Livin' by the sword

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: The Iran conflict is driving a wedge between OPEC members; Nestlé is changing some of its recipes to appeal to Ozempic users; How to protect your pet from heatstroke; and why the heck is everyone maxxing?  

But first, our weekly poll!

One of the ways drugs like Ozempic suppress the appetite is by making eating itself less enjoyable.

"People don't want to eat as much on GLP-1s, and also your taste profile changes. GLP-1s sort of dull your taste profile." said Nestlé Marketing chief David Rennie. A study published last year in Physiology & Behavior confirmed this.

That’s why Nestlé is making significant recipe adjustments across its many food and beverage brands, and according to Rennie, will bring in GLP-1 users to help consult on the changes going into the company’s marquee products.

Those changes may include a heavier use of pepper and a broader use of spices, in order to permeate the weakened palette.

Rennie said the snacking category in particular will be a point of focus, with the company already in the process of introducing more protein and fiber, and reducing portion size—two major characteristics sought by those on GLP-1.

Meta has announced it’s building its 33rd data centre in Sturgeon County, just outside Edmonton, Alberta.

According to a Meta spokesman, “this specific location met the factors we typically look for: good access to infrastructure, a robust electric grid and access to energy, a strong pool of talent, and a great set of community partners that helped us move this project forward.”

A blog post announcing the project said it “represents an investment of more than CAD $13 billion and will support over 3,000 construction workers at peak and more than 300 operational jobs.”

Interestingly, Meta was actually a Canadian company founded in Toronto in 2010 by siblings Sam and Amy Molyneux. They sold it to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook in 2018 before it rebranded itself as Meta.

Curiously, in 2019 Zuckerberg ignored a subpoena by Canadian Parliament to testify before the House of Commons privacy and ethics committee. It became an open-ended summons, meaning if he steps foot in Canada, he can immediately be called to testify, or risk a contempt charge.

We long for the summer heat in winter, but when it gets as hot as it did in parts of Canada and the United States last week, we long for anything else.

It’s the catch-22 of living in a humid continental climate, and one that can be a risk for people and dogs alike, during a heatwave.

While it’s pretty easy to tell when a person is dangerously overheating, dogs can display signs that are similar to routine behaviour.

For example, if a dog is panting with what looks like a smile on their face, that’s usually just a sign they’re excited. However, it could mean the pup is at risk of heat stroke.

Dogs pant because it allows them to get cool air into their lungs, but if the air is too hot, it actually contributes to the problem.

If they’re panting harder and faster than normal, that’s a sign they’re really overheating. The tongue tends to be flattened because your furry friend is trying to extend the surface to allow for more evaporation. That leads to increased saliva production. If you see your dog is drooling heavily, it’s in serious need of cooling off.

More serious symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, or an inability to respond to owner prompts. At this point, seek immediate veterinary attention.

Looksmaxxing refers to carrying oneself in a way that maximizes their good looks and is square one for the current trend of ‘everythingmaxxing’.

The term appears to have originated in gamer culture in the mid- to late-1990s, and then became more popular in the mid-2010s.

Like most viral memes (and literal viruses), it’s a phrase that was dormant in various forums and hosts for years before “going viral.”

It first appeared in mainstream print in 2018 in the U.K.’s The Sunday Times, and not again until appearing in the New York Times in 2020. In 2024, NYT columnists and journalists used it four times, then six in 2025. In the first half of this year alone, they used it 30 times, suggesting the virus is in wide circulation.

Will looksmaxxing be 2026’s “brat”? Or will it stand the test of time, joining the pantheon of suffix-focused memes like “-gate” or “-washing”? Time will tell.

Quizmaster’s choice

We’re wrappin’ up another week, and you know what that means. We’ve got a little bit of this and a little bit of that with another round of à la carte, with today’s trivia! 😎