Olympic Runners Supplement Training with Brain-Stimulating Headphones

The Halo Sport headphones claim to improve motor learning for athletes

By Corey Mueller 2

Screenshot

Member of the USA Ski Team wearing Halo Sport during training.

This year’s Olympics, though plagued with Zika news, has actually produced interesting technological advances. High-tech gear is helping athletes go faster and farther and also helping to protect them. Now, some athletes are turning to a pair of headphones to help them improve their skills through brain stimulation.
According to Engadget, an organization called Halo Neuroscience reported that it has worked with three American track and field athletes in training for the Rio Olympics. The company's headphones, called Halo Sport, claim to stimulate the brain during training by sending pulses of energy that are meant to prime the athlete's brain.
Halo Neuroscience, who has previously partnered with the United States Ski Team to help train Olympic ski jumpers, explains that these headphones help create a quasi-brain plasticity. What this means is that the pulses of energy increase the excitability of motor neurons, which allows for the creation of stronger neural connections. According to Halo Neuroscience’s website, these headphones enable “the motor cortex to send stronger, more synchronous signals to muscles” and enhance motor learning for the athlete, allowing them to make extra marginal gains with each exercise.
A case study promoted on the company's website which was done by Halo Neuroscience and the USA ski team showed that on average skiers using the headphones saw a “a 13 percent improvement in propulsion force” while using the headphones compared to a control group that didn't use the headphones at all. This study was small though, with just seven athletes studied.
Two more studies that respectively followed 10 and 23 athletes also produced positive results. The 10-athlete study showed a 12 percent gain in explosiveness compared to the baseline during lower-body training. In comparison, the control group saw a 5.2 percent gain. But to know for sure if these headphones make a significant difference, it will take even more studies that follow a larger group of athletes.
It’s no surprise that Halo Neuroscience made this announcement a week and a half before the Olympics start, and it’s even less surprising that the company has just opened its second wave of Halo Sport pre-sales.
With all skepticism aside, if neurostimulation does work as a supplement to physical, athletic training, it will surely be insane in the membrane.

Michael Jordan & Drake Speak Up Only When It’s Safe

by Justin Hunte

I wonder which happened first? Did Drake text Michael Jordan that he was about to comment on police brutality forcing Jordan to jump in line? Or did MJ reach out to Drizzy about the need for Brand Jordan to care about people?
MJ was always my favorite athlete. Not just my favorite basketball player. My favorite athlete. Outside of a three-year stretch where he was neck-and-neck with fellow Pro Star, Bo Jackson (and if Bo didn’t know what it was like to run his leg out of his hip, he might still be), Jordan’s been in a league of his own.

On the court, I’ve never witnessed a bigger winner; a more ferocious competitor; a more prolific player (and until Obama, a person more personally inspirational). From age 9 through age 17, like most 80s babies blessed with cable TV and a hoop within walking distance, Jordan was bigger than life. And he did it without muddying his reputation with messy social issues.
I imagine many Drake fans feel similarly. Since 2009, Drake has put together a six-year run only rivaled by LL Cool J, Jay Z, Eminem, and Kanye West. The $39.5 million notched in 2015 was enough to place him third on Forbes annual Hip Hop Cash Kings, ahead of Dr. Dre. All four of his albums (Thank Me Later, Take Care, Nothing Was The Same, and Views) have gone platinum-plus, all of his singles seem to go #1, all of his relationships are front-page news. Possibly most improbably, all of his beefs seem to end with Drizzy throwing up the W. And he did it without muddying his reputation with messy social issues.
Drake released a statement on police brutality two weeks ago in the wake of the Alton Sterling and Philando Castile shootings, marking the first time he’s addressed a potentially complicated societal ill publicly.
Today, MJ dropped a statement of his own. This is also the first time Jordan’s addressed a potentially complicated societal ill publicly.
“As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers,” Jordan wrote. “I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”
Jordan one-upped his Jordan Brand ambassador by tossing two $1 million grants on top—one for the Institute for Community-Police Relations (launched in May by the International Association Of Chiefs Of Police) and one for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The Legal Defense Fund’s astonishment rang throughout its statement as if the organization couldn’t believe it cracked Michael Jordan’s billion dollar radar:
“We’re surprised and shocked, but obviously thrilled,” Legal Defense Fund president and director Sherrilyn Ifill wrote, almost hilariously. “We’ve been working on these issues for some many years, and it’s great to hear that Michael Jordan and his people are aware of our work and are willing to make a contribution.”
If there’s a knock against MJ’s awesomeness, it’s how little his public influence has been used to help causes vital to communities that continue to reinforce the coolness of his products.
It’s hard to blame Michael Jordan for taking an OJ Simpson approach to celebrity, though. At least he hasn’t been accused of murder.
Aside from his prolific use of ghostwriters and his inability to craft a classic album, if there’s a reason why Drake is nowhere near Greatest Of All Time conversations, it’s the fact that his lyrical career is built on a foundation noticeably void of addressing issues vital to communities that continue to reinforce the coolness of his products.
Drizzy’s got it good. He’s half-black and half-Jewish. He gets to have a Bar Mitzvah and say “nigga.” He’s half-Canadian and half-American. He has two different countries defending his actions and inactions, simultaneously. He’s arguably the most corporate rapper on the planet. Jas Prince, Young Money, Cash Money, Republic, Universal, OVO, Warner, Apple, Jordan Brand, Nike all make something off the kid.  
It’s hard to blame Drake for taking a Michael Jordan approach to celebrity, though. At least he’s half-Jewish.
“…The relationship between black and brown communities and law enforcement remains as strained as it was decades ago,” Aubrey posted to IG. “I do not know the answer… open and honest dialog is the first step.”
Welcome to the conversation, Jordan and Drizzy.
It’s only been going on for 400 years.

