Episode Transcript

EPISODE 116 

LEELA: Queen Elizabeth dies and the UK mourns.  Plus, massive Taylor Swift news, chimpanzees beat to their own drum and more…!

OPENING STING – LEELA: “Hey, hey, hey. Listen up. New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!” 

THEME MUSIC 

LEELA: Hello and welcome to Newsy Pooloozi – the news pool for curious kids and adults!

This week we find out how the United Kingdom is mourning the death of their queen – with a special report from England.

Plus, researchers find our closets cousins – yes, chimpanzees – communicate in a thumping, loud way.

Huge news for huge Taylor Swift fans (like me!) and…

Find out what sus, adorkable and yeet all have in common.

MUSIC UP

LEELA: I’m your host Leela Sivasankar Prickitt and, as ever, I’m joined by the big story explainer and sound effects finder – my mom!

MAMA: Otherwise known as Lyndee Prickitt. Hello.

LEELA: Yes, ok, that too. So let’s dive on in. First up, it’s the…

BIG NEWS STORY STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The big news story of the week!”

MAMA: At the age of 96 the Queen of the United Kingdom died and the country is in mourning.

LEELA: Queen Elizabeth II spent 70 years on the throne. Well, not literally sitting on the… thrown – but she was queen for over seven decades.

MAMA: She’s the second longest service monarch in the history of the world in fact. She was queen so long she worked with 15 Prime Ministers of Britain and meet hundreds of other world leaders, including 13 US presidents.

LEELA: Meowozers! But when you say she worked with 15 UK Prime Ministers, she didn’t get to tell them what to do or anything, right?

MAMA: That’s right. Like most royalty these days, the British royal family are really just symbolic. But she was a much-loved figurehead for the most part. Some say her real job was keeping Britain together.

LEELA: Yeah, TONS of people are paying their respects to her. There’s a national day of mourning declared where kids get the day off school and all!

MAMA: But I’m curious what the mood in the UK is right now.

LEELA: Me too!

MAMA: Well, let’s cut across to our UK correspondent Jackson Hosking then to tell us more.

LEELA: Good idea. Hey, Jackson – thanks for joining us. I hear you get to take a day off school to honor the queen?

JACKSON: We sure do, Leela! This is all part of what’s being called the, “period of national mourning for Queen Elizabeth the Second.”

LEELA: How long does that last?

JACKSON: Until her state funeral – which is Monday the 19th of September.

LEELA: Wow – that’s 11 days of mourning! So is it really sad and somber in the UK now?

JACKSON: Well, it’s not like everyone is walking around crying or dragging their feet in a somber way. But, sure, some people – who are real big royalists (as in they LOVE the royal family) are shedding a few tears.

Most people really loved her being their queen. Including me. You might’ve even seen the thousands of people leaving flowers outside the queen’s six palaces.

And in Scotland people packed out the streets to see her casket going from her favorite home – Balmoral Castle, where she died – to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

The casket will be on display there and then in London for hundreds of thousands of people to pay their respects.

LEELA: So who will attend the state funeral, do we know yet? I guess it’s gonna be a huge event!

JACKSON: Oh, yeah, I’m sure it will be. But the guest list hasn’t been published yet. Though US President Joe Biden has already said he’ll attend. I’m sure most big world leaders will too.

LEELA: No word on India’s PM going yet though… India was colonized by Britain for around 200 years after all…

So Jackson, when I was in London this summer I was seeing ER everywhere – as in Elizabeth Regina. Regina means reigning, or ruling, queen, right?

JACKSON: That’s right. And ‘rex’ is for king.

LEELA: Well that royal symbol is every were! It’s on the mail (or post) boxes, on gates and bollards outside official buildings, on documents even – that’s all gonna have to go, right?

JACKSON: You said it, Leela. Not to mention all the money – coins and bills! They’ll all have to change to CR – Charles Rex.

LEELA: Oh, wow – that’ll be a massive undertaking!

JACKSON: Tell me about it. But it will happen gradually and the old money will still be legal for a long, long time.

LEELA: Well, that’s good. So when will her son, King Charles III, be crowned, as in the coronation.

JACKSON: That’s called his coronation and no date has been set yet, because of the planning required. Because, yes, it will be full of British pomp and ceremony.

LEELA: But he’s now officially the king, right?

JACKSON: Yes, a couple days ago King Charles III was proclaimed the United Kingdom’s monarch in an ancient ceremony.

SFX OF THE CEREMONY PROCLAIMING KING CHARLESS III UK MONARCH (not transcribed)

LEELA: I hear one of his first acts as monarch was to approve a national holiday on the day of the Queen’s funeral. Meaning… you get to miss school!

JACKSON: Indeed, I do!

LEELA: So what will you be doing to mark the occasion, Jackson? Dressing up in your finest clothes with a bowl of popcorn sitting, or should I say standing to attention, in front of the television, or should I say, “telly?”

