27 July 2024 - Saturday Squiz

Cue the national anthem and get your green and gold glow on… It’s the most wonderful time of the (every 4) years, and we’re here for it. If that’s not you, never fear: Squiz will maintain its balanced news diet over the coming fortnight. As for this Saturday, if you have a song that hypes you up, some brilliant breakdancing moves, or anything else you want to share, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 7 minutes

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🤷‍♀️ IDK: If we could be more pumped about Australia’s predicted performance in this data-driven medal predictor…

This week's top stories

Major political moves, major events, and a major breakthrough for a future Aussie legend. It was that kinda week…

1. The US Democrats turn the leadership page… - It was on the cards after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate appearance last month... Last weekend, he declared his 2024 presidential run to be over, endorsing VP Kamala Harris. Her selection is set to be confirmed next week, and she and Republican Donald Trump are already taking aim at one another.

2. Game(s) on - Security and safety in Paris was a big talking point this week, as was chatter about how well the Aussies are expected to do. When asked how many medals the team would win, Australia’s chef de mission Anna Meares said “as many as we can get”… Pictures from this morning’s soggy Opening Ceremony are here.

3. Israel’s PM pitches for support - Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint sitting of Congress on Thursday our time where he pressed for continuing support for the war in Gaza, calling it a "clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life". He also got some 1:1 time with Biden, Harris, and Trump.

4. IT gets knocked down, but it gets up again… - A buggy update to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike’s software saw an estimated 8.5 million computers disabled, taking banks, air travel, hospitals and supermarkets offline. The company tried to restore good relations by sending US$10 UberEats gift cards to those who had helped customers affected by the outage, but many of those didn’t work either…

5. Australia’s fifth F1 winner steps forward - Vroom vroom… Oscar Piastri won in Hungary for his McLaren team - his main issue was getting teammate Lando Norris to let him through… How do you celebrate your first big grand prix win? With “a cheeky Macca’s”…

S’Quiz me real good…

Reckon you know what unusual material 2 Aussie blokes made a boat out of? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz.

Picture of the week

Labor’s Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney has stepped down as a minister and announced she won’t contest the next election. A trailblazer from way back, Burney was the first Indigenous person elected to the NSW Parliament and the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Reps. Along with the departure of Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor, PM Anthony Albanese’s got some shufflin’ of his frontbench to do tomorrow…

Question of the week

Have you ever had a perm?

Shock/horror - perms are a thing again, and your stories of past and present curly styles didn’t disappoint…

Yikes - “With hair that can only be described as dead straight, naturally I wanted a head of curls. The spiral perm I tried did not end well. Totally straight to my ears then wavy to mid back. Horrifying.”

Permed and fabulous - “I had my hair permed yesterday. I can no longer style my hair owing to a shoulder disability and a perm in my grey locks keeps it tidier and attractive.”

The gold medal goes to… - “As a child of the 90s and from the country, I not only had a perm, I had a permed mullet. I win all the flashback photos at work now. No one can top a permed mullet.”

In the Kitchen

This garlic naan bread has been getting a run across our team. It does involve making the dough from scratch, so leave some time for it to do its thing (check out the rise on our Squiz Kids colleague Christie’s dough below…). Other than that, it’s easy, tasty, and great with your curry of choice.

What we Squized this week

Getting you across the Olympics...

1. In the third Newsmakers interview, Kate Watson talks with Murray Shaw, who is an Executive Producer for Nine - the official broadcaster of the Olympics. Murray is in charge of ensuring the Games get from Paris to our screens. No pressure… Check out the newsletter here or listen to the chat via our News Club show on Apple or Spotify.

2. And to have you fully prepped with the talking points, this Squiz Shortcut will get you across how the city of Paris prepared for the Olympics.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - ICYMI the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony was at 3.30am. Have a nap, and then catch another Super Netball preliminary final - West Coast Fever v Melbourne Vixens in Melbourne at 4.30pm on Kayo

Sunday - It’s the start of Donate Life Week which raises awareness for organ and tissue donation. And PM Anthony Albanese is expected to announce a ministerial reshuffle 👀 

Monday - Some international diplomacy is taking place with the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting - that involves Australia, India, Japan and the US

Tuesday - Gear up for company results for the 2023-24 financial year to pour in over the next month… First cabs of the rank are Credit Corp Group and Perseus Mining

Wednesday - The Bureau of Stats releasing the latest quarterly consumer price index - fodder for the Reserve Bank’s next board meeting in about 10 days…

Thursday - It’s 1 August, so happy birthday to all the horses in the Southern Hemisphere 🥕🎂

Friday - A coupla festivals kick off - Garma in Arnhem Land and Greazefest in Cleveland, Queensland

*All times in AEST

Double-Tapping

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Canadian Red Bull diver Molly Carlson isn’t headed to the Olympics, so instead, she’s having a bit of fun. She’s a jack of all sports, and her breakdancing made us lol...