with all the latest and greatest information technology as it relates to how they're going to keep doing their job in the midst of the Corona back. You know, take mental days when you need them, you know, it's a great time to do some yoga.
Start getting that in when you can, make sure you limber, practice some good breathing techniques, all of that sounds minute, like it might not really make a difference. Doing these sort of mental check hands with yourself, making sure you're in this moment. Okay, might not panic. We good?
We good? All right, cool, cool. You know, those sorts of things, if you're with family and friends, they're going to be around them checking in on them. Obviously, it's never a bad time to do that.
All things considered. You should be doing it even more, maybe, you know. But checking on those that you know, maybe in ISO. Hey, maybe even more isolated.
Good time to check up on those people. Just sharing love and life with everybody. I just want everybody to be safe, man. Everybody come out of this on top where possible, just limiting the spread, you know, limiting the ignorance by finding out, doing your own due diligence, watching your own life.
Doing your own due diligence, watching the news, local coverage in your area, just to be ahead of it. Because, you know, whether you are a fan of the White House administration or not, you have to believe there's a certain amount of information there only finding out, you know, within a certain amount of relative time to what's impacting you in your area. They're doing briefs typically, at least an hour or two after I've been briefed in my own, you know, area by the mayor in the official office here in Jacksonville. So again, people always do your own due diligence.
You want to be knowledgeable in these sorts of situations. I also just want to spend a special, you know, special moment, letting my people back in LA know, hey, you know what I'm saying, y'all stay safe. Warlands is again one of those high spot areas happen to have been blessed. It's been my birthday there and make it, you know, back home safely.
You know, really before this whole Mardi Gras season and tourist season really impacted my travel plan since then I haven't gone anywhere. Since it came back, you know, from the birthday weekend, I haven't gone basically anywhere. But, combination of lifestyle, again, with the potential cross-contamination for people going anywhere, you know, pre-existing conditions has made Warlands one of those high spot areas. So, prayers out for everybody and they'll just be safe to care.
In my special shout out, I wanted to also give this special shout out to anybody working in the healthcare industry. Anybody working in those essential businesses still trying to operate, thank you. Thank you for putting yourself and your health at risk for the service of others. Thank you for continuing to be on those front lines during this time.
I thank you to all the administrative assistants, the janitorial staff, anybody out there exposing themselves during this time for the benefit of others. Thank you for your selflessness. If you're listening, love and light your way, please continue to know that you're right on our thoughts and our prayers. And we wouldn't be here making it through this without you.
Thank you. So, as I said earlier, one of the biggest impacted things going on in the midst of coronavirus has been travel, as I just spoke about, as well as, you know, business operations and things being listed as essential. Now, that's the whole essential classification of what's considered that essential business really depends on where you are and what's your official city office has listed that as I can give you for an example here in Jacksonville. We got the safer at home order this past week, really limiting the scope of what businesses should be hoping for operation for essentially that foreseeable future.
Of course, those obvious things being anything related to health care, public health, the delineation beneath that goes on and on for quite some checkpoints. I went through this with my legal counsel, fiance, a few days ago, just to get clarification on the whole situation. But again, this is going to be dependent on your individual area law enforcement, public safety, first responders, obviously anything delineating beneath that food and agriculture as well. Obviously, a lot involved there, energy, so far as workers supporting the energy sector, energy commodity, trading IT, OT tech, anything under that, the electrical industry, like a lot of different classifications, water, waste, water, transportation, logistics.
So really just finding out this sort of information again from your own local news area, staying up to date on that, public works and infrastructure support services, any number of these. But again, a lot of people are at home, man. A lot of people are at home during this time. If you've been able to work from home, obviously, it's still a blessing making that adjustment.
