24 February 2024 - Saturday Squiz

You know who’s got it all figured out? This lady who wears the same $70 outfit to work each day. Ponder that as you get ready for a new week… This weekend, if you have an inspirational woman to point to, a well-utilised but gimmicky kitchen gadget, or anything else you want to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 7 minutes

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🤷‍♀️ IDK: If we could have watched The Crown if we’d seen the Sylvanian Families’ version first…

This week's top stories

We’ve taken a different approach this week and pulled out the names that trended in news this week on Google search…

1. Beau Lamarre - Now that’s a name we’d rather not know about… He is the NSW Police constable who has been charged with the murders of Ten presenter Jesse Baird and his Qantas hostie Luke Davies.

2. Travis Kelce - Who? Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’d know he’s one of the best players in America’s NFL, he was part of last week’s winning Super Bowl team, and he arrived in Sydney on Thursday. Oh and he’s Taylor Swift’s plus one…

3. Brad Banducci - A big week for the Woolworths Group CEO… His collision with ABC TV’s Four Corners aired this week - that got interwebbers searching his name. And then his retirement from the retail giant was announced on Wednesday.

4. Alexei Navalny - The outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin died last week in a polar detention camp. We did a Squiz Shortcut on it…

5. Taylor Swift - Who? Just jokes - ‘nuff said…

It’s the Squiz Quiz…

Reckon you know how Prince William broke royal protocol this week? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz.

Picture of the week

Following the death of Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison last week, Yulia Navalnaya posted this message to X (formerly Twitter). Although the clip is in Russian (click through to see the translated text), the short of the long is that she’s vowed to continue doing her husband’s work.

Question of the week

Which hot cross bun variety are you keen to try?

We think we like playing question of the week this way - Squizers really delivered with more than 900 responses… Here are 3 of our favourites. 

A popular response - “You can't beat perfection and a traditional hot cross bun, toasted with lashings of melted butter, is pretty darn close.”

Team Vegemite - “Vegemite is just good with everything - it’s the quintessential Aussie taste…”

An innovator - “Maybe pizza shapes flavour could replace the cheese and bacon-topped rolls, but don’t mess with the hot cross bun!”

Squiz Recommends

Reading - Naomi Klein's Doppelganger. Not our lightest recommendation but it had one member of Team Squiz hooked. It highlights the importance of listening to other people's perspectives.

Buying - Gracular. It handles anything from garlic to ginger, and the sell is that it has the capacity to do it all in one. And it’s a bit of fun to use - who doesn’t need a bit of that in their life?

Watching - One Day on Netflix. We binged it last weekend - watched it all in 2 sittings, and we’re not ashamed to admit it… It’s a love story, it’s well done - and it’s best feature is the episodes are short. It’s a remake of the 2009 book and 2011 film starting Anne Hathaway, so you might already know the gut-wrenching twist - but if not, be prepared…

In the Kitchen

Summer nights can be hard to cook for, but this chilli-lime fish recipe is easy, refreshing, and has just the right amount of spice. The best part about it is the sticky sauce that develops as you’re cooking and makes the rice a real treat. And if you’re not a fan of heat, replace the sriracha with sweet chilli sauce. You’re welcome…

What we Squized this week

A Squiz Shortcut on Alexei Navalny - Alexei Navalny, the leader of Russia’s opposition movement, died last week in a remote Arctic prison. According to his family and supporters, he was murdered by Putin’s regime. So in this week's Shortcut, we get into who he was, why he was so significant in Russian politics, and what his death might mean for the world. Have a read or listen here.

News Club on Julian Assange - This week, a 2-day hearing on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the US was run and done. He’s a figure who really hit the news in 2010, and what happens next is hanging in the air. We dived into the divisive discussion on whether he is a criminal or a journalist. Have a read or listen here.

And a bonus News Club episode - With Ten’s Project co-host Georgie Tunny on Taylor Swift. Whether you’re a Swiftie or a bit bamboozled by the mega-hype, there is plenty to get out of this chat about the news around her. Get it in your ears on Apple or Spotify.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - It’s been 2 years since Russia invaded Ukraine. And the Matildas play Uzbekistan in the first of 2 Olympic qualifiers that will happen in the coming week. 

Sunday - From 11.00am you can catch the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Netflix. Belarus is also holding its 2024 parliamentary election (if that's what they’re calling it…)

Monday - Federal Parliament is back for a week of sittings. And down the road at the National Press Club, Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest will talk about the energy transition at 12.30pm

Tuesday - It’s a big day for the Workplace Equality Gender Agency - it’s dropping its first report on the private sector employer gender pay gap. And it’s International Polar Bear Day - the cutest animal you can’t touch 

Wednesday - Hunter Biden will appear before the House of Republicans for a private deposition… need some history? We’ve got it covered in this Shortcut 

Thursday - It’s Leap Day so enjoy your extra day because you won’t get another chance until 2028 

Friday - And it’s March if you can believe it… It kicks off with the Enlighten Festival in Canberra and the iconic Sculptures by the Sea at Cottesloe Beach, Perth

*All times in AEDT

Double-Tapping

Did you know Sylvanian family toys have full-on crazy drama? It’s played out on the internet with hundreds of ‘episodes’ to immerse yourself in, and we found this royal coronation particularly funny…