Hands on

If you recognize this school bathroom accessory, you know you grew up in the ’70s. They were everywhere back in the day. Their critical flaw? They were always getting stuck, which meant that towel got wet and stayed wet. Gross 😝

It goes without saying that trying to dry your hands with a wet, dirty towel isn’t just impractical, it’s unhygienic. But help is on the way! This week we’re celebrating World Hand Hygiene Day and here are some interesting findings from the latest Healthy Handwashing Survey. 

Whoa, talking ‘bout the hand wash ;)

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

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Shout out to Zenbev for sponsoring our milestone 1000th issue and giveaway.

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IN THE NEWS

Conservatives acquiesce on certain Liberal policies

After a disappointing result in the 45th federal election, the Conservatives are regrouping and preparing for a new session of Parliament that will begin later this month.

Speaking with CBC News, former Conservative leader Andrew Sheer said his party is willing to play ball on certain Liberal policy initiatives in order to get the country moving forward at a time when it’s important to present a unified front to the world.

"We're going to support measures that protect the Canadian economy and that help to ultimately get a deal. We wish Mr. Carney well and we're rooting for a good deal for Canada," Scheer said. "And when we're dealing with such a major threat to our economy, it's important that comes first and foremost, regardless of partisan differences."

While the party lost the election, it did make big gains, earning 25 new seats and bringing its total in the House to 143. Those gains were led by pickups in B.C. and Ontario’s industrial heartland, making it all the more important for Conservatives to help bolster Canada’s manufacturing sector in the face of American tariffs.

"Mr. Carney ran a significant portion of his campaign basically campaigning against Liberal policies themselves. So we'll take him at his word. If he's willing to undo some of those terrible Liberal policies, we'd be open to working with them on that," Scheer said. "We would look at supporting them.”

BUSINESS

Trump aims tariffs at movie industry

Perhaps unsurprisingly, President Donald Trump announced the other day that he thinks movies should exclusively be made in America, and studios that shoot films internationally should have to pay tariffs.

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” he wrote on Truth Social, saying other countries “are offering all sorts of incentives to draw” filmmakers and studios away from the U.S. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”

It’s unclear how such tariffs would be collected, and who would have to pay them, particularly on blockbuster films that often set production sites in multiple countries.

American studios and filmmakers dominate the global movie industry as is, suggesting there’s little reason to tariff them, since consumers already almost exclusively watch American films in the United States.

Still, as it relates to Canada (often referred to as “Hollywood North), any form of tariffs on the movie industry would likely be devastating, given the billions of dollars generated by the industry in certain Canadian regions—most notably Toronto and Vancouver.

According to entertaiment industry data, 30,000 people in Canada directly rely on it for employment while $2.6 billion in direct spending was generated by film and television production in 2022.

HEALTH

Wildfires caused spike in asthma-related ER visits

According to an analysis by the Canadian Medical Association, the devastating wildfire season of 2023 reduced air quality so much that emergency room visits for asthma spiked in Ontario.

"There was a substantial increase in asthma-related ER visits in the first episode in early June, which was largely absent in the second episode that occurred near the end of that month," said Hong Chen, lead author of the study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Chen says that while there were fewer visits later in that same season despite a second wave of toxic air quality, the initial spike suggests public health officials should be doing more to notify the public of hazardous air quality and even send recommendations to stay indoors.

"No level of exposure to wildfire smoke is completely safe. So that means that we really need to do everything we can to limit exposure," he said.

He also noted that while 2024 wasn’t as bad as the year before, there will definitely be more seasons like 2023 as climate change worsens, indicating a pressing need to standardize the public health response moving forward.

TRAVEL TUESDAYS

Vacationing on the run

Some go on cruises, others go to the mountains, but lately, the hottest trend in travel is going for a run.

Specifically, travellers are increasingly making long distance running the object of their trip, and seeking destinations that don’t just lend themselves to that objective, but are hosting because of it.

