A Ten News Deep Dive: Episode 707
Sound the alarm, Ten'ers! šØ The Golden State Valkyries are headed to the WNBA Finals, and Ten News boss Tracy is crashing the studio in FULL fan mode! šš
Meanwhile, a hurricane makes a fashionably late entrance šŖļø, some Russian internet bots mysteriously vanish š¤, and French students are taking their demands to the streets!
Plus, we've got a pumpkin so big it deserves its own ZIP code š, exciting Minecraft news š®, and a competition in Japan where sleeping is literally the name of the game! š“ And don't miss Owen's trivia featuring a tortoise who's been around longer than your great-great-grandparents! š¢
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Transcript:
[INT. STUDIO]
<SFX door opens>
<SFX loud snoring from Ryan>
PAM: Ummm, Ry?
RYAN: (mumbles in his sleep)
PAM: Ryan! Wake up!
RYAN: Shaaaamalammadingdong!
PAM: Sorry to scare you, but youāre not supposed to be sleeping at workā¦
RYAN: Actually, sleeping is work. Because Iām sleep training for a very important sporting event..
PAM: Okay, if this is a real thing, I want in.
RYAN: Oh, itās real. Cause Iām Ryan Willard.
PAM: And Iām Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: Itās Thursday, October 15th. This is the Ten Newsā¦
PAM: And here are Ten Things You Need to Know.
PAM: Number one - A Late Landfallā¦
PAM: This past weekend, Hurricane Isaias, brought powerful winds, flooding, and major damage to parts of the southeastern United States. The storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane, with sustained winds of around 105 miles per hour. That's strong enough to damage buildings, knock down trees, and cause widespread power outages. And here's something pretty unusual about Hurricane Isaias. Even though hurricane season started all the way back on June 1st, this was the first Atlantic hurricane of the entire year!
RYAN: Wait, it's October! Isn't hurricane season almost over?
PAM: Almost, it officially ends November 30th, and scientists say this is the latest we've gone without an Atlantic hurricane since satellites started tracking storms in the 1960s. They think El NiƱo could be the reason this year has been quiet in the Atlantic, since it can create conditions that make it harder for hurricanes to form. Even though we're thinking about pumpkins and Halloween, meteorologists are still keeping a close eye on the tropics.
<SFX: wind and rain>
RYAN: Number two - Letās go to Ballhalla!
RYAN: We've got some HUGE basketball news! The Golden State Valkyries are headed to theā [SFX: DOOR BURSTS OPEN, LOUD CHEERING]
TRACY: LET'S GOOOOOO, VALKYRIES!!!
PAM: WHOA! Tracy?! That is a LOT of violetā¦
RYAN: Wait. Are you wearing a full on Valkyries uniformā¦?
TRACY: Isnāt my fit great? Listen, when your hometown team makes history, you show up ready!
RYAN: As a Knicks fan, I get it. I think you should take this oneā¦
TRACY: Iād be happy to. Tenāers, The Golden State Valkyries are headed to the WNBA Finals in just their second season! I was glued to the TV last week when they beat the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces 87 to 77 in overtime, completing a three-game sweep of the semifinals. The Valkyries are an expansion team, which means they're brand new to the WNBA. Most new teams take years to get this far.
PAM: And Tracy, I've heard the fans have built something pretty special around this team, too.
TRACY: YES! Welcome to BALLHALLA! It's a play on Valhalla, a legendary hall from Norse mythology where brave warriors go after battle. Itās what fans call the arena where the team plays. And the Valkyries? They're named after the powerful women warriors from those same legends. But Ballhalla isn't just the basketball arena. It's the whole community that's grown around the team. Fans showing up dressed in violet, cheering together, throwing watch parties, and making everyone feel like they belong.
RYAN: So Ballhalla is basically one giant, basketball-loving family?
TRACY: Exactly! And the Valkyries have turned San Franciscoās Chase Center into one of the loudest, most exciting places in basketball. But apparently the excitement is causing some scheduling problems. The teamās trip to the Finals meant the pop star Doja Cat had to reschedule her San Francisco concert! Sorry, Doja Cat! Ballhalla is on an epic quest. The Valkyries will take on the Atlanta Dream in a best-of-seven series starting Saturday, October 17, right here in San Francisco. The first team to win four games takes the championship!
PAM: Okay, Tracy, thanks for stopping in. I think we can take it from here.
TRACY: Fine, fine. But if the Valkyries win the championship, I'm coming back.
