Funny business

It may have only lasted three seasons, but The Courtship of Eddie’s Father really captured lightning in a bottle. The chemistry between Eddie and his dad? Pure TV magic. And the theme song? Arguably the best of all time.

Bill Bixby as Eddie was totally charming, but like all kids, he also had the ability to be a bit mischievous. It’s precisely that mischievousness that serves as the inspiration for this hot new London restaurant, Don’t Tell Dad. 

Because we’re all grinners, tricksters, and jokers ;)

(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

Unemployment up but recession averted

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and and Development (OECD), Canada’s unemployment rate will rise to 7% this year, eclipsing the April reading of 6.9% and March reading 6.7%.

Despite the upward trend in joblessness, OECD economists still think Canada’s GDP will grow roughly 1% in 2025, and will narrowly avoid a recession while just keeping its head above water.

In other words, at least the next year won’t be as bad as it could be, but with lacklustre growth and growing unemployment, it remains to be seen how much Canada can endure while under threat of American economic aggression.

On the other hand, Canada’s vulnerabilities are being exposed by President Donald Trump’s hostility, potentially forcing the Great White North to patch them up for good.

‘“If these tariffs prompt addressing long-standing structural issues, such as strengthening internal markets in Canada, this could have lasting positive offsets,” the report says.

It goes on to say Canada can insulate itself from an economic downturn if it reduces or outright eliminates remaining interprovincial trade barriers, boosts labour productivity in all sectors, and creates a welcoming tax environment that encourages business investment in the country.

HOUSING

Retiring with a mortgage?

Homeownership continues to be the best investment one can make if they can afford it. Home prices have been on a steady upward trend for decades in Canada, and though such an asset is the source of generational wealth for many, the debt in order to secure it is becoming increasingly difficult to pay off.

According to a survey by Royal LePage, 30% of Canadians planning to retire this year will do so while still carrying some of their mortgage, up from 14% in 2016, and 8% in 1999.

“The benefits of entering retirement as a homeowner who has paid off their mortgage are clear: more disposable income, protection from interest rate fluctuations, and even the emotional security of knowing you’ll always have a place to live,” said Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage.

“On one hand, it has led to unprecedented financial gains. On the other hand, this generation is much more likely to have mortgage balances that would have been unimaginable compared to their parents or grandparents,” he said. “Our research confirms that they are also much more likely to have to provide financial assistance to their children to help them buy their own homes.”

While not ideal, it’s also becoming a norm for 65-and-olders to still be carrying some mortgage debt, which they go about paying off with investment income, part-time work, or their spouse continues to draw a fulltime paycheque.

TRAVEL

WestJet CEO rips government for high fees

WestJet Group CEO Alexis Von Hoensbroech spoke at a Calgary business conference the other day, chastising the federal government for its approach to commercial aviation, which is partly aimed at convincing Canadians to adopt different methods of travel while considering flight a “luxury.”

He noted how infrastructure projects for every mode of travel but aviation are federally supported, whereas airlines are forced to deal at the provincial and municipal level while still incurring sky-high fees.

Referring to slides in his presentation, he pointed out Canadian airfare comes with sales tax, navigation fees, airport improvement fees and security fees, adding up to $133 for a round-trip ticket. In the United States, the excise tax and segment fee, passenger facility charge and security fee added up to $49.

“If the government wants to unite Canada and take down internal trade barriers, then reducing the cost of air travel by reducing fees that are imposed on air travel and ultimately make tickets cheaper would be the right thing to do,” von Hoensbroech told reporters.

“Right now, there are millions of Canadians that cannot afford an air ticket, and a lot of this is because of the infrastructure costs and fees and charges are so high, and so much higher than in most other countries.”

THIRSTY THURSDAYS

Johnnie Walker owner mulls sell-off

Johnnie Walker owner Diageo is among the world’s largest spirits producers, and the vast majority of its products are produced outside the United States. This makes the company particularly vulnerable to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and has executives considering “substantial changes.”

