Best bud

You probably cut loose throughout the ’80s, but you would’ve had to go hard to keep up with the original party animal, Spuds Mackenzie. Debuting in ’87, the Bud Light mascot redefined the meaning of man’s best bud. Drummer, chick magnet, party pooch, he was one happening dude.

To say that Spud’s love language was having a good time would be an understatement. All jokes aside, dogs actually do have love languages, and being able to identify your dog’s preferences can do a lot for your bond.

You know what they call it ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

Carney introduces “Canada Strong Pass”

Liberal leader Mark Carney introduced the “Canada Strong Pass” in response to growing disinterest among Canadians in travelling to the United States, but who are still interested in hitting the road this summer.

He said over the weekend that “Canadians are uniting to find ways to discover and celebrate our beautiful country.”

“Whether it’s trips to national parks and historic sites, spending the day at a national art gallery or museum, or hiking Canadian trails, my new government will help the next generation discover all Canada has to offer this summer,” a release about the program said.

VIA Rail travel will be cost-free for Canadians 18 and under travelling with their parents, and so will national museum and gallery entry, with plans to make national park entry free as well.

The plan will be available from June to August, and is the latest campaign proposal made by Carney, though it was proposed via press release, as Carney’s campaign was suspended over the weekend while he met again with his cabinet.

POLITICS

Poilievre lands business leaders’ endorsements

A group of more than 30 prominent Canadian business leaders published endorsements of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre over the weekend in nearly every major Canadian newspaper.

The open letter was signed by past and present business executives from across the country, including Fairfax Financial CEO Prem Watsa, Canaccord Genuity CEO Dan Daviau, former RBC Capital Markets CEO Anthony Fell and former Scotiabank CEO Brian Porter.

It formally endorsed Poilievre, with the signatories expressing their belief that he’d make the best prime minister given the circumstances Canada finds itself in after three consecutive Liberal governments dating back to 2015.

“Productivity has stalled. Economic growth has slowed. Our GDP per capita is shrinking,” the letter reads. “Nevertheless, this decline is not inevitable—and it’s not the Canada we know and love.”

It’s the biggest expression of support Poilievre has earned from Canada’s business community to date, and an important one for a candidate that’s been accused by his opposition of being a “career politician” compared to Liberal leader Mark Carney, who’s touted his business experience as the asset that makes him the suitable choice on April 28.

The leaders will face off this week in two debates, one in French on Wednesday, and another in English the following night.

MONEY MONDAYS

Snowbirds packing it in

“We’ve been tolerating the poor dollar for a few years, hoping that it would get better. But now this political mess with the U.S. and Mr. Trump. It’s very, very insulting,” said Dale McMullen, an Innisfail, Alta. resident who sold his property in Phoenix on Friday and returned home yesterday.

This is the sentiment of a growing number of Canadians who’ve decided the latest political turmoil between the United States and Canada, instigated solely by the American president, is the last straw.

Realtors on both sides of the border are reporting a surge in business with their phones ringing constantly from Canadians looking to sell their American second homes.

“My phone’s been ringing off the hook. I normally have two, three listings at a time at this time of the year,” said Arizona Premier Realty’s Laura Levine. “Right now I have 16.”

“There are multiple reasons,” said Catherine Spino, a real estate agent in south Florida. “But definitely they want to sell, and they want to cash out and bring back their money to Canada.”

Canadians accounted for 13% of foreign home buyers in the United States last year, topping the list. The way things are going, they may just top this year’s list of foreign sellers.

CURIOSITIES

Why we don’t remember being babies

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is famous for being a Michigan man, but he’s also famous for some of the wild things that have come out of his mouth, including a casual assertion that he remembers the day he was born.

If you’re not Jim Harbaugh, though, you almost certainly don’t remember anything from when you were a baby. However, a new study published by Yale researchers in Science suggests more people may remember things from their rookie years than previously believed.

The source of this memory lapse is referred to as “infantile amnesia,” referring to the fact that the hippocampus—the region of the brain responsible for storing memories—is still developing well into adolescence.

The researchers used fMRI technology to monitor the hippocampus of 26 infants, and showed them an image, followed by several more, and then the first one again. The infants whose hippocampus was more active during their observation of the first image tended to stare at it longer when presented with it again, suggesting they'd leveraged episodic memory when they first saw it.

Infants are typically more capable of “statistical learning” memory, which is a more abstract mental exercise in which they’re assessing and learning patterns about things in the world.

However, the research suggests while episodic memory isn’t as strong at a very early age, it’s not as simple as “adults aren’t capable of remembering when they were babies.”

SPACE

Asteroid that could hit moon shaped like hockey puck

In December, NASA astronomers discovered 2024 YR4, an asteroid that’s big enough to destroy a major city if it were to collide with one. It made headlines due to its likelier-than-normal chance it could hit Earth in 2032.

In January, NASA determined it had a 1 in 32 chance of hitting Earth, or 3.2%, the highest likelihood ever for an object the size of YR4.

However, they were also quite confident those chances would plummet after they got a better idea of the asteroid’s trajectory. They were right, and now it has an effectively zero per cent chance of hitting Earth.

It still has a 3.8% chance of hitting the Moon, though, forcing the scientists to continue studying the trajectory, size, shape, and makeup of the potential uninvited guest.

According to a study published the other day on the preprint server arXiv, the asteroid originated from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and is strangely shaped like a hockey puck.

"This find was rather unexpected since most asteroids are thought to be shaped like potatoes or toy tops rather than flat disks," study lead author Bryce Bolin, a research Scientist at Eureka Scientific, said in the statement. It’s also S-type, meaning it’s rich in silicates—a mineral classification that includes quartz.

Just another false alarm, or a soon-to-be major source of mineral wealth on the Moon?

MUSIC

AC/DC is back in black

AC/DC launched their North American tour the other night in Minneapolis, embarking on a road trip this side of the Atlantic for the first time since 2015 and 2016’s Rock or Bust tour, which ran into several calamities.

Malcolm Young, one of the greatest rhythm players ever, had left the band due to a battle with dementia and other health problems that would take his life in 2017. Drummer Phil Rudd was off the road due to legal troubles, and Brian Johnson was removed from the band over what was described at the time as severe hearing loss.

Axl Rose filled in for Johnson for the remainder of the tour, and fit like a glove with his signature high pitched howling vocal range.

Still, after bassist Cliff Williams retired from the band following the tour, Angus Young became the only remaining original and active member of AC/DC.

Miraculously, Johnson managed to recover from his hearing problems during the pandemic, and he returned to the stage for the band’s European tour last year.

The Minneapolis show contained 21 absolute bangers, and the tour continues tonight in Arlington, Texas, followed by ten more dates that will conclude in Cleveland on May 28 before the Aussie rockers head back to Europe.

STAKE TRIVIA

The blockbuster king

Just another manic Monday? How about movie magic Monday! 🤩 🎥 

When it comes to modern blockbusters, Steven Spielberg is in a class of his own. Grab yourself some popcorn, and get ready to dive into some of his most iconic films with today’s 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.