Category: Life Style

How Presidents Day has evolved from reverence to retail

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – Phil Bustos of Trinidad, Colo., displays the television set he bought for $29 at a Washington’s Birthday sale in Washington, D.C., Feb. 22, 1954. Other bargain hunters waited to get into the packed store during the annual holiday sale. (AP Photo, File)

By BEN FINLEY Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic, not a king.

And yet the United States will once again commemorate its first president on Monday, 293 years after he was born.

The meaning of Presidents Day has changed dramatically, from being mostly unremarkable and filled with work for Washington in the 1700s to the bonanza of consumerism it has become today. For some historians, the holiday has lost all discernible meaning.

Historian Alexis Coe, author of “You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington,” has said she thinks about Presidents Day in much the same way as the towering monument in D.C. bearing his name. Continue reading

Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

Valentine’s Day roses are unwrapped after being inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist Elaine Mendez at Miami International Airport, and Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

By DAVID FISCHER Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers.

In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Around 90% of the fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States come through Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles.

Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, to Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets across the U.S. and Canada. Continue reading

With home prices and mortgage rates high, many families find the American dream out of reach

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Julieta Lopez’s condo is seen from the street in Boston, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, some two years after she bought her first home, capping a 30-year pursuit of homeownership. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)

By R.J. RICO Associated Press

The Petersen family’s two-bedroom apartment in northern California is starting to feel small.

Four-year-old Jerrik’s toy monster trucks are everywhere in the 1,100-square-foot unit in Campbell, just outside of San Jose. And it’s only a matter of time before 9-month-old Carolynn starts amassing more toys, adding to the disarray, says her mother, Jenn Petersen.

The 42-year-old chiropractor had hoped she and her husband, Steve, a 39-year-old dental hygienist, would have bought a house by now. But when they can afford a bigger place, it will have to be another rental. Petersen has done the math: With mortgage rates and home prices stubbornly high, there’s no way the couple, who make about $270,000 a year and pay about $2,500 in monthly rent, can afford a home anywhere in their area.

According to October data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a San Jose family with a median income of $156,700 would need to spend 80% of their income on housing — including an $8,600 monthly mortgage payment — to own a median-priced $1.54 million home. That’s far higher than the general rule of thumb that people should pay no more than 30% of their income on a mortgage or rent. Continue reading

Why Choosing Something To Watch Feels So Difficult

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

By Michael Dinich | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Too much of a good thing? Streaming service subscribers report that content overload and hidden fees are leading to frustration and subscription fatigue.

In fact, the new survey of 2,000 American streaming service subscribers revealed that the average person spends 110 hours per year scrolling through streaming services, struggling to find something worth watching — a stark reminder of the “too much content, too little time” dilemma.

Commissioned by UserTesting and conducted by Talker Research, the study revealed one in five believe it’s harder to find something to watch today than it was 10 years ago. According to them, the underlying cause comes from being overwhelmed by too much content.

Many struggled with having larger content libraries (41%) and feeling like there’s too much original content being produced (26%). Continue reading

Are Employers Ready for a Mass Exodus More Than Half of US Workers Planning Career Changes

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

By Chhavi Agarwal | Wealth of Geeks undefined

As rampant layoffs across industries concern many American workers, a recent ResumeTemplates.com survey reveals another potentially significant workforce shift. More than half (56%) of survey respondents admit they’re already searching for a new job or plan to start hunting in the coming year.

Perhaps even more striking, 1 in 3 job seekers expressed willingness to quit their current positions, even without another job lined up.

These findings highlight a growing trend of career reassessment as workers look for new opportunities amid a challenging and changing job market. Continue reading

Will New Year’s Eve be loud or quiet? What are the top 2025 resolutions? AP-NORC poll has answers

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)

By MARK KENNEDY and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone.

A majority of U.S adults intend to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

“As I’ve gotten older over the last few years, it’s like if I don’t make it to midnight, it’s not a big deal, you know?” says Carla Woods, 70, from Vinton, Iowa.

Nearly 2 in 10 will be celebrating at a friend or family member’s home, and just 5% plan to go out to celebrate at a bar, restaurant or organized event, the poll found.

But many U.S. adults will celebrate the new year in a different way — by making a resolution. More than half say they’ll make at least one resolution for 2025. Continue reading

Eiffel Tower, White House Among US Travelers’ ‘Bucket List’ Landmarks, Study Reveals

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

By Caitriona Maria | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Despite the ever-rising cost of travel, 40% of travelers confirmed they will take a bucket list or big-ticket trip in 2025, according to a Squaremouth survey.

To uncover the most popular bucket list destinations for Americans, travel experts at The Facts Institute analyzed average monthly U.S. searches for over 150 national landmarks. Using Ahrefs data from the past 12 months, they identified the top 5 global landmarks Americans are most eager to explore.

According to the ranking, these landmarks land on Americans’ bucket list. Continue reading

A mix of merriment, music and mayhem makes panto a beloved British holiday tradition

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe (right) performs as Dame Sarah the Cook during a photocall for Hackney Empire’s Dick Whittington and His Cat in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

By LIZZIE KNIGHT Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Here’s a recipe as essential to Christmas in Britain as turkey, tinsel and mince pies.

Mix a fairy-tale plot with topical references, slapstick, song, dance and double entendres. Drench in sequins and spangles, mix vigorously, add some noisy audience participation, and you have a panto.

Pantos — short for pantomimes — are stage musicals that play at theaters big and small across the U.K. each winter. Formulaic but anarchic, family friendly but a little risque, they are a holiday tradition that give many children their first exposure to live theater — and adults a chance to cut loose.

Anyone who thinks Britons are buttoned up hasn’t been to a panto. Audiences happily shed their inhibitions – cheering, singing, hissing the villain, shouting “He’s behind you!” to warn the hero. Continue reading

The winter solstice is almost here, the Northern Hemisphere’s darkest day

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

By The Associated Press undefined

The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets.

For those who would rather have more sunlight, you can try to make your way to the Southern Hemisphere, where it is summer. Or be patient: Starting Sunday, days will get a little bit longer in the Northern Hemisphere every single day until late June.

These annual changes in sunlight as the Earth revolves around the sun have been well known to humans for centuries. Monuments such as Stonehenge in England and the Torreon at Peru’s Machu Picchu were designed in part to align with solstices.

Here’s what to know about how the Earth’s march around the sun splits up the year. Continue reading

GivingTuesday estimates $3.6B was donated this year, an increase from 2023

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

Volunteer Victoria Vasquez, 70, of Providence, R.I., center, supervises one-and-a-half year olds Scarlett Thomas, left, and Liam Echevarria Gaytan, right, in an early childcare program at Federal Hill House, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. donors gave $3.6 billion on Tuesday, an increase from the past two years, according to estimates from the nonprofit GivingTuesday.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, now known as GivingTuesday, has become a major day for nonprofits to fundraise and otherwise engage their supporters each year, since the 92nd St Y in New York started it as a hashtag in 2012. GivingTuesday has since become an independent nonprofit that connects a worldwide network of leaders and organizations who promote giving in their communities.

“This just really shows the generosity, the willingness of American citizens to show up, particularly collectively,” said Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday. “We are just seeing the power of collective action and particularly collective giving over and over and over again.” Continue reading