A Ten News Deep Dive: Episode 704
This week on The Ten News, Pikachu blasts off to space, Fat Bear Week brings the chunk, and Pam is counting down the minutes until she can get her Pumpkin Spice Latte.
We also break down the latest White House press story, catch up on the WNBA playoffs, meet a brand-new tiny wild cat, and track a humpback whale that wandered way off course.
Plus, Owen puts your moon knowledge to the test with Harvest Moon trivia!
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Transcript:
[INT. STUDIO]
TRACY: Morning Pam!
PAM: Morning.
TRACY: Um, why are you packing up already? We just got into the studio.
PAM: Oh, no reason. Just want to be ready for when the show is over to head out.
TRACY: Going somewhere fun? Running errands? Looking for Ryan? Playing Pokemon Go?
PAM: No! Ok, fine, I’ll tell you. With fall officially here, I’m excited to go get a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
TRACY: Oh that again. It is that time of year. Well, then we better get started. I’m Tracy Leeds Kaplan sitting in for Ryan Willard.
PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland. It is Thursday, September 24th. This is the Ten News.
TRACY: And this is Ten Things You Need to Know.
<SFX: Big slurp noise>
TRACY: Ok, Ten’ers, grab your sweaters, find a crunchy leaf and prepare for Pam to start talking about pumpkin spice every five minutes, because fall is officially here! The autumn equinox happened Tuesday, September 22nd at 5:05 p.m. Pacific Time, marking the official start of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Now, you’ve probably heard people say that the equinox is the day when daytime and nighttime are exactly the same length, and that’s almost true. The word equinox comes from Latin words meaning “equal” and “night,” and around the equinox most places on Earth do get pretty close to an equal amount of daylight and darkness. It happens because Earth is tilted as it travels around the Sun. Twice a year, once in March and once in September, the Sun appears directly above Earth’s equator. And while we’re heading into fall and our days are getting shorter, the exact opposite is happening below the equator.
PAM: That’s right. In places like Australia, Argentina and South Africa, Tuesday marked the beginning of spring.
TRACY: And here, our days will keep getting shorter until the winter solstice in December. So happy fall, Ten’ers.
<SFX: leaves rustling>
PAM: Our second story is a big one, Ten’ers, and it starts with something that is protected by the very first amendment to the United States Constitution: a free press. Last Friday, President Donald Trump announced that three major news organizations, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, were banned from the White House. He claimed that they published false and unfair coverage.The news organizations say they’re beingnishing them for coverage Trump dislikes. The next day, reporters from all three news organizations showed up at the White House — and were turned away. Their press credentials were taken away, meaning they could no longer enter the White House grounds to do their jobs. In response, CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the ban violates their First Amendment rights.
TRACY: And other news outlets like Fox have joined in a boycott, and have stopped covering the President in solidarity with the other news organizations and standing up for the freedom of the press. Now a court may have to decide where the legal line is.
<SFX:judge gavel>
TRACY: Okay basketball fans, it's the end of the WNBA regular season! The Golden State Valkyries have officially clinched a postseason spot and they’re guaranteed to play their first playoff game at home at Chase Center.
PAM: Which is a pretty big deal considering this is only the Valkyries’ second season in the WNBA. Last year, they made history by becoming the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its very first season. And now? They’re doing it again.
TRACY: The playoffs officially tip off this Sunday, September 27th.
<SFX: Swish, crowd noise>
PAM: Ten’ers, scientists have identified a new species of wild cat. And I need everyone to understand something very important. It is TINY. The cat is called the tilcayo, and it lives in the Yungas cloud forests of Bolivia in South America. An adult tilcayo is about 18 inches long and weighs only around three pounds. People who live in the area already knew these cats existed. But scientists had assumed they were part of another group of small South American cats called tiger cats. When researchers analyzed DNA from dozens of cats from different regions and discovered that the tilcayo was genetically different enough to be its own species. Scientists think its ancestors split away from related cats about 1.4 million years ago.
TRACY: Midnight, our Ten News studio cat, has now requested t hat all newly discovered cats report directly to her.