For example, the Generali Night Run Budapest is a 13 mile trek through the core of the city, in which runners pass by the bulk of the Hungarian capital’s attractions, and also get to take in the city as its heart would beat on any other beautiful late summer night.

“I barely prepared—actually, I didn’t run for a month due to an ankle injury,” says Drew Loynes, a recently and voluntarily unemployed former tech worker from London. “I was in places where it was too hot to run or where the roads didn’t feel safe. But running that half marathon in Budapest was an incredible experience and the city easily lends itself to casual running.”

According to travel company Accor, “workout holidays” grew by 50% last year; Strava’s 2024 Year in Sport report found running club participation jumped 59% globally last year.

Industry spokespeople say the trend is just taking off and is expected to become even more popular in 2025.

MEDICINE

New heart attack detection device

In a new study published in Intelligent Systems, Blockchain and Communication Technology, researchers revealed a new method of detecting heart attacks in real time with accuracy.

"For this issue, a few minutes or even a few extra seconds is going to give this person the care they need before it becomes worse," Ole Miss electrical and computer engineering professor Kasem Khalil said. "Compared to traditional methods, our technology is up to two times faster, while still highly accurate.

"Our target was not only to increase performance for classifying heart attacks. We are also focusing on the design. If we want to make this device a usable machine for any person, that means it has to be something lightweight and economic."

Khalil and his team used AI and advanced math to create a chip that learns from electrocardiograms and can the be placed in a wearable device that detects the signs that a heart attack is happening in real time with 92.4% accuracy.

The most common symptom of a heart attack is death, largely because they aren’t detected fast enough to prevent the worst outcome. Devices like Khalil’s could be used to help lower the risk due to early detection alone.

CURIOSITIES

Village sofa goes viral

A discarded sofa in Lydbrook, England has become an international sensation after resident Alex Elton-Wall woke up one morning and decided to go through with an idea that had been on his mind for weeks.

The sofa was sitting pretty in front of the town’s wild and untamed forest, and as an amateur photographer, Elton-Wall thought it presented a great opportunity for a photo shoot to capture “a moment in a time” of the 1,600-person village.

He posted in a Facebook group, saying, "I know this is a strange request, but I'd love to take pictures of people on the sofa." 

He may have thought it was strange, but not only did Lydbrook respond, it rallied behind the idea.

"There was this steady flow of people who'd seen the post or even people who just drove past and saw there was this strange guy taking pictures," he said of the photoshoot that lasted from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

As the weeks wore on, the couch became the centrepiece of a living room with an outdoor decor. A coffee table, lampshade, and even a makeshift window and curtains appeared behind the couch to enhance the set.

"I think people just [think] this is a bit of fun at a time when the world is serious … [with] lots of serious things happening," said Elton-Wall. 

MUSIC

Heavy hitters join Black Sabbath farewell show

The Back to the Beginning farewell concert for Black Sabbath will take place on July 5 in Birmingham, England, where the kings of heavy metal got their start.

The concert was announced in February, which is actually more of a festival that will feature performances from some of the biggest and greatest metal and rock acts in the world.

Just the other day, that list grew a little longer with announcements that Steven Tyler and the living members of Soundgarden will also have performances.

Tyler has only appeared sporadically since Aerosmith was forced to cut their farewell tour short and retire after the iconic singer suffered a vocal cord injury and couldn’t continue a tour schedule.

Soundgarden has also only appeared rarely since the death of Chris Cornell. The band played the I Am The Highway tribute show for their late singer in 2017, and also appeared at the tribute concert for Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who tragically passed in 2022.

Tom Morello has been curating the list of performers for the weekend, and they include Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Rival Sons. 🤘

STAKE TRIVIA

Welcome back, teachers

To the ones who helped mold us, and to those Stakers who shaped the next generation and beyond, Happy National Teacher Appreciation Day!

Many of the most memorable instructors never even taught us, they just played teachers on screen 🤣 Find out how much you were paying attention with today’s teacher 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.

**SEE FULL 1000TH ISSUE GIVEAWAY RULES HERE.