21 December 2024 - Saturday Squiz

Fuel your future with Sydney Business School, UOW

Woot… Christmas is nearly here - but they don’t call it the ‘silly season’ for nothin’… This week, if you’ve got a recipe that’s so wrong it’s so right, a favourite song to sing in the car, or anything else you’d like to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

🎧 Get the Weekly Wrap podcast with Kate Watson and Claire Kimball

🤷‍♀️ IDK: How we’ll cope without setting a 4am alarm for the next 2 weeks…

This week's top stories

1. Shaking all over… - A 7.3-magnitude earthquake devastated Port Vila on Tuesday, and up to 14 people are feared dead, but there are fears the death toll could rise as damaged infrastructure is searched. This was in the Aussie news because 1. Vanuatu is part of our Pacific family, and 2. heaps of Aussies needed help getting out.

2. Nuclear generates some heat… - Last week, the Coalition released the long-awaited details on its nuclear energy policy, claiming its plan to build 7 nuclear power stations would be $263 billion cheaper than the Albanese Government’s renewables-only approach. The policy continued to generate headlines into this week as critics criticised and supporters extolled its virtues.

3. A deteriorating outlook - Australia is doing better in this current financial year than the Albanese Government predicted in May. But in an update this week - glamorously named the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, or MYEFO for short - Treasurer Jim Chalmers said we’re heading for deeper deficits as government spending outweighs revenue. Cue economic management as a big talking point in 2025…

4. No fun in Fiji… - A toxicology report into the drinks consumed at Fiji's Warwick Resort that left 4 Australian tourists critically ill has found no traces of methanol. Still, the cause of the illness that continues to be referred to as "alcohol poisoning" is unknown. The poisonings hospitalised 7 people after they drank pina coladas at the resort's poolside bar.

5. The long road home - The freed Bali Nine members are back in Oz for the first time in almost 20 years. The 5 men were released last Sunday and flown from Indonesia to Darwin after a deal was brokered between the Indonesian and Australian governments to allow them to come home on humanitarian grounds. Later in the week, they flew to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to be greeted by family members and supporters. 

S’Quiz me real good…

Reckon you know what big news the Bluey franchise announced this week? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz here.

Picture of the Week

Last weekend, Mayotte - a French territory off mainland Africa - was hit by Cyclone Chido, causing a huge amount of destruction to what is a densely populated and poverty-stricken island. It wasn’t blasted all over the media this week, but aid agencies think thousands of people have died. These pics show some of the damage.

Question of the Week

Serious, light or both?

Get going on an MBA in 2025 - flexibly

Take advantage of small class sizes and gain practical skills through real-world learning with Sydney Business School. It's the place for an MBA, or there are many other courses like Project Management or Business Analytics. You can study flexibly - 100% online if it suits you, or on campus if you’re in NSW. Courses start in February, and if you get started in 2025, you can save up to 75% on course fees - so your career boost won’t cost a fortune. Find out more and apply now.

In the Kitchen

We skipped over these a little too lightly in yesterday’s Squiz Today - but what a wonderful world we live in when there’s such a thing as hash brown prawn toasts. It’s like the recipe author Rosheen Kaul made this just for us. There’s nothing else we need from this year. Mic drop…

What we Shortcut for you this week

The prince and the spy - This week, Prince Andrew had his problematic relationship with a businessman who was accused of being a Chinese spy put into the public arena. So, this Squiz Shortcuts will get you across how the relationship came to light and why it’s caused concern in the UK. Listen to the podcast here. 

The 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy - Striking Darwin early on Christmas Day in 1974, it was one of Australia’s most devastating natural disasters. So we get you across what happened, the response, and its legacy today. Listen to the podcast here.

Squiz the Break

We’re looking forward to a rest - but can’t wait to be back with the Squiz Today from Monday, 6 January and Saturday Squiz on Saturday, 11 January 2025…

But to keep you going over the Christmas period, The Great Big Squiz Quiz will be in your inbox on Monday morning if you’re signed up for the Squiz Today newsletter. Go up against your people or go solo with our 20 questions - it’s a lot of fun.

Some favourite Squiz Shortcuts from the year will be showcased in our Squiz Today show - tune in on Apple or Spotify. That starts on Friday, 27 December. We’ve also got social media content scheduled for the break, so that’s another place you can get a Squiz hit. The links to follow us there are at the bottom of this newsletter.

As for Squiz Kids, they’ve got podcasts with weekly Kids v Adults quizzes, brain teasers, and Shortcuts on fun, festive-themed topics. Tune into Squiz Kids on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. To get you started - here’s the first Bumper Holiday S’Quiz on Christmas Songs and Movies…

Double-Tapping

Geez dads are embarrassing sometimes…