
October 31, 2024 | NewsDepth 2024-2025 | Episode 8
Season 55 Episode 8 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
This week on the show: Presidential Campaigns, Spooky Science, and Tinikling Dancing!
This week on NewsDepth: The presidential candidates are trying new ways of reaching voters. Anna gives us some eerie facts about Lake Erie. What can we learn about an animal from looking at their skull? And a Filipino dance group teaches us about Tinikling.

October 31, 2024 | NewsDepth 2024-2025 | Episode 8
Season 55 Episode 8 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
This week on NewsDepth: The presidential candidates are trying new ways of reaching voters. Anna gives us some eerie facts about Lake Erie. What can we learn about an animal from looking at their skull? And a Filipino dance group teaches us about Tinikling.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(bright music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth: the presidential candidates are trying new ways to reach voters.
Anna gives us some eerie facts about Lake Erie.
what can we learn about an animal from looking at their skull?
And a Filipino dance group teaches us about Tinikling.
NewsDepth is now.
It's crunch time for the presidential race of 2024.
Hello, everybody.
I'm Gabriel Kramer.
Thank you for joining us.
With less than a week to go until the election, the presidential candidates are working to broaden their appeal to key voting groups.
Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are adopting new media strategies in the final stretch.
Washington correspondent Julia Benbrook joins us from the White House with a new popular way to reach voters.
- Podcasts are becoming more and more popular with these candidates.
It's typically more of a conversation than an interview with a straight news network with less fact-checking involved.
Some of the big names in podcasting have millions of followers, and they provide these candidates with a way to reach certain types of voters.
In the final sprint toward election day, campaign rallies in battleground states and interviews with mainstream media play an important role.
But as the media landscape shifts, podcasts are becoming a popular way to reach voters, especially young voters.
- He knows you very well.
He said, "Dad, he's big."
- Wow.
- "A big one."
- That's cool.
- Well, that's where it is nowadays, right?
- [Julia] Former President Donald Trump has been regularly appearing on podcasts, chatting with Theo Von, Nelk Boys, and Logan Paul, as he works to make inroads with young men who are often low propensity voters.
- This is gonna be great.
- I think so too, Mr. Trump.
- Been looking forward to this all my life.
- In recent weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris has worked the podcast circuit as well.
- Madam Vice President.
- Alex.
- Welcome to "Call Her Daddy."
- It is good to be with you.
- Stopping by the Shade Room, All the Smoke, and Call Her Daddy, which Spotify has billed as the most listened to podcast by women.
- A lot of my push to kind of hopefully convince people that they should vote is because you should never let anybody take your power from you.
However you vote, don't let anyone take your power from you.
- [Julia] Podcasts have grown in popularity over the years.
A survey by Pew Research shows that two-thirds of adults under 30 listened to a podcast in 2022.
And even though many don't go to podcasts for their news, they appear to trust what they're hearing.
87% said they expect the information on their podcast to be mostly accurate.
- Thank you, Julia.
In Minnesota, hundreds of thousands of people have already cast their ballots during early voting season.
That includes hundreds of first-time voters thanks to a pop-up polling location at the University of Minnesota.
Caroline Cummings has more on the effort to get younger people to vote.
- [Student] We love voting.
- [Caroline] As students walked to and from class Tuesday, they could make a pit stop to the polls.
The Weisman Art Center transformed into a temporary early voting site, making it easier than ever to make their voices heard.
- 'Cause their votes do matter.
- [Caroline] Riley Hetland, director of civic engagement for undergraduate student government, has been showing up to classes across campus educating her peers on how to vote this election.
12,000, she says, made a pledge to vote and 2,000 registered.
- It's really disheartening to know that our voter turnout as young people is the lowest in the country, and because of that, a lot of policies aren't geared towards young people.
And so us at Row the Vote are really trying to change that narrative.
- [Caroline] The pop-up early voting site location made possible by a recent law change, allowing cities and counties to authorize temporary polling places on college campuses.
At the U, it's just for one day and anyone in Minneapolis, not just students, could vote early there if they wanted to.
- Whatever we can do to make sure this is not an obstacle course, it's something that's straightforward, is good because one of the things we know is that when you can get a young person voting that first time they're eligible at 18, 19, 20, whatever, they are far more likely then to make it a lifelong habit.
- [Caroline] Minnesota ranked first overall for voter turnout last presidential election in 2020 and had the highest turnout among people ages 18 to 29.
The hundreds that showed up to vote Tuesday were motivated by issues that matter to them.
- We should focus on building a strong economy.
- What motivates me to vote is protecting democracy.
- [Caroline] As the campaigns are in the final sprint to the finish.
- Thank you, Caroline.
I remember my first time voting.
I was in college and I was very proud of how seriously I took this civic responsibility.
