Danielle Paquette, a reporter for The Washington Post, posed an interesting question today: Can indie music save your neighborhood?

“Art, however we define it, has long helped transform cities. It’s a moneymaker, too,” Paquette wrote. “In December, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts tried for the first time to estimate arts and culture’s economic impact. The report found that in 2011, 3.2 percent, or $502 billion, of current-dollar gross domestic product was attributable to arts and culture.”

Paquette focuses her story on Omaha, Nebraska, and a music venue there named Slowdown, co-financed by the city to help revive development in a run-down part of town.

“It’s an experiment in arts investment for other mid-sized cities to watch, a government-backed indie rock weapon against urban decay,” Paquette wrote. “Nowadays, as people and resources surge back into cities, a drive through Omaha reveals bustling retail corridors, brand new apartments, and stretches of broken-down industrial buildings. Officials banked on the Slowdown project, in particular, to bring young people to the once blighted North Downtown neighborhood.”

Stadiums, arenas, performing arts centers, convention centers, etc., open every year in almost every city worldwide, and their promotion and presence can foster lively debates. You don’t see that with music venues much. Perhaps because of their sizes and scoops they’re often overlooked in conversations about budgets and the well-being of communities. A good, local music scene driven by music venues, though, can change a whole city’s future.

“My research finds that local music scenes help attract and retain the educated, highly skilled that drives urban economies by working for established firms or creating their own,” said Michael Seman, a senior research associate at the University of North Texas’ Center for Economic Development and Research, in a separate interview by Paquette. “It’s important to remember that music scene participants are often also educators, chefs, graphic designers, computer programmers, college students, entrepreneurs…They’re dynamic people with a lot of creative energy.

“Music scenes can act as branding agents, spur urban redevelopment, and emerge as industries in their own right,” Seman continued. “I’ve also found that music scene participants are civic-minded and often become involved in philanthropic pursuits, run for political office, and seek employment in city departments.”

Paquette’s story is well-written and worth reading, and I encourage you to do so. And when you’re done reading it, please let us know: Can indie music save your neighborhood?

(photo credit: Silicon Prairie News via photopin cc)

Well, football season is well under way and my beloved Dallas Cowboys are off to another start of predicted mediocrity. Since it’s what expected, I’m not stressed out. But maybe you have high hopes for teams and they’re not playing up to par. That might cause you a little anxious eating or drinking.

“Some people are stress eaters, and others tend to eat more when watching TV,” said Jody Gilchrist, a nurse practitioner at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Heart and Vascular Clinic at the Kirklin Clinic at Acton Road. “They are distracted by the entertainment and don’t realize how much they’re eating, and they don’t listen to their brains telling them they are full.”

Stress from overeating, drinking, and being on the edge of your seat can lead to increased heart rates and high blood pressure, too.

“The body doesn’t distinguish between ‘bad’ stress from life or work and ‘good’ stress caused by game-day excitement,” Gilchrist said. “It impacts your health either way.”

There are some things you can do, though, to help mitigate stress, and they’re illustrated below.

“Even the smallest choices can have a positive impact on your health, so make a point to incorporate many small changes rather than setting unrealistic goals, such as staying away from fun foods altogether,” Gilchrist said.

(top photo credit: davidsteltz via photopin cc)

(infographic: University of Alabama at Birmingham)

There was a lot of news this past week. Here are some stories that caught our eyes.

The War for Our Digital Future: Virtual Reality vs. Integral Reality
—Wired
“With digital components embedded and invisible within objects, Integral Reality won’t separate us from the real world but instead promises to create emotionally engaging experiences with it.”

The Sports-Related Jobs With the Strongest Growth
—Forbes
“The report breaks down growth by sports-related industries, which include Sports Teams and Clubs; Racetracks; and various denominations of promoters, agents, and managers; and also by occupations within sports-related industries, such as Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners; Public Address System and Other Announcers; and Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers.”

Stroke of Genius: Adding Art to Meeting Places and Spaces
—Associations Now
“Convention centers and hotels are commissioning original artwork for their spaces, not only as a way to highlight the local art community but also to immerse attendees and guests in the local culture.”

New Stadium Deal for Raiders Gives Team Land, Pays Off Debt
—San Francisco Chronicle
“The idea is that the public wouldn’t be on the hook for construction costs – those would be paid for by revenue generated by the project, the NFL and other private sources – but taxpayers would contribute the land and infrastructure improvements.”

College Training Facilities Marry Functionality, Experience
—Athletic Business
“Investment in a new training facility or renovations to an existing one is largely seen as a necessity for premier football programs.”

(image: Sergey Galyonkin/CC)

Evidence is growing that volunteering in good for your health, especially for older adults.

Dr. Nicole Anderson, a senior scientist at Toronto’s Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences, led a team that examined 73 studies published over the last 45 years that focused on adults age 50-plus who held formal volunteering roles.

“Our goal was to obtain a more comprehensive view of the current state of knowledge on the benefits of volunteering among older adults,” said Anderson, who is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto. “We discovered a number of trends in the results that paint a compelling picture of volunteering as an important lifestyle component for maintaining health and well-being in later years.”

The team found that volunteering helps reduce symptoms of depression, enhances better overall health, accounts for fewer functional limitations, and increases longevity. They discovered that health benefits may depend on a moderate level of volunteering, with the optimal time being about 100 annual hours, or two-to-three hours per week. People with chronic health conditions may benefit the most from volunteering, and feeling appreciated and needed helps a volunteer’s psycho-social well-being.

“Taken together, these results suggest that volunteering is associated with health improvements and increased physical activity—changes that one would expect to offer protection against a variety of health conditions,” Anderson said.

(photo credit: SimpleSkye via photopin cc)

Please welcome our newest members who joined IAVM in May, June, and July—a total of 187 new members. Our network of professionals is growing and we are reaching record numbers. Thank you for being a part of the association! Continue Reading →