Ten Things You Need to Know: Episode 711
Tune in today to celebrate Diwali and honor our veterans! 🪔🇺🇸 Plus, election szn in New Zealand, the Golden State Valkyries' epic celebration, and a micro monarch butterfly migration tracker!? 🗳️🦋🏀 The celebration continues on the Trivia Throne for a very big birthday! 🎉 But first, we've got a BTS look at The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launch, a major milestone in the Milky Way, a quick stroll around the world, and Apple TV's turning up the Christmas spirit! 🐶🎄🚶
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Transcript:
<SFX Ocarina song, “Saria’s song”>
PAM: Hey Ry, can we maybe lay off the flute playing?
<SFX ryan stops playing>
RYAN: I can’t stop playing a flute, because I’m not playing a flute. This is an Ocarina. Of TIME. <SFX starts playing song of time>
PAM: It’s been like two hours–
RYAN: <SFX Stops> Yeah because my most anticipated video game of the year just came out. It’s the Legend of Zelda–
PAM: Whoa whoa whoa, if it’s THAT important, you should save it for the show.
RYAN: Excellent call, Pamela Kirkland.
PAM: Thank you, Ryan Willard. It’s Thursday, November 12th. We are the Ten News.
RYAN: And here are Ten Things You Need to Know.
PAM: Number one: Diwali Lights Up The Night
<SFX: Gentle bells, festive music, or soft sparkle sounds>
RYAN: <SFX: Light Indian music under this> Millions of people around the world just celebrated Diwali, also known as the festival of lights. The holiday is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists and each community has its own traditions. Families decorated their homes with colorful designs called rangoli, shared sweets, and lit little oil lamps called diyas. The lights represent the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
PAM: Since Diwali follows the Hindu lunar calendar, its dates change each year. This year it was celebrated on November 8th. We hope everyone who celebrated had a festive and bright Diwali!
RYAN: Number two: New Zealand's Election Is Too Close to Call! <SFX: Sting>
RYAN: Election season isn't just happening here in the United States! Voters in New Zealand, an island country in the South Pacific, headed to the polls this past weekend. And the results? Too close to call! New Zealand does elections a little differently than we do. Instead of voting directly for a president, voters cast votes for both a local representative and a political party. Then the winning party chooses who will lead the government. And because there are several political parties, they often have to team up to form what's called a coalition government.
PAM: Right now, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's coalition has a VERY slim lead, with just enough seats to stay in power. But nearly 400,000 votes still need to be counted!
RYAN: And those votes could change everything. New Zealand won't announce its official election results until November 27th. It's a great reminder that elections work differently around the world, and every single vote really does count!
RYAN: Number three: Honoring our Veterans
<SFX: Clock strike>
PAM: Yesterday was Veterans Day here in the United States, a day to honor people who have served in the U.S. Military. Did you know that Veterans Day dates all the way back to World War I in 1918? And, that it’s always observed on November 11th because, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month that year, an agreement was made to stop the war? Because of that agreement, known as an armistice, November 11th of the following year was celebrated as Armistice Day. In 1938 it became a federal holiday, and in 1954 it was renamed Veterans Day to honor military veterans.
RYAN: To all the veterans out there, thank you for your service!
PAM: Number Four: Big Win Call for Big Celebrations
<SFX; Door flying open>
TRACY: Let’s goooooo Valkyries!! (ahem) Hey Pam. I’m going to take this one.
PAM: I figured you would, and I see that you are dressed for the occasion. So much violet.
TRACY: Yes! I’m in violet because just two weeks ago, the Golden State Valkyries were crowned WNBA champions! Winning the title in only the team’s second season of existence. We’re still talking about it today because they just had their big celebration to mark the historic first for the franchise.<SFX: cheering, parade sounds> The celebration kicked off in Oakland, California at Jack London Square, where the championship trophy was on display and players, coaches, and team executives gathered. Then, the Valkyries took a ferry across the bay to San Francisco, where thousands of fans lined the streets to cheer them on during a parade along the waterfront. I couldn’t make the parade unfortunately so I’m having my own today in the Ten News studio. Go Valkyries!! Ballhalla in the house!! <SFX: crowd roar>
<SFX: horn honking then the door closes>
RYAN: Does Kap just carry a horn with her all the time? <SFX HONK HONK HONK> That sounds like a yes.
