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Proposing is both an intimate and cultural experience. Couples ready to get engaged often have to balance societal expectations—from family traditions to cinematic clichés—with what works for them personally. VRAI, a fine jewelry brand specializing in lab-grown diamonds, breaks down the do's and don'ts of proposing so that each couple can decide what's best for them before saying "yes" to a lifetime of love. Don't Live by the "Two Month" Rule Many have been told for deca...

The new Linden Community Center in Columbus, Ohio, isn't just for kids. Built in 2021 among a series of new buildings in a gentrifying neighborhood, it's also one of the places where the Franklin County Sheriff's Office is recruiting candidates for the department, The Trace reports. On a recent weekday, trainees could be seen completing workouts under the watchful eyes of deputies and volunteers, who assessed their fitness in running, bear crawls, squats, push-ups, and...

The majority of states, 26, saw declines in high school graduation rates following the pandemic, new research shows. In 2020, for example, 10 states had graduation rates of 90% or higher, but only five did in 2022, according to Tuesday's analysis from the Grad Partnership, a network of nonprofits working to improve student outcomes, The 74 reports. However, the report suggests that the full impact of COVID-19 school closures on graduation rates has yet to be realized. This...

When Carolyn Thomas suffered her first heart attack in 2008, she was in her fifties, a distance runner and as fit as can be. Yet the doctor in the ER diagnosed her with acid reflux, sent her home without treatment and told her she simply needed to rest. "I felt so embarrassed for having made a big fuss over nothing that when my symptoms later returned, there was no way I was going back to that ER for help," Thomas, a PR manager in Victoria, Canada, told Reasons to be Cheerful....

In the ever-evolving world of bridal fashion, statement engagement rings have surged to the forefront, capturing the hearts of modern couples who seek to express their unique love stories. These bold, eye-catching pieces stand out not just for their size, but for their intricate designs, innovative settings, and unmistakable brilliance. VRAI, a fine jewelry brand featuring lab-grown diamonds, details how the trend of statement engagement rings has risen and how you can wear...

In June 2023, the town council in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, voted unanimously to install the gunshot detection service ShotSpotter. The town would get the system up and running in a few square miles of the city using $297,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funding, reports The Trace. "Crime is an issue, but it's not unique to Phillipsburg," Councilmember Keith Kennedy said after the vote. "It's in every town and city around us." ShotSpotter, which alerts police to shootings...

Decade after decade, midcentury modern design continues to appeal. The New York Times noted a resurgence of the style in 1998. Nearly two decades later, there came another wave. Fast Company deemed it the "pumpkin spice latte of interior design." It's a style "Mad Men" popularized in the current century; its designers—Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, and more—are named in reverent whispers among design circles. Even casual design fans have lik...

The Great American road trip has turned nautical. There's an alternative to the van life that has inspired so many to take to the roads for months or years at a time: ventures by watercraft. Imagine a year spent weaving through intercoastal waterways, traveling through marshlands, and along rivers under the shadow of skyscrapers. Those who manage it are part of a select few called Loopers. GetMyBoat explores the wonders of the Great Loop with first-person accounts and...

Pacing back and forth on an auditorium stage in his signature black turtleneck and blue jeans, Steve Jobs addressed members of the media one mid-July morning in 2010. Apple's chief executive was responding to reports that consumers were having their phone calls dropped when using the latest device, the iPhone 4. The company had found a way to incorporate the cellular antenna into the stainless steel frame of the phone, saving precious real estate. But some wanted to know: Why...

If the hit 1990s sitcom "Friends" debuted today, it might look a little different. For one thing, the showrunners would probably need to cast consistent roles to play the main characters' parents or even grandparents—the de facto roommates for a growing number of Americans in recent decades. Since the turn of the century, it's become more expensive for Americans to live on their own. And the effect is shifting away from the nation's late 20th-century culture of independence, p...

Few things define a culture in the way its food does, and the United States is no different. Whether it's regional food traditions like collard greens and cornbread or the country's allegiance to boxed macaroni and cheese, the U.S. is a place of seemingly endless gastronomic choices and Indigenous and immigrant influences. However, some foods are practically impossible to find stateside, and that's because they've landed on the banned food list. That's right, there are...

Everyone's guilty of procrastinating sometimes—even the ancient Greeks and Romans did it. That said, it's one thing to put off a task for a little while. It's another to chronically avoid doing things until the absolute last minute. Wysa researched the psychology behind procrastination, what makes people do it, and how they can work to overcome it. According to the Association for Psychological Science, procrastination comes in two forms: habitual and situational. The l...

The exodus from major metropolitan areas that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic—when people fled large cities in part due to pandemic restrictions, small living spaces, and the high cost of rent and real estate—is continuing. Census data shows that interstate migration rates are sliding back to pre-pandemic rates, but the trend of moving to smaller cities may last longer than anticipated. CitizenShipper examined domestic migration trends from the Census Bureau to see whe...