JACKSON: Yeah… right… How did you know, Leela?

SFX OF THE CEREMONY PROCLAIMING KING CHARLESS III UK MONARCH: Three cheers for his majesty the king – hip-hip-hooray, hip-hip-hooray.

[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62844663

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/queen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk0rS4LaVc]

NATURE STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The call of nature. Get on your safari suite. Or squeeze into your scuba gear. And get ready to hop into a jeep. Or submarine. Submarine. Because Mother Nature is calling! Nature.”   

LEELA: So we all know chimpanzees, which come from the forests of Central Africa, are highly intelligent, highly social animals, right?

MAMA: Yes. And human’s closest cousins – we share about 98 percent of the same DNA.

LEELA: That’s right. Though they spend most of their time in the treetops, when they do come down, they usually travel on all fours, though they can walk on their legs, like humans, for as far as a mile.

MAMA: Lots of fab facts there, Leela.

LEELA: Yes… and now to the new news… did you know that chimpazees communicate like this?

SFX OF CHIMPS SCREECHING

MAMA: That’s a lot of shrieking and screeching.

LEELA: But did you hear the drumming?

MAMA: Oh, no. Let me hear some more.

SFX OF CHIMPS SCREECHING AND DRUMMING ON TREES

MAMA: Ohhh…

LEELA: Yes, indeed. Of course, they don’t have a set of bongo drums – but huge exposed tree roots that they use and it’s not just for a bit of jungle drum-and-bass dancing either.

MAMA: No?

LEELA: Oh, no. This – believe it or not – is also how they communicate.

MAMA: Whoa, no way?!

LEELA: Yes, way. Researchers followed a bunch of chimps around a Ugandan rainforest and found that each male chimp uses a distinct, signature pattern of beats… to send out messages to each other over long distances. Like who is where and what they’re doing.

MAMA: Well, I guess that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “beating to your own drum,” doesn’t it?

LEELA: You said it!

SFX OF DRUMS

[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62809420

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/chimpanzee]

WORLD WRAP STING – LEELA: “What’s that? I’ll tell you what. That’s the halftime bell! Which means… it’s time to hear what’s making news around the rest of the world. Hold on tight, it’s around the world in 80 seconds.” 

MAMA: Ukraine launches a massive counter-attack against invading Russian troops, managing to take back some of its towns and villages in the northeast of the country. This is said to be a possible turning point in the 7-month-old war.

In the US, samples of wastewater in New York are showing signs of polio – an old virus that cause people to become paralyzed – prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency. Polio was largely eradicated by vaccinations in the 1960s, but officials say vaccination rates today are now worryingly low.

Speaking of vaccines, scientists at the University of Oxford develop a malaria vaccine with “world-changing” potential. It’s expected to be rolled out next year after drug trials showed up to 80% protection against the deadly disease that is passed on by mosquitoes.

And Disney fans are delighted as the trailer for the upcoming Little Mermaid film is out. Loads of people are excited to see a black actress in the starring role of Ariel of this live-action version inspired by the 1989 animation.

LEELA: As ever, thank you so much for that whippity-whappity-zippity-zappity wrap of what’s making headlines elsewhere in the world, Mama.

MAMA: You’re most welcome.

ACE STING – LEELA/MAMA: “Now it’s the ace part of our podcast: Arts, Culture and Entertainment. Darling.” 

LEELA: Well, folks ICYMI – in case you missed it… we admitted to prerecording our last show a bit earlier than usual and so might have missed some big news.

MAMA: Like Liz Truss becoming the new Prime Minister of the UK.

LEELA: Oh, yeah! But I’m talking more about the prime minister of pop. Yes, folks – I’m talking Taylor Swift. After weeks, no, months of waiting and waiting and speculation – the US popstar finally announced the date she’ll be releasing her new, much-anticipated, long-awaited next album.

MAMA: Well, when?

LEELA: October 21. In fact in honor of this auspicious occasion, I’m christening that day as my cat’s birthday too, since we’re not really sure when she was born. I mean, why not?

MAMA: Yeah.

SFX OF CAT MEOW

LEELA: Taylor loves cats too. Part of what makes her so coooool.

MAMA: Uh-huh. And the album name?

LEELA: Ah, it’ll be “Midnights” named after the stories of – and I quote – “13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life – a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.” October 21 – midnight of course. Mark your calendars.

MAMA: Alright – let’s all hear about a cool thing that happened in California recently.

[SOURCE: https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/a-new-taylor-swift-album-is-coming-she-announced-at-the-vmas]

KINDESS CORNER STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Kindness corner. Cool. They did what? Seriously? What? How cool is that! No way! Cool.”

MAMA: So we know it’s been a super hot this summer all over the northern hemisphere, right?

LEELA: Oh, yeah.

MAMA: And what do those of us lucky ones do when it’s hot?

SFX OF AC SWITCH GOING ON

LEELA: Turn on the AC!

