Los Angeles Wildfires to World Records - 10 Things You Need to Know
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10 Things You Need to Know: Episode 523
10 Things You Need to Know with The Ten News!
1. š„ Los Angeles Wildfires
2. šļø It's National Nothing Day!
3.š» Protecting the Grizzly Bear Population
4. š® Nintendo News
5. šŖ Stock Up on These Girl Scout Cookies
6. š» Meta's Making Changes
7. š°ļø Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Launch
8. š¦ A New Norovirus Strain
9. š®š¹ "Getting Sick is Prohibited"
10. š¤ What World Record Was Broken Last Year?
Resources
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-nothing-day-january-16
https://apnews.com/article/grizzly-bear-protections-rocky-mountains-86eeeb24a408d008313d115a9ce75a3b
https://www.today.com/food/news/girl-scouts-discontinue-smores-toast-yay-cookies-rcna186385
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-norovirus-strain-us-wave-stomach-bug/
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Transcript:
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
<SFX door open, footsteps>
<SFX metal detector wand>
RYAN: Good morning Pam. Please put your keys and any metal objects into the tray and stick your arms out.
<SFX keys drop in tray>
<SFX metal detector wand buzzes>
PAM: Ummmm, Iām sorry, Ry, why are you metal detectingā¦ me?
RYAN: Itās actually just an ectoplasm checkpoint.
PAM: Ectoplasm? Did you just watch Ghostbusters again?
RYAN: Obviously. I donāt know if you heard, but there are some āblue ghostsā on the loose.
PAM: Ohhhh, I know about the blue ghosts!
RYAN: WHAT! Have you seen them?! Tell me everything.
PAM: I will, but after we start the show. Iām Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And Iām Ryan Willard. Itās Thursday, January 16th.
PAM: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.
RYAN: Wildfires have been sweeping through Californiaās Los Angeles County. Since last week, fires have burned more than 45 square miles of land in LA, putting almost 200,000 people under evacuation orders. Theyāve burned over a thousand structures and threatened over 60,000. More than 400,000 homes and businesses lost power, and many had their electricity shut off to prevent the systems from igniting. The fires have been so big and spread so rapidly because of weather conditions. The area has seen dangerously little rain this year, so the dry land has been quick to catch fire and high winds have been quick to spread it. Of the multiple fires, The Palisades Fire was the largest, and has become the most destructive in LA history. At one point burning through the equivalent of five football fields per minute. For more on the LA wildfires, and wildfires in general, you can check out our Special Report thatās dropping tomorrow. If thatās not enough, weāll put some additional information and resources in the show notes.
PAM: On a lighter note, do you know whatās so special about today? <SFX drumroll>
RYAN: Is it my birthday today?!
PAM: No. Your birthday is in March.
RYAN: Oh. Well then, nothing comes to mindā¦
PAM: Exactly! Itās National Nothing Day in the US! <SFX cheering> Itās a silly day that was created to give people a national day without all the pressure that comes with other holidays. On National Nothing Day, thereās no buying gifts for everybody, no cooking for family, no cleaning for company - nothing! Created in the 1970s by Harold Pullman Coffin, a columnist for a San Francisco newspaper, National Nothing Day is actually not a public holiday. That would require an act of Congress, which is NOT in the spirit of doing nothing.
RYAN: If you do want to celebrate, celebrate the beauty of nothing! Drink a glass of pretend soda, with nothing in it!
PAM: Read from a book with blank pages! Put in your airpods and listen to silence!
RYAN: Woah woah woah, what about The Ten News?!
PAM: Right! Thatās allowed on National Nothing Day. But while today is National Nothing Day, there's still SO much still going on around us.
PAM: Hereās a hint about our next story - can you guess what animal this is? <SFX grizzly bear roar> <SFX five second clock tick> Itās a grizzly bear! Which brings us to an update, courtesy of President Biden.
RYAN: Joe Biden is a grizzly bear?!?!?! Bears can be president?!?!
PAM: No, Ryan. The Biden Administration announced that grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountains will stay protected!
RYAN: The government will protect bears?! Please tell me that means weāre going to see bears in super cushioned pillow suits.
