A glass act

Released in ’79, The Muppet Movie did not disappoint. It was loaded with laughs, iconic music 🌈, and featured a star-studded set of cameos—including that unforgettable scene with Steve Martin as an insolent server pouring wine 🤣

Based on Steve’s reaction, Kermit and Miss Piggy should’ve known that that wine was no good. As it turns out, other animals might have. A new study has shown that rats can differentiate between the odors of different wines.

The rats were all sniffs, no spills ;)

(Love nostalgia? Play today’s trivia below for a chance to win a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card!)

IN THE NEWS

Gloves are off

U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs kicked in yesterday morning, with 25% duties placed on Canadian products entering the United States, with the exception of energy, which was tariffed at 10%.

In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau immediately placed 25% tariffs on $30 billion worth of American goods, with an additional $125 billion set to get the same treatment if Trump doesn’t pull back within three weeks.

By now, most Canadians have heard what will go down as one of the defining statements of the final chapter of Trudeau’s political career, in which he said, “Donald, you’re a very smart guy, but this is a very dumb thing to do.”

Shortly after Trudeau spoke, he was followed by nationally-covered speeches from several provincial premiers, including Ontario’s Doug Ford and Alberta’s Danielle Smith, along with federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Each leader was unambiguous in their commitments to respond in kind to defend Canada’s sovereignty and economic wellbeing. Each leader made clear that a trade war will have no winners, and the suffering in store for citizens on both sides of the border can be blamed on the man who fired the first shot and sleeps down the hall from the Lincoln Bedroom.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hinted yesterday afternoon that a “middle-of-the-road” deal could be announced by Trump today that could rollback some of the tariffs.

ECONOMY

Minimizing currency conversion expenses

The Canadian dollar continues to hover around 22-year lows of 70 U.S. cents, meaning those choosing to travel to the United States are forced to spend much more than their dollars are worth in Canada.

However, on top of the conversion rate itself, the way one chooses to spend their money in the United States could cost more in the form of conversion fees, depending on the method.

For example, using Canadian debit cards in the U.S. definitely tend to cost more in conversion fees (typically 3.5%), and most financial institutions will charge that much for converting cash.

Credit card issuers tend to be the most reasonable, with 2.5% conversion fees in place. However, some companies offer cards made for travelling that impose no fee at all when converting Canadian credit to American or vice versa.

It’s also advised that, when given the choice, make a payment in American dollars at the point of sale, rather than in Canadian dollars.

“Always choose to be charged in the currency of the country you are in. You will pay high conversion rates and transaction fees if they convert to Canadian currency,” the federal government states on its travel website.

CONSUMER

Fraud losses in the hundreds of millions

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), impersonation fraud—which continues to be the fastest growing type of fraud in Canada—resulted in $638 million in losses last year, pushing the total to over $2 billion since 2021.

CAFC, along with the RCMP and the Competition Bureau, are pushing a massive campaign this March for Fraud Prevention Month in order to draw more attention to this growing threat.

According to the Competition Bureau, just 5 to 10 per cent of overall fraud incidents actually get reported to authorities.

"Fraudsters are using sophisticated technology to create scams that feel more real than ever," warned Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell. "It's important for Canadians to trust their instincts and question unexpected calls or messages. The more we learn about their tactics, the less chance criminals have to defraud us."

The most-reported types of fraud last year were investment fraud, identity fraud, and service fraud, while investment frauds, spear phishers, and romance scam artists caused the largest amount of losses, according to CAFC.

WHAT UP WEDNESDAYS

Extreme heat linked to aging

Biological aging refers to the way the human body ages at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels, rather than the chronological age associated with a person’s birthday.

A new study published by researchers at USC suggests those who live in regions where they’re more often exposed to extreme heat tend to biologically age faster than those in cooler regions.

The researchers analyzed data from 3,600 Health and Retirement Study participants, including blood samples taken in 2010 and 2016 to determine their epigenetic changes, which are defined by when a person’s genes are “turned on and off” by something called DNA methylation.

