• Boycotters are planning an economic blackout on February 28 to protest corporate corruption.
• The People's Union USA wants people to avoid major retailers and call out from work if possible.
• It remains unclear how many are engaged in boycotting and what the impacts may be.

On February 28, protestors aligned with a grassroots organization called the People's Union USA plan to hold an economic blackout targeted at corporations.

"Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line," the People's Union USA website said. "If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message."

For the whole day on February 28, the organization calls on people to refuse to make purchases online or in-store from major retailers or spend money on gas or fast food. If spending is necessary, the People's Union suggests buying from small businesses only and using cash.

"For one day," the website said," we show them who really holds the power."

The effort is spearheaded by John Schwarz, who described himself on the website as "just a man who has lived through struggle, seen the truth, and decided to do something about it."

"The system is designed to keep all of us trapped," Schwarz wrote. "That is why I started this organization. Because I believe we deserve better. Because I believe it is possible to break free from a system built to exploit us."

Schwarz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The People's Union USA also plans longer and more focused boycotts down the road, including a weeklong boycotts against Amazon, Nestle, and Walmart in March and April. The organization also called on people to take Friday off from work, if they are able to do so without risking their jobs.

It remains unclear how many people are committed to boycotting the economy on Friday and what kind of impact it may have.

Historically, some boycotts have had short-lived or even counterintuitive effects. When there were calls to boycott Goya after the company's CEO praised President Donald Trump in 2020, the company later said sales actually increased thanks to Trump supporters initiating a counter-movement called a "buycott" that encouraged people to buy from Goya.

An analysis from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University found that the "buycott effect overwhelmed the boycott effect," temporarily raising the company's sales.

That said, other boycotts may have been more effective depending on the cause that mobilized people to boycott. In 2023, Bud Light faced fierce conservative backlash after a brief branding stint with a transgender influencer. Well over one year later, sales for Anheuser-Busch, which makes Bud Light, remained down.

• "The Traitors" Experience costs about $41 a person and can have up to 12 players.
• In it, players compete in challenges, Traitors commit murders, and Faithfuls try to catch them.
• The hourlong experience was a blast even though I lost — and everyone left with prizes.

I'm a huge fan of "The Traitors" — so much so that the Peacock reality show was the theme of my last birthday party.

Now in its third season, the series brings fabulously dressed host Alan Cumming and stars from franchises like "The Real Housewives," "Survivor," and "Big Brother" to a castle in the Scottish Highlands.

There, the stars compete in challenges to build up the cash prize pot, murder each other in secret, and banish suspected Traitors from the castle during dramatic round-table debates.

To celebrate its current season, Peacock teamed up with Just Fix It Productions to put on "The Traitors" Experience, which runs in Los Angeles until March 2 and is set to travel to London this summer.

Each hourlong experience consists of up to 12 people playing for exclusive swag. Recently, I was invited to try the sold-out experience as an independent journalist, though tickets typically cost about $41 a person.

Here's what it was like.

The event took place in a Hollywood mansion

I didn't know what to expect as I drove up to the Beckett Mansion in the West Adams neighborhood. All I'd really been told was to wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. (Plaid attire was also suggested — a nod to the show's backdrop in the Scottish Highlands).

When I arrived, my ticket was scanned and I was led to a table with large gold coins and small shields. The props looked like replicas from the show, which made me more excited to enter the experience.

A woman with a thick Scottish accent and a tam o' shanter handed me a waiver to sign and a glass of bubbly. Then, I joined the other players.

We were served small bites, like French macarons and cucumber sandwiches, before officially entering the mansion.

This pregame mixer was important for replicating the show's nervous anticipation on episode one. No one was assigned a Traitor or Faithful role yet.

After a few minutes, the 12 of us entered the mansion's darkly lit foyer and were greeted by a woman in a kilt who would be our guide for the experience.

The Traitor selection and challenges felt pretty similar to what I've seen on TV

Our guide had us put on eye masks and began circling us as she chose the Traitors of the evening. Soon, I felt her hand on my shoulder: I had picked.

In this experience, being a Traitor meant I had to also sabotage challenges. That's directly at odds with my competitive spirit, but a good Traitor always plays the long game.

We were quickly ushered into the next room, a bar decorated with cozy chairs and portraits of season-three contestants.

