It's go time

Ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy (founder of International Rescue) was one cool dad. When his sons rode out on dangerous missions, he was calling plays from Tracy Island. Whenever you heard Jeff’s five-count, you knew…Thunderbirds are Go! 

In today’s news, “Jeffing” is taking off, although it doesn’t have to do with coordinating advanced machines. Invented by Olympian Jeff Galloway, this walk-run technique can help you go farther at your own pace, all in a healthy way.  

Baby, you were born for it ;)

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

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IN THE NEWS

Canadian companies finding alternative business partners

When Mark Carney was first elected Liberal leader and assumed the duties of Prime Minister, he said the traditional relationship Canada had with the United States since NAFTA was first signed over 30 years ago had ended.

While he and President Trump had about as productive a meeting as anyone could have expected yesterday, the reality is most businesses are likely still heeding his initial statement, and even if ties will strengthen again between the two countries, business owners are likely reluctant to rejoin a relationship in which they could be burned.

“If you are a smart, savvy business person, you are not going to jump right back into another arrangement where you are totally reliant on a U.S. partner,” said Mike Chisholm, who runs a consultancy for Canadian exporters. “Owners want stability, banks want stability, private equity funds want stability,” he said. “They are just going to be very, very careful.”

And many are, indeed, looking for stability elsewhere. Traditionally, Canadian exporters have relied heavily on the U.S. for customers, but if the country isn’t prepared to trade freely both ways across the border, it stands to reason that companies on both sides would seek to pivot their operations in order to meet the new normal. In the United States, that will be much tougher, given the levies Trump has imposed on every other country. In Canada, the world remains its oyster.

BUSINESS

GM “relieved” to scale back in Canada: analyst

Despite auto manufacturers publicly dreading the tariff regime being implemented south of the border, some analysts have suggested companies like GM are actually somewhat happy to be doing less business in Canada.

“Anytime now that GM decides to move something back—retreat from Canada—it’s no surprise,” said Brendan Sweeney, managing director of the Trillium Network for Advance Manufacturing. “GM’s employment and vehicle production in Canada since the late 90s has been on downward trend.”

GM’s Oshawa plant, for example, has been in decline for at least this long, and salvaging it has likely caused more of a headache for the Detroit automaker, despite saving thousands of jobs.

Still, Sweeney says it’s likely GM is relieved to be forced financially to maybe wind down its broader Canadian operation, and will say it’s doing so to help make specific cars more efficiently, rather than every car less efficiently, thereby lowering prices.

For example, the company already said of its Oshawa plant that it will switch to “a two-shift operation in light of forecasted demand and the evolving trade environment. These changes will help support a sustainable manufacturing footprint as GM reorients the Oshawa plant to build more trucks in Canada for Canadian customers.”

MEDICINE

“Microdosing” Ozempic

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy have skyrocketed in popularity as consumers continuously look for efficient weight loss remedies. As they’ve grown in popularity, so has one method of taking them: microdosing.

There are several reasons for taking this “off-label” approach to what’s supposed to be a prescribed dose of a prescription drug. Some want to use it but not rely on it as much, others want to save money. Does it actually work, though?

“It’s not impossible, but there’s no evidence,” said Hertzel Gerstein, a professor of medicine and a diabetes specialist at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.

“But a lack of evidence doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. It means no one has really studied it in any systematic way. And you can always go online, on social media and you can find anecdotes. But the trouble is that a placebo works in anecdotes, right?”

A select few studies have suggested the use of Ozempic for diabetes can potentially still be effective for blood sugar regulation, but none have been conclusive.

As for weight loss use, there have been no studies suggesting this method of taking the drug is effective. Novo Nordisk—maker of Ozempic—has expressly said it does not recommend microdosing the drug or “[deviating] from the dosing instructions approved in the product monograph,” a spokesperson said.