[SFX: DOOR SLAMS]
PAM: Well... that was so much violet..
<SFX: Basket swish>
PAM: Number 3 - A Big Baseball Comeback We're sticking with sports because Major League Baseball's playoffs are getting exciting, too. The Cleveland Guardians just completed an incredible comeback against the Chicago White Sox. After losing the first two games of their playoff series, the Guardians needed to win three straight games to stay alive. And somehow, they pulled it off. In the final game, Cleveland beat Chicago 2 to nothing, thanks in part to a two-run homer by star player JosĆ© RamĆrez. Coming back from two losses to win a best-of-five series is extremely rare, making this one of the biggest stories of the postseason. And the action isn't slowing down. Cleveland is moving on to face the Tampa Bay Rays, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are battling for a spot in the World Series on the National League side.
<SFX: Baseball home run>
RYAN: Number four - Battling Bots Something pretty wild happened on the internet this weekend, people thought Ukraine might have knocked out a whole bunch of Russian bots. A bot is a computer program that can perform tasks automatically. Some are helpful, like the ones search engines use to find websites and organize information, but others can be used to flood social media with fake comments, misleading messages, or spam. When large numbers of these programs work together to spread certain messages, people sometimes call that a bot farm. Hereās what really happened: Ukraine launched drone attacks on several data centers owned by Yandex, a major Russian technology company sometimes called Russia's version of Google. After the attacks, internet users noticed a change. Automated internet traffic from Yandex dropped by 94% and everyone started claiming on social media that Russian misinformation bots were taken out. Experts say that much of the traffi c that disappeared may have come from ordinary search-engine bots. And that broader data doesnāt show a similar drop in all Russian bot activity.
PAM: So a story about misinformation online actually became a lesson in how misinformation can spread?
RYAN: Yup, thatās right. Itās a reminder that something takes a little bit for a full story to be verified and itās worth digging a little deeper before believing and sharing it.
PAM: Number five - French Students Demand Better France has been the site of major protests this past week. Hundreds of thousands of students have been taking to the streets to demand better schools. It started in September, when students and teachers at a high school outside Paris protested because they didn't have enough teachers or resources. But pretty soon, students at other schools started speaking up, too.
RYAN: And we're not just talking about a few students holding signs. On October 6th, French officials estimated that more than 250,000 people participated in protests across the country!
PAM: That's right. Students say their classrooms are overcrowded, some schools are falling apart, and there aren't enough teachers to give everyone the education they deserve. Videos of the demonstrations spread on social media, inspiring even more young people to join. Soon, students, parents, and teachers were marching in cities across France. Some protesters are also calling for changes to the way students get into universities, saying the current system isn't fair to everyone.
RYAN: But the protests haven't all been peaceful. There have been clashes between demonstrators and police, with injuries and thousands of arrests reported over the past several weeks.
PAM: The French government says it's working on a plan to address some of the problems in schools, but many students say they want to see real changes before they'll stop protesting. Another protest was held on the 13th and
RYAN: Letās take a quick break!
RYAN: We interrupt this broadcast for a very important messageā¦time for another teacher shout out! This one was sent in by Tenāer Elfinrelda on Apple Podcasts. They wrote: I would like for you to shout out my teacher, Miss Taj. I really like her and sheās my new teacher at a new school and she really made me feel welcome so please shout her out. Happy to! HEY MISS TAJ! YOU ARE AWESOME, I THINK YOU DESERVE DESSERT FOR BREAKFAST! MAYBE SOME ICE CREAM ON YOUR PANCAKES! And of course, Ten News snaps to you Miss Taj. Thank you for being so welcoming and a great teacher. Keep the teacher shout outs coming! Email us at hello@thetennews.com or leave us a voicemail at 877-TEN-NEWS Now, back to the show!
PAM: Weāre back with Number six - Gargantuan Gourds
RYAN: Wait what did you call me?
PAM: It's officially pumpkin season, and in Half Moon Bay, California, pumpkin growers have been competing to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin of them all. Every October, the town hosts the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, where farmers bring pumpkins so enormous they need forklifts and heavy-duty scales just to weigh them.
RYAN: And we're not talking about pumpkins that weigh 50 or even 100 pounds. This year's competition took place on Monday, October 12, and the winner was Travis Gienger of Minnesota. He won with a whopping 2,389 pound pumpkin named Rocky. That's heavier than some small cars. And to all the farmers out there, I am available to help eat the pumpkin pie.
