28 September 2024 - Saturday Squiz

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This is your annual AFL Grand Final reminder that this edamame dip is the best thing since we discovered French onion in the 80s… This Saturday, if your head is spinning at the mention of negative gearing, you’ve got a fail-safe crackling method, or anything else you want to tell us about, hit reply.

⏱️ Reading time: 8 minutes

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🤷‍♀️ IDK: If penguins tease their young about their baby rolls?

This week's top stories

Before we get into it, we should mention that British actress/icon Maggie Smith has died at 89yo. She was special, as King Charles, PM Keir Starmer and sooo many industry giants have noted overnight as the tributes pour in. Now, on with the list…

Streem Leading News Stories - 20-27 September

1. Spiralling into a crisis - Israel said it struck 1,600 of Hezbollah’s assets across Lebanon via airstrikes on Monday - and local officials said more than 600 people were killed in the process. It’s been reported that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was targeted by Israel yesterday - TBC if he is alive. So far, calls for an immediate ceasefire have not been heeded.

2. Put on the footy franks and crack open the Tia Maria… - Two non-Victorian AFL teams - the Swannies and the Lions - will be there for the Grand Final centre bounce at 2.30pm AEST. The pundits are divided on who will win… Keep an eye out for Katy Perry, Cody Simpson and Christine Anu from an entertainment perspective.

3. A big week for economics/tax nerds - On Tuesday, we learned (again) that the official cash rate is staying at 4.35%. And on Wednesday, we learned that inflation rate is down - but not when you strip out the effects of government energy rebates. And how about changes to negative gearing (a tax discount that benefits people with investment properties)? It wasn’t a no from the Albanese Government this week, and yesterday Treasurer Jim Chalmers put his hand up to commissioning the Treasury review.

4. Not so special… - At least that’s what the ACCC says of Coles and Woolies and their pricing strategies on a couple of hundred of everyday items… They’re accused of holding the price "for at least 180 days", increasing it "by at least 15%” for a few weeks, and then dropping it to claim a promotion. See you in court…

5. Four national leaders walk into the President’s high school… - That happened last weekend with Joe Biden hosting PM Anthony Albanese and the PMs of India and Japan for the Quad Summit. He did that in his hometown in Wilmington, Delaware because that’s what you do when you’re wrapping things up…

S’Quiz me real good…

Reckon you know the name of Melbourne Aquarium’s big baby penguin? Get into it with the Squiz Quiz.

Picture of the Week

We’re loading you up with the strong stuff today… Amongst the events of this week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers went to China, making him the first Aussie treasurer to make the trip in 7 years.

Squiz Recommends

Watching Part 1 - We recommended Netflix movie Scoop earlier this year - it’s the story of the cluster disaster that was Prince Andrew’s interview with BBC’s Newsnight - from the perspective of talent booker Sam McAlister. Now, there’s a short series out on Prime - A Very Royal Scandal - that tells it from the journo/presenter Emily Maitlis’s POV. If we had to choose, we’d probably steer you to the latter.

Watching Part 2 - A lot has been said/written about Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story since it was released on Netflix last week. Based on the true story of the brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents José and Kitty in Beverly Hills, California - it was controversial then, just as it is now. This show is pretty confronting, so it’s not for everyone…

Reading - It’s related to the Menendez case… If you’re watching the show, you’ll recognise the reference to a journalist named Dominick, whose daughter was murdered. It’s actually Dominick Dunne from Vanity Fair, and his reporting was a big reason why the case got huge international attention at the time. His magazine piece from 1993 is well worth a read if not for the mastery of his craft.

In the Kitchen

We’re handing this over to our teammate Tenita: “I won't hear any flack for this. I made a roast pork on the weekend for my friends, and as someone who has made many a roast pork - this crackling method works every time.” We respect someone with the courage of their convictions…

You’d be surprised how hard it is to source an attractive picture of pork crackling…

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What we Squized this week

Your Shortcut to Mossad - It’s rare to see the work of a foreign spy agency leading international headlines, but that’s exactly what happened last week when thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah blew up. Experts say it’s the work of the Israeli agency Mossad, which has quite a history of covert operations around the world…. Read or listen here. 

Wrapping up our Newsmakers series - Like everything we do at The Squiz, the purpose of this series is to inform. More than that, though, we wanted to bring you people behind the news who we admire because they share a thoughtfulness about the big issues. A curiosity about the world. And, importantly, an ability to see different perspectives. This week, Claire and Kate wrapped up the series with this podcast episode and this newsletter.

Squiz the Week

Saturday - How’s this for a footy trifecta? It’s the AFL Grand Final at 2.30pm between the Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions at the MCG. Then at 5.05pm, the Bledisloe Cup 2nd Rugby Test between Australia and New Zealand kicks off in Wellington. And then it’s the NRL preliminary final between Penrith and Cronulla at Homebush at 7.50pm. Stay hydrated…

Sunday - After all that, we shouldn’t leave out men’s soccer… AAMI Park in Melbourne is hosting the Australia Cup final 2024 between Melbourne Victory FC and Macarthur FC at 7.10pm. And if you don’t know your soccer tournaments, this is the national knockout tournament run by Football Australia in conjunction with every state and territory member federation in the country

Monday - Grab your headphones and listen up - it’s International Podcast Day 

Tuesday - A hug and a kiss for the first of the month… That’s gotta be better than a pinch and a punch, right?

Wednesday - Prep the popcorn for the vice presidential debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz - that will be on SBS (other channels TBC) at 11am. It’s also the NRL’s night of nights with the Dally M Awards

Thursday - It’s Mean Girls Day (and it’s a whole thing…)

Friday - Be still our beating hearts… It’s the start of Fat Bear Week…

*All times in AEST

Double-Tapping

Speaking of gloriously fat things, Pesto is a star - there’s no denying it. You can’t help but smile at this chunky waddler… Make sure you click on/tap the image to see the poetry in motion.