Friday, 27 May, 2022
Reconciliation Week kicks off; Spiders in the mail; big weekend in the NRL Indigenous Round; and the designer dumpster trainer fail.
LINKS:
Click here for a special Reconciliation activity from Squiz Kids for Schools
NRL Indigenous Round Jersey explainer: https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/05/25/the-meaning-behind-your-teams-indigenous-jersey/
NRL Teams + the name of Indigenous peoples on whose land they play: https://www.nrl.com/draw/?competition=111&round=12&season=2022
Balenciaga’s pricey, rubbishy sneakers: https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3178228/rubbish-bin-balenciaga-trainers-cost-us1850-slammed
Squiz Kids for Schools – Free 30 Day Trial: https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-for-schools/
Squiz Kids Apple Subscriber Content – Free 7 Day Trial: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/squiz-kids/id1494238283
How To Become A Squiz Kids Correspondent: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FH2HA28InnLU6UxE91wrLBAbCMT40Mua/view
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Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Send us an email at [email protected]
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Today marks the start of Reconciliation Week – which is a week in which attention around the country turns to how we build an Australia in which every person has the same rights and opportunities to live a happy, healthy life.
Why is today, May 27, such an important date? Because on this day in 1967 – so 55 years ago – a vote was held, called a referendum, in which the Australian population voted to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders the same rights as everyone else in the country.
Up until then, in many parts of Australia ATIs couldn’t vote in elections, marry who they wanted, live where they wanted or even be allowed to raise their own children. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?
Reconciliation is a fancy word for making up for something you’ve done that wrong.
And that vote in 1967 was a step in the right direction in repairing relations between ATIs and those of us who are more recent arrivals in this ancient land of our – but Reconciliation Week is a good reminder of how much work there is still to do, and how far we still have to go.
The theme of this year’s Reconciliation Week is Be Brave, Make Change .. which pretty much says it all.
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If you’re a subscriber to SK4S or our Apple Subscriber Specials, you’ll know that each week, we produce a Squiz Kids Shortcut—a deep dive into high interest topic for kids. Today, we’re releasing one for National Reconciliation Week, with a special co-host, Alanna Raymond. Alanna is an Aboriginal primary school teacher. And because she does such a fantastic job of explaining WHY reconciliation is important, we thought we’d offer all our listeners a sneak preview, which you can hear at the end of today’s podcast … plus, because we like to give, you’ll find in your episode notes a special reconciliation activity sheet that you can do at school, or at home. Not yet a subscriber, sign up for a 30 day free trial via links in our episode notes or via squizkids.com.au
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 Hong Kong – where university researchers have just published a paper revealing the huge number of spiders being sent around the world in the post.
The online trade of arachnids – which is the scientific name of those eight-legged creepy crawlies you either love or hate – has exploded in recent years with more than 1200 different kinds of spiders being offered for sale on the internet .. including the enormous Asian forest scorpion, the striped Costa Rican zebra tarantula – and even the common, garden variety Daddy long legs.
According to researchers, as we speak, there are packages filled with spiders flying all over the world, being delivered to people in countries far from the natural habitat of the animal involved. Which poses something of a problem for biodiversity – with some spiders being taken from their homes to end up in a tank on the other side of the Earth. Not to mention a problem for the postmen and women who have to deliver them .. Imagine if they escaped in transit … euugggh.
SPORT TIME
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This weekend is a big one in the NRL – not only are the top teams duking it out for a top eight position as we get into the second half of the season, but it’s the Indigenous Round.
Now – if you’re watching the footy this weekend, it means you’ll see your favourite team playing in a special team jersey decorated with Indigenous art and motifs. And I’ve popped a link in your episode notes to an explainer of the meaning behind every club’s Indigenous round jersey design.
The Indigenous round also means that the Yuggera and Turrbal people – also known as the Brisbane Broncos, will take on the Yugambeh people from the Gold Coast Titans, while down Sydney way the Dharawal + Eora people – who you’d know as West Tigers – clash with the Gadigal mob of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Check out the link in today’s episode notes to the names of your favourite club and the name of the Indigenous people on whose lands they play.
For the Sharks star back, Nicho Hines, to the Broncos’ winger Selwyn Cobbo, to the Bulldog’s Josh Addo-Carr and the Rabbitohs’ Latrell Mitchell – all proud Indigenous men, this weekend is sure to be a special one.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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I want you to imagine your oldest, grottiest pair of sneakers. Now imagine that the heels are so ripped and worn that you can just slide your feet in… no need for laces. Which is lucky, because one shoe has lost its laces, and the other’s are snapped and tied back together. Now, please imagine pouring thick, black engine oil onto those sneakers, so they’re really stained.
I hope you’re picturing what I’ve posted in your episode notes… $2,600 trainers from fashion house Balenciaga. In an example of fashion gone mad, the Paris-based brand has released 100 pairs of these limited edition sneakers, apparently as some kind of statement about the environment. But its backfired in a big way in China, where millions of people last week mocked the brand online. There are LOTS of rich people in China, and fashion houses are trying to win them as customers… but Balenciaga has backfired as badly as Chanel did last year, when they released a line of “messy hair accessories” for $4,000. And based on online criticism, there won’t be many takers for a luxury Gucci-Adidas umbrella that goes on sale in China next month for $2300. Not least because it isn’t even waterproof.
What on earth is the world coming to?
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What animals are being sold online and sent around the world in packages?
- What special round of the NRL is being played this weekend?
- What’s the name of the week that starts today, whose aim is to strengthen the relationship between ATI people and non-Indigenous Australians?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s May 27 … if you’re in Sydney over the next month, the Vivid light festival kick off tonight … it’s also National Chardonnay Day – which i mention more for the benefit of your parents and teachers …
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means? Heaps of birthday shout outs for today and over the weekend – and that means it’s time to crack out the ol’ birthday reggae tune ..
It’s a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today …
Ciro, Wilson and Maurice from Forest Lake, Brax from Helensvale, Ellie from Newcastle, Phoebe from Thornleigh, Aarush from Carlton, Michelle from Balmain, Kosei from Victoria and Gerald from London, UK.
Belated shout outs today go to…Jack K from Helensvale, Evelyn from Cherrybrook and Hayden from Quirindi.
Not forgetting of course those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend … Henry from Ganmain, Kobe from Wesburn, Aurelia from Sydney, Asher from Bombala, Ana from St Leonards, Sage from Richmond, Felix from Campbell, Ryan from Orangville, Candice from Surrey Hills and Hanyu from Brisbane.
And altho it’s a Friday we have two special requests for classroom shout outs – Emmaus class at All Saints College St Peters Campus in Maitland and a big happy birthday to classmate Ruby, and class HB4 at Woongarrah Public School and happy birthday to Mrs McLean celebrating this Sunday.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Spiders
- Indigenous Round
- Reconciliation Week