Laying it on thick

If you remember Koogle, you most definitely grew up in the ’70s. And who didn’t love it? Chocolate, vanilla, even banana flavoured peanut spread that didn’t stick to the roof of your mouth! But sadly, it wasn’t meant to be and by the late ‘70s, it had disappeared off store shelves 😢

A chocolate peanut spread is pretty rich, but when it comes to sweet sammies, the Dutch are on a different level. Traditionally eaten for breakfast or lunch, the hagelslag sandwich consists of buttered bread covered in chocolate sprinkles! 

When chocolate is in the mix, everyone wins ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

Bank of Canada reviews target inflation rates

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem launched a review of the central bank’s monetary framework, which includes an analysis of its 2% inflation target. It’s widely expected to be re-adopted, in line with decades of monetary policy across the developed world.

“Now is not the time to question the anchor that has proven so effective in achieving price stability,” Macklem said in a Friday speech in the Toronto.

Some had speculated the BoC may move to rethink the long-standing target, and the fact it was even considered was a first since 1995.

Macklem said the review will instead look at “more pressing matters” like price volatility in a more interconnected world still feeling the tremors of the pandemic-era supply chain freeze and the energy shock instigated in part by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Core inflation is a measure of price growth that strips out volatile commodities like oil and food, which Macklem conceded may no longer be as useful to the central bank in its efforts to maintain price stability. He didn’t suggest that it isn’t, but certainly suggested it’s worth examining and perhaps pivoting to a broader approach.

He also noted the effect Canada’s monetary policy has on the massively influential housing market as it relates to the country’s broader economy.

“We must consider how monetary policy affects housing demand and supply and how the imbalance between them feeds into inflation in shelter prices,” he said.

ECONOMY

Get by with a little help

Canada is getting a little help from its friends in the United States Congress, with several members of the House and Senate openly questioning and criticizing the logic of President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on America’s closest trading partner.

One of those congressmen is Tim Kennedy of Buffalo-Niagara, who spoke with the National Post on the matter.

“A tariff on Canada is a tax on Americans, and it sets off a trade war unnecessarily with our greatest ally and our greatest trading partner,” he said. “Our economies are intimately intertwined, and we ought to be enhancing that relationship, not destroying it.”

Kennedy’s district owes 27,000 jobs to Canadian consumers, who spend $608 million in the region on an annual basis.

“We, on this side of the border, are equally as disturbed with his actions, and we’re fighting against them,” he said in a meeting with Canada’s premiers in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. “I’m doing everything in my power to preserve our relationship with Canada.”

It’s unclear how impactful Kennedy’s efforts will be—along with the efforts of several other congressmen and U.S. Senators—to stop such duties from being implemented. Trump said yesterday the United States is “on time” with plans to be impose tariffs on March 4.

GOVERNMENT

Ontario PCs release platform

With just two days to go before the 44th Ontario general election, the Progressive Conservatives have released their platform. The party is widely expected to form another majority government, securing another four year term for Doug Ford as premier.

The platform lists $40 billion worth of campaign promises, though estimates are rough given the vastness of the proposals and the lack of a price tag included for a great many of them. For example, Ford’s plan to build a tunnel under Highway 401 was included, but did not mention the cost for what would be an enormous project.

The platform also included a $5-billion Protect Ontario Account to help respond to American tariffs, $705 million to expand STEM and skilled trades training capacity at post-secondary institutions, and $50 million to support modular housing technology, according to the Canadian Press.

Ford defended the campaign items that didn’t include cost analyses, saying his government doesn’t spend money it doesn’t have.

"We've been very fiscally responsible," he said at a campaign event. "We're prudent fiscal managers with the taxpayers' money. Not only haven't we raised taxes, we reduced the cost of paying on debt from previous governments."

TRAVEL TUESDAYS

Doubling up

A few years ago Stake reported on a conceptual airplane seating design that included dual-level seating, with the bottom seats appearing on the surface to be squeezed beneath the top, but also including much more room for passengers to stretch their legs.

While the bottom row would have more leg room, the top level would allow its seats to have more room for reclining, which is typically a point of contention for single-level rows.

