Squiz Today / 11 June 2020

Squiz Today – Thursday, 11 June

SQUIZ SAYINGS

“Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are related - here's how”

Is the cheerful way UK publication The Independent marked the Duke of Edinburgh’s 99th birthday on Twitter. But nothing could dampen the year-long countdown until he’s eligible for a letter from HRH…


GOOD WILL HUNTING

THE SQUIZ
William Callaghan, the 14yo boy who was missing in the bush on Mount Disappointment in Victoria, was found in good nick just before noon yesterday. After spending two cold nights outside alone, authorities were seriously concerned about his safety. But Will, who has non-verbal autism, is now back with his grateful family.

WHAT WENT DOWN?
Out for a walk with his dad and brother on the Monday of a long weekend, Will ran ahead as they approached the summit, and he disappeared. An air and ground search was launched with more than 400 people involved, but the thick vegetation hampered their efforts. Volunteer tracker Ben Gibbs, who has been up and down Mount Disappointment a trillion times*, pushed beyond the area near the summit that searchers there before him had tagged. And low and behold, there was Will, about 10 minutes in. "I was just wandering through the bush … and then he was just like about 15 metres from me just standing there just really angelic," Gibbs said. Giving him some socks (because he’d lost his shoes), a jacket and some chocolate, they made the 1.5km trek to base camp. Gibbs had heard Will liked Thomas the Tank Engine, so he talked about that on the way down. But most of all, "he was happy to get the chocolate," Gibbs said.

HOW GOOD IS THAT?
So good. For his grateful family - there’s joy and love. For police, emergency services and volunteers - relief. For Will - it was a good chance to ask for some Maccas. And for the rest of us - an opportunity to be grateful for a good news story in what can politely be described as a sub-optimal year...

*May not be an accurate count.


SQUIZ THE REST


POPE SENDS MESSAGE TO CATHOLIC AMERICANS

And pundits say it amounts to ‘don’t vote for Donald Trump’ when it comes to November’s presidential election. That conclusion has been reached after observing the Holy See's reaction to George Floyd's death at the hands of police more than a fortnight ago. Pope Francis has publicly named Floyd twice and offered support to an American bishop who was criticised for kneeling in prayer during a Black Lives Matter protest. Apparently, it stems from the Vatican's view that US conservatives have an "obsession" with abortion, contraception and gay marriage to the detriment of "other 'life' issues dear to Francis - racism, immigration, the death penalty and poverty.” The Pope campaigning against a US President? It’s quite a year when that’s not the weirdest thing you’ve heard…


VIRGIN ADMINISTRATOR LOOKS TO GOVERNMENT FOR SUPPORT

The administrator of embattled airline Virgin Australia has asked for a government safety net citing concerns that bidders may pull out without it. In a letter to the Morrison Government, Deloitte has asked for the extension of JobKeeper payments to cover the airline’s 10,000 employees for at least another six months. The measure is slated to end in September. Deloitte says that would provide the final two bidders, Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners, with the reassurance they need to take on the airline given concerns about its short term viability with coronavirus restrictions on international air travel ongoing. And while the government has given the airlines some funding to prop up domestic flights during the shutdown, it has previously said 'yeah, nah' to Virgin's request for a bailout. Asked about it in Parliament yesterday, PM Scott Morrison said the best thing to help the airlines is for the states to open their borders. Final bids for Virgin are due on 22 June.


WWII HERO’S CLAIM ON AWARD TO BE REVIEWED

PM Morrison has asked an expert panel to reassess the case for posthumously awarding WWII hero Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean the high military honour of the Victoria Cross. Sheean was commended for his bravery when his ship, the HMAS Armidale, came under attack by Japan near modern-day East Timor in 1942. Despite being ordered to abandon ship, the 18yo Tasmanian helped launch the lifeboats and then returned to his post to shoot at enemy planes. Sheean’s actions helped save the lives of 49 crew members as the ship sank, but he was never seen again. While previous bids to have Sheean awarded the VC have been unsuccessful, his family and the veteran community have continued to lobby for it. And yesterday, the PM said that overturning a decision relating to a Victoria Cross "nearly 80 years after Sheean's heroic actions in 1942 would need compelling reasons". The panel will be led by former Liberal leader and director of the Australia War Memorial Dr Brendan Nelson, and it’s due to report at the end of July.


WE’VE HAD A GUTFUL

Despite being one of the most popular dietary supplements on the market, a new study from the American Gastroenterological Association found that probiotics don’t actually do that much for gut health. There’s little evidence that most probiotics in supplements and foods like yoghurt effectively treated digestive issues such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome. "While our guideline does highlight a few use cases for probiotics, it more importantly underscores that the public's assumptions about the benefits of probiotics are not well-founded," lead researcher Dr Grace Su said. Lucky yoghurt’s delicious…


AFL GETS BACK ON THE PADDOCK

Aerial ping pong fans unite - the long wait since round one in mid-March is over. The coronavirus crisis has battered clubs, with some standing down 80% of their staff. So it’s no wonder some say the restart is a lifesaver for those directly involved in the sport, as it is for supporters. Unlike the NRL which charged ahead, the AFL's fixtures are being released in four-week blocks, reflecting the logistical challenges associated with the coast-to-coast game. But all going well, the shortened season will see a GF played on 24 October. The restart kicks off tonight with Collingwood v Richmond - mind the fake crowd noises


APROPOS OF NOTHING - ANIMAL EDITION

If you haven’t seen the pics of the green turtles heading to the Great Barrier Reef’s Raine Island, it’s like something from a movie.

And if you’ve sighted the infamous/elusive big black cat in Victoria’s Otways but couldn’t get a pic in time, new images seem to confirm that there is a panther on the loose. According to some, anyway…

As for feral chickens? Of course there are

SQUIZ THE DAY

7.40pm (AEST) - AFL season restarts with Collingwood v Richmond - Melbourne

ABS Data Release - Building Approvals, April

Birthdays for Hugh Laurie (1959) and Peter Dinklage (1969)

Anniversary of:
• the marriage of King Henry VIII to his first wife Catherine of Aragon (1509)
• Captain James Cook happening upon the Great Barrier Reef (1770)
• Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức’s self-immolation at a Saigon intersection, creating one of the Vietnam War's most iconic images (1963)
• Margaret Thatcher becoming first British PM in 160 years to win a third consecutive term (1987)
• the premiere of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Jurassic Park (1993)
• the WHO declaring H1N1 swine flu a global pandemic (2009)

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