An exciting tribute to The Last Waltz is coming to New York, NY this Saturday, August 6th, powered by a number of performers who were included in the original performance. The Band’s famed last-ever concert featured a number of talented musicians, and a packed lineup are set to honor that show’s storied music like never before.Today, there has been an exciting update to the lineup, as Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir will be joining in the festivities. Weir recently wrapped up a summer tour with Dead & Company, and made his way over to Sweetwater Music Hall last night to perform with Donna Jean Godchaux, Steve Kimock and more on Jerry Garcia’s birthday. Watch “Scarlet Begonias” here.Weir will join in the tribute this weekend, which also includes Dr. John, Lucinda Williams, Howard Johnson, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, and Anderson East. Those musicians will be led by Larry Campbell, who will serve as the musical director for the Midnight Ramble Band, the long-time solo outfit for Levon Helm.Tickets and more information can be found here![H/T JamBase] read more

A 20-year rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China appears to have been spurred largely by increases in high blood pressure, according to a study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Increasing body mass index (BMI), decreasing physical activity, a high prevalence of smoking, and unhealthy diet have also contributed to the growing burden of CVD—now the leading cause of death in China.This is the first large study to analyze a wide range of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors that may be impacting CVD burden in China. The authors suggested that major changes in Chinese society—including a dramatic shift from a traditional to a more “Western” diet and lifestyle and rapid urbanization and industrialization—may have contributed to the jump in cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke. These changes have been accompanied by marked increases in high cholesterol, obesity, and type 2 diabetes among the Chinese population.The study was published August 15, 2016 in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.“We described trends from 1991 to 2011 in dietary and other lifestyle risk factors for CVD in China and projected how these trends might play out from 2011 to 2031,” said Yanping Li, research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School and lead author of the study. “Our estimates suggest that the continued rise in high blood pressure, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, increasing obesity, and worsening dietary trends will add millions of new cases of heart attacks and stroke over the next two decades.” Read Full Story read more

Advertisement Ozil is confident of winning back his spot (Picture: Getty)Emery has offered few assurances to Ozil over his long-term future but the German insists his future remains in north London and he will not leave before his contract expires in 2021.AdvertisementAdvertisementAsked whether he would be leaving the club, Ozil told the Athletic: ‘No. I have a contract until the summer of 2021 and I will be staying until then.‘When I signed the new deal, I thought about it very carefully and said it was one of the most important decisions of my footballing career. I didn’t want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit my future to Arsenal and the club wanted me to do the same.‘You can go through difficult times, like this, but that is no reason to run away and I’m not going to. I’m here until at least 2021.‘I said that Arsene Wenger was a big factor in me joining Arsenal — and he was — but ultimately I signed for the club. Even when Arsene announced he was leaving, I wanted to stay because I love playing for Arsenal and that’s why I’ve been here for six years.‘When I moved from Real Madrid, it was a really tough time for Arsenal. But I always believed in what we could do and together we delivered. More recently things have been difficult and a lot has changed. But I’m proud to be an Arsenal player, a fan and I’m happy here. Whenever people see me in the street I always say, ‘This is my home’. I’m going nowhere.’More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing ArsenalEmery was influential in Arsenal’s decision to withdraw a contract offer to Aaron Ramsey worth around £200,000-a-week and he remains keen to cut the club’s wage bill.The Spaniard effectively utilised a budget of just £45m last summer to bring in the likes of David Luiz, Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos.MORE: Paul Ince slams Declan Rice’s ‘ridiculous’ £80m valuation amid Manchester United transfer rumours Comment Mesut Ozil insists he’ll see out Arsenal contract despite struggles under Unai Emery Mesut Ozil has started just one league game this term (Picture: Getty)Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil insists he’ll see out his current deal with the club and will not be leaving the Gunners in January.The German has been heavily linked with an exit from the Emirates as he’s started just one league game this term.Unai Emery was keen on offloading Ozil last January but Arsenal couldn’t find a buyer for the 30-year-old, who signed a new four-year deal worth £350,000-a-week in 2018.Ozil briefly won back his spot towards the end of last season but he’s been further marginalised this term following the arrival of Dani Ceballos.ADVERTISEMENT Metro Sport ReporterThursday 17 Oct 2019 8:07 amShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link8.2kShares Advertisement read more

