-
3 weeks ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: The arts and cultural communities in our cities do more than entertain and engage residents: They drive the local economy. New data out from the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show that the arts and cultural sector grew at twice the rate of the total U.S. economy between 2022 and 2023, or about $1.2 trillion. That’s 4.2% of the country’s GDP.
-
1 month ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
Paige Bueckers, a highly touted rookie, helped drive sell-out crowds to the opening Dallas Wings games. Photo courtesy WNBAWhat you probably already know: Rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are at it again. The most anticipated WNBA season in the league’s 29-year history kicked off last weekend, and it did not disappoint.
-
1 month ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: You’ve heard it before: Women entrepreneurs receive less than 2% of venture capital funding. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
-
1 month ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: Women are drinking significantly more alcohol than they used to, and it has doctors concerned. This is particularly true among women in their 30s and 40s, who are 60% more likely to report binge drinking than women of that same age in the early-to-mid 1990s, according to the journal Addiction. The result is higher rates of liver diseases among women, as well as a rise in breast cancer rates, even while other cancer rates are declining. Why?
-
1 month ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: While much attention has been focused on girls in recent years, boys in the U.S. have slowly fallen behind in nearly every metric. It’s become a crisis and it’s starting to get serious attention. Women attend college at much higher rates than men, but it starts much earlier. Boys enter kindergarten already behind and the gaps get worse as they persist. About 83% of boys graduate high school compared to 89% of girls, according to the Brookings Institute.
-
1 month ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: About nine years ago, a real estate agent named Richard Conlin walked into the parking garage of his Miami Beach condo building and stepped into about six inches of water. That wasn’t terribly unusual — low-level parking garages often flood in Miami. What was unusual is what he saw at his feet: A live octopus. The creature had apparently come in through the drainage pipes straight from the ocean.
-
2 months ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: As artificial intelligence is increasingly used to screen job candidates, many have expressed concerns that it could reinforce bias that was already a pernicious part of the hiring process. Now, a new study published by the University of Washington has found that AI tools used to screen candidates for job openings dramatically favored white men over other genders, races and ethnicities.
-
2 months ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: If you’re not up to date on your latest vaccines, doctors are encouraging you to get them while you can. Despite promising not to crack down on vaccine research and public confidence in vaccines during his Senate confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doing just that as health secretary.
-
2 months ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: As more banking and investment leaders warn of a possible recession, citing official signs like the growth of gold market and a slowdown in home sales, everyday consumers have their own economic indicators. The lipstick index, for example, suggests that when sales of lipstick spike, that consumers are seeking “inexpensive treats” to make them feel good when they can’t afford other luxury items.
-
2 months ago | 
beformidable.com | Emily Parkhurst
What you probably already know: Canadians are not OK. In fact, they’re livid. After President Donald Trump made overt threats to the country’s sovereignty, suggesting it could become the 51st state. Since then, there’s been a dramatic rise in nationalism as Canadians band together against a common enemy — an enemy that was once the country’s strongest ally. That has many Canadians boycotting American-made goods and canceling travel plans.