RYAN: First off: there is another hurricane impacting the U.S. today. As we’re finalizing this episode, Hurricane Milton was starting to cause severe weather and tornadic supercells across Florida. For the latest on the storm, check out our show notes for links to the National Weather Service. We wish everyone in the storm’s path a safe outcome. And an update on the recovery from Hurricane Helene.

RYAN: The category 4 storm hit Florida on September 26th, but people will be feeling the effects for a long time. The heavy rain and harsh winds hit hard across six states, taking more than 200 lives, and leaving millions without power, cell signal, or essential supplies like food and water.

PAM: One big issue is that of the hundreds of miles affected, a lot was mountainous terrain, and a lot of already tricky roads were left in bad condition. This means limited or no access into or out of places, including much needed help and supplies. It is a sad and tough situation for Asheville, North Carolina, which was hit particularly hard. But in a bit of good news, they may have found a way around some of the challenges…The unexpected solution starts with an “M”

RYAN: Magic!

PAM: Not quite…

RYAN: Mung beans?

PAM: Mules! Volunteers on mules brought supplies to hard-to-reach areas. In fact, people all over Asheville have been banding together to help in any way they can. Neighbors have delivered water, diapers, and supplies to those in need. Along with government officials and aid groups delivering supplies by air, truck, everybody is doing what they can to help the recovery process. Resources for organizations that are helping in the recovery efforts are in our show notes.

RYAN: Mules may be the hero in North Carolina, but for 10 points, what animal is this? <SFX BEAR sounds> <SFX three second clock tick>

RYAN: That animal is… DA BEARS. Fat bears, to be exact. Fat Bear Week concluded this Tuesday, October 8th. The week is an annual celebration by Alaska’s Katmai National Park to celebrate the brown bears of Brooks River. Every year, they spend the summer eating tons of salmon to gain the weight they need to survive winter hibernation. In the summer, before the feast, adult male bears average between 700 and 900 pounds. By fall, some of the biggest weigh more than 1200 pounds! That’s a big bear. These chunky bears are a testament to evolution, adaptation, and unbelievable cuteness. Each year, people get to learn about Katmai’s bears by looking at their pictures before and after many, many salmon dinners, but they can also read each bear’s story. These can include their experience securing fishing spots, raising cubs, or even drama between the other bears! People can vote for their favorite bears based on whatever reasoning they see fit, but it’s all for fun - all bears are winners!

PAM: Fat bear week may have passed this year--

RYAN (sniffling sadly): –I’ll miss you, my fat furry friends–

PAM: –But, for people of the Jewish faith, it is the start of the New Year. Last week, October 4th, was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The holiday starts a 10 day period of relection and renewal that ends with Yom Kippur on Saturday, October 11th. Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is a day devoted to atoning, or making amends, for sins. It’s the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, and is spent fasting and praying. To wish a Jewish friend well, you say Tzom Kal, which means have an easy fast.

RYAN: Fasting would not be easy for me! But now we have to talk about something else that wasn’t easy this week. We’ve passed the one year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th, 2024. That day, over 1200 people were killed and hundreds taken hostage. The attack led to Israel declaring war on Hamas, and the current military operation in Gaza which has caused thousands of civilian deaths and Palestinians having to leave their homes. There are still 101 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.

PAM: Looking forward, Indigenous People’s Day is this coming Monday, October 14th. Indigenous People are people with ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, or lived, and the day recognizes the indigenous communities who have lived in America for thousands of years. Many are celebrating in lieu of Columbus Day, which makes a lot of people uncomfortable since the explorer displaced so many indigenous people. Indigenous People’s Day is not yet a federal holiday, but lawmakers have started the process of changing that.

RYAN: It may be a long road to an official Indigenous People’s Day, but you know who’s not scared of long roads? Tara Dower! Last month, the 31-year-old long-distance hiker broke the record for the fastest time hiking the Appalachian Trail. Tara’s time of 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes was about 13 hours less than the previous record holder. To break the record, Tara had to walk 50 miles a day. It’s no wonder that before Tara, fewer than 10 people have hiked the trail in under 50 days, and only one of those was a woman. Tara says that she hopes her accomplishment will inspire other women in the hiking community, and she raised around $30,000 during the trek for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit that organizes running programs for elementary-school-aged girls. Now, I may not be able to hike the Appalachian trail, but Tara said in an interview that her next plans were a nap and ice cream. Maybe we have more in common than we think!

PAM: Sure have, Ryan, but I’m tired just thinking about walking the Appalachian trail. Let’s take a quick break!

RYAN: Hey Ten’ers, did you catch the Election Special Report we dropped on Tuesday? Well we are doing one a week leading up to the election and we need to hear from you. What do you want us to cover? What do you think about the upcoming election? Tell us anything, or everything! Email us at hello@thetennews.com or leave us a voice note at 877-TEN-NEWS and we might have you on the show!

PAM: For our next story, you can get another 10 points if you guess the animal <SFX CAT sounds> <SFX three second clock tick>. If you guessed cat, you’re paw-some! Our next story is about a cat who may not have hiked the Appalachian, but definitely got his steps in - over 800 miles worth! Rayne Beau the cat was found after being missing for two months after a camping trip. The Anguiano family took Rayne Beau on their vacation, where he got spooked and ran off. He was nowhere to be found despite the family’s best efforts, and Susanne Anguiano said she was heartbroken to have to leave before finding Rayne Beau. But, she held onto hope when she was driving away from the campsite and saw a double rainbow - talk about a sign to believe in Rayne Beau the cat! Two months later, and the Anguianos got the news that Rayne Beau walked all the way from the campground in Yellowstone National Park to a shelter in Roseville, California, about 800 miles away.

