Monkey business
Some things never leave you, like the first time you finished watching Planet of the Apes. What a trip! It wasn’t all shock and devastation though—you probably also remember how stoked you were when Charlton Heston finally spoke up 😎
Did you ever notice that some of the apes spoke with a British accent? The movie was ahead of its time in yet another way. They may not have ‘accents’ like we do, but it appears that regionality does inspire distinct animal expressions.
Imagine an English monkey in New York ;)
(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
Party realignment under way
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Realignments are hard to truly identify in politics, but it’s clear that when it comes to age-related demographics, one is officially underway in Canada.
According to exit polling conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Global News, Canadians aged 55 and above—who traditionally break Conservative—largely supported the Liberals in Monday’s election. On the other hand, those aged 18 to 34—a traditionally Liberal stronghold—broke for Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives.
“What we’ve got are two groups of people: one who remembers a Canada that worked wonderfully (in the 1970s and 1980s)…that Canada is not the Canada of young people today, who don’t identify with that,” said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.
Canada’s relationship with the United States was the top issue for those 55 and above, with 43% of this demographic listing it as their number one priority. Exit polling found Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals were favoured in this category by a whopping 65%.
Conversely, 42% of 18-34 year-olds considered affordability and cost of living their top priority, while just 18% of this demographic was most concerned about Canada’s relationship with the United States.
Such “kitchen table” issues were the domain of the Conservatives, who were favoured by 5 percentage points compared to the Liberals based on exit polling.
ECONOMY
Canadian economy shrinks
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Canada’s economy shrunk 0.2% in February after growing 0.4% in January, largely influenced by a slowdown in goods-producing industries like mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction.
While American tariffs are expected to have a greater impact on the economy moving forward, economists say the February slide was mostly just a consequence of bad weather affecting productivity in some of the country’s largest industries.
Despite growth in December and January, mining was down 2.5% in February. Construction also fell 0.5%, partly due to investment-deterring financial factors, but also due to tariffs on construction materials.
Manufacturing ended up having a good month, growing 5.9% as American demand skyrocketed in an effort to import goods before tariffs took effect.
Growth in Q1 as a whole is expected to reach 1.5%, but bumpy roads lie ahead as American tariffs take full effect.
“The real drama now begins, with the tariffs much more of an issue in Q2, and the U.S. economy also now facing much heavier weather of its own. We would be surprised if GDP manages to grow in Q2.”
GOVERNMENT
Trump signs executive order for auto tariff relief
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U.S. president Donald Trump signed an executive order providing some relief from auto tariffs for manufacturers that finish assembling cars in the United States.
The government will offer rebates of 15% of the car’s total value on tariffs for imported auto parts if they assemble the car in the U.S., with the rebate dropping to 10% next year.
The North American auto industry is set to take a beating from tariffs, with 25% duties expected to kick in next month on imported automobiles, on top of the 25% tariffs placed on aluminum and steel, and the 10% general tariffs Trump imposed on all imports.
It’s unclear how automakers will fare moving forward, given the rapid and volatile nature of the president’s policy updates when it comes to trade with Canada.
“North American autoworkers, plants and investors can’t predict how the U.S. administration will wake up and feel on any given morning,” said Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “Business plans are delayed. Pricing pressure is rising.”
THIRSTY THURSDAYS
Different shades of whiskey
Most people are—understandably—focused on the taste of and scent of their whiskey, but few ever stop to appreciate its color, despite the color telling just as much of a story.
“Color is one of the first ways a whiskey introduces itself,” says Will Fabry, head distiller for CraftCo. “It sets the tone, introduces assumptions, and can even reflect the decisions we’ve made as craftspeople. From barrel selection to warehouse placement and blending ratios, to cellar conditions, every choice we make leaves its impression in the glass.”
Let’s consider what constitutes how dark your whiskey is. Simply put, the longer it’s in the barrel, the darker the spirit.
