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Do you have a black business in Atlanta? If so, Google is doing what it can to amplify your business on its platform with several initiatives.
The company recently announced that black businesses with a verified Business Profile on Google can add a Black-owned business attribute to so that customers looking to support such firms can more easily find them.
Google Makes It Easier To Find Black Businesses In Atlanta
The move is part of a partnership with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., which has made it a mission to address the needs of local black businesses.
Meanwhile, Google’s first U.S.-based accelerator program has some Atlanta representation as well.
Jewel Burks Solomon, who leads Google for Startups in the United States has announced that Atlanta-based TQIntelligence has been selected to participate in the Google for Startups Accelerator: Black Founders.
The accelerator program aims to support the technical and business development issues that typically plague startups.
“Google has been active in the Atlanta community for over a decade, and during that time, we’ve watched as the city has become a hub for diverse founders to succeed,” Jason Scott, Head of Developer Ecosystem in the U.S., said in a statement. “As a Georgia native, I am extremely proud of Google for Startups’s ties to Atlanta, and we’re so excited to have TQIntelligence and their founder Dr. Yared Alemu as a part of our first Google for Startups Accelerator: Black Founders cohort.”
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Google has stepped up big-time for communities in Atlanta as well as around the nation.
The Silicon Valley tech giant recently launched an initiative that takes advantage of Google Career Certificates, which equip participants with the essential skills they need to get a job.
The certificates will be available online on the learning platform Coursera and will focus on Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design.
Want to know and do more? Here’s How To Support Black Business Near You
If you’re in the mood for a more finished product on your plate, check out our Atlanta Soul Food Guide.
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Biltong Bar’s Butcher and Bottle Shop, a South African-inspired pop-up shop, is set to open on Wednesday, July 29 at Biltong Bar Ponce City Market.
When Does Biltong Bar’s Butcher And Bottle Shop Open?
The pop-up shop will subsequently open on Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m in the popular Ponce City Market food hall.
If you’re not familiar with Biltong Bar, it’s a South African-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar specializing in dry-aged beef jerky.
The Butcher and Bottle Shop comes to us via a Biltong partnership withHalpern’s Steak and Seafood.
What’s On Biltong Butcher And Bottle Shop’s Menu?
The types of dishes available at Biltong’s Butcher and Bottle Shop include the following:
- House-made biltong (South African beef jerky)
- Cases of select cuts of steak, including Cowboy Ribeyes and Black Wagyu Filets from Halpern’s
When it comes to beverages, the pop-up Bottle Shop will feature some of Biltong’s best-selling cocktails and an exclusive list of South African wines and top-shelf pours, including:
- Willett Family Estate 4yr Rye
- Jim Beam Distiller’s Masterpiece Bourbon
- Reserve de la Familia Extra Anejo Tequila
Bottled cocktails that are currently available to go from the restaurant’s acclaimed cocktail menu. Here is the Biltong Bar Butcher and Bottle Shop Full Menu, which is subject to change based on availability.
Biltong Bar at Ponce City Market, which opened in 2016, is part of restaurateur and South African native Justin Anthony’s hospitality group True Story Brands.
Only in Atlanta can the casual observer find specialty food shops, off-the-beaten-path restaurants, farmers’ markets and farm stands all at an affordable price point.
But Atlanta also has trendy restaurants, pop-ups and time-tested landmarks that continue to draw big crowds.
Metro Atlanta’s food and drink scene continues to grow with no stops on the horizon. Ready to try something new?
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If you know very little about Atlanta, chances are, that you’re aware of the city’s moniker as a strip club capital. It may not be like it used to be (not like Waffle Houses on nearly every corner), but when it comes to Atlanta strip clubs there’s still plenty of them.
The Blue Flame, Magic City, Strokers, etc. They’re all part of the Atlanta booty-shaking matrix that sips a sizeable part of the city working man’s disposable income.
If you’re looking for things to do in Atlanta, a strip club is definitely an option. In this article, we’re going to discuss five things to know about being inside a strip club.
1. What’s It Like Inside An Atlanta Strip Club?
Why Atlanta strip clubs, you ask? In a word, money. The global strip club industry was estimated at more than $100 billion in 2018. The U.S. industry was estimated to be pass $5 billion, making up nearly 30% of the gross revenue in legal adult entertainment.
Strip clubs have long been demure places of ill repute, known to entrap the weak minded with vice. But that all changed due to hip-hop culture, which trumpeted the strip club as a gathering place for the city’s elite ballers, players, athletes and more.
2. How Many Strip Clubs Does Atlanta Have?
Atlanta has about 20 strip clubs in and around its city limits. Some have been around for more than 40 years (the Clermont) and others have closed and reopened under different names in different parts of town.
The city may be home to many strip clubs, but according to some figures there are more than 2,500 strip clubs in the United States.
