17 February 2024 - Saturday Squiz

We’re having a bit of a sleep in this morning after a huge week with the launch of News Club. More on that in a minute… But for this week’s Saturday Squiz, if you have a favoured self-promotion technique, big plans for Engineers Week or anything else you want to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 7 minutes

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🤷‍♀️ IDK: But apparently country music is going mainstream…

This week's top stories

We’re surprised Victoria’s wild week didn’t make the list - we’ll pick it up in a sec. Also not there is a certain romantic move by our PM… And breaking this morning are reports that Alexei Navalny, an opposition figure in Russia who spoke out against President Vladimir Putin, has died in prison at 47yo. More on that in Monday’s Squiz Today…

1. Police say Samantha Murphy’s disappearance is suspicious - That’s not what they said in the early days after the 51yo Ballarat mum went missing… The investigation continues, but VicPol don’t know whether or not foul play is involved.

2. Israeli troops are set to go into Rafah - That saw PM Anthony Albanese join the Canadian and Kiwi leaders in calling for Israel to stop its planned operation in southern Gaza - but it fell on deaf ears. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says his forces will continue their strikes on Hamas.

3. Are we in the clear yet? - Taylor Swift and her beau Travis Kelce had a fairytale start to the week, with his football team - the Kansas City Chiefs - clinching the 2024 Super Bowl. The pop star ended her week in Melbourne, kickstarting the Aussie leg of her Eras tour last night.

4. Mulching on a big problem - We didn’t cover this one, but dozens of sites around Sydney - including parks, schools and a hospital - have been found to have mulch containing bonded asbestos in their gardens. Here’s a good explainer about what that means, and a map of the locations affected.

5. He gets knocked down (but he gets up again?) - Former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce found himself in some strife after a video surfaced of him lying on the footpath in Canberra. He has not taken up the offer of taking some leave…

It’s the Squiz Quiz…

Reckon you know why people were concerned about Barnaby Joyce this week? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz.

Picture of the week

Victoria copped it this week - the ferocity of Tuesday’s storms is demonstrated by this image of 2 crumpled transmission towers that brought high-voltage power lines to the ground west of Melbourne. Cue chatter about whether a fragile electricity system or a disaster is to blame…

Question of the week

What concert did you move heaven and earth to attend?

We played question of the week a little differently this week by putting a poll into Friday’s Squiz Today newsletter - and wow did Squizers deliver… We got more than 800 responses, and here are 3 of our favourites. 

A wise investor - “I paid over $500 a ticket to see Barbra Streisand in the 90’s which was a small fortune but totally worth it.”

An Aussie classic - “The only concert I moved heaven and earth for was John Farnham's Chain Reaction way back a squillion years ago. So worth all the blood, sweat and tears to get the tickets.”

Keepin’ it country -  “Luke Combs - that guy was awesome live, banging out hit after hit after hit (well, in the country space anyway…). And as an added bonus the tickets were dirt cheap!”

Squiz Recommends

Buying - Aussie Wool Comfort was left without power thanks to the storms in Victoria, so after a tough week, we’re giving them a shoutout. They produce high-quality and comfortable quilts, linen and homewares - and with the seasonal change on the horizon, why not get stocked up.

Listening - Beyoncé announced her latest work via a Super Bowl commercial with Verizon this week. One of the first singles to drop was Texas Hold ‘Em, and despite country fanatics denying it’s in their genre, it’s taking off.

Reading - This article on Jennifer Lopez from Variety. She dropped an album this week and has a self-funded documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told about to come out (that she spent $20 million on…). And while you’re reading, this one from the New York Times on the rush of celebrity ‘documentaries’ (or are they just PR…) is a good one.

In the Kitchen

These no-bake choc peanut butter cup oatmeal bars are for everyone (unless you have a peanut allergy, and then they’re definitely not for you…). They’re delicious, easy, gluten-free and dairy-free, so they make the perfect treat to snack on. Hot tip: use regular dark chocolate, and honey instead of maple syrup.

What we Squized this week

A Squiz Shortcut on Indonesia’s election - Indonesia’s election was held this week and more than 200 million people cast a vote. We’ll get you across who’s who and what’s what with Indonesia’s politics, the legacy outgoing President Joko Widodo leaves, and what might be next. Have a read or listen here. 

Our first News Club dropped - And we dived into the deep end to unpick the debate over US President Joe Biden’s age as he seeks a second term. That’s been in focus this week after a Justice Department report described him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”. Give it a listen on Apple or Spotify. And follow News Club on Instagram - there’s great content dropping there all week round.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - It’s the first round of the NRL All-Star competition where it’s the Indigenous side v New Zealand’s Māori. That’s happening in Townsville…

Sunday - Get wet on World Whale Day (mark it by giving our Shortcut on the annual whale migration a listen…). And for all the STEM lovers, National Engineers Week begins… 

Monday - Bring on the bling for the BAFTA Awards in London… Catch the red carpet ceremony live on YouTube from 1.30am (ouch…). It is also the anniversary of the Japanese military dropping the first bombs on Darwin during WWII

Tuesday - In case you need another reason to shower your furry friends with love, it’s Love Your Pet Day... It’s also Presidents’ Day in the US 

Wednesday - Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan is talking all things (ahem…) tax at the National Press Club from 12.30pm. After 11 years, he’s soon to leave the job so that’s quite an exit interview…

Thursday - It’s a good time to check in on how Qantas is going after a rough landing to 2023. The company releases its profit numbers for the first half... And we’ll mull it over on World Thinking Day

Friday - Some of our team will be joining about 80,000 other people in heading to Taylor Swift in Sydney… See you there?

*All times in AEDT

Double-Tapping

Our talented friend Sammy J welcoming Taylor Swift to Melbourne is a treat amongst a flood of Swift-related content. Blank Space has never sounded so good…