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The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you....
Various dynamics can impact the cost of filling specific roles in the labor market. When demand for certain goods and services outpaces the local supply of resources, the wages for skilled professionals in those fields may be higher—and vice versa. Similarly, the labor supply can shape pay trends for certain. For example, a city with several medical schools may produce a larger supply of fresh doctors, driving down the price of this labor and consequently, the median income f...
Artificial intelligence is becoming a trusted tool in the everyday operations of small businesses. But today, it's not just about productivity gains. According to new data from GoDaddy, many entrepreneurs are rethinking what success looks like and using AI to build sustainable, right-sized businesses—even in the face of economic uncertainty. AI can even assist entrepreneurs in starting a new business. In fact, according to the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab 2025 US N...
Arizona election officials will begin frequently checking voters' U.S. citizenship and requiring voters to submit proof of residency when they register, under new laws upheld by a federal judge in early May. Under those laws, if the citizenship checks show that someone has an ID typically given to someone who is not a U.S. citizen, they will be barred from registering to vote, or will be kicked off the rolls. And if new registrants don't provide documents proving they live in...
HELOC debt nationwide increased by 7.2% in 2024, marking the third consecutive year that HELOC balances have grown after a decade of decline. Long overlooked as a borrowing method, it would appear home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are in vogue once again. Responsibly used, HELOCs can have a few major benefits for homeowners with equity. Commonly, they're used to consolidate existing debts or to undertake home renovation projects, which are becoming more common as the...
There's no way around it, Americans are inundated every day with nuisance and scam calls: about 50 billion of them per year, according to call-blocking app YouMail (the Federal Communications Commission says 4 billion/month, which is right in the same ballpark). Even that's not the whole picture, because it only counts automated robocalls, and not the ones made by actual humans. Now, not all of those calls (and texts) are scams, Spokeo says. Some are legitimate, and some are...
Canines are top dog when it comes to pet ownership: 45.5 million households have dogs compared to 32.1 million that have cats in 2024, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. In a distant third are freshwater fish at 3.9 million, while birds, reptiles, and small animals trailing at 2.1 million, 2.3 million, and 1.3 million, respectively. To further explore why Americans prefer dogs to cats, Ollie used data from the AMVA to explore how pet popularity has...
Between scammers, artificial intelligence, and dead internet theory, most online interactions these days should be met with a level of skepticism as to whether or not the person behind the profile is who they say they are (or if there even is a real person involved). While bot accounts are annoying and definitely degrade overall user experience, fake accounts on social media and dating platforms are much more of an immediate threat, as scammers have found plenty of success...
Spammers, scammers, and snake-oil peddlers are at an all-time high thanks to the internet. Scamming tactics are ever-changing and are becoming increasingly creative, making them hard for the average person to keep up with (and protect themselves from). Getting scammed sucks, and you're often left without much reprieve. Because the internet still feels very much like the wild wild West when it comes to scams, it's fair to wonder, "Is scamming illegal?" The answer (sadly) isn't...
Pharmacies and pharmacists play a critical role in our healthcare system. They dispense prescription and over-the-counter medications, provide immunizations, and counsel patients on medication side effects, interactions, and regimens. These essential services ensure patient safety and help patients take their medications as prescribed, ultimately improving the overall health of our communities. In an ideal world, everyone would have convenient access to necessary health servic...
The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey. Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you....
Mental health conditions affect millions of people worldwide, but harmful stereotypes—like the idea that people with mental illness are dangerous or weak—still shape how these conditions are understood and treated despite growing awareness and education. Mental health stigma can have serious consequences. A 2016 report shows that stigmatization of mental illness not only fuels social exclusion but also prevents people from seeking help when they need it most. And mental hea...
While inflation metrics may show broad trends across the U.S., costs of individual necessities like housing, groceries, utilities, transportation and medical expenses may see wider price volatility from city to city. Many dynamics may help influence price differentials across the country, such as geographical location—which may impact the availability and import cost of raw materials—and demographics, which often influences demand for goods and services as well as the sup...
