25 November 2023 - Saturday Squiz

Guaranteed to impress with The Hamper Emporium

It’s one month until Christmas, and we didn’t think things could get any sillier until we saw this… This Saturday, if you have a marathon story, cake-feasting recommendation, or anything else you want to share with us, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

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🤷‍♀️ IDK: If the US President should get so close to an open flame…

This week's top stories

The fires in and around Perth didn’t make it into the list of top stories this week, but it’s been a tough week under stinking hot conditions. To our friends in the West - we see you…

1. Hitting pause on the Israel-Hamas war - There was a tense countdown to the first hostages taken from Israel and Palestinian prisoners being released overnight. More will be released over the next 3 days.

2. Oz wins the Cricket World Cup - Batsman Travis Head was the man of the moment when our men's side won the 2023 Cricket World Cup over India on Sunday... Head inspired the Aussies after a sluggish start with his 137 runs from 120 balls - what a legend (and what a hangover…)

3. Optus has another week of pain - The race is now on to find a replacement for Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin after her resignation on Tuesday. One of the frontrunners is said to be none other than former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian…

4. The fallout continues… - That’s after a High Court ruling on 8 November led to the release of 93 detained immigrants. The serious criminal histories of some who have been released continue to generate headlines.

5. A big week for young footy hopefuls - We didn’t cover this one, but the AFL draft is done and dusted for another year. You can check out the new youngsters on your club’s list here if you’re so inclined…

Picture of the week

There was a lot made this week of the fact that US President Joe Biden turned 81yo, and the POTUS and his press team really leaned into it. It’s a Thanksgiving miracle his birthday cake didn’t burn the White House down…

Question of the week

The question: What’s a word/term/phrase you can’t stand, and why?

The story: A new British survey revealed the top 25 most annoying words, with 34% of respondents nominating ‘amazeballs’ as the worst of the lot.

Peter Ross, the times they aren’t a-changin’ - “I really dislike the word ‘unprecedented’. It would appear that absolutely everything is unprecedented of late when this is certainly not the case.”

Barry Baddams, say what you mean - “The word ‘literally’, as in ‘I literally peed myself!’ Really? I mean… eww.”

Theresa Miller, an excuse for all occasions - “Both my daughters (aged 17yo and 20yo) will yell ‘let me live!’ as if being sent to the guillotine in response to requests to clean their rooms, the bathroom or stack their plates in the dishwasher.”

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Squiz Recommends

Reading - This long read on Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu explained a lot about him and the complex political scene in that nation. It’s worth a read if you’re trying to get more than the headlines. And there has been a bit said about war crimes during this conflict… This informative piece explains how that’s determined. 

Buying - Sunscreen is always a good idea, but it can be a pain to reapply over makeup. One of the members of Team Squiz has discovered Ultra Violette’s Preen Screen SPF50 Reapplication Mist and says it’s working for her. And it’s currently on sale at Sephora and The Iconic… 

Watching - The Netflix film Nyad. Starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, it’s based on Diana Nyad becoming the first (and only) person to swim 110 miles (177km) between Cuba and the US without using a shark cage. She was 64yo and on her 5th attempt when she succeeded in 2013. Fun fact: the first woman to achieve the feat with a shark cage was Aussie Susie Maroney…

In the kitchen

With silly season well underway, we were recently tasked with making cocktails for a crowd, and this one was in our budget… It’s prosecco, vodka, pink lemonade, and lime soda water topped with fresh strawberries and lemon slices. We promise it’s not as silly as it sounds…

What we Squized this week

Your Squiz Shortcut to Sam Altman and OpenAI - Hasn’t that been a rollercoaster this week… The high-profile CEO of OpenAI - the company behind ChatGPT - was sacked by his board, and it sent shockwaves through the tech world. He’s been reinstated now, but to get across why this has been a thing this week, read/listen to our Shortcut here. 

Look at Squiz Kids go… - Our free media literacy program is called Newshounds - we’ve talked about it before. Well, we want to expand it and give more kids the tools to become critical consumers of media, and part of that effort is lifting our profile. That’s why Squiz Kids director Bryce Corbett is splashed across the Saturday mags in the Courier Mail, Herald Sun, and Daily Telegraph today. Go the Kids…

Squiz the Week*

Saturday - The United Nations observes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Sunday - Let them eat a delicious sweet treat on International Cake Day

Monday - Here’s hoping our inboxes get a bit of a breather after the Black Friday sales wrap-up with Cyber Monday… And the 2023 Booker Prize is announced at 8am

Tuesday - Pat Conroy - Minister for Defence Industry/International Development/the Pacific - addresses the National Press Club from 12.30pm

Wednesday - The Bureau of Stats releases its latest inflation data for October 

Thursday - The COP28 summit begins in Dubai. And dig out a band tee on Aus Music T-Shirt Day 

Friday - National Water Safety Day coincides with Bartender Appreciation Day 

*All times in AEDT, unless otherwise specified

Let’s get Squizzical

Gah we’re so sorry the Squiz Quiz link was wrong in yesterday’s newsletter. Here it is (and we’ve checked it 5 times to make sure it’s right…). Reckon you know who country music star Dolly Parton teamed up with on her new rock n’ roll album? Have a crack…

Double-Tapping

If you’re out hustling for some weekend exercise vibes, here’s some inspiration. Oh to be as balanced/coordinated as this dude…

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