Justin Hunte is the Editor-in-Chief of HipHopDX and has been featured on Revolt TV’s “Revolt Live” and the AllOutShow on SiriusXM. Prior to joining DX, he was the host of The Company Man Show and Brooklyn Bodega Radio on PNCRadio.fm and has covered music, politics, and culture for numerous publications. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California. Follow him on all socials @TheCompanyMan.

Michael Jordan speaks out on police shootings: ‘I can no longer stay silent'

 by Dan Devine

View photos

For years, Michael Jordan has taken criticism from those who’d wished one of the most famous, visible, wealthy and powerful athletes in the world would use his considerable public profile and influence to speak out on social issues affecting the African American community. For years, the six-time NBA champion and basketball legend’s legacy of on-court success has been counterbalanced by four non-quoted words — “Republicans buy sneakers, too” — often used to call Jordan onto the carpetfor failing “to embrace the leverage he possessed as the nation’s most iconic athlete across the 1990s.”

 Well, now, the Hall of Famer and Charlotte Hornets owner has chosen to speak. In an essay for The Undefeated published Monday, the 53-year-old Jordan makes his voice heard in the wake of the recent unrest in the country following the police killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., the police killing of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn., the killing of five police officers by a lone gunman at an otherwise peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, the police shooting of North Miami behavioral therapist Charles Kinsey as he lay on his back with his hands thrust in the air trying to coax an autistic patient back into a mental health center, and all the protests and demonstrations that have followed. With persistent issues of racism, violence against African Americans, police brutality and gun violence coming to the forefront for many NBA and WNBA players of late, Jordan decided that, “as a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man […] deeply troubled” by the deaths on both sides of the divide, the time was now for him to speak, and to act: “I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late.

I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers — who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all — are respected and supported. “Over the past three decades I have seen up close the dedication of the law enforcement officers who protect me and my family. I have the greatest respect for their sacrifice and service. I also recognize that for many people of color their experiences with law enforcement have been different than mine.

I have decided to speak out in the hope that we can come together as Americans, and through peaceful dialogue and education, achieve constructive change. “To support that effort, I am making contributions of $1 million each to two organizations, the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s newly established Institute for Community-Police Relations and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The Institute for Community-Police Relations’ policy and oversight work is focused on building trust and promoting best practices in community policing. My donation to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the nation’s oldest civil rights law organization, will support its ongoing work in support of reforms that will build trust and respect between communities and law enforcement.

Although I know these contributions alone are not enough to solve the problem, I hope the resources will help both organizations make a positive difference.” Jordan’s Monday statement comes four days after the NBA announced it was pulling the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte in opposition to House Bill 2, a law passed in March by North Carolina legislators and signed by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory that reversed a Charlotte city ordinance expanding rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Jordan, who had previously said that he and the Hornets organization were “opposed to discrimination in any form,” had made the decision to issue his statement and make his donations “about two weeks ago,” but decided to delay them after learning the league would be relocating the All-Star Game because he “did not want his announcement to take away from the focus on the LGBT community,” a spokesperson told The Undefeated: Jordan’s commitment to diversity, his spokeswoman said, has been long established. “But he’s always been very private and personal about many of these things.” Of the decision to speak out and contribute his voice and money now, she said: “Michael was tired of just talking.

