Dancing in the dark

When you think of Blinded by the Light, no doubt you’re thinking of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. In fact, you might even find yourself thinking of this very week in 1976. That’s when the song hit #1 on both the Billboard and RPM charts 😎 

Speaking of blinding lights, Sudbury, Ont. was well lit last night. They’ve got the world’s biggest goal light, and it was shining bright as Team Canada brought home the Four Nations cup with an overtime win. Way to go boys!

Stompin’ Tom said it, and he was right ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

New life for Canadian high-speed rail

In the twilight of his term as prime minister, Justin Trudeau announced one last major policy initiative the other day, saying the federal government will spend billions to build Alto, a 300 km/h high-speed rail network across 1,000 kilometres of track between Toronto and Quebec City.

“A reliable, efficient high-speed rail network will be a game changer for Canadians, slashing travel times by half, getting you from Toronto to Montreal in three hours,” Trudeau said in Montreal.

Transport Minister Anita Anand was on hand for the announcement as well, providing additional details, including that the feds will specifically spend $3.9 billion on the project over the next five years, adding to the $371.8 million included in last year’s budget.

“The Toronto to Quebec City corridor is a cornerstone of Canada’s economic development,” Anand said.

“Nearly half of our nation’s population lives here and the existing transportation network has not kept pace with our historic population and economic growth.”

It’s unclear how concrete these plans are, given that Trudeau will leave office in just over two weeks, and the Liberal government itself is expected to be brought down shortly thereafter.

CRIME

Subsea fibre-optic cable cut by humans twice

Bell reported that a subsea fibre-optic cable connecting Cape Breton and Newfoundland was cut by humans on Dec. 24, 2024, the second such incident in under a year, after the first one was reported on Jan. 4, 2024.

The telecommunications giant says it’s confirmed both incidents were the consequence of humans meddling with the cable, which is surrounded by coils of thick wire designed to protect it from the elements.

It’s three centimetres wide, and the Dec. 24 incident revealed a clean slice in half, clearly the mark of a wire cutter.

“We found that it was cut by humans,” said Bell’s networks director, David Joice. “And what was really difficult about this, because it’s a huge investment, is we found that it was deliberately cut for the second time by humans.”

Joice conceded the incidents may have been the result of a ship anchor getting stuck in the wire, and sailors having to cut it in order to free the vessel.

“If you find yourself in that situation, please don’t cut the cable,” he said. “It’s critical infrastructure for residents and customers of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

The RCMP has been contacted by Bell, and is actively investigating the cause and potential intent of the two incidents.

CONSUMER

The keys to Roll Up the Rim

Michael Wallace is an associate professor specializing in statistics at the University of Waterloo but his claim to fame is rooted in a 2020 Roll Up the Rim run during which he basically solved the game and couldn’t lose.

The key? Play on the last day of the contest.

“That first year I waited till the last day…and I won like 94 times out of 96 plays, like 98 per cent of the time,” he recalled.

Three years later with several years of the digital contest recorded, there was data at Wallace’s fingertips that allowed him to analyze how many outstanding winning cups were likely still available statistically.

“I was able to take that data and do some more complex analysis than I had done previously, basically come up with an equation for when was the best time to play, which ended up being…3:17 a.m. Eastern,” he explained.

The contest is a 2 for 1 this year, meaning you’ll get a chance to roll up the physical rim and you’ll get to roll one up on the digital app. Wallace believes the best move is to save as many of the digital rolls as possible before playing them at off-peak hours near the end of the contest, though it goes without saying: nothing is guaranteed.

FEASTING FRIDAYS

More shrinkflation on the way

Food is one of the things most likely to be impacted by tariffs because it doesn’t last forever and it’s always in demand. Grocers and restaurants have to sell their wares by a certain date, and though most food in the United States is made in America, there are supply chain points that factor into pricing.