<SFX: Meow>
TRACY: Next up, a humpback whale in California seems to have taken a wrong turn. A VERY wrong turn. A humpback whale has been spotted swimming in the Sacramento River about 60 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Humpback whales normally live in the ocean, so scientists definitely took notice when videos started appearing of one surfacing in a river far from the coast. The good news is that experts from The Marine Mammal Center say the whale appears healthy. It has been surfacing regularly, and researchers are monitoring it. And amazingly, they know exactly which whale this is. They compared pictures of this whale to their records and discovered it has been photographed for the past 24 years. Earlier this year, it was spotted all the way down near Baja California in Mexico.
PAM: Scientists still don’t know why it swam so far up the Sacramento River. But this isn’t the first time a whale has gone exploring inland in California. In 1985, a humpback nicknamed Humphrey became famous after swimming from San Francisco Bay into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Eventually, Humphrey found his way back to the ocean. And in 2007, a mother humpback and her calf also ventured into the Sacramento River before eventually heading back out to sea. Experts are hoping this whale does the same.
TRACY: In the meantime, they’re asking boats and curious whale-watchers to stay back and give it space. Let’s take a quick break!
TRACY: Hey grown-ups, Tracy here. If your kid is the one who suddenly tells you at breakfast about a three- pound wild cat in Bolivia…
PAM: Or explains the First Amendment to YOU…
TRACY: …then you already know what we’re trying to do here at The Ten News. There’s a lot happening in the world, and kids are hearing about it. We want to give them a place where they can understand the big stories, discover the weird and wonderful ones, and most importantly feel comfortable asking questions.
PAM: Without making the news feel scary, overwhelming or boring.
TRACY: Exactly. The Ten News is independently produced, and support from families like yours helps us keep making smart, fun news especially for kids. If your family loves the show, please consider supporting us. You can learn more at thetennews.com or going to the link in the episode description. Now back to the show!
PAM: FINALLY. Ten’ers, The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back! Starbucks actually brought the yummy latte back on August 25th, but now that fall has officially begun, it is finally time to give this extremely important story the attention it deserves. The Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL has been around for more than 20 years. Starbucks introduced it in 2003, and since then pumpkin spice has escaped from the coffee cup and basically taken over the entire fall season. You can now find pumpkin spice cereal, cookies, candles and even dog treats. The flavor we call “pumpkin spice” is actually based on the spices traditionally used in pumpkin pie: usually things like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. So despite the name, something can taste “pumpkin spiced” without actually containing much pumpkin. The Starbucks version does contain pumpkin along with those spices.
TRACY: And Pam, I have to add that this year's menu goes way beyond the classic latte. There’s Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, an Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso and other fall drinks. Even a new Hedgehog Cake Pop which apparently had a record-breaking launch day.
PAM: I’m sorry. A hedgehog cake pop? Okay. Show over. I need a latte AND a hedgehog. Not quite tey poam
TRACY: Ten’ers, here is a sentence I never expected to say on this podcast: Pikachu went to space. And I don’t mean in a video game. An actual Astronaut Pikachu plush traveled to the International Space Station earlier this year with European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot. Pikachu spent 67 days in orbit, from April 11th through June 17th, and traveled around Earth approximately 1,040 times. Pikachu’s trip was part of a new partnership announced this week between the European Space Agency and The Pokémon Company. A new traveling exhibition will visit ESA locations and museums across Europe, using Pokémon characters to help explain things like how rockets launch, what astronauts do on the International Space Station, how scientists study the Sun and how we explore the solar system. There’s also going to be a special Pokémon GO event during World Space Week, which runs October 4th through 10th.
<SFX: Video game or Space>
TRACY: Our next story involves Tyrannosaurus rex, which we already know was huge, had enormous teeth and would generally be a terrible animal to encounter on your walk to school. But scientists have now figured out something else about T. rex, its temperature. For a long time, scientists debated whether dinosaurs were cold-blooded, like many modern reptiles, or warm-blooded, like mammals and birds. In a new study, researchers examined the enamel from fossilized T. rex teeth and looked at tiny differences in the carbon and oxygen trapped inside. They calculated that T. rex maintained an average body temperature of about 97.3 degrees Fahrenheit, very close to human body temperature. Scientists also compared the T. rex teeth with fossilized crocodilian teeth found at the same site. The crocodile relatives had much lower temperatures, which strengthens the argument that T. rex generated its own body heat. Being warm-blooded would have given T. rex some big advantages. It could stay active even when temperatures outside changed and could live in a wider range of climates, but warm-blooded animals need a lot of energy, meaning T. rex probably needed a lot of food.
