Hurricane Harvey

Celebs step up with donations for Hurricane Harvey relief: Kevin Hart calls out stars to join in

Kevin Hart pledged $25,000 to the Red Cross.

Courtesy of ACL Live

Flood-inducing rainfall and devastation: Houston has been battered by Hurricane Harvey with more severe weather on the way. While celebrities from Demi Lovato to Houston native Beyoncé have tweeted their love for Houston during these trying times, several famous names are taking it up a level, expressing their concern and also pledging funds to help relief efforts. A special shout-out to the celebs below, who are donating funds to help those in need.

Actor and comedian Kevin Hart not only pledged $25,000 to the Red Cross, but called out fellow celebrities including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Justin Timberlake to do the same:

I'm calling this the Hurricane Harvey Relief Challenge....Lets go @therock @beyonce @chrisrock Jay Z Dave Chappelle @jerryseinfeild @iamsteveharveytv @justintimberlake #HurricaneHarveyReliefChallenge #prayforhouston .....I am getting a link together now people. Help me help Houston....

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on

Aug 27, 2017 at 4:07pm PDT

DJ Khaled accepted Kevin Hart's challenge, donating $25,000 to hurricane relief efforts:

HOUSTON TEXAS my prayers are wit you! I just sent 25k your way to help all the families in need 🙏🏽 @kevinhart4real I accepted your challenge pic.twitter.com/EgCjyT8IKV

— DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) August 29, 2017

In the tweet below, Chris Young sends prayers to Houston. Moreover, the country singer pledged $100,000 to the Red Cross and set up a Go Fund Me page for hurricane relief. You can donate here.

Prayers out to everyone in Houston and surrounding areas. Be safe out there family. #HurricaneHarvey

— Chris Young (@CY24_7) August 27, 2017

Drake, who is in London, said he is working with local relief groups to help:

We are currently overseas in London and all I can think about is how devastated I am as I look at images of the damage Hurricane Harvey has caused. I am praying for the safety of all those affected. Houston has truly been a home to me over the last 8 years. Myself and @futuretheprince are working with local relief groups to aid and assist the people of Texas in anyway we can and in the most immediate way possible. I also want to thank all the men and women of service and volunteers for their courageous efforts to help people in need. I encourage everyone to do what they can to assist the people of Texas knowing whatever effort you can make to help will go a long way.

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on

Aug 28, 2017 at 2:13am PDT

Cher tweeted her love for Texas on August 25. In a second tweet on August 27, the icon posted that she will donate funds to help reunite shelter and relief animals with their owners:

SENDING ❤️& PRAYERS 🙏🏻TO
ALL TEXANS‼️Lived in Galveston & Burleson,🎤Toured🌟State For 50yrs.🎥Silkwood In Dallas. HAVE LOVED ONES IN TEXAS💋

— Cher (@cher) August 25, 2017

Texans will Get Through This.Texas 🙌🏻is special in my❤️Since 8.Will make donation 2 help Rescue & Shelter TX animals til
Reunited W❤️'d 1's

— Cher (@cher) August 27, 2017

Lady Antebellum donated merchandise proceeds from their show in Dallas to relief efforts.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by #HurricaneHarvey. pic.twitter.com/HBihHtqUcL

— Lady Antebellum (@ladyantebellum) August 28, 2017

Texans star J.J. Watt has set up a fundraiser to help the Houston community via the YouCaring crowdfunding site.

It's extremely difficult to have to watch the events of Hurricane Harvey unfold on TV and not be able to get back to Houston to help with the recovery efforts. I've set up a fundraiser so that we can raise as much money as possible to help our communities and the families of our great city rebuild. Any donation that you can spare, no matter how large or small, no matter what city or state you live in, is greatly appreciated. We will come out of this stronger than ever. www.YouCaring.com/JJWatt #TexasForever

A post shared by JJ Watt (@justinjames99) on

Aug 27, 2017 at 2:19pm PDT

celebrities

are you happy?

Houston continues sad streak as one of the 'unhappiest' U.S. cities

Photo by Damaris Martin on Unsplash

Even with a poor ranking, you still shouldn't ask us to "smile more."

A new nationwide study analyzing the happiest cities in America has determined Houston is slightly happier than it was last year, but it still appears to be one of the unhappiest U.S. cities in 2026.

Houston currently ranks as the 128th happiest U.S. city. Last year, it was No. 151.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Houston across the three key dimensions:

No. 107 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 148 – Income and employment
No. 158 – Community and environment

Despite its low ranking, Houstonians are working hard to improve their city's quality of life year after year, whether its through opening new restaurants, inviting Houston-born stars to perform at the rodeo, or having a strong job market. We also have some of the best museums, a diverse culinary scene, and iconic institutions like the Johnson Space Center. And considering that people keep moving here, Houston must be happier than other places.

Having a good job and a fun social life can qualify as factors that measure happiness, but WalletHub separately emphasized that making more money doesn't necessarily mean "more" happiness.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Elsewhere in Texas
The Dallas suburb Plano and its residents' happiness far outshines the rest of Texas, according to WalletHub. Plano ranked as the 16th happiest U.S. city, and the No. 1 happiest statewide. Austin was the only other Texas city to rank among the top 50, landing in the No. 39 spot.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 70 – Irving
No. 92 – Garland
No. 106 – Grand Prairie
No. 111 – Dallas
No. 113 – Fort Worth
No. 119 – Arlington
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

reports san antonio wallethub