For our Write to Us this week, we want you to tell us, why is voting so important?
Students can use our inbox forum online or send us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org to send us the answers.
And last week, we learned that NASA is studying one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, to see if it could sustain life.
And we asked you, which planet would you rather live on and why?
Let's see what you had to say by opening our inbox.
(upbeat music) Malaysia from Sidney Fenn Elementary in my hometown, Medina, wrote, "Dear NewsDepth, I think it will be fun to live on the moon so I can try to do a handstand and cartwheel.
I think it would be fun, but also it might not be.
I would miss my family and my dogs."
Kushal from Shale Meadows Elementary School in Lewis Center, Ohio would like to live on a warm planet.
"Dear NewsDepth, I'd like to live on Mercury because it's the closest to the sun.
I would like to study the temperature of Mercury and have a good view of the sun!"
Akshayaguna from Strongsville thinks that we already live on the best planet.
"Dear NewsDepth, I would like to live on and stay on the Planet Earth.
Thank you.
I would stay on Earth because, hey, if you live on Jupiter, you probably might not stay alive because of the high gravity and we cannot live on Mars, and I think we all know why.
It is too hot."
Kyler from East Woods Intermediate School in Hudson knows exactly what planet they would like to go to.
"Kepler-1649C is a habitable planet, so I would like to see the surface of the planet.
Kepler-1649C is an earth-sized exoplanet, likely rocky, orbiting within the habitable zone of the Red Dwarf Star."
And Vivian from Independence Primary School in Independence would like to live on a planet where it's summer all the time.
"Dear NewsDepth, if I had to pick just one planet to live on, I would probably choose Venus.
I would choose Venus because last year I did a report on it, so I already know all about it.
Another reason is because Venus is the hottest planet and I love summer.
I also think that Venus is the definite best planet out there in the solar system."
Thanks to everyone who wrote in and sent in pictures.
Wait a minute.
What is happening?
I think we ended up in a haunted house.
It's weird, it's spooky, but let's just keep the show going.
A family near Sacramento, California is bringing Halloween to life with an impressive light show.
Their house has thousands of lights synchronized to music and other fun displays.
Carolina Estrada was there as people came by for the first show of the year.
- [Spectators] Six.
Five.
Four.
- [Carolina] The countdown to a spooky show... (upbeat music) That brings the Halloween spirit to life in this Rockland neighborhood.
- It's an incredible Halloween experience.
- [Carolina] It's an hour of spiders, pumpkins, and... - I really like the flames.
Those are really attention grabbing and cool.
- I was pretty shocked at how many lights there were.
It was pretty amazing.
- [Carolina] More than 5,000 lights... (upbeat music) Coordinated to the beat of the music.
- It's not really about the number of lights, it's what the lights actually do.
- It started as a family tradition for Keegan George.
- It actually started way back when I was young with my dad and we just kind of put standard lights on the house.
- [Carolina] Now he's taken it to the next level.
- Definitely not store-bought.
Everything is basically kind of handcrafted.
- [Carolina] Handcrafted with only one purpose.
- I do it for everybody in this community.
I love this area.
And just to see the kids come out and they dance in the driveway.
- Keegan puts a lot of time and energy into this show.
We really appreciate that he does this for the community.
It's really special.
- That looks like a really fun house.
Maybe this one could use some of those lights.
Thank you, Carolina.
In Indiana, people also have a new Halloween tradition and it involves colorful pumpkins.
Pumpkins are orange, of course, but this Halloween, you may see some kids carrying blue pumpkin pails.
It's not just a color choice.
It helps signal that this person is on the autism spectrum.
Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to the brain that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with other people.
Troyce Grant explains what trick or treaters can do to ensure everyone has fun on Halloween night.
- [Troyce] Halloween is the time of the year where you can expect some frights and fun, but it's not the same for every kid.
- For kids on the spectrum, Halloween can be a really scary experience and it can be overwhelming, lots of sensory, but it can also be really fun and a great opportunity for kids to meet other kids and get out into the world.
- [Troyce] That's why some parents ask for your patience and understanding.
So you might see a child carrying a blue pumpkin pail, which can signal that the child is on the spectrum.
- They may or may not say trick or treat.
They may or may not ring the doorbell themselves.
They may or may not be in costume, but they are still participating in Halloween and it just might be a good fit for some families as a quick visual cue that that kid is super excited about Halloween, but might just be celebrating it by a different set of rules.
- [Troyce] Parents who are trick or treating with their kids, there are a few things you can do to prepare them for the big night.
- And like setting up fake lights in your house, taping on light versus an off light, having the kid knock on the door.
You can also do something such as like practicing how much candy to take, preparing the child for ones if there's something they don't like in it.
- Thank you, Troyce.
And that brings us to our poll for this week.
We want to know, what is your favorite part of Halloween?
Jump over to our poll page to vote.
