After four months of SAG-AFTRA strikes, Hollywood is finally back in business. The actors guild reached a tentative agreement with Tinseltown executives yesterday that will see the films rolling soon.

More than 600k union members went on strike on 14 July, alongside screenwriters from the WGA, who had been striking since May. It was the first time in over 60 years that both unions were on strike at the same time.

The US movie capital had been reportedly taking advantage of loopholes and new technology, using the murky legalease of streaming networks and digital doubles to avoid paying royalties. Execs granting SAG-AFTRA their demands would add USD22.2mn to the expenses of each studio per annum — only 2% of their yearly revenue.

There are still a few I’s to dot and T’s to cross before the picket signs are retired for good.The agreement’s details will be released in the coming days, and SAG-AFTRA’s full membership will vote on it. While there still is a slim chance that the deal will be rejected, the union’s negotiating team unanimously approved it and called off picketing.

Hollywood must be breathing a sigh of relief as it heads into its award season, as the end of the strike means we will be seeing actors on the red carpet, promoting their movies in interviews, instead of on the picket line.

Noise pollution will wreak havoc on your physical and mental well-being, explains National Geographic. Chronic exposure to distributive and excessive noises can cause a plethora of problems: Starting with heart disease, sleeping disorders, elevated blood pressure, depression and anxiety, particularly when the source of the noise can’t be controlled or stopped.

ALSO- Prolonged exposure to high-intensity sounds can damage the fine membranes in our nerves and bones, cells, potentially leading to hearing loss.

BY NUMBERS- Long-term exposure to noise pollution is responsible for causing around 48k new cases of heart disease each year in Europe, according to a 2022 study published in the Harvard Medical School magazine.

Disrupting our sleep is the issue. Noise negatively affects the quality and quantity of sleeping hours of approximately 6.5 mn people in Europe. Since our ears never sleep — we can thank our fight or flight responses for that — being this aurally stimulated can disrupt your sleep which is when your body tries to reset itself.

Noise pollution levels are not the same everywhere, and what one group constitutes as noise may be classified as just sounds to another. It is also not about where you live: Noise pollution may not only persist in urban areas, surprisingly, rural settings can exhibit comparable or even louder noise levels.

Stop the damage with noise-canceling headphones. But using the same devices to play music and videos that shut off the world outside can lead to injury or hearing damage.

White noise can also help. If you have white noise playing while sleeping to eliminate other sounds can help you sleep better. More noise-cancellation touches such as double-layered glass windows, thicker doors, and acoustic tiles can all contribute to a quieter environment and lead to that rest our bodies need.

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