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday that will allow California college athletes to be paid for the use of their name, image and likeness.  California’s Fair Pay to Play Act will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023, providing ample time for other states and the NCAA to respond. Other states may attempt to follow California, the NCAA will continue to attempt to hide behind the rhetoric of amateurism and, once the rhetoric no longer works, the organization will find a way to get its cut of athlete compensation.  Florida state rep. Kionne McGhee wasted no time filing a similar collegiate athlete compensation bill, and a New York senator proposed a bill that calls for the direct payment of college athletes through their universities.  As someone who has been playing “NCAA Basketball 10” for nearly a decade and “NCAA Football 14” for half that — games which garner revenue from their portrayals of college athletes — this news really hit close to home. The actual stance of labels is that they are entitled to a percentage of every deal the artist makes because they contribute to the artist’s success by leveraging media networks and exclusive feature and tour placements.  In fact, all three of these actions are already in motion.  The answer is to eat off the plates of the athletes that the organization has made a living off starving. It’s a method already widely practiced in, you guessed it, the music industry.  For those not versed in reading through media statements, first of all, enjoy that innocence. Secondly, allow me to return to the actual purpose of this column and point out a parallel between the student-athlete compensation situation and music.  I’ll admit that wasn’t very objective. Albeit professional, that statement should strike fear in California colleges and student-athletes across the nation. When Tekashi 6ix9ine’s former manager Kifano “Shotti” Jordan was on the stand facing several felony charges with a stack of evidence the size of a Chip Kelly playbook working against him, his response was to shout “We don’t bend, we don’t fold, we don’t break,” while backing the gang that led to his arrest and simultaneously threatening his adversaries. When the multi-billion dollar music industry experienced a decline in record sales, labels found a new way to maximize their artists’ profit capability. Rather than taking a percentage strictly from the amount of records an artist sells, labels began to take from artists’ earnings from tour tickets, movie deals and even local pop-up shops. The NCAA, like the billion dollar corporation it is, responded exactly as most would expect, calling the payment of college athletes detrimental to amateurism and stating that “We will consider next steps in California while our members move forward with ongoing efforts to make adjustments to NCAA name, image and likeness rules that are both realistic in modern society and tied to higher education.”  The only difference between Shotti’s response to his future imprisonment and the NCAA’s response to the Fair Pay to Play Act was their target audience. The NCAA essentially threatened punishment to California colleges and told everyone else that it plans to adapt rather than bend, fold or break.  It’s easy to picture a situation in which the NCAA makes the same argument as the music industry: It is entitled to student-athletes’ endorsement dollars because it provides the stage for performance.  But what will adaptation look like for a power-hungry organization whose main resource — its athletes — will soon take a slice of its once-monopolized pie? These were all things that labels provided in the past without taking percentages because record sales were high, but when sales declined, the industry had to adapt. The Fair Pay to Play Act is a step in the right direction, but by no means is the battle for college athlete compensation over. Much like the music industry did years prior, the NCAA will find a new way to make sure the hard work and talent of players feed those at the top first.  Being a proud journalism major, I understand the importance of objectivity in media, so I will present both sides of the 360 deal.  This type of deal is technically listed as a “multiple rights deal,” but is commonly referred to as a 360 deal since the label takes artist money from literally every sector.  From the artist’s perspective, they are being robbed. Due to their label’s inability to sell records, they have to give up checks from other avenues like movie contracts and tour tickets. From the label’s perspective, they are stealing from the artist. In response to not being able to make as much money as they would like from an artist’s music, they decide to find other ways to take as much money from the artist as they can.  Taj Mayfield is a sophomore writing about connections between music and sports. His column, “808s & Fast Breaks,” runs every other Friday. read more

“The North West City region is open for business” – that’s the collective message that nine businesses from across the Donegal, Derry and Strabane Council areas will be sharing when they join a high level trade and investment delegation to Boston next month.Among the companies travelling from Donegal are Triona Design, Fire Cloud 365 and CFish. While Atlantic Hub, Joule Group, Northern Ireland Clinical Research Sciences, Automated Control Systems, Baronscourt Brewing Company and Bridie Mullin Ltd. from the Derry and Strabane area will also be taking part alongside both Councils, third level and further education providers and development organisations from across the North West including Ulster University, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, the North West Regional College and Udaras na Gaeltachta.“The North West City Region has a compelling business proposition for any outward looking global business in that we are uniquely located for ease of access to both the UK and European markets” says Cllr. Seamus O’Domhnaill, Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council who will be jointly leading the delegation with the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr. John Boyle. Cllr O’Domhnaill explains that “the collaborative approach undertaken by both Councils over the last number of year’s means that as a region we are well positioned to not only respond constructively to post-Brexit challenges but to avail of the opportunities that will exist for the region given our unique geographical location”.Pictured front row (l to r) are: Rosalind Young, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Bridie Mullin, Bridie Mullin Linenwear, Ronan Mc Elholm, ACS Ltd, Joanne Kilmartin, Donegal County Council. Back row (l to r): Barry Doherty, CFish, John Wauchob, Baronscourt Brewing Company, Mick Lannon, Joule Group, Kevin Boylan, Firecloud 365. (Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)The trade & investment mission will run from 12th to 16th November visiting both Philadelphia and Boston and will build on the strong political, economic and cultural linkages already established in both cities with the North West City region and will also be an ideal opportunity for both Councils to reach out the Irish diaspora.Mayor Boyle believes that “this trade mission is a great opportunity for businesses that are looking to meet key contacts, explore and understand opportunities in the US Market and tap into cross-sector, cross-border collaborative opportunities with the support of both Councils”.He added “the businesses participating in this year’s trade mission will showcase the ambitious, diverse, resilient and outward looking nature of our SME sector in Ireland Northwest”. This visit is part of the ongoing positive work being done by the two Councils to establish strong economic development links and initiatives in the US and will build on the work done over the last number of years in promoting the North West region as an attractive investment proposition and on developing new market and network opportunities for businesses from Donegal, Derry and Strabane areas.Seamus Neely, Chief Executive of Donegal County Council says that the strong collaborative working relationship between the two Councils has been very successful to date in advancing the message that Ireland Northwest is an accessible, connected and business friendly gateway region with a vision for great international impact. This is underpinned by an ambitious investment programme in infrastructure, research, innovation and skills to ensure the region remains cost competitive and well resourced.”John Kelpie, Chief Executive Derry City & Strabane District Council says “we are profiling Ireland NorthWest as an investment location and are promoting this cross-border gateway region’s unique economic, social, cultural and environmental assets. The strength of the region is underpinned by a collaborative approach which sees agencies and local stakeholders working together with the support of central government departments on both sides of the border”.He added “while there is a strong trade and investment focus to the trip, there will be continued emphasis on education and the development of cultural and economic linkages. The last number of years has seen massive strides in the development of educational linkages between the City of Philadelphia, the City of Boston and the wider Massachussetts knowledge corridor and educational institutions in the North West region and great credit must be given to our partners in the educational sector for these achievements”.Nine businesses are Boston-bound on exciting mission was last modified: October 23rd, 2018 by Rachel McLaughlinShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) read more