Few things define a culture in the way its food does, and the United States is no different. Whether it's regional food traditions like collard greens and cornbread or the country's allegiance to boxed macaroni and cheese, the U.S. is a place of seemingly endless gastronomic choices and Indigenous and immigrant influences. However, some foods are practically impossible to find stateside, and that's because they've landed on the banned food list. That's right, there are...

Learning disabilities are the most common type of disability for school-aged children. According to Pew Research Center, 1 in 3 students receive educational services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for learning disabilities; this surpasses support for students with speech impairments and chronic health problems. Learning disabilities are neurodevelopmental disorders that affect people's ability to read and write, solve math problems, speak, and...

Donald Trump (R) is set to be sworn in as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. After succeeding Trump in 2021, President Joe Biden (D) signed 42 executive orders in his first 100 days in office, 21 of which directly aimed at revoking Trump administration actions. Ballotpedia tracked five Biden executive orders, enacted in the first five months of his presidency, that revoked 14 Trump executive orders that aimed to reform the administrative state. Trump's 2024 campaign...

From golden age movie musicals to Billboard-charting songs, diamonds are embedded in cultures throughout the world. Egyptians saw diamonds as symbols of power. Indian myths have the deity Krishna giving his beloved a diamond to reflect her beauty. Romans and Greeks thought diamonds were splinters of falling stars. Using data from the Kimberley Process, an international body meant to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the market, Jewel360 examined the growing lab-grown...

On Dec. 3, 2018, 19-year-old Atlanta pop artist Lil Nas X opened up TikTok and uploaded his new song, "Old Town Road." The artist was used to making viral content on the internet, and that savvy was put to good use when his country trap tune quickly started taking over the social media app. Over the next few months, hundreds of thousands of TikTok users turned the song's chorus into a meme, posting videos of themselves drinking "yee yee" juice and wearing cowboy getups. "When...

Choosing a loyal companion is one of the most important decisions a pet owner can make. Each year, the American Kennel Club tracks dog registrations to see which breeds are the most popular in the United States. For 31 years straight, from 1991 to 2021, the Labrador retriever has topped the list—but watch out, there's a new breed occupying the #1 spot. Stacker used the AKC's 2023 rankings, released on April 9, 2024, to compile the 100 most popular breeds out of the total 2...

Netflix is finalizing its plans to completely phase out its cheapest ad-free subscription tier for its existing subscribers, reports Giant Freakin Robot. The company is now asking its users to choose a new Netflix plan to continue watching content on the world's largest streamer. The Choice To Add More Fees Or More Ads Netflix users took their dissatisfaction with Netflix's action to Reddit, where they discussed the new development. Apparently, those subscribed to the Basic...

What exactly makes a place an ideal hometown? The answer has changed throughout the decades. In recent years, southern states like Florida, Texas, and North Carolina have welcomed an influx of new residents—an August 2024 Marketwatch analysis of census data lists these three states as the most popular moving destinations for Americans in 2021. Movers may be attracted to the region by lower housing prices and warm weather, but these are far from the only factors determining w...

Some celebrities are low-key and choose to drive the same cars as you and me. Justin Timberlake famously cruises around town in a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta to avoid unwanted attention while going about his day. Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is often seen driving an Acura TSX. Others, however, swing in the opposite direction and are out and about in rides so lavish that one has to wonder if celebrities really do try to one-up each other. There's Drake's 2010 "Sang Noir" (Black...

On Christmas Day in 1914, British and German troops emerged from the trenches of World War I as weeks of bad weather cleared and called a truce. It was spontaneous and not approved by any higher-ups, but many soldiers on both sides ended up taking part. Soccer games were played between the British and German troops before they returned to their respective sides at dusk and continued fighting. The Christmas Truce, as it is known today, is for many an illustration of the power C...

An avalanche swept up skiers at Lake Tahoe's largest ski resort on Jan. 10, 2024, as a 150-foot-wide sheet of snow slid down a mountain slope into a pile 10 feet deep. One person died in the avalanche and three others were rescued, according to the Placer County, California, Sheriff's Office. The slide happened in steep terrain near the KT-22 chairlift, which had just opened for the season that morning. A second unplanned avalanche hit the same ski resort the next day, but no...

In the lead up to Election Day, presidential candidates had big ambitions for the future of the child tax credit, which is set to expire next year. That looming deadline means Congress will have to take up the credit in 2025, deciding whether to let it lapse, lock it in as is, or expand it further. However, despite what had been proposed on the campaign trail, there is unlikely to be a major expansion to one of the most popular policies for American families, The 19th...