🐤 Giving the bird

🏦 Markets: The Federal Reserve announced its latest interest rate hike on Wednesday, confirming rumors that it would be a relatively minor 0.25% increase. Wall Street was bullish upon hearing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s forecast that consumer prices are finally heading in the right direction after a period of prolonged and painful inflation.

All three major stock indexes saw gains throughout the day, led by the Nasdaq Composite, which benefited from strong earnings reports from tech firms like chipmaker AMD.

🎸 Rock on: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its latest batch of nominees, and the list includes performers from multiple generations and music styles that don’t fit neatly within the traditional rock category. There are some posthumous nominations in the group, including George Michael and Warren Zevon. The list of honorees spans country (Willie Nelson), pop (Cyndi Lauper), rap (Missy Elliot and A Tribe Called Quest), heavy metal (Iron Maiden), alternative (Soundgarden), and artists like Rage Against the Machine that have created their own genres. Other notable nominees include Kate Bush, The Spinners, Joy Division/New Order, and The White Stripes. Fans can vote for their favorite until April 28 at rockhall.com and all of the inductees will be announced the following month.

📺 The doctor is out: After more than two decades of doling out his homespun advice to guests on his hit eponymous daytime TV show, “Dr. Phil” McGraw is calling it quits. He confirmed this week that the program would conclude after its current season. At that time, the 72-year-old will reportedly finalize plans for a “prime-time partnership” with CBS Media Ventures, which is expected to hit the ground running next year. McGraw called his show, which spun off from his frequent appearances on daytime icon Oprah Winfrey’s show, “an incredible chapter” of his life. CBS Media Ventures President Steve LoCascio sang McGraw’s praises in a statement on the matter, noting: “While his show may be ending after 21 years, I’m happy to say our relationship is not.”

🏈 A super surprise: During the recent AFC Championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only ones who learned they’d be going to the Super Bowl. A family of Ukrainian refugees received a surprise invitation to attend the big game. The Chiefs-Bengals battle was the first NFL game the couple had ever seen in person. Just before kickoff, they learned that they were getting tickets to the Super Bowl thanks to a kind gesture by the Chiefs, who will be squaring off against the Philadelphia Eagles later this month. Only a few months ago, the husband and wife were witnessing the bomb blasts and chaos caused by Russia’s ongoing invasion of their home country. Now, they’re half a world away and safe from the destruction after securing a sponsor family near Kansas City. The newly minted Chiefs fans will be rooting loud and proud for the team while still mourning the loss of so much that they left behind to protect their family.

✈️ Unlimited flights: The airline industry has had a tough year marred by widespread delays, understaffing, and other issues impacting the experience of passengers and crews. Nevertheless, people need to get from one place to another in a hurry and commercial flights are the easiest and most affordable way to get the job done. A new program by Frontier Airlines promises to make it even less expensive. The budget carrier is offering its “GoWild!” package that will give people unlimited flights over the summer months (between May 2 and Sept. 30) for less than $400. Frontier Senior Vice President Daniel Shurz described the program as “a terrific opportunity to have a truly epic summer and then some,” noting its obvious appeal to “people with flexible schedules.” A year-long pass is also available for $999.

If you’ve seen any of the “Jurassic Park” movies, you understand how dangerous it can be to resurrect extinct species. That hasn’t stopped some experts and their wealthy benefactors from attempting to do just that with a few choice animals.

Focusing on the dodo

As Colossal Biosciences co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm explained, the dodo bird “is a symbol of man-made extinction.”

It’s been centuries since the last known example of this flightless bird was killed, but Lamm and his colleagues believe they might be able to bring it back. Here’s a brief outline of how the plan might work:

• Researchers would begin studying the dodo’s closest genetic relative: the Nicobar pigeon.
• Teams would compare the two birds’ respective genes to determine where the significant differences are.
• After isolating and editing those cells in a Nicobar pigeon, the resulting cells can be placed into eggs from other birds.
• The end result could be the ability of a living species to naturally lay eggs containing a virtual clone of the dodo.

Skepticism abounds

Aside from those who think this is simply an absurd plan that is a waste of time and effort, there are some critics who are worried that it actually will work. Colossal Biosciences is also working on a plan that it hopes will help bring back the extinct woolly mammoth.

Such efforts have already attracted widespread investments with the company boasting about $225 million in capital so far.

Supporters are optimistic that this research will ultimately aid in developing genetic testing and therapeutics that could revolutionize human health care.

Others, like Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, are focusing on endangered species that can still be saved, saying: “There’s a real hazard in saying that if we destroy nature, we can just put it back together again — because we can’t.”

Love it or hate it, you’ve got to admit that the Subway restaurant chain has been successful. Building on the simple concept of making sandwiches, the company has grown to include more locations than any other fast-food brand.

Much of the company’s achievements are a testament to the vision of its co-founder Peter Buck, who died in 2021 at the age of 90. His legacy will live on through the restaurant and a huge donation he left to a charitable organization now operated by his sons.

A little background

Buck and his wife started the Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation in 1999 with a stated goal of funding programs related to land conservation, education, medicine, and journalism. In his will, he named his sons, Christopher and William, to the foundation’s board of directors.

The younger Bucks, as well as the organization’s chief financial officer, are also the executors of his will.

While many of his personal possessions were instructed to be divided between his sons, a full 50% of the Subway chain (worth as much as $5 billion) was contributed to the foundation.

Ulterior motives?

While this sounds like a totally altruistic move on Buck’s part, reports indicate that it could actually benefit his family in a big way. Since his sons are in control of the charity, his donation of such a large sum might allow them to continue controlling much of that money without being on the hook for a huge tax bill.

Meanwhile, Subway has fallen on hard times in recent years and executives are reportedly open to the possibility of selling it. In the event that the brand is sold, tax expert Miles Brooks explained, Buck’s donation to his family’s charity “is a good move to maximize tax savings.”

Plenty of studies have shown that humans are becoming more stressed out with each passing year. Some of it is due to the pandemic, some of it is caused by pressures at work, and some of it can be attributed to the potentially toxic influences of social media.

Whatever the root causes are, however, the fact is that many of us are left with recurring thoughts of dread coursing through our minds at any given time. From an embarrassing encounter with a colleague to wondering whether you could have done anything to avoid a fight with your significant other, it’s easy to dwell on things to the point that they become almost debilitating.

If you’re struggling with these ruminations, however, you’re not alone — and experts have a few tips that can help you break the cycle.

• Self-reflection: We all overthink from time to time, but if your thought cycles are compulsive and you can’t stop even when you want to, you might have a deeper problem.
• Diversion: For those without a serious underlying issue, research has found that refocusing the brain on something else — such as music, exercise, or a chat with friends — can help break the cycle.
• Avoidance: While it might not be wise to ignore immediate issues in your life, it is advisable to identify certain triggers that can spark ruminations and avoid them whenever possible.
• Scheduling: A certain amount of contemplation can be healthy, so if you’re prone to relatively minor thought cycles, you might want to set aside a few dedicated minutes to process your thoughts.

Some people, including women, perfectionists, and those with serious medical issues, are statistically more likely to struggle with rumination. If you’re having trouble making the thoughts stop, experts say treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder or anxiety can help.