Friday, 4 March, 2022
School cancelled in Queensland; the great worldwide plastics ban; a huge weekend for sports lovers; and a rocket collides with the Moon.
LINKS
Aaron Blabey – Bad Guys author – Q+A
Bad Guys movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Xt0yXaDPU
Meet the Bad Guys: Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6WAdMEJaqo
Squiz Kids for Schools: https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-for-schools/
Squiz Kids Apple Subscriber Content: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/squiz-kids/id1494238283
How To Become A Squiz Kids Correspondent: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FH2HA28InnLU6UxE91wrLBAbCMT40Mua/view
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]
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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School kids were sent home yesterday and classes have been cancelled today all over Brisbane and South East Queensland as the wild weather that caused widespread flooding earlier this week returned and sent locals scrambling.
Premier Annastacia Palazsczuk warned Queenslanders to stay indoors for the next 48 hours as weather forecasters predicted heavy rains, damaging winds and even hail was headed for the Sunshine State this weekend.
Not again …
Northern NSW was also said to be in the firing line, as residents there continued the clean up from the dreaded rain bomb.
Sydneysiders were meanwhile taking a short break from the weather onslaught yesterday .. while the flooding to the city’s west was widespread, the pesky rain bomb largely avoided the most populated parts of the city – but the forecast was for more storm activity over the weekend.
Alright .. hands up who upset the weather gods? Because seriously: it’s time to say sorry.
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And it’s a big welcome back to our friends in WA … after the borders there reopened yesterday after 697 days of being closed to the rest of Australia and the rest of the world.
Perth Airport has been the scene of emotional family reunions – and the roads from South Australia and Northern Territory into WA have had queues of cars and trucks all day.
It’s nice to have you back WA. And with all that warm weather you’re having over there … it’s very tempting to leave this soggy side of Australia to just come and dry out.
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 Nairobi, in the African country of Kenya … where all the countries of the world have met and agreed to the world’s first global plastic pollution treaty .. What’s a plastic pollution treaty? It’s basically an agreement among all countries to slow down the production of plastics – which is a super good thing because the amount of plastic rubbish in the world is out of control – putting at risk lots of animals that live in the sea and hurting sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs.
The treaty will impact oil and chemical companies that make plastics, and also put pressure on companies that sell their products in single-use plastics. Can I get a hallelujah?
SPORT TIME
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Pass me the popcorn and fluff up the couch… it’s going to be a MASSIVE weekend of sport.
Today, the Aussie men’s cricket team is beginning an historic tour of Pakistan—it’s the first time we’ve played there for 24 years! The first test gets underway in Islamabad, which is where Aussie batsman Usman Khawaja was born. He’s thrilled to have been selected, after the incredible two-centuries he scored in one test against England during the Ashes.
Can’t get enough cricket? The women’s World Cup also starts today, with the Aussies hot favourites to win the eight-team tournament in New Zealand. The Aussies’ first victims… I mean, opponents… will be England, in a one-day international match to be played tomorrow.
And if snow and ice are more your thing, then settle in for nine days of incredible action at the Beijing Winter Paralympics, starting today… The Australian team has 9 athletes competing, including hot snowboard medal prospect Ben Tudhope (BC: it’s a short “u” sound, Tud like Bud), and if you want ALL the info on what sports they’re representing us in, how they compete, and who is in for a medal… check out the Squiz Kids Shortcut that’s out today! It’s available to all our Squiz Kids for Schools members, and our Apple Subscribers. There are links in your episode notes to free trials for both.
SPACED OUT
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By the time you wake this morning, the Moon will have had an unwelcome visitor – in the shape of an out of control rocket from Earth that crashed into its surface and made a big ol’ crater.
A crater is the hole that’s created when something whacks into the surface of a planet – or, in this case, a Moon.
The rocket is believed to have launched into space from down here on Earth back in 2014 – and has been floating around aimlessly since.
There’s heaps of space junk floating around in space above our heads – in what is called ‘low orbit’ above Earth. Most of it stays there or burns up on contact with our atmosphere. But this rocket had other ideas. And if you’re wondering how a small-ish rocket can make a crater on something as large as the Moon – wrap your head around this: when it collided with the Moon in the wee small hours of this morning – it was estimated to be travelling about 9,300 kilometres per hour. Ouch.
THE S’QUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- Which Australian state reopened its borders yesterday after two years of having them closed?
- What collided with the Moon overnight and is expected to have created a crater?
- What great big, snow-covered sporting event kicks off tonight in China?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s March 4 … the Adelaide Festival kicks off today – and on this day 97 years ago, a little song called Happy Birthday To You was first published…
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means …a good excuse to crack out the birthday reggae tune .. hit it ..
It’s a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Lorelei (Lore-elle-eye) from Penrith, Sierra from Erskinville, Xavier from Ivanhoe, Miller from Craigburn, Tessa from Shoal Bay, Sam from Parkes, Cece from Pakenham, Ned from Exeter and Tulsi (Tul sounds like full not dull) from Enmore.
Not forgetting of course those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend… Isabella from Ivanhoe, Willow from Buxton, Isla from Aspley, Indi from Maitland, Immy from Yass, Leon from Abbotsford, Finlay from Caulfield and Gabriel from Ashfield.
Also a special Friday classroom shout out goes to …Dobroyd Point Public School.
Also a very big welcome to Ms Correy and her Grade 5/6 class from Glen Innes Public School who have just signed up as full Squiz Kids for Schools members.
Plus an extra special shout out to Tennyson from Adelaide. Tennyson is a super cool super brave Squiz Kid who is departing for the USA this weekend to have a life-changing operation – all the best Tennyson, we are thinking of you. And a shout out to your brother Will who will be bravely waiting at home for your return.
And finally: a happy 55th wedding anniversary to my Mum and Dad. Fifty five years and still going strong .. now that’s something to celebrate..
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Western Australia
- A rocket
- The Winter Paralympics