Methylation can expedite aging at the molecular level, and the study’s authors analyzed the participants’ methylation levels using mathematical tools, then compared those levels to the heat indices of the regions the participants lived in during the six-year study period.

“Participants living in areas where heat days, as defined as Extreme Caution or higher levels (≥32°C), occur half the year, such as Phoenix, Arizona, experienced up to 14 months of additional biological aging compared to those living in areas with fewer than 10 heat days per year,” said study coauthor, Eunyoung Choi, USC Leonard Davis PhD in Gerontology alumna and postdoctoral scholar. 

“Even after controlling for several factors, we found this association. Just because you live in an area with more heat days, you’re aging faster biologically.”

HEALTH

Scientists warn of microplastics in human brain

A recent study published in Nature Medicine by researchers at the University of New Mexico is causing other scientists in Canada and the United States to sound the alarm about the discovery of microplastics in the brains and other organs of deceased people.

The study found a higher presence of microplastics in the brains of people who’d deceased more recently than others, and a higher concentration in the deceased brains of people who died with dementia.

A commentary on the study was published by U.S. and Canadian researchers in Brain Medicine, with co-author and University of Ottawa scientist, Nicholas Fabiano, saying the recent study’s findings are not encouraging moving forward.

“Hearing that there is a spoon’s worth of microplastics in the brain was shocking. As a psychiatry resident, this is particularly relevant, since we currently do not know the full extent this may impact one’s cognition or mental health,” Fabiano said to Gizmodo. 

“In the Nature Medicine study, microplastic levels were 3-5 times higher in the brains of those with dementia, which raises alarms, however these findings are not causal in nature.”

Microplastics and other foreign chemicals entering the human body at a microscopic level can lead to horrible outcomes, including inflammation, cancer, heart disease, brain damage, infertility, and other irreversible acute and chronic conditions.

CURIOSITIES

Monopoly banishes the banker

Everyone at one point had the coming-of-age realization that eventually hits all growing boys and girls: there’s nothing worse in board games than taking on the thankless role of Monopoly Banker.

Luckily for kids today, they won’t have to experience this worldview-shattering epiphany, because the latest revamp of the Hasbro classic removes the role altogether, along with the paper fiat currency known as “Munny,” and instead opts for a mobile app, in which each player’s wealth and transactions are calculated and stored in the app on a phone or tablet.

The game app will be free, and the Monopoly App Banking board game itself will be available for purchase from most game and toy retailers sometime this August.

The tokens will be accompanied by a bank card that players will scan into the app, along with cards representing title deeds to every property. The app will calculate each transaction, whether that includes paying rent or buying the property itself.

While no one will have to do the banker grunt work anymore, and cheating will be much more difficult, it’ll now be a lot more difficult to use Monopoly to get kids to practice math or get them off their mobile devices.

MUSIC

Clapton back for 6 more shows

Eric Clapton recently finished a string of two dozen shows in North and South America and Europe, and has since announced an extension to the mini tour, with six new dates scheduled in the United States this September.

The leg will begin in Nashville on Sept. 8, then rolls through Philadelphia, Cleveland, Boston, and New York, and will culminate on Sept. 20 in Uncasville, CT.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday, with demand expected to soar as presale blocks of tickets are sold off throughout the week to those with access.

The guitar legend has been busy off the road lately as well, however, releasing his 22nd solo album, entitled Meanwhile, last October. It was his first since dropping a Christmas album in 2018.

His MTV Unplugged special was also re-released in January, 32 years after it first aired on MTV. The re-release, entitled Eric Clapton Unplugged…Over Thirty Years Later, hit select theaters during the release month, after which it moved to Paramount+ for all subscribers to take in.

STAKE TRIVIA

Music video world

Last week we quizzed on you the early days of music videos, but the medium really came into its own with the advent of MTV.

Find out how well you know the golden age of ’80s music vids with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified tomorrow—keep an eye on your inbox!*

Have a great day ahead Staker!

Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.