Getting the right angle

You didn’t get through school in the ’70s without owning one of these tins. In fact, thanks to wear and tear, you probably had several. The only thing more painful than accidentally poking your finger with the compass was doing geometry 🤣

You might’ve left geometry behind years ago, but thanks to a new study, we know that others haven’t. Crows have long been recognized as highly intelligent, and it turns out these birds have a basic understanding of geometry. 

Every little thing is gonna be all right angles ;)

(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

How the platforms stack up against each other

Early voting concluded with a record 7.3 million ballots cast, and with just four days left in the campaign, the Liberal and Conservative costed platforms are getting one final look from undecided Canadians.

The documents are 67 and 30 pages long, respectively, and each contain bold initiatives, particularly when it comes to Canada’s response to American tariffs.

Liberal leader Mark Carney is promising a $6.8 billion “nation-building project fund” and a $5 billion package to spend on infrastructure like ports, railways, and highways. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre promises $225 million to keep auto-workers employed, and the pursuit of a free trade agreement with the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

Canada’s counter-tariffs are expected to yield $20 billion, all of which Poilievre says will be returned to Canadians through tax cuts and targeted aid to impacted industries. Carney says the money will go to “protecting workers and businesses” impacted.

Neither candidate will balance the budget over four years, with Poilievre planning to run $100 billion deficits and Carney looking at a deficit of $225 billion. Both intend to cut the lowest income tax bracket rate—Carney by 1%, effective July 1, and Poilievre by 2.75% over four years.

Several other platform proposals and comparisons can be viewed here.

REAL ESTATE

Condos lose their shine

According to a survey conducted recently by Rates.ca, condominiums are no longer worth it for Canadians.

Once a booming market for investment properties, 30% of those surveyed said they no longer think condos are a good investment, while 57% said they wouldn’t buy one for any reason. Just 11% said they would invest in a condo.

“Investor confidence has definitely softened,” Kevin Wong, a mortgage agent at Swivel Mortgage Group Inc. in Ontario, said in the report. “Some of my investor clients are selling properties and reallocating their funds to other investments, like the stock market or high-growth regions like Alberta.”

The market was flooded with buyers for years across Canada, and especially in B.C. and Ontario, where two of five condos were used as investment properties between 2016 and 2020.

Today? Demand has dried up, causing prices to freefall as would-be sellers are left holding the bag of what were once solid investments.

As Canada’s population growth slows, rental markets cool, and the economy teeters on the brink of the tariff-induced unknown, a rebound for the Canadian condo bonanza doesn’t seem likely any time soon.

HEALTH

Cannabis overuse may increase dementia odds

According to a study published the other day in JAMA Neurology, older adults who end up hospitalized from cannabis use have an increased likelihood of developing dementia within five or ten years.

Specifically, the researchers found individuals 45 and over who needed emergency medical attention may have increased odds, though they affirmed the study’s results were not conclusive.

“We were interested in a different approach,” said Daniel Myran, an Ottawa-based public health physician and lead author. “There’s a growing number of studies that look at brain imaging or memory testing for people who use cannabis, and those by design are often quite small—hundreds or a few thousand people who participate in the study, because it’s very expensive and intensive.”

Comparing medical data of those in the age category who visited an emergency room for non-cannabis reasons and those who were there due to cannabis, Myran and his team found 5% in the latter group had dementia within five years, and 19% within ten. In the former group, those numbers fell to 3.6% and 14.8%, respectively.

While not conclusive, Myran says the findings indicate a need for further investigation into the effects of marijuana on the human brain as it ages.

THIRSTY THURSDAYS

Matcha do about somethin’

Matcha is a powdered bitter green tea that the Japanese have been drinking for centuries. Now they’re concerned about running out amid a rapid global matcha boom.

Whether it’s in a latte, a cocktail, or an ice cream sundae, matcha is being insisted upon as an ingredient in pretty much everything these days, which is in part a consequence of several wildly successful social media marketing campaigns.

Foreigners want it shipped to them, and tourists in Japan start looking for it the second they get off the plane.

In Uji, just outside Kyoto, a park and museum called Chazuna celebrates the town’s tea culture. It’s consistently fully booked two weeks in advance, mostly for foreign tourists.

“We opened in 2021 and for the first two years we didn’t have many visitors,” says Chazuna’s director, Naoto Sakayori. “Then everything changed in March last year and, since August, interest has rocketed. It’s all about matcha, matcha. People think that if they come to Kyoto on holiday, then they absolutely have to come here for a matcha experience. And then everyone posts their photos and videos online.”

Matcha’s global market is expected to grow from $3.4 billion in 2023 to $6.7 billion in 2028.

NATURE

Birds can kinda get drunk

When winter turns to spring and frozen woodlands start to thaw, creatures that inhabit them are often treated to fermenting fruit that sticks to trees during the first few frosts of the season.

During years when mother nature decides to flip-flop several times on whether or not winter is over and spring has begun, it can lead to an overabundance of fermented fruit and overindulgence by birds in the area.

If you happen to see any birds flying erratically and seemingly confused during this time of year, it’s quite likely the bird is legitimately intoxicated.

While slightly amusing, it’s also quite dangerous—the number of birds that fly straight into buildings or windows skyrockets in some areas at this time of year.

Wildlife officials in the Yukon have been known to set up drunk tanks for the Bohemian waxwings that treat every February like homecoming weekend. They house the birds in modified hamster cages and release them once they sobered up, just like how it goes in the real life clink.

CURIOSITIES

The lunar smile belongs to everyone

Another fun little dance is happening in our solar system this week, this time in the form of a smiley face appearing in the night sky.

Instead of February’s planetary parade, which saw all seven of Earth’s neighbours march across the sky in one night, this trick will only require the participation of two planets and the Moon.

One planet getting close to the Moon relative to an Earthly vantage point is called a conjunction. When two or more do it, it’s called a massing, and this week’s massing of Venus and Saturn while the Moon is crescent will result in the rare lunar smiley face.

If you’re up to it, Venus and Saturn will rise in succession around 5 a.m. tomorrow, with the Moon slivering its way between them. Their proximity to one another will create the illusion of a face smiling down on the people of Earth as they themselves rise to start another day.

You’ll definitely need binoculars at minimum to see Saturn, or a telescope if you’ve got one handy.

Enjoy the show! Smiles are limitless and cost nothing!

ODDITIES

Humans versus robots: marathon edition

For the first time ever on April 19, humans and robots competed in an official sporting event in the form of a 21.1 km half-marathon in Beijing.

They weren’t competing directly with each other, and a divider was placed on the track to maintain separation between the humanoid robots and the human beings, but it was certainly the first event of its kind, according to the participants and their engineers.

12,000 human beings ran the race, while 21 humanoids racing for 20 separate teams participated as well.

Despite major advancements in robotics over the years and the impressiveness of having nearly two dozen run a half-marathon, none of them actually came close to beating any of the humans. Plenty were seen falling over, confused, running into things, and needing help back up.

The Sky Project Ultra robot, also known as Tien Kung Ultra, was victorious among the machines with a race time of two hours and forty minutes, and several thousand giant leaps for humanoid kind.

STAKE TRIVIA

Big dreams

It’s National Bucket List Day, so we found ourselves thinking of movies and media about seizing the day and chasing your dreams 😎 

From Rocky, to Flashdance, Field of Dreams and beyond, find out how well you know these dream seekers 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.