Crowd pleasing

The theme song wasn’t just catchy, it was also accurate. Mary Tyler Moore really could turn the world on with her smile. And whenever you saw her throw her hat up in the midst of that Minneapolis crowd, you couldn’t help but smile too 😄

It must’ve been tricky filming that shot—after all, crowds can be hectic. A recent study from MIT actually sought to break down the movements of crowds. The results aren’t totally surprising, but they are pretty fascinating. 

You know how people are ;)

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

WEEKLY POLL

What are we thinking?

IN THE NEWS

Financial independence top of list for most Canadians

CIBC released its “ambitions index” the other day, which was based on a survey of Canadians asking them about their aspirations in all walks of life, from the personal the personal to professional, financial, romantic, travel, and other aspirations they have.

On the financial front, 85% of respondents said their top priority is to achieve financial independence, an unsurprising sentiment held by so many during such trying and uncertain economic times. 70% said they’re actively investing to achieve those ends, and 84% said one of their top priorities is to achieve financial security for their family.

“Over the last year, this has affected the way Canadians prioritize what their goals and ambitions are, and that includes everything from finances to health and well-being to family,” said Carissa Lucreziano, CIBC’s vice-president for financial planning and advice.

57% of all Canadians surveyed said their number one overall goal was to achieve health and wellness.

Many proudly proclaimed they’re making progress, even in the face of the curve balls seemingly thrown their way with striking consistency over the last several years.

“Despite continuing economic uncertainty, Canadians are pushing forward with resilience toward their ambitions and are satisfied with the progress they’re making,” the report said.

REAL ESTATE

Cottage market steady despite turmoil

The broader real estate market is expected to experience a downturn this year, at least for as long as pervasive uncertainty grips the economy in response to U.S. president Donald Trump’s trade war.

However, the cottage housing market is expected to do just fine, with the median price for a single-family recreational home predicted to rise 4% to $652,808 this year.

This isn’t particularly surprising, given several factors. Recreational housing may benefit from less Canadian travel to the United States, a weaker dollar, and the fact that players in this market tend to have more disposable income in the first place, and are less impacted by a volatile economy.

“Demand for recreational properties among Canadians, and the lifestyle they offer, remains strong, but balanced,” Royal LePage chief executive Phil Soper said in a release. “While the mainstream market is more sensitive to economic shifts, demand in the recreational segment remains steadfast, even during periods of market hesitation. Many families share the deep-rooted desire to own a recreational home, and that is unlikely to change.”

Meanwhile, national sales for the broader housing market fell 3.3% in January, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.

POLITICS

Trump bump appears in polling

A burst of Canadian patriotism has been making its way across the country since U.S. president Donald Trump began teasing threats of annexation and following through on threats of economic force.

Most of Canada’s premiers have been riding the wave of national unity in response, with almost all of them experiencing a “Trump bump” in the polls over the last two months.

Polling firm Angus Reid captured the data in March, finding increases for all but two Canadian premiers compared to their status three months ago. Most notably, Andrew Furey of Newfoundland and Labrador has seen his public approval rise 22%, and Ontario premier Doug Ford’s approval has jumped 14%.

Furey is easily Canada’s most popular premier, boasting a 68% approval rating. Part of that can likely be attributed to the bump most public officials get when they’re about to leave office, which Furey is.

Ford, however, spent most of the last two years between 32% to 34%, but is now sitting pretty at 48% after becoming one of the public faces of Canada’s early response to Trump’s tariffs.

“Ford was an early and often critic of Trump in a way that captured the mood not just of Ontarians but of Canadians across the country,” noted Shachi Kurl, president of Angus Reid.

THIRSTY THURSDAYS

Non-alcoholic set to outsell alcoholic in some places

Non-alcoholic beverages continue to soar in popularity, partly because of a more health-conscious consumer base, and partly because of inflation.

The dip in alcohol sales is being noticed and felt most by restaurants, who more often than not need to do well in the category in order to profit. Food sales barely break even most nights in most regions.

