Podcasts

Turkey earthquake, Chinese spy balloon, Beyoncé sweeps Grammys, naughty parrot

Feb 8, 2023 Episode 137

7.8 earthquake rocks Turkey & Syria, US shoots down Chinese spy balloon, Beyoncé sweeps Grammys, Taiwan’s naughty parrot

Episode Transcript

EPISODE 137

00:00

LEELA: This week – a massive earthquake, China’s spy balloon, Beyonce’s Grammy and Taiwan’s naughty parrot.

OPENING STING – LEELA: “Hey, hey, hey. Listen up. New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!”

THEME MUSIC

LEELA: Hello and welcome to Newsy Pooloozi – your world pool of news and information. I’m Leela.

MAMA: And I’m Lyndee.

LEELA: And what a packed week it is! A massive earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria. We’ll explain why it was so powerful and deadly.

Plus unravel the story behind the mysterious Chinese balloon that flew across America before it was finally shot down.

Also, Beyonce becomes the “queen of the Grammys,” bagging the most awards in the Grammy’s history.

And a pet owner in Taiwan is having to pay a hefty price for a very naughty bird.

Alrighty then, let’s dive in. First up, it’s…

BIG NEWS STORY STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The big news story of the week!”

MAMA:  In the country called Turkey and its neighbor, Syria, an awful earthquake struck, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing already around 8000 people.

LEELA: Yikes! That’s a huge amount of people.

MAMA: I know.

LEELA: This one was a magnitude, or strength, of 7.8 – which is a huge one.

MAMA: Right and while we used to use something called the Richter Scale, earthquakes are now measured on a scale called the “moment magnitude scale” based on its seismic, or vibrating, moment.

LEELA: And if it’s small, like 2.5 on the scale, that’s just a tremor, which can only be felt by scientific instruments, right?

MAMA: That’s right. But quakes of up to five on the moment magnitude scale are felt and can cause minor damage.

LEELA: So, 7.8 is massive!

MAMA: Totally. And what made it even more powerful, and so more deadly, was the fact that it wasn’t a deep quake, way down below the earth, but quite a shallow one closer to the surface.

LEELA: Meaning closer to humanity. So more buildings and people were closer to its impact?

MAMA: More or less. And because it also happened in a very populated area it’s been even more devastating. Rescuers are working around the clock to try and pull people out of the rubble.

LEELA: On top of that, were all the aftershocks over 60!

MAMA: And that was one aftershock that was 7.5 magnitude, almost just the biggest original earthquake, and not far from the epicenter either.  You know what the epicenter is, right?

LEELA: Yeah – the center of the quake.

MAMA: Kinda. Epi is a prefix – you know, a few letters at the start of some words – meaning above. So, it’s the location directly above where the quake starts.

LEELA: Gotcha. Well, here’s hoping the rescue workers can save lots of people buried beneath the rubble.

MAMA: Absolutely.

[SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/feb/07/turkey-earthquake-syria-in-turkiye-2023-live-updates-latest-news-map-magnitude-7-8-scale-quake-tremor-death-toll-gaziantep-kahramanmaras

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/06/europe/turkey-syria-earthquake-tuesday-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/science-earthquakes]

MAMA: Now… For days people in the northwest of America, particularly over the state of Montana, were looking up in the sky and seeing something new, something big and round and white and thinking.

LEELA: Is it a new planet, another moon?

MAMA: Alas – it was neither a balloon.

LEELA: But no ordinary balloon, though. While this thing wasn’t a blimp, it was massive!

MAMA: The size of three school buses in fact. Complete with solar panels and surveillance equipment. And while China said, ooops, that’s just a weather balloon that went off course, the Pentagon –

LEELA: That’s the five-sided building in DC that houses the US Department of Defense, in case you didn’t know.

MAMA: Thank you. The Pentagon said it was sent over America from Alaska to spy on sensitive military sites, perhaps even the storage area of some nuclear missiles in Montana.

LEELA: So why didn’t they just, well, you know, shoot it down?

MAMA: Well, even though it’s not right for another country to send a flying object unannounced over another country’s sovereign airspace –

LEELA: And sovereign means…?

