No dice 🎲

People can say what they want about Ringo’s drumming but one thing’s for sure: his solo career proved he could sure put out hits on his own. With The No No Song, he said no to his former vices, but yes to the top of the charts 😎

Do you ever find that you have a hard time saying “no” to the people in your life? You’re not alone. But according to behavioral scientist Sunita Sah, it’s important to draw boundaries. Here’s how you can say no and still feel good.

Just like Freddie ;)

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

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the other day that it’s banning the use of Red No. 3, an artificial dye used in thousands of food and drink items to give them a bright red color.

Specifically, the dye is currently used in over 9,200 products, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which petitioned the FDA three years ago to prohibit its use due to evidence that it could cause cancer, as well as behavioral issues in children.

"The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in human or animals," Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy director for human foods, said in a statement. "Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3."

The FDA first discovered the potentially carcinogenic properties of Red No. 3 in a 1980 study involving rats. Efforts to ban the product’s use entirely have been in the works for decades, and after 118 years of approval, the petroleum-based synthetic is finally getting shown the door.

Steppin is an app that allows users to block themselves from using social media apps on their phones until they’ve walked a certain amount of steps.

It was co-created by Paul English (the founder of travel app Kayak, which was recently acquired by Priceline for $1.8 billion), along with his son, Michael, and his fiancé, Rachel Cohen. Paul came up with the idea while vacationing with his now-business partners, and despite the lovely scenery, they couldn’t get off their phones.

While several apps already exist to block other app usage and reduce screen time, Steppin is designed to boost both mental and physical health, allowing users to determine how many minutes of time on a given app they’re allowed based on how many steps they walk. For example, 100 steps can earn you one minute on Facebook.

Those parameters are completely at the user’s discretion, and if necessary, they app can be overridden.

Though the app is more heavily marketed towards Gen Z, Paul says he’s gotten plenty of use out of it as well, and you better believe he’s a Staker.

It’s available on the Apple Store, and though usage is currently free, Mr. English says there will eventually be premium subscription-based features for around $20.

You get out of the shower, grab the towel, and dry off your freshly cleaned self. Even though this probably-daily routine leaves you clean as a whistle, the fact is our bodies still have thousands of microbes and bacteria on them when we get out of the shower, and unsurprisingly, plenty of them end up on the towel.

According to a U.K. study, plenty wash their towels weekly, while around a third do so once a month, and a handful once a year.

While most of the microbes and bacteria that end up on towels come from human skin to begin with, and in many cases are actually instrumental in protecting us from infections, plenty are also threatening to human health.

Human skin is the natural first line of defence against these microscopic bad guys, but some studies suggest the act of showering—scrubbing, rinsing, and rubbing dry with a towel—can actually disrupt that defence system, leaving us vulnerable to the toxins on the very thing we’re drying off with.

Realistically, horror stories involving towel-born infections are obviously pretty rare. Still, experts say it’s probably wise to be cleaning them on a weekly basis.

The future for Sammy Hagar may indeed feature the best of both worlds.

He’s got nine dates booked for a Las Vegas residency starting on April 30, and wants to continue with residency bookings moving forward rather than touring. In a way, he gets the thrill of touring without actually having to endure the breakneck pace of being on the road again.

Hagar just wrapped up the Best of All Worlds Tour, in which he travelled all over the United States and Canada with legendary axeman Joe Satriani, Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, along with Kenny Aronoff and Rai Thistlethwayte. The tour was a success, but it might be his last one.

"I keep telling my manager, ‘Don't take any tours, let me do this residency,'" he told the Miami Herald. "If I like it enough, I'll do another one. And if that's successful I'll do another one, and I can squeeze a few more years out of my career. With this, I don't have to travel, I don't have to unpack and pack and get on an airplane every day. You know, at my age, it hurts my shoulders to do all this. And I have to perform. I'm a performer, at the end of the day."

Happy birthday to honorary Staker Jim Carrey who turns 63 today. We’re sending him all the feels. Which reminds us, if you’ve got someone you want to shower with all the feels for their birthday, here’s a fun gift idea.

Why not have our friends Nick and Roy, from the Totally Useless Information podcast, put together a custom audio birthday greeting!

They’ll scour the internet to find interesting information about the day your special someone was born. Check it out!

From Columbo, to Kojak, Police Woman and more, the ’70s were a golden age for detective and police dramas. Find out how well you know the classics with today’s trivia and earn yourself a chance to win a $25 Amazon eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified Monday afternoon—keep an eye on your inbox.*

Have a great weekend Staker!

Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.

*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.