RYAN: He must have really wanted his treats! I wonder…

PAM: Ryan?

RYAN: Sorry, I’m just imagining how cute cat sneakers would be.

RYAN: A purring cat may be meow-sic to my ears, but in human music news, Germany just had an awesome discovery. In a German library, archivists recently found a previously undiscovered Mozart composition! That’s right, If you ever think you’re done learning and discovering things, think again. Even Mozart still has stuff to contribute! The piece is thought to be from the 1760’s, when Mozart was a pre-teen. He wasn’t much older than you, Ten’ers! Still, he wrote the piece that’s about 12 minutes long, was composed for a string trio, and contains 7 separate movements. It’s since been brought to life in its first modern performance, where a huge line - about half a kilometer or a third of a mile - stretched, full of people waiting to hear the new piece! Er, really old piece. But new to us. You know what I mean!

PAM: Ryan, guess what! Happy anniversary!

RYAN: Wait, what?! Did I forget our friendaversary? <SFX paper rustling> According to my calendar, we’ve been friends for…one bajillion years.

PAM: Hey, I’m not that old!

RYAN: I might need to check my math.

PAM: Anyway, I have another anniversary for you. 10 years ago today, Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was just 17 years old. In 2012, the then 15 year old survived a terrorist attack by the Taliban on her bus to school. The Taliban is a fundamentalist Islamic group that once had control of the area of Pakistan where Malala lived. After the attack, Malala became an outspoken critic of the Taliban and advocated for women’s rights. Some of you may have read her book I am Malala about her experiences.

10 years later, she’s still an impressive advocate for girls’ education, the youngest-ever Nobel laureate, and pretty hilarious. She got the news about winning the prize while she was in class, and her response was “I have to finish my school day, because when you get the Nobel Peace Prize for education, you have to finish your school day." Very wise, Malala.

RYAN: Speaking of wisdom, I always feel a little smarter after Trivia. Take it away, Owen!

<SFX Trivia Theme song>

OWEN: Which of the following is a real factory-turned-museum? Is it:

A Nintendo museum in Japan
A bratwurst and sauerkraut museum in Germany
A moose accessory museum in Canada

<SFX 5 second clock tick>

OWEN: Did ya get it? The answer is A, a Nintendo museum in Japan!

RYAN: Owen, do you know you’ve just combined two of my favorite things? Trivia and GG’S. <SFX Super Mario theme song> OR <SFX PS5 Startup Sound> OR <SFX XBOX Startup Sound> OR <SFX 3x Mario coins>The new Nintendo attraction in Kyoto, Japan is peak video game nostalgia. Visitors will get to swoon over Nintendo’s video game consoles from way back when, including the 1983’s Famicom, through 1996’s Nintendo 64, to 2017’s Switch.

OWEN: It’ll also feature toys, playing cards, and other memorabilia from Nintendo, even before the video games. There are interactive exhibits with giant controllers and playing cards projected on the floor.

RYAN: Giant controllers?! Am I going to have to fight a giant for a turn?! Oh man, I better start training.

OWEN: No, no, they’re for humans! The giant controllers are just fun. The museum also has a workshop that guides visitors through making their own playing cards, and a cafe.

RYAN: And this museum is in addition to the other gamer getaways in Japan. There’s Super Nintendo World theme park at Osaka’s Universal Studios, and restaurants in cities across the country with themes like Kirby, Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy. A Pokémon theme park is also in the works in Inagi, Tokyo.

OWEN: I’ve been to the park in Osaka. It was amazing and I’m ready to go back.

RYAN: We need to convince Kap to send us on a “work trip.” But if you can’t make it to Japan, Nintendo and GoNoodle have a brand new Mario Kart themed movement video to watch at home or maybe even in your classroom. Check out our show notes for a link to the landing page, as well as a link to the Nintendo Museum.

OWEN: Mom, when are we going to Japan?!

PAM: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know!

RYAN: Thank you so much, Pam. That was so fun I almost forgot about how <Yawns> sleepy…I…am…

PAM: Ry, you’ve gotta rally! We still have one more thing left this show.

RYAN: Right, bedtime story!
PAM: Better, Ten News Snaps!

RYAN: Ahh of course, I’m wide awake and ready, but first, here’s a quick note for the grownups[Ad Break]

RYAN:Time for Ten News Snaps! <Grand fanfare SFX>
PAM: A Ten’er named “Firefox heart heart twinkle emoji” left us this review on Apple Podcasts: “BEST PODCAST EVER!! Pamela I think you are a really good host (and Ryan too), also, in which episode does Ryan start being scared of butterflies? I want to listen.” Oh, they also put some butterfly emojis in there! Thank you so much for the nice review, Firefox!

RYAN: Okay, I don’t know WHY Firefox wants to know that, but I will announce a super secret butterfly contest: if any Ten’er can figure out the very first episode I mention butterflies, and how much I dislike them, I will send the first THREE correct answers, a prize. Your guess should include the episode title and quoting, exactly what I say…the first time I mention…you know what. To enter the super secret butterfly contest, email us at hello@thetennews.com.

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 Ten’ers Club on our website. 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!

RYAN: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.

PAM: The Ten News creative team cannot stop looking at pictures of fat, fluffy bears and includes Tracey “Not a” Crooks, Adam “The Great Bambino” Bernard, “Captain” Kyle Murdock, Hebba “The Big Cheese” Gouda and Carson “Pitter Patter” Potter. Big thanks to Owen for contributing to this episode.

RYAN: Our Production Director is Jeremiah “On Fyaah” Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald “Not Dim but” Albright and show creator Tracy “Takes the” Leeds Kaplan. I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, thanks for listening to the Ten News.

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