❣️Honey, I'm home!❣️
+ A train crash in India, Australia's 'worst female serial killer' freed, and do you prefer soft/soggy fries or crispy fries? 🍟
I’m BACK angels - did you miss me??? For those who aren’t on Close Friends, Rubes and I have been over in New York speaking at the World Congress of News Media:
Attending Taylor Swift’s Eras tour:
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And just generally eating our way around the city. We had the most incredible time that it truly deserves its own newsletter, so for paying supporters on Friday I’m going to do a wrap-up of the WHOLE trip including an Eras debrief and allllll my New York City recs (Rubes built the most incredible agenda) so stay tuned for that!!!
And also - we’re running a sale until Thursday to join our Book Club (yay!) and we've even secured an interview with Curtis Sittenfeld (the author of our first book) for all our Book Club members - eek! Become a SYSCA Supporter so you don’t miss out!!
And last house-keeping-y thing, since we’ve been gone we launched a whole new website which you all were WAYYYY too cute about. I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all the love for this thing that we intend to keep as weird and cute as possible - it’s all because of you!!!!
Love you! News time!
🔔Bel Chimes In: Who are you in a romantic comedy?🔔
🗺Around the world 🗺
India: India’s Train Crash: What We Know
Australia: Kathleen Folbigg: Mother who served 20 years for killing her four babies pardoned
USA: Ex-Vice-President Mike Pence joins White House race
Hong Kong: Hong Kong police arrest pro-democracy figures on Tiananmen Square anniversary
Harry Styles wore a ‘listening to One Direction is sexy’ cap
Taylor Swift is entering her pop-punk era
Do you prefer soft/soggy fries or crispy fries?
🔔Bel Chimes In: Who are you in a romantic comedy?🔔
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. She also writes our Sunday newsletter ‘No News is Good News’ which all our paying supporters receive. Upgrade your plan to get her newsy here!
Crushes! Missed you last week.
In your absence, one of my besties and I swirled into some gorgeous homemade cocktails and a rom com last week (a love language, some could say), and I thought it'd be cute to dissect it here.
I've also been delving DEEP into the world of romantic comedies lately — mostly because of our debut book for Book Club (Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld) but secondly because, well, I just j'adore the genre and thought it would be fun to dissect the character tropes here. You got any more? Would love to know. And would love to know a character archetype you HAVEN'T seen yet that you'd love to see. Much to discuss! In the meantime:
Messy millennial woman
A Zoey Deschanel meets Natalie Portman meets Amy Schumer style woman who just can't seem to get her life together. A bit cute, a bit messy, well-intentioned, sometimes gets greasy hair when she's hungover and has parents that wished she wasn't single.
Confused, yet charming man
Ugh well he's so cute we forgive him for being so bashful with his feelings, not being able to tidy their room before the date, often is inundated with romantic encounters but just can't commit — UNTIL...
Buzzy best friend
Loves smoking weed, being late, leaving their dishes in the sink and just cropping up all the time. Charming, annoying, the MC at the wedding, the person that often says go for it in the end.
Uptight relative
The conservative family member who 'seems to have it all together' but deeply, often secretly, yearns for a more adventurous existence. Makes the main character drink more water.
Quirky cameo
Most often in the form of a doctor, waiter, or Uber driver, a kooky character who does almost nothing for the plot but to make the main character either feel bad for themselves or see the light. We'll cut back to them later though and they'll be happier than when we first met them.
Unsuspecting, life-changing stranger
They're on a bus, a train, in line at the yoghurt store, the yoga instructor — a seemingly fleeting encounter with a stranger who the main character collides with and will never forget.
Sad, single person whose life changes at the end
We thought it was all over for them! But it's not! They're in love with Julia Roberts' best friend! They're such an unlikely pairing, but somehow it works! Everyone can find love — it's crazy!
Hope this made you smile! Have a gorge day, ily 🌹
Oh PS — If you haven't subscribed to our Book Club, it's not too late! Plus, pretty excited to be interviewing Curtis Sittenfeld on our first podcast ep so ~ now's the time ~ to join!
🗺Around the world 🗺
India
India’s Train Crash: What We Know (The New York Times)
India has just seen one of its worst railway disasters in decades after three trains with over 2,200 people on board were involved in a deadly crash. Right now at least 275 people have been killed, and over 1000 people have been injured.
“In a preliminary assessment, officials say the disaster began when the first of the two passenger trains struck the idled freight train at full speed, and then derailed. A second passenger train, heading in the opposite direction, then struck some of the dislocated cars. Officials are focusing on signal problems as the probable cause.”
Australia
Content warning: infant death.
Kathleen Folbigg: Mother who served 20 years for killing her four babies pardoned (CNN)
Australian woman Kathleen Folbigg (who has been condemned as Australia’s worst female serial killer) has been pardoned and released from jail in Australia, after being imprisoned for 20 years over the death of her four children.
“Kathleen Folbigg was jailed in 2003 on three counts of murder and one of manslaughter following the deaths of her four babies over a decade from 1989. In each case, she was the person who found their bodies, though there was no physical evidence that she had caused their deaths.
Instead, the jury relied on the prosecution’s argument that the chances of four babies from one family dying from natural causes before the age of 2 were so infinitesimally low as to be compared to pigs flying.
They also noted the contents of her diary, which contained passages that in isolation at the time were interpreted as confessions of guilt.”
Folbigg has now been freed based on there being “reasonable doubt” that she was guilty of all four deaths after new scientific evidence emerged that provided a genetic explanation for the children’s deaths.
USA
Ex-Vice-President Mike Pence joins White House race (BBC)
Ugh basically Mike Pence has filled out paperwork to join the maaaaany Republicans wanting to become the Prez (and yes this means he’ll be running against his old boss Trump.)
More on this here if you care!
Hong Kong
Hong Kong police arrest pro-democracy figures on Tiananmen Square anniversary (The Guardian)
“Hong Kong police have detained more than 20 people, including prominent pro-democracy figures, on the 34th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, while Chinese authorities tightened access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing.”
23 people were detained for ‘breaching the peace’ in Hong Kong as they attended an annual vigil for the Tiananmen Square anniversary - a vigil that had been banned under the new 2020 security law.
“Since 1990, an annual vigil had been held in Victoria Park, drawing tens of thousands to the candlelight memorial. But in 2020, a national security law was imposed on the city by Beijing to quell dissent, after huge and at times violent pro-democracy demonstrations rocked the finance hub. Since then, the vigil has been banned and its organisers arrested and charged under the security law.”
Harry Styles wore a ‘listening to One Direction is sexy’ cap
Taylor Swift is entering her pop-punk era
And I’m here for it. She JUST announced collabs with Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Fall Out Boy on the ‘vault’ tracks of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version.)
Also, while we’re talking about Hayley Williams, she had something to say about Ron DeSantis the other night…
Today’s mundane poll:
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Also, I have a proposed poll question... (or maybe this is just me). Do you ever fall asleep to a song in your head and wake up with it still there they next morning? It happens to me ALL THE TIME.