PAM: And… moving on to Number five: Butterflies with Tiny Backpacks!
<SFX: Wait, what?>
RYAN: Pam, don’t do this to me…
PAM: It’s gonna be okay, Ry–
RYAN: Don’t make me talk about the monstrous Monarch butterflies! Don’t make me do it!
PAM: It's okay Ry, I got you. Scientists have recruited monarch butterflies to help solve a big mystery! Every year, monarchs migrate from eastern North America to spend the winter in Central Mexico, covering thousands of miles to get there. To help them understand the journey, researchers are using tiny solar powered bluetooth tags to follow the monarchs. <SFX: Tiny beep sound>
RYAN: Wait, the b–flies have tiny trackers, so I could know if one was coming near me? How did these genius scientists make tags that small?!
PAM: It’s pretty impressive since the tags need to be small enough to not weigh the monarchs down. The tags weigh about as much as a drop of water. The scientists hope the technology will help them discover the routes the butterflies take, where they rest, and what dangers they face along their annual migration. <SFX: More tiny beeps and then flutters like they are coming towards Ryan>
RYAN: AHHHHHHHHHH <SFX Runs away>
PAM: I think what Ryan said was… let’s take a quick break.
TRACY: Hey, Ten'er grown-ups! It's me, Tracy Leeds Kaplan! Can you believe we're already in our SEVENTH season of The Ten News? And we couldn't have made it this far without all of you. Giving Tuesday is coming up, and if The Ten News has become part of your family's week, we'd love your support. A donation of any size helps us keep making great stories for curious kids. And if donating isn't possible right now, sharing the show with another family is a huge help, too. Speaking of which... have you followed The Ten News on your favorite podcast app yet? I'll give you a second. <SFX: Short hold-music sting> Okay, great! You can find our donation link in the episode notes. Thank you for supporting The Ten News, and now back to Pam and Ryan!
PAM: We’re back with number six:The Dog Days of Christmas
RYAN: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas - at least on Apple TV where a new holiday special, “Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy” comes out tomorrow, November 13th. The special will feature your favorite Peanuts characters, alongside Snoopy, who is trying to get off Santa’s naughty list with just 12 days until Christmas. Wait…I can get off the naughty list?!
PAM: It is possible…but I’m most excited about the special’s original music from artists like John Legend, Kamasi Washington, and Leon Bridges, plus the holiday classic, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” performed by Laufey. It may not be December yet, but I’ll tune in.
RYAN: Number seven, A Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Long Walk
PAM: A walk around the block is one thing, but British adventurer Karl Bushby took a walk around the world! You heard that right, Bushby started his journey in Punta Arenas, Chile, on November 1, 1998. He walked, and sometimes swam, 31,000 miles across four continents and 30 countries without using cars, planes, boats or any motorized transportation as he made his way back home to England. Along the way, Bushby swam across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel, trekked through jungles, deserts, and mountains, and crossed frozen landscapes. Bushby’s journey took 28 years! He reunited with his mother at the end, with her asking him, “Where have you been?”
RYAN: I can’t imagine doing that kind of journey. Some days the walk to the snack room feels too far.
PAM: Number Eight: A Major Milestone in the Milky Way
PAM: Speaking of long-distance journeys, on November 18th, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft will become the first human-made object to travel a distance of one light-day away from Earth. That's more than 16 BILLION miles! And what exactly is a light-day? It's the distance light travels in 24 hours. Scientists use light as a measurement because it travels faster than anything in the universe.
RYAN: Wait, so if it’s a light-day away does that mean when NASA sends Voyager a message, it takes an entire day to get there?
