Squiz Today / 06 November 2019

Squiz Today – Wednesday, 6 November

SQUIZ SAYINGS

"Self-partnered"

It’s the new single, according to actress Emma Watson…


AMERICA SAYS A LONG GOODBYE TO PARIS

THE SQUIZ
It’s official - America is leaving the Paris climate agreement. With the Trump Administration giving formal notice to the United Nations yesterday, the 12-month countdown has commenced. The departure date: 4 November next year, aka the day after the 2020 presidential election.

WHAT’S THAT ALL ABOUT AGAIN?
• Refresher: Pretty much every country in the world is signed up to the climate agreement that aims to keep a rise in global temperatures this century well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, and hopefully 1.5C.

• The US is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (China is #1), and former President Barack Obama signed the agreement in late 2016, not long before the end of his term. But US President Trump said it was an unfair economic burden and couldn’t get America out of it any quicker. Literally… Yesterday was the first opportunity for it to bail.

• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday tweeted that America was a “world leader in reducing all emissions, fostering resilience, growing our economy, and ensuring energy for our citizens.”

DOES IT MATTER THAT THEY’RE GETTING OUT?
Critics continue to characterise Trump’s move as “irresponsible and dangerous”. But there’s an argument that America’s withdrawal has had the effect of galvanising the resolve of other nations. There’s also quite a lot happening in the US with individuals and companies taking action without the firm hand of government. And another viewpoint is the agreement won’t work regardless of who’s in it. A massive new report out overnight says all signs point to a climate emergency despite current efforts to mitigate for the effects of climate change. All that as Australia clocked its 36th consecutive month of above-average temperatures in October.

Confused about climate change? We have a quick and easy Squiz Shortcut to get you up to speed in no time.


SQUIZ THE REST


MATILDAS HEAD TOWARDS PAY EQUITY?

A disclaimer to start with: nothing has been announced yet, but reports say Australian soccer is on the verge of a groundbreaking pay deal. Under the arrangement, it’s expected that the national women’s team (aka the Matildas) and the men’s side (aka the Socceroos) will share commercial revenue and prize money evenly. And the Matildas could also get the same flight entitlements, medical resources and investment in training and development camps as the blokes. But some have said “whoa, Nelly” because these deals are “notoriously fraught and complex, so it is difficult to know just how equitable this version of pay equality will be.” The ABC reported last night that the new agreement will be inked today in time for the Matildas’ friendly match against Chile on Saturday, so we won’t have long to find out…


RATES ON HOLD

The Reserve Bank yesterday kept the official cash rate at the record-low level of 0.75% despite concerns about the speed at which our economy is revving. With recent cuts doing little to get us spending and investing, analysts say the RBA has decided to wait and see if low-interest rates and recent tax handouts do anything to put a pep in consumers' spending step. Nine's finance editor Ross Greenwood yesterday said the level of betting on yesterday’s Melbourne Cup will give regulators a glimpse into whether we’re feeling a bit more cash-splashy.


QUICK BIG BUSINESS NEWS WRAP

BYE TO MCDONALD'S, PART 2 - Following the departure of global CEO Steve Easterbrook this week, McDonald’s has also said goodbye to its Chief People Officer (aka head of HR) David Fairhurst, effectively immediately. A reason for his departure wasn’t provided, but Fairhurst tweeted “I have decided the time has come for me to move on to my next career challenge.” And super urgently...

MICROSOFT’S SHORT WEEK - The company’s Japan branch trialled a 40 hour, four-day week in August, and sales went up by nearly 40%. One key to its success - restricting meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes. Yasss...

REBRANDING THE PAIN AWAY - Facebook has taken a leaf from President Trump’s book: when in a spot of bother, go for ALL CAPS. And so the social media giant has rebranded its corporate entity FACEBOOK. What you see when you get on its platform to check out what your 'friends' are doing (you know, the ones who you haven't spoken to in a few years and have no intention of doing so anytime soon...) remains the same.


A HEALTH STUDY YOU CAN’T RUN AWAY FROM

Question: what's the only thing more annoying than a scientific study showing that running can lengthen your life? Answer: a scientific study about the health benefits of running with a significant sample size. A review of studies covering 230,000 people has found that running at least once a week for up to 50 minutes can dramatically reduce the chances of succumbing to all manner of illnesses. Which means there's probably something in it. Dammit...


AN ALL AUSSIE MELBOURNE CUP

An Aussie-born-and-trained horse, ridden by an overtly Aussie jockey won that most Aussie of sporting events yesterday when Vow And Declare took line honours in the Melbourne Cup. And how about the Gympie owners of the winner who locked in their bets for yesterday’s race a year ago at 500-1… A bit of on-track argy-bargy near the finish line gave rise to a father-v-son protest which altered the final placings. And there was relief last night for the fancied Rostropovich after he pulled up lame - it was confirmed his injury is not life-threatening. Of course, it was also an Aussie fashion-fest… There were more one-shouldered dresses than a toga party, lots of cut-out midriffs, and many a bloke without socks on. For ours, best-hat-on-track goes to Doris Younane (aka image 28 in this photo gallery).

SQUIZ THE DAY

12.30pm (AEDT) - Author Ashton Applewhite to address the National Press Club on ageism

Federal Cabinet meets to consider further assistance for drought-affected communities - Sydney

ABS Data Release - Livestock and Meat, Australia, September

Annual General Meeting - Boral

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

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