PAM: It means the U.S. will continue to outlaw the hunting and trapping of these bears. They were a big part of the reason why the grizzly population fell from 50,000 bears to the scary low number of about 700 bears in the 1970s. Since then, government protection has helped the bears get their numbers back up to about 2,000 in the Rocky Mountains, but not everybody is happy about it. Officials in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have been pushing for state management instead of the national government stepping in. Without government protection, people would be allowed to hunt the bears. That may seem mean, but these bears can get up to 800 pounds and live for more than 25 years, so they can be pretty dangerous, and that makes the situation tricky. The Biden administrationās protection would give grizzlies a better chance at repopulating, but those who were fighting for state protection are worried about bear attacks on livestock, and even people. Things may change under President-elect Trump, but for now, the grizzlies have national government protection.
RYAN: Itās a new year which means itās time for a whole bunch of newā¦ <SFX GGs intro> Rumors have been swirling around the Nintendo Switch 2ā¦there have been supposed leaks, and multiple sources are reporting that the new Nintendo system will be announced today, January 16thā¦ followed by a software presentation next month. These are all still RUMORS, but Nintendo has said they will announce the Switch successor before the end of March. Iād be surprised if Nintendo announced the Switch 2 today because today is the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, which is a remaster of the 2010 Wii title. This was one of my favorite platformers on the Wii and I got a sneak preview of it last week along with a Tenāer named Jaxonā¦hereās Jaxon's thoughts of it:
JAXON: I think itās a really good game and I donāt think thereās any way they can improve it even though Iāve only played one level.
RYAN: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is available now on the Switch.
PAM: Iāve got good and bad news for our next story. The good news is -
RYAN: We just won a gazillion dollars?!
PAM: Itās Girl Scout Cookie season until April!
RYAN: AAAAAAAHHHH THATāS EVEN BETTER! Thatās where my half of the gazillion dollars would have gone anyway.
PAM: The bad news is that we have to say a flavor farewell to the Sāmores and Toast-Yay cookies, which will be discontinued after this year. <SFX sad trombone> This is the first time The Girl Scouts are announcing ahead of time that theyāll be discontinuing a flavor, so weāll at least get a chance to stock up and say goodbye.
RYAN: Right, we donāt want a repeat of theā¦Raspberry Rally incident <SFX DUN DUN DUN>
PAM: Last year, the Girl Scoutās raspberry cookie became the first flavor to be sold online only, and someone ended up not only reselling the cookies but charging $18 per box! The money didnāt even go to supporting The Girl Scouts! This year, you can plan ahead and buy an extra box or two of Sāmores and Toast-Yay, in addition to the regular favorites like thin mints, samoas, tagalongs, and more.
<SFX stomach grumbling>
RYAN: All this cookie talk has got me feeling extra snack-y! Weāll take a break but when we come back, weāll talk about <SFX stomach grumbling louder> Alright, already! Snacks now, news later!
PAM: Hey Tenāers - Just a heads up, weāre doing a special report on the LA Wildfires. This has been one of the most devastating natural disasters weāve ever seen and weāre going to break it all down for you. Our special report drops on Friday, January 17th. Give it a download, and if you have any follow up questions, you can email us at hello@thetennews.com. Letās get back to the show!
RYAN: Weāre back, Tenāers, and itās time to Tcky Tcky, Tech Yourself, Before You Wreck Yourself. <SFX Tech Interface Sounds> Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last week that Meta will be ending the fact-checking program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads and switch to a community-driven system. This means that instead of having a dedicated team of fact-checkers to look at posts for accuracy, the users will do the checking. Everyday people like you and me will decide what posts are misleading, dangerous, or hurtful. Zuckerberg says the change is because the initial fact-checking strategy was making too many mistakes, so too many things were getting accidentally taken down. In a video released by Meta, Zuckerberg used language that conservatives have used to criticize his platforms; he said it was time to prioritize āfree expressionā and that his paid employee fact-checkers had become āpolitically biased.ā Critics believe the changes were made to please the incoming Trump administration. When President Elect Trump was asked if Zuckerberg made the changes in response to threats that Trump had made against Meta, Trump said, āProbably.ā
PAM: For our next story, letās getā¦Out. Of. This. World. <SFX NASA 3-2-1 Blastoff> OR <SFX lightspeed jump>. Yesterday was the launch of the lunar lander called āBlue Ghost.ā The spacecraft started its journey to the moon from NASAās Kennedy Space Center on a mission known as āGhost Riders in the Sky.ā
RYAN: Which would also be the most awesome movie name ever.
PAM: The mission is a team effort between SpaceX and NASA. On its trip, Blue Ghost will spend 25 days orbiting earth before heading to the moon. There, it will spend 16 days orbiting the moon preparing for a landing on the surface. If all goes well, it will end up on a 460 mile wide plane formed by an ancient asteroid impact called Mare Crisium, or āsea of crisisā.
