Thursday, 26 November, 2020
Here comes the heatwave; Utah’s desert aliens; ARIA Award winners; and the puppy who took on a snake.
LINKS
Heatwaves explained: https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1331105508716113922
Utah’s mysterious monolith: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55056570
I Am Woman: ARIAs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXVC-w-e2c8
Wally the super-pup: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-25/wally-puppy-escapes-pythons-jaws-snake-attack-sunshine-coast/12918186
Squiz Kids Survey (Adults Only!): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HKQ3H9G
Check out our parent podcast and daily news email for adults: The Squiz: www.thesquiz.com.au
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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If you’ve got a fan somewhere in your house, this weekend would probably be a good time to whip it out and dial it up as the weather bureau is predicting temperatures could reach as high as 50 degrees across parts of central and south eastern Australia.
The inland parts of South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria are expected to be hit hardest with heatwave conditions with a wall of heat already building in the country’s central deserts and preparing to make its way east and north.
Coastal parts of all three states should be spared the worst of the heatwave but meteorologists are warning those in central South Australia to expect temperatures in the high 40s – while Adelaide, you’re in for a stinker – with temps expected to top out around 40 degrees.
Western NSW and northern parts of regional Victoria are going to cop it over the weekend with temperatures on Saturday expected to be 16-20 degrees above average – which is to say a great deal hotter than it usually is this time of the year.
Melbourne: you’re going to be spared the worst of it – with pleasant cool air coming up from Tassie. Brisbane and Sydney are in the firing line too this weekend – where temperatures are expected to hover between the mid-to-high 30s. Eugh.
The weather bureau has told us all to stay in the shade, drink lots of water – and remember to social distance. Which is like, totally fine. No one wants to be near another human in 40 degree heat.
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to a cool explainer video of a heatwave.
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 Utah – in the United States – a state renowned for its mountains and deserts. And it’s in one of these deserts that a strange metal object has mysteriously appeared – prompting speculation that aliens have been to visit.
The metallic monolith was spotted by a helicopter crew in the middle of nowhere.
A monolith is the technical term given to an upright block of stone (or in this case, metal) – either man made or naturally occurring – Stonehenge is made of monoliths, and Uluru is a monolith.
But I digress: the helicopter crew came across the 3.6 metre tall metal object sticking out of the sand while they were out counting wild big horn sheep, which are native to the area.
And while some on social media are insisting it’s a sign that aliens have been to Earth, local authorities are working on the theory that it was placed there by an artist – someone who works as a sculptor – wanting to create exactly this sort of interest in his or her work.
And yes, because I know you now want to see it, there’s a link to a photo in today’s episode notes.
SPORTS TIME
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The Australian Open is the biggest tennis tournament on our sporting calendar. It usually takes place in Melbourne every January. But because of COVID – and the challenging time Melbourne has had this year – the exact details of when the tournament will take place are still up in the air. Yesterday, the Victorian Government said the Oz Open might be delayed by a week. But world number 4 player, Danill Medvedev has expressed reservations. Which is to say, he’s unsure how it will work if international players have to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine, because they won’t be able to train in the two weeks before they need to compete. As they say in the classics – watch this space.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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Puppy versus snake. It sounds like one of those viral YouTube videos – you know, like ‘shark versus dinosaur’. But this match off was real. And if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Wally the puppy’s owners, he may not have come out of the duel quite as well as he did.
Wally is a cute-as-a-button woflhound-cross puppy from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. And while his owners were asleep upstairs on Tuesday night, a two-metre long carpet python slithered into the house and clearly thought Wally would make a good snack.
Hearing his cries, Wally’s owners, including three-year-old Charlotte and six year-old Summer, ran downstairs just in time and shooed the snake away – but not before poor little Wally had been bitten.
Wally was taken to the vet and pronounced to be fine. If a little shaken.
Snake catchers said it was highly unusual for a snake to come into a house and take on a puppy. Just the same, I’d be keeping my windows and doors firmly closed for a while.
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to pics of brave little Wally.
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 …
- In which state of the US has a mysterious metal object got people wondering about aliens?
- What’s the name of the Australian music awards held last night?
- What’s the name of the brave little puppy who fought off a snake?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s November 26 …. Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States – a national holiday where families come together to stop and think about the good things in their life, and give thanks for it.
It’s also only 29 sleeps ‘til Christmas …you better watch out, you better not shout!
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Phoenix from Brisbane, Pippa from Noosa Heads, Assia from Blacktown, Eleanora from Ormond, Josiah from Manly, Lavena from Gordon, Harper from Buderim, Amelie from Clayfield, Mila from Watson’s Bay, Grace from Lake Munmorah and Emma, who’s listening all the way over there in Doha, Qatar.
And some belated birthday shoutouts… Jordan from Yoogali and Hayley from Ashmont
Happy birthday to you all.
Today’s classroom shoutouts… class 6ML at Proserpine State School , All the Year 6 kids and teachers at Gardenvale Primary School, and class 4M at Flinders Public School. And a very special shoutout to the St Mary’s Yoogali kids on the Groovy Green Bus and the Giggly Gold Bus travelling to Borambola for their Stage 3 Excursion, who have even brought their Bluetooth speaker so they can listen to Squiz Kids while they are away.
Now, that’s dedication!
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Utah
- ARIA Awards
- Wally