Cat Videos and Congress 📱
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The Ten News Season 3: Episode 62
In today's episode: 🐾 From cats & dogs to tarantulas & sugar gliders, it's time to celebrate them all for National Pet Month! 😹 Cat correspondent, Ten'er Jack, shares some paw-some things you might not know about your cat in honor of National Hug Your Cat Day 📱 Correspondent Pamela Kirkland breaks down ‘Protecting Kids on Social Media’ Act that Congress is debating 🐹 Trivia with Tessa: Which state is it against the law to have a hamster as a pet!?
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Links
https://nationaltoday.com/national-pet-month/#how-to
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets
https://nationaltoday.com/national-hug-cat-day/
https://www.wired.com/story/protecting-kids-social-media-act/
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/18/1176805559/montana-tiktok-ban
TRANSCRIPT:
Ryan Willard 00:00
Awhh.
Pamela Kirkland 00:05
What a cute kitten, Ry! Who is that? And why are they here?
Ryan Willard 00:11
This is my cat, Tuesday. It's National Pet Month. So, I brought her to work. That's okay. Right?
Pamela Kirkland 00:17
Um, I don't know if Kap will be okay with this. I think she's still a little on edge from the time you brought a gremlin in the studio.
Ryan Willard 00:27
That was a Mogwai and Pete turned it into a Gremlin. Wait, so you're saying it wasn't a good idea that I did a photoshoot with Tuesday in Kap's office, and I put it on my social media?
Pamela Kirkland 00:38
I think we should just start the show. I'm Pamela Kirkland.
Ryan Willard 00:42
And I'm Ryan Willard. It's Wednesday, May 24th.
Pamela Kirkland 00:45
This is The Ten News.
Sound Bit 00:49
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Pamela Kirkland 00:57
I do love May. So, Let's appreciate the wonder and joy of National Pet Month. Since 1981, people in the US have been celebrating their furry friends in May. Around 80 million American homes have at least one pet from cats and dogs to tarantulas and sugar gliders. Pets have been proven to decrease stress. Keep your heart healthy and help with emotional and social skills.
Ryan Willard 01:28
I always thought of myself as a dog person, but having Tuesday around made me love cats.
Pamela Kirkland 01:34
Did you know that June 4th is National Hug Your Cat Day?
Ryan Willard 01:38
Good gravy!
Pamela Kirkland 01:39
I did not. Yeah. To celebrate it, our cat correspondent, Ten'er Jack, is here to share Ten Things You Didn't Know About Cats.
Jack 01:50
Hi, I'm Jack, the official cat correspondent and I'm here to share 10 facts you probably don't know about cats. Number one, cats have nearly twice the amount of neurons in the cerebral cortex as dogs. This means that they are more intelligent than dogs and can learn complex tasks. Number two, cats can see in the dark. They have a special membrane in their eyes that allows them to see in low light conditions they use this to handprint at night. Number three, cats can jump six times their own height. This is because they have a special muscle on their back that allows them to jump high into the air. This helps them hunt prey like birds and mice. This also plays a factor in the speed and length that they can jump. Number four, cats can present a frequency of 25-250 Hertz. This frequency is thought to have healing properties and can be used to treat pain and inflammation. Number five, cats are the only mammals that can't taste sweetness. This is because they don't have taste buds for it. Number six, cats don't actually hate water and there are breeds who love it. This includes Burmese cats, Maine Coons, Turkish Angora Savannah cats, American and Japanese bobtails, and Norwegian Forest Cats. The one who likes it the most are Turkish Angoras. They're nicknamed the swimmer cat and they love pools and water. Number seven, cats only make vocals because they heard you talk first or they hear from other cats or creatures. Number eight, if cats can drink sea water their kidneys can filter out the salt which is something humans can't do. Number nine, it is very important to keep your cat away from most plants because some are poisonous to your little kitty. Number 10, a house cat can run to the speed of about 30 miles per hour over short distances. These are 10 facts about cats. I hope you liked them!
Ryan Willard 04:20
Thanks, Jack. Hey, Tuesday. You've got a big hug waiting for you on June 4th. Okay, we can practice now. Let me get a picture of you for socials. Oh, hey, Kap.
Pamela Kirkland 04:37
Ry, Kap is coming.
Ryan Willard 04:38
Run, Tuesday, run!
Tracy Kaplan 04:44
Hey, Pam, what is Ryan doing?
Pamela Kirkland 04:46
Ryan's being, Ryan.
Tracy Kaplan 04:48
I saw his social media before I left the house today. Let him know I'm looking for him.
Pamela Kirkland 04:52
Will do, Kap. Now, we love to see our pets on social media, but some kids could be about to lose their access to social apps and sites. Let's talk about the 'Protecting Kids on Social Media' act that Congress is debating. Pete, don't you think that's a little dramatic?
Pete Musto 05:20
It was a dramatic moment, Pamela!
Ryan Willard 05:22
Pete is right. If one of these new bills passes, kids under 13 would be prevented from signing up for social media accounts.
