Sharpen up

If “Ginsu” automatically makes you think of coming home late, crashing on the sofa, and watching infomercials through bleary eyes, you most definitely lived through the ’80s. Those ads ran forever, and they were effective. Who wouldn’t want a knife that slices bread so thin you could see through it? 😂

It was nice of the folks at Ginsu to throw in a fork and a peeler to make your kitchen more complete but if you’re interested in upping your cooking game today, check out these seven tips to take your kitchen to the next level.

As long as it feels so right ;)

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

IN THE NEWS

Election day is here

Election day crept up rather quickly on Canada, a country that’s likely been distracted by the musings of the American president to apply economic force to his northerly neighbour and maybe even annex it as the 51st state.

But at the same time, such musings have been a frequent instigator of bold campaign promises for both Liberal leader Mark Carney, and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre as they vie for the support of Canadians in keeping the country strong, sovereign, and free.

They’ve each made their case, and today, Canada will make its decision.

However, there are certain pockets of the country that are of particular interest electorally, including the province of Ontario, which has, with striking consistency, employed “alternation theory” when voting—meaning its residents tend to vote for one party provincially and another one federally.

“Since 1867, about 78 per cent of provincial elections in Ontario have been won by a party ideologically different from the federal governing party,” says Semra Sevi, assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto. “Since 1943, that figure exceeds 90 per cent.”

If that’s any indication of what’s to come, Ontario’s provincial Conservatives may have locked up the federal election for Liberal leader Carney.

Should Carney manage to form government, it would be a stunning turnaround for a party that was in danger of losing official party status just several months ago, and is now the odds-on favourite to win a majority mandate.

WORKING

Canadians really like working from home

The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research published a report detailing the results of a global survey investigating where the working world is at these days in regards to working from home.

The think tank surveyed 16,000 people across 40 countries with college or university degrees, and found Canadians average 1.9 days working at home each week, more than any other country.

The survey revealed working from home is more popular and commonplace in predominantly English-speaking countries, including the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, where collectively, the average days per week worked at home falls between 1.5 and two.

Workers in China, Greece, Japan, and South Korea almost don’t even have remote work as an option, and these countries unsurprisingly had the fewest average amount of days working remotely.

According to another section of the survey, just 15% of respondents said they support the idea of predominantly working on-site.

MONEY MONDAYS

Loblaw lists items impacted by food inflation

Statistics Canada’s most recent measure of the consumer price index was 2.3% in the month of March, and food prices specifically rose 3.2% year-over-year after rising 2.8% on an annualized basis in February.

Loblaw Co. Ltd. published a report listing staple grocery items and how they’re being impacted by inflation in April.

Unsurprisingly, the price of American eggs continues to soar, up 65.3% compared to a year ago. Though there’s been some relief with a 19% decline over the last business quarter, prices remain extremely elevated long-term, largely as a result of the bird flu epidemic.

“Aside from liquid eggs in the egg aisle, the biggest impact will be seen in baked goods, like muffins, cakes and cookies,” Loblaw said in the document, while also noting coffee prices are continuing to rise fast as weather-related supply shortages continue adding upward pressure.

Tariffs are also partly to blame for rising coffee prices. Generally speaking, the report states “tariffs continue to impact inflation, challenging key sectors and lowering consumer confidence. While the impact of Canada’s counter tariffs was minimal on food prices in March, as retailers sell through existing inventories higher prices will begin appearing on shelf.”

SPACE

Volcano literally shakes the sky

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano exploded in 2022 with such force, that its plume of ash and gas shot up 31 miles, well above where commercial jets and weather patterns dwell and into the domain of Earth’s orbiting satellites.

A new study published in AGU Advances, however, found the eruption’s force didn’t just send a plume spaceward, but it literally shook the edge of space with gravity waves—ripples in the fabric of spacetime itself.

The study’s researchers hypothesized that the satellite data collected in the aftermath of the eruption either came from lamb waves—which rattle the surface—or gravity waves. They determined the size and force of the waves picked up by satellites weren’t small enough to have been the former, and that the data indeed matched the signature of the latter.

Volcanic eruptions, it turns out, don’t just impact the ground and the area surrounding it. Rather, mighty volcanoes like Hunga Tonga have the ability to shake the sky itself, presenting key information for maintaining the vast array of satellites that are increasingly relied upon at the surface and are continuing to fill up the sky at the edges of Earth’s atmosphere.

AUTO

A no-nonsesnse truck for less than $30K

Slate Auto is getting some extra attention because it’s financially backed in-part by Jeff Bezos, but also because of its creative take on its latest EV: an electric truck that can also turn into an SUV.

On top of its shapeshifting capabilities, the car’s starting price is just $27,000, made possible in large part due to governmental EV incentives.

"A radically simple electric pickup truck that can change into whatever you need it to be—even an SUV," the Slate Auto website says. "Made in the USA at a price that’s actually affordable (no really, for real)."

Bezos—along with L.A. Dodgers owner Mark Walter and one other investor—helped raise $150 million for Slate to develop, design, scale, and assemble the vehicle, which the company is referring to simply as the Slate truck.

The Slate is fairly compact, measuring less than 15 feet long and roughly two thirds the size of a Chevy Silverado EV. Slate says it’s more comparable to a 1985 Toyota pick-up in terms of size and stature.

It gets 250 kilometres per charge, though upgrades are available for stronger batteries that can last for up to 385 kilometres.

Deliveries won’t begin until late next year, but Slate is taking reservations for those who just can’t wait.

MUSIC

Sammy Hagar and Kirk Hammett collab?

Fresh off the release of his Eddie-Van-Halen-inspired single, Encore, Thank you, Goodnight, Sammy Hagar is pivoting to the next chapter, this time with the unpredictable swerve of revealing he’s working on a collaboration about aliens with Metallica guitarist, Kirk Hammett.

"You know who's a big fan of all of that? Kirk Hammett from Metallica. We're writing a song right now called The Seven Sisters. Well, we're not writing it [yet, but] we're talking about writing it. 'The Seven Sisters,' which is the Pleiades, where a lot of these people are coming from," Hagar said on the UCR Podcast. “For the ride out of the song, we're going to go into [part of] Silver Lights."

Both men are known to have a deep fascination with aliens and the supernatural, which Hagar went into detail about in a separate interview with Guitar World.

"I'm a firm believer—I have seen, have felt, have been contacted three or four different times," he said. "I have received information that has been valuable in my life from those people, and they have used me. I'm gonna sound like a complete nut here, but they have used me in an experimental fashion. The easiest way to put it is that they downloaded my brain information."

So what is it—Sammy is in contact with otherworldly beings? Or Sammy is in contact with too much devil’s lettuce?

STAKE TRIVIA

Spins a quiz, any size

Villains beware: it’s National Superhero Day! 🦸 

From Spiderman to Wonder Woman, we’re quizzing you on all of your fave classic superheroes 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!*

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.