Squiz Today – Friday, 28 August

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“Hey guys, wanna feel old? I'm 40. You're welcome.”

Tweeted Home Alone kid actor Macaulay Culkin. Once a brat, always a brat…

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PLAYERS PROTEST SHUT DOWN MAJOR SPORTS

THE SQUIZ
Some of America’s premier sporting leagues came to a screeching halt yesterday with players taking a stand against police brutality and racial injustice. Some big names are backing the protest including former President Barack Obama and basketball megastar LeBron James. And in a neat coincidence, the walkout coincides with the 4th anniversary of NFL player Colin Kaepernick first taking a knee during the national anthem in protest over racial inequality - something that’s commonplace now, but rocked the establishment in 2016.

WHAT’S GONE DOWN?
It started with the men’s basketball side, the Milwaukee Bucks. The NBA team refused to take to the court in protest on Wednesday night (yesterday morning our time) for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic. "Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball … We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable," the Bucks said in a statement. That led the NBA (which has voted to resume the season) and the WNBA to postpone other games, as did Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer as teams decided to join the protest. And top-paid tennis star Naomi Osaka also pulled out of her semi-final at the Western & Southern Open in New York. She tweeted that "as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis".

WHAT’S THAT ABOUT?
The catalyst is the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee) last Sunday. He was shot 7 times in the back as authorities responded to a domestic dispute. Reports say he’s been left paralysed from the waist down. Police gave their first account of events yesterday, and the federal Justice Department is also looking into it. Protesters gathered in the hours after the incident, and the city of 100,000 people has simmered with anger over the last four nights. As for why the country’s sporting elite are taking a stand, the Washington Post writes that the protests are “an emerging new reality in big-time sports in which athletes are increasingly emboldened to express themselves on racial injustice and other social issues and leagues are finding ways to accommodate their views.”

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SQUIZ THE REST

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LIFE MEANS LIFE

The 29yo Australian man behind last year’s Christchurch mosque attacks, Brenton Tarrant, was given an unprecedented sentence of life in prison without parole. Tarrant, who plead guilty to killing 51 people, attempted murder of another 40 people and one charge of terrorism, was due to speak during the hearing but he opted for a short statement read by a court official saying he didn’t oppose the sentence. While Kiwi PM Jacinda Ardern said the sentence meant “we have no cause to think about him, to see him, or to hear from him again,” Deputy PM Winston Peters called for him to be returned to Australia. “Today we send our love to our New Zealand family and hope it may be another day of healing for everyone affected by this terrible atrocity,” PM Scott Morrison tweeted.

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HURRICANE LAURA A BIG ‘UN

Hundreds of thousands of residents along America’s Gulf Coast have fled their homes as Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana yesterday afternoon as a massive Category 4 storm. Generating winds of 241km/hour, Laura is the strongest hurricane to hit the country this year. Local authorities report structural damage to buildings, the death of a teenager after a tree fell on her home, and a chemical fire is burning after winds damaged a chlorine factory near Lake Charles. There are concerns of an "unsurvivable" storm surge from Texas to Mississippi with big waves that "could penetrate up to 50km inland from the immediate coastline," the National Hurricane Centre said. Next stop Arkansas, and heavy rainfall is expected in parts of the Midwest. Here are some pics. And Melbourne has also been smashed by big winds overnight - one man has died and more than 100,000 homes were left without power.

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FUNDING NEEDED TO MEET BASIC STANDARDS

How much funding? Oh, just a $621 million/year boost to get all Australian aged care homes to meet basic standards, new research has found. And for $3.2 billion a year, the sector could be brought up to a high-quality standard, the report says. The study, which was conducted for the ongoing Aged Care Royal Commission, found "there's not a lot of fat to trim” in the system which is already “constrained by funding”. The report also concluded for-profit aged care facilities were the least likely to provide top care. The research comes as the Morrison Government continues to face criticism over the 353 coronavirus deaths linked to the sector. The Royal Commission’s final report is due to be handed down by 26 February next year.

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A BIT OF BAT CHAT

Scientists have discovered flying foxes are more nomadic than originally thought, with travel of 1,427 to 6,073km a year not unusual. Using satellite tracking technology, one took a scenic 12,337km journey between Melbourne and Queensland. The new research disproves long-held beliefs that flying foxes tend to stick to one local roost. "At all times you have individuals coming in and other individuals moving out, like you would in a youth hostel," Dr Justin Welbergen said. This discovery has important implications for the way species management efforts are undertaken because the endangered species can be a nightmare to live next to - which might be down to their love of clubbing...

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IT’S BEHIND YOU…

Contentious issues and personalities aside, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of subversion? Because what this school librarian (or teacher, or maybe a student?) said to UK PM Boris Johnson didn’t need words…

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FRIDAY LITES - THREE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK

If you’ve seen Schitt’s Creek and fallen in love with Moira Rose (and her vocabulary), you’ll know her wardrobe and wigs are pretty much characters in their own right. Here actress Catherine O'Hara explains some iconic looks - and there was a lot of thought that went into it.

Not so cheery, but good listening… The BBC World Service has a new podcast - The Bomb. And (surprise…) it’s about the invention of the atomic bomb, and its use by allied forces to end WWII. Like their 13 Minutes to the Moon hit of last year, this podcast tells a big story through the people involved.

A great weekend meal with some fresh crusty bread - don’t hold the butter. Or maybe get ahead for lunches for next week? Jamie Oliver’s minestrone is fresh and filling. We skipped the chestnuts last time, but if you get a chance to procure some, do. They’re yum.

SQUIZ THE DAY

Friday
US President Donald Trump to give a final address to the Republican National Convention, as will lawyer/former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani and Trump's daughter Ivanka

ABS Data releases - Economic measurement during COVID-19: Selected issues in the Economic Accounts, May 2020; Regional Population by Age and Sex, 2019; Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, 2018-19

Daffodil Day (Cancer Council)

Bow Tie Day

Birthdays for Shania Twain (1965), Sonia Kruger (1965), Sheryl Sandberg (1969)

Anniversary of:
• pharmacists John Lea & William Perrins inventing Worcestershire sauce (1837)
• Reverend Martin Luther King delivering his “I have a dream” speech (1963)

Saturday
Start of the Tour de France (on until 20 September)

International Day Against Nuclear Tests

Birthdays for Glee star Lea Michele (1986) and One Directioner Liam Payne (1993)

15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, killing some 1,800 people and leaving the region unrecognizable in the US' worst natural disaster (2005)

Anniversary of:
• Great Britain and China signing Treaty of Nanking, ending the Opium war (1842)
• the founding of Netflix by Californians Marc Randolph and Reed Hasting as an online DVD rental business (1997)
• 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, killing 1,800 people (2005)

Sunday
Start of Legacy Week (on until 5 September)

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

Birthdays for Warren Buffett (1930), Cameron Diaz (1972), Leisel Jones (1985) and Eamon Sullivan (1985)

Anniversary of:
• the birthday of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (1797)
• the founding Melbourne, Australia (1835)
• the start of the Siege of Leningrad by German troops during WWII (1941)
• the formation of Hurricane Irma, which went on to become category 5 hurricane and kill at least 102 (2017)