Our first challenge involved putting together outfits for Alan Cumming.

The room was cluttered with the host's wardrobe, accessories, and styling mood boards. In the middle was a stack of locked suitcases.

We had to solve math problems to figure out the combinations, and then dress a mannequin correctly before time ran out.

The first murder caused chaos in the mansion

We successfully completed the challenge, but our celebrations were cut short when our guide announced it was time for the first murder. We circled up, and the Faithfuls put their eye masks back on.

There was one other Traitor, and our guide asked us to point to who we wanted to kill. Without a private turret like the TV show, our sudden decision couldn't be strategized or discussed. We pointed toward another player at random.

I felt terrible because I was worried that our murdered player would be removed from the experience. It turned out that he could continue participating, just with some disadvantages. My guilty conscience was wiped clean.

The game continued with more challenges and a recruitment

When we entered the next room and saw "priceless" artifacts on pedestals, I knew we'd be replicating season two's heist challenge.

Green laser lights shot from the ceiling, and we had to contort our bodies around them, "Mission:Impossible"-style, to collect puzzle pieces without setting them off. We didn't succeed.

After, the Traitors got the chance to recruit another person before the next challenge, which took place in a messy kitchen.

Here, two challenges would occur simultaneously: we could either answer riddles or solve a complex logic puzzle. Our group wasn't totally successful.

Once it ended, we gathered around a well and donned our blindfolds to kill another player. The player I've clocked as my biggest threat won a shield during the kitchen challenge, so he could not be killed.

I pointed to the person standing next to him, and the other Traitors (now three of us) followed suit.

Our last challenge was a game of trivia with a gothic twist, complete with wooden coffins and daggers.

I was banished, but I still had a lot of fun

At last, we reached the round table for our dramatic finale.

Before the final round table, we played one last game. Everyone stood up and, one by one, would point to the player we believed most faithful. Once chosen, that person was safe from banishment and could sit.

As I'd suspected, the Faithfuls had discovered my true nature a while ago, and I was the last one standing.

Banished, I uttered my exit speech with the flair of a Real Housewife. "I truly am … oblivious and bad at these games." Loud sighs. "And I truly am…" Dramatic pause. "A Traitor."

The room erupted into cheers, just like on the television show. I found myself smiling, too, even though I had just lost.

The group still had the chance to banish a Traitor by writing a name on a slate, but I couldn't vote because I'd been eliminated.

The Faithfuls ended up banishing one of their own, and the Traitors won. My teammates received their very own Traitor cloaks that looked like the ones from the show, whereas I got a ball cap that said "Traitor" as a consolation prize. The Faithfuls got mugs.

The hourlong experience was a blast, and I'm already hoping another version of it returns for season four. It feels like the perfect night out for a "Traitors" superfan or anyone who loves escape rooms, puzzles, and elaborate sets.

• I moved from the US to Europe in 2019 and eventually began living in Barcelona in February 2020.
• Shortly after, Spain went into lockdown amid to the coronavirus pandemic. I felt lonely for months.
• I struggled to adjust and wanted to give up on living abroad, but falling in love changed my mind.

After years of traveling to Europe and dreaming of living there full time, I finally made the jump in the summer of 2019.

I was excited but also terrified to leave everyone and everything I knew and loved behind in Los Angeles.

Still, I made the jump. I started my life abroad in Bordeaux, France, but after a few months, I knew it wasn't the right home for me. My time there helped me realize I wanted to live somewhere that has more sunshine year-round.

So, in February 2020, I headed to the sunny beachy city of Barcelona next.

My move to Spain got off to a rough start, and I almost went back home

Unfortunately, the excitement of my move to Spain was short-lived.

A few weeks after I arrived, the coronavirus pandemic sent the country into lockdown, and I was stuck isolating in my Airbnb for months.

As lockdown restrictions were lifted, I started to enjoy daily life in Barcelona, from morning walks on the beach to afternoon strolls to get tapas and sangria.

However, I struggled to build my social life and make friends. As my feelings of loneliness deepened, I began second-guessing my decision to move to Europe in the first place.

Before packing my bags and heading back to the US, I visited a friend from home who was living nearby in Madrid. Over drinks, I told him I wasn't happy and that I'd had enough of living abroad.

