Squiz Today – Friday, 19 January

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“Six-out-of-ten drunk.”

DJ Astro Labe yesterday told the court that’s the state he was in when he headbutted former PM Tony Abbott in a Hobart street last year. He had been drinking with mates for five-and-a-half hours when the incident occurred. Which begs the question: what would he have done at ten-out-of-ten drunk? Labe pleaded guilty to causing harm to a Commonwealth public official and will be sentenced in March.

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USA GYMNASTICS DOCTOR TO BE SENTENCED

THE SQUIZ
If you haven’t heard of Larry Nassar before now, you probably will over the course of this weekend. So this will put you ahead of the curve. Some quick facts:

• Dr Lawrence Nassar (54yo) was the US women’s gymnastics team doctor for about two decades.

• He has been accused of molesting more than 130 girls and women, including gymnasts in training at the secluded national centre.

• About 100 women have spoken at the hearing or submitted written statements about what Nassar did to them.

• He is already serving a lengthy prison term on other charges.

• He has pleaded guilty to the charges and will be sentenced today in Michigan. Prosecutors are seeking a 40-to-125-year prison sentence.

HOW AWFUL…
Really awful. The impact statements delivered in court this week – with Nassar there – have been harrowing. And this week Simone Biles, one of the most successful gymnasts of all time and a star of the 2016 Rio Olympics, said she too was a victim of Nassar’s abuse. She joined other US gold medallists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney who had previously come forward.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
USA Gymnastics is under pressure and is facing multiple lawsuits over its handling of the scandal. It said this week it “will continue to listen to our athletes” and will try to create “a culture of empowerment” for them. But the star of the week has been Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. "Our Constitution does not allow for cruel and unusual punishment. If it did, I have to say, I might allow what he did to all of these beautiful souls - these young women in their childhood - I would allow someone or many people to do to him what he did to others," she said in court this week. It was just one of many contributions legal experts have said is “unusual” prompting complaints from Nassar.

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SQUIZ THE REST

TURNBULL JAPAN MEETING
With more formality than a quickie wedding arranged by the Pope, Australia and Japan have signed a deal that will cement closer military ties. It will see joint air force exercises later this year for the first time as well as army and navy exercises down the track and cooperation on equipment. Turnbull also said nice things about China, no doubt to start papering over some cracks revealed by recent argy-bargy on its role in our region. And the leaders said there is hope a revamped Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal will be done and dusted by March this year.

AUSTRALIANS IN DRUG ARREST IN SERBIA
Three Aussie blokes from around Canberra way were arrested in Serbia yesterday in relation to a $500 million cocaine bust in Sydney earlier last year. Properties connected to Rohan Arnold, a steel and livestock businessman, were searched yesterday by Federal Police. Tristan Waters and David Campbell were also taken into custody in Belgrade - the group had a quantity of cash and a gun. Reports this morning say the men could be detained in Serbia for 30 days. Arnold’s business partner in a new livestock sale yard that is due to open on Monday expressed his shock at the news.

2017: A RECORD YEAR FOR JOBS
It’s the first year on record that there’s been an employment increase every month. Yay us! Thirty-seven-thousand-seven-hundred jobs were added in December (don’t you hate starting a sentence with a number?). That’s fewer than November's 61,000 jobs but twice as many as expected. That didn't stop unemployment creeping up to 5.5% (from 5.4%). That’s because more people said they’re in the job market. In total, more than 400,000 jobs were created last year.

RUPERT TAKES A TUMBLE ON LACHLAN’S YACHT
Aussie-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch has emailed colleagues to tell them he injured his back in a sailing accident on his son Lachlan’s yacht in the new year. It’s reported the accident occurred in the Caribbean and that he was hospitalised in Los Angeles for a short time. “While I am well on the road to recovery, I have to work from home for some weeks. In the meantime, you’ll be hearing from me by email, phone and text!" the octogenarian wrote.

TOUGH TENNIS OPENS UP THE OPEN
It’s been a brutal couple of days at the Australian Open with seeded players beaten, temperatures soaring, idiot social media pranksters pranking and a noisy helicopter monitoring play from above. Nick Kyrgios and Ash Barty are the only Aussies left. Kyrgios plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga tonight for a place in the 4th round, and Barty takes on Naomi Osaka on Saturday morning. The seeded women’s players have toppled out of the tournament one by one, so it's wide open. And in the men's, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are performing strongly.

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
If you’re gearing up for a year of travel, these neat packing solutions might be just the ticket.

If you need some credit-card-damage-free fashionable timeout this weekend, Netflix has some good options. Here are four docos that we’ll try not to watch all in one go.

And if you need to get your food intake under control (sorry to be a complete Debbie Downer – there so much about this link that’s depressing...). It’s a comprehensive guide to food portions. Ugh.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday

ABS Data Releases - Lending Finance, November; Overseas Arrivals and Departures, November

Start of the Tamworth Music Festival (on until 29 January)

Start of the Sundance Film Festival (on until 28 January)

Saturday

Penguin Awareness Day

1st anniversary of the Bourke Street tragedy. Dimitrious Gargasoulas drove a car at speed down the pedestrian mall killing six people and injuring dozens

1st anniversary of US President Donald Trump's inauguration

Sunday

Anniversary of the death of Vladimir Lenin, Russian communist revolutionary (1924)