Squiz Today – Monday, 13 July

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"One silver lining from the current crisis is a potential solution to the problem of ‘meeting culture’.”

Tweeted Cheltenham historian Tony Comer of meeting rooms that can only host one person due to coronavirus restrictions. Which kinda makes them spacious phone booths…

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CORONAVIRUS CROSSROADS BRINGS MASKED RESPONSE

THE SQUIZ
Victoria has seen three consecutive days with new coronavirus cases in the 200s. That's taken the state's number of active cases to a total of 1,484. Two men died in the state over the weekend - one in his 70s, the other in his 90s - taking the national death toll to 108. To limit the number of people moving around in the coming weeks, Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday said government school students up to year 10 who live in the lockdown zones will return to home learning from the start of next week. The state’s chief medico Professor Brett Sutton said Victoria was facing “the public health challenge of our lifetime”.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
There are worries about a potential outbreak centring on the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, southwest of Sydney. Nine people are confirmed to have the virus, including a staff member. And more than 1,000 patrons who were at the pub between 3-10 July have been asked to self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19, including local federal MP Anne Stanley. Meanwhile, it was agreed at Friday’s National Cabinet meeting to cut the number of people arriving in Australia from overseas from about 7,000 people to 4,000 each week. State leaders haven’t been thrilled about hosting travellers in hotel quarantine - particularly NSW, which has had most of them. Yesterday, it said it would charge $3,000 for travellers’ two-week-long stays from midnight next Saturday. "Australian residents have been given plenty of time to return home," Premier Gladys Berejiklian says.

AND MASKS ARE THIS WINTER’S ACCESSORY?
They are if you’re in metro Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire… Premier Andrews says people in those areas should wear face masks if they can't effectively practise social distancing, but it’s not compulsory. The government’s working on sourcing reusable masks for those residents, and in the meantime, you can make your own. Prime Minister Scott Morrison stressed it's not "a broad recommendation" because there isn’t widespread community transmission in other places. But some are digging it, like US President Donald Trump. He made his masked debut during a visit to a military medical centre yesterday after previously refusing to wear one. He recently said he thinks he looks like the Lone Ranger…

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SQUIZ THE REST

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FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

The commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence by President Trump has caused quite a stir... Stone, who has worked for powerful Republicans since the 70s and has a tattoo of former President Richard Nixon on his back, is a longtime ally of Trump’s. Last year, he was found guilty of lying about his attempts to contact WikiLeaks, the website that released damaging emails about 2016 presidential election candidate Hillary Clinton - emails thought to have been stolen by Russian hackers. Trump’s move, which spares Stone from jail but isn’t a pardon, came as he was to start a 40-month prison term. Trump tweeted that "Roger Stone was targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that never should have taken place." But the President’s critics said it’s a “shocking act of corruption”.

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GRIM REMEMBRANCE IN BOSNIA

Europe's worst atrocity since World War II - the massacre at Srebrenica in Bosnia - has been remembered 25 years on. Tens of thousands of people would have attended the ceremony, but coronavirus restrictions meant that about 100 dignitaries were on hand to remember the deaths of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995. Thousands of Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) had sought safety in the town, which the United Nations was protecting with Dutch forces during the Bosnian War. But the area fell during a Serb offensive and while women and children were taken to safety, the men and many boys were shot. The United Nations and others were criticised for not doing more to protect them. Prince Charles said the massacre was "a dreadful stain on our collective conscience".

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SHARK ATTACK DEATH FIFTH THIS YEAR

"Warm-hearted" 15yo Mani Hart-Deville was remembered yesterday after he was killed in a shark attack while he was surfing at Wooli Beach, near Grafton on the NSW North Coast on Saturday afternoon. His mates and a group of older surfers helped him back to shore after he'd sustained a bite to the upper left thigh from a great white shark, but paramedics were unable to save him. The stretch of beaches nearby remained closed yesterday as authorities searched for the shark. It was just a week after 34yo Matthew Tratt was killed by a shark while spearfishing off Queensland’s Fraser Island. Australia has recorded five fatal shark attacks this year.

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HAPPY TO STAY AT HOME…

...are older Aussies if the other option is residential aged care. The Royal Commission on Aged Care Quality and Safety is releasing the results today of what reports say is the biggest study in the world on attitudes to ageing and aged care. More than 10,000 people were surveyed, and long story short, respondents believe those living in aged care are lonely, powerless and unhappy. ‘‘Australians want the government and community to assist older people to live well in their own homes for as long as possible,’’ the Commissioners said. On the upside, our senior citizens are overwhelmingly positive about their lives. More than 90% of older people surveyed consider themselves healthy, and 85% reckon they can live their lives how they want. The Royal Commission is set to deliver its final report to the government in February next year.

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EAST GETS ITS GUMBOOTS ON

If you’re in Melbourne, you’re probably not much bothered by the rainy outlook because you’re not leaving home anyway… But for everyone else in parts of Victoria, NSW, Canberra, the southeast corner of South Oz and southeast Queensland, keep your umbrella close to hand today and tomorrow. A low-pressure system is making its way across the country bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and flooding to some parts. Emergency Services are geared up to go… Maybe this working from home malarkey isn’t so bad after all - if only the dog could walk himself…

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REBOOTING THE WONDER YEARS

No, this isn’t some new scientific discovery where we can revisit our 20s… TV’s coming-of-age series The Wonder Years from the late 80s/early 90s featuring the Kevin and the Arnold family, and, of course, Winnie Cooper (named by late-night host Jimmy Fallon as "the coolest girl in any TV show ever"...), is set to be remade. With the backing of some big names including the original star Fred Savage, a black family will be at the centre of the story this time around. Savage never strayed far from TV, going on to become a director. As for Danica McKellar (aka Winnie), she featured in The West Wing for a bit and has done other acting gigs. And she’s a bestselling author on maths… Bring it.

SQUIZ THE DAY

ABS Data Releases - Overseas Arrivals and Departures, May; Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, 24-29 June

Birthdays for Patrick Stewart (1940) and Harrison Ford (1942)

Anniversary of:
• the establishment of the famous Hollywood sign, which originally read "Hollywoodland" but dropped the last four letters after a renovation in 1949 (1923)
• Frank Sinatra making his recording debut (1939)
the Live Aid charity concerts, which raised money for African famine relief (1985)
• Kylie Minogue releasing her debut single Locomotion (1987)
• the founding of #BlackLivesMatter (2013)
• the election of former British PM Theresa May (2016)