High School Students Workout For Free All Summer Long

 

Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, is inviting high schoolers ages 14 – 19* to work out for free at any of its more than 2,200 Planet Fitness locations throughout the United States and Canada from May 16 through August 31 as part of the High School Summer Pass initiative.

High School Summer Pass was formally known as Teen Summer Challenge, which was the first program of its kind launched in 2019 and saw more than 900,000 teens sign-up and complete more than 5.5 million workouts over a three-and-a-half-month period. Starting today, high schoolers can visit PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass to pre-register, and get a reminder to formally sign up when the program officially kicks off on Monday, May 16. Teens under 18 must register with a parent or guardian online or in-club.

The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Led China To Be The Biggest Foreign Investors

 

China overtook the U.S. as the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2020, a year in which overall global flows cratered by 42% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a United Nations trade agency said.

Flows fell to an estimated $859 billion from $1.5 trillion in 2019, according to the UNCTAD Investment Trends Monitor. It was the lowest level since the 1990s and 30% below the investment trough that followed the 2008-09 global financial crisis.

While the world as a whole struggled, China held on, said UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. It became the world’s largest FDI recipient with flows rising by 4% to $163 billion.

A return to positive GDP growth and a targeted investment facilitation program helped stabilize investment in China after the first coronavirus lockdowns there, the agency said.

Beyoncé Donates $6M to Coronavirus Relief

The donation is in partnership with several organizations to provide mental health help and other services to communities in need.

Beyoncé is getting into formation to help those in need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Grammy winner, 38, announced that she has committed $6 million to help those disproportionately affected by the public health crisis, particularly those on the frontlines who will need assistance even after the pandemic.

"Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD recognizes the immense mental and personal health burdens being placed on essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic," a rep for Beyoncé said in a statement. Beyoncé spoke about the heroes of the pandemic, while also shining a light on the communities devastated the most by the deadly virus.

What It Means To Homeowners If Lumber Keep Rising

 

After falling back sharply from a record high in May of last year, lumber prices began climbing again. They are now about 22% lower than that peak but still about three times their average pre-pandemic price. The National Association of Home Builders estimated the recent price jump added more than $18,600 to the price of a newly built home.

Mick Jagger Joins Dave Grohl In New Song 'Eazy Sleazy'

 

Mick Jagger and Dave Grohl are itching for an end to the pandemic shutdowns on a new single, "Eazy Sleazy."

The optimistic and at-times satirical new track features the Rolling Stones frontman on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and the Foo Fighters frontman on everything else.

“It’s a song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism," Jagger said in a statement. "Thanks to Dave Grohl for jumping on drums, bass and guitar, it was a lot of fun working with him. [H]ope you all enjoy 'Eazy Sleazy.'”

Mariah Carey Joins Jennifer Lopez And More For Rise Up New York Performance

The one-hour benefit was presented by the New York-based poverty fighting organization Robin Hood and iHeartMedia.

Mariah Carey opened the streaming event with a beautiful medley of her 2002 track Through The Rain and the 1991 single Make It Happen, helping to raise money for New Yorkers affected by COVID-19.

Mariah Carey who is a native of New York prefaced the performance with some uplifting words: 'I know we're strong enough to get through this. We will rise again. We can do this together.' She belted her iconic high notes from home, accompanied by three backup singers, also performing from their respective homes.

RZA and GZA of Wu-Tang Talk 'The Game Of Life'

For as long as the two leaders of the Wu-Tang Clan have known each other, it still shocks GZA that he never played chess with RZA as a kid.

The pair are busy practicing this week for their Twitch debut on Saturday, where they will play and compete in a chess tournament hosted by Chess.com and Hennessy. It’s to benefit Black, Latinx and Asian small businesses struggling with the pandemic. GZA says he still remembers vividly to this day when his cousin taught his 9-year-old self how to play chess.

“I guess I remember it well because he had a black and red checkerboard, but the pieces were like clear plastic neon,” GZA tells The Washington Post in a video interview, who said he never forgot the lesson. “And they were weird colored, and they were caked in green. And he showed me the names of the pieces and how they moved.”

#MusicVideo by Kosha Dillz 'Solo' Ft Gangsta Boo

 

The pandemic has been hard for everyone and Kosha Dillz is no stranger to it. During the last week before the complete lockdown, the unlikely pair of Three 6 Mafia's Gangsta Boo and Kosha Dillz recorded "Solo" with 2021 Grammy Nominated producer Sam Barsh (Anderson Paak, Earthgang, Logic) for Kosha's album Nobody Cares Except You, which was the precedent going into the loneliness of the pandemic.

Now that most of society is on an upswing out of it, the temperature has changed the possibility of happiness, and a whacky creative music video could be what we need!

Can Music Keep Up in the Attention Economy?

Music streaming services have continued to add U.S. subscribers this year, according to MIDiA Research, growing by 11 million paying users from January to September, to 117.9 million. But in a potentially troubling sign for the recorded music business, the number of total streams has remained the same.