For example, while food may be prepared in America, its ingredients and packaging are often sourced from abroad. The tariffs President Donald Trump announced on steel and aluminum recently will mean plenty of food packaging products will cost more, and with most CPG companies having small margins, they won’t be able to absorb the duties placed on these materials upon importing them.

However, food prices are already sky-high after years of inflation, and remain top-of-mind nationally with the price of eggs continuing to skyrocket. So instead of raising prices more, food makers are more likely to reduce the volume they sell in a standard package, instead of raising the price.

Both the United States and Canada can expect to be impacted by this wedge thrown into the international CPG market, with consumers once again getting less for more.

HEALTH

Out with pain, in with recovery

Up until fairly recently, conventional wisdom touted “no pain, no gain” when it came to working out. These days, however, the “fitness buzzword” is actually just one word: recovery.

“I didn’t know then what I know now,” said Tony Horton, who invented P90X and spent the ’90s training celebrities. “Back then it was all about warm-ups and cool-downs, and telling them to eat better and get off the hooch.

“If you don’t get the recovery and the rest part right, then you’re never going to be able to be consistent with the fitness end of things,” he said.

The sports and fitness industry in general has expanded its focus, no longer looking just at the intensity of specific exercises, but employing a holistic approach that prioritizes the requisite amount of strain required to build muscle strength and mass, while also focusing on mindfulness and the proper type and amount of rest between workouts.

“It’s more about your lifestyle, how you eat, how you sleep,” said Stan Kravchenko, founder of the OneFit personal training platform. “Are you stressed? What do you do for living? Are you working from a desk? So it’s taking a little bit more like a broad approach.”

Both Kravchenko and Horton still agree a certain amount of strain is important when working out certain muscle groups, but if you’re feeling outright acute pain, stop doing the workout.

MUSIC

Paul Simon announces tour

Paul Simon may have embarked on a farewell tour in 2018 but sometimes it’s just too hard to say goodbye. After performing on SNL50 this past weekend—he’s now played SNL in six separate decades—he announced he’s getting back on the road this spring and summer.

His 2023 album Seven Psalms needs a little love on stage, so who better to make that happen than the man himself. Simon will embark on the Quiet Celebration Tour in support of the record, and will also grace North American audiences with classics from his days with Art Garfunkel.

The reason he didn’t tour the album when it came out wasn’t due to looming concerns over the pandemic, but because he’d suffered hearing loss that prevented him from performing live. Miraculously, enough of his hearing has returned and he’s ready to get back out to look for and see America.

The first gig will take place on April 4 in New Orleans, and the tour will wrap up on Aug. 3 in Seattle. He’ll play at least two nights in almost every city he visits, three in plenty of them, and a whopping six nights in Los Angeles (one in Long Beach plus five in LA proper).

CURIOSITIES

Farm donates 324,000 eggs to wildfire victims

Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria, CA is a 100-year-old family farm, and though it’s been hit extremely hard by the avian flu, its sister farm in South Dakota hasn’t, and it’s being tapped to donate 324,000 eggs to victims of the wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

“It’s been a struggle not only for us as farmers but for the entire industry,” Linda Sanpei, who handles marketing for the farm, told USA Today. “This flu has taken out so many producers nationwide.”

54,000 eggs specifically will go to Gather For Good, a non-profit of community chefs that cooks food for first responders, many of whom directly assisted in putting out the fires.

Another batch will go to Winter Fate Bakes, a bakery that pledged to bake birthday cakes for children of families whose homes were lost to the fires.

“With all that’s happened in Los Angeles, we believe in community and in giving back,” said Sanpei. “There’s no greater time of need than right now for Southern California residents.”

STAKE TRIVIA

Mess with the bull, get the trivia

From frantic family vacations to classic coming-of-age films, nobody did it quite like John Hughes ☺️ 

To close out the week, we’ll be looking at some of his most iconic movies with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card. Plus, you might even get some ideas for what to watch tonight ;)

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

Have a great weekend Staker!

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


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.