Music Spotlight
By: Caroline Greene
Baylor University graduate, Jillian Edwards recently moved from Texas
to Nashville to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter. While in
college, Edwards released her first EP, “Galaxies and Such,” in 2009.
In November of this past year she released her first full-length
album, “Headfirst.” During its week of release, “Headfirst,” found its
way up to number 1 on the singer/songwriter charts, and 12 overall on
the iTunes homepage. Jillian has had the opportunity to open for artists such as The Civil Wars, Ben Rector, and Johnny Stimson. Her sound is smooth and her songs are original. Visit jillianedwards.com for details about upcoming show dates. You can follow @jillian_edwards on twitter and don’t forget to “like” her page on facebook. Both “Galaxies and Such,” and “Headfirst,” can be found on iTunes.Knoxville Tennessee’s Latest News
Take a look inside Knoxville, and discover more about your community!
Thanks to a team of grad students from the University of Tennessee’s Department of Industrial Engineering, a man named Edi Deaver, who has used a wheelchair full time in 2002, has increased mobility. About a year ago, a couple of students were challenged to find ways for Edi to become self-sufficient. They used research funds to purchase a $6,900 lift system to help the man get in and out of bed without assistance. "At UT, you do a lot of stuff, but it's very infrequent that you see immediate results of someone telling you how much something you've done impacts them," – Rupy Sawhney (Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering at UT)
Taking place on Saturday, April 21, at the World’s Fair Park will be the annual walk to raise funds to battle multiple sclerosis. The goal for this year is to raise $56,000 to beat what they raised last year, which was about $52,000. About 700 people in Knoxville have this disease, which is a disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. If you are not doing anything April 21st you should definitely consider supporting this cause, and can register online at www.msmidsouth.org!
A man named David Bolt was able to procure a low-interest business loan to grow his solar design and installation company, Sustainable Future LLC. The city of Knoxville hopes to illuminate options through federal loans and grant money available to residents and business owners during National Community Development Week activities, which start April 9th. This is to let citizens know what programs we have and what they might be eligible for, with the focus on housing and economic development in low-income areas. "Our team administers a variety of programs for affordable housing but also does much more to help revitalize Knoxville's neighborhoods. We use federal dollars to leverage private dollars to improve neighborhoods.” ---Becky Wade (Knoxville’s community development director) "The community development department does vital work to ensure our neighborhoods are strong and livable," said Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero
By: Rachel Fletcher
The Brain on Football: New Studies on Repetitive Head Injury Syndrome Call into Question the Ethics of America’s Most Popular Sport
By: Trot Gawrys
“Every single one of you, before you get off the pile, affect the head. Early, affect the head. Continue, touch and hit the head.” Early this month in a scandal called “Bountygate”, Gregg Williams, the former defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, was recorded encouraging players to “kill the head” in a money for injuries system where rewards for sending opponents out of the game reached up to $8,000. The team as a whole faces steep fines and many of the coaches have yearlong suspensions, penalties that have caused critics to accuse the N.F.L of inconsistent prosecution in a sport where bounty systems are often seen as simply part of the culture. One of the many reasons why the N.F.L has decided to come down hard on the team is the surge of concussion lawsuits by former players who, bolstered by recent studies, are accusing the League of not requiring adequate helmets and other precautions for players. Sports related brain injuries have been of growing concern for neurologists since the late nineties, when many retired professional boxers and football stars began reporting problems with short-term memory. In 2009, an N.F.L conducted study found that Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed among players at 19 times the normal rate for men 30 to 49. Other studies have demonstrated a correlation with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and according to David Cifu, M.D., “shown a 3-fold increase of depression in players with a history of three or more concussions.” Despite the growing awareness of the dangers, it can be extremely difficult to detect smaller concussions, and even when none occurs many worry about a newly discovered phenomenon called Repetitive Head Injury Syndrome, a condition where a series of small, non-concussive blows to the head can cause fatal or debilitating brain damage. While neurologists express concern for the professionals, they believe the student athletes, whose brains are still developing, are the most at risk. Professor Tom Talvage, co-director of Purdue’s MRI facility, told PBS’ Frontline that during his study of cognitive impairment in high school football players, "by the end of the season we found that in 50 percent of the players who were brought in not concussed, we were detecting changes, either in their computer-based testing and/or in their functional MRI data, showing that something had changed in the way their brain was performing a particular set of simple tasks." However, what most can agree on is that it eventually comes down to the choice of the players. In an interview with People magazine, sophomore Alex Zordich explained how despite sustaining a painful concussion the previous summer, he would be playing again that fall. "I love it too much," he says. "I don't worry about getting hurt. I just want to play."