He reminded me that I wasn't so happy back home, either. When I lived in Los Angeles, I was looking for love and failing and constantly complaining about the high rents and the outrageously high price for a glass of wine.

He had a point. I still wasn't sure about staying in Spain, but maybe the place I was living wasn't my problem. Perhaps I was giving up too quickly.

He insisted I just hadn't yet found my people in Barcelona and offered to connect me with a friend of his who lived there named Tomi.

I'm so grateful I gave Barcelona one last shot

Within days I received a message from Tomi inviting me to a concert.

I was hesitant to go, but once I arrived, I felt like I was finally walking toward the dreams of a life in Europe I'd always had for myself.

The small venue had brick walls filled with abstract artwork, a lively crowd of international people mingling, and a handsome Argentine man waiting by the bar waving at me — Tomi.

We felt an instant connection as we were both musicians who were far from home and new to Barcelona.

By the time I left the concert, I couldn't have been happier or more excited. The music was incredible, the venue and crowd of artists were inspiring, and my new connection was really charming.

From there, Tomi and I began spending more time together. Before I knew it, I had completely forgotten about wanting to go back to Los Angeles. I was in love and finally really living in Barcelona.

We got married four years later and still live in the Spanish city.

Looking back, I'm grateful that I stuck things out despite struggling to feel at home for the first few months. If I had left, I wonder if I'd ever have met the love of my life.

It also may have taken me longer to realize that the place you live can't always make you happy — and that finding love and connection with the right people can help anywhere feel like home.

• The Upright Go is a smart device that reminds you when you're slouching.
• I wore it during work and found it helpful most of the time.
• Doctors said I still need to work out and build up my core for better posture.

After hearing friends in their 30s complain about back pain over the years, it finally happened to me at age 33: my lower back was stiff. Every time I knelt down, rising up took a moment, as if my body was buffering.

Getting a new mattress pad and starting yoga classes improved my symptoms, but it wasn't until I looked at photos of me running a marathon that I saw the bigger picture. My poor posture was out of control. As the race wore on, my back bent more into a "C." I couldn't unsee how bad my "tech neck" had gotten.

An internet search convinced me to buy the Upright Go posture corrector, a wearable smart device that you can stick to your back or attach to a necklace. The device gently buzzes to remind you when you're slouching. For $60, it seemed worth trying. It was more affordable than the popular $190 Forme posture-correcting bra and seemed less clunky than a back belt or brace.

After using the device for two weeks, I quickly changed some poor posture habits. I plan to keep wearing it, even though fixing my back issues will take more than a posture corrector.

I learned I was slouching even more than I realized

The Upright was easy to charge and set up. After downloading the app, I was prompted to calibrate the device to my upright posture to establish a baseline.

I thought I would get a reminder a few times an hour, but it was more like a few times every five minutes. The moment I started getting remotely engrossed in my work, the soft buzz along my spine brought me back.

It wasn't until I readjusted the height of my desk that it became easier to stay straighter — my default position was hunched over to begin with. For getting me to notice and make that tiny adjustment alone, the Upright was worth it. My lower back also felt a little sore, which seemed promising.

It's harder to use during deep work

The more focused I get on a work assignment, the more my spine curls like a shrimp in a hot pan.

I got into an annoyingly vicious cycle: I'd fixate on writing or editing a story and start to slouch, setting off the device. I'd lose my train of thought, straighten up, and start over. Then, I'd get another buzz.

It got to the point where I had to remove the necklace to work on anything that required my sustained attention. I found it easiest to keep the Upright on when I didn't have to actively type, such as during work calls or doing errands around the apartment.

Kevin Lees, director of chiropractic operations at The Joint Chiropractic in New York, recommended wearing the device six to eight hours a day to properly form a habit. I was averaging, at most, two to three. I also didn't wear it out socializing because I wanted a break.

It demonstrates an issue that Dr. Arun Hariharan, a board-certified pediatric orthopedic and spine surgeon specializing in scoliosis, told me: smart devices are only as good as your commitment to them. "Those are great tools to understand what's going on, but they're not the fix," he said of other health devices like fitness rings and sleep trackers.

The Upright revealed how often I slouch, but solving the issue is more complicated than wearing a device.

The science behind smart posture correctors isn't substantive, said Hariharan.

