Happy Saturday! This is the last 5GR for 2024, and it’s been an absolute pleasure writing this newsletter this year. Consider this your invitation to switch off for a bit. Enjoy our summer reads, play some cards, make yourself a negroni sbagliato with prosecco in it (remember that?)
Most importantly, enjoy doing nothing … right after reading this, that is.
1. ‘I waited 45 minutes to buy a single croissant’
What is it that draws people to spend their scarce and precious time in queues? Donna Lu contemplates this question while waiting in line for a buttery croissant from Melbourne’s Lune – where she finds herself unwittingly swept up the hype surrounding one of the nation’s most sought-after sweet treats.
Reneging in queueing theory: Lu explains that “the longer someone spends in line, the less likely they are to abandon the queue … because of the sunk cost of waiting”.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Next stop: ‘Like a Taylor Swift concert’: sleepless trainspotters spend six hours enjoying Sydney metro on busy opening day.
2. The dangers of #cleaneating
After facing her mortality for a brief moment and going down a rabbit hole of alternative treatments and endless wellness content, Cécile Simmons became fixated on obsessive healthy and clean eating. For people who are prone to eating disorders, this can lead down a dangerous path.
The bottomless pit of wellness: “With many Americans priced out of healthcare, health influencers who project authenticity are stepping into these gaps to monetise unproven tests and remedies,” she warns.
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
Further reading: These UK children gave up their phones for three weeks … you can see how sick their devices are making them.
3. Matt Goss on love, loss and his brother Luke
Matt Goss “could pass as a thirtysomething footballer”. Safe to say the former frontman of Bros, who, along with his twin brother, Luke, and Craig Logan on bass, sold out “Wembley Arena night after night; became No 1 in 36 countries simultaneously; [and] was the youngest band to play Wembley Stadium”, has still got it. He tells Simon Hattenstone just as much, and noting he’s still “the youngest man to headline that venue”.
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“I am a cerebral person. I’m multidimensional.” – Matt Goss
‘Gallaghers in extremis’: The 56-year-old touts his long and successful career – including a 11-year Vegas residency – but he doesn’t reveal why the relationship with his brother Luke broke down … only that they’re “completely estranged”. It makes for a riveting read.
How long will it take to read: Six minutes.
4. Rage, race and good looks
It would be remiss of me to not include perhaps the most spoken-about topic at end of year dinners, Christmas parties, and social media feeds more broadly. Reaction to Brian Thompson’s killing has shocked pundits, but a polarised US is nearly united in contempt for a failing health system.
For the rest of us playing at home, Ben Makuch’s take is a perfect mixer for understanding the chaos, comedy and consternation unfolding online.
Exhibit A: The viral post on X, reading: “This is what it must have felt like to hear Robin Hood stories in like 1370.”
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Michael Moore weighs in: The Oscar-winning documentarian, reportedly mentioned in the manifesto of suspected killer Luigi Mangione, responds to the case: “Yes, I condemn murder.”
5. Surviving the odds
Resilience – it’s something we all need to make it to the end of the year. But instead of ending with a story on fatigue or being burnt out (both very valid), let me leave you with something so completely out of your comfort zone, it may revive your energy and zest for life.
Skill and experience: 6,400m up a rarely climbed peak in the Himalayas, two climbers lost most of their kit – and nearly their lives. One of them – Fay Manners – explains what keeps her climbing.
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
Further reading: Nothing further, time to rest.
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