Tuesday, 17 November, 2020
SpaceX has lift-off; Belgium’s million dollar pigeon; why video games are good for you; and the Nobody’s Normal celebration.
LINKS
Space X- Live Feed: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1328073539094626304
Million dollar pigeon: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belgium-pigeon/belgian-racing-pigeon-flies-past-record-in-auction-idUSKBN27V0CH
Nobody is Normal TV ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-bDDeWzSQY
Vote for Squiz Kids in the Australian Podcast Awards: https://australianpodcastawards.com/vote
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]
Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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We have lift-off! Again! As we go to air this morning, high above our heads are four astronauts aboard the Space X Crew Dragon capsule, making their way to the International Space Station.
It’s the American space agency, NASA’s first full-fledged mission to send a crew into orbit on board a privately owned spacecraft.
Remember back in August, when two astronauts went into space aboard a Space X rocket ship? That was a sort of a test run. The capsule, called Resilience – as a nod to the tough year the world has had – took off from Earth yesterday and is scheduled to reach the International Space Station at 3pm this afternoon. The astronauts on board will then spend up to six months aboard the space station, floating around in space 400 kms above Earth, conducting experiments while living aboard the world’s coolest laboratory.
The four astronauts include a Japanese scientist, a female physicist and Victor Glover, the first black astronaut to spend an extended period of time in space. Cool!
With this mission, going into space just became a little bit more accessible. Whilst its still only trained astronauts who go into space at the moment, the Space X program is paving the way for a future where anyone willing to pay may be able to fly into space. Where do I sign up?
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Down here on Earth – there was some good news – and not so good news. While Victoria celebrated 16 days straight with no new coronavirus cases, South Australia was rocked by the emergence of a cluster of 17 COVID cases in northern Adelaide. The development has seen some states change their rules about letting South Australians cross their borders. Health officials are confident the outbreak will be contained – which means, brought under control.
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 Belgium – home of the world’s most expensive pigeon.
You see them everywhere right? Hanging around city squares and parks – making a grey-feathered nuisance of themselves. So you’d imagine they wouldn’t fetch a very high price at auction? Not the Belgian racing pigeon New Kim – a sleek, pure-bred bird which a pigeon racer from China thought was so special they forked out $2.6 million for her. That’s one valuable ball of feathers!
Did you know that Belgium – which is a country in Europe, just to the north of France – has more pigeon fanciers than any other country in the world? Personally though, it’s their excellent chocolate and double-fried hot chips that interest me more. Yum …
And yes. Because I know you all want to see what a two million dollar pigeon looks like, there’s a link to a photo in today’s episode notes.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Here’s a little news item guaranteed to make kids smile and adults frown. A bunch of scientists in the United Kingdom have just completed a study of video games and found that in some instances, playing video games is good for your health.
Researchers at Oxford University studied some 3,200 regular gamers and found that their sense of well being was enhanced by the games they played – most especially if they were the sorts of games that encourage social interaction – like Animal Crossing.
It follows a recent report from the University of Montreal that followed nearly 4,000 teenagers for six years and found that while social media, excessive TV viewing computer use could cause anxiety, video gaming could make teenagers happier.
Sorry parents.
SQUIZ KIDS SALUTES
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Have you ever felt a little bit on the outer? Do you sometimes feel like you don’t fit in? That maybe you’re not quite like everyone else? Excellent! Then you’re just like the rest of us. And to celebrate how unique every single one of us is – and to recognise that we all occasionally feel like we don’t belong – a charity in the UK has produced a TV ad called Nobody is Normal.
Which tells the story of a school kid who feels like he is putting on disguise every day he comes to school – to hide his true self.
It’s a cracker of an ad with a really important message – so there’s a link to it in today’s episode notes.
VOTE 1 SQUIZ KIDS
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Hi everyone – it’s Rosie here again – reminding you there’s only two days left for you to help make Squiz Kids Australia’s favourite podcast.
We’re up for the Listener’s Choice Award at this weekend’s Australian Podcast Awards .. and if enough of us vote, we can beat those boring adult podcasts – which are all about insurance and finance or whatever it is that adults talk about.
Let’s win this thing and remind all those big people out there that it’s a kid’s world too.
Visit https://australianpodcastawards.com/vote
Voting Closes 18 Nov
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 …
- The Space X astronauts are today expected to arrive at what floating laboratory high above our heads?
- What sort of bird has a Chinese collector just paid $2.6 million for?
- What’s the name of the TV ad by a UK charity that reminds us that we’re all just a little bit different?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s November 17 … birthday of Australia’s Got Talent judge Lucy Durack and Aussie singer Kate Ceberano.
It’s also only 38 sleeps ‘til Christmas … It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas …
Happy birthday to these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today …. Alice from Townsville, Mahalia from Broken Hill, Isaac from Erskineville, Ella from Brisbane, Charlie from Julia Creek, Dexter from Albany Hills, Ryan from Donvale, Charlotte from Dubbo, Gracie from Vermont, Dexter from Albany Hills, Joanne from Hurstville and Billie from Maroubra.
And a belated birthday shoutout to…. Rachel from Bolton Point.
Happy birthday to you all.
Today’s classroom shoutouts… Class Wintercress at Macquarie Primary School, Mr Scarffe and 3/4S at Ferny Hills State School, Year 5/6 at Wallumbilla State School, Mrs Preston’s Yr 4 Class at Rockingham Lakes Primary School, and classes 3/4L and 6D at Tanilba Bay Public School.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- International Space Station
- Pigeon
- Nobody is Normal