Friday, 18 November, 2022
Flood help arrives; good news from Myanmar; a massive weekend for the ‘roos; and video games at work.
LINKS
NSW Floods in pictures: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/central-western-nsw-flood-in-pictures-20221116-h27wgj.html
Squiz the World Goes to… China: https://www.squizkids.com.au/podcast/squiz-the-world-goes-to-china/
The Ferns Haka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ikmASNtjuk
The All Blacks Haka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw
Rotary dial telephones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_dial
Newshounds—Get started on our free media literacy resource for classrooms www.squizkids.com.au/newshounds
Squiz Kids + Lego ‘Build To Give’ Christmas Campaign
Help Lego give away Lego sets to families in need this Christmas.
- Build something using Lego
- Share your creation to Instagram (a story or a post)
- Tag @ squizkids and #buildtogive
We’ll re-share your post on our Instagram, and on December 9, reveal just how generous Squiz Kids are …
Squiz Kids For Schools – Classroom Activities tied to the podcast
Sign up for a 30-day free trial at squizkids.com.au
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Two weeks after they finished their flood cleanup, hundreds of properties in New South Wales are underwater again. Yesterday, the Lachlan River rushed through the town of Forbes, where 8,000 people live, surprising people with its speed, and requiring dozens of rescues.
After 66 days of floods, those rescuers are getting pretty exhausted, so the federal government has sent in an extra 200 soldiers to help… plus, 18 flood specialists from Singapore also arrived in the country yesterday to lend a hand, joining a team from New Zealand that was already here. Meanwhile, towns further west were being told to evacuate ahead of predicted flooding today.
Experts have predicted that this will be the biggest flood rescue and cleanup operation in New South Wales history. If you’re having a hard time imagining what it looks like in the affected areas, I’ve put a link in your episode notes to some photos. One shows a house that floated down the street, with air conditioner and TV dish still on the roof, before crashing against a power pole.
Thank goodness that weather forecasts for a weekend of rain were looking less likely… and there’s expected to be no rain for a week, starting on Monday. Sadly, that isn’t the case in Victoria and Tasmania, which could see more rain and flooding next week. BOO.
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story wherever it stops. And today we’ve landed in Myanmar, where the military announced yesterday it was releasing more than 6,000 prisoners from jail, including an Australian professor.
I’m guessing you have a lot of questions. Like, where is Myanmar, who is this imprisoned professor, and why are the military releasing people from prison? Well, Myanmar is a country in southeast Asia, and in February 2021, the military overthrew the democratically elected government, and put themselves in charge. They then threw a lot of people in prison who had either been involved with the old government, or protested against military rule.
The Aussie professor is Sean Turnell, who is an expert in economics. He was in Myanmar working as an advisor to the former Prime Minister, Aung San Suu Kyi. The military sentenced him to three years in prison in September, and his supporters in Australia have been trying to get him out ever since.
So why did the military say they were letting him and more than 6,000 other people go? State media announced that they were doing it to celebrate Myanmar’s national day. Professor Turnell will be deported, which means sent back, to Australia, where his wife – also a university lecturer – is waiting for him.
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While we’re spinning the globe… we have a special treat for you. Here at Squiz Kids, we know that it’s important to know more about a country than just what we hear in the headlines. And so this week, I’m taking an audio excursion to China to learn about its culture and people. This week, Anthony Albanese was the first Aussie PM to meet with Chinese President Xi Jingping in six years… which could mean that the tricky relationship between our two countries is improving. If you keep listening after today’s podcast, you’ll hear Squiz the World go to China, and learn things like how many people it took to build the Great Wall; what it’s like to go to school in China; and why there’s just one time zone across such a massive country. Hope you enjoy it!
SPORT TIME
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I know not everyone listening is a rugby league fan—what I know about rugby league you could write on a pin! But I DO love a grand final of any kind, and this weekend, the Rugby League men’s and women’s World Cup finals will be held back to back … with a LOT of Aussie ‘roos involved.
The Kangaroos—our men’s team—will play Samoa for the men’s final, which kicks off at the lovely hour of 4pm on Saturday… in England. That’s 3am on Sunday morning on the east coast of Australia.