MAMA: Exactly. But that means…

LEELA: Using a LOT of electricity.

MAMA: Yep. Which is not great for the environment and – as we know well here in India –

SFX OF AC GOING OFF 

LEELA: Hey – who turned off the lights?

MAMA: Yes, can lead to power cuts. Well, that’s why the electric company in California (the California Independent System Operator, Cal-ISO) decided to send out an emergency text message asking residents to limit their energy use just for three hours to try and prevent a power cut. And guess what?

LEELA: What?

MAMA: It worked! Well, it seemed to – electricity-use certainly went down.

LEELA: What?! You mean everyone co-operated?

MAMA: Well, it seems enough people did. It’s presumed that people started switching all sorts of things off – TVs, computers and even wifis that just get left on for hours, eating unnecessary electricity. Some probably even cut their AC, perhaps opting to have a cold shower –

LEELA: Or jumping into a swimming pool more like!

MAMA: For the lucky ones, probably. It seems enough people did their bit and the power cut was avoided. Cool or what?

LEELA: That’s what I call a community in action!

[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62832775]

MAMA: And finally, let’s see what the lucky dip machine has for us this week.

ODDBALL STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Step right up, step right up… Have a go at the lucky dip machine… What’s it gonna be today, eh? An oddball, no doubt!”

MAMA: Ok, moving on. Big news, folks, ICYMI – the metaverse is more sus than adorkable, possibly even janky, and, no, this is not sponcon either – yeet!

LEELA: Ahhhh… Mama? Are you OK? Did the printer drop out letters from your script again?

MAMA: Oh no – everything is intact – nothing janky going on here. I don’t have a dumbphone or anything, OK?

LEELA: CUT. Mama, what are you talking about?!

MAMA: Roll the tape again. I’m talking about the 370 new words and definitions added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

LEELA: Ohhhh… That time of year again, huh?

MAMA: Yep. The metaverse is official. ICYMI has moved from an acronym to its own word.

LEELA: And in case you don’t know – it stands for: in case you missed it, of course.

MAMA: Sus has also made it into the dictionary.

LEELA: That would be the cute way of saying suspicious – for those who might know.

MAMA: And janky is – as far as I can tell – a screechy way of saying junky. Janky!

LEELA: Mother…!

MAMA: Yeet is more complicated.

LEELA: Not really…

MAMA: OK, it’s all-encompassing then.

LEELA: It just means surprise.

MAMA: Well, according to the dictionary it also means, approval and enthusiasm.

LEELA: Uhh, maybe that was a decade ago. Like to you old folks, mom. Today it just means to be thrown. With force. “Yeet!”

MAMA: Well, who am I to question the dictionary?!

LEELA: Well, you can. It’s not like Merriam Webster is sponsoring us or anything.

MAMA: Yep, this story is not sponcon.

LEELA: As in sponsored content.

MAMA: Though, you know, we are open to a bit of sponsorship though…

LEELA: Uh, sure, as long as it’s not sus.

MAMA: True. Adorkable is allowed though.

LEELA: Oh, yeah, we love something that’s a bit dorky, or socially awkward, in a completely adorable way. Like you, Mama. Sometimes.

MAMA: Uh, thanks. I think.

[SOURCE: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/09/07/2511231/0/en/370-New-Words-and-Definitions-Added-to-Merriam-Webster.html

https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/09/08/icymi-pumpkin-spice-among-new-merriam-webster-entries/]

 FAB FACTS STING – LEELA: “And it’s time to wrap up the podcast with the top five fab facts heard today. Here goes…” 

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 1 – Queen Elizabeth II has died and her son King Charles III will take over. There will be a lot of changes that have to take place removing the royal symbol of ER from loads of places. What does ER stand for?

Elizabeth Regina

LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 2 – How long was Queen Elizabeth II the monarch of the United Kingdom?

70 years

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 3 – Queen Elizabeth’s son Charles will be crowned as the next monarch in a ceremony that is called what?

The Coronation

LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 4 – Scientist find that wild chimpanzees have their own “signature drumming style” which they use to communicate over long distances. Chimps share how much of the same DNA with humans?

98 percent

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 5 – Every year new words make it into the dictionary – like sus, yeet and adorkable. Which dictionary is including these?

Merriam Webster dictionary

And don’t forget, if you want to test yourself later on, then go to the Lucky Dip page of our website,  newsypooloozi.com, that’s pool-o-o-z-i, and take this quiz online in your own time!

LEELA: I repeat pool-o-o-z-I dot com. (laughs)

MAMA: “Robot Leela” laughs!

LEELA: And that almost brings us to the end of this episode of Newsy Pooloozi!

But first… having trouble sleeping? Never fear – Koko is here!

KOKO PROMO (not transcribed) 

THEME MUSIC

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Alrighty then, see you next week in the happy, splashy giant Newsy Pooloozi!

-ends-