Do cats have arms or legs?
Today we’re starting with a BIG shout out to the 27 new ✨SYSCA SUPPORTERS✨ who’ve joined us in the last week! We’re working on some bonuses for you all, & if you wanna have a say in what fun extras you might get, become a ✨SYSCA Supporter✨ here!
Let’s start off the week with some announcements eh? Announcement 1: Rubes and Liv both have Covid. I felt like should all know this because we are just a 3-person team, so if this week feels a lil rushed/ wild/ less funny than usual it’s because my other two Powerpuff girls are out of action! They’re feeling okay at the mo - just fatigued and slightly sore throats, but we’ve got a few big weeks coming up so naturally we’ve gotta make sure they’re feeling 100% ASAP. Send them some luv will ya?
Announcement 2: WE HAVE A SURVEY FOR ALL OF YOU LOVELY NEWSY READERS, and it’s SUPER important to me that you fill it out 🥺🥺 I promise it doesn’t take long, and it really helps me to know what you’re into!! (✨SYSCA Supporters✨ have already done one, so you’re exempt from this xxx)
Third announcement: GIFS! As you’re scrolling through the newsy today you might notice that some of our beautiful banners are now ✨moving✨ which is all thanks to Liv for the design and Sophie Tse from Daylight Creative for the animations. Y’all rock my SOCKS and I am OBSESSED.
Fourth announcement: My weekend. It started off incredibly calm, and then I had a chaotic few hours where I remember extremely little, and then I had one of the worst Sundays I've ever had:
This is all you need to know:
Other than that I should say that I watched ‘The Rescue’ about the 12 kids and their football coach who were stuck in the caves in Thailand and holy shit it was emotional - the divers who got in there to save them are honestly my heroes. I also started listening to the Dissect season on Bo Burnham’s Inside (if it’s about Bo Burnham I’m THERE.) I’ve only listened to the first ep, but as expected, it’s so damn good.
Sanitarium doesn’t pay income tax
NEWSY survey
Hong Kong has a new leader
Spotifictional is the coolest thing ever
Do cats have arms or legs?
Something I learnt about Sanitarium
Last weekend Flo and I drove past the Sanitarium factory here in Tāmaki Makaurau and she told me a little bit about them. For those who don’t know, Sanitarium is a NZ/Australian based company that makes brekky cereals like Weet-Bix and Skippy cornflakes, and they put on every kid's fave event - the WeetBix triathlon.
They’re also owned fully by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and are exempt from paying income tax XD
Here’s what their website says:
“Sanitarium is a registered charity and has been granted income tax exemption status by the Internal Revenue Department. Sanitarium’s primary purpose is the promotion of health food products. This is aligned with the ‘whole person health’ objectives of the Seventh-day Adventist church.”
They’re a registered charity, which means that they don’t have to pay income tax, because technically that $$$ should be going into charitable stuff - at least that’s the idea. There are also a bunch of other companies like this - and registered charities that are also… charities doing good shit, but I just thought this one was super interesting!
Here’s a REALLY GOOD VIDEO about it all:
Also, did you know In-N-Out prints bible verses on their packaging???
Putting this here for no reason at all
We ALL Have Hangxiety (Hangover Anxiety) — open.spotify.com
You know that awful feeling you get the day after drinking when you're too anxious to function? That's Hangxiety. You've felt that? Yeah, us too. But what is it? What are some of our experiences? How do you deal with it? What's the actual science behind it? The gals have you covered!
Hong Kong has a new leader
John Lee is set to take over from Carrie Lam as Hong Kong’s next Cheif Executive, which is low key a big step for Beijing to tighten its grip on the city.
Context: In 1997, Hong Kong was handed back to China from Britain, but under the agreement that rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of speech would be guaranteed in the territory. Over the past few years, these rights have been slipping away from the people of Hong Kong as China seeks to have more and more oversight over the ‘semi-autonomous’ area.
Lee, who was the sole candidate for the role, is known to be a super staunch Beijing supporter (as were most of the 1500 people who voted him in) and was responsible for overseeing the crackdowns on pro-democracy supporters in 2019. (He was the head of the police at the time and was criticised for their heavy use of water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and occasionally live ammunition against protesters.)
Here’s a cute name that his critics have given him:
“Among his critics, Mr Lee's nickname is Pikachu, a character from the cartoon Pokémon.
It's a play on his Chinese name Ka-Chiu but also references what some say is a pet-like loyalty to Beijing.”
Spotifictional is the coolest thing ever
Um, not a lot to see here except a version of Spotify where it’s just all your favourite fictional songs and bands. I didn’t know I needed to have Like Mouserat from Parks and Rec alongside Hannah Montana and Conner4Real, and the BESHARPS FROM THE SIMPSONS - but I’m so glad it exists. Here’s a bit more about the person behind this gem if you’re interested!!
Making Sense Of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
New episode of Culture Vulture! — open.spotify.com
For this week's episode of Culture Vulture we discuss the trial taking the internet by storm - Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard. We give a whole lot of context, explain why this trial is being filmed and broadcast, and go into the background of each person involved, to try and help explain how we got where we got today. We talk a lot about mental health, the complexities of abuse, and why we should take this opportunity to watch and learn from this trial, without feeling the need to take a side. I highly encourage tuning in if you want a well-rounded view of what we know so far.
Do cats have 4 legs? Or two arms and two legs?
This poll was actually closer than I expected considering it was kinda a joke-y one:
28% say two arms and two legs
72% say four legs
Here’s what lovecats.org says:
“Cats generally get around on all four limbs, that is they are quadrupeds. They walk on four limbs or legs. They may be able to walk on two legs, but not as a preference. Cats have legs; front and hind legs.”
But there’s more - they have two knees and two elbows! According to upgradeyourcat.com:
“Looking at their anatomy, however, it’s not quite as simple. On a cat’s rear legs, they have knees and ankles, just as we do in our legs. On a cat’s front legs, however, they have elbows and wrists. Just as we do on our arms!”
But they still do have four legs tho.
Squishmallows are adorable, but their online fandom has a dark side (Input)
Taliban Impose Head-to-Toe Coverings for Women (The New York Times)
UK YouTuber Benjamin Rich held at Russian space centre (BBC)
People hate their guts, but landlord influencers keep on posting (Input)
All your questions about Roe V. Wade, explained (The Shit Show)
Making Sense Of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Culture Vulture)