Tuesday, 24 May, 2022
Big first day for our new PM; the kid who ordered 31 cheeseburgers; Pop supergroup’s spooky concert; and all aboard Japan’s doggy express.
LINKS
Is Texas Really that Big? https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/country-size-comparison/australia/texas-usa#:~:text=Texas%20is%20approximately%20678%2C052%20sq,near%20the%20middle%20of%20Australia.
Japan’s doggy express: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61543052
Sensational World of Civics: https://www.squizkids.com.au/civics/
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
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It was straight down to business yesterday for Anthony Albanese … within hours of being sworn in as Australia’s 31st Prime Minister, it was onto a plane he went – bound for Japan where he will represent us at a reality important meeting of world leaders.
With his son and partner watching on proudly, the new PM took his oath of office at Government House in Canberra, promising that he will – and I quote – “well and truly serve the Commonwealth of Australia, her land and her people”
Then he hopped onto the Prime Ministerial plane headed to Tokyo to meet with fellow heads of government from the countries of India, Japan and the United States.
So yeah – meeting up with US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida only three days after you’ve been elected to the highest office in the land is something of a whirlwind.
The four countries – Japan, India, Australia and the US – form what’s known as the Quad … quad meaning four, of course. And they get together to discuss ways they can cooperate.
And while that’s a big thing – sometimes it’s the little things that count too.
With a new Prime Minister, two new flags were added to the room where the PM does a lot of his press conferences – which are meetings with journalists. Where previously it was just the Australian flag on display – yesterday the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were added.
And though the election of Dai Le in the seat of Fowler in Sydney’s west was small in the grand scheme of the election: the fact she will become the first refugee elected to the House of Representatives is a big deal. Ms Le came to Australia on a leaky boat with her family when she was a child – escaping a the Communist government in her birth country of Vietnam. Small things making a big difference.
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 the American state of Texas. Now there’s a saying in America, “everything’s bigger in Texas,” and apparently that goes for one Texas toddler’s appetite for fast food. The other day, two-year-old Barrett Golden ordered himself 31 home-delivery cheeseburgers on his mum’s phone.
When the car pulled up in the driveway, Barrett’s mum assumed there had been a mistake, because no one in their family even likes cheeseburgers… but then she checked her phone, and realised what must have happened. She had given it to Barrett to play with while she was working. Oops!
[ cut this para if you need to!] It all has a happy ending, though – after the Facebook post offering free cheeseburgers went viral, McDonald’s got in touch and invited Barrett to come in and have some chicken nuggets… which he does like.
Oh, and if you’re wondering how big Texas really is – I’ve put a link in your episode notes.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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All aboard the puppy express! That was the cry that went out across Tokyo in Japan at the weekend after the country’s railway authorities allowed dogs to ride in the carriages with humans for the first time ever.
You’ve probably heard of the bullet trains in Japan – trains that travel at speeds of up to 500 kilometres an hour? Well one bullet trian out of Tokyo on Saturday was packed with puppies as rules were relaxed for a day on where dogs could travel.
Usually pooches would have to spend a train trip inside a carrier – which is frankly not unreasonable – but to the delight of many Japanese dog owners, for this one day – there were allowed to sit on the seats next to them.
And because the Japanese are what you might call fastidious about cleanliness and hygiene – which is to say, its very important to them – all the seats in the train were covered with plastic. Because, well, travelling at such speeds – it’s only normal for a dog to do a little excitement wee.
I’ve stuck a link to photos of the doggie express in today’s episode notes.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Hands up if you think you pay money to go and see Harry Styles or Taylor Swift or BTS live in concert? Hands up if you’d go and see your favourite band, whoever that might be, live in concert? Now keep your hand up if you reckon you’d go and see a Harry Styles or Taylor Swift or BTS avatar in concert – not the real person, but a hologram of them performing.
Because that’s what thousands of fans of Swedish 70s supergroup ABBA are going to do in London this week as part of a bold entertainment experiment. A hologram is a 3D likeness of someone or something, created by light. So, you know, not the real thing.
And instead of paying money to go and see actual humans perform ABBA’s greatest hits, thousands of people are going to be going along to watch holograms of the singers perform the songs.
All four members of ABBA are still alive – but they’re getting old now – so instead of performing night after night – they’re sending holograms out to do the hard work for them. We live in interesting times. ..
I’ve stuck a link to video of the ABBA holograms performing in today’s episode notes .. watch from about the 4 minute mark – and judge for yourself.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
1. In which country was last weekend’s doggie train experiment?
- Dai Le, Australia’s first refugee member of the House of Representatives, comes from which country?
- Name the Swedish supergroup who’ll be performing as holograms in London later this week.
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s May 24 … it’s Endless Breakfast Day in the United States today … it’s also National Asparagus Day … I have a feeling i know which one is more popular …
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today …
Xi from Ivanhoe, Darcey from Mossvale, Matilda from Freshwater, Dimitri from Ashmont, Justin from Thornleigh and Kylie from Windsor.
And classroom shoutouts go to… Ms Gleeson and Ms Craven’s year 3 classes at St. Michael’s Primary School in Baulkham Hills, class 5P and Ms Preedy at Moss Vale Public School, years 5 & 6 with Mrs Edwards and Mrs McHutchison at Thornleigh West Public School and lastly a shout out to all the teachers at Mt Carmel School in Yass – one of our Squiz Kids for Schools super users. We love you guys!
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Japan
- Vietnam
- ABBA