The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Vacations are, in theory, a break from the daily grind — a chance to unwind, explore new places and recharge mentally and physically. In practice, though, vacations can also bring about stressors and even take an unexpected toll on mental health. Research shows that planning a trip, traveling to your destination, and being on vacation elicit stress for many travelers. According to a 2012 national study, the most stressful part of vacation for many people is planning, especially for those t...
Hollywood has long had a vision of what a great American town looks like. From "It's a Wonderful Life" to "Pleasantville," the cities emblazoned in our minds as nurturing spots to settle down and raise families all have a triad of things in common: single-family homes, low crime, and great schools. With the median home price creeping to $420,000 this spring, more Americans are wondering where they can get a slice of that dream, so moveBuddha crunched the numbers to see where it's still in...
More than 30 million school-aged children's menus will change in fall 2025 to reflect the latest dietary guidelines recommended by the U.S. government. Their new fare will limit added sugars in cereals and yogurts—increasingly over time—and reduce sodium in school breakfasts by 10% and lunches by 15% starting July 1, 2027. "Like teachers, classrooms, books, and computers, nutritious school meals are an essential part of the school environment, and when we raise the bar for school meals, it emp...
Divorce rates say a lot about who we are as a society. Trends in how unions dissolve reflect the social, economic, and cultural characteristics that define our time. Divorce rates have shifted over time, introducing new insights into why modern couples decide to end their marriage. LegalZoom reports that there are two ways to measure divorce rates: - Crude divorce rates measure the number of divorces per 1,000 people - Refined divorce rates measure the number of divorces per 1,000 married...
You may have heard that red cars have the highest insurance costs. This is often stated as a fact, with the explanation that police officers view people with red cars as more reckless and likely to speed. It is important to know that this is a misconception. Red cars cost the same to insure as any other color car and are not more expensive to insure. In fact, it is only in certain instances that you may expect your car insurance rates to increase as a result of the color of your car. In this...
However many reasons we have for loving our grandparents, scammers have a whole lot more. That's why fraudsters and hackers are increasingly relentless in targeting a demographic that is often trusting of financial institutions, perhaps too embarrassed to report a loss and at a disadvantage where digital technology is concerned. Seniors offer an easy jackpot for scammers, to the tune of $3 billion in losses annually. They are often homeowners, sitting on top of savings, and in good credit....
Every year, students across the country must make an agonizing decision: where to go to college. The choices are endless: Big university or small private school? Close to home or far away? Urban life or tiny town? Even for those committed to certain ideas, choices abound. College towns of all shapes and sizes often make major impacts on their surroundings. Rent is typically more expensive in college towns (and unfortunately, it's only going up). But that doesn't deter people from moving in....
Screech. Boom. Crash! In today's fast-paced world, car crashes feel like simply a fact of life. In 1913, before cars dominated the roads, there were only 1.3 million vehicles registered and 4,200 deaths associated with them, according to the National Safety Council. Fast-forward more than a century to 2022, when the latest data is available, and registered vehicles have soared to 283 million, with 46,027 people dying and 5.2 million getting injured on the road. The General analyzed National...
Tech savvy and away from home, college students are tapping into telehealth services rather than having to rely solely on student health centers. Telehealth has become a back-to-school basic for the collegiate set, 71% of whom report using a telehealth service, as compared to 54% of the general population, according to a 2024 study conducted by Hers. What's the result of more college students turning to telehealth? 71% of college students also self-identify as "healthy" as compared to 60% of...
Unlike hospital and outpatient care settings, where staffing has returned to or surpassed levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home staffing continues to experience shortages. A quarter of all nursing homes in the United States in recent years reported "critical" staff shortages amid growing demand from an aging population for long-term health care. To better explore the working conditions of registered nurses in nursing homes, Vivian Health examined payroll data compiled by the...
Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September. As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Alabama, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their pre...
In many parts of the country, you can't drive on an interstate without spotting a semitruck. But have you ever wondered where they are hauling all that stuff? Truck Parking Club used Bureau of Transportation Statistics data to identify the top 20 destinations of freight from Alabama as part of a broader national analysis. The analysis only includes domestic freight. Most of the time, semis are headed somewhere within the same state. In all but one, the highest share of freight was delivered to...
Road trips are more popular than ever—and travelers often have a four-legged family member (or two!) along for the ride. Over the Fourth of July weekend this summer, AAA estimated that more than 60 million Americans drove to their vacation destinations, a new record for travelers hitting the road during the holiday. At the same time, Americans are forgoing leaving their pets at home. This may be in part because families simply have more fur babies than at any time over the past few years. T...
