Kirihimete is coming – The Pudding – Adele’s teacher
...and other recs this week!
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
I’m very sorry to have to be the one to tell you this but Christmas is now only a month away. If you’re suddenly feeling very under the pump about the Secret Santa, don’t worry! The 2021 edition of the Kirihimete gift guide is already out! It’s full of great ideas of things you can get from Māori and Pasifika businesses and creators, selected by the wise, funny and tasteful Janaye Henry and Leonie Hayden. Have a read and get inspired!
–Cal
This week’s new podcasts
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey explores the booming art and NFT market after some record-breaking auctions.
On The Fold [Apple | Spotify], Duncan Greive talks to TVNZ’s head of content Cate Slater about what they’ve got lined up for 2022, and the importance of local content.
And The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] takes us on a trawl through the week’s realest news.
There’s a new episode of Nē? [Apple Podcasts | Spotify] dropping tomorrow morning, too, so make sure you’re following that wherever you get your podcasts.
Extremely Online: A guide to echo chambers
Remember thinking there was no chance HE would win the 2016 US presidential election? You weren't alone – everybody else in your echo chamber thought the same thing. What? How? The Shit You Should Care About team explains in this week’s episode of Extremely Online.
Yellowjackets
Emily says: “Yellowjackets on Neon is scary and gory and I have to watch it with the lights on but the soundtrack really bangs. There’s only two episodes so far and waiting each week for a new episode is so annoying.”
Sweet Bobby
Chris says: “New podcast Sweet Bobby is an investigation into a really bonkers UK catfish case that lasted more than 10 years. Ten years! Anyway, after episode three it morphs from a retelling of the story to a live case, and I am hooked (sorry) and hanging out to see where it’s going to go next. Four eps are out now, two more are coming…”
Tears Teacher
Sophie says: “Tears Teacher is a wonderful short documentary from Short of the Week (which we love), about a man who travels around Japan helping people to cry. He even opens a crying café!”
Adele’s teacher
Ben says: “If you want a good cry, this heartwarming clip from Adele’s recent ITV special should do the trick. Yes I am listening to Adele all day now.”
The Pudding
Harkanwal says: “If, like me, you enjoy delightful longform data journalism, The Pudding is a site worth bookmarking. Their most well-known story is probably an investigation into how women’s pockets are inferior. You can also explore your geographic music bubble and, topically, enjoy the newsletter of newsletters. The visuals are carefully crafted with code and their uniqueness makes for fun data exploration, no matter what topic.”
Mollusk Mondays
Natalie says: “Tim Pearce is the head of the Mollusk department at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and every Monday he tells a snail joke on the museum’s Instagram and TikTok. I just love him.”
A message from The Spinoff’s new editor Madeleine Chapman:
Like any good door-to-door salesperson, I’m about to cheerily introduce myself and then, in the very next breath, ask you for money. Hi! I’m Madeleine (or Mad) Chapman, previously an intern at The Spinoff, then a staff writer, senior writer and now editor. It certainly wasn’t the plan to step into this role in the middle of a delta outbreak, nor did I think my first weeks on the job would unfold alongside New Zealand’s largest city slowly coming out of stagnation. But despite the strange and unfortunate circumstances, The Spinoff team has stepped up once again, working tirelessly (and mostly from our bedrooms) to bring you the most important news when you need it, and the lighter moments when things are looking a little bleak. We’ve been able to continue this work because of the ongoing contributions from our members, and I can’t thank you enough.
But I can boldly ask that you consider becoming a member if you aren’t one already. If you’ve read something on our site recently that you enjoyed or appreciated, consider it a koha for that alone, because every dollar donated through The Spinoff Members is used to create more of the work you see every day. And with Christmas around the corner (which I’m finding genuinely hard to believe), there’s no such thing as shipping delays on a membership of The Spinoff bought for whānau and friends.
That’s all for this week. Please reply to get in touch and share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