🐤 It's not fair!

🏦 Markets: Wall Street saw some gains on Friday despite lower-than-expected quarterly earnings reports from some tech giants. This week’s trading will determine what impact the latest Federal Reserve news will have on investors.

The Fed’s ongoing strategy of raising interest rates to combat inflation appears to be paying off, and the central bank is expected to take a more nuanced approach to the process going forward.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer, however, emphasized that corporate data is the major factor at play, explaining: “We’re in earnings season, for heaven’s sake” and stocks have done well because many companies “delivered good numbers.”

🏈 Feeling super: The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl! The first championship game of the day on Sunday pitted the two top NFC teams against each other, and the Eagles hardly made it look like a battle in their trouncing of the San Francisco 49ers. The first quarter saw 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy sidelined and the team never really gained any traction even after he returned in the second half of the game. The AFC championship was a much closer game as the nailbiter saw the score between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs tied at various points in the game. In the end, the Chiefs were able to eke out a victory and secure a spot in Super Bowl LVII, which will take place in Arizona on Feb. 12.

🍺 Bennett arrested: College football standout Stetson Bennett has made plenty of headlines for his abilities on the field, including helping the Georgia Bulldogs achieve consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship appearances. Early Sunday morning, however, he was involved in some off-the-field activity that landed him in police custody. According to authorities, officers were dispatched to a neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, where a man was reportedly banging on doors. A police statement indicated that the suspect was identified as Stetson Bennett and he was arrested on charges of public intoxication. The 25-year-old Heisman Trophy finalist has been looking forward to a possible selection in the upcoming NFL draft.

🎥 Not the last: The HBO series “The Last of Us” has already attracted a loyal audience just a couple of episodes into its first season, and the cable network confirmed that there is another season on the way. The show was adapted from a video game of the same name, which is providing some fodder about what a second season might have in store. For now, however, HBO is playing coy about its intentions, which makes sense given the fact that most of the first season hasn’t even aired yet. The series follows a teen who is trying to survive in the aftermath of a destructive global pandemic and viewers are clearly hooked. Episode two saw a 22% increase in its audience size compared to the premiere. The third episode aired yesterday. There is a third chapter to the game, which might mean that the creators are hoping the show will at least be around for season three.

🧐 Investigating Ye: The controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West has exhibited no shortage of bizarre and offensive behavior in recent months — and now he’s reportedly under investigation following a dispute with an apparent member of the paparazzi. The incident occurred in California on Friday as Ye left his daughter’s basketball game and asked a man with a camera to respect his privacy. A short time later, a woman chimed in from a nearby car to tell Ye that “he’s a celebrity,” essentially chiding him for trying to blend into the crowd. At that point, he allegedly snatched the woman’s phone and threw it across the road. Local law enforcement subsequently confirmed that Ye was a “named suspect in a battery investigation.”

As taxpayers across the United States prepare to pay Uncle Sam by the April deadline, many are pining for a simpler and perhaps fairer system. There’s been quite a bit of debate in recent years about how the nation’s tax code could be revamped — and one such proposal is the so-called FairTax.

What is it?

Although there are a number of factors that would have to be implemented in order for this plan to replace the system currently in place, the underlying principle of the FairTax is pretty straightforward:

• Virtually every item would include a 30% federal tax
• Taxpayers would receive a monthly check to help pay the tax on essential items
• The FairTax would effectively replace the current income tax system

Who supports it?

This system has received significant praise from many prominent conservatives dating back to the end of the 20th century. As it stands, two dozen lawmakers — all Republicans — have co-sponsored a bill in Congress that would implement the FairTax nationwide.

The late Herman Cain centered his failed presidential bid on a variation of the FairTax. Several other high-profile Republicans, including John McCain, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, and Mike Huckabee have also put their reputations behind the proposed tax system.

Who opposes it?

If Republicans are virtually the only ones for the FairTax, it stands to reason that most of its detractors are Democrats.

Even though it would essentially create a universal basic income, which many progressives support, those on the left tend to think that the FairTax would create an undue burden on the poor while allowing the wealthy to pay a lower total percentage of their income in taxes.

Some conservatives are also against it, arguing that it would increase the deficit, force seniors to pay more, and create an incentive for black markets.

There’s nothing new about the idea of turning up the heat in a moisture-rich room and sitting in the steam for a while. Although folks were understandably wary about sharing such an intimate space with strangers during the pandemic, the sauna is experiencing a renaissance in communities across the U.S. and around the world.

A brief history

Steam rooms have been popular in some version throughout much of human history, with prominent examples across Asia, among Native American tribes, and throughout the Scandinavian population.

Whether focusing on dry heat or a steamy environment, the primary motivation is the belief that exposure to the heat has some sort of health benefit.

Proponents have long echoed largely unproven claims that saunas can help detoxify, aid in sleep, address mental health issues, and maintain a healthy heart.

A mixed bag

Most experts say there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with taking an occasional steam, but it’s important to be realistic about what benefits a sauna could provide. There have been some intriguing studies that link regular exposure to such environments with a healthier cardiovascular system — but there isn’t any evidence to support the idea that sweating can help you release toxins from your body.

Furthermore, it’s important not to view the sauna as a replacement for other healthy habits. As Finnish researcher Earric Lee explained: “It’s not like, ‘Oh, instead of going for my 45-minute run, I’m going to sit in the sauna for 45 minutes.’”

Here to stay

Although the jury is still out about the benefits of saunas, it’s clear that people just enjoy them. Young adults make up a big portion of the customer base for places like the Russian and Turkish Baths in New York, which enjoyed a 50% increase in year-over-year business in 2022.

In the past, older individuals often had limited options when it came to where they would live. Some were able to stay in the homes where they resided for much of their lives, but these spaces were often bigger than they needed and were too difficult to maintain.

That left them with the possibility of downsizing or moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home. These days, however, a growing trend is allowing seniors to live in their own space, on their own terms, and near the people they love the most.

Flexible options

At the heart of this trend are accessory dwelling units, or ADUs for short. These are basically areas of a larger home that have been reformatted to become independent spaces akin to studio apartments.

For many families that have embraced this option, the best aspect is that it is totally customizable to the needs of those involved. An older couple can help their adult kids by offering an ADU for them to live in, or alternatively, the grown children could add an ADU to their home and invite their parents to move in.

One 80-year-old woman who purchased a property with her daughter and son-in-law said the arrangement has “exceeded all our expectations,” noting that she is still able to provide childcare for her grandkids and her children are “prepared to be caregivers” if she needs assistance in the future.

AARP approved

Groups that help seniors, including the AARP, have been vocal advocates for ADUs and have pushed for new laws making it simpler to receive a permit. California is among the states that have responded to that pressure and the number of such units statewide has gone from about 1,200 in 2016 to almost 20,000 in 2021.