Thursday, 24 March, 2022

Barty’s big bombshell; Germany’s electric car revolution; Tay Tay and BTS supercharge sales; and it’s do or die for the Socceroos.

 

LINKS

Ash Barty’s announcement: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbbbr7xBX7N/

Goalie scores from inside his own half: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-nottinghamshire-60834496

 

Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours:

https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/fresh-food-kids/discoverytours

 

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

As the world was busy minding its own business yesterday around lunchtime, the world’s number one women’s tennis player, Australia’s own Ash Barty dropped the sporting bombshell of the decade. 

In a video posted to her Instagram account, Barty announced she is retiring from tennis.

Finished. Finito. End of story. 

Yes, listeners. The same Ash Barty who electrified all of Australia when she stormed home to win the Australian Open in February. The same sports superstar from Ipswich who won Wimbledon last year – fulfilling a lifelong dream. 

Despite being at the top of her game, and the number one player in the world – or maybe because of it – Ash announced yesterday she was hanging up her racquet and going out on top.

“I’ll never ever, ever stop loving tennis,” she said. “It’ll always be a massive part of my life. But now I think it’s important that I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash Barty the person and not Ash Barty the athlete.

Ash’s announcement was met with shock here in Australia and around the world – with tributes flooding in for the Queenslander from all corners of the globe overnight – from the very famous to the ordinary tennis fan.  

Ash will hold a press conference today to talk further about her decision.

Quitting when you’re at the top of your game. Doing something because it’s right for you, not because it’s what everyone expects. 

Just as she has always conducted herself on the tennis court, so it was yesterday with her retirement announcement. All class. 

Ash Barty – Squiz Kids salute you … 

 

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 Germany … where a great big new factory producing electric cars has been opened.

So why is that a big deal? New factories get opened all the time around the world. Whoop de doo.

The reason this is interesting is because Germany has been the country that produces so many of the petrol fueled cars that we see on our roads today … think VWs, Audis, BMWs, Mercedes ..

So the decision by electric car maker, Tesla – and its boss Elon Musk – to open their first European factory on the outskirts of the German capital Berlin is a thing.

It’s a case of the new kid on the car making block – electric vehicles – taking on the older, more established kids – petrol fueled vehicles – on their home turf.

The new factory reckons once it is up and running, it will be punching out half a million electric vehicles a year … 

 

SPORT TIME

—-

And it’s crunch time tonight for the Socceroos who play Japan in Sydney in a crucial World Cup qualifying match.

The Aussies really need a win tonight against Japan at Stadium Australia if they want to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the World Cup – taking place in Qatar in November.

Japan’s national team, the Samurai Blue, arrived in Sydney on Sunday and have been madly training ever since. 

After tonight’s game, the Socceroos will hop on a plane and head to Jedda in Saudi Arabia – where they have to play the Saudis next Wednesday. 

Soccer commentators say we really need to win both matches to book ourselves a spot in the World Cup later this year. 

Fingers and toes crossed people

While we’re on the subject of all things football – of the round ball variety – special mention also must go to the under 12s  goalie for the Gedling Southbank Panthers in England, Charlie Clarke – who, during his weekend footy match, and in the dying minutes of the game, scored a goal from deep inside his own half with a majestic thwack of the ball .. i’ve stuck a link to video of his amazing goal in today’s episode notes.

 

POP CULTURE CORNER

Have you been listening to a lot of music lately? Had your favourite Taylor Swift or Adele or BTS songs on high rotation? 

Well if it’s not you – it must be someone – with new numbers out yesterday showing that music streaming platforms have become so popular that the money being made by the music industry went through the roof last year.

Artists like Tay Tay, the South Korean boy band BTS and the all-conquering Adele are said to be behind the record number of dollars that were spent by us all on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. I’m talking about $33 billion Aussie dollars spent around the world on streaming services last year. 

And of course whenever a new technology takes off – it invariably means an old one gets sent to the graveyard. Step up CDs … 

You know those funny silver discs with music stored on them that your parents won’t chuck out and they now collect dust in the corner of your living room? They used to be the primary way people my age listened to music … not anymore .. with streaming accounting for 65% of all music consumed last year, and CDs, vinyl records and cassettes making up only 19%. 

Oh well – CDs are good for hanging in the trees to scare off birds, so there’s that. ..

 

Q+A TIME! AARON BLABEY

Yes listeners .. it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for … the Aaron Blabey Squiz Kids Q+A drops today … (CHEER)

The author of The Bad Guys, Thelma The Unicorn and Pig The Pug sits down with Amanda and answers a bunch of the cool questions that you sent in. 

We had so many questions sent in .. it’s clear you mob love the Aaron Blabey books. Which also means you going to love this Q+A – in which Aaron discusses which Bad Guy he is most like, which one he’d most like as a pet and how plans are underway for a Pig The Pug / Thelma The Unicorn / Bad Guys crossover project. 

So don’t just sit there! Get stuck into it! 

If you’re listening on an app – the Q+A should play directly after this episode .. otherwise, you can find it at squizkids.com.au.

 

THE S’QUIZ

—————–

This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …

  1. Which Aussie tennis player shocked the world yesterday announcing she was retiring from tennis?
  2. Which team do the Socceroos play tonight in Sydney?
  3. Name German city where a huge electric vehicle factory has just been built?

 

SHOUT OUTS

——————-– 

It’s March 24 … birthday of Aussie cricketer Alyssa Healy – and also of NRL player Darren Lockyer … it’s also National Cheesesteak Day in the United States … which i only mention because, cheese-steak .. what is that about?

It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today… 

Jack from Canberra, Patrick from Ballarat and Cailin from Brisbane.

Classroom shout outs today go to…class 5/6D at Dobroyd Point Public School in Sydney, class 5K at Merimbula Public School and Ms Donoghue and her year 4 class Buubumurr (pronounced boobo/moo) at Quirindi Public School.

And it’s a very big welcome to Ms Sinclair and her year 3 & 4 class, at Ashmont Public School in Wagga Wagga – they have recently signed up to a Squiz Kids for Schools Membership. We are delighted to have you aboard. 

The S’Quiz Answers:

  1. Ash Barty
  2. Japan
  3. Berlin