Monday, 8 November, 2021
Adult nappies for astronauts; Aussies through to World Cup semis; surprise addition to the Toy Hall of Fame; and the world’s ugliest potato.
LINKS
Doug the ugly potato: https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2021/nov/05/new-zealand-couple-dig-up-doug-potentially-the-worlds-heaviest-potato-video
National Toy Hall of Fame: https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/toy-hall-of-fame/inducted-toys/
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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Astronauts preparing to make the journey from the International Space Station back down to Earth are going to be making the trip in nappies after the toilet in their space capsule broke down.
As we we speak this morning, the four crew of the Space X rocketship – who have just spent six months floating around high above our heads – will be strapped into their spacesuits, wearing an adult nappy each, thanks to the fact the return trip to Earth will take around 20 hours.
Imagine going on a holiday road trip with your family and the car not stopping for a toilet break for almost an entire day. That’s what the astronauts will be enduring.
But because they’re scientists – and have trained for extreme circumstances – the astronauts have all shrugged off the inconvenience of not having a toilet – saying they’re sure they’ll manage.
The Space X capsule is expected to splash down about 10pm tonight – in waters somewhere off the coast of Florida, in the United States.
In other exciting news: the nappy-wearing crew have posted photos online of chili peppers they grew in space, aboard the space station. Now, that might not seem like a big deal – but growing food in space is actually remarkable – as plans continue to be drawn up to set up a permanent human base on the Moon and Mars. Veggies in space, it’s a thing.
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 New Zealand … just across the ditch … where a couple of backyard gardeners called Colin and Donna have dug up the world’s largest – and ugliest – potato.
Weighing almost 8 kilograms, the massive vegetable – called Doug – on account of that’s what was done they to get him out of the ground – has become something of an internet sensation – as well as a local celebrity after Colin built a little trolley for Doug to parade him around their town.
There’s a good chance Doug will be declared the biggest potato ever found by the Guinness Book of World Records. The current record holder is a spud from Britain that weighed in at a paltry 5 kilograms.
As Colin says in the video of Doug I’ve included in today’s episode notes, holy snapping turtle teeth!
And if that isn’t the best expression you’re going to hear all week, then I’ll eat my hat.
SPORT TIME
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Eighty-nine runs from 56 balls .. that’s what Aussie batsman Dave Warner hit in our T20 World Cup game against the West Indies at the weekend, sending us straight in the semi-finals this coming weekend.
The Aussies cruised to 2 wickets for 162 runs – beating the Windies who lost seven wickets in their twenty overs and managed only 157 runs.
Mitch Marsh also starred for the Aussies, hitting a suh-weet 53 runs off 32 balls.
The semi finals start on Thursday – in the wee small hours of the morning here in Australia, on account of the fact the World Cup is being played in the United Arab Emirates. Could be a few late nights being pulled this week …
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Ever heard of America’s National Toy Hall of Fame? Me neither, until yesterday, when three new toys were inducted—a fancy word that means admitted—into it and joined classics like Hot Wheels, Scrabble, the hula hoop, the teddy bear, and the Super Soaker as examples of the best toys that ever existed. And the three new members of the Hall of Fame are: American Girl dolls, the board game Risk, and … sand. Yes, that’s right — sand.
Sand was judged a more worthy Hall of Famer than Cabbage Patch Kids, Masters of the Universe figurines and billiards – the first two of which you’ve probably never heard of, but trust me – they were big whe I was a kid.
Why did sand get the call up to the Toy Hall of Fame? According to the judges because it’s been a popular thing for kids to play with as long as kids have played,
In previous years, the Toy Hall of Fame has also honoured the cardboard box, the blanket, and the stick. Have these people never heard of X-Box?
For a full list of all the toys in the hall of fame, check your episode notes.
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 …
- What unusual toy has been inducted into the American Toy Hall of Fame?
- Which team did the Aussies beat at the weekend to make the T20 World Cup semi-finals?
- What vegetable have astronauts grown aboard the International Space Station?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s November 8 … the start of National Recycling Week in Australia .. the theme this year is ‘give your stuff a second life’ – meaning, use what you own before buying more stuff ..
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today…Elly from Lobethal, Halena from Ellenbrook, Amy from Parkdale, Robbie from Ashmont, Phoebe from Mount Annan, Millie from Randwick, Allegra from Five Dock, Jed and Olivier from Mornington and Viola from Italy.
A belated birthday shout out goes to Starlet from Binalong.
Classroom shout outs today go to…class 5/6 Rose Leaf and Mr Richardson from Newtown Public School, class 3L and Mrs Lewis from Carlingford Public School and class 5B and Miss Kriznar at Neutral Bay Public School. Oscar from North Perth Primary School sends a shout out to his pre primary Pink class and wishes his teacher Miss Smith a very happy birthday. Lastly, Harry from Glenbrook Public School in the Blue Mountains sends a shout out to class 3/4O and his teachers Mrs Owen and Miss Powell.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Sand
- West Indies
- Chilli peppers