3. What Was The First Strip Club To Open In Atlanta?
The earliest strip club mentioned in Atlanta may have arisen some time around Prohibition. That’s when Speakeasys and other dank rooms of vice popped up around the country. They originated from 19th century France, where Parisian shows such as the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergère featured pretty women partially nude dancing in front of big crowds.
Atlanta’s longest continually operated strip club is the Clermont Lounge, which traces its history back to 1965. That was dead in the middle of the civil rights movement when a push for equality spilled over into the city’s lunch counters, hotels and transit service.
4. How Much Do Atlanta Strip Clubs Charge?
Most Atlanta strip clubs charge a nominal fee for entry, even as low as $5 during the daylight hours. The business model revolves heavily around upselling the patron on other elements such as VIP Rooms and extra features.
But here’s the thing to know about costs to get into an Atlanta strip club:
- Many of them are free before 5 p.m.
- Lapdances during the daytime will typically be at a 50% discount
Once the nighttime comes, Atlanta’s strip clubs can charge upwards of $20 for admission, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
You may be interested in building your own strip club setup at your home. The ingredients aren’t hard to attain.
5. How To Make Your Own DIY Strip Club Setup
If you’ve got a large basement or extra room, here is what you need for your own make-it-rain DIY strip club:
After you buy the equipment, all you’ll need are some dancers. We’ll leave that part up to you!
Explore Atlanta At Your Own Pace
First, to find all the good things happening in the city this week, all you have to do is take a look at downtown Atlanta. That’s where some of the best restaurants are as well as where the visitors, namely tourists, are. Downtown Atlanta or Midtown often has something cool going on!
Are you a beer drinker? You also may want to visit to a craft brewery in the city.
Check out these events in Atlanta today and this week and this weekend:
- For a month’s view: The Official Atlanta Events Calendar
- For a more immediate look, check Things to do in Atlanta This Week
Here are more articles from AtlantaFi.com:
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms have discussed settling the lawsuit he has filed against her.
Bottoms told The Tonight Show that she and Kemp have had some productive talks of late.
“We discussed where we disagree and hopefully we can figure out how to agree to disagree without having to play this out in court. At the end of the day, we want the same thing: We want people to be safe. We want to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she said on the show.
Things got heated between two of Georgia’s most high-profile political leaders when Bottoms tweeted Sunday that Kemp had as for an emergency injunction to “restrain” her from speaking to the media.
Bottoms’ national profile has risen dramatically over the last three months as she has appeared on big TV news shows repeatedly amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to being sued over a mask mandate and voluntary advisory guidelines on COVID-19, Governor Kemp has asked for an emergency injunction to ‘restrain’ me from issuing press statements and speaking to the press. Far more have sacrificed too much more for me to be silent,” she tweeted.
The move comes one week after Kemp filed a lawsuit against Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council related to their mandate requiring residents and visitors to the city to wear masks.
In addition to being sued over a mask mandate and voluntary advisory guidelines on COVID-19, @GovKemp has asked for an emergency injunction to “restrain” me from issuing press statements and speaking to the press. Far more have sacrificed too much more for me to be silent. pic.twitter.com/gWlnZlCtoR
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 19, 2020
Meanwhile the city of Atlanta has rolled back to Phase 1 of the COVID-19 reopening plan, according to an order issued by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The mayor is doing what she can to stem the rise of coronavirus in the city despite a hostile reception from the governor and others outside the state’s largest city.
Phase 1 is the initial plan issued by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
For individuals, it means they must:
- Stay at home except for essential trips
- Wear masks or face coverings in public
- Wash your hands frequently
- Practice social distancing
For Businesses, here’s what Phase 1 means:
- To-go and delivery orders only for restaurants
- Teleworking for employees that are able
- Frequent cleaning of public places and spaces
For City Government, Phase 1 means:
- Closure of all non-essential city facilities
- Moratorium on special event applications
In response to Atlanta’s actions, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted that the new rules were just “guidance.”
“Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms’ action today is merely guidance – both non-binding and legally unenforceable. As clearly stated in my executive orders, no local action can be more or less restrictive, and that rule applies statewide,” Kemp tweeted.
“If the Mayor actually wants to flatten the curve in Atlanta, she should start enforcing state restrictions, which she has failed to do.
We ask citizens and businesses alike to comply with the terms of Executive Order 06.29.20.02, which was crafted in conjunction with state public health officials. These common-sense measures will help protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians,” Kemp went on to say.
The development comes days after Bottoms tested positive for coronavirus, along with some members of her family.
At the time, she also instituted a public mask policy for Atlanta residents and visitors.
“We will continue to take active measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 infections in Atlanta,” said Mayor Bottoms said in a press release. “Public health experts overwhelmingly agree that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this sometimes deadly virus.”