Designed by aviation startup Chaise Longue, it recently had new life breathed into it with confirmation that Airbus is considering developing the concept for use on its own planes.

Given the way airlines are moving to disincentivize passengers from carrying luggage onto the plane, the dual-level concept may have its opening, since it only works with the removal of a plane’s overhead cabins.

Founder and CEO Alejandro Núñez Vicente wouldn’t confirm if the design has been updated since its initial concept was showcased, but told CNN Travel he’s happy that Airbus recognizes “the true potential of two-level seating.”

Airbus confirmed the potential partnership, saying, “Chaise Longue is exploring some early stage concepts with Airbus on two-level seating solutions for Airbus commercial aircraft.”

MEDICINE

Pharma giant swings for the fences

Eli Lilly’s stock has soared 268% in the last three years, driven largely by sales from the company’s now-approved GLP-1 drugs, including tirzepatide, which is sold as Mounjaro when prescribed for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity.

In response, the company is looking to make a big splash with new ambitions, aiming to tackle some of the biggest public health problems that are “hiding in plain sight,” according to Lilly Chief Scientific Officer Dan Skovronsky.

As “the biggest health-care company in the world, probably the biggest health-care company in the world ever, we have an obligation,” Skovronsky said. “Investors have given us that vote of confidence. We see that as an obligation to invest in some of these big problems that are hiding in plain sight, to try and make a difference for the health of your community.” 

One of the company’s biggest goals is to end Alzheimer’s disease, a task that may seem almost too gargantuan to imagine, but one Eli Lilly is already in the process of tackling. Its experimental drug, Kisunla, is currently approved to treat early-stage dementia patients, though it’s thus far only demonstrated an ability to delay rather than prevent.

The pharmaceutical giant is also taking aim at gene therapy, which could be a panacea for preventing the onset of countless lethal diseases by editing a person’s genes.

HEALTH

Does lip balm actually work?

According to Dr. Jenna Lester, a dermatologist at UCSF Health, lip balm can help seal the moisture inside your lips, preventing them from drying and cracking.

Generally speaking, lip balm is a good tool when it comes to combatting the dreaded chapped lips that rear their ugly head during the cold and dry months of the year.

However, lip balm isn’t for everyone. Some of the ingredients can instigate allergic reactions, such as the waxy substance known as lanolin, the preservative known as formaldehyde, and a chemical called oxybenzene that’s typically found in sun screen. These can all be met with negative reactions that actually end up producing the opposite of the intended result.

“Those are the people who will say, ‘I tried these things. I thought my lips would get better, but they just keep getting worse and worse,’” said Dr. Caroline Mann, a dermatologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

If lip balm doesn’t agree with you, some ways of staving off dry lips are to keep a scarf over them when you’re outside in the windy winter chill, staying well-hydrated, and using a humidifier indoors to keep the area from getting too dry and sucking the moisture right out of your lips.

CURIOSITIES

Don’t p#$% off Scottish whisky makers

The Scottish take immense pride in being the only true exporters of single malt whisky, and they were not too thrilled about the United Kingdom’s proposal to allow a single distillery in England to describe its spirit using the term “single malt.”

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) released a statement in response to the government’s proposal, saying on behalf of Scottish distilleries and politicians that granting such a proposal would “devalue” the term, because the English distillery would be using a “simpler method than the process used in Scotland.”

"What Scotch whisky does is it takes the malted barley and it creates the mash, it ferments it and then it distils it at one site," Graham Littlejohn, SWA director of strategy and communications told BBC Good Morning Scotland.

"What the English proposal would do is to strip away the first two of those three elements and really remove the fundamental connection to place that single malt Scotch whisky has."

The proposal would allow English single malt to be distilled at one location, and mashed and fermented anywhere else, defying the norms and traditions of classic Scottish single malt.

Littlejohn went on to say it "would really damage the integrity of the single malt category and with it, the reputation of the Scotch whisky industry."

STAKE TRIVIA

Video made the trivia star

With the launch of MTV in August of ’81, music videos absolutely exploded! But even before that, plenty of artists had turned to promotional videos to lay the groundwork for that monumental shift.

Think you know your stuff when it comes to the early days of music videos? Find out with today’s trivia! Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified tomorrow—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.