PAM: Exactly, and another day for a response to get back. But here's the really amazing part, Ry. Voyager 1 launched in 1977, almost 50 years ago. On its journey, it flew past Jupiter and Saturn while its twin spacecraft, Jupiter 2, launched on the same date but took a different route to visit Uranus and Neptune. Jupiter 2 is expected to reach one light-day away from Earth in nine more years. Voyager 1 is now traveling through interstellar space, beyond the protective bubble created by our Sun, in the direction of a star more than 17 light-years away!
RYAN: That's a long time to watch the little text message dots dotting away at you.
PAM: Number nine: The Ocarina of Time
RYAN: The Legend of Zelda franchise is celebrating 40 years…and Nintendo just dropped a brand new version of one of the most beloved video games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The original game came out way back in 1998, and was considered one of the most revolutionary games of that time because it was the first 3D Zelda game. It follows a young hero named Link as he travels through the magical kingdom of Hyrule, solving puzzles, battling monsters, and even traveling through time to save the kingdom from the evil Ganondorf. And this new version has totally updated graphics, it has character voices which the original did not, and an incredible orchestral soundtrack. The Nintendo stores did a midnight launch which is pretty rare these days and had special edition Zelda themed Switch 2 systems and pro controllers… which I obviously had to try out… Kap and Owen went to the launch in San Francisco, what did you get Kap?
KAP: ((Explains her haul.))
RYAN: I’m still in the Kokiri village and haven’t even really gotten started. But I’m gonna play through and we’ll do a full review! Have any of you checked out the Ocarina of Time? Is it on your holiday wish list? Let us know, and we'll have more in our upcoming December Holiday Gift Guide episode.
PAM: Okay fine, I’ll try it Ry! But first, over to Owen, for number ten and some trivia.
OWEN: Thanks Pam!
OWEN: Number ten: A Very Big Birthday
This week marks the 57th birthday of one of the most famous streets on television - Sesame Street! But did you know that before Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch became household names, the show almost had a VERY different title? So, what was Sesame Street almost called? Was it...
A) Muppet Avenue
B) 123 Avenue B
C) The Alphabet Neighborhood OR
D) Puppets Lane
OWEN: Ten’ers did you guess it? The answer is B, 123 Avenue B, which is a real street address in New York City. Can you imagine singing, “Can you tell me how to get to... 123 Avenue B?” Doesn't quite have the same ring to it! Sesame Street premiered on November 10, 1969. I love thinking about how my parents watched the show when they were kids, just like I did! My mom says I remind her of Oscar the Grouch… Anyway, happy birthday to Sesame Street!
RYAN: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know.
PAM: <SFX plays Song of Storms>
RYAN: Wait, Pam when did you learn how to play my Ocarina…?
PAM: I told you I’d try playing the Zelda game, did you know your electronic Ocarina can actually affect the game play?! <SFX video game controller as Pam plays>
RYAN: No, I didn’t know that. WAIT. Are you already out of the Kokiri village?!? How are you already farther than me?!?
PAM: I’ll tell you after we give some Ten News Snaps.
RYAN: Fine, but before that, here’s a quick note for the grown ups.
<AD BREAK>
RYAN: It’s time for Ten News Snaps!
RYAN: Halloween has passed but we had some Ten’ers leave us Spotify comments to share their costumes… a Ten’er named Carrie was Winnie the Pooh.
PAM: and a Ten’er named Monica was Eeyore! Ooooh and Theo was James Bond?
RYAN: HOW DOES EVERYBODY HAVE COSTUMES THAT ARE COOLER THAN MINE?!
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 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. I’m Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News.
RYAN: Alright Pam, how are you so much farther than me?!
PAM: Well, I know you haven’t gotten far yet, but…this Ocarina lets you travel through time.
RYAN: No way.
PAM: Check it out. <SFX Song of Time> <SFX time travel warp>
RYAN: Wait WHAT? Pam? PAAAAM WHERE DID YOU GO?!?!