This is one of those times where we're really going to find out what sort of corporations' morality really is, or the moral codes and the mission statements, just some words on paper. Are you really caring for your community and your employees and trying to make the best out of their situation versus profiting off of this, you know, in the most economical fashion for your business possible. So again, staying up to date, you know, understanding if you don't have to be out, don't be out, and if you are out of what is open, again, checking your local news for the listings of essential businesses, highly, highly recommended. Another entertainment news I'd be remiss fighting delve into are, of course, where's Rihanna segment featured on that P&D party mobile album?
We had a Rihanna feature. She didn't lay down a verse, which is on the hook. Man, but boy, she should know that. She really did.
She really did. Then we had Drake and other entertainment news driving his single, Tissy Slide, which is going to be featured on your TikToks for the foreseeable future, as TikTok has been booming, because people really got nothing else to do with the core of themselves, trying to be anime famous. So, Tissy Slide, if I have to give it as a song out of five stars, I'd probably give it three. I mean, for the visuals, the video of him, you know, going in some sneaky robbery lines in the midst of doing this Tissy Slide, whole chai-slide reinvented Canadian style.
You know, I'm not a huge fan of it. In that sense, I get the play because TikTok is booming. This is something that you're going to see all over the place. So, I mean, obvious business delve there.
But if we're talking music and entertainment, I'm not looking to see your obvious business acumen. I want the album, bro. I want to see you since there's no more young money cash money strictly OBO from here on out. I want to see the finished product name when we get into out in the future, future drop the single called Tycoon.
It's cool future. Sigh. Where is out? What the next, the next future I want to use in that future toxicity in my life right now?
In sports, though, man. Boy, oh boy, was I giving a whole lot of updates since then y'all pretty much everything is canceled. NBA season suspended. We'll see double A canceled all remaining spring and win the championships, including men's and women's basketball tournament.
MLB cancel the remainder of spring training unclear when opening day will happen. At least the two-month delay on it. Then it's just a spin to play. Golfs, first major tournament of the year that masters suspended.
The Boston Marathon, delaying its race until September 14th. The London Marathon, post-home from April 26th to October 14th. The 2020 Invictus Games, post-home. 2020 Olympics, not kicking off in 2020, kicking off in 2021.
But the torture is going to stay in Japan. If I can script that it will not hold the National Spelling Bee a scheduled on May 24th at one, you know, real big nerd spelling bee that ESPN shows on TV with the kids. Can't have that shit right now, bro. It's impacted everything, man.
There's an even bigger list delineating all the cancellations. I didn't get into the race car, you know, the auto industry, any of those things. Everything is canceled right now, bro. You did have some interesting, you know, free agent moves, a lot of free agent moves.
Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Didn't think I'd be saying that ever in life, but here we are. Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Do I think it makes the best team in that division?
No, I'm still getting the edge to the Saints, but the breeze coming back again. I still think that man is cursed. I know Saints fans probably don't appreciate that, but oh no, bro. Seems like he's the one throwing these playoff games away at the last minute, not getting the team over the hump.
Even though the team has been right there each one of these years and he's just getting older every year. But now y'all get time ready to deal with it. No more Cam Newton. Carolina moved on from him and now has Teddy Bridgewater is there.
Quarterback. I think that's a nice placeholder move seeing as how the head coach in Carolina has a long deal. You can use Teddy in the meanwhile while developing and finding his QB of the future. Nice little placeholder glad Teddy is getting paid there as well.
Phillip Rivers is now in Indianapolis cult, which is cool, I guess. I think the cults have some weapons. They do. They have a great offensive line.
They do. Phillip Rivers is a quarterback. I think he'll probably be in the Hall of Fame, but is he a Hall of Famer? For what exactly?
I don't know outside of just accumulating a lot of numbers, playing a lot of years. So there's that. I think the biggest, the biggest sort of situation in sports kind of came out of the Houston, Texas camp with Bill O'Brien, who's head coach and general manager, trading DeAndre Hopkins essentially for a bag of peanuts and a broken by a little broken by the bullshit. For being honest, you had Houston trading DeAndre Hopkins was a reigning three-time all-pro selection for a 2024th round pick running back David Johnson, a second round pick and a fourth round pick.