PAM: I’m glad Ryan’s not here this week. A very hungry T.Rex would terrify him.
<SFX: T.Rex Roar>
PAM: Ten’ers, one of the greatest competitions in all of nature is officially back. it’s Fat Bear Week! Every year, the brown bears at Alaska’s Katmai National Park spend the summer eating as much as they possibly can so they can build up enough fat to survive months of winter hibernation. And Fat Bear Week celebrates just how successful they’ve been.
TRACY: Think March Madness…except instead of basketball teams, it’s very large bears.
PAM: VERY large bears. The bears compete head-to-head in an online bracket, and people around the world vote for the bear they think best represents successful, glorious fatness. And being fat is a very good thing for these bears. During hibernation, brown bears don’t eat or drink, and they can lose about one-third of their body weight. So all that salmon they’re gobbling now is basically fuel for the entire winter.
TRACY: Fat Bear Week started back in 2014 as just a one-day event, but it got so popular that it grew into a whole tournament. And last year ? More than 1.7 million votes were cast by people in over 100 countries.
PAM: You can also watch the bears live on the Katmai bear cams and scout your favorites before you vote. This year’s competition runs from September 22nd through the 29th, when one very chunky champion will be crowned on Fat Bear Tuesday.
TRACY: Before I start watching some bears, let’s go to Owen for some trivia.
OWEN: Thanks Mom. This Saturday night, there’s something pretty cool happening in the sky. The Harvest Moon is coming! The Harvest Moon is the full moon that happens closest to the autumn equinox. Ten’ers do you know why is it called the Harvest Moon?
Is it,
A: It usually looks bright orange, like a pumpkin.
B: Farmers traditionally used its evening light to keep harvesting crops after sunset.
C: It can only be seen from farms, OR
D: It’s named after a constellation called The Harvester.
OWEN: Alright Ten’ers, did you guess it? The answer is…B! The Harvest Moon got its name because, for generations, the bright moonlight around this time of year gave farmers extra light in the evening during the busy fall harvest. The Harvest Moon isn’t the only thing to look for this weekend. NASA says the moon will rise in the east shortly after sunset on Saturday, September 26th and Saturn will appear nearby. Saturn will be bright enough to see with just your eyes. So here’s your Ten News weekend challenge: Go outside after sunset. Find the big, bright Harvest Moon. Then look nearby and see if you can spot Saturn and let us know!
TRACY: That’s ten things you need to know this week!
PAM: We had basketball, a tiny wild cat, a lost whale…
TRACY: Freedom of the press, fat bears, Pikachu in space.
PAM: And most importantly…
TRACY: Here it comes.
PAM: Pumpkin Spice Latte.
TRACY: Okay Pam. You made it.
PAM: BYE TEN’ERS!
<SFX: running steps, door slams, noise of a car leaving>
TRACY: Wow, she’s already gone. I guess I’m on my own for Ten News Snaps, but first, here’s a quick note for the grownups.
<AD BREAK>
PAM: Time for Ten News Snaps!
TRACY: Pam, your back!
PAM: I wasn’t going to miss giving snaps, AND I pre-ordered my latte. A Ten’er named Story Lover gave us a 10,000/100 star review on Apple and said “I haven’t listened in a long time but it used to be my favorite show.” Hopefully you are back to listening Story Lover!
TRACY: And on Spotify, Ten’er Briar commented on our Big City Greens bonus episode and said: I am new to this show, and it is the best podcast ever 😀! I totally agree that Big City Greens is the best show ever,I watch it every day 😁. Thanks Briar, welcome to the Ten News family!
PAM: 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.
TRACY: 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.
TRACY: The Ten News creative team is looking for tiny cats and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas, the Duke of Earl Davis and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody.
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright, Albright, Albright! and show creator Tracy Takes the Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.
TRACY: And I’m Tracy Leeds Kaplan, filling in for Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News.