Before that game, our world number one women’s Jillaroos will take on the New Zealand Ferns… at the slightly better time of a quarter past midnight – 9:15 on Saturday night if you’re in the west! Two Aussie players, Kennedy Cherrington and Shannon Mato, have Maori heritage, and they’ve given their Aussie teammates some advice on what to do during the haka. The haka is a ceremonial war dance, and Kiwi rugby teams do it before every match. I’ll put a link in your episode notes —it is quite intimidating. Kennedy told her teammates: Look a Kiwi player in the eye, and stare them down while they do the haka. It’s a war dance… and she wants to take the war to New Zealand.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Have you ever been busted playing video games when you were meant to be doing something else – either at home or at school? Believe it or not, grownups are now being encouraged to play games at work! The computer giant Microsoft is promoting something called Games for Work on its video meeting platform, called Teams. Colleagues can play against each other, and others can also watch and cheer their workmates on. Microsoft reckons that playing games “in moderation” can lift your spirits, and help you produce better work once you’ve had that break. I think there are millions of kids who would tell you that for free.
CHRISTMAS CHARITY CAMPAIGN
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Hi kids … a quick reminder of our super-excellent Christmas charity campaign – in association with Lego.
For every Lego build that a Squiz Kid creates and shares on Instagram – tagging @squizkids and using the hashtag #buildtogive – the good people at Lego will donate a Lego set to a family in need this Christmas.
How cool is that?
It’s all being done in cooperation with UNHCR – the United Nations High Commission for Refugees – who do excellent work helping families displaced by conflict – forced to leave their homes and set up in a new country.
This, my friends, is our chance to show the world how generous Squiz Kids can be.
Build as many things as you like, share them on your parents’ Instagram accounts – and we’ll feature them on the Squiz Kids Insta page. I took a look yesterday and was blown away by a most excellent Galaxy Five spaceship; a minecraft battle; and a shark with pointy teeth. Add yours this weekend!
On December 9 – we’ll add up all the builds you’ve done and reveal the number of Lego sets that will be given away this Christmas.
Because nothing is better than giving at Christmas time..
I’ve stuck details about the Build To Give campaign in today’s episode notes. Get building!
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening … but before we get started, I wanted to let you know there’s another test in today’s podcast. All of the names in our birthday shoutouts are in alphabetical order—but two are out of place. Can you find them?
- Which team are the Jillaroos playing in the Rugby League World Cup final?
- From which country have flood rescue specialists arrived in Australia?
- What does Microsoft think adults should do at work to boost productivity?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s November 18 … on this day in 1963, the first push button telephone came into service. Before then, you had to put your finger into a different hole for each number and turn it, on what was called a rotary phone. Rotary comes from the word rotate, or go around… I’ll put a link in your episode notes if your parents or grandparents want a trip down memory lane.
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means .. lots of birthday shout outs for today and the coming weekend … in alphabetical order, except for two surprises! Listen carefully… while I crack out the ol’ birthday reggae tune … hit it …
And it’s a happy birthday today to… Addison from Munno Parra, Alex from Mosman, Annabel from Robina, Barrie from Waitara, Bianca from Bathurst, Charlotte from Craigburn, Daire (pronounced Dara) from NSW, Daren from Caringbah, Dom from Geebung, Faithlyn from South Hurstville, Edie from Geebung, Elizabeth from Robina, Eva from Cromer, Jayden from Melbourne, Jayruz from Brisbane, Jen from Bradbury, Katie from Perth, Katie from Orelia, Lerita from Dandenong South, Lorissa from Sydney, Maise from Somersby, Miranda from Telarah, Nell from Botany, Noah from Richmond, Riley from Glenmore Park and Rohullah from Melbourne.
A belated birthday shout out goes to Amelia from Kearns.
Not forgetting the Squiz Kids who are celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend… again in alphabetical order …Angad from Craigburn, Emily from Sans Souci, Ken from Woongarrah, Molly from Bridgeman Downs, Lucas from Abbotsford, Neo from Pyrmont, Oscar from Forest Lake, Saba from Melbourne and Xander H from Point Claire.
Special classroom shoutouts today go to .. class 6J at Preston West Primary School and happy birthday to their teacher Mr Jobson. Also to the Grade 4’s at Snowy Mountains Grammar School in Jindabyne and a happy birthday to their teacher Miss Murray and good luck with her big move.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- New Zealand Ferns
- Singapore
- Play video games