You didn't even get a first round pick trading a top five receiver in his prime to another team. Let Bill O'Brien tell it. He thought it was a good deal because there was no way they were given Hopkins a raise with three years left on his deal. So he, she felt like he got adequate value from the Arizona Cardinals.
A second round pick, a fourth round pick and an injury prone running back. I mean, hey bro, that man still has his job, so I guess he's doing the right things. Let their own Italian. Interesting move if you ask me, but I mean, hey, we shall see Houston.
I need to finish on watching the Bill O'Brien's gonna keep making moves like this man. Free that man. So jumping into entertainment, let me give you the music for your consideration. As far as rap albums, I'd have to nominate, I was nominated a few probably that currency infinity if you smoke and pine is definitely gonna now win that less EP entitled lifestyles.
And join the Lucas ADHD album. I'm pretty sure I featured all three of those on my Instagram recently. Speaking of Instagram, there's been a lot of, let's say, interesting entertainment going on in so far as people utilizing IG Live to host, you know, playlists, DJ parties, now you got producer battles and artists battles as far as their catalog and things of that nature. So it's been, you know, from the music and entertainment industry which is also one of the industry's biggest impacted by this.
People still continuing to show their creativeness. I think that's been one of the best things that we've been able to see. Because people still trying to find ways to show that passion, giving you that entertainment. That Gambino album, if I had to switch to R&B albums would be, I think, the biggest surprise R&B album that came out of nowhere.
Child is Gambino, album's title 315-20. It keeps giving you that sort of, you know, that experimental donut, love-a-sound that takes some old classic samples and sort of gives them that new twist, you know, similar to that Awakin' My Love sort of vibe. It's the same sort of vibe I got from 315-20. But I think, you know, again, if you're a fan of his, then this is going to sound like similarly, similarly that same sort of sound.
The weekend after hours that P&D Party mobiles and other R&B releases definitely been vibed into, sort of picking your poison and pain and that giving moments to which one you really want to get down with. I think that would be my best three. Definitely the latest three. I know that have been in definitely rotation.
Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, been using all of them. Let's see Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, been watching Amazon Prime, Netflix, been watching Anime with my old ladies, seven seeds. That's a good one, especially considering what's going on. It's like this, you know, the very, very intriguing, intriguing anime given to current events.
Happy and the black list, two other shows I've been catching up on. I know both of those are featured on cable, so you might have already seen them if you've really messed with cable like that. I don't really do cable outside of sports, S.B.U. Marathons and Shark Tank.
So I'm just now catching up on both of those, but I've got to recommend them. Hulu, been watching Dave. Interesting little show with Lil Dickie, who's a rapper and, you know, featuring other rappers, Young Thug, gonna make appearances on the show. Interesting little twist on what might be a representation of how Lil Dickie feels about himself outside of himself in the rap world and that capacity.
So I think it's been a lot of nice entertainment in these last couple weeks that I've been vibing with. But I'd be remiss if I didn't say Resident Peace to a legend. The soulful singer that is, Bill Withers, you know, was the mastermind behind his, like, lean on me. Ain't no sunshine, lovely day, use me up.
All of those, Bill Withers classics, man. Spinning some odd almost 50 years at this point, as far as his hits being still used in music and entertainment. His samples, that use me up sample one of the biggest U.G.K. songs ever in my estimation.
One of my favorites for sure. He passed away at the age of 81, rest in peace with Bill Withers. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the official Dom J Radio Show. It's all the listeners.
Thank you. Thank you for listening on Google, you know, whether you're listening on Spotify or Apple, however you're listening. Thank you for listening. If you'd like to be featured on the show, get in contact with me, you know, work something out with you.
Again, thank you for tuning in to episode 17 of the official Dom J Radio Show, episode 17, ISO Ball. Y'all can see you to stay safe out there drinking water, watch your hands, find your business, and stay tuned to the news. I don't want to hear about it. See any of y'all out there singing the blues, bro.
Stay safe. Peace.