MAMA: To possess or hold power. So a country has power or control over its own air space, in other words the air above its land.

LEELA: Gotcha. So, China was Kinda invading the US then.

MAMA: Well, its equipment was supposed. Though China says it was an accident, the US Defense Department isn’t buying it. But they were worried shooting the balloon down could hurt people on the ground – with you know the debris flying all around.

LEELA: Aaaah, that’s why they waited till it was off the coast of South Carolina.

MAMA: That’s right.

LEELA: But that’s like all the way across America on the East Coast!

MAMA: Exactly. So, a lot of people are mad President Biden didn’t order it to be shot down before. Though three other such Chinese balloons are now believed to have made it into US airspace during the Trump presidency.

LEELA: Really?!

MAMA: Well, at the time they had gone undetected – as in no one knew about them then.

LEELA: Uh-oh. The plot thickens!

MAMA: Yes, it does. And now all eyes are on the recovery team that’s trying to fish out the fallen debris to see if they can learn anything about the Chinese balloon and the technology they used.

SOURCE: [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-found-northern-us-rcna68879

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-white-house-holds-briefing-following-poll-showing-lack-of-support-for-biden-re-election

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/06/chinese-balloons-failed-detection/]

WORLD WRAP STING – LEELA: “What’s that? I’ll tell you what. That’s the halftime bell! Which means… It’s time to hear what’s making news around the rest of the world. Hold on tight, it’s around the world in 80 seconds.”

MAMA: In the US President Joe Biden gave his annual State of the Union address, calling on Republicans to help, quote: “finish the job” of delivering for hardworking families. He also stressed the importance of bridging the vast divide between his Democrats and Republicans.

In the state of New Hampshire, the coldest ever wind chill is recorded in Mount Washington. While the actual temperature is -45 degrees Fahrenheit, crazy winds – we’re talking 97 miles per hour mean the windchill is -108 Fahrenheit that’s -78 Celsius.

In space news, move over Saturn – Jupiter is now officially the planet with the most moons in our solar system as 12 new moons are confirmed bringing Jupiter’s total to 92, surpassing Saturn’s 83 moons.

And you won’t believe what was found in a Roman sewer, a statue depicting a slain, or killed, Roman emperor from around 250 ADS, dressed as none other than the mythological god Hercules. Which is interesting coming so close after the birth of Christ.

LEELA: Well, thank you so much for that – wait for it… that whippity-whappity-zippity-zappity wrap of what’s making headlines elsewhere in the world, Mama.

MAMA: I don’t think that anybody can understand that she said that whippity-whappity-zippity-zappity wrap of what’s making headlines elsewhere in the world, Mama. Well, I think that’s what you said.

LEELA: Yes, so and now you supposed to say

MAMA: Anytime, Leela.

ACE STING – LEELA/MAMA: “Now it’s the ace part of our podcast: Arts, Culture and Entertainment. Darling.”

MAMA: The biggest music awards show on Earth took place in Los Angeles, California with Grammy awards going to some old timers, like rocker Ozzy Osbourne and country Western star Willie Nelson.

LEELA: Who the heck are they?

MAMA: Okay before you time

LEELA: But it wasn’t just about the oldies, oh, no. Beyoncé, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, made history at the Grammy’s as our entertainment correspondent Lani/Mirabel Power – of the Book Power for Kids Podcast – is about to tell us.

MIRABEL: It was all glitz and glamour and some crazy outfits at the 65th Grammy Music Awards.

I mean, have a look at the photos, folks the red carpet was sizzling!

Yes, Harry Stiles was in a sequin’s jumpsuit – again!

As for musical talent well, Beyoncé became the artist winning the most awards ever in Grammy history.

We’re talking 32 trophies! Wow.

And while she won best dance and electronic album for Renaissance, she did NOT take home the big prize of the night: best overall album, which went to Harry Stiles.

In fact, this is the fourth time Beyoncé has been overlooked in that category, making some wonder if her music is just too edgy for the Grammy’s.

In the US I’m Mirabel Power, Reporting for Newsy Pooloozi,

LEELA: Why thank you so much for that report, Mirabel.

