Friday, 27 October - Just add flour

Good morning, it’s Friday, 27 October. In your Squiz Today…

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Quipped PM Anthony Albanese during a toast at yesterday’s toned-down state dinner at the White House. It's not every day that his partner Jodie Haydon gets the chance to dine with former PM Kevin Rudd and the Kid Laroi…

Devastation in Maine

The Squiz

At least 18 people are dead and 13 injured after one suspect went on a shooting spree at 2 locations in Lewiston, Maine yesterday. It’s the 565th mass shooting in the gun-toting nation this year - but it’s the biggest mass casualty event since the Uvalde school shooting in Texas in 2022. The search for the alleged shooter - 40yo Robert Card - is ongoing after he targeted people at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille restaurant. Reports say he’s an Army Reservist and certified firearms instructor, and CCTV images of him walking into the bowling alley with a semiautomatic rifle were released yesterday as part of authorities' efforts to find him. Card is still on the loose, and residents of Lewiston and neighbouring towns have been put into lockdown.

What happened?

The shootings began a bit before 7pm on Wednesday night local time - police say he went to the bowling alley first, and about 12 minutes later, he was at the restaurant. A local nurse - one of the 100 health workers called in to deal with the aftermath - said there is a high number of teenage casualties because it was youth night at the bowling alley. Maine is a rural state in America's northeast - it has a strong hunting culture and among the nation's highest gun ownership rates. But when it comes to violent crime, its rates are some of the lowest in the US. Overnight, Maine Governor Janet Mills said that the city’s 36,000 people "did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. No city does - no state, no people."

And closer to home?

Good question because there was a murder in Sydney that’s getting a lot of attention. Police are searching for Paul Thijssen, a sports assistant at the prestigious St Andrew's Cathedral School after water polo coach Lilie James was found dead on school grounds on Wednesday night. A second crime scene was also set up in Vaucluse after items "associated with the homicide" were found near one of the ocean-front cliffs. Both are in their early 20s, and police say they'd been in a short relationship that she ended recently. Reports this morning say it was Thijssen who called 000 to tell them where to find her, but it's unknown if he made any admissions. Yesterday, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was a ‘“horrible, horrible’” crime - “one of the worst that I’ve seen in my public life.” St Andrew's has brought in counsellors to support students and parents, and the school remains closed today.

Supporting women living in poverty

In 2013, Caritas Australia launched the Women for the World campaign to make a difference in the lives of women and girls living in poverty worldwide. And in those 10 years, it's meant game-changing education and job opportunities and access to much needed healthcare. If that sounds like something you want to get involved in, learn more here.

Squiz the Rest

And more on law and order…

Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann has been identified as the high-profile man charged with the alleged assault of a woman in Toowoomba in 2021. He's accused of failing to wear a condom without the woman's permission during an encounter weeks after he first fronted a Canberra court over his alleged assault of Brittany Higgins. It was Lehrmann's fifth bid to keep his identity under wraps in the Queensland case - his lawyer says he intends to defend the charges. And in Western Oz, Cameron Blaine - a senior detective who helped rescue kidnapped 4yo Cleo Smith - has been found guilty of misconduct by the state’s Corruption and Crime Commission. It found that 50yo leaked confidential information about the case to a 22yo reporter he'd started seeing while on Smith's case. Blaine has denied any "intimate relationship" occurred - he has already resigned from the force.

Buying time in Israel

World leaders are cautioning Israel against a full-throttle ground invasion as President Benjamin Netanyahu insists his country is preparing “around the clock” to defeat Hamas. Yesterday, Israel sent tanks into Gaza to carry out a targeted raid that lasted hours to "eliminate terrorists". French President Emmanuel Macron is in Cairo trying to diffuse the threat of a broader regional conflict, and the White House continues to press Israel to delay any full invasion because it wants more time to bolster security at America’s military bases and embassies in the Middle East. Meanwhile in the US, after more than 3 weeks, the Republicans in the US House of Reps have elected a new Speaker… His name is Mike Johnson, and he'll propose a resolution supporting "our dear friend Israel" as one of his first acts - but it's unclear if he'll back President Biden's $105 billion request for aid for Ukraine and Israel…

Betting on a rate hike

More signs point to an interest rate hike next month after our 4 major banks placed their bets on a Melbourne Cup day interest rate rise. Earlier this week, a larger-than-expected inflation kick and Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock’s comment that rates will go up if inflation’s not coming down enough divided economists on whether the central bank’s board will raise the 4.1% cash rate to 4.35%. While Bullock kept mum on the likelihood of a November rate rise at her first Senate committee grilling yesterday, she said the central bank is "wary, and we don't know if the job has been done yet". All things considered, the big banks have now hedged their bets, with Westpac's chief economist/former RBA Assistant Governor Luci Ellis saying the prediction of reaching inflation of 3.9% by the year's end "seems a long way out of reach now". Giddy-up…

The Tillies are back in town

Our Matildas have returned to the pitch for the first time since the Women’s World Cup as they battle for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics. They beat Iran 2-0 in their first qualifying match against Iran in Perth overnight - next, our women's soccer team goes up against the Philippines on Sunday, and then it's Chinese Taipei (aka Taiwan) on Wednesday. Note: they are tipped to win all those games as the highest-ranked team in the group. And there's plenty more to watch this weekend… The Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and the All Blacks is happening on Sunday morning, while our men’s cricket team take on the Kiwis in their World Cup round match tomorrow. And after winning their first game in a series against South Africa, our Aussie netballers try for round 2 on Sunday. We’re exhausted just thinking about it…