Sometimes, however, the color is influenced artificially with caramel coloring in Scotch. Scottish whisky producers aren’t required to disclose if they’ve used artificial caramel coloring, but if you’ve ever wondered why Scotch is generally brighter than, say, bourbon, that’s at least part of the reason.
Bourbon is also aged in brand new, charred barrels, which often leave some of that color in the spirit after it’s done aging. It’s also aged in Kentucky, where summers are sweltering. The hot and humid temperatures make the spirit interact with and even penetrate the barrel, which adds another degree of influence to the spirit’s eventual color. Such interactions aren’t as likely in the Scottish Highlands.
AI
Microsoft surveyed 30,000 people across 31 countries, and found workers are increasingly using AI for efficiency, but many are also doing it solely to avoid human interaction at the office.
Anti-social habits are developing as a consequence of AI tools being readily available. The survey found 17% of employees are using AI to avoid being judged for what may be stupid questions, and 16% are using it to avoid the “friction” of interacting with colleagues. 8% are going so far as to extract information from an AI tool and claim it as their own, rather than asking a colleague and having to share credit.
Microsoft is finding out the hard way that its own tools may be eroding the social skills of its own employees. Its CoPilot Wave 2 tool is built to act like a digital assistant, simulating the kinds of interactions one may have when digitally messaging a real colleague.
Still, the company is all-in on this direction, and hopes to deeply embed its AI “agents” further into the standard day-to-day of offices everywhere.
“A new organizational blueprint is emerging, one that blends machine intelligence with human judgment, building systems that are AI-operated but human-led,” the survey report said. “Like the Industrial Revolution and the internet era, this transformation will take decades to reach its full promise and involve broad technological, societal, and economic change.”
CURIOSITIES
Tea bagging your lawn
As ecofriendly becomes more and more commonplace, new solutions continue to pop up for how to cultivate a healthy and toxin-free garden, including dispersing used teabags across your lawn.
“Tea leaves contain approximately 4% nitrogen along with trace minerals that can significantly enhance soil health,” explains Jessica Mercer, PhD in Plant Sciences. Healthy lawns need a healthy dose of nitrogen to grow, and when it slowly dissipates from the teabag and into the blades of grass, it’s the perfect dose at the perfect pace.
On top of that, tea contains tannic acid, which is another ingredient that helps promote a healthy lawn in the form of a soil conditioner that helps it retain moisture, particularly in compact lawns.
Experts advise burying tea bags an inch beneath the surface of lawn areas that are in greater need of attention, and lining the edges of the lawn with more to help reinforce and prevent erosion. On top of that, open the used tea bags and scatter the leaves across the lawn right before watering it.
“I’ve seen dramatic improvements in my centipede lawn since implementing a tea bag routine,” shares Marcus Johnson, a lawn care enthusiast from Georgia. “The difference in color and thickness is remarkable.”
ENTERTAINMENT
Match Game back again
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Match Game is back for another run after finishing up its most recent reboot in 2021 after five seasons of Alec Baldwin at the helm.
This run will feature Canadian legend and comic, Martin Short, as host of the show on ABC.
Match Game features a weekly episode of four contestants chasing a $25,000 prize, earned by guessing which of six celebrities gave which answer to a fill-in-the-blank statement.
There’s definitely some juice in this type of gameshow airing in 2025, with social media clips being the engine of its potential popularity. For example, while many still like to watch something like The Tonight Show live when it airs, the real source of its popularity today is segments produced specifically to be viewed on YouTube the next day, including variety show-like content and Jimmy Fallon’s monologues.
Martin Short is a titan of showbusiness, and his riffing with contestants and guest celebrities may very well be must-see TV.
The show first launched in 1962, and has enjoyed runs on all three major networks, as well as syndicated broadcasts across the country.
STAKE TRIVIA
Lost in trivia
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From Lost in Space to Star Trek, we sure have seen a lot of space related shows over the years 🚀
Think you know your stuff when it comes to space related TV? Blast off 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!*