 He wanted to do something about the issue. This was very important to him.” In years past, Jordan has tended to wield influence in the social sphere as an extension of his business pursuits, as Scoop Jackson detailed for ESPN back in 2014 (hat-tip to Myles Brown): In the comprehensive context of Jordan “not being black enough,” people miss how over the years with his position in the Jordan Brand as CEO, the company is the only one inside of Nike that has had multiple African-American presidents. (Disclosure: I worked with Nike from 2001-05, but not with the Jordan brand.) Outside of Nike president Trevor Edwards, the execs at the Jordan Brand have always been the highest-ranking blacks in the parent company (Nike). This is something that Jordan’s made sure of; something that is not happenstance or a mistake.

 “Michael’s willingness to hire, support and promote minority leaders throughout his business ventures has been remarkable,” Larry Miller, president of the Jordan Brand said in defense of the perception that the depths of Jordan’s contribution to “the struggle” goes no further than that of a glorified pitchman. “He has always been focused on creating successful and sustainable businesses and has empowered minority leaders, including myself, with the opportunity to grow and advance those businesses.” […] “It is hard to believe that in 2014 there is only one African-American majority owner in all the major men’s pro leagues,” [said Dr. Richard Lapchick, director at The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.]

The importance of Michael Jordan as a player is matched by his being the only owner. It is critical for minority youth to see that there are options to battling the long odds to become a pro athlete and that there are many opportunities to work in the world of sport as team presidents, general managers, COOs and, yes, even as owners. In the era of the Donald Sterling nightmare, the NBA and our society need Michael Jordan now more than ever and need other people of color to become owners in the near future.” And yet, as valuable and viable a means of contributing to progress as Jordan’s economic leadership has been, this choice to speak about the need for “constructive change” will likely generate far more attention and dialogue … and, perhaps, further action.

 “We’re at a critical moment in our country where people do need to step up,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, the president and director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, to The Undefeated. “It’s important for people who have a profile of a Michael Jordan to step forward and identify this as a critical issue.”

50 Cent - I'm The Man (Short Film)

Gucci Mane - Pick Up The Pieces (Outro) [Official Music Video]

Waka Flocka Flame & Tammy Rivera Interview With The Breakfast Club (7-22...

Naturi Naughton On Rumored Feud With Lil Kim: “The Shade Is Real”

by Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY) 

Seven years ago Naturi Naughton played Lil Kim in the Biggie biopic Notorious. Kim has been very vocal about her displeasure with the way she was portrayed in the film ever since.  Apparently, Kim even asked that she not be in the same vicinity as Naughton during the VH1 Hip Hop Honors award show after-party.   Naughton appeared on VH1 Live with Marc Lamont Hill, and the star of Power was asked about the rumored issues between her and the Queen Bee.  “The shade is real. I don’t understand it,” said Naughton. “You know what Marc, maybe you can find out why.”  She continued, “All I know is I had the pleasure and honor of playing Lil Kim in the film Notorious. I would love to see some kind of affinity [from her]… I was a first-time actress in a film. This was the beginning of my career. I’m a little black girl from Jersey, why not uplift and support that?”  Watch a portion of Naturi Naughton’s interview below.

Joe Budden Gets Roasted Online After Run-In With Drake Fans (MEMES)

by Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY) 

Remember how Drake used all those “Back To Back” memes to clown Meek Mill at the OVO Fest last year? Drizzy may have enough ammo to make his latest adversary, Joe Budden, the next contestant on that OVO Fest screen. The Internet had a field day making fun of Budden after video of the rapper/reality TV star chasing down Drake fans hit the web. Countless memes have been created using a photo of Joe sprinting down the street and another pic of him confronting the OVO followers at their car. Creative social media users also added Budden’s face to various videos. Budden seems to be taking the online ribbing in stride.

Joe BuddenVerified account‏@JoeBudden

These are some of the greatest memes ever, but I truly hope u kids don’t make running up to ppl’s homes a thing. It’s dangerous.

• RETWEETS 6,288
• LIKES 5,776
• 

5:28 PM - 24 Jul 2016

6,288 retweets5,776 likes