Tuesday, 21 July, 2020
Vote 1 Kanye West; Sweden’s medieval corona knights; Arab space exploration has lift-off; and big news for One Direction fans.
LINKS
Sweden’s ‘corona’ knights:
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/1551630.html
Mars mission has lift off:
https://twitter.com/HopeMarsMission/status/1284978102058258434?s=20
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Vote 1: Kanye West for President. That’s what the American rapper seems to want his fellow Americans to do in November after making what appeared to be a Presidential campaign speech in the US state of South Carolina yesterday.
Hang on, what? Kanye West, the chart-topping rapper, is running for President of the United States? That seems to be the case – although his way of announcing his intention to be a candidate – and his following the rules for people who want to run for president – has so far been completely unusual. So it’s a little hard for anyone to tell.
Kanye addressed a large crowd of supporters yesterday, announcing what sounded like some campaign promises, and had the words 2020 shaved into the back of his head – which is the closest thing we’ve gotten so far to confirmation he could be on the ballot paper when the Presidential election is held in November.
A rapper as President of the United States? Well, one former President was an actor, and the current one did a stint as a reality TV star. So, you know, stranger things have happened.
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As coronavirus flare ups continue to cause trouble in Victoria and NSW, there’s been a flow-on effect on a few state’s borders. The Queensland and NSW premiers were yesterday in discussion about moving the Queensland border south – or the NSW border north – depending on how you look at it – to make it easier for people who lived in NSW but had jobs across the border in Queensland to get to work. Meanwhile, kids on the Victoria-NSW border, who live in Victoria, but go to school in NSW, have been having trouble getting to class because of border restrictions in place there. How disappointed would you be if you couldn’t get to school? L.O.L.
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 find ourselves in Sweden … where local authorities have brought in some medieval knights to help in the fight against the coronavirus. Because, what better way to battle a pandemic than with a troupe of medieval knights.
The region of Gotland in Sweden is popular with holiday-makers. So it’s been decided to bring in a bunch of men on horseback, dressed as knights and armed with lances – the long, pole weapon that knights used to carry – to help ‘fight off’ the coronavirus.
Instead of poking people with their lances though, the so-called ‘corona knights’ go around the beaches of Gotland reminding people to practice social distancing and good hygiene.
It’s kind of crazy, but sort of works. How can you not love the Swedes?
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to some photos of the knights.
SPACED OUT
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Welcome to this new Squiz Kids segment in which we explore the wonderful world of outer space… and today, we’re celebrating a huge space exploration milestone for the Arab world with the successful launch yesterday of a mission to Mars by a country called the United Arab Emirates.
The rocket ship, called Al Amal – which means ‘hope’ in Arabic – took off from its launch pad in Japan and will now spend the next seven months making its way to Mars. Because that’s how far away the red planet is.
Once it arrives at its destination, it will remain in orbit around Mars for two years, studying the planet’s climate and atmosphere.
It’s the first of three separate Mars missions to have launched this month. The United States and China are expected to send their own spaceships off on a Mars mission later this month.
Seems like quite the popular interplanetary destination. Mars is so on trend right now.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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One Direction fans are in for a treat this week, after the boy band announced yesterday they’re launching a new website, filled with One Direction content to mark the 10 year anniversary of the band’s formation.
Directioners – which is the collective noun for One Direction fans – can log-on to the new website this Thursday, browse through a history of the band and its music – and even generate a custom-made playlist with all their favourite songs.
Well, that’s my Thursday sorted then …
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 …
- What’s the name of the rapper who seems to be running for President in the United States?
- Which country has brought in medieval knights on horseback to fight off the coronavirus?
- Which boy band is about to break the internet when it launches a new website later this week?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s July 21… celebrating a birthday today is purple Wiggle, Jeff Fatt – I hope he’s awake for his birthday. It’s also Belgium’s National Day – Belgium is a country in Europe renowned for its awesome chocolates and next level hot chips. Which is why I mention it …
Also celebrating a birthday today are these Squiz Kids … William from Brisbane, Dylan from Inverell, Martin from Sydney, Chloe from Arana Hills, Carol from St Leonards, Violet from Ashmont, George from Tamworth, James from Redlynch, Clara from Stirling, Alice from Northcote, Rocco from McCrae, Neve from Bondi Beach, Cooper from Port Augusta and Lotti from Coffs Harbour.
And some belated birthday shoutouts… Frederick from Leichhardt, Brooklyn from Bungendore, Courtney from Mitcham.
Happy birthday to you all.
Classroom shoutouts… Miss Platt & 5Gold at St Patrick’s School in Wallsend, Miss Boland and 5W at St Paul’s School in Rutherford, class 5/6H at Forest Lodge Primary School, class 5/6N from Wentworthville Public School and class 6G at Immaculate Heart Catholic Primary School.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Kanye West
- Sweden
- One Direction