You can choose between trick or treating, watching scary movies, dressing up, or I'm not really a Halloween person.
Lake Erie, one of North America's Great Lakes, is renowned not just for it scenic beauty and recreational opportunities, but also for its eerie mysteries.
That's eerie with two Es.
Erie means strange and scary.
Beneath its surface, Lake Erie hides more than 1,700 shipwrecks, earning it the ominous title of Shipwreck Graveyard.
Natural phenomena also contribute to Lake Erie's eerie reputation, not to mention the legend of the elusive Lake Erie Monster.
Anna Huntsman explores the unsettling aspects of Lake Erie on this eerie edition of Know Ohio.
- Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes in North America, is not only known for its beauty and recreational opportunities, but also for some eerie and mysterious facts.
(upbeat music) For example, did you know that Lake Erie is often called a shipwreck graveyard?
It's estimated that more than 1,700 shipwrecks rest at the bottom of the lake.
The shallow waters and sudden, fierce storms have made it dangerous for ships over the centuries.
Many ships have met their end in Lake Erie's depths, making it a haunting place for divers and historians.
Speaking of mysterious depths, let's talk about the Lake Erie Monster, affectionately known as Bessie.
Much like the famous Loch Ness Mmonster, Bessie is said to be a serpent-like creature that has been sighted since the late 18th century.
It is said that Bessie can be anywhere from nine to 40 feet long, but of course, this sea monster is just a legend.
Have you ever heard of disappearing beaches?
Along the shores of Lake Erie, entire beaches can vanish and reappear due to shifting sands and seasonal changes.
One day you're enjoying a sunny beach and the next, it's mysteriously gone.
It's a natural but eerie phenomenon that keeps locals and visitors guessing.
But not all the mysteries of Lake Erie are natural.
Toxic algal blooms are a reoccurring and eerie site.
These blooms can turn the water a spooky, vivid green and produce toxins harmful to both humans and animals.
They're caused by pollution runoff, creating a ghostly, otherworldly appearance on parts of the lake.
And finally, let's not forget the frozen lake phenomenon.
During particularly harsh winters, Lake Erie can freeze over completely.
While a frozen lake might not sound that scary, seeing such a vast body of water turned into solid ice can be surreal and haunting.
The ice is often treacherous with cracks and pressure ridges that add to the lake's eerie winter landscape.
So, there you have it, some of the eeriest facts about Lake Erie.
Whether it's shipwrecks, a sea monster, or natural phenomenons, Lake Erie is full of stories that captivate and spook us.
(Planet Earth boings) - Thank you, Anna.
Lake Erie is estimated to be around 4,000 years old, but there's a lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains that is much, much older than that.
A professor at Western Nevada College believes Lake Tahoe, located on the border of Nevada and California, is at least 2 million years old.
And according to her research, that makes Lake Tahoe the oldest freshwater lake in North America and third oldest in the entire world.
Terri Russell dives in.
- [Terri] Here at Commons Beach in Tahoe City, kids and adults of all ages are taking advantage of the warm autumn days, paddle boarding, swimming, or just playing in the water.
But what these people may not know, they are in an area where more than 2 million years ago, volcanic action occurred high in the Sierra and made its way to the lake water.
These small rocks are remnants of that geologic activity.
- 'Cause a lot of the products look like you would find on Hawaii, and so you can go to Hawaii or you can just go up to Tahoe if you know where to look.
- [Terri] Professor Winnie Kortemeier is with Western Nevada College in Carson City.
Back in 2012, she published her findings on the age of Lake Tahoe.
- 2.3 million.
- [Terri] How did researchers come up with such a number?
Professor Kortemeier directed us to Burton Creek.
Now at California State Park, the seasonal dry creek bed holds these black rocks known as basalts.
They are formed when lava, rich in magnesium and iron, cool quickly.
This acceleration occurred because as the lava flowed down from the Sierra, it hit the lake's water, whose shoreline was actually at this level hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million years ago.
- When the basalt interacts with water, you get this glassy rind.
- [Terri] Professor Kortemeier says these rocks with an orange tinge are known as palagonite.
They too are a byproduct of an interaction between water and basalt.
She collected the rock and had geological specialists age the crystals contained within.
- 2.3 million, 2 million, and 920,000.
And that's young for a rock, but it's really old for a lake.
(water lapping) - [Terri] Unsatisfied, the professor wanted to know how Lake Tahoe's age stacked up against other freshwater lakes.
Examining legitimate data, she says it ranked third in the world behind a Siberian lake and one in Africa.
Here in North America, Lake Tahoe is the oldest.
Professor Kortemeier says her research isn't definitive.
Her figures indicate the lake is, quote, "at least 2.3 million years old."
It could be older.
- Thank you, Terri.
That lake has so much history.