Meanwhile, Georgia officials are being accused of messing with the COVID-19 numbers to make it look like the cases aren’t rising exponentially.
In just 15 days the total number of #COVID19 cases in Georgia is up 49%, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the state’s data visualization map of cases. The first map is July 2. The second is today. Do you see a 50% case increase? Can you spot how they’re hiding it? 1/ pic.twitter.com/wAgFRmtrPk
— Georgia Person (@andishehnouraee) July 17, 2020
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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If you’re working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, things can get a bit boring around the house. While you don’t want to liven things up too much with extra noise, some relaxing sounds and images can do wonders while you work.
The key to a relaxing video is two-fold:
- You don’t want images, videos to be so mesmerizing that you can’t concentrate on your work.
- You don’t want the videos or music accompanying it to be so loud that you can’t focus.
Here are 10 relaxing videos to play in your home office.
1. Relaxing Tropical Island
2. Birds Singing By The Lake
3. Beautiful Scenes Of Nature
4. Relaxing Farm Village
5. Satisfying Rain And Thunder
6. Relaxing City Park
7. Relaxing Nature Preserve
8. Gentle Rain And Native American Flutes
9. Relaxing Sounds And Underwater Scenes
10. Dance Of Life: Relaxing Music
Bonus (For Star Wars Fans)
It’s no secret that women are ruling the world. In fact Beyonce tried to tell y’all that some years ago. Today they make up the #1 entrepreneurs in 50 of the biggest cities in America. From femtech to beauty products, women have their hands on the pulse.
If you want to keep abreast of the latest lifestyle news, subscribe to AtlantaFi.com’s newsletter.More Articles From AtlantaFi:
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One of the biggest news events in Atlanta’s history occurred in 1996. That’s the year Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games.
The city was awarded The Games six years earlier and had built and remodeled extensively. Then the bombing happened. This article is going to clear up one and for all who did the bombing.
Who Did The Atlanta Olympic Bombing In 1996?
Who Was Killed In The Atlanta Olympic Bombing?
The Olympic bombing in Atlanta happened on Saturday, July 27, 1996. While scores of people wee injured, two people are officially determined as having been killed in the Olympic bombing.
- Alice Hawthorne: The 44-year-old woman from Albany, Georgia suffered injuries from the blast in Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.
- Melih Uzunyol, a cameraman from Turkey, died from a heart attack attributed to the event moments after the explosion.
Intense media coverage
Who Committed The Atlanta Olympic Bombing?
Intense pressure was on federal officials to name a suspect in the bombing. Meanwhile, the media had begun doing vignettes of local heroes who had acted swiftly during the bombing.
Three days after the event, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named a security guard — Richard Jewell as — as a suspect in the bombing. Jewell had earlier been mentioned as a hero for his fast actions in discovering a mysterious backpack.
He had maintained his innocence after a media frenzy swarmed his home and everywhere he lived for three months.
In October 1996, the FBI said that Jewel was no longer a suspect. By that time, federal officials had turned their attention to white supremacist groups.
Jewell sued several media outlets, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and NBC, settling with both.
The following February, Eric Rudolph, 29, is named a suspect by federal authorities. Also a suspect in the bombing of an abortion clinic in Alabama, Rudolph began to draw heavy media attention.
The FBI said that it was Rudolph who made two anonymous 911 calls 30 minutes before the bombing in Centennial Olympic Park.
Where Is Eric Rudolph Now?
Rudolph has been in federal prison for more than 20 years. Today he remains locked up behind bars at the ADX Florence Supermax prison near Florence, Colorado.Richard Jewell died 11 years after the bombing on August 29, 2007. He had been having complications due to diabetes. He was 44 years old.Atlanta has a lot of inspirational people and AtlantaFi.com is going to introduce you to many of them as well as cool places to go, great restaurants and other ATL happenings.
Got an event or know of something opening in and around Atlanta? Holla: CJ@AtlantaFi.com. See what’s poppin’ in the ATL! Subscribe to our news alerts here, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
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If you are an Uber driver, independent contractor, starving artist or another kind of freelancer, you probably could use $1,000 right now, especially with the coronavirus pandemic still wreaking havoc.
Are You A Gig Worker? Here’s How To Get a $1,000 Forgiveable Loan
The U.S. government is still offering freelance workers up to $1,000 as part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) distributed by the Small Business Administration.
The EIDL is called a loan, but works more like a grant in that it is forgiveable and you don’t have to repay it.
What Are The Requirements?
As for as eligibility, here is what you need..
- You must be a small business owner or have a qualified agricultural business in the United States or its territories.
- are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to Coronavirus (COVID-19).
- You must also state your name, address and other basic business information
How To Apply
To apply for an EIDL loan, fill out this application for Disaster Loan Assistance.
Although you face a perjury charge if you’re not truthful on your application, you don’t even have to be directly affected by the pandemic to get the loan.