MAMA: And by the way, the first batch of tickets for Beyoncé’s North American leg of her world tour went on sale to huge demand.

LEELA: Let’s hope she has more luck than Taylor Swift did selling her tickets swiftly!

[SOURCE: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/05/entertainment/beyonce-grammys-most-awarded-artist-cec/index.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64535376

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64533856]

LEELA: And finally, let’s see what the lucky dip machine has for us this week.

ODDBALL STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Step right up, step right up… Have a go at the lucky dip machine… What’s it gonna be today, eh? An oddball, no doubt!”

LEELA: Well, this is definitely a tale you don’t hear every day. A pet owner paying the price for loving his parrot and, well, letting his caged bird fly.

MAMA: Ummm, come again?

LEELA: Well, for this story we need to go to our Taiwan correspondent, Yuching Liu.

MAMA: Take it away, Yuching.

YUCHING: Taiwan is a pet-crazy nation – we love our pets here!

Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, you name it.

Well, this story is about an owner of macaw parrots – you know, the large, really colourful parrots that are native to North and South America and often seen in movies about pirates.

Well, a few months ago, the owner decided to take his birds for a walk as you do.

Ok, he went on a walk and let the birds fly around.

When all of a sudden, one of the macaws landed on the back of a doctor, who was out for a jog!

The bird kept flapping its wings, which naturally startled the doctor who… fell. Badly.

He fell so badly he dislocated his hip joint and fractured his pelvis. Ouch!

The doctor was in hospital for a week and unable to work for over six months!

So, the doctor took the pet-lover to court. It did not go well for the macaw man.

He was given a two-month prison sentence and fined over 3 million New Taiwan dollars, that’s nearly 100,000 US dollars!

Needless to say, he’s appealing the court’s decision, arguing that macaws are not aggressive and that the compensation is “too high.”

The fate of his naughty parrot, however, is not known.

In Taipei I’m Yuching Liu, reporting for Newsy Pooloozi!

LEELA: Thanks, Yuching. Well, you know what they say if you have a parrot, it says a lot about you!

[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64471632]

FAB FACTS STING – LEELA: “And it’s time to wrap up the podcast with the top five fab facts heard today. Here goes…”

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 1 – The US Department of Defense shot down what it’s calling a Chinese spy balloon. What is the name of the headquarters for the Department of Defense in DC?

The Pentagon

LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 2 – The US is angry the Chinese balloon flew over its sovereign airspace. What does sovereign mean?

To possess or hold power.

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 3 – A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocks Turkey and Syria, killing over 5000 people. What is the name of the scale used to determine the strength of a quake?

Moment magnitude scale

LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 4 – This is usually measured at the epicenter of an earthquake. What does the prefix epi mean?

Above

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 5 – A Taiwanese is given a two-month prison sentence and fined almost a hundred thousand dollars after his pet macaw parrot injured someone when it was let free. Where are macaw parrots native to?

North and South America

And you know what i’m gonna say don’t forget, if you want to test yourself later on, then go to the Lucky Dip Blog page of our website,  newsypooloozi.com, that’s pool-o-o-z-i, and take this quiz online in your own time!

LEELA: I’ll repeat that for you (saying in naughty noise)

MAMA: That’s a very asian Leela robot

LEELA: Aaah haa it’s meowbot..  And just like that we’re at the end of this episode of… Newsy Pooloozi the news pod for kids. But, yep, we have to say a big thank you to those leaving us awesome reviews.

MAMA: This one is from Michael Alcantar who wrote

LEELA: “I like listening to the news and especially during the night. The news is funny but also serious.”

MAMA: Thank you, Michael. I think you hit the nail on the head, as they are saying goes. This week is a case in point.

LEELA: There was definitely some serious news.

MAMA: But we made sure to bring you some funny stuff too!

THEME MUSIC

LEELA: So, what are you waiting for? If you enjoyed this dip in the world pool of news and information, then leave us a review too on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on!

MAMA: We promise to read it out loud if you do…!

LEELA: Alrighty then. It’s over-and-out from your news crew. We’ll catch ya next week in the happy, splashy giant Newsy Pooloozi!

-ends-