RYAN: Oh really? I didn’t know that was this month. I’m excited because May is when the Great Marshmallow Drop happens and 15,000 marshmallows fall from the sky!

PAM: WAIT. That’s a real thing?!

RYAN: I do not joke about marshmallows. Because… I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, it’s Thursday, May 1st.

RYAN: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.

RYAN: Health is wealth. Especially when it comes to mental health. And, May 1st makes for the perfect time to address it as it’s Mental Health Awareness Month! The stigma, or negative label, around mental health and seeking treatment has unfortunately been around for a long time, and can make us feel ashamed for feeling sad, anxious, or whatever it may be. But we can shift from this. Here are three tips on how to observe Mental Health Awareness Month, and they work every other day of the year!

Take care of yourself. This may mean an earlier bedtime, eating healthy foods, or getting outside to exercise – all things that make for a more balanced lifestyle.
Take care of your loved ones. Check in on your friends and family; showing support can go a long way.
And, speak up about mental health. Normalizing talking about mental health with family and friends can strengthen relationships, reduce the stigma, and help people feel supported.

PAM: Now onto a story that can positively impact both our mental AND physical health. The Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA, announced that it is phasing out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes — a group of chemicals derived from petroleum — by the end of next year. While there’s still no formal agreement between the FDA and the food industry to remove the artificial dyes, there is an understanding, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As a starting point, the FDA is taking actions like setting a ‘national standard’ and timeline for the food industry to transition from petroleum-based food dyes to natural alternatives, initiating a process to revoke authorization of synthetic food colorings, even the ones not in production over the coming weeks, and eliminating the remaining six synthetic dyes by the end of the year. This includes Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5, Blue Dye 1, Blue Dye 2, and Green Dye 2. This means that some of your favorite snacks may soon appear less vibrant, but much healthier!

RYAN: Speaking of snacks, did you know that there’s a Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, Michigan, where sweets fall from the sky once a year!? Well, not literally the sky, but almost! The annual Great Marshmallow Drop is a tradition unlike any other, as hundreds of children gather in Worden Park to collect marshmallows that are dropped by a helicopter. This year, 15,000 marshmallows were released! The helicopter made four passes, dropping marshmallows for kids in three age categories: 4 and younger, 5-7, and 8-12 year-olds, as well as a drop for kids of all ages with disabilities to participate. While I’m sure some kids do snack on the marshmallows as they fall from the sky, the event isn’t about eating the fluffy treat. It’s about bringing the community together, and at the end of the drop, kids can exchange their marshmallows for a prize bag that includes a water park pass and a kite. Marshmallows and prizes?! This is an absolute dream day.

PAM: Up next, some robot news… <SFX TECH YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF> We’ve talked about robot humanoids from Disney, but this week the robot humanoids are running road races! Robots and actual humans gathered to compete on the same half-marathon course in Beijing in the Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, which is now known as the world’s first robot half-marathon. Bipedal robots, robots designed to move and balance on two legs, of many different sizes, ran the 13.1-mile course with the support of their team of human navigators, operators, and engineers. The humans followed the conventional rules of the race, while the 20 teams fielding robots competed under different guidelines, like having battery swap pit stops. Crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds was The Sky Project Ultra robot, also known as Tien Kung Ultra, from the Tien Kung Team, claiming the win in the nonhuman race. There were also other rewards for best endurance, best gait design, and the most innovative form.

RYAN: I’m still convinced my Rybot can beat them all, but only time will tell… In other tech news, YouTube celebrated 20 years last Wednesday, marking the anniversary of the first video ever uploaded to the platform, titled “Me at the zoo,” created by one of its founders. The platform is now home to more than 20 billion videos, with an average of over 20 million videos uploaded daily. On its anniversary, YouTube also posted a blog revealing new features, statistics, and “easter eggs” for its users! According to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy is projected to reach a $480 billion market by 2027, with YouTube playing a significant role in this growth, particularly since launching its Partner Program in 2007 to help pay creators for their content. Congratulations on your 20th anniversary, YouTube! I’m gonna go upload a YouTube video right now, while we take a quick break…

PAM: If you love animals as much as we do, you’ve got to check out The Weekly Roar! It’s your ultimate source of animal news and wild adventures, hosted by the amazing Leland McMane.
We’ll link it for you in the show notes — go give it a listen!
And while you're there, don’t forget to leave us a rating and review.
And here’s a fun challenge: in your review, guess which animals Ryan has voiced! If you get it right, we’ll shout you out right here on the show.

RYAN: But remember, your guesses have to be in your review on the Weekly Roar page, or in the Weekly Roar comments!
PAM: Can't wait to see your guesses!

PAM: We’re back from the break with some not-so-good news about climate change. The International Coral Reef Initiative announced that coral bleaching has grown to include 84% of the ocean’s reefs, marking the worst event of its kind on record. But, how does climate change cause coral reef bleaching? We experienced the hottest year on record last year, and much of that heat was absorbed by the oceans, resulting in the average annual sea surface temperature reaching a record 69.57 degrees, which is deadly to corals. Their vibrant colors come from the algae that live inside them, which also serve as a food source for the coral. But, when ocean temperatures remain too high for too long, the algae release toxins, the coral expels them, and is left colorless and at a heightened risk of dying. While efforts are underway to protect and restore coral reefs, scientists stress the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet.