CFO Nick Jhangiani said Monday in an earnings call that such changes would be larger than the usual “smaller brand disposals,” leading some to speculate Diageo is considering divesting its ownership of Guinness.

Such speculation was denied by Diageo in January, and Jhangiani is keeping the company’s cards close to his chest in regards to the “substantial changes.”

“With any kind of M&A or disposals transactions, you could get certain things agreed and announced, but timing of transaction closure and cash coming in are very much dependent on a number of factors,” he said.

On the same call, Jhangiani warned of the impact the president’s universal 10% tariff could have on its business, citing the potential for $150 million in profit losses.

HEALTH

The keys to “super aging”

According to Dr. Eric Topol, founding director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, it’s not necessarily the case that you have to have “good genes” in order to grow super old without developing any chronic health conditions, .

Dr. Topol has been studying 1,400 “super agers” for 20 years, who are characterized as such because they all reached the age of 80 without developing cancer, heart disease, or a neurodegenerative illness.

Getting right down to business, he and his team of researchers conducted a genome-sequencing of the entire group, and found no common genetic thread that would give the participants any kind of age-related health advantage.

Perhaps unsurprisingly at this stage in history, the keys Topol has found in his decades of research involve balance and strength training on top of aerobics, staying away from red meat and ultraprocessd foods, leaning as much on plant-based options as you can while consuming enough protein to benefit from its health qualities, adhering to a sleep routine that ensures requisite shut-eye every night, and many more.

Nothing is a guarantee, including following the steps for super aging, but seemingly every single super ager has lived a similar if not identical lifestyle to.

SPACE

The magic of technology

What do you see when you look at the image above? Some may think they’re looking at ethereal beings from another dimension, but in reality, you’re looking at the Sun’s atmosphere (the corona) viewed through the technology of coronal adaptive optics.

Scientists at the National Solar Observatory and New Jersey Institute of Technology collaborated to affix the technology on the 5.25-foot-wide Goode Solar Telescope in California. The technology involves adjusting a mirror 2,200 times per second in order to filter out the churning of Earth’s atmosphere when gazing through it to see something outside of it.

Historically, astronomers have only been able to sharpen images of the corona to a scale of 621 miles. Adaptive optics allowed the team behind this stellar image to gain clarity at a scale of 39 miles, the sharpest view of the corona ever taken.

What you’re seeing are plasma jets called spicules—short bursts of piping hot plasma that cool as they lose momentum and gain distance from their source. As a result, they became coronal rain, and then mesmerizingly fall back to the surface of the 5.4 million Fahrenheit nearly invisible region of our solar system’s star.

You can view a video captured by the telescope here.

CURIOSITIES

Treasure returned to family after 165 years

On Sept. 8, 1860, a sidewheel steamer known as the Lady Elgin collided with another vessel in Lake Michigan north of Chicago, resulting in the Elgin’s sinking and the deaths of over 300 people.

The ship’s remains have been visited over the years by researchers and historians, along with recreational divers, three of whom made a pass in 1992 throughout the square mile wreckage site at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Treasure would certainly be an appropriate word for the gold pocket watch they retrieved and kept secret for over 30 years.

Michigan-based historian and author of Lost on the Lady Elgin, Valerie Van Heest, was who they contacted eventually to determine who owned the watch and if he had any living descendants.

It turns out the initials engraved in the timepiece stood for Herbert Ingram.

“He was a member of parliament,” said Valerie. ”He was also the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper. So he was really the founder of pictorial journalism.”

After conducting some research of her own, Van Heest managed to discover Ingram not only has living descendants, but ones who are in the process of opening an exhibit in his hometown about Englishmen, and they were not in possession of any mementos from the time.

“They didn’t have any physical artifacts, and here I was offering not only an artifact, but Herbert Ingram’s personal watch,” Valerie said. ”It was an extraordinary, serendipitous occurrence.”

STAKE TRIVIA

Do you believe in magic?

Part of the magic of being a kid back in the day was the sheer volume of magic or supernaturally themed TV shows 🪄 

From Bewitched, to I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters and more, we’re gettin’ supernatural 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.