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Every year, about 36 million Americans pack their worldly possessions into the back of a car or a u-haul and make their trek to a new home. What many people studying the migration paths of Americans notice, though, is that moving is hardly a state of equilibrium. More people are moving to certain areas than others -- and collectively, these moving paths can have a big influence on the fate of city economies.Right now, there is an overall shift taking place from coastal cities to inland cities. As difficulties with securing mortgages and high property costs persist in states like California and New York -- among others -- more people are moving inward, toward urban centers that promise an easier and more affordable lifestyle. Oklahoma City is an example of a city that is benefiting from ...

The caste system penetrates all aspects of life in India, and for grade school children, this can mean an unnurturing and even unsafe learning environment. Even though it is illegal, discrimination is ever present in the Indian government school system, with lower caste children often being separated and teased by students of a higher caste and teachers alike. The work of Gary Becker, a Nobel Prize winning economist, that combined economics and sociology, could provide the country with a solution. Becker's application of economics to discrimination shows that discrimination increases when there is no cost involved. Government school teachers will be paid the same regardless of how they treat their students. The actions of a for--profit private school teacher, however, can impact enrollm...

In Riverside, California, a woman has been arrested for workers' compensation fraud thanks to online videos of her participating in beauty pageants. Shawna Lynn Palmer claimed to have fractured her toe last March while working for Stater Brothers in Riverside as a grocery store clerk. As a result of her injury, Palmer said she couldn't wear a shoe or put weight on her foot, preventing her from working. During multiple visits to a doctor, she said she could not move her foot in any direction, and she was ordered to refrain from working. She consequently was granted workers' compensation in March. However, a Youtube video has surfaced of the 22-year-old participating in the 2014 Miss Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix pageant during the time she was receiving compensation -- back in April. C...

Most people are already familiar with Yelp, the popular website which allows users to score and review local businesses like restaurants and hotels. But what if you need to score your moving company? Unpakt is a fairly new comparison site specifically for movers. Through Unpakt, users can already find and book legitimate companies online, but the company recently announced a new and even more useful service. Users will now be able to receive free and immediate price quotes through a calculation tool on the website. The Quick Quotes feature will provide users with price quotes in less than a minute from Unpakt's pre-approved list of companies, and they can select a good offer as soon as they receive it, which guarantees that they'll be charged the offered price. This is possible be...

In some parts of the world -- especially Paris -- cities are trying to slowly wean citizens and tourists away from the practice of leaving "love locks." Yet some areas, such as Lockport, New York, are hoping to replicate the love lock's popularity in order to bring new tourism to their area. What is a love lock? About 15 years ago, couples visiting European cities began leaving locks on bridges as a symbol of their love. The locks are often decorated or bear the initials of the couple. Soon, many bridges in popular areas become completely covered with locks. Lockport, NY is hoping that the lock can have special resonance with their namesake. Lockport gets its name from the Erie canal locks within the city, and the new Lockport Beautiful group is hoping that the metal locks, permanently a...

What happens when scientists and governments know that a body of water is polluted, but can't test for toxins due to the expensive equipment? The University of Bath brings in their electric bugs to test the waters. Scientists from the university's Department of Chemical Engineering have recently developed a low-cost and effective device that is intended to be used by developing countries in order to help them monitor their drinking water in real time. This real time data feedback will omit the need for expensive lab equipment. Water pollution cause by industrial waste is a serious problem in developing countries as many governments dismiss the need to monitor environmental impact as production takes top priority to improve the nation's economic standings. More developed countries ...

UPDATED 10/13/2020 Car Insurance is a topic many adults are familiar with. To the many young and innocent drivers of America, it might be just a strange bit of maintenance they pay their parents $100 a month for. However, it's a lot more complicated than that. What Is Car Insurance? Car insurance's most basic definition is financial protection if you or another driver cause an accident that damages some else's person, car, or other property. Each state has minimum requirements for the coverage you need on the vehicle. Mandatory coverage often includes liability or bodily injuries, property damage, medical payments, personal injury, and uninsured motorist. Which of these you actually need is part of car insurance coverage law in your state. One of the car insurance coverage ...

Developers, rejoice -- the U.S. home construction industry is experiencing a positive rebound. The data for July has just come in, and the government is reporting that the month saw an eight-month high. Construction increased 16%, equating to a little over one million homes, when adjusted for seasonal inflation. Experts had predicted a less dramatic upswing for July. The better than expected performance can be a good indicator that the economy as a whole is rebounding, and that the housing construction industry itself is experiencing more long-term gains. Economists always hope to find that the housing market is growing stronger, because new-home construction has a positive impact on the national economy. Building spurs demand for raw goods and creates jobs, while new home buyers help o...

If you hate pop-up ads with a burning passion, you're far from alone. In fact, Ethan Zuckerman, the man who created the pop-up ad while working for hosting site Tripod.com in the mid-1990s, hates them just as much as everyone else. And in a recent article he wrote for The Atlantic, he blatantly apologizes for creating this internet nightmare at all. According to Zuckerman, Tripod.com struggled for a while as it tried to create marketed content in a way that would reach consumers and result in a share of the revenue. Companies began complaining that their banner ads, which are placed directly on a webpage, could make it seem as though the company supported that particular page's content. After years of experimenting with different platforms, Tripod.com eventually settled on a model where...

Although the economy has been steadily improving over the past few years, the small business lending industry has been slow to catch-up -- and many small business owners are feeling the lag. In Carrollton, Georgia, Brandi Shirey is hoping to expand her cake shop business, which she started up four years ago. Since then, the demand has grown to a point where the shop can't keep up. She hopes to borrow $20,000 in order to move to a new, larger storefront. Shirey, though, knows that even with her store's positive financial history, she'll need a bulletbroof credit record and paperwork in order to receive a bank loan. Things "aren't what they used to be," said Shirey in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Although banks have been loosening their grip on tight restrictions year by ...