Wednesday, 19 August, 2020
Obama heats up US election; Japan’s see-through toilet cubicles; Tiger Woods’ son a golf champ; and a panda cub is on the way!
LINKS
Panda-cam: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam
THE LOWDOWN
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Is it getting to that time of the year when you start to think about your school captains for next year? Will there be an election at your school to choose who those kids might be? And will those kids make a speech to try to convince you of all the reasons they’re the best person for the job?
Well – that’s what Michelle Obama did yesterday in the United States – making the case for Joe Biden to replace Donald Trump in November’s presidential elections.
Michelle Obama is the former first lady – which is to say, she is married to the former President of the United States, Barack Obama. She made a speech yesterday heavily criticising Donald Trump, saying she had seen up close what it took to be president, she had seen the pressures and responsibilities it entailed, and she believed President Trump is not the right man for the job.
You’re going to hear a lot about the US elections in the next couple of weeks as the Democrats, which is Joe Biden’s political party, stage their pre-election convention. And then the Republicans – Trump’s party – gets together next week. They are big events when they come around every four years before about 140 million people vote in November.There’s your civics lesson for the day. You’re welcome.
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 Japan … where a series of see-through public toilet cubicles has just been rolled out.
They’re being described as ‘loos with a view’ and a bunch of them have appeared in a public park in Tokyo.
The toilet cubicles are made entirely of glass – meaning you can see into them from the outside.
But wait … the glass is a special kind of smart glass – and when someone goes inside the cubicle, it turns from see-through, to opaque – which is a fancy word for ‘not see-through’.
Phew.
What’s the reason for the see-through glass public toilet cubicles? It’s so that people can see how clean they are before they enter. Genius.
Japan has long been at the forefront of novelty toilet features. Their toilets are already world renowned for having seats that heat up, built in water features and even sound effects.
SPORTS TIME
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If ever there was evidence that sporting talent was passed from parent to child – we saw it yesterday when the 11 year-old son of champion golfer Tiger Woods won a kids golfing tournament in the US.
Charlie Woods got around a nine hole golf course with only 33 strokes – which means he got the ball into nine different holes by only hitting it 33 times. Which is pretty amazing.
And clearly his dad thinks so too. Tiger Woods – who is one of the most successful golfers in the world – was happy to be Charlie’s caddy for the game – meaning he walked along behind him carrying his clubs.
Like all good dads should.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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The eyes of the world are trained on a single female panda in a zoo in Washington, as zookeepers eagerly await the arrival of a panda cub.
It’s especially exciting news as getting pandas to have babies in zoos is really rare. So everyone at the zoo – and the millions of people around the world watching the panda enclosure on webcam – have their fingers, toes and paws crossed.
The mummy panda, called Mei, has given birth to three cubs already: Tai Shan, Bao Bao and Bei Bei. Pandas are native to China, hence the Chinese names.
If the zoo vet’s calculations are correct, Mei will give birth some time this week.
And since news of the pregnancy has spread: views on the webcam trained on Mei’s enclosure have skyrocketed by 800 percent. That’s a lot of people watching. And while we’d normally suggest a mum about to give birth should be given some privacy – we’ve nevertheless put a link to the webcam in today’s episode notes.
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 former US First Lady who made an impassioned speech against President Trump yesterday?
- Which country has just unveiled see through public toilet cubicles?
- What sort of animal is the world watching breathlessly to see if it produces a cub?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s August 19 ….. Tonight marks the start of the Islamic New Year … happy new year!!
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today…. Emily from Caringbah South, Lucy from Ocean Grove, Noah from Morningside, Sandra from Adelaide, Kyle from Wallumbilla, Laura from Morningside, Alicia from Henley Beach South, Romy from Paddington, Allison from Blackburn, Nina from Mount Annan, Mahalia from Munno Para, Emer from Indooroopilly , Ella from Hadfield, Harlow from Summer Hill, Reilly from Sheoak Grove and Ava from Epping.
And some belated birthday shoutouts… Sam from Roseville, Tyi from Sheoak Grove, Vedika from Jindalee, Angus from Sydney and Cara and Amelia from Epping.
Happy birthday one and all!
Classroom shoutouts… 2/3G at Barnsley Public School, Room L6 and Year 4 and 5 at Stradbroke School in Adelaide, 5-3 at Sacred Heart Primary School in Cabramatta, Years 4, 5 and 6 at Putney Public School, and all the kids and teachers at Concord West Public School.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Michelle Obama
- Japan
- Panda