Squeeze Kids acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands on which we podcast the Turrbal and Combermary people.
Squeeze Kids!
It's your daily news fix.
Fun, free, fresh.
Hello and welcome to Squiz Kids Today, your fresh take on what's happening in the world around you.
I'm Bryce Corbett.
It's Monday, March 16.
In Squiz Kids Today, petrol pump politics, Matilda's through to semis, Oscar time in LA and whale munching microfish.
That's what's making news, kid style.
The Lowdown Do you find yourself sitting in the back of mum and dad's car, watching them curse as they drive past a petrol or gas station, mumbling under their breath at the cost of filling the tank?
That's because of the conflict in the Middle East.
And you might be sitting there thinking how can something happening on the other side of the earth affect the cost of petrol or gasoline where I live?
Well, here's the deal.
The primary ingredient for making petrol is oil.
And the part of the world where a lot of the oil comes from is, you guessed it, the Middle East.
Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and yes, Iran.
Now, unless you've been living under an especially large rock these past couple of weeks, you'd know that Iran is currently at war with the US and Israel.
And not only does Iran produce a lot of oil, But a stretch of sea through which loads of oil tankers pass every single day.
A place called the Strait of Hormuz is right next to Iran, and right now it's dangerous for big ships to sail through it.
So with less oil being refined into petrol, that means that the price rises at the petrol stations that we all drive past every day.
It's simple economics.
And economics, my friends, is a subject that some of you may study when you get to high school.
And it's fascinating.
Now, now that you know all of that, I dare you to explain it all over the dinner table tonight.
Oh, my giddy aunt.
Color me impressed and knock me down with a feather.
You would have heard us talk in the last two weeks about our PM for a day competition.
Your chance to win a trip for two to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, hang out with the House Speaker and spend a day at Parliament House.
Well, entries closed on Friday and we have been inundated.
So so, so many of you sent in videos telling us what one thing you would do to make Australia a better place if you were PM for a day.
From Geraldton to Hobart, Townsville to Adelaide, Darwin to Melbourne, from cattle stations, cotton farms and high rises in the city, we have spent all weekend watching your amazing entries.
And I have only two things to say.
One, a huge thank you to everybody who took the time to record a video and send it in.
You're all so talented.
And two, this country is in very safe hands.
The range of ideas, the passion, the enthusiasm and the flat-out optimism for what an incredible place we live in has warmed the cockles of my heart.
You guys really are the best.
Now excuse me, as I sit down with Christy and our panel of judges to undertake the painstaking process of picking a winner.
Watch this space.
Spin the globe.
Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a new story from wherever it stops.
And today we've landed in Los Angeles in the United States, where right now the biggest stars in Hollywood have gathered for the Oscars.
The Oscars are the biggest movie awards ceremony in the movie making calendar.
As big a deal as it gets in the film world.
Which is why a visual effects company from Adelaide has all its fingers and toes crossed this morning.
The folks at Rising Sun Pictures were responsible for making Michael B Jordan appear on screen at the same time playing a set of twins in the vampire thriller Sinners.
The same actor on screen next to himself reacting to himself, and all of it looking like two different characters.
Now it's an MA15 film here in Oz, so you're probably going to have to take my word for it, but it is amazing.
And, like economics, visual effects and the creativity of movie making is something maybe some of you will do when you finish school.
Good luck today Rising Sun Pictures and good luck to all of the talented, creative people vying for an Oscar statue today.
Speaking of trophies, the Matildas took one giant leap towards winning the Asian Women's Cup on Friday night when they beat North Korea by two glorious goals to one.
Sam Kerr and Alana Kennedy slotted the winning goals for the home side, sending the Tillys straight into a semi-final on Tuesday night, where they will face off against China.
China comes into the semi ranked 17th in the world compared to Australia, which is ranked 15th.
So it's going to be a close match.
China only just scraped into the semis beating Chinese Taipei on the weekend in extra time.
The winner of the Matildas China semifinal will play the winner of the Japan South Korea semifinal.
With world number eight, Japan tipped to be the team to beat in this tournament.
Especially after they trounced the Philippines yesterday 7-0.
Ouch!
That's gotta hurt.
Imagine a whale, one of the biggest animals on Earth, slowly sinking to the bottom of the dark, dark ocean after it dies.
What do you think happens next?
A party, that's what.
New studies of the deepest part of the ocean have revealed an amazing picture of how whales after death provide such a rich source of food that one dead whale can sustain an entire deep sea ecosystem for up to 10 years.
What?
When a whale sinks to the sea floor, scientists call it a whale fall.
And it's kind of like a giant pizza delivery arriving in a place that almost never gets food.
First come the sharks, the crabs and the hagfish, and these hungry visitors can feast on a dead whale carcass for up to two years.
Then the tiny tunnellers move in.
Worms, crustaceans and mollusks burrow into the leftover blubber and even the soil underneath the whale.
Then, my favourite, the zombie worms move in.
These creepy creatures feast on whale bones by drilling in with their roots, secreting an acid that dissolves the bone, and then, using special bacteria, digest the fat and protein inside.
I have to say I feel a little bit sick just thinking about that and I really hope you've finished your breakfast.
Time for the quiz.
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you've been listening.
Question number one.
In which Australian state capital city do the Matildas play their semi-final on Tuesday night?
MUSIC Yeah, that's right.
It's in Perth, capital of Western Australia.
Question number two.
Name the Oscar-nominated film starring Black Panther's Michael B Jordan, on which an Adelaide visual effects team worked.
MUSIC
Well done if you said sinners, which of course none of you are.
Question number three.
In which US city will the Oscars take place today?
Yeah, that's right.
They take place in Los Angeles.
Shout out.
It's Monday, March 16th.
Queen Mary of Denmark and her husband, King Frederick, will be in Canberra today as part of their Aussie tour.
Did you know that Denmark's Queen Mary is actually an Aussie from Tasmania?
How cool is that?
It's also a special day today for these squiz kids celebrating a birthday, and also for those squiz kids celebrating a birthday tomorrow.
Who's listening all the way over there in Fort Mill in the United States of America.
Belated birthday shoutouts go to Anisha from Kellyville, Rachel from Doncaster East and Ethan from Bulleen.
And today's classroom shoutouts go to Class 5Y and Ms Laray at Lakes Grammar School in Warnervale.
Class 5-6-S-K with Mrs Dixon at Avoca State School.
Class 5-W with Ms Corsman at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School in Currie Currie.
Class 4-M with Ms Klemke at Keringal Public School in Wagga Wagga.
Class 5-Gold with Mrs Jensen at St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School in Campbelltown.
And to the students at Mansfield State School.
And a happy birthday to their teacher, Mr Gar.
Don't forget if you've got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out, or if you're after a classroom shout-out, drop us a line at squizkids at thesquizcomau, or fill out the form on our website.
We'll be back again tomorrow with our Squiz Kids Q&A with Dr Karl.
Yes, folks, everyone's favourite scientist answering questions that you sent in.
It's a winner of an episode and you won't want to miss it.
In the meantime...
Get out there and have a most excellent day.
Over and out.
