Burnin' up

In early 1975 the Ohio Players were heating things up as Fire climbed to #1 on the charts. It was the kind of tune you couldn’t help but groove to, and if you caught the band on The Midnight Special, your living room soon became a dance floor.

That performance was absolute fire, but some heat can be more polarizing. Those averse to chili peppers will be happy to know that a new study has shown that some chilis contain ‘anti-spice’ compounds which cool things down. 

Hmmm, guess the heat is off ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

Americans rank news outlet trustworthiness

YouGov conducted its annual survey asking Americans to evaluate which news sources they consider the most trustable, and for the fourth straight year, The Weather Channel cleared every other outlet.

The collective trustworthiness was calculated by subtracting the untrustworthy votes from the trustworthy votes, producing a net score. The Weather Channel scored +49, followed by the BBC at +26, PBS at +25, and Forbes at +25.

52 outlets were provided for survey participants to rank, and National Enquirer was by far considered the least trustworthy, with a score of -37, followed by InfoWars at -15, Breitbart News at -7, and People and Comedy Central both at -4.

Some outlets straddled the line, including CNN (+8), The Hill (+6), Fox Business Channel (+2), Al Jazeera (-2), HuffPost (-2), and OAN (-2).

These were the overall scores, but they unsurprisingly bolted to the fringes when partisanship was accounted for. For example, PBS scored +66 among Democrats, and Fox News scored +46 among Republicans.

The Weather Channel, however, managed to pierce the partisan veil, maintaining a score of +48 for Republicans and strangely rising to +59 for Democrats.

WHAT UP WEDNESDAYS

Exercise reduces colon cancer recurrence

A new study conducted by researchers in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States found there’s a causal link between exercising regularly and reducing the likelihood of colon cancer recurring in those who’ve survived it.

Until now, researchers have compared active survivors with sedentary survivors, but were unable to establish cause and effect. The new study analyzed people who were randomly selected for an exercise plan and compared them to people who received an educational booklet.

The researchers followed 889 patients with treatable colon cancer who’d already gone through chemotherapy. Half were assigned to the exercise program, and the others simply received the booklet on health and fitness.

After eight years, the team found the group that exercised became more consistently active than the other group, and had 28% fewer recurrences of cancer and 37% fewer deaths.

“When we saw the results, we were just astounded,” said study co-author Dr. Christopher Booth, a cancer doctor at Kingston Health Sciences Centre in Kingston, Ontario. He said the exercise regimen is “a remarkably affordable intervention that will make people feel better, have fewer cancer recurrences and help them live longer.”

ENTERTAINMENT

Stick wows critics

Owen Wilson is back in the mix, starring as Pryce Cahill in Stick, an “over-the-hill ex-pro golfer whose career was prematurely derailed 20 years ago.”

The series picks up on the down-and-out former golfer 20 years after his world fell apart, when a public breakdown on TV ended his career. It begins with Pryce’s marriage and work life collapsing, leaving him little left to live for.

But when he spots a troubled 17-year-old at his golf course, he decides to go all in as the boy’s coach, helping young Santi (Peter Dager) pursue the career that Cahill threw away.

Some critics have compared the series to Ted Lasso, which is a hell of a nod of approval and bar to clear. One went so far as to describe Cahill as some of the best work of Owen Wilson’s career, in which he effectively portrays a multi-dimensional and complex character—charismatic, yet laid back while masking a great deal of pain.

The feel-good comedy series debuts today exclusively on Apple TV+, with three episodes available to start. The remaining seven will air weekly, with the finale falling on July 23 (just two days before the release of another feature about a golfer who returns to the game after decades away by the name of Happy Gilmore).

EV

Slate truck will be cheaper than average used car

The Slate Auto EV truck isn’t set to come off the line until the end of next year, but its ambitious manufacturer is already confident it will help level up the North American EV market, which has been freefalling for at least a year.

According to Slate’s head of PR, Jeff Jablansky, the truck—which doubles as an SUV—will have a sticker price somewhere in the mid-$20,000s, likely making it cheaper than what the average used car is currently going for (between $25,500 and $28,000). Tesla’s Cybertruck starts at $70,000.

“We’re not just competing with new vehicles,” Jablansky told Sherwood News, noting that the used car market sells more than twice as many cars annually than the new car market.

“When [consumers] turn to something that is more affordable, it usually has higher miles, probably is older, the condition is not as great,” he said. “So we’re working in that framework.”

Around 100,000 reservations have already been placed for consumers itching to clean the slate and go electric for an affordable price and with the option to customize. Because the car doesn’t launch until late next year, there’s plenty of runway so Jablansky says the company is offering a tool called Slate Maker that allows consumers to customize their truck.

The tool also allows Slate to look at the 8 million customizations-and-counting, analyze the data, and fine-tune the ride before launching.

COLLECTIBLES

LEGO debuts mini vending machine

LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine is just another perfect example of what sets LEGO apart from the rest.

A load of creativity, a touch of nostalgia, and a healthy dose of brilliance came together in the mind of Belgian LEGO fan Rob Vangansewinkel when he designed the instant classic set.

“As a kid, I had a real vending machine at home and loved it,” he said. “So the idea of creating a working LEGO brick version just clicked.”

The set contains 1,314 pieces, and is fully functional. The knob twists, releases the satisfying click everyone remembers from the good old days of dropping a coin in the machine and unlocking their prize.

With the LEGO Vending Machine, kids and adults alike can drop the LEGO coin into the slot, twist the knob, and win one of 16 capsules, each of which contains the bricks to build a collectible LEGO minifigure. These figures each play on classic LEGO themes, such as Castle, Paradisa, Fabuland, and Classic Space.

The must-have collectible is officially available to today, and you can find it here

STAKE TRIVIA

It’s hard to do

Let’s face it, breakups are brutal. But at the same time, they’re the inspiration for some of the best songs out there 😏 

For everyone who’s ever had their heart broken and turned to tunes, today’s trivia is for you! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Amazon 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.