Pamela Kirkland 05:29
It does seem to be the one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on right now. You know, how sometimes you ask for your parent’s permission before going online, especially on social media? Well, the government is thinking about that, too. In fact, they're discussing how they might better regulate big tech companies like TikTok and Facebook. Should TikTok be banned? Or should we keep younger kids off social media? And how can we make sure that our private information stays private? Those are big questions politicians in Washington DC are trying to answer right now. One reason for this is the concern about who owns Tiktok. Turns out it's a company from China. Another reason is that many parents are worried about what their kids are seeing online, especially after the tough times we've all been through with the pandemic, different groups of lawmakers have introduced a bunch of bills and proposed laws, and they hope to find some middle ground. But guess what, tech companies are not too excited about these changes. They've been used to doing their own thing without too much interference from the government. So new rules could really complicate things for them. What does that mean? Let's break down the new bills that are being discussed in Congress. First up, the 'Protecting Kids on Social Media' Act. It has bipartisan support, meaning both Republicans and Democrats are supporting it. It will create a rulebook for social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. In addition, to be at least 13 years old to use these apps, if you're between 13 and 17, your parents will have to say it's okay first. The apps can't use special computer programs called algorithms to suggest videos or posts for anyone under 18. This is to make sure that only good and safe stuff is shown. The apps will need to check how old users are to make sure everyone is telling the truth about their age. And the people who make sure rules are followed, like the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys would monitor to make sure the apps are sticking to these new rules. Another bill called the Social Media Child Protection Act would make it illegal for social media platforms to provide access to children under the age of 16. It would also require social media companies to verify the age of kids who are using it. President Joe Biden recently said it's time to pass laws and limit how much personal information can be collected and stop targeted advertising to kids. He believes that social media companies should be held accountable for their effects on children. But what do these potential new rules look like? There are several ideas on the table. One proposal says that social media platforms should be a quote, safe by design, and have child safety settings enabled by default. Another idea is to ban kids under the age of 13. From using social media without parental consent. There's also talk about creating a national privacy standard, which could give us more control over our data and make it illegal to target ads to children. That's great. And let's not forget about TikTok. Some lawmakers want to ban it altogether because of its links to China. But not everyone agrees. One senator even said that banning Tiktok. This could anger a lot of voters who use the app. So what's going to happen? Well, we're not sure yet. But we'll keep you posted. Remember being safe online is important. So always talk to your caregivers about what you're doing on the internet.
Ryan Willard 09:31
Thank you, Pamela, for explaining all the bills being talked about in Congress. And even if these bills don't pass, who knows what will happen with other social media apps? Montana, just ban Tiktok is the first state to do so but many more states could follow. We'll keep you updated on developments.
Tessa Flannery 09:51
Welcome to the trivia room.
Jack 09:54
Hi, Tessa.
Tessa Flannery 09:55
Hi, Jack. Great reporting earlier. Want to do some pet trivia?
Jack 09:59
Yeah, I love pet trivia.
Tessa Flannery 10:01
Awesome. Hop on up on the trivia throne for today's trivia question. You ready?
Jack 10:06
Let's do it!
Sound Bit 10:10
What is going on here?
Tessa Flannery 10:20
There are so many cute pets to choose from. When I was a kid, we had a dog, two cats, and three hamsters. But there's one state where it is illegal to own a hamster. Do you know which state? Is it a) California, b) Alaska, or c) Hawaii? Ten'ers, did you guess it? Jack? What's your answer?
Jack 10:45
Hmm. I think it might be Hawaii because it's so hot there that all their fur could make them have heatstroke. That wouldn't be good.
Tessa Flannery 10:55
The answer is... c) Hawaii! It's illegal to own hamsters in Hawaii because the climate is similar to hamsters’ natural habitat. If a pet hamster escaped, it might be able to start a colony which would be very bad news for Hawaii's delicate and important ecosystem.
Jack 11:18
Wow, that's cool to know. But I think I'm going to stick with having a cat as a pet.
Tessa Flannery 11:23
Ten'ers, do you want to sit on the trivia throne and share your trivia knowledge? Visit thetenews.com/contact to get in touch and we might have you on the show!
Tracy Kaplan 11:37
There you are, Ryan.
Ryan Willard 11:38
Ahh! Oh, hello, Tracy. I wasn't doing anything. Why do you ask and why do you ask me so many questions that I don't want to answer?
Tracy Kaplan 11:44
I didn't ask anything. But I did see that you brought your cat Tuesday and for National Pet Month. And took pictures in my office?
Ryan Willard 11:51
That was Tuesday's idea. She loves the gram.
Tracy Kaplan 11:54
Well, I thought it was adorable and brought my cat Midnight into
Ryan Willard 12:01
Awhh, they're gonna be buddies! Let's take some pictures. After we give some Ten New snaps to one of our listeners.
Tracy Kaplan 12:07
But before we do, here's a quick note for the grownups.
Ryan Willard 12:11
Time for Ten News snaps!
Pamela Kirkland 12:16
Ten’er kitcat036 wrote this review of The Ten News: “Hi! I listen to this podcast every Tuesday and Wednesday. I normally don’t really like podcasts but this one was a game changer. Keep up the good work!!! Just wanted to add on that this podcast is good for kids and adults. I also wanted to add these emojis: thumbs up, fire, 5 starbursts.”
Ryan Willard 12:40
Thanks, kitcat036 - wait a second, KIT CAT?! THIS IS PERFECT FOR NATIONAL HUG YOUR CAT DAY!, Thanks for listening to The Ten News! Ten Things You Need to Know drops every Tuesday and our in-depth reports drop every Wednesday. But if you want some bonus content, you could join the Ten’ers Club on our website or on Apple Podcasts.
Pamela Kirkland 12:59
“The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts.
Ryan Willard 13:05
The Ten News creative team is playing with their favorite pet friends and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Logan DeYoung and Tessa Flannery.
Pamela Kirkland 13:16
I'm Ryan Willard. And I'm Pamela Kirkland. Thanks for listening to The Ten News.
