Friday, 10 September, 2021
The day the world changed; the dog that saved its owner; Cricket test cancelled; and quoll joey cuteness overload.
LINKS
Eastern quoll joeys: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-09/baby-eastern-quolls-born-in-breeding-program-aussie-ark/100443764
Masked Singer Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAr9oZpNrL8
Dannii Minogue: https://www.danniiminogue.com/
Squiz Kids Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Send us an email at [email protected]
Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
——
It’s been called the day the world changed forever – and tomorrow you’re going to see and hear lots about something called 9/11.
So what is it? And why is it important?
9/11 refers to September 11 in the year 2001 – long before any of you were born. It was the day that two planes crashed into the World Trade Centre skyscrapers in New York City in America – causing the buildings to collapse and thousands of people to be killed.
The planes were flown into the buildings on purpose: by a group of people – called terrorists – who didn’t like America and wanted to harm Americans.
They belonged to what’s called a ‘terrorist organisation’’ – which is a group of people who carry out violent acts to further their goals. This particular organisation was based in Afghanistan. And so, in retaliation, America sent its army, navy and air force to Afghanistan – and started a 20 year war against the Taliban which only just drew to a close in the last couple of weeks – in those chaotic scenes at Kabul airport that we all saw and have spoken about already.
For many, September 11 is a day of remembrance. Here in Australia, it’s also a day to be grateful for the freedom and peace we enjoy as a nation.
SPIN THE GLOBE
——–
Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops – and today we’ve landed in South Korea … where a rescue dog is being hailed as a hero after helping to save its owner.
Baekgu is the name of the dog – and the other day, its owner, a 90 year-old woman called Kim, went out for a walk with her faithful puppy. Kim suffers from dementia – which is a disease that makes the brain a bit muddled. While out walking, Kim got lost and fell down in a rice field on the outskirts of her town. The spot where she fell down was full of long-grass, and it was wet – so Kim couldn’t be seen by local rescuers, and she was in danger.
Baekgu stayed by Kim’s side – keeping her warm, keeping her company – and eventually, helping rescuers to locate her in the long grass.
This week, the South Korean government awarded Baekgu the title of the country’s first honorary rescue dog.
Kim took Baekgu in years ago after he had been attacked by a larger dog. You see? Even in the dog world, one good deed is repaid by another.
SPORT TIME
——
You’d think the job of a cricket player is mostly to hit the ball for six, make lots of runs or get a bunch of wickets right? Well sometimes it’s what they DON’T do that is just as important.
And in the case of the Australian cricket team, the decision yesterday to cancel an upcoming test match against Afghanistan is one of those moments.
The game was cancelled by Cricket Australia after the new government in Afghanistan, the Taliban, said that women would be banned from playing all sports in their country from now on.
As we’ve talked about in this podcast before: the Taliban’s attitude towards women and girls is highly discriminatory – meaning girls are heavily discriminated against in a way that most of the rest of the world finds unacceptable.
And sometimes, using a popular sport to make a political point is the best way to send that message.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
——
Oh happy day! A “pouch check” at a NSW breeding facility for endangered Aussie animals has found 28 little bundles of joy happily snuggling with their mums. They are Eastern quoll joeys, so small they could curl up in the palm of your hand. There is a link in your episode notes to some adorable photos, but these babies are more than just cute. Eastern quolls have been extinct on the Australian mainland since the early 1960s, when they were hunted by feral cats and foxes. Their numbers in the wild of Tasmania are now dropping and conservationists say that breeding the animals is an important way of making sure they don’t become extinct. So the birth of these babies is a big deal. The next step is to release them into a fenced sanctuary, where they will live as if they were in the wild. Quolls used to play an important role in spreading seeds, loosening soil, and keeping insect and reptile populations under control, and ultimately, the hope is to restore a fully wild quoll population to our mainland. Come on little fellas, you can do it!
Q+A CALL OUT
—–
She’s played concerts to packed out auditoriums, starred in musicals on the West End, and appeared for a long time as a character on the TV show Home and Away – she’s even written a book and has her own clothing fashion line. Is there anything Dannii Minogue cannot do?
You can find out when she takes her seat on the judging panel of The Masked Singer – which starts on Monday – and you can ask her yourself – as she’s kindly agreed to take the hotseat for a Squiz Kids Q+A.
This is your chance to pick the brain of one of Australia’s best known entertainers – whether you’re an aspiring entertainer, a Masked Singer fan or just plain curious about how TV shows are made.
Take a look at the links to the Masked Singer promo video and Dannii’s website in today’s episode notes for inspiration. Then get sending your questions to [email protected]. You’ve only got until next Tuesday — so get cracking!
THE S’QUIZ
—————–
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- In what country does Baegku the amazing rescue dog live ?
- What cute, cuddly critters have just appeared in pouches in a NSW wildlife reserve?
- Which country’s cricket team will NOT now be playing a test series against Australia?
SHOUT OUTS
——————-–
It’s September 10 .. Dia de los Ninos – or Children’s Day in the Central American country of Honduras … awww… why don’t we have a children’s day here in Australia? As my dad used to say: every day is children’s day!
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means … an extra-long birthday shout-out segment – for which we’re gonna need the ol’ birthday reggae tune … hit it …
And it’s a happy birthday today to …. Marium from Fairfield Heights, Lucy from Bolwarra, Rosalie from West Wallsend, Ariana from Newcastle, Leo from Kyneton, Jacqueline from Blackburn, Eden from Mount Lawley, Angus and William from Sydney and twins -Elijah and Joshua from Wilston.
No forgetting of course all of those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday over this coming weekend …. Zephyr from Walpole, Riley from Mornington, Grace from Leumeah, Charlie from Hawthorn, Handari from Kyneton, Kiarni from Kiama, Orli from Newcastle, Mason from Fairfield Heights, Blake from Page, Alexus from Dubbo, Benji from Viewbank, Abi from Watson, Cyrus from Spring Farm, Patrick from Lower Marshes, Katrina from Springwood, Noah from Mansfield, Xavier from Nambucca Heads and Conner from West Wollongong.
Plus!! … Because our friends in Victoria, Canberra and most of NSW are in lockdown – we’re sending out Home Learning Herograms ….
First one goes to Mrs.Smith at Beresfield Public School – who has been a kind, caring and supportive teacher during this long lockdown. Also a big shoutout to all Beresfield Public School students and staff.
Herograms also go to Ms Walker and Mrs Sargeant who teach grade 1 at Viewbank Primary School and to Miss Neilson and Grades 5 & 6 at Leeton Public School. Lastly, the Newton Family would like to send a shout out to everyone at Kambora Public School in Davidson – both staff and students, for doing a great job with home learning.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- South Korea
- Eastern Quolls
- Afghanistan