Flippin' awesome

Combine some chance with flippin’ skills and you got yourself the ultimate thrill: pinball. There were tons of machines back in the day, but one you’d see everywhere was Evel Knievel. Countless chances and quarters taken 🤣

Few people have taken as many risks as Evel Knievel, and today’s the perfect day to celebrate him. It’s National Take A Chance Day, so grab a page out of the legend’s book and get on out there outside of your comfort zone! 

Or just take it easy ;)

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

ANNOUNCEMENT

100th Issue Celebration

Big news, Staker! We are incredibly excited to announce that May 15th will mark the 1000th issue of Stake Your Day 🥳 

Whether you’ve been with us since day 1 or whether you joined us yesterday, we’re so glad you’re here. And to celebrate this epic milestone, we’ll be giving away a $1000 eGift Card (yes, you read that right)! Here’s how you can get in on the action:

Between May 1st and May 14th, each issue of Stake Your Day will include a poll. For every one of those polls that you vote in, you’ll gain one entry into the giveaway—so be sure to open up the newsletter and vote every day! On May 15th, we’ll draw our winner.

Special shout out to Zenbev for sponsoring our milestone 1000th issue and giveaway. You just know the best way to Stake Your Day is with a great night’s sleep 😉

IN THE NEWS

Trump and tariffs keeping Canadians away

Canadians with dreams to relocate to the United States for work are feeling much less optimistic these days, according to a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute and software company Humi.

52% of those surveyed said they’re now less likely to move stateside over the next four years as a result of President Donald Trump’s re-election, and 51% said the same thing due to the president’s trade war.

Some anticipated Trump’s renewed alignment with Silicon Valley could result in a new wave of Canadians leaving for California. However, his adversarial approach has been having the opposite effect. Highly esteemed academics are leaving jobs at elite American institutions for Canadian ones, degree applications are flooding into Canada from the States, and talent in other fields are also looking north.

The hostile environment south of the border is presenting Canadian institutions with what some are calling a golden opportunity to attract talent.

“People are working on it frantically right now because they see a window of opportunity,” said Humi CEO and co-founder, Kevin Kliman. “The capital gains tax proposed last year pushed many people to consider leaving Canada. But now, Trump’s 51st state rhetoric and the antagonistic nature of the U.S. have really put people in action moving the other way. This is a rare chance to reverse the brain drain to Canada’s gain.”

BUSINESS

Bay-bound inventory needs a new home

The Bay is basically the last department store of its kind: not too flashy, but ritzy enough to carry a wide array of private label brands.

You’re not going to find dollar store items at HBC, but you’re probably not going to find Versace or Tom Ford either—those tend to stay in-house or at Holt Renfrew.

But everything in between was fair game at The Bay, and now that all but six of its stores are set to close by mid-June, a hefty load of inventory is set to get stuck sitting in warehouses.

“We have more inventory and the inventory sits in the warehouse, which is space and rent, and now we have to find another home for that inventory because we have more coming in,” says Yair Altman, founder of Montreal-based SmartSilk.

Some businesses are going so far as to attempt to keep their products at sea instead of having them complete their trips from the overseas factories to the warehouses they’re now bound for in Canada.

Inventory planning is done three or four months in advance, and with The Bay entering creditor protection in March, it won’t be until June or July that its suppliers will fully realize how much product they’re now stuck holding onto as the end of the supply chain gets fully cut loose.

CONSUMER

Final carbon tax rebates sent out

Canadians who filed their 2024 income tax return received their final Canadian Carbon Rebate (CCR) yesterday, the last cheque after the Liberal government reduced the fuel surcharge to zero for consumers shortly after Mark Carney became prime minister.

The CCR would have been deposited directly into the bank accounts of those who’ve set up direct deposit with the CRA, and will be received in the mail for those who haven’t.

The numbers vary based on province or territory, but tend to skew higher out west where more carbon is produced. Individuals received anywhere from $110 to $228 or $220 to $456 for married couples. The breakdown for each province and territory can be viewed here.

The timing of this money going out has drawn concern and criticism from some who’ve noted the implications of a government appearing to pay off Canadians a week before an election.

“It’s not that there’s a lot of money involved, it’s just the principle of the thing of continuing to send this money out, even though no carbon taxes were being collected to pay for it,” said Robin Boadway, emeritus professor in economics at Queen’s University, who also noted money disbursed for the CCR isn’t actually the revenue collected in the fuel surcharge.

The Department of Finance was asked for comment by CTV News, but declined, saying it isn’t able to speak on policy matters during the Caretaker period of a general election.