You may have heard that red cars have the highest insurance costs. This is often stated as a fact, with the explanation that police officers view people with red cars as more reckless and likely to speed. It is important to know that this is a misconception. Red cars cost the same to insure as any other color car and are not more expensive to insure. In fact, it is only in certain instances that you may expect your car insurance rates to increase as a result of the color of your car. In this...
At Bullard High School in Fresno, California, it's easy to see the benefits of banning students' cellphones. Bullying is down and socialization is up, principal Armen Torigian said. Enforcing the smartphone restrictions? That's been harder. Instead of putting their devices in magnetically locked pouches, like they're supposed to, some kids will stick something else in there instead, like a disused old phone, a calculator, a glue bottle or just the phone case. Others attack the pouch, pulling at...
Excluding registered and practical nurses, physical therapists (PTs) consistently rank among the top five largest healthcare occupations that require licensure in the United States. The number of PTs increases each year, as does the American population, including a growing number of aging adults who are more likely to need physical therapy. Becoming a PT requires extensive education, resulting in a doctoral or professional degree, making it a lengthy and expensive process to enter the...
Yard chores might seem mundane, but unsafe practices can lead to injury, illness, or even death. Over the past decade, 3.2 million U.S. residents have been injured while working on their lawns or in their gardens. Lawn mower accidents cost patients an average of $37,000 in medical treatment. LawnStarter surveyed over 1,000 U.S. homeowners about their history, habits, and concerns related to lawn care accidents and injuries. See the results below, including demographic insights such as age,...
Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Defined by the Small Business Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees, small businesses make up 99.9% of all companies. They also fuel employment, with nearly half (46%) of private sector workers employed at small businesses, accounting for 43.5% of the country's overall economic output. U.S. NAICS Codes analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to see which states have the healthiest environments for small...
5 hours. That's the amount of time America's "sandwich generation" spends caring for both children and aging parents every week, according to a New York Life Wealth survey. These caretakers of multigenerational households are struggling under the financial and emotional burden of their responsibilities—especially when it comes to saving for the future. Caring.com analyzed resources from the IRS, Family Caregiver Alliance, National Council on Aging, AARP, and other organizations supporting a...
From bags of kibble in the grocery store to modern home sizes, things are getting smaller—and evidently, Americans are starting to look for furry friends that match. Small breeds like terriers and toys have largely dethroned the retrievers that once dominated the most popular breed rankings. This is a continuation of a trend that began in 2022 when the Labrador retriever lost its 31-year-long streak as #1 to the French bulldog, according to the American Kennel Club. This shift may be p...
The "most unusual job market in modern American history." The "Great American Labor Shortage." That's how news reports were describing the massive disruption to the job market delivered by the COVID-19 pandemic by the latter half of 2021, when almost half of American companies were reporting a worker shortage. Since then, the job market has shifted back toward something more akin to what the U.S. was used to before the pandemic arrived. But some industries and parts of the country are still...
In July, global temperatures continued to climb to their highest levels on record, marking 14 consecutive months of record-high temperatures, according to a National Centers for Environmental Information report. As temperatures climb, so do concerns over the effect of these hot weather days on learning. "Kids are coming to school and not even having their basic needs of comfort met; and if they don't have their needs met, they can't progress and learn and do all of those things we want them to...
The United States is facing a caregiving crisis. As America's population ages and adults are staying active for longer, many are choosing to live in assisted-living facilities. Assisted-living facilities offer 24-hour care but are less hands-on than nursing homes. They can offer the best of both worlds for a generation that values independence. Still, low staffing levels are causing facilities to raise prices and, in some cases, close their doors entirely, exacerbating an already severe care gap...
It takes a lot of money to win elections. The 2022 election cycle was the priciest nonpresidential election cycle in history, with spending reaching nearly $9 billion, according to an OpenSecrets analysis. Effective outreach and messaging requires ads, stickers, campaign staff, pens, and more—even for last-minute high-profile switch-ups such as the one the United States is currently facing. With Biden's decision to step aside, Kamala Harris' campaign has received record-breaking c...
Equity in American healthcare is a work in progress. There are still some areas where it's much easier and more convenient to access medical professionals and pharmacies. Improved access to care typically leads to better health outcomes, as well as an increased likelihood of people actually receiving preventative care and screenings. Which states are falling short when it comes to accessible healthcare? Hers looked at four data sets to rank all 50 states from worst to best. - Shortage of...
