All knotted up

It took no time for Dallas to get its own spinoff. Knots Landing offered the same melodrama and (literal) cliff hangers, but with a coastal vibe. Through all its twists and turns, it became one of the longest running prime-time dramas of all time. 

Speaking of twists, turns, and knots, design studio Kryss is making headlines for disentangling our views on furniture. From small tables to lounge chairs, they’re making it all with nothing but knotted ropes!

Everyone’s crazy for sharp looking threads ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

Consumers might be best tariff weapon

As of this morning, U.S. president Donald Trump is planning to impose reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries tomorrow, escalating his trade war to an all out global scale.

Among tomorrow’s executive actions will be a round of 25% tariffs imposed on cars made outside the United States, impacting 100,000 workers in Ontario alone.

The problem with retaliating to auto tariffs, however, is that the North American auto industry remains deeply integrated; few tariffs could deal a self-blow as impactful as the one the United States is going to incur when these duties are imposed on Canada. The same could be said for the impact a Canadian retaliation would have on Canada.

“There are choices to be made in how to respond, and Canada’s policy makers need to think about what will be most effective, not just what will feel good in the moment,” said Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC Capital Markets.

“An alternative, or at least a complementary measure, would be to let Canadians apply their own penalty on U.S. exports, through the choices they are making at the supermarket, in the shopping mall, at their car dealer, and at the travel agency,” he said.

Early data suggests Canadians are—at least for now—deeply committed to going out of their way to buy Canadian and stay away from the United States.

While such grassroots-driven retaliation can’t necessarily have the immediate impact of swift government action, Shenfeld says it’s not nothing, and the more American voters feel the ramifications of their president’s actions, the more pressured he’ll be to relent.

POLITICS

Poilievre proposes capital gains tax relief

In an effort to attract reinvestment in Canada’s vulnerable economy, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre proposed a capital gains tax deferral if proceeds from a sale are reinvested in Canada.

The proposal would apply to reinvested capital gains generated between July of this year and the end of next year, with the possibility of the policy being made permanent at the end of the initial window.

The gains would ultimately still face taxation, either when cashing out of the subsequent reinvestment, or when moving capital out of the country.

Hundreds of billions in capital has fled Canada since 2016, and Poilievre has made its repatriation a central tenet of his campaign.

Should American tariffs remain in place for a prolonged period, the Canadian economy will almost certainly enter a recession. Economists have warned a weak dollar and lower interest rates likely wouldn’t be enough to attract the amount of investment the country would need to emerge strong from a tariff-induced recession, which is at least partly why both leading candidates are proposing tax cuts early in the campaign.

Liberal leader Mark Carney continues to pull ahead in the race, bolstering an eight-point lead of 44% to 36% according to a Nanos poll released yesterday.

HEALTH

Nurse practitioners burning out

Nurse practitioners in Ontario are continuing to experience unprecedented levels of burnout, and are calling on the province to immediately and aggressively invest in the still-beleaguered healthcare system before it collapses.

“Nurse practitioners have been stepping in to fill these gaps the past several years, but we’re doing much more with less,” said Aliya Hajee, a nurse practitioner and founder of NP Circle, an organization that supports nurse practitioners in Canada. “We’re managing increasing volumes of patient care without the support we really need to sustain that.”

Low compensation, unsustainable job responsibilities, and general burnout are consistently cited by NPs as growing concerns in their profession.

A national survey conducted by NP Circle found just one out of eight NPs are “very satisfied” with their job, while one out of five said they’re “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied.”

Most alarmingly, half of those surveyed said they’re considering leaving the profession.

TRAVEL TUESDAYS

The most difficult plane landing on earth

Have you ever flown to Bhutan? If you have, you’re among the few brave enough to white knuckle what many consider the most technically challenging plane landing in the world.

Bhutan’s Paro International Airport (PBH) rests between two 18,000-foot Himalayan mountains, with a runway that allows for next to no deviation from the landing coordinates. Just 50 pilots in the world are qualified to make the landing.