Filthy rich and loving it

Aussies are feeling the cost of living pinch, but a few youngsters don't have to worry about paying the rent… The Financial Review has published its Young Rich List (paywall) - and coming in #1 are Canva geniuses Cliff Obrecht and Melanie Perkins with a tidy $13 billion. The list is heavy with tech types - #3 Ed Craven’s got a $3.1 billion crypto-accepting casino, while the founders of banking platform Airwallex take out 3 spots in the Top 10. A burrito-based business also gets a look in - the #4 spot is taken out by Zambrero founder Sam Prince - he's now worth a handy $1.5 billion. One of the new faces on the list at #80 is Babyboo founder Argylica Conditsis. She started glueing diamantes onto old shoes and got so many compliments she’s built her “out-there aesthetic” into a $60 million brand. Shine bright like a diamond…

Friday Lites - three things we liked this week

This week’s episode of ABC TV’s Australian Story on what happened next for Aussie academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert after her arrival home from a stint in an Iranian prison was quite a ride. She’s got a new partner - Sami Shah (who we used to talk to on the radio when he had a hosting gig) - and a baby.

We’ve been struggling with our skin - the old regime isn’t working anymore, and it’s been zit/irritation city. Complaining didn’t work, so we did some research and settled on giving this ‘power essence’ a try. Yes, it’s made of snail mucin (sounds eww but it’s not…) - it’s worth a try if your skin needs something new…

Vegemite’s 100th anniversary got quite a run this week, and given we're coming to the part of the year when gravy is often called for, now's the time to get into training. The yeast spread is an essential ingredient to the thickened sauce, according to many cooks - and this is the one we like. It’s great with red meat and poultry.

Wanna be in the Saturday Squiz?

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The NSW town of Deniliquin is now not only known for its annual Deni Ute Muster - scientists reckon they've found the world’s largest asteroid impact crater there. What’s something quirky that your hometown is famous for? It doesn’t have to be famous-famous…

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Reckon you know which country has recorded the most crocodile attacks in the world? Have a crack at the Squiz Quiz.

Squiz the Day

Friday
ABS Data Release - Producer Price indexes, September quarter

World Teachers Day in Oz

Day for Daniel (Morcombe)

National Bandanna Day

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

International Champagne Day

Birthdays for John Cleese (1939) and David Warner (1986)

Anniversary of:
• the release of the groundbreaking film Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
• China announcing its population had reached 1 billion people (1982)
• the release of Amy Winehouse's 2nd and final studio album Back to Black (2006)
• the release of Taylor Swift's fifth studio album 1989 (2014)
• the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 people dead (2018)
• the birthdays of James Cook (1728), Theodore Roosevelt (1858), Roy Lichtenstein (1923) and Sylvia Plath (1932)
• the death of Lou Reed (2013)

Saturday
6.00am (AEDT) - Men's Rugby World Cup Bronze Match - England v Argentina - Paris

4.00pm (AEDT) - Men’s Cricket World Cup Group Stage - Australia v New Zealand - Dharamsala, India

5.00pm (AEDT) - Women’s Rugby Union WXV Game 2 - Australia v France - Dunedin, New Zealand

6.00pm (AEDT) - Women’s Rugby League Pacific Championship - Australia v New Zealand - Melbourne

8.10pm (AEDT) - Men's Rugby League Pacific Cup - Australia v New Zealand - Melbourne

Australian Greens national conference - Perth (until 29 October)

Independence Day in the Czech Republic

Day of the Liberation of Ukraine

Drug laws in the ACT are significantly relaxed with the maximum penalties for personal possession of small amounts of the most commonly used illicit drugs reduced. That includes heroin, meth, cocaine and LSD - nearly everything except fentanyl

International Animation Day

Birthdays for Caitlyn Jenner (1949), Bill Gates (1955), Julia Roberts (1967), Joaquin Phoenix (1974), Matt Smith (1982), and Frank Ocean (1987)

Anniversary of:
• the release of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)
• Italian fascists conducting the March on Rome, leading to the assumption of power by Benito Mussolini (1922)
• Elvis’s groundbreaking contribution to getting American teens vaccinated for polio (1956)

Sunday
6.00am (AEDT) - Men's Rugby World Cup Grand Final - South Africa v New Zealand - Paris

4.00pm (AEDT) - Netball - Australia v South Africa - Cairns

8.00pm (AEDT) - Women's Soccer Olympic qualifier - Australia v Philippines - Perth

The WONCA World Conference begins - Sydney

Turkey’s National Day

World Stroke Day

World Psoriasis Day

Birthdays for Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson) (1957) and Winona Ryder (1971)

Anniversary of:
• the release of the first ballpoint pen, manufactured by Biro (1945)
• the first publication of the comic Asterix in French magazine Pilote, illustrated by Albert Uderzo (1959)
• 77yo John Glenn becoming the oldest person to go into space, on board the Space Shuttle Discovery (1998)
• China announcing the end of their one-child policy after 35 years (2015)
• the first Boeing 737 MAX plane crash with Lion Air flight plummeted into the sea just after takeoff near Jakarta. All 189 on board were killed (2018)

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