THE LATEST ON YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC:
By Rachel Fletcher
“Tonight, we are young, so lets set the world on fire, we can burn brighter, than the sun!” “Now you’re just somebody that I used to know!” “You don’t know you’re beautiful, and that’s what makes you beautiful!” “If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go, I can take you places you ain’t never been before!” You have probably heard all of these hit songs on the radio recently, am I right? Recent hits like this have been a buzz all around Tennessee. “We Are Young” by Fun., became the first rock/alternative song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Coldplay’s Viva la Vida. Do you know how they got their name? A screamo band from across the world named “Fun,” called them up and yelled at them to change their name. So the just put a period after Fun. HOW FUN! The hit song, “Somebody That I Used To Know” is currently #1 on Itunes, and the man from Belgium known as Gotye has become an indie rock star. He recently performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and even had his song featured on an episode of Glee. “Now he’s just somebody that you really love”, get it?? A British boy band that you all know (at least the girls) by the name of One Direction has hit the stage and swept the ladies off their feet. With their hit songs “One Thing” and “What Makes You Beautiful” they have become America’s sweethearts over the course of no time. Look out Justin Bieber! Speaking of the Biebs, his new CD recently came out. His hit song “Girlfriend” shows off his rapping skills…? Anyways, for his new album BELIEVE he will be collaborating with the oh so famous Taylor Swift and Drake. Last but not least, Tennessee’s annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is coming up June 7-10! It is located in Manchester Tennessee and is such a cool and entertaining experience. Some of the line up for this year includes: Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beach Boys, Bon Iver, Ben Folds Five, Foster The People, Fun., The Civil Wars, Grouplove, The Avett Brothers, Feist, and many more! Tickets are almost sold out and the prices are now at $259.00….. but you should get a job, buy a ticket, and go have the time of your life! Music brings out the best in people, so check out these hot tunes!
Will The Grizzlies Make the NBA Finals?
By: Allen Coe
The Grizzlies, trudging through their toughest span of the year, have only lost three out of their last ten games (including tonight’s game Grizzlies 94 Clippers 85, putting the Grizzlies on a three game winning streak), putting them in fourth place in the west over the Dallas Mavericks who were ranked fifth, after their loss to the grizzlies Saturday night, 94- 89. One of their wins included the upset against the number one team in the southeast, the Miami Heat, 97- 82. With the return of Rudy Gay, he has definitely had an impact with his 18.4 points per game. With warm welcome the team leader Zach Randolph has made his return from his injury and has made a difference especially in tonight’s game against the clippers where he had ten points. Mark Gasol has also swayed the odds, on defense particularly with his 10 rebounds per game and 2 blocks per game. Things are looking up for the grizzlies but will they be able to keep their grip when it comes time for playoffs?
Taylor Grant from Bleacher reports says, “Last season, no one expected the 8th-seeded Grizzlies to defeat the 1st-seeded Spurs in the playoffs. Lead by Zach Randolph, Memphis used energy and the fact that no one had any expectations for them to make a successful run in the playoffs. There were many key components in their success. Whether it was the players, fans, or coaches, the team managed to mend everything together to put up an infectious Grizzlies tenure. This article will finally give the team some high expectations and will explain why the Memphis Grizzlies (not the Thunder, not the Mavericks, not the Lakers) will make the 2012 NBA Finals this year.”
With the momentum and moral of the team this year, the grizzlies odds of not only making the playoffs, but winning the NBA finals have definitely increased due to their outstanding record of 33 -23 and with their taste of success from last year’s playoffs, they are hungry for more and will be raging with full force into the 2012 playoffs.
April 9, 2012
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1113030-5-sputtering-nba-teams-that-will-still-make-the-2012-playoffs#/articles/1113030-5-sputtering-nba-teams-that-will-still-make-the-2012-playoffs/page/3
