October 15, 2025

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Study reveals what older adults really value, Tuscany is calling you, and how Bryan Adams almost gave away one of his biggest hits 😎

Let’s get into it!

According to a study conducted by researchers at Case Western Reserve University, older adults certainly care about their health, but they consider “social activities and inclusiveness” more important.

The study was based on responses to questions asked of over 388,000 patients age 65+ at walk-in clinics across the United States. They ranked social activities and inclusiveness ahead of health, independence, and family togetherness.

The implication suggests the cohort knows they’re happiest, sharpest, and overall at their best when they’re immersed and included in vibrant social activities.

"I would have thought health would have been a little bit higher since this is an acute-care setting," he said. "But I think it just shows that older adults—like everybody else— are very complex and have other needs that are just as much a priority."

Almost half of the survey’s respondents listed socializing and inclusiveness as their top priority, with just 21% listing health, 17% listing independence, and 10.5% saying family togetherness.

The study’s authors say the results could help tailor medical care in a way that prevents the loss of this top priority or outright encourages patients to continue immersing themselves in it.

It may sound baffling to suggest there are objects in the solar system the size of the Earth that human beings haven’t been able to detect. That’s exactly the case, however, including the possible existence of Planet X and the more recent hypothesis that there’s also a Planet Y.

Planet X was first proposed in 2016 by Caltech astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin after observing several Kuiper Belt objects that appeared to be under the influence of a gravitational pull of a giant-sized object.

Nearly ten years after Planet X was hypothesized, astronomers may have identified yet another previously hidden planet (dubbed Planet Y), according to the Aug. 21 edition of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

About 50 Kuiper Belt objects were observed with 15 degree tilts, according to the study, which have astronomers convinced there’s an Earth-sized rocky planet hiding somewhere in the vicinity, between 100 and 200 times as far from the Sun as Earth is.

Though exciting, neither “planet” has actually been seen by human instruments, and incredulous astronomers have offered alternative explanations for the findings.

Radicondoli may look like a village out of a fairy tale, but it’s a real place in Italy’s Tuscany region, and it’s offering wanderlusters 20,000 euros to buy one of its vacant houses and move into it.

On top of that, the medieval village recognizes there may be interested adventurers not necessarily in the market to buy, and is now also offering to cover half the rent for two years for those prepared to sign a lease between now and early 2026.

“We’ve earmarked over 400,000 euros (US$465,000) this year to support new home purchases and rentals, alongside other key measures like financial aid to students, public transport commuters and green energy subscribers”, says mayor Francesco Guarguaglini, a Radicondoli native

In most parts of North America, 20,000 euros wouldn’t even cover half a down payment; however, the city-center lofts in Radicondoli or farmsteads on the outer limits go for between 50,000 and 100,000 euros.

The picturesque village was known for wool-production dating back to the 1300s, and plenty of middle-ages-style homes are still standing.

While a tempting offer for many, the investment would be a two-way street: interested buyers would be required to stay for 10 years to qualify, or four years for those renting.

You might know that Tom Petty turned down recording The Boys of Summer before Don Henley got his hands on it but did you know a similar thing happened with Bryan Adams’ Run To You?

In this case, however, Adams actually wrote the song and the band he wrote it for never claimed it.

"Way back when I was working with Jim Vallance and we were just trying to carve it out as songwriters. Sometimes we put ourselves in a position of, 'Okay, today we're going to write a song for such and such, even if we didn't know how to get that song to them or not," Adams recently told 97.1 Rock.

"Sometimes that would inspire something [really good]. For example, the song Run To You was written for a band called Blue Oyster Cult. They never got it or if they did, the producer, Bruce Fairbairn, who we gave it to, he never played it for them."

On top of Boys of Summer and Run to You, another song that almost never saw the light of day belongs to Adams’ Canadian peer, Tom Cochrane. Life Is a Highway was conceived of in the late 1970s when Cochrane was in Toronto band Red Rider. He kept it in the vault, however, until the early ‘90s when it served as the rocket to launch his solo career.

Interestingly enough, Adams himself has covered Life Is a Highway a grand total of one time in his career—at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. 🤘

Falling for you 🍂

With a chill in the air, along with the unmistakable scent of pumpkin-spiced everything, we figured it’s a good time to quiz you on all things fall. And that’s our theme with today’s trivia. 

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Thursday afternoon. Keep an eye on your inbox and your spam folder!*