Wednesday, 21 April, 2021

April snows down south; Britain’s garden gnome crisis; Ingenuity takes flight; and Marvel’s first Asian superhero.

 

LINKS

Ingenuity the helicopter takes flight: https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25828/first-video-of-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-in-flight/

Shang Chi trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giWIr7U1deA

 

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Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.

 

THE LOWDOWN

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If like me, summer seems like only a moment ago, you’ll be as surprised as I am to learn the southern states of our great nation have had their first snow of the season – with some news outlets saying they’d been hit by a polar outbreak: and if the weather forecast is correct – they’re about to be hit today and tomorrow with another dusting of the icy white stuff. 

While folk in Melbourne shivered yesterday following a sudden 7 degree temperature drop, the alpine region in the north of Victoria experienced below freezing conditions and have been told to expect snow fall today. Not enough to ski on – but certainly enough to create a little wintry wonderland. 

Snow is also expected to fall today in southwest NSW and the Tassie highlands. Crack out the ugg boots. 

Unless of course you’re in Far North Queensland – where gum boots would be more useful. Cairns and surrounds have been smashed by flooding rains. Again. Stay safe up there folks.

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It wasn’t just the southern states that were getting all the attention yesterday. Brisbane’s famous sporting arena, The Gabba, was also the centre of attention after it was announced it would undergo a facelift to become the main stadium for the Olympic Games that Brissie hopes to host in just over ten years’ time. A home grown Olympics … how cool would that be?

 

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 Kingdom – where there’s a gnome shortage.

A what shortage? A gnome shortage? You know? Gnomes – the legendary little people who seem to like to have long white bears and wear red pointy hats. Not real gnomes, of course – because there are plenty of those. But garden gnomes. The ones made out of concrete or carved from stone. And it’s all to do with the upswing in the number of people tending to their gardens during the lockdown there, as well as a shortage of garden gnome supplies caused by the Suez Canal blockage of last month.

Remember the big ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal for almost a week? And how lots of other ships carrying containers full of lots of other goods were also stuck? Turns out some of those container contained garden gnomes. The Great British Garden Gnome Drought  … You heard it here first. 

 

SPACED OUT

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They did it! Those super clever scientists at NASA made the little helicopter, Ingenuity take flight on Mars … and in so doing, made a little bit of history. 

And look – the flight may have only been for about 20 seconds, and the little helicopter may only have risen to a height of just over three metres – but it’s the first time humans have flown a craft on a planet other than Earth. And that – my friends – is an historic achievement.

You may have heard yesterday it being described as a ‘Wright Brothers moment’. The Wright brothers invented and flew the world’s first motorised aeroplane, called the Kitty Hawk, back in 1903 … so almost 120 years ago. 

And get this: when Ingenuity took her little joy flight on Mars – she was carrying a tiny scrap of fabric from the original Kitty Hawk. How cool is that?

 

POP CULTURE CORNER

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There’s a new Marvel superhero on the block, and in a triumph for a thing called ‘diversity’ – and billions of people around the world –  his name is Shang Chi and he is proudly Asian.

Marvel dropped the trailer yesterday for the new film and a virtual round of applause rippled around the planet that we finally had an Asian Marvel superhero.

Diversity in movies is when we see on the screen people of all shapes, sizes and colours. And for a huge movie machine like Marvel to introduce its first Asian superhero is a thing.

It follows the 2018 juggernaut that was Black Panther – the Marvel movie machine’s first Black superhero – in a film featuring a mostly Black cast – which was the biggest film of that year.  

Shang Chi and The Legend Of The Ten Rings is expected to be in cinemas in September. 

There’s a link to the trailer in today’s episode notes: and between you and me .. it’s awesome! Someone pass me the popcorn .. 

 

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 …

1. Name the stadium in Brisbane earmarked to be the main Olympic stadium if the city wins the 2032 Games?
2. What garden ornament is in short supply in Britain?
3. Name the first Asian Marvel superhero – due to hit cinemas in September?

 

SHOUT OUTS

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It’s April 21   … today is the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II .. she turns 95 today – and has been sitting on the British throne for no fewer than 68 years. You lot can’t sit in your seats for more than five minutes – imagine sitting on a throne for almost 70 years?

It’s also a special day for these kids celebrating a birthday today … Aidan from Livingstone, Hafi (pronounced Huffy) from Geelong, Joey from Croydon Park, Kade from Lawnton, Sofie from Carina and Jerome from Inverloch.

And not forgetting of course all of those kids who celebrated a birthday over the Easter Holidays — whose names we are working through all this week with the help of the birthday reggae tune … happy belated birthday to… Caitlyn and Andrew from Ingham, Hudson from Jindalee, Joa from Bellevue Hill, Grace from Walpole, Gabe from Clovelly, Indiana from Canberra, Daniel from Ivanhoe, Emily from Lane Cove, Mila from the Gold Coast, Amelia from Leichhardt, Chelsea from Mt Evelyn, Henry from Hughenden, Katie and Talia from Harden, Amelia from Elanora Heights, Meredith and Jayden from Nowra, Aaliyah from Currimundi, Lucy from Mount Warren Park, Phoebe from Brighton East, Ollie from Invermay, Elsie from Hughenden, and Adelyn from Sunnybank Hills. 

And welcome back to school for the following classrooms… 5K with Mrs Kime at St John’s Anglican College in Forest Lake, class 3 Aqua at Mother Teresa School in Canberra, class 5/6 U the ‘Wondrous Wilds’ from Fadden Primary School and class 6 White from St Bernardine’s Primary School in Regent’s Park.

 

The S’Quiz Answers:

1. The Gabba
2. Garden gnomes
3. Shang Chi