RYAN: Even the world’s northernmost airport is getting too hot! Svalbard Airport, located on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, is the northernmost airport with scheduled commercial flights. Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian fly into the airport year-round, as well as charter flights and private jets. But, they don’t land on your traditional runway. In the 1970s, a 2,300-meter-long runway was built on permafrost, or ground that has remained frozen for at least two years. It was never anticipated that the permafrost would begin melting as a result of climate change. During the summer months, staff even have to inspect the runway daily for potential changes in the surface as the permafrost thaws. The airport is essential to Svalbard’s community, and if it were to have to close, most of the town’s supplies would have to arrive by ship, which can take up to two days each way.

PAM: For 10 points, can you name this insect…? <SFX CICADA SOUNDS> <SFX 3 second clock tick, with a DING!> Do you remember the cicada takeover in 2024 when multiple broods of cicadas emerged at the same time? Well, they are about to make their comeback. While there’s the potential of billions of cicadas swarming the eastern United States, there is only one group arriving this spring. Brood XIV, the second-largest group of periodical cicadas, is expected to be most prominent throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, but will also make an appearance in parts of Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as some further north states like Massachusetts and New York. Once the soil reaches a certain temperature this spring, the cicadas will emerge. For warmer states, you can expect their arrival to be sometime in late April or May. For cooler states, it will be late May or early June.

RYAN: Okay, I think we all know, insects kind of freak me out a little, so I would like to switch to a paws-itively heartwarming story from Arizona! Buford, a 6-year-old Anatolian Pyrenees dog, was named a hero after he brought home a 2-year-old who had gone missing. Boden Allen had wandered away from his home, venturing through rough, predator-filled terrain, and the temperature was only in the 40s at the time. Dozens of search and rescue personnel and deputies spent the night searching for Boden, but were unsuccessful in finding him. That’s when Buford stepped in, and his owner, Scotty Dunton, saw his dog and the boy walking up the driveway of his ranch the same morning he had learned that Boden was missing. Dunton’s ranch is about 7 miles from the boy's home, and thankfully, he was found unharmed and in good health. Dunton is unsure if Buford heard the boy crying and found him, but he tracked the child's footprints, and Buford’s pawprints show that he was with him the entire walk home.

PAM: I. Love. Dogs. They are so wonderful! And now for the last thing you need to know, let’s go to our Trivia Master, Owen.

OWEN: Thanks Pam!

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so today’s trivia question is about one of the world’s most-loved Pacific Islanders - Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson! You might know him from Moana 1 and 2… But do you know what Guinness World Record The Rock held in 2015? Is it:

Most weight lifted in a minute/hour
Most selfies taken in three minutes
Most Big Mac burgers eaten in a lifetime
Or, the Most followed actor on Instagram

OWEN: The answer is.. B! In 2015, Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson, set the Guinness World Record for the most selfies taken in 3 minutes at the world premiere of his film, San Andreas, capturing 105 selfies with fans on the red carpet. The Rock’s mother, Ata Johnson, was of Samoan descent, while his father was of Black Nova Scotian and Puerto Rican descent. He is quite proud of his mixed heritage, especially his Samoan heritage, and how the values and traditions have shaped him as a person.

PAM: And Owen, wasn’t the selfies record captured by someone else in 2023?

OWEN: That’s right Pam. And a bonus thing you need to know: the Guinness World Record for most selfies is now held by Indian actor, Akshay Kumar who took 184 selfies in 3 minutes, at the premiere of his film, Selfiee.

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

RYAN: Alright Pam, since we didn’t make it to Royal Oak Michigan this year… I’ve decided to do our own…

PAM: Wait. Are you going to drop marshmallows here in the studio…?!

RYAN: I’m not gonna drop them but I will MAKE IT RAIN…

<SFX pulls lever>

<SFX thousands of marshmallows drop on them>

PAM: Ryan, this is the most delicious thing you’ve ever done. <SFX Eats one and chews> Mmmmmm!

RYAN: Thank you, I’m thinking we should start by making some smores, but we should probably give Ten News Snaps first!

PAM: And before that, here’s a quick note for the grownups.

RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps!

PAM: Over on Spotify, a Theo and Olive Oil the Bunny said, “I love this podcast!!!!!’ and Neostrider commented, “Great podcast.” Thank you Theo, Olive Oil and Neostrider!

RYAN: And over on Apple podcasts, JDTotallyAwesomeGuy said “Best News Podcast Ever!!!!!” and left a bunch of great emojis! Thank you JD, you’re a totally awesome guy and I agree with you. And Halbrand is Sauron said, “I think it would be cool if you did a Lord of the Rings Deep Dive. Please do it!” (Ryan smeagol impression)

PAM: Ooooh, that is a cool idea, we’ll talk it over with Kap and see what she says. And two extra notes for the grown-ups, you can now get ad-free versions of our episodes when you join the Ten’ers Club on our website.

RYAN: And 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: “The Ten News” 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 is eating marshmallows like they’re going out of style and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody.

PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah “On Fyaah” Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald “Albright Albright Albright” and show creator Tracy “Takes the” Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News.

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Mental Health Awareness Month to AAPI Heritage Month - 10 Things You Need to Know

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10 Things You Need to Know: Episode 543

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