RYAN: Also what I call it if I go swimming in the ocean without my floaties.
PAM: Once it lands, the Blue Ghost is supposed to take and send images from the surface, but it has to work quickly because there are only 14 days on the moon before lunar night!
RYAN: Back on Earth, have you noticed that a lot of people have been sick lately? Thatās partly because of something called norovirus, which is the most common cause of foodborne illness, or the stomach bug, in the United States. Although we normally see an increase in cases during the winter, itās especially bad this year.
PAM: Norovirus outbreaks in the US have reached the highest level for this time of year since 2012.
RYAN: Of the people that got norovirus this year, about 70% were infected by a new strain. It makes sense since a new version of the disease translates to lower population immunity. That means people havenāt had the time for their bodies to figure out how to fight the disease, which exposure helps us do. If you want to avoid norovirusā
PAM: What do you mean āifā?! I definitely do want to avoid it!
RYAN: Then be sure to wash your hands, and protect others by staying home if youāre not feeling well!
PAM: If you are feeling sick and think that a trip to Italy will cure you, youāre out of luck! The small Italian town of Belcastro has made an unusual announcement: getting sick is prohibited!
RYAN: Wait, you're telling me I could be stuck in bed and get additional punishment?! Itās not like I wanted to get sick!
PAM: Of course, itās pretty unfair for a place to punish people for getting sick, so we donāt know if or how the town will enforce the rule. In fact, the rule is meant less for the people, and more to draw attention from higher-ups to the townās lack of access to doctors and healthcare. Since their health center and doctors are often unavailable, the rule will hopefully get the attention of political and health officials who can help address these issues and get the people of the town more regular care.
RYAN: Oh no, even just talking about being sick is making me -ah, ah ah CHOO! Letās switch gears to trivia! Take it away, Owen!
<SFX Trivia Theme song>
OWEN: I love a good topic switch especially when we are talking about world records! What world record was broken last year?
The worldās oldest newlyweds
The worldās largest cat
The worldās smallest book, or
The worldās youngest circus clown
<SFX 5 second clock tick>
OWEN: Did ya get it? The answer is A, the world's oldest newlyweds. The title now belongs to Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman, who got married last year on May 19th.
RYAN: As of December, when the Guinness World Records shared the news, Marjorie was 102 and Bernie was 100, giving the couple a combined age of 202!
OWEN: The two met at a party at their retirement center and went on their first date later that same day, then dated for nine years before getting married. <SFX aaawwwwwww> Ryan, are you okay?!
RYAN: [sniffling] Itās just so beautiful! Maybe I should make a movie about it! But I wonāt call it Ghost Riders in the Sky! Iāll save that for my action movie!
PAM: And thatās Ten Things You Need to Know! Great show, Ryan.
RYAN: Guess what Iām doing for the rest of the day?
PAM: Absolutelyā¦nothing?
RYAN: Thatās right! Absolutely positively nothingā
PAM: Itās been a wild first two weeks of the year, so I think Iāll join youā¦right after we do some Ten News Snaps!
RYAN: Ahh yes of course, but first, hereās a quick note for the grownups.
[Ad Break]
RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps! <Grand fanfare SFX>
PAM: A Tenāer named Bennyboi123šleft us a comment on Apple Podcasts and said āI really like this podcast it helps me learn about whatās going on in our world also Ryan I love butterflyās they are so cute maybe you could bring some to the studioā Thank you, Bennyboi123! We love to help you learn about whatās going on, and thatās quite a suggestion about butterflies. Any thoughts, Ry?
RYAN: Bringing butterflies into the studio?! Thanks but no thanks. I like to keep this an evil-free space, thank you very much!
PAM: FYI, Ten Things You Need to Know drops on Thursdays, and our deep dive episodes drop once a month. If you want some bonus content, you could join the Tenāers Club on our website.
RYAN: And to our grownups, if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!
PAM: āThe Ten Newsā is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
RYAN: The Ten News creative team debating which Girl Scout cookie is best and why itās the peanut butter patty and includes: Tracey Not A Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian NOT Ryan Douglas, Hebba the Big Cheese Gouda and Carson Pitter Patter Potter. Big thanks to our Trivia Master, Owen, Not Slowin down for anybody.
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. Iām Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And Iām Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News.