Are you a small business owner? Here are some grants you should apply for.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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Google is doing what it can to create jobs to underrepresented communities in Georgia and other places. The tech company announced three new Google Career Certificates in high-demand, high-paying fields, including:
- Data Analytics
- Project Management
- User Experience (UX) Design
Google Announces Programs To Help Underserved Communities
The initiative is all part of the Grow with Google economic opportunity program, which we previously wrote about.
With so many people out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Google Career Certificates will equip participants with the essential skills they need to get a job.
The certificates will be available online on the learning platform Coursera and will focus on Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design.
Applicants don’t need a degree to enroll.
Along with the certificates, Google says it will fund 100,000 need-based scholarships for those enrolled in any of these Career Certificate programs.
The good news is that Google will consider all of its Career Certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for applicable roles at the company.
“College degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn’t need a college diploma to have economic security,” said Kent Walker, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs at Google. “We need new, accessible job-training solutions—from enhanced vocational programs to online education—to help America recover and rebuild.”
In addition to those developments, Google also announced that it will give $10 million in grants for the YWCA, NPower and JFF to support job training programs and increase access to digital skills for women, veterans, and underserved Americans.
Atlanta has a lot of inspirational people and AtlantaFi.com is going to introduce you to many of them as well as cool places to go, great restaurants and other ATL happenings.
Got an event or know of something opening in and around Atlanta? Holla: CJ@AtlantaFi.com. See what’s poppin’ in the ATL! Subscribe to our news alerts here, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
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The city of Atlanta now requires masks for the general public to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed the executive order, which covers Hartsfield-Jackson Airport as well, on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.
“We will continue to take active measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 infections in Atlanta,” said Mayor Bottoms said in a press release. “Public health experts overwhelmingly agree that wearing a face covering helps slow the spread of this sometimes deadly virus.”
Masks Mandatory In Atlanta And Other Georgia Cities
East Point also has mandated masks for the general public when they visit businesses. The south Fulton County city joins Savannah and Athens in requiring the use of face masks.
So far the cities and other municipalities that have mandated or about to require masks are:
- Atlanta
- Avondale Estates
- Athens
- Augusta
- Brookhaven
- College Park
- Decatur
- Doraville
- DeKalb County
- Dunwoody
- East Point
- Fairburn
- Hinesville
- Savannath
- South Fulton
- Rome
Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is another destination where masks are required, with Delta Air Lines leading the way in enforcement.
Some of the fines for not wearing masks in these jurisdictions range from a warning to a $25 fine to a $75.
In East Point, the new law means that people who patronize restaurants, liquor stores, barbershops, the post office and any other business must wear a mask or face covering.
If you don’t comply, people without a mask could be penalized $75 along with the business.
The “wear a mask” law for East Point goes into effect on Thursday, July 8, 2020. The law won’t be enforced until Monday, July 13, 2020, according to the AJC.
Meanwhile, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has resisted the call to mandate that all state residents wear masks. Last week, he told reporters that requiring people to wear masks was”a step too far.”
Despite that, Georgia’s COVID-19 cases have topped 100,000 and now Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has been a frequent critic of Kemp’s handling of the virus, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Taking to Twitter, Mayor Bottoms also defended herself against purported reports that she attending a news conference while awaiting a COVID-19 test.
“FINALLY received our test results taken 8 days before. One person in my house was positive then. By the time we tested again, 1 week later, 3 of us had COVID,” she said. “If we had known sooner, we would have immediately quarantined. Perhaps the National Guard can help with testing too.”
The Atlanta fire chief has quarantined himself as a result of Bottoms’ infection, according to local reports.
Want to know how to make a mask? Here’s everything you need to know.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
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Atlanta is among the cities where Uber will start asking passengers to disinfect the backseat of vehicle they ride in. The program is part of a partnership with Clorox to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Among the pilot cities in the Uber-Clorox cleaning program are:
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- New York City
Drivers in those cities will have Clorox Disinfecting Wipes in their vehicles to help keep the backseats clean. Riders can see inside the Uber app whether disinfecting wipes are available for use in the car.
Uber says it will supply up to 200,000 canisters of Clorox wipes per month to supply drivers. The prgroam may add more cities soon.
Uber says it has mandated its drivers to wear face masks and follow all the guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition to drivers, all Uber riders are required to wear face covers or masks.
The new Uber-Clorox program comes as Atlanta and the state contend with a surge in COVID-19 cases. Still, Gov. Brian Kemp has resisted calls to make face masks mandatory.
“Mandating that I think is a bridge too far for me right now,” Kemp told reporters in late June. “We have to have the public buy-in. Over the last several months, the public has done that. I’ve been demonstrating that myself. It’s a good idea if you’re going out in public.
Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency. More definitive advice on health, please visit CDC.gov. Here are some helpful links:
