One Question Quiz
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MediaJuly 2, 2017

The best of The Spinoff this week

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Compiling the best reading from your friendly local website.

Tara Ward: What the hell has happened to Lily from the Big Save Furniture ads?

You’ll need to sit down on your corner lounge suite for this one, because Lily’s legendary Big Save Furniture ads are no more. Gone is the wide-eyed glee, the over-enthusiastic shouting, the crazy costumes and nonsensical gimmicks. Someone has stripped these ads bare, pulled out their Lily-flavoured stuffing and used their fancy staplegun to recover them in a soft, muted layer of sophistication and style.

WHAT. THE. FLIPPING. HECK.

Angela Cuming: Is Cars 3 the most feminist movie of the year?

“Cars 3 has been lauded as ”Wonder Woman for toddlers”. That is a big call considering the first two films in the Carsfranchise were basically about an arrogant dude car (Lightning McQueen) who drives really fast, wins big races, get a girlfriend, and has lots of bro friends who also like to race fast and do other car stuff.

But Cars 3 really does deliver the feminist goods and it’s all down to the introduction of a new lead character, Cruz Ramirez, a badass “girl” race car voiced by Cristela Alonzo.”

Madeleine Chapman: Some thoughts on Alan Duff’s staggeringly terrible ‘female shriekers’ column

“In his dream world, Alan Duff will spend the rest of his days sitting on a train that’s heading for Eden Park but never arrives, instead passing by hot women who can’t be heard through the train windows.”

Lucy Kelly: Sex, guilt and Catholic school

“I was taught that my body was a prison of temptation, and that it was my responsibility to stop men being tempted. I was taught that my sexual desire was a devil within me that I had to tame, and never to admit that I had wants and needs and desires too. We were supposed to be crafted into little paper chain girls, all matching. Light to hold, and easy to crumple.”

Kristin Hall: Why can’t New Zealand quit supermarket plastic bags?

“Not many countries have been brave enough to completely ban the bag, France brought its ban in at the same time as Morocco; Rwanda did it way back in 2008, and the capital Kigali is now considered to be the cleanest city in Africa. You’ve got to wonder what New Zealand would lose by following suit.”

Bruce Plested: ‘These problems will not be fixed by the market’

“A couple of years ago I heard a European billionaire being interviewed. When the slightly irritable reporter asked ‘Well, how much money do you want?’ the billionaire answered ‘Just a wee bit more.’

And it is the ‘wee bit more’ that has done so much to damage our environment – just a few more cows per acre, just a wee bit more water for irrigation, just another water bore in case it doesn’t rain, just a wee bit more sewerage mixed with a wee bit more storm water, just a few more years hitting our already depleted fish stocks.”

The Spinoff Board of Review: The Spinoff reviews New Zealand #37: The best roti canai in the country

“Flaky, crispy, soft but with substance, it’s a formidable roti, king amongst doughy goods. Though it’s technically the medium on which the heady flavours of curry or rendang are transported, it’s no sideshow attraction. With shades of beige, cinnamon and burned sugar, this roti is hand thrown the way God intended, leaving it layered like fine puff pastry.”

Toby Manhire: ‘No point asking me all these questions’: Bill English in his own words on the Barclay affair

“The Todd Barclay affair has plunged the new prime minister into his first major political maelstrom, leading to claims of contradictory statements. Do they add up? Here’s our trawl of the key remarks.”

 

Keep going!