Thursday, 15 October, 2020
No littering on the Moon; Monkeys take over Thai town; LeBron’s awesome cubby house; and the ‘jet-fighter’ of the bird world.
LINKS
Thai town overrun with monkeys: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/lopburi-monkey-temple-thailand-intl-hnk/index.html
LeBron’s awesome cubby: https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1316071781476704257
Jet-fighter of the bird world: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/13/jet-fighter-godwit-breaks-world-record-for-non-stop-bird-flight
Squiz Kids Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
———————-
You know how we’ve been talking a lot lately about all of the different countries who are planning to send astronauts to the Moon? Yesterday NASA – the American space agency – decided with so many people about to set foot on the Moon – it was time to draw up some rules.
And just like the rules in the playground – they’re all about keeping it clean and respecting others around you.
Called the “moonshot rules’ – the list of regulations include: no littering on the Moon (if you take something from your spacecraft onto the Moon’s surface, make sure it comes back with you); no fighting – everyone must ‘come in peace’; no secrets – everyone has to know what everyone else is doing there; no bumping into each other – if they’re on the Moon surface at the same time, everyone has to make sure their Moon rover doesn’t bump into other people’s Rovers. And finally: if there’s an emergency, everyone who’s up there has to pitch in to help out.
All sounds reasonable to me. But gosh – it sure sounds like it’s going to be busy up there …
SPIN THE GLOBE
————————-
Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops … and today, we find ourselves in Thailand … where a town has been overrun by monkeys.
The tourist town of Lopburi is renowned for its monkey temple. And the monkeys there grew fat and numerous thanks to a regular flow of tourists feeding them. But now, with tourist numbers there lower than normal because of the coronavirus, the monkeys have moved from the temple and into town – invading shops, raiding fresh food markets and engaging in all manner of monkey business. .
But because Thais are such a gentle, lovely people – the locals have been doing their best to accommodate their pesky primate friends – feeding them and offering them water to drink wherever they’re able.
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to a video of the monkeys running amok in the town.
SPORTS TIME
——
So – you’ve just helped your team to a stunning grand final victory in the NBA basketball tournament in the United States, you’re widely considered the best basketball player on the planet – so how do you celebrate? Why – by building your six-year-old daughter her very own mini mansion in the backyard.
Only days after leading his team the LA Lakers to victory, basketball great LeBron James took his gazillion Twitter followers on a tour of his daughter Zhuri’s mini-mansion yesterday – and It. Is. Fine.
Pretty sure the couch and kitchen appliances in her playhouse are better than the ones in my real house …
So the man gets tops points for slam dunking AND being a tops dad. Props to you LeBron.
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to the Twitter video mini mansion tour.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
————–
You think you get worn out running around the playground, or up and down the school oval a few times? Then spare a thought for the bar-tailed godwit … a migratory bird that has just broken a new record for the longest, furthest non-stop flight ever recorded.
The godwit in question flew non-stop for eleven whole days from Alaska – up near the Arctic Circle and North Pole – all the way down to New Zealand, over some 12,000 kilometres of open ocean – reaching speeds of up to 90 km/h.
It is believed the birds do not sleep for the entire 11 days they are in transit – and according to scientists, they pork up on clams on the Alaskan mud flats before taking flight – to store up energy for the journey. And – get this – they are able to shrink their internal organs to lighten the load.
Imagine flapping your wings for 11 days straight !! What a remarkable bird.
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to a photo of the bird being described as the ‘jet fighter’ of the bird world.
THE S’QUIZ
—————–
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What’s the name of the American space agency drawing up rules for visiting the Moon?
- In which country have monkeys overrun a popular tourist town?
- Name the US basketball star who’s built an awesome backyard cubby for his daughter?
SHOUT OUTS
——————-
It’s October 15 … Global Handwashing Day … a day on which we are all to be reminded of the benefits of regular and thorough handwashing hygiene … especially important this year, because …. corona.
Plus it’s a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Alexia from Eastwood, Isaac and Tom from Newcastle, Zaid from Carlingford, Sarah and Chloe from Melbourne, Jackson from Eltham, Sarah from Blackburn, Rosie from Adelaide, Kaitlyn, Adrian & Alesha from Greystanes, Leopold from Sydney, Harry from Point Clare, Gabriella from Five Dock, and Yosef, who is originally from Melbourne but is currently living in Cambodia.
Today’s belated birthday shoutouts go to…Mali from Abbotsford and Lara from Clayfield.
Happy birthday one and all!
Classroom shoutouts… 3 Blue at St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School in Tarragindi, Mrs Brooks and 3B from Braddock Public School, Mrs Keough an d 3K at St Mary’s Primary School in Moruya, class 5D at Girraween Public School, and Class 3T with Mrs Tomlin, and 1C at Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Buderim with Mrs Carter, who recently celebrated a birthday.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- NASA
- Thailand
- LeBron James