WHAT UP WEDNESDAYS

Why is yawning contagious?

Yawning can’t literally be contagious, but it’s quite clear that something about one person yawning makes another have the urge to do the same. What’s up with that?

According to Dr. Charles Sweet, a board-certified psychiatrist and medical adviser at Linear Health, it may have something to with “mirror neurons,” which respond directly to what we see others do.

"When you see someone yawn, those neurons fire up," Sweet said, noting that it may explain why we yawn almost immediately after seeing or hearing someone else do the same thing.

Another theory is that the contagiousness of yawning is an evolutionary phenomenon designed to enhance threat detection. This hypothesis was posed in a 2007 study published in Evolutionary Psychology, which suggested yawning helps “cool the brain,” and makes it more attentive and aware of potential threats. Subconsciously, this would mean contagiousness is a way of getting a whole social group to refresh its brains, thereby enhancing threat detection capabilities.

Tugging at the same social cohesion thread, yet another theory suggests contagious yawning is intended to keep groups on the same circadian rhythms so that they sleep and rise at the same time.

HEALTH

The myth of the perfect diet

Perfection implies there’s one way of doing something better than all the other. But when it comes to the perfect diet, the answer is going to be different for everyone, because everyone is different. Seems pretty straightforward.

For example, the Mediterranean diet is all well and good, but a staple within the diet is the inclusion of nuts. What if you have a nut allergy? Well, you’ll have to alter the diet!

The same can be said for certain types of vegetables, dairy products, and other food items that not everyone can consume to improve their health and wellness.

Experts generally advise the Mediterranean diet as the “starting-off point,” however, meaning there are so many bullseye nutrients in this particular diet that maybe some people need to find alternatives for some of them, but retaining the others would still lead to an overall excellent source of nutrients.

At the same time, lack of familiarity or financial constraints may necessitate finding more alternatives. The goal, however, remains attempting to get the same health benefits from any diet.

“In order to put out some guidelines, we do need some generalizations, and there are many research studies on healthful eating patterns that we know work for most people as a generalization,” says Cara Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian and journalist. “But those patterns often need to be customized for people based on their needs.”

ENTERTAINMENT

Ryan Gosling cast in Star Wars film

Ryan Gosling has been confirmed as the star of Starfighter, a Star Wars franchise film not associated directly with the nine-part episodic saga that likely concluded with 2019’s Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.

Starfighter is reportedly due for a May 2027 release, according to Lucasfilm president and CCO Kathleen Kennedy, who delivered the news at an event in Tokyo the other day alongside Gosling.

“Being here and seeing all of you [makes it] more inspiring to do it,” Gosling said. “It’s such a great reminder of how much movies can mean to us, specifically how much these movies mean to us…All we can hope for is: ‘May the fans be with us.’”

Kennedy revealed Starfighter is expected to be set five or six years after the conclusion of Episode IX, though didn’t provide any details about the script, storyline, or the character Gosling is set to play.

The film will be directed by Shawn Levy, whose latest credit from the chair, Deadpool & Wolverine, was a major box office success just last year.

MUSIC

Eddie Van Halen writes lick in Sammy Hagar’s dream

Nearly three years ago, Sammy Hagar told Ultimate Classic Rock that he got an idea for a song by going to sleep and having Eddie Van Halen present its main riff to him in a dream.

Encore, Thank You, Goodnight will be released this Friday for the whole world to hear, featuring Hagar on vocals and most of the band that joined him for the Best of All Worlds tour last year, including Joe Satriani on guitar, Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, and Kenny Aronoff on drums.

"About two months ago, I had this dream and Eddie came," Hagar explained in August of 2022. "He’s going, 'Man, let’s write some music!' I said, 'Yeah, f*ck it, man. Here, let’s go!'"

"[Eddie] did this harmonic thing and he slid it up to a chord, like a slide guitar. We wrote a song with that lick," Hagar said. "I remembered it. I got up in the morning and I wrote the song. I used the f*ckin’ lick that he showed me in the song."

In a recent press release, Hagar explained specifically what the upcoming single means to him.

“This song is my final bow to that part of my life,” he said “It’s not meant to be anything more than a thank you—with love, with respect, and with one hell of a guitar solo.” 

Now that’s what dreams are made of.

WEEKLY POLL RESULTS

Here’s what you said

STAKE TRIVIA

A quiz by any other name

We’ve got an interesting one today folks: it’s National Talk Like Shakespeare Day 🤓 

We’ll be looking at some music, TV, and movies that drew inspiration from from The Bard with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be announced 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.