Squiz Today – Friday, 2 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"I don't really see any value in saying, 'I told you so'."

Said Prince Charles to Vanity Fair, and in doing so, issues an ‘I told you so’ on his concern about plastics more than 40 years ago. (PS the Kingdom Choir’s performance at Harry and Meghan’s wedding was his idea…)

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PEEVER HEADS FOR THE PAVILLION

THE SQUIZ
Bowled Longstaff, caught Eddings. That’s what the score sheet reads for the outgoing chairman of Cricket Australia (CA) David Peever who resigned yesterday. That means the key trio who were at the crease when the ball-tampering scandal hit our team’s international standing for six have now departed. Peever – gawn. CA chief executive James Sutherland – retired (some say hurt). And coach Darren Lehmann – stumped.

HOWZAT?
• Peever, the besieged head of cricket’s national governing body, had hoped to dink the googly that was the investigation into the culture of our top team and their organisational overlords.

• The Longstaff Review (conducted by Simon Longstaff from the Ethics Centre) was ordered in the wake of the South African ball-tampering debacle. That’s the incident that saw captain Steve Smith, deputy David Warner sent to the nets for a year, and Cameron Bancroft for nine months.

• The report was released on Monday, and Peever played and missed. The report turned out to a rib tickler for CA, and with the chairman seemingly reluctant to publicly accept blame, the pressure started to mount.

• Late yesterday, Peever announced that he’ll get his bat and ball and will go home.

• Deputy Earl Eddings now takes on the role as night watchman/interim chairman.

WHAT SORT OF INNINGS DID HE HAVE?
That’s the spirit. Peever’s time at the top of Aussie cricket hasn't been a lolly. Taking the chairmanship in 2015, he oversaw a tumultuous time in CA’s history. Struggling performance on the field, a bitter pay dispute, and the departure of key people (like Rod Marsh, the former wicketkeeping great, who was chairman of selectors) were low points. The highs included more pay and recognition for women's cricket and a $1 billion broadcast rights deal. However, key cricket types were angered that he accepted no responsibility for the organisation’s poor culture. And there was more anger that he allowed his re-election as chairman to happen last week – just days before the damning review's release. What a difference a week makes…

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SQUIZ THE REST

PMs AT TEN PACES
A couple of weeks ago, Liberals were asking former PM Malcolm Turnbull to step into the limelight to campaign for Wentworth candidate Dave Sharma. This week they’re pleading with him to stay in the shadows after his turn as envoy to a Bali conference didn’t quite go as planned. PM Scott Morrison yesterday said Turnbull didn’t stick to the script when he spoke about trade issues with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Turnbull countered with his version of "a few facts". Coming or going, pundits say it's been another messy episode for the government.

QUICK WORLD NEWS WRAP
RIDE ON TIME - A black box recorder from the Lion Air flight that crashed on Monday has been found. With investigators struggling to find a cause for the crash, it’s hoped the black box’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders will help find the answers. The flight crashed 13 minutes after takeoff killing all 189 people onboard.

IMMIGRATION SCARE - US President Donald Trump has come under fire for what many are calling a racist online ad targeting voters in next week’s midterm election. “Scary, deadly migrants are about to storm our southern border”, is how political/business news site Axios characterises its content. Trump has been campaigning hard on illegal migration with the backdrop of a caravan of Central Americans travelling north through Mexico to the US border.

HANDS OFF APPROACH - China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been in Papua New Guinea and said; "We never interfere in other countries' domestic affairs and our assistance never comes with political conditions." That’s in response to disquiet from some Aussie political/diplomatic types that China is buying influence in the region by providing aid and loans to Pacific nations.

KNOW YOUR PERCENTAGES
• 3.5% - That’s how much home prices have fallen over the last year when taken as a whole. Sydney is leading the way with a 7.4% fall, Melbourne's next with 4.7%. Average home prices are now $625,125 in the capital cities and $375,444 in the regions.

• -14.2% - That's how much National Australia Bank's full-year cash profit fell. ANZ and Commonwealth Bank have also taken cash profit hits with the banks facing similar issues (think Royal Commission...).

• 1.8% - That’s how much Woolies’ supermarket sales grew in the July-September quarter. That compares to Coles’ 5.1%. Why did Coles see more growth? Their Little Shop promotion was a cracker, and remember the plastic bag brouhaha…

PRIZE WINNING MANSPREAD
The world's richest portrait prize, Australia's Doug Moran prize, has been won by a long-time dabbler/first-time prize entrant. Melbourne artist Lynn Savery, who until recently was a full-time carer to her father (who died of dementia earlier this year) and husband (who has cancer), said she thought she was going to faint when her name was announced as the winner. “Painting was really just about being able to have a bit of peace and quiet,” she said. The self-portrait has her posed with a manspread – a statement she said was to “illustrate how body posture contributes to gender stereotypical impressions”. Her casual lean sees her $150,000 better off.

DEAD CELEBS EARNING MONEY
Some talent continues to shine beyond the grave.

• #1 is Michael Jackson with US$400 in earnings over the last year. No real shock there, particularly with his estate selling its stake in EMI music to Sony for almost $300 million.

• #2 is Elvis with US$45 million. Yes, he sells a million albums every year, but it’s Graceland that’s the earner.

• And #3 is golfer Arnold Palmer with US$40 million from a popular iced tea/lemonade drink. And a joke for golfing types – if you add vodka to your Arnold Palmer it's called a John Daly. Lolz.

FRIDAY LITES – THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK
Manhattan has been brought to a standstill by a glamorous visitor. Sure, it’s a duck, but it’s a very special duck.

From hero to zero – a cautionary tale for aspiring Youtube stars.

Scoff if you like, but there's nothing better than a chicken sandwich. We've had the Peter Rowland version in the past, and no other has matched it since. So joy abounded when Good Food published the closely guarded recipe this week.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday
ABS Data Release - Retail sales, September

UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

All Souls' Day

Healthy Hips Day

Mock thief David Schwimmer's birthday (1966)

Saturday
From 11.45am (AEDT) - Horse Racing - Derby Day - Flemington, Melbourne

Sunday
2.20pm (AEDT) - One Day International Cricket - Australia v South Africa - Perth

Implementation of a new round of US sanctions against Iran

New Caledonia holds a referendum on independence from France

10th anniversary of the election of Barack Obama as US President