🐤 Making their voices heard

🏦 Markets: Wall Street was still riding high on Friday after the previous day’s upbeat economic report. Although annual inflation came in at a higher-than-average 6.5% in December, that’s a lot better than the more than 9% rate we reached last summer. Early fourth-quarter earnings reports also bolstered stock trades to end the week on a high note.

All three major indexes were up considerably for the week — including the S&P 500, which marked its best week in two months.

💍 Mrs. Ye: Controversial entertainer Ye (you might still know him as Kanye West) has reportedly married a designer who works for his Yeezy fashion line — and who looks an awful lot like his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. The clandestine ceremony apparently took place on Thursday, though there’s no evidence that the pair filled out the requisite paperwork to make it official. Cameras caught Ye wearing a band on his ring finger after he was spotted out on the town with designer Bianca Censori earlier in the week. He released a song last month — “Censori Overload” — that was apparently named for his “wife.”

🕺 Footloose: It sounds like the inspiration for Kevin Bacon’s 1984 breakout hit, but Sweden has been regulating dance nationwide for the past decade. This week, however, the government repealed rules that have required businesses to obtain a license in order to host dances of any kind. Violations could lead to the loss of a liquor permit or the closure of a business entirely. Instead of paying a roughly $67 fee, venues will now only need to register with local police for free. One Swedish official celebrated the ruling, noting that it “is not reasonable for the state to regulate people’s dance,” explaining that the new standard will “reduce bureaucracy and costs for entrepreneurs and others who organize dances.”

🚗 Tes-low: Despite becoming the biggest electric-powered automaker in the world over the course of 2022, economic uncertainty and fears of decreased demand have led Tesla to worry that its growth is unsustainable in the near term. Its stock prices have cratered in recent weeks and the cost of new Teslas is coming down as well. Although it’s good news for people who are hoping to buy a Model Y or Model 3, those who recently bought one for a higher price are justifiably upset over the recent price cut. Tesla vehicles being sold across Europe and the United States are now going for as much as one-fifth less than their average prices just a short time ago.

🛸 Strange sightings: Although UFO reports are nothing new, officials have been taking them a bit more seriously lately. According to the Department of Defense, 366 new reports have been investigated since March 2021. Many of them have been explained as drones or balloons, but a number remain unidentified. A few of the other likely explanations include birds, weather events, or debris. The uptick in reports is due in large part to an increased willingness among Navy and Air Force pilots to share their observations, according to a new Pentagon statement that highlighted “reduced stigma” around such sightings in recent years.

The capital city of Peru is in upheaval this week following the chaotic and deadly disputes that forced former President Pedro Castillo out of office. He was replaced by his vice president, Dina Boluarte — and it has been anything but a smooth transition.

Demonstrators take to the streets

Reports out of Lima indicate that thousands of protesters marched on Thursday with signs and slogans designed to express their disapproval of the current situation. Many, including Olga Espejo, are demanding Boluarte’s resignation.

She asked why the new leader had been “turning your back on the people” after dozens of Peruvians have reportedly died during the conflict that followed Castillo’s ouster.

“Dina asesina!”

Some of the protesters are somewhat more forgiving of Boluarte, suggesting that he is simply a political pawn of a larger machine. Others, however, are holding her personally responsible for the death and destruction that has come to dominate the country in recent weeks.

Some protesters carried coffins made of cardboard, displayed photos of those who have died, and shouted “Dina asesina!” (or “Dina is a murderer” in English) as they made their way down the streets of the capital.

High-profile resignations

At least some of the nation’s top officials are considering whether they should step down in protest. Labor Minister Eduardo Garcia led the way on Thursday, announcing that he would be resigning and calling on the nation to issue an apology for the events that led to the recent deadly clashes.

New elections could be held as soon as next year, but Garcia and others believe that the current situation is not sustainable for that long.

For his part, Prime Minister Alberto Otarola shot down calls for Boluarte’s resignation, asserting that such a scenario “would open a very dangerous floodgate for anarchy and misrule.”

In light of recent advancements by private space exploration companies, the concept of space tourism suddenly seems less like science fiction. For those who aren’t quite ready to venture outside of Earth’s orbit, however, one company believes it can offer the next best thing.

Into the stratosphere

World View has developed a state-of-the-art form of travel that involves taking off in a balloon and catching a glimpse of the planet from the stratosphere, which is the second layer of the planet’s atmosphere.

The idea is clearly taking off (no pun intended) as evidenced by an announcement on Friday that the company plans to go public following an acquisition deal worth a whopping $350 million.

Acquisition firm Leo Holdings Corp. II is behind the effort, which could be finalized as soon as next quarter.

What it all means

According to World View, its stratospheric balloons present a range of possible applications, each of which could benefit humanity and bring significant profit for the company.

Here are a few ways you might be seeing the impact of these unique vehicles in the near future:

• The defense industry could utilize remote sensors to gather intelligence and conduct surveillance.
• Agricultural interests and other sectors could use the balloons to monitor atmospheric conditions — including a deal in the works to record methane levels in Texas.
• Tourists could reserve seats in these balloons to achieve a high-flying experience unlike any other.

Although each of the options above is intriguing, it is the final one that is receiving much of the early attention. After all, about 1,200 people have already plopped down a $500 deposit to be among the first to take off in a balloon when the time is right. Trips will last 6-8 hours and cost a staggering $50,000 per ticket.

If you’re like me and work at a desk all day, you might be clinging on to your New Year’s resolution to become more active. We’ve all heard about the dangers associated with sitting down all day — but the good news is that it’s pretty simple to offset those potentially serious health effects.

Focus on frequency

Research has shown that even people who are generally active can suffer from problems brought on by long stretches of sitting in one spot. Likewise, folks who get up and move on a regular basis can see major health benefits whether or not they get frequent exercise.

As it turns out, it’s more important how often you move, not how long you remain in motion.

Experts have developed a standard that should be easy for just about everyone to follow: For every half hour you remain seated, get up and move for at least five minutes.

Columbia University’s Keith Diaz, who authored a new study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise explained: “If you have a job that requires you to sit most of the day or have a largely sedentary lifestyle, this is one strategy that could improve your health and offset the health harms from sitting.”

The benefits are real

While scientists aren’t entirely sure why it’s so bad for our bodies to remain seated for long periods, it’s clear that there are significant benefits associated with breaking the trend. Study participants who walked for five minutes every half hour saw improvements in their blood sugar and blood pressure.

If you’re not sure how to incorporate this recommendation into your office routine, Diaz suggested:

• Walking to a colleague’s desk instead of emailing
• Take a stroll while making a phone call
• Using a small water bottle that requires frequent refills