"It plays almost no role in our medical treatment because the evidence hasn't been strong enough to recommend it," he said. While some people credit the devices for helping them improve their habits, the long-term impact is unknown.

Doctors say I can do more for my spine

The good news is that outside medical conditions like scoliosis, "you can reverse a lot of poor posture in six to 12 months," Lees said.

In addition to using the Upright, Lees recommended wearing posture-correcting sports bras or braces for short intervals, such as when I'm exercising, to form better habits while moving. The goal is for me to eventually not need them at all.

To avoid stiffness, Lees suggested stretching my chest, pec, and shoulder muscles while also doing balance exercises to stimulate my postural muscles.

In the long run, Hariharan said that strengthening my core muscles is crucial for better posture. Making sure my hamstrings aren't tight is also important. Otherwise, my entire lower back pulls forward and experiences more strain.

I still plan to use the Upright to help with my posture every day for the near future, but I'll also keep strength training and stretching as much as possible.

• Colorado police arrested a woman on suspicion of vandalizing a Tesla dealership.
• The incidents involved Molotov cocktails and messages that seemed to target Elon Musk, AP reported.
• A federal investigation is underway amid nationwide 'Tesla Takedown' protests.

Colorado police arrested a woman on suspicion of being involved in a recent vandalism incident at a Tesla car dealership.

The vandalism is the latest incident amid widespread public protests against Tesla CEO Elon Musk over his work with the Trump administration and DOGE to downsize the federal government.

Law enforcement said they apprehended 40-year-old Lucy Grace Nelson on Monday at the Loveland, Colorado, Tesla dealership after a weekslong investigation of several vandalism incidents on the property.

Nelson is charged with criminal intent to commit a felony, criminal mischief, and using explosives or incendiary devices during a felony, police records say.

Loveland Police Department spokesperson Chris Padgett told Business Insider that local police are working "very closely" with the United States Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to investigate possible federal charges.

The string of incidents involved graffiti with the words "Nazi cars" painted onto the dealership building, Molotov cocktails thrown at the vehicles, and a message that seemed to be in reference to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, according to court documents viewed by the Associated Press.

Security footage showed a person throwing Molotov cocktails at cars on the dealership's property, targeting at least four cars with a combined worth of $220,000, the AP reported. Police discovered bottles, gasoline, and cloth pieces, which are typically used to create the cocktails, in Nelson's car, according to the report.

Padgett told BI that officials have been investigating the vandalism since January 29. Nelson didn't immediately respond to voicemail request for comment. USAO official Melissa Brand declined to comment on the potential federal charges related to the incident.

In recent days, "Tesla Takedown" protests have taken place across the country, with demonstrators calling for a boycott and gathering in front of Tesla dealerships in various cities. Multiple protests have happened in San Francisco outside of showrooms and locations in the area.

Some protestors chanted, "No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here."

Law enforcement is still investigating a motive in the Loveland dealership incident and whether or not another person may have been involved in the vandalism.

The NFL Combine will get underway on Thursday, with today's on-field workouts kicking off at 3 p.m. ET, with the focus on defensive linemen and linebackers.

'The Departed' actor's wife, Rhea Durham, has shared multiple photos of her three teenage kids from their 'wild' family vacation.

A nationwide economic blackout urges people to avoid spending all money for one day.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting the White House to meet with Trump on Thursday. Follow Newsweek's live blog for the latest updates.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. and Russia are discussing economic co-operation in the far north.

Jeanie Dedelow later discovered her husband had a very good - and very gross - reason for moving the chair.

The Boston Red Sox added Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox this offseason. They could make another blockbuster trade for a pitcher by the end of 2025.

A nationwide economic blackout scheduled for Feb. 28 urges consumers to halt spending to pressure corporations on economic inequality.

Some Western elites are "determined to maintain instability in the world," said the Russian president.

The Hollywood icon starred in dozens of hit films, but this one scored the largest box office audience.

Stephanie McMahon is launching a brand-new role in the WWE.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has made a decision about returning this season.

Two teams near the bottom of the Premier League table look to avoid relegation as Leicester City and West Ham square off at London Stadium on Thursday.

The owner taught his dachshund not to stare and beg while people eat.

Justice Clarence Thomas said the Court should overrule or limit Feres v. United States.