Wednesday, 30 March, 2022
NSW on flood alert; Pompeii’s robot dog; Warnie’s big farewell; Will Smith says sorry; and Squiz E vs the memes.
LINKS
Robot dog Spot’s funky moves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHBcVlqpvZ8
Newshounds:
Meme misinformation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzXO2GtfXI4
The Teen Fact Checking Network: https://www.poynter.org/news/tfcn/
Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/fresh-food-kids/discoverytours
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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Towns along the north coast of NSW were last night bracing themselves for rising floodwaters as yet more rain was dumped along the east coast of Australia.
No – you’re not listening to last month’s podcast … it’s happening again …
Just as towns like Lismore and Mullumbimby – in the northern rivers region of NSW – were cleaning up after last month’s floods – the heavens opened again yesterday – forcing many residents to evacuate again.
And while the rivers didn’t rise as much as expected, there were still warnings last night that flash flooding could occur in these already saturated pockets of the state with many in and around Lismore having a nervous night.
Last night, the rains had moved south to areas around Coffs Harbour – where the weather bureau was warning moderate flooding – especially for communities around the Macleay River could be on the cards today.
The Prime Minister told federal parliament yesterday that defence force helicopters had already been despatched north to Ballina and were in position and ready to perform any rooftop rescues required. Here’s hoping they don’t have to.
Stay safe out there people.
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 Italy … where a robot dog has just started working in the ancient city of Pompeii …
If you’re a fan of history, geography or volcanoes – you’ll know Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash and lava over 2000 years ago, when nearby Mt Vesuvius erupted.
Pompeii – and many of its ancient inhabitants – were almost perfectly preserved in the volcanic eruption – making it one Italy’s most popular tourist attractions today.
And a robotic dog called Spot has just been recruited to work in Pompeii – patrolling the grounds, crawling into hard to get places and keeping a robotic eye out for bandits who like to break into the ancient town and steal relics. Relics are historical artefacts – things from a long time ago which are valuable because of their age.
You might remember we’ve spoken about Spot the robotic dog before? He first popped up in Singapore, during COVID, where he was patrolling parks making sure people social distanced.
Seems there are many uses for Spot … but i have to say, the sooner someone recruits him for Dancing With The Stars, the better. I’ve found a video of Spot dancing to Uptown Funk … and the dog’s got moves. The link is of course in your episode notes.
SPORT TIME
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One of the greatest spin bowlers cricket has ever seen, the man they called Warnie, will be farewelled tonight at a special memorial service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue are among the big stars who have recorded special musical tributes to Shane Warne – which will form part of the service to take place in front of 50,000 fans tonight. And a great big stand at the MCG will be named in the cricketer’s honour.
And while it might sound like a concert: it’s actually going to be a sombre event – remembering the life of one of our sporting greats who died young.
Sombre is a fancy word for sad, or subdued.
Warnie’s three children will attend the memorial service: no doubt touched by the number of people who have come to say goodbye to their dad – but still hurting that he’s not around any more.
NEWSHOUNDS
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It’s Wednesday… which means that Squiz-E the Newshound is back in the studio. And he wants to give a special shoutout to his year 5 and 6 friends at Abbotsford Public School, whom he visited yesterday. They’re the first kids in Australia to embark on the Newshounds Media Literacy journey, and Squiz-E was so impressed by how thoughtful they were about sniffing out misinformation on the internet!
Actually, that brings us to what Squiz-E is sharing today… he’s discovered a cool group of teenagers in America called the Teen Fact Checking Network. They stop, think, and check things for the rest of us… like a recent viral meme called “The Elephant in the Room”. That’s what people say when there’s an obvious big issue or problem that people are avoiding discussing… imagine an elephant in your classroom, and no one talking about it! This particular meme suggests that no one is talking about the fact that COVID cases have risen since vaccination started… suggesting that it’s the vaccines that have caused more COVID. That’s not true, of course – case numbers have risen because of new, more contagious variants, and because we’re no longer in lockdown and all milling around with one another … if anything, vaccines have helped to stop people getting sick.
I’ve put a link in your episode notes to the 15-year-old fact checker who’s explained it for us. Nice going, teenagers! And if you’d like to join Squiz-E and the Abbotsford kids as Newshounds, stay tuned… it will be available to everyone later this year.
FARMER Q+A
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A quick message now from our podcast partner, Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours.
The Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Discovery Tours program is all about helping early learning centre kids and primary school kids… that’s you… to discover where our fruit and veggies come from. It’s a classroom experience with fun digital activities, designed with the help of smart foodie people – educators, nutritionists and a food scientist – to help kids learn about how food gets from the farm all the way to your fork.
Last week we mentioned we would be strapping on our gumboots to talk to Aussie farmers about where our food comes from. And today we are visiting country Queensland to talk to Agronomist Bridget about growing avocados. Stay listening at the end of the podcast to hear that chat…
And teachers, if you’re looking to bring the farming and sustainability world into your classroom, you can request a free classroom kit at woolworths.com.au/discoverytours.
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 was the name of the volcano that erupted covering Pompeii in lava and ash?
- What’s the name of the robotic dog on patrol in Pompeii?
- Name the Aussie cricketer who will be farewelled at the MCG tonight.
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s March 30 … birthday for Aussie tennis star, Sam Stosur .. and in the United States its Turkey Neck Soup Day … aren’t you glad you’re not there for that?
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today… Ivy from Craigburn Primary School, Matilda from Helensvale State School, Jeremy from Blackburn South, Isabella from Ipswich, Tom from St Ives Chase, Caitlin from Baulkham Hills, Daniel from Wheelers Hill, Xavier from St Kilda West and Ellie from Mansfield.
And a belated birthday shout out to Lara and Annie, who are also from Mansfield.
And classroom shout outs go to classes F10, F6 and F2 from Hammond Park Primary School.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Mt Vesuvius
- Spot
- Shane Warne