Squeeze Kids acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands on which we podcast the Turrbal and Combermeri people.
Squeeze Kids!
It's your daily news fix.
Fun, free, fresh.
Hello and welcome to Squeeze Kids today, your fresh take on what's happening in the world around you.
I'm Christy Kijerina.
It's Wednesday, September 24th.
In Squiz Kids today, the world's first dinosaur choir.
Fat Bear voting is open.
A strong pong sparks an emergency and a very, very good staffie.
That's what's making news, kid style.
The Lowdown.
Voting is now officially open for what is becoming one of the most popular online contests in the world Fat Bear Week.
Each year since 2014, millions of people from over 100 countries have logged on to vote for the bear they think has done the best job piling on the pounds before winter hibernation.
The competition takes place in Katmai National Park in Alaska, where some of the biggest brown bears on earth spend their summer gobbling up sockeye salmon at Brooks River.
And thanks to a record salmon run this year, the contestants are chunkier than ever.
Of the more than 200 bears that live around the Brooks River Falls, there are 12 in the running.
Fan favourite Grazer, a two-time champion, is back.
And her cub, 128 Junior, has just one fat bear junior and is now stepping up to the big leagues.
There's also Flotato, known for stomping dances, Cruise Ship, she's so massive she looks like one, and my pick, Bear 99, a not-quite-teenager making their Fat Bear debut.
The contest works kind of like the footy playoffs.
Bears face off in a daily matchup, and the one with the most votes advances to the next round.
The ultimate Fat Bear Week champion will be crowned on September 30th.
And as we cheer on the next generation of furry heavyweights, fans are also remembering Otis, the four-time champ who hasn't been seen for the last two summers and whose crown may now pass to the likes of Grazer and her cub.
I'll pop a link in the episode notes so that you can vote too.
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 Lancashire in England, where a strange smell in the air sparked a full blown emergency call out.
Locals thought there was a gas leak, but the culprit turned out to be something far fruitier.
The mystery smell was durian, a spiky fruit from Southeast Asia that's famous for its sweet custody taste and its very strong pong.
So stinky, in fact, that it's banned on public transport in countries like Singapore.
People say it smells like socks, onions or even sewage.
Mmm.
Gas engineers rushed to the scene, checked neighbouring shops and even brought in police, only to discover that the leak was really just a fresh delivery of durian on display in the local fruit shop.
Once the source was revealed, everyone burst out laughing.
Durian lovers say it's worth braving the smell for its creamy flavour, proving once again that one person's stink is another person's snack.
MUSIC
Weird science!
And what you're hearing.
There is the first instrument in what could become the world's very first dinosaur choir.
It's the call of the Carithosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur that lived about 75 million years ago in what is now Alberta, Canada.
Scientists believe that its giant head crest and twisty nasal passages acted like a built-in trumpet, helping the dinos resonate deep honking sounds to communicate.
Now artist Courtney Brown has teamed up with paleontologists to recreate those sounds using CT scans, 3D printed skulls and bioacoustic modelling.
The result?
A giant musical instrument that mimics the Carithosaurus's call.
Weird, wonderful and a little bit spooky.
I've stuck a video explaining how it all works in the episode notes.
And the Carithosaurus is just the start.
The plan is to add more duck-billed dinos until there's a full dinosaur choir.
So don't be surprised if one day you find yourself listening to a prehistoric symphony 75 million years in the making.
Believe it or not.
How well trained is your dog?
Maybe not as well trained as this one.
In England.
A blue Staffordshire bull terrier was home alone when a fire broke out, filling the house with smoke.
A police officer kicked open the door to find the blue Staffy bull terrier darting around.
At first, the dog bolted deeper into the house when the officer tried to coax him out.
But then, in an incredible twist, the dog led the officer straight to his leash, hanging on a hook by the back door.
Body cam footage the link is in the episode notes shows the officer clipping it on before the two of them make a smoky dash to safety.
The officer was coughing from the smoke, but the dog trotted calmly beside him, as if saying I can't go outside without my lead.
The video has gone viral, with people online praising the staffy's obedience.
And he really is a very, very good boy.
Do you feel like you're climbing a hill made of jelly?
That, my friends, is the telltale sign that it's the end of term.
Kids parents, teachers.
We're all counting down the days unless, of course, you're in Queensland, Victoria or the NT, in which case you're already on holidays.
This is our last week of daily news for the term, but don't go anywhere.
We've lined up loads of fun school holiday content for you to enjoy through our website or on your favourite podcasting app.
You'll get two brand new episodes of Squiz Kids Spotlight.
I nabbed an interview with Australia's very first astronaut, Catherine Bunnell-Pegg.
How cool.
And Bryce will be sitting down with political writer Annabelle Crabb to chat about her new book There's a Prawn in Parliament House.
And yep, there actually is one.
Plus, we've got brain teasers to keep your brains buzzing, a school holiday movie guide, Squiz Kids, science shorts and not one but two bumper holiday quizzes.
It all kicks off next week and runs right through the holidays.
And don't forget, if it's your birthday between September 29 and October 12, your shout-out will be waiting for you when we get back with the daily news on October 13.
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.
How many bears are facing off for the title of fattest bear this year?
MUSIC Well done if you knew that it is 12 bears.
Question number two.
What is the name of the stinky fruit that sparked an emergency in the UK?
MUSIC
That stinky but tasty fruit is durian.
Question number three.
What did one very well-trained dog need to get before he evacuated his burning house?
Yeah, that's right, he had to get his lead.
Yay!
Shout out.
It's Wednesday, September 24.
On this day, way back in 1952, the very first ever Kentucky Fried Chicken store opened in Salt Lake City Utah, USA.
And yes, there really was a Colonel Sanders, a man in a white suit, who came up with that famous recipe of 11 secret herbs and spices.
It's also a special day for these quiz kids celebrating a birthday today.
Gemma from Wentworth Point, Mitchell from Forest Lake, Noah from Fernvale, Jade from Narrenburn, Marley from Brisbane, Olivia from Linfield, Toddy from Mossman Oliver from Mossman Oliver from Currie Currie, Rubina from Plumpton and Tyler from Five Dock.
And a belated birthday shout out goes to Aliana from Chesterhill, Caitlin from Beaconsfield, Carl from Yipoon and Prateek from Brisbane.
Classroom shout outs.
Today go to rooms 12 and 13 with Mrs Bell and Miss L at Edwinston Primary School, diamond class with ms austin at ballara public school, bun and g class with ms wilkinson at tablarn public school.
And a special shout out to all the students in ms may's class at wycliffe hope school in the blue mountains.
They have just completed the squiz kids media literacy program news hounds and they loved it.
I reckon they're all now super sleuths at spotting fake news.
Well done, guys.
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 you can fill out the form on our website.
Well, that's all we have time for.
Thanks for listening to Squiz Kids today.
We'll be back again tomorrow.
In the meantime, though, get out there and have a most excellent day.
Over and out.
Thank you.