PAM: Number seven - Halloween Countdown
RYAN: We have 16 days left until Halloween. Weāre figuring out our costumes.. Iām not sure if I wanna do an anime or video game characterā¦. Tenāers what are you planning? Let us know! Give us a call at 877-TEN-NEWS or send us an email at hello@theten news.com. And if you have any suggestions for what you want Pam and I to dress up as, let us know.
RYAN: Number eight - Minecrafters Rejoice! Minecraft is officially coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 on October 27th. Pre-orders opened earlier this month and I got to play it at the Nintendo holiday eventā¦ I was very surprised at how VIBRANT The Switch 2 edition is and how it utilizes the hardware with improved visuals, lighting, and shadows. You kind of have to see it to believe itā¦ The Switch 2 edition also includes the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, which brings Mario-themed characters and locations into the blocky Minecraft universe. And for players who already own Minecraft on the original Nintendo Switch, there's an upgrade option for the Switch 2 version. Also, Iāve been playing Minecraft Dungeons 2, which is even better than the first one. Minecraft fans are eating well this month!
PAM: Okay, Ryan, I have a request. Someone needs to build a Ten News studio in Minecraft.
RYAN: Sweet Sunny Steve, that is a great idea. If any Tenāers build a Ten News Studio in Minecraft, or ANYTHING Ten News related and send it to usā¦I will give you a special shout out and maybe even a prize to the best one.
PAM: Number nine - Competitive Snoozing - And Ryan, if this is real, one of my dreams might be coming trueā¦
RYAN: We're heading to Japan, where people have been competing in a pretty unusual sporting event. A sleeping competition - which is definitely my new favorite sport.
PAM: Actual, sleeping? As in lying down, closing your eyes, and taking a nap?
RYAN: Doesn't it sound glorious! A mattress company in Tokyo held a sleeping competition where contestants climbed into beds and tried to get the best night's sleep. Special devices monitored how well they slept, and the grand prize was 2 million yen. That's about 14,000 dollars! There's actually an important reason behind the competition. Many people in Japan don't get enough sleep, partly because of long work hours and busy schedules. The organizers wanted to remind people how important rest is for their health.
PAM: Well, Ryan, based on how much I love a good nap, I think I might be a serious contender! And I will take you head onā¦
RYAN: Before we start sleep sparring, itās time to go to Owen for Number ten - trivia time!
OWEN: Thanks Ry. For our last thing you need to know, weāre talking about an animal that's been alive for almost two centuries. Meet Jonathan, a giant tortoise who is believed to be 194 years old. What island does Jonathan the giant tortoise live on?
Is it...
A. Madagascar
B. Saint Helena
C. The GalƔpagos Islands, Or
D. The Hawaiian Islands
OWEN: Tenāers did you guess it? The answer is... B, Saint Helena! Jonathan has lived on this remote island in the Atlantic Ocean since 1882. Jonathan is the oldest known living land animal, and scientists are studying him to better understand how certain animals live for such an incredibly long time. He's been there for more than 140 years, and researchers hope studying his DNA might help reveal the secrets behind his extraordinary lifespan.
RYAN: And that was Ten Things You Need to Knowā
PAM: <SFX LOUD SNORING>
RYAN: Pam? Wait! You canāt start the sleep competition without me! PAMMALAMMA WAKE UP!
PAM: Oh, good morning, Ryan. Iām up, one nap to zero.
RYAN: No you canāt start until Iāve started! We can start now, Iām readyā
PAM: Weāve gotta give some Ten News Snaps out firstā¦
RYAN: Ahh, and before that, hereās a quick note for the grownups.
<AD BREAK>
RYAN: Itās time for Ten News Snaps!
PAM: A Tenāer named Toast 123 left us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and said, āBest Podcast! This podcast always keeps me informed about what happens in the world and teaches me a plethora of things. I love this podcast!ā Thank you, Toast! It is our pleasure to keep you cool, kind and informed.
RYAN: Toast: excellent use of the word plethora. Alsoā¦ Toast, do you prefer butter, jelly or jam?
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 includes Tracey Crooks, Brian Douglas, Earl Davis and Carson Potter. Big thanks to our titan of trivia, Owen!
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.
RYAN: Hey Pam, wanna get some cookiesā
PAM: <SFX Snoring> (in her sleep she mumblesā¦) Two zero two zero two zeroā
RYAN: Wow. I was not ready for this level of competition. Bravo, Pamela. Sweet dreams.
<SFX: retreating footsteps, door softly opening and closing>
