Tuesday, 8 November, 2022
Snakes and planes in NSW floods; America’s big election day; lunar eclipse tonight; and the Wiggles Christmas song.
LINKS
Wiggles “Around The World”
Newshounds
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Air-drops of food and emergency supplies were taking place in several towns in the NSW Central West district yesterday as flood waters there continued to rise and cut off towns.
The State Emergency Services was using aircraft yesterday to drop food and medical supplies to communities that had been isolated by the rising rivers of regional NSW.
The record-breaking rains two weeks agao in central Australia – where the rivers begin their long journey to the coast – have taken this long to make their way downstream and into various rural river systems to cause flooding in towns like Forbes, Lightning Ridge, Walgett and Collarenebri.
The emergency air drops have also included food for livestock – like sheep and cattle – who have also been cut off from their feed lots by the rising floodwaters.
And just because Mother Nature occasionally likes to throw a curve-ball every now and then, warnings were being issued to residents of central NSW to beware venomous snakes in the water.
As floodwaters rise, snakes are being flushed out of their homes and forced to seek higher, drier ground – which is often where humans are.
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Meanwhile, if you were in Melbourne yesterday and found yourself sneezing the house down – maybe keep the tissues close by – as weather conditions are predicted to bring the sort of pollen storm that will have hayfever sufferers ducking for cover.
All that rain that La Nina brought us has seen lots of grass growing in the north west of Victoria – and with warm temperatures forecast in Melbourne for the remainder of the week AND winds from the north – there’s likely to be lots of pollen in the air. (AACHOO).. Bless you.
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 United States – where a big election will take place today.
Called the ‘mid-terms’ it’s an election that will decide the composition of Congress and the Senate. Joe Biden will continue to be President, but the other politicians and lawmakers who sit in Congress – which is the US equivalent of our Parliament House in Canberra – are up for re-election. That’s 435 seats in Congress and some 35 Senate seats up for grabs.
They’re caled ‘mid-term elections’ because they always happen mid-way through the term of a President – and are usually used as a way to measure whether the population thinks he or she is doing a good job.
One name you’re going to keep hearing this week is that of former US President Donald Trump … yes, you remember him … as he continues to make noises about possibly running for President again in 2024.
And why should we be even remotely interested in an election happening in a country thousands of miles away? Because the United States is what’s called a ‘super power’ – and the decisions its leaders make impacts lots of other countries around the world – including Australia.
So there you are. Impress your parents with those little factoids over dinner tonight …
SPACED OUT
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What have you got planned for about 9.30 tonight? Tucked up in bed in your jarmies? Annoying your parents by refusing to turn out the light? What would you say if I was to give you a perfectly good excuse to stay up late tonight? You’d more than likely say something like this (CHEER) – and that’s because tonight in the night sky you’ve got the chance to see a lunar eclipse.
What’s a lunar eclipse?
Lunar eclipses happen when the sun, earth and moon all line up and the earth gets between the sun and moon and casts a shadow that makes the moon go a reddish colour temporarily. Called a ‘blood moon’ … it’s cool eh?
Assuming the sky is clear, the best time to see it will be between 9.30 and 10.30pm Australian eastern daylight savings time – so an hour earlier for those of you in Queensland and a bit later if you’re in SA or WA.
And they only happen rarely – the next one won’t be for another two years – so it’s totally ok to stay up late to see it. And yes: your parents may well hate me for saying that …
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Put on your dancing shoes people and rev up the Big Red Car … the Wiggles have just released a new Christmas song – and it’s a song with a message.
With their latest song, Around the World, the coloured-skivvy brigade have joined forces with the charity ‘World Vision’ – which helps kids and families in need in countries all over the world. Kids who maybe don’t get to go to school or have a roof over their head or a warm bed to sleep in each night – or a meal in their tummy each day.
The video for the song features kids from some of these countries dancing along to the song – and it’s hoped it will encourage Aussie families who have perhaps been luckier in the lottery of life to sponsor a child through the charity. That means donating a little bit of money each month to feed or clothe or educate a child overseas.
And it’s a cause that’s close to the heart of new Yellow Wiggle Sey-hi Hawkins – whose Aussie parents adopted from Ethiopia, in East Africa, when she was just six months old.
I’ve stuck a link to the song’s video in today’s episode notes.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What sort of eclipse is going to take place in the night’s sky tonight?
- Which country will stage its mid-term elections later today?
- Which kiddie super-group has joined forces with kids charity World Vision for their latest song?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s November 8 … only 46 days until Christmas! Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree? It’s also the birthday of Vlad the Impaler .. an historical figure widely considered to be the inspiration for the fictional character Count Dracula – the famous vampire … who you’d know best as Drac from the Hotel Transylvania films … I wonder if its a coincidence that his birthday falls on the same day as lunar eclipse (HOWL)
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today…
Zara and Sam from Canberra, Abel from Craigburn, Julian from Kingsgrove, Corey from Cannon Hill, Elly from Lobethal (pronounced Low-buh-fall), Bruno from The Rock, Cameron from Atwell, Satvik from Forest Lake, Phoebe from Mount Annan, Emily from Jewells, Gabby from Yass, Matilda from Diamond Creek, Rose from Kenthurst, Claire from Sutherland and Aida listening in Singapore, Hue listening over in Columbus, USA and Andy listening in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
A belated birthday shout out goes to Ava from Kellyville.
Classroom shout outs go to… class 5A and Mrs McIntosh at Karalee State School, class 3 Green at All Saints Parish Primary School in Albany Creek, class 5A and Mrs Gray at Helensvale State School, classes 5/6R and 5/6F with Mrs Roda and Mrs Freney at Kearns Public School, the year 4 reading groups at St Augustines Primary School in Coffs Harbour and lastly to Hudson, Harvey & Mack – homeschooling whilst they travel around Australia and listening to Squiz Kids every morning!
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Lunar eclipse
- United States
- The Wiggles