Among them is Captain Chimi Dorji, a 25-year veteran pilot of Bhutan’s Druk Air.

“[Paro is] difficult, but not dangerous,” he says. “It is challenging on the skill of the pilot, but it’s not dangerous, because if it were dangerous, I wouldn’t be flying.”

A Class C airport, Paro requires pilots to receive special training if they intend to make the landing, including doing so with no radar—eyes only in this mystical valley.

On top of that, rapid gusts of wind are common from multiple directions as aviators make their descent between the two peaks, followed by a low-altitude, last-minute turn towards the runway that the pilot only sees just before landing.

Would you rather go skydiving from this plane, or buckle up and wait for it to land?

SPORTS

Bronx Bombers add torpedoes

The baseball season got underway over the weekend, and the main story coming out of it was the New York Yankees (what a shocker).

The team showed up this season apparently with the sole intention of reminding the rest of the league why they’re called the Bronx Bombers, crushing 15 home runs over their first three games, including a franchise record-tying nine during Saturday’s 20-9 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

While not the first time the Yankees’ secret weapon made an appearance, the “Torpedo” barrel obviously got fans and broadcasters chatting and wondering if the specially-shaped bat several players used over the weekend was actually legal.

"The Yankees have a literal genius MIT Physicist (Aaron Leanhardt) on payroll," said former Yankee, Kevin Smith. "He invented the 'Torpedo' barrel. It brings more wood—and mass—to where you most often make contact as a hitter. The idea is to increase the number of 'barrels' and decrease misses."

Just what the world needs: the New York Yankees with a cheat code that’s actually legal.😩 

On the plus side, once other teams figure out how to replicate the Torpedo, it could start to look a lot like the 1990s again in terms of long ball frequency. Giddy up!

MEDICINE

New drug attacks cholesterol

Lipoprotein, or Lp(a), is an extremely dangerous type of cholesterol that 64 million Americans are living with at elevated levels. It usually goes undetected by tests, is resistant to currently-approved cholesterol-regulating drugs, and is often only detected when the patient is on the verge of or has already had a heart attack.

An experimental Eli Lilly drug called lepodisaran has completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials, with a single dose of the drug reducing nearly all traces of Lp(a) in the participants within six months of receiving the dose.

Specifically, 320 patients participated in the Phase 2 trial, and the researchers determined Lp(a) levels were cut by 93.9% after six months. The drug’s effects weakened slightly by the one-year mark, with Lp(a) levels only reduced 88.5%, but those who received a second dose after six months saw 94.8% reduction at the one-year mark.

“This is a major source of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and lead researcher of the lepodisiran trial. “We have never been able to treat lipoprotein(a) until now.”

CURIOSITIES

Largest 3D-printed community in the world

Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the world’s largest 3D-printed neighbourhood at Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas, a few miles south of Austin.

ICON’s robotic printer finished the last of the ranch’s homes last summer, and the community is taking shape as homeowners continue moving in.

“I feel safer in this house than any house I’ve ever lived in, because it’s so well built, it’s not going to burn down,” said Holly Feekings, who’s lived at the Wolf Ranch in her 3D-printed sanctuary for about a year.

ICON started operations in 2022 with two 40-foot robot printers, and within a year, 11 robots in total were at work non-stop, building two homes per week since.

The ICON homes at Wolf Ranch start at $400,000, and come with solar panels and smart home tech installed. The minimal overhead costs and hyper efficiency of the construction process allow ICON and building partner Lennar to rapidly construct and sell these homes at affordable prices.

If the nation’s housing crisis is going to be solved with haste, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that 3D-printed and modular homes will play a big role in the achievement.

STAKE TRIVIA

Gotcha!

We’ve got an exciting one for you this morning! Today’s trivia is all about the historical significance of tumbleweed….just kidding. APRIL FOOLED YA 🤪 

To celebrate this goofy day, we’ll be looking at some iconic pranks and hoaxes with today’s special April Fools’ trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified tomorrow afternoon—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.