China Discovers Next Global Pandemic

 

According to Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control, a new potentially fatal disease called the Langya Henipavirus has emerged in Shandong and the neighboring providence of Henan (in China), and it has the potential to become the next global pandemic. Thus far, 35 people have reportedly come down with the animal-derived Henipavirus virus. 

Coachella Music Festival Announces 2022 Return

After two years of rescheduling due to COVID, Coachella music festival announced it would return for Spring 2022.

One of the world's largest musical festivals, the event has been held every spring in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado desert since 1999. 

Beyoncé Now Helping Black-Owned Businesses

The star has teamed up with the NAACP to found the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund.

Beyoncé has launched a new fund to give Black-owned businesses grants through her BeyGOOD foundation.

The fund has been started in collaboration with the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People (NAACP).

The Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund will provide grants of $10,000 (£7,923) for business owners “in select cities to help sustain business during this time”.

Beyoncé to give $5,000 grants to families facing eviction

 

The “Drunk In Love” singer and her philanthropic organization, BeyGOOD, are awarding $5,000 grants to families or individuals who are facing eviction and/or foreclosure as the housing moratorium is set to end this month.

“When the pandemic hit, we helped organizations across the country that were aiding and assisting people with basic needs like food, water, household supplies and COVID testing. We also provided mental health support,” read a press release. “We then launched our BeyGOOD small business impact fund and to date, over 250 small businesses have received $10K grants.”

“This holiday season while many are stressed with what they will do next regarding their housing, we are proud to share some GOOD news,” the press release continues. “Beyoncé is giving $5K grants to individuals and families facing foreclosures or evictions.”

Anyone who wants to apply to receive the grant is asked to send their application to the NAACP. The online application process is set to open on Jan. 7 and 100 recipients will be chosen. The grants will be sent out later that month. Round two of the applications will open in February.

HBCUs Funding Decreased

 

President Biden's $3.5 trillion spending bill was set to provide $45 billion to HBCUs and additional minority-serving institutions (MSIs). But due to Democratic infighting, the newest version of the bill only allocates $2 billion to HBCUs.

See How Beyoncé and Jay-Z Celebrated 13 Years of Marriage

 

The most powerful couple in music, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, just celebrated 13 years of marriage with a quick trip to Las Vegas, as you do.

The “Drunk in Love” spouses got married on April 4, 2008. You can catch a glimpse of their wedding—plus other sweet, candid moments from their relationship—in the “Die With You” video, released on their ninth anniversary:

This year Bey didn’t drop a video, but she did share photos from their two-person party. In a series of snaps called “Sin City” and posted to her website, Bey and Jay-Z are shown taking a private jet and dining at Cipriani Vegas.

#NewMusic AC/DC - Realize

 

AC/DC has unveiled a second single from its forthcoming 17th studio album, PWR/UP.

With a ceaseless backbeat and wordless refrain, "Realize" is one of AC/DC's hardest-driving tracks in years. You can listen to it via the player above.

The release of "Realize" comes about a month after the Aussie rock legends unveiled their first new single in six years, "Shot in the Dark," which has all the hallmarks of an instant AC/DC classic.

Selena Gomez and J.Lo headlining concerts for COVID-19

 

Backed by an international concert hosted by Selena Gomez and headlined by Jennifer Lopez, Global Citizen is unveiling an ambitious campaign to help medical workers in the world’s poorest countries quickly receive COVID-19 vaccines.

The anti-poverty organization is announcing the musical event — “VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World” — with the goal of enlisting corporations and philanthropists to raise $22 billion for global vaccinations. The concert, which airs May 8 on ABC, CBS and FOX as well as on iHeartMedia radio stations and YouTube, will also showcase the Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, J Balvin and H.E.R.

R. Kelly Pleads Not Guilty

R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a set of federal sex-trafficking charges leveraged against him in New York in mid-March, including those that he knowingly spread herpes to two people. He entered the plea via teleconference from a Chicago federal jail on Thursday.

As the coronavirus pandemic has escalated, Kelly has requested early release from prison twice, and was most recently denied on April 22. Kelly was indicted on multiple state and federal sex-abuse charges in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota last year. He has so far pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

Are Americans out of poverty?

 

The child tax credit helped push a key measure of poverty to its lowest level on record, according to new Census Bureau data Tuesday that signaled just how critical government assistance was to propping Americans up in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Median income remained essentially static in 2021, and the official poverty rate did as well. But the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which adjusts for government assistance like tax credits and stimulus checks, dropped 1.4 percentage points to 7.8%.

New York City Workers Fired Over Vaccine Mandate

 

The mandate, which was first announced by former Mayor Bill de Blasio ahead of an expected winter surge in COVID-19 cases, came to fruition last week amid a much less dire coronavirus situation in the city and the country at large. Nevertheless, nearly 3,000 workers were at risk of termination on Friday over the rule, but many submitted their proof of vaccination or chose to get the shot after being notified of their imminent termination.