Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Banning mobile phones in school; Ninja dog stops bear attack; L’il Nas X wins music video awards; and Wally the emotional support alligator.
LINKS
Wally the emotional support alligator: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/08/28/emotional-support-alligator-philadelphia-pennsylvania-ndwknd-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/atv-trending-videos/
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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Banning mobile phones in schools is among a list of recommendations that have been made ahead of a big meeting this week of politicians, economists and business leaders.
Ok – so the first part of that sentence got your attention – the second part made you fall asleep. But listen up – because it’s important.
In Canberra at the end of this week there’s going to be what’s called a Jobs Summit … it’s a meeting of the country’s politicians, representatives from the worlds of business, unions and universities – and a whole bunch of people who are called economists.
Basically, anyone with an interest in how the world of work and jobs will look when you lot are old enough to leave school and get your first jobs.
So what does it have to do with banning mobile phones in schools?
Ahead of the Jobs Summit, economists – who are really smart people whose job it is to keep track of how the economy is going, and suggest ways that will make it work better – have been surveyed about things we could do now to make Aussie kids better educated and better prepared for the world of work in the future. And one idea that’s been floated is the banning of mobile phones and social media in schools and universities.
According to the economist, Paul Fritjers from London’s School of Economics – it’s one easy fix to lift grades at school and ensure a … ahem … less distracted student body.
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 Vermont, where a dog has used ninja moves to save his owner from a rare bear attack. The woman was out walking her Jack Russell terrier and labradoodle in the countryside last week, when they surprised a mama black bear and her cubs. Mama bear charged, thinking that she needed to protect her babies. The woman tried to get away, but she tripped and fell on a stone wall, and the bear gave her leg a warning bite.
Enter the feisty little terrier. He started to bark and make what an official later called “ninja moves”, dancing around the bear and distracting it. The brave boy gave his 61-year-old owner time to get up and move to safety, and the bear eventually lumbered off. The woman was treated at hospital for her bite and scratches, and is recovering well. And in case you’re wondering about the labradoodle… it ran away from the bear, but turned up home later.
Hope he got a bone for his troubles.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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The red carpet fashions were next level, the performances were over the top, and another year of MTV Music Video Awards proved once again that too much is never enough in the world of pop music.
Held in New Jersey in the United States yesterday, the VMAs as they are known saw L’il Nas X and Jack Harlow walk off with a swag of awards – Taylor Swift pick up a few trophies herself – including for Best Video for her hit song All To Well.
Bad Bunny won Artist of the year, Billie Eilish took home the Song of the Year award and Dove Cameron – who some of you might know as Mal from the Disney flick Descendants, won the award for Best New Artist.
K-pop sensation BlackPink made their US awards show debut with a powerhouse performance .. and of you don’t know who BlackPink is – think of them as the girl group version of BTS.
Rock on.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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So – imagine you’re at a water park in the city – one of those public fountain type places, where people go to cool off in the hot summer months – and someone walks past you with an alligator on a leash.
Because that’s what happened to a bunch of stunned residents of the US city of Philadelphia at the weekend when a local decided to take their pet alligator out for a walk.
I’ve stuck the video in your episode notes – because … well, who doesn’t want to see an alligator on a leash.
The alligator’s name is Wally, apparently. And he’s a rescue alligator – meaning his owner adopted him when he was just a baby and in need of a home. Apparently he’s very friendly … but if you’ve ever heard the song Never Smile At A Crocodile .. well, you’ll know the pitfalls of getting too friendly with a reptile of that size … with all those teeth.
JOB
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A little message to all the teachers out there … Squiz Kids is excited to announce we’re hiring … if you are, or you know a primary school teacher who’d be a great fit for the Squiz Kids team – who would love the chance the help us create daily classroom resources and podcasts for our Squiz Kids for Schools program – who loves news, writes like a dream and wants flexible hours (meaning you can work in your PJs) alongside a super fun bunch (ie: me and Amanda) – we’d love to hear from you. Throw your CV into some semblance of order and send us an email quicksticks at [email protected]
I’ve stuck the link 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’s the name of the k-pop group – the all-girl group from Korea who are a female version of BTS?
- What sort of unusual animal on a leash did water park visitors encounter in Philadelphia the weekend just gone?
- What kind of bear did a Jack Russell dog with ninja moves scare off in Vermont, America this week?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s August 30 … on this day in 1835, the city of Melbourne was founded … happy 187th birthday Melbourne!
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today …
James from Shoal Bay, Arlo from Cannon Hill, Emilio from Albany, Harry from Hazelbrook, Chloe from Carlton and Louis (pronounced Loo-ee) from Newmarket.
And classroom shoutouts today go to … class 6 green and Mr Dowler at St James Primary School in Kotara, Mr Lawler at St Joseph’s Primary School in Wagga Wagga, classes 2W and 2R with Miss Eddleston and Mrs Knight at Holy Family Primary School in Gowrie, the year 5 and 6 students at Nuriootpa Primary School who were taught by Mr Hayman a few weeks back and lastly to class 6B and Mrs Taylor at St Luke’s Anglican School in Bundaberg.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- BlackPink
- Alligator
- Black bear