Monday, December 12
Meet the chart topping frogs; Heartbreak and joy in World Cup finals; catching a puma; and how to own a unicorn.
LINKS
Tangalooma Puma: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-08/feral-cat-tangalooma-puma-caught-crow-in-stomach-moreton-island/101742590
Just Cuts: https://www.justcuts.com.au/
Newshounds
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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It’s a Christmas tradition every year to see which album tops the pop charts – and it’s usually someone who’s recorded an album full of Christmas carols.
But this year, the likes of Christmas favourites Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes and even Taylor Swift are in danger of being toppled by a bunch of frogs.
That’s right … an album full of frog calls is currently at number three on the ARIA charts – and could knock off Taylor Swift at number two and Paul Kelly who’s currently at number one.
What in the world of ribbit am i talking about?
I’m talking about the album ‘Australian Frog Calls: Songs of Disappearance’ – which is basically a whole album of frog grunts, clicks, squeals and screams from 60 different species of Aussie frog.
The album has been put together to raise funds for the Australian Museum’s Frog ID project – which invites all Aussies, wherever they are, to download an app and record frog calls in their backyard.
I’ve stuck a link to it in today’s episode notes.
It’s hoped that by getting people like you invested in the frogs – and getting us all to stop and appreciate how amazing they are – we’ll be more inclined to stop the habitat destruction which is threatening to make many species extinct.
So – look – yeah – unless there’s an Aussie frog that has learned to croak Jingle Bells – you won’t have much to sing-along to with this frog call album – but you might just help a bunch of threatened species survive.
And even Tay Tay would be down with that ..
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 California – in the United States – where a little girl has gotten the state’s first ever licence to keep a unicorn in as a pet.
The girl, called Madeline, showed incredible responsibility and maturity by sending a letter to her local council asking for a permit to keep a unicorn.
In her letter, she noted that she didn’t yet own a unicorn – but she wanted to be prepared should she ever be so lucky as to find one.
The council not only approved her request, but sent her a stuffed toy unicorn to cuddle until the real thing came along. In its response, the council applauded her for being a responsible citizen and said the only condition to owning a unicorn was that any sparkles or glitter used in its upkeep be bio-degradable. Seems fair enough.
SPORT TIME
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Morocco has become the first African country to advance to a World Cup semi-final after a wild weekend of quarter finals football in Qatar.
Morocco – who are ranked 22nd in the world – overcame world number 9 ranked Portugal beating them 1-0 at the weekend to book their place in the semis.
Morocco is located in the north-west corner of the continent of Africa … it’s a magical place if you ever get the chance to visit. And predictably: as the first African country to make it to World Cup semi final – the streets of Morocco were filled at the weekend with Morrocans celebrating the remarkable achievement.
Morocco will face world number 4 – and defending World Cup champions – France on Wednesday, after the French team beat England yesterday morning in their quarter final.
In a mistake that will haunt him, English captain Harry Kane had a chance to equal the score but sent a penalty shot over the cross bar .. sport: it can be so cruel.
Other quarter final winners at the weekend were Croatia, who drew with Brazil 1-1, but then won on penalties – and Argentina, who drew with the Netherlands 2-2 but prevailed in the penalty shoot out. Prevailed means to win. The winner of Argentina v Croatia and the winner of France v Morocco will play in the grand final next weekend. It’s getting exciting now …
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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For months now the people of Moreton Island, just off the coast of Brisbane, have been reporting sightings of a great big cat.
Believed to have been a feral cat that has grown larger and stronger than your usual pet cat, the feline was called the Tangalooma Puma – because it liked to prowl around the outskirts of Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island.
Wildlife officers last week managed to trap the cat – and found a crow and a bandicoot in its tummy – indicating it had only recently eaten.
Feral cats are pests. A feral cat is a normal domestic cat that has gone wild and eats native species to survive. They’re bad news and programs exist all over the country to control them.
I’ve stuck a link to night-vision photos of the Tangalooma Puma in today’s episode notes so you can see just how big it was.
HAIRCUT CHALLENGE
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It’s Christmas holiday time! And that means letting your hair down … literally. No school rules on regulation hair length, no parent rules on an appropriate do.
Which is why we’ve partnered with our friends at Just Cuts to find out which haircut the kids of Australia would get if they could have ANY haircut in the world … a fade, an undercut, a faux-hawk or mohawk?
Maybe you’d choose an epic mullet like NRL star Ryan Papenhuysen? For girls – are you more of a Millie Bobby Brown or a Hermione Granger? Ponytails or pigtails? Bangs or a buzz cut?
All you have to do is write to us a [email protected] and tell us your ultimate hair style and you’ll go into the draw to win … get this … a year’s worth of style cuts for the whole family – plus a family pack of Just Cuts new range of kids hair-care products … the JUSTICE Professional Kids range – including Tutti-Frutti tear-free shampoo, tangle-free conditioner and a texturising wax .. for those days when you’re feeling super stylish. Exclusive to Just Cuts salons or available at justcuts.com. I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes …
We’ve got one prize pack to give away for each state ..
So don’t just sit there … get busy imagining your ideal haircut and drop us a line!
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 sort of animal was the Tangalooma Puma?
- Name one of the artists that the Frog Call album is challenging for the number one spot on the pop charts this Christmas?
- What did a little girl in California receive a licence to own?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s December 12 … only 13 sleeps ‘til Xmas … and only six sleeps to Hanukkah! Keep listening after this podcast if you want to learn more about this special Jewish celebration… Amanda and I will dive into what Hanukkah is; how it’s celebrated; and why it happens on a different date each year. Don’t forget, all summer long, we’ll be releasing a shortcut on Monday; a Squiz the World episode on Wednesday; and a kids vs adults quiz on Saturday.
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Jaxxon from Lake Bolac, Mackie and Eddie from Craigburn, Brax from Cronulla, Hudson from Cairnlea, Brax and Dylan from Collie, Lola from Wagga Wagga, Ella, Austin and Noah from Mansfield, Jonah from Ascot Vale, Claudia from Toowoomba, Michaela from Brighton East and Hudson from Elermore Vale.
Belated birthday shout outs go to … Harleigh from Wentworth Falls, Nash and Jett from Wodonga, Novia from Sydney, Henry from Relbia and Graham and Jacob from Carine.
Classroom shout outs go to… class 5/6 OC with Mrs Garfoot at Jewells Public School,
class 3P and Miss Brown at St Anthony of Padua Primary School in Canberra, class 6/5B and Mrs Butler at Lane Cove West Public School, Stage 3 Eucalyptus at All Hallows Catholic Primary School in Five Dock, class 5/6 at Blacksmiths Public School, class 3A and 3B at the Australian International Academy in North Kellyville, class 5/6K and Mr K at Emmaus Catholic School in Woodcroft and thank you to Mr K for being the most fun teacher ever and lastly to class LA10 at Harrisdale Primary School and belated happy birthday to Miss Cureton for last week.
And a quick note on Classroom Shoutouts … we’ve got only four more podcasts left in the year and over 100 Classroom Shoutouts in the Squiz Kids mailbox queue – we’ll get through as many as we can before the week is out – but if we don’t, please accept our apologies and please get in touch when the school term resumes next year …
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Cat
- Taylor Swift, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes.
- Unicorn