Back at the start of the year, my good friend Snarky Platypus and I created a bingo card for 2025. A set of 25 things that might happen. Well, we’re half-way through the year, so let’s see how we went.
You might want to follow along with this chart showing which ones we discussed.
| Australia announces another immigration amnesty | Coalition forms a minority government in Canberra DIDN’T HAPPEN. | TikTok is able to operate in the US again | US and China warships exchange live fire | Musk disposes of X/Twitter |
| Rupert Murdoch separates from current partner | AUKUS cancelled by US LOOKS LIKE IT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN. | Penrith doesn’t win the NRL championship WE’RE STILL TO FIND OUT. | Fatalities caused by space debris hitting a developed nation | Betelgeuse goes supernova |
| ABC finally cancels Insiders and/or Q&A | Hungary leaves the EU | FREE SQUARE: Musk embarrasses himself publicly | Taylor Swift separates from current partner | Fairy bread flavoured Shapes becomes a thing NO, BUT... |
| Semaglutide (Ozempic) on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for weight management [See note 1] | Congestion charge introduced in an Australian city | Drug possession decriminalised in an Australian state or territory | US withdraws from NATO NO, BUT... | Myanmar junta is overthrown |
| Tanya Plibersek becomes ALP leader | Natural disaster bankrupts a large insurance company | Boeing carved up or bought out by Airbus | Tianwen-2 finds ingredients of life on Kamoʻoalewa | King Charles III dies |
Note 1: I’ve added “for weight management” here because semaglutide is already on the PBS. According to David Adam, “Novo Nordisk have applied to get Wegovy (the brand approved for weight management) on the PBS but the economics don’t stack up (mostly because long term benefits of weight loss are not well demonstrated)… I think Mounjaro (tirzepatide) getting the nod is more likely because it causes more weight loss, but to expand on my earlier comment there’s a great deal of post hoc thinking about obesity that (IMO) doesn’t match the real-world evidence. Even the riskier but more effective interventions like bariatric surgery don’t have strong lifelong evidence.”
We also talk about a potential trade war between Indonesia and China, sleep hygiene and insomnia, habituation and impulse control, bird flu, fairy bread, Kyle Sandilands, and the music of Wilson Phillips.
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A platypus of many talents. Interested in politics, food, pop music & basketball.
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[5 January 2025] Snarky Platypus and I have created this bingo card for 2025 listing 25 distinctly possible things. We also list the suggestions which didn’t make it.
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[4 May 2025] Three months ago, the polls in Australia suggested the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was facing a humiliating defeat.
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The short-form video-hosting service TikTok has been under a de jure nationwide ban in the United States since January 19, 2025, due to the US government's concerns over potential user data collection and influence operations by the government of the People's Republic of China. However, the ban has yet to be enforced.
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[7 July 2025] Last month, Trump extended to September 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of TikTok. The report added that TikTok users will eventually have to download the new app to be able to continue using the service, although the existing app will work until March of next year, though the timeline could change.
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[11 July 2025] Any moment now, Donald Trump might cancel AUKUS, the massive defence agreement which among other things would see Australia buying eight nuclear-powered submarines. AUKUS has become the big thing in Australia’s defence procurement, but do we need it? Sam Roggeveen thinks not, and he’s our guest today.
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[11 July 2025] The 30-day deadline for the Trump administration's review of the $360bn has ended, with all parties now expecting it to drag on for months.
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Ladder as at 14 July 2025, after round 19.
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[11 June 2025] Political and current affairs discussion program being cut alongside the ABC’s Innovation Lab.
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The Shot’s Jo Dyer and Dave Milner are joined every Sunday at 9am AEST by a roster of Australia’s best independent journalists and thinkers to discuss what’s been happening this week in politics.
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The WHO's 2018 guidelines give a strong recommendation that a minimum of 18 °C (64 °F) is a "safe and well-balanced indoor temperature to protect the health of general populations during cold seasons". A higher minimum temperature may be necessary for vulnerable groups including children, the elderly, and people with cardiorespiratory disease and other chronic illnesses.
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Wilson Phillips is an American pop vocal group formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The group consists of sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, and Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas.
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"Impulsive" is a song by American vocal group Wilson Phillips. It was released in October 1990 via SBK Records as the third single from their eponymous debut studio album (1990).
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ReMastered to HD 1080p, Wilson Phillips - Impulsive Music Video, 1980s, 80s, Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips.
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The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch company Philips, the Compact Cassette was released in August 1963.
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Arnott's Shapes are a popular line of savoury biscuits produced by Arnott's in Australia and New Zealand. Over 53 million packets of Shapes are consumed each year in Australia.
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Fairy bread is sliced white bread spread with butter or margarine and covered with hundreds and thousands (colorful round sprinkles), often served at children's parties in Australia and New Zealand. It is typically cut into triangles.
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Brace yourselves. The new Shapes Fully Loaded range is bursting with flavour, and will satisfy all your flavour and crunch needs! Available in five flavours Including: Ultimate Cheese, Flame Grilled Chicken, Epic Garlic Bread, Wicked Sweet Chilli, NEW Crunchy Hot Chips & Sauce & NEW Chargrilled Korean BBQ.
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Have your say in the next Shapes People’s Choice. What Shapes flavour would you like to see us launch next? Fried Chicken, Pad Thai, Hot Chips, Doner Kebab, or Chicken Drumstick? Have a suggestion? We'd love to hear it. [THIS IS WHERE YOU COULD HAVE VOTED FOR FAIRY BREAD FLAVOURED SHAPES BUT THEY HAVE SINCE TAKEN DOWN THE POLL.]
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[22 April 2025] Tariff-hit Chinese exporters seeking alternative markets in SE Asia, sparking dumping and deindustrialization fears in Indonesia.
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[23 May 2024] The first human case of avian influenza (bird flu) in Australia was reported yesterday in Victoria. A child acquired the H5N1 strain of the virus in India and became ill upon returning home to Australia in March this year.
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[7 July 2025] ‘I encourage all commentators to engage their brains before they open their mouths,’ judge said.
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CONVERSATION TOPICS: Joanna Forbes, Peter Viertel, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.
THREE TRIGGER WORDS: Bernard Walsh, Paul Williams, and Peter Lieverdink.
WE WILL, WE WILL JUDGE YOU, part of Another Untitled Music Podcast: Bic Smith, Gavin Costello, stabfish, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.
ONE TRIGGER WORD: Andrew Best, Ashley Walsh, Bic Smith, David Porteous, Frank Filippone, Jamie Morrison, Jim Campbell, Kym Yeap, Mark Newton, Michael, Mindy Johnson, Miriam Faye, Nicole Coombe, Oliver Townshend, Peter Blakeley, Peter McCrudden, Peter Wickins, Ric Hayman, Stephen Collins, Tom Carding, and one person who chooses to remain anonymous.
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Series Credits
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- Edict fanfare by neonaeon, via The Freesound Project.
- Elephant Stamp theme by Joshua Mehlman.