Friday, 16 September, 2022
The end of COVID is in sight; Dubai’s moon hotel; your footy finals preview; and the world’s most polite bear.
LINKS
Dubai’s moon hotel: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/shortcuts/2022/sep/14/want-to-visit-the-moon-but-dont-have-a-spaceship-dubai-to-the-rescue
Michael Jackson’s moon walk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXfz_0JbRpg
World’s most polite bear: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/09/13/bear-closes-door-moos-orig-bdk.cnn
School Holiday Quizzes, Shortcuts and Squiz The World
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Hey …. Can you see that? No, look more closely. That pin prick of light in the darkness? It’s the light at the end of the COVID tunnel following the release of a report yesterday saying the end of the COVID pandemic is in sight.
(CHEER)
I know right …. For almost three years now the world has been in the grip of the coronavirus … and three years in a primary school kids’ life is a big chunk of everything you’ve ever known.
But according to the World Health Organisation – which is the big organisation based in Switzerland that keeps an eye on the health of all the humans in the world – the end of the pandemic is finally in reach.
And while that is undeniably good news – it came with a warning. Now is not the time to become complacent. Complacent is a fancy way of saying you get a bit too confident and start to relax before you’ve crossed the finish line.
According to health authorities, all the good habits we developed in the pandemic – the social distancing, the mask wearing, the hand washing – we should continue until the virus is well and truly defeated.
Or, as the big boss of the World Health Organisation put it: “we are not there yet – but the end is
“A marathon runner does not stop when the finish line comes into view, she runs harder, with all the energy she has left. So must we.”
According to the World Health Organisation, no fewer than 12 billion doses of COVID vaccine had been jabbed into arms all over the world, and that the vaccines had saved an estimated 19.8 million lives. That’s a lot of lives. Thanks science!
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops, and today we’ve landed in Dubai .. in the deserts of Arabia … where a hotel in the shape of the Moon is about to be built.
Why? Because it’s Dubai … and because they can.
The hotel’s exterior will measure 200 metres across and look exactly like the Moon .. with all of its craters and rocky grey surface replicated. Inside the massive sphere will be a world of Moon-inspired entertainment – including low-gravity moon walks, lunar rover taxis and moon-base simulator.
Oh – and there’ll be a nightclub inside the Moon too. Because, where else will you go when it’s time to put on some Michael Jackson and do a Moon walk? (DAD JOKE ALARM) .. oops there’s the dad joke alarm … just squeezing one in before the holidays …
And the best bit? While the first Moon hotel is slated to be built in Dubai, the company building it says it has plans to have Moon hotels in four locations around the world. A Moon hotel in Broken Hill? Why not?
And yes, of course, I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes to an artists impression of what the Moon hotel might look like – and a link to a video of Michael Jackson doing the Moon walk. Because it’s Friday and the last pod for the term – so fill your boots.
SPORT TIME
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Strap yourselves in sports fans – this weekend is set to be a footy finals sports-a-palooza.
It all kicks off tonight when the Brisbane Lions take on the Geelong Cats at the MCG in the first AFL preliminary final for the weekend .. can the Cats continue their 14 game winning streak and steam into the Grand Final? Or will the boys from Brisbane stage another upset in the spiritual home of footy – the Melbourne Cricket Ground – and book themselves their second grand final berth in as many years?
All eyes will be in Sydney on Saturday afternoon with the hotly anticipated Collingwood versus Swans preliminary final. Can Buddy Franklin lead his lads to victory or will Jordan de Goey deliver for the Pies?
It’s a question no-one at CommBank Stadium in Sydney will be asking on Friday night as the Raiders take on the Eels in the first NRL preliminary final for the weekend. The Eels will be desperate to keep their finals hopes alives.
Then tomorrow night, while the Swans fans will be filing out of the SCG victorious or licking their wounds, a capacity crowd is expected next door at the new Allianz Stadium as the Cronulla Sharks take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs for a shot at the semis. It’s sudden death – meaning the loser waves goodbye to the 2022 season – while the winner lives to play another day.
Go the Sharkies!
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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And so to the United States we go, where the world’s most polite bear has been making headlines.