WHAT UP WEDNESDAYS

Trying new things is good for your brain

A new study published in Nature: Scientific Reports suggests building novel experiences into one’s everyday routine can lead to better and longer-lasting brain health, along with more positive emotions and time passing by more quickly.

The study involved 18 participants with an average age of 71 using an app called HippoCamera to document their daily experiences, which mimics the way the brain region responsible for memory storage (hippocampus) operates.

In the app, they reported what they did, how it made them feel, and how quickly time felt like it was passing after they’d completed their novel exercise.

The study found utilizing the brain’s penchant for routine, but combining it with the introduction of novelty as the routine led to better memory recall, happier emotions, and the perception that time was flying by.

“Engaging in novel experiences encourages us to pay more attention and be more present in the moment, which helps to improve memory for those personal experiences in addition to enhancing well-being,” says Melissa E. Meade, PhD, lead study author and professor of psychology at Huron University College.

NATURE

Lemongrass versus ticks

The tick population in Canada has been growing, particularly out east and in Ontario, leading to increasing concerns about the spread of Lyme disease.

There are several ways to protect against ticks, but one that some experts have been advocating for is growing lemongrass in the backyard to keep them away for good.

What does lemongrass have to do with ticks? Dr. Nicolette Faraone with Acadia University’s chemistry department spoke to CBC Radio’s Maritime Noon to give some answers.

“They kind of stop moving and considering the ticks are almost totally blind, the moment that you block the ability of them to smell, which is the way they orient themselves in their environment, they don't know where to go,” she said. “That's why they are inhibited and they get stuck.”

That seems to make sense, but what is it about lemongrass that actually has this effect on ticks that ultimately keeps them away?

“Lemongrass essential oil, and all the essential oils, are made by a mix of different components and each one may have different properties and different effects. So what we did in our study was also analyze the different components of lemongrass, which are very smelly compounds.” The potency was the difference maker.

HEALTH

Even gum is “shedding” microplastics

Earlier this year, researchers at UCLA presented a study at the American Chemical Society conference, revealing findings that even gum sheds microplastics once it’s been chewed.

Lisa Lowe, a PhD student at UCLA, investigated the theory by chewing 70 pieces of gum across ten brands, and had her saliva tested at different intervals to properly assess how many fragments of microplastic were released by each piece.

After several experiments, during which she and her team analyzed her saliva under microscopes or using infrared spectroscopy, the team found around 100 bits of microplastics were released on average per single gram of gum. Some, however, released up to 600.

“Our goal is not to alarm anybody,” Sanjay Mohanty, the project’s principal investigator and an engineering professor at UCLA, shared in a statement. “Scientists don’t know if microplastics are unsafe to us or not. There are no human trials. But we know we are exposed to plastics in everyday life, and that’s what we wanted to examine here.”

CURIOSITIES

Understand Yoda, you will

George Lucas appeared at the 45th anniversary screening of the original release of Empire Strikes Back, and finally cleared the air on why Yoda speaks the way he does.

It was part of a broader conversation, so some may have missed his simple but brilliant answer. Listen, you must!

“Because if you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much,” Lucas said. “But if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying.”

See? If you think about it, that’s very true, and when it comes to focusing, Star Wars fans know a thing or two about it, both from trying to understand Yoda and believing the only reason they can’t use the Force in their own lives is their inability to focus like a Jedi.

“He was basically the philosopher of the movie,” Lucas continued. “I had to figure out a way to get people to actually listen—especially 12-year-olds.”

So there you have it. No ancient dialect or language barrier caused by hundreds of years of Force-using. Simply put, Yoda’s style of rhetoric was designed to make us listen to him, and boy did it work out.

STAKE TRIVIA

Holiday road

From the National Lampoon’s Vacation films, to epic sitcom vacation episodes, you’ve seen your fave characters go on some wild trips throughout the years 😎 

It’s National Tourism Day, so we’ll be highlighting all those epic movies and episodes 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.

**SEE FULL 1000TH ISSUE GIVEAWAY RULES HERE.