“The hit is real,” says Alejandro Medina, beverage director of Bludorn Hospitality Group in Houston. “Food costs versus profits have always been a slim margin, and alcohol has been the way in which restaurants have returned more profit. The bottom line is we do see the effects of less alcohol consumption in every area of our businesses.” 

Prices are still considerably elevated despite inflation slowing down, and some places in big cities are selling cocktails for $22 a pop. That’s a price tag that’ll make anyone reconsider going back for seconds.

As a response, restaurants are expanding their offering of non-alcoholic beverages, crafting menus full of in-house mocktail creations that are selling as if they were bar rail specials.

From the Four Seasons in Philadelphia to Seline in Los Angeles, crafty non-alcoholic cocktails are flooding menus, and according to Four Seasons beverage director, Dawn Trabing, they’re expected to outperform alcoholic options as early as this year.

HEALTH

Making smartwatches smarter

According to research presented the other day at a Chicago meeting of the American College of Cardiology, smartwatches that simply track a person’s daily step count are leaving a little meat on the bone.

The researchers determined it’s not enough just to track whether or not the person took the recommended 10,000 steps each day, but also important to check their average heart rate throughout the day to determine how hard they had to work for each step.

“It’s a more meaningful metric because it gets at the core issue of capturing the heart’s capacity to adjust under stress as physical activity fluctuates throughout the day,” said lead researcher Zhanlin Chen, a medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Our metric is a first attempt at capturing that with a wearable device.”

Analyzing data from 7,000 Fitbit wearers, the researchers captured 51 billion steps taken over 5.8 million “person-days,” or the average amount of physical activity completed per person per day.

They found those who typically had a higher average heart rate were twice as likely to have type 2 diabetes, 1.7 times more likely to suffer heart failure, 1.6 times likelier to have high blood pressure, and 1.4 times likelier to have clogged arteries.

MUSIC

For Styx, bird is the word

Tommy Shaw’s love of birding is about to be shared with the whole world on Styx’ unconventionally-themed upcoming 18th studio album.

Participating in Q&A on the recent Rock Legends Cruise, Shaw shared details about the follow-up to 2021’s Crash of the Crown.

“…the hard part is done and we are f---ing thrilled…It's, I would say, completely new but it's not outside of, you know, what you're used to hearing Styx do."

He recounted the band’s nervousness when revealing to the record label that the album is about a bird—specifically, a Starling. It turned out one executive was just as excited as Styx.

"But he says, 'Oh, we're birders!'" Shaw recalled. "It was kind of risky to say this thing's gonna be about a bird. But there was so much enthusiasm and it's like, you know, sometimes in life things just go your way—and this went our way."

Shaw doesn’t mess around with birding, either.

“My wife and I… live on a wildlife sanctuary,” Shaw told the audience. “You’re usually going to see me picking up a 60-pound bag of birdseed and filling [feeders] up. We spend as much money on birdseed as I used to spend on cocaine.”

The record—called Circling From Above—is due out some time in May.

RECREATION

Now this is van-tastic

The Bivan is the best of both worlds. Made by French startup Bivoak, it combines the homey and classic atmosphere of the iconic Volkswagen Bus with the roomy and perhaps-more intuitive trailer-hitched RV.

There are pros and cons for both. For example, the Bus provides greater mobility and it’s more agile. If you need to set up camp, all you really need to do is park the car, and you don’t have to necessarily worry about reserving space or figuring out an efficient way to get the vehicle into that space.

On the other hand, if you’re setting up camp, a trailer-hitched RV can keep your spot at a site while you drive off to complete errands or other activities during the day. On top of that, you get the mental separation of driving space and living space.

The Bivan is compact when in motion but it can expand when stationary—particularly, upwards. It has a pop-up roof that opens up like a tent to get more vertical space and fresh air into the camper, and opens at the end to provide more horizontal space for sleeping arrangements as well.

You can read on here for more details about amenities, costs, structure, and all kinds of fun brought to life by Bivoak founder Vincent Clédic.

STAKE TRIVIA

Not your average Joes

Happy National Joe Day, Staker!

To celebrate, we’ll be quizzing you on some of the finest Joes we know—from Joe Cocker, to G.I. Joe, Flo-Jo and more, all in today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be announced 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.