Video was circulating yesterday of a great big black bear nuzzling its way into a woman’s house … using it’s enormous snout to push open the front door and politely wipes its paw on the door mat – until the home owner says to the bear, ever so gently, to ‘close the door, sweetie’ … and the bear obliges – grabbing the door knob in its teeth and pulling closed the door.
The home owner, Susan, is a bear lover of some renown in the New Jersey neighborhood she lives in – which backs onto woods and regularly has bears wandering through it.
She told reporters that she oftens has bears on her doorstep – and occasionally she’ll come across one especially considerate one who closes the door when his visit is over. Sometimes, she barely even knows they are there (DAD JOKE ALARM) .. gosh – i’m on a roll today.
And yes, of course, I’ve stuck a link to the video in today’s episode notes. Enjoy.
HOLIDAYS
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Ahhh … yes … it’s that time of the year again … the September school holidays are upon us here in Queensland … and that means we’re taking a little break.
Today will be our last episode of the podcast for a couple of weeks as I join my family on a little holiday. Woo-hoo! Counting down the sleeps …
But I know how much you’re going to miss me .. so I’ve gone and recorded a bunch of super cool school holiday Kids v Adults Quizzes – to be released every Saturday of the holidays – so you can test to see who’s smarter – kids or adults.
Together with all of our excellent Squiz Kids Shortcuts episodes and every episode we’ve ever recorded of Squiz The World – where we take you on an audio excursion to a different country each week – the quizzes are available to all our valued Apple subscribers … Simply search Squiz Kids in your podcasting app and click on ‘Give Me More’ – or follow the link in today’s episode notes.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- Where in the world is a Moon-themed hotel being built?
- Which team is playing Collingwood in a preliminary final at the SCG tomorrow?
- What extremely polite animal has been opening and closing doors in New Jersey in the United States?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s September 16 … it’s Independence Day in Mexico … arriba! Arriba! And if you’re keen to know more about Mexico – our super excellent Squiz The World episode on this awesome Central American country drops today – available to all classrooms on the Squiz Kids for School program – and all parents who subscribe to our Apple Subscriber specials.
It’s also a Friday and that means a whole bunch of birthday shout outs for today and the coming weekend … so settle in as we break out the ol’ birthday reggae tune..
It’s a happy birthday to…Lillian from Shoal Bay, Tiffany from Campsie, Brenton from Wagga Wagga, Hunter from Port Macquarie, Evie from Parkes, Ollie from Hawthorne, Samantha from Bowen, Sam from Cherrybrook, Neve from Shenton Park, Olivia from Abbotsford, Lachie from Lower Mitcham, Clara from Seaford, Ella and Jack from Craigburn, Eliza from Bathurst, Bella from Mingenew, April from Hobart and Brooke from Forbes.
And not forgetting those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday this weekend…
Angus from The Gap, Harry from Exeter, Audrey from Bathurst, Aaron from Epping, Harrison from Goulburn, Roman from the Gold Coast, Monica from North Ryde, Zain from North Avoca, Aswathi from Woongarrah, Theresa from Broken Hill, Jensen from Craigburn, Clay from the Sunshine Coast, Emilio from Fremantle, Oliver from Morningside, Remy from Dalkeith, Tom from Middle Cove, Lucas from Gymea Bay..AND Benjamin listening over in Hong Kong, Willa listening over in Washington D.C and Anthony over in Los Angeles!
Don’t forget: If you’re celebrating a birthday over the school holidays – be listening during the first week back for your belated birthday shout out.
Special Friday classroom shoutouts go to …the students at Queen of Peace Parish Primary School and happy birthday to their teacher, Mrs Woodward. Also happy birthday to Mr Dennett in K6 Dugong at Caringbah Public School. Lastly to Year 5/6 at Boorowa Central School from your teacher Mr Stuart for your great effort during your school performance night .. Little Red Rocking Hood will live on forever – says Mr Stuart!
Special shout outs go to the following listeners who recently became members of Squiz Kids for Schools on our special Term 4 promo. (Link in episode notes)…..Ms McIntosh and grade 5 at Karalee State School and Ms Jensen and Year 4 at St Thomas More Catholic School in Ruse. Welcome to you both!
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Dubai
- Sydney Swans
- Bear