We all know that spending too much time on screens is unhealthy, but do different screens have different impacts on our mental health? The answer, according to a 2025 Hers study, is yes. In fact, one simple question, "Do you prefer streaming TV or scrolling social media?" reveals key differences in our self-perceptions, emotional stability, mental wellness, and more. So which one is better? Well, it's complicated. When it comes to screen time, binge watching Netflix and...
As is so often the case, the first several months of 2025 have had some serious highs and lows. There have been major box-office hits, like "Sinners," poised to be one of the highest-earning horror movies of the past decade, along with some colossal disappointments, like Disney's universally panned live-action "Snow White," expected to lose the studio $115 million. And the summer movie season is only just beginning. While the early months of the year are generally slower in...
While measuring individual happiness is challenging due to its subjectivity, broader trends may be able to provide insight into whether a local community is more or less happy than its peers. For instance, research ties higher incomes and lower poverty rates to higher levels of happiness. Similarly, life expectancy and marriage rates can be revealing indicators about a community's propensity for happiness. With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked 90 of the largest U.S. cities...
Though many out-of-work Americans currently face a slower search for employment, the nation's job market remains relatively robust, with 177,000 new workers added in April 2025. For comparison, an average of 166,000 new jobs were gained every month in 2024. Overall, the number of jobs in the U.S. is expected to grow by 4% across all occupations by 2033. But, according to projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many jobs that pay over $100,000 a year on average are...
In the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation story, the goddess Ho'ohōkūkalani gives birth to a stillborn son, who is buried in the fertile soil. In her grief, she waters the soil with her tears, and a sprout emerges, becoming the first kalo plant. This plant nourishes her second-born son, Hāloa, the first Native Hawaiian. For Native Hawaiians, kalo, also known as taro—a tropical plant prized for its starchy, nutritious, rootlike corm as well as its leaves—is not just a tradit...
President Donald Trump's new executive order on regulating elections is striking for the way it asserts broad powers for the executive branch that go far beyond what's prescribed in the Constitution or sanctioned by courts. Experts expect the order to face legal challenges for that reason. But what's also striking about the order is how it seeks to dictate some arcane details of the way voting systems work in some of America: Specifically, it bans the machine-readable...
Just when activity began to normalize on the nation's car dealer lots, tariff uncertainty threatens to increase auto prices for Americans in 2025. But for now, we're taking a look at 2024 data, which shows car loan balances increased moderately last year. The average auto loan balance held by consumers in the United States increased 2.1% to $24,297 as of the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, according to Experian data. This increase broadly impacted all U.S. regions and consumers...
One key benefit that many people overlook when trying to maximize their Social Security benefits is the spousal benefit. Under Social Security regulations, an individual may apply for Social Security benefits based on the work history of their spouse. Social Security spousal benefits are granted to individuals who performed the important work of raising families and maintaining the family home, by allowing them to claim benefits based on their spouse's work history, Ryan...
This summer, a wave of new graduates are embarking on finding their first jobs and entering the workforce. Amidst a competitive job landscape, it's also an exciting time that's marked by a flurry of hallmark learnings like navigating a new professional network and making a positive impression with colleagues. These young professionals are also grappling with an increasingly daunting consideration: How might generative AI affect their roles over the coming years? While there...
For decades, politicians and gun lobbying organizations have perpetuated the notion that mental health issues drive mass violence. A new study is challenging that narrative, though, showing that, rather than causing acts of violence, exposure to gun violence increased rates of depression among respondents and led to higher use of mental health services, The Trace reports. The study, led by researchers at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, surveyed 8,009 respondents...
Denise Jess walked into a Madison, Wisconsin, polling place on Saturday, April 29, to vote early in person, and encountered a familiar barrier: an absentee ballot envelope with a blank space for writing in her name, birthdate, and address. Jess, who is blind, chuckled along with her wife, who accompanied her to the polls. Who was going to do all that writing? A poll worker quickly offered help, reminding Jess that she had the right to assistance, Votebeat says. Jess, who is ex...
More insurance coverage should mean more confidence for small business owners, right? Not exactly—at least, not yet. According to a NEXT nationwide survey of 500 small business owners, insurance adoption is up across the board but confidence hasn't caught up. Despite more business owners having small business insurance coverage, many still feel unprepared to face real-world risks, and a majority say they find insurance confusing. This year's survey, a follow-up to NEXT's 2...