Thursday, 25 February, 2021
Brissie in Olympics box seat; Japan’s robot city; the seat belt that saved Tiger Woods; and Skipper the miracle puppy.
LINKS
Skipper the miracle pup: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/23/us/puppy-born-with-six-legs-trnd/index.html
Squiz Kids Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
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Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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What have you got planned for summer 2032? I know it’s 11 years away – and it’s probably hard to say what you’ll have in your diary – but maybe leave some space for an Olympic Games in Brisbane.
Yes that’s right … the Sunshine State capital is in the box seat to host the 2032 Olympics following news yesterday that the IOC – which is the organising committee for all Olympic Games – will elevate the Brisbane bid to preferred status. To put that in sporting terms – at this stage of the race to host the Games, Brisbane is ahead of the pack and looking strong as the finish line approaches.
Hosting the Olympic Games would mean welcoming many thousands of athletes and spectators to Queensland – as well as being an opportunity to showcase (which is a fancy word for show off) all of the awesome sights, sounds, flavours and cultural experiences that Queensland and Australia has to offer. But they also cost a lot – so it’s a serious thing to take on.
The final decision on which city will host the 2032 Games is due later this year – with other countries expressing an interest in playing host including Germany, Hungary and Doha.
An Olympics on home soil in 11 years? That’s plenty of time to get practicing for that gold medal.
Fingers and toes and eyebrows crossed people!
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 Japan … again … hmmm … must get that globe looked at … where the car company Toyota has unveiled plans to build a robot city.
No – not a city for robots. Well, not exactly. But a hi-tech city where lots of exciting new technologies and inventions will be tested – including cars without drivers, all sorts of robots and houses that operate using artificial intelligence and check the health status of their occupants.
It’s going to be called Woven City and will be built in the shadow of Mt Fuji. About 360 employees of Toyota will move into houses made entirely from sustainably grown wood and powered by clean energy – which is electricity that doesn’t use fossil fuels – in what the company says will be a ‘living laboratory’. Cool.
SPORTS TIME
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American golf champ, Tiger Woods, is a name you will hear a lot today. And that’s because he was involved in a car accident yesterday morning and suffered injuries to his legs which could mean he won’t play professional golf again.
Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers that ever picked up a putter – so his condition is being watched carefully with lovers of the sport wondering if he will ever compete again.
Others have pointed out that he’s been down before and fought his way back to the top of the golfing pile.
The policeman who found Woods immediately after the accident said the fact he was wearing a seat belt at the time probably saved his life. Click clack, front and back people.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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Nature is full of surprises … take for example Skipper, a brand new, cute-as-a-button puppy born in the middle of a big snow storm in the US state of Oklahoma last week. Like her brothers and sisters, Skipper has a button nose and furry belly and is full of puppy life and mischief. Unlike her brothers and sisters though, Skipper has six legs. Yes, you heard right. Six legs.
Vets think Skipper might have supposed to be one of twins – but things didn’t quite go to plan in her mum’s tummy – and she popped out with two more legs than she needs.
But she’s still hopping around the vet clinic like her siblings – and it’s hoped, with a bit of luck, she’ll grow to be happy, normal dog. Who just happens to have six legs.
And yes, of course there’s a link to a photo of Skipper in today’s episode notes.
SAM MORAN Q+A
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Look lively team! It’s Squiz Kids Q+A day! Former Yellow Wiggle and children’s TV star, Sam Moran, has bravely sat himself in the Squiz Kids hotseat and answered all of your probing questions. Revelations include: what it’s like to be a Wiggle, what Kylie Minogue did to her costume when they recorded a song together, and the trick that Guy Sebastian played on him when they made a single together. Keep listening after this episode of Squiz Kids and it should play automatically – or visit your preferred podcast app or our website at any time to wrap your ears around it. And stay tuned for details of our next exciting Squiz Kids Q+A.
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 city is reported to be in the box seat to host the 2032 summer Olympics?
- What’s the name of the famous mountain in Japan next to which a robot city will be built?
- What’s the name of the six-legged puppy in Oklahoma?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s February 25 … birthdays of footy players David Fifita and Dane Swan .. and also of celebrated French artist Pierre Auguste Renoir and Aussie artist Frederick McCubbin. So there’s something for everyone in that lot.
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Hamish from Gosford East, Cameron from Marrickville, Jacob from Croydon, Zoe from Trinity Beach, Phoenix from NSW, Andrew from Eastwood, Evie from Belmont, Tanay from Barmedman, Alannah from East Gosford and Maya from Keilor Park.
And some belated birthday shoutouts… Star, Ananya, Micah, Victoria and Emmi from Brisbane, and Kyah from Sydney.
Happy birthday one and all!
And today’s classroom shoutouts go to… Mr Thompson’s class at Lake Joondalup Baptist College, Year 3/4 in Room 9 with Miss O’Keeffe at Goomalling Primary School, 2G at Newbridge Heights Public School, class 3W and 3B at Mawarra Public School, and a special shout out today to Ms Dahle’s Year 3/4 class at Shoal Bay Public School – on the bay of the beautiful Port Stephens – which is receiving a little bit of special Squiz Kids love today – and where I hope the sun is shining.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Brisbane
- Mt Fuji
- Skipper