I wonder what historical artifacts, maybe fossils or bones from animals, we might find underwater.
On today's Spot On Science, Jeff St. Clair shows us how fascinating artifacts like animal skulls can reveal the stories of their owner.
From the formidable wild boar, with its strong tusks and chewing teeth, to the beaver with its self-sharpening incisors designed for cutting trees, each skull showcases unique adaptations.
- Remember that scene from Shakespeare where Hamlet holds up his old friend's skull?
"Alas, poor Yorick.
I knew him, Horatio, a man of infinite jest and most excellent fancy."
Although Yorick didn't reply, a skull can say a lot about who owned it.
(upbeat electronic music) This one, for example, not named Yorick, is from an animal who lived here in Ohio, although he's not native to our state.
What kind of animal is it?
What does its skull tell us?
It has tusks that it can rub together to sharpen, lots of sturdy chewing teeth, super strong jaws and jaw muscles, a nose that sticks out past his teeth.
This animal could root around for food and grind up stuff with those strong flat teeth.
Look at its sloping flat forehead.
He's a bruiser.
Quite dangerous in a head-on charge.
It's a wild boar, basically a pig that got loose.
They're spread all over the eastern US, including Ohio.
Here's another skull.
What do its teeth tell us?
Can you guess what kind of animal this is?
Its teeth are self-sharpening chisels, strong enough to cut down a tree.
Its jawbone is thicker than mine, filled with ever-growing grinding teeth.
See how far up on the head its eyes are?
That way, it can float in water with only its eyes showing.
If you guessed beaver, you are right.
Beavers are one of the largest members of the rodent family.
All rodents from a mouse to a squirrel to the giant cousins of today's beaver, which lived in Ohio not too long ago, the size of a small bear, all of them have the same chisel-like incisors.
And by the way, you'll see that the extinct giant beaver has Ohio as part of its scientific name, Castoroides ohioensis, because they were all over the place here 10,000 years ago.
What about this skull?
Is it even a skull?
What is this?
Is it a baton?
Maybe.
It's big, but not too heavy.
The bone is porous.
You can see the holes.
It is a skull made of extremely strong, dense, but thin bone.
A marvel of engineering, really.
This is the skull of a pelican.
See how the lower jaw fits in here?
The pelican's pouch hangs off these jawbones.
There's even a hook on the end of its bill to help it grab fish.
Skulls can be spooky, but they're also very cool.
Every skull tells a story if you take the time to listen.
(Planet Earth boings) - Really cool.
Thanks, Jeff.
NewsHound has a special petting zoo for our Halloween episode.
He said this story will have you seeing double.
Well, NewsHound, what'd you find for us today?
(soft music) (dog barking) Hey there, NewsHound.
Wait... Are you trick or treating?
We're in the middle of a show.
I do like that costume, though.
All right, what's this cool story you told me about?
Oh, it's a snake with two heads?
To find out how this serpent is thriving at a nature center, click the petting zoo thumbnail at the bottom of this episode page.
Alright, NewsHound, you can go back to your treats and thank you for the report.
(Planet Earth boings) How many of you feel like you have a family when you're at school?
Well, the students at Roosevelt School in Lakewood have a house system in place that really makes you feel like you are part of a family while you're there.
The school's house system helps the students support each other, work as a team, and most importantly, create a community.
We visited with five of the house leaders not long ago and they explained it to us.
The school has five houses: Reveur, Atrismo, Isibindi, Amistad, and Sollevare.
When students first get to school in kindergarten or if they move to the school in a later grade, they spin a wheel that picks their house.
Each house has a mascot, color, and traits.
For instance, Leah told us that Sollevare's color is yellow, and Marissa told us that Reveur's mascot is the wolf.
Throughout the year, the houses can earn points for things like accountability, being kind and respectful, getting good grades, and helping others.
Accountability is being responsible to yourself, your community, and your obligations.
The houses also have house meetings.
Eero told us that at the house meetings, the students all wear spirit wear that shows off the colors of their houses.
Eero is in Isibindi, and he wears green and shows a lot of courage.
Audalia explained to us that the houses are really important to her because they lift up all of the students and they get to celebrate everyone's accomplishments.
Annabelle told us that she's really proud to be the house leader for Reveur because it shows that her teachers and fellow classmates respect her and that she is a good role model for the younger students at Roosevelt.
I really wonder what house I would be in.
NewsHound no doubt would be an Amistad because he's such a great friend.
This week's A+ Award goes to the Rangers at Roosevelt School in Lakewood for creating community, holding each other accountable, and achieving with their house system.
We're very proud of you.
Speaking of houses, I am enjoying this haunted house, but I think I'm ready to go back to NewsDepth Headquarters.
There we go.
I've got one more story for you, and this one is very special to me.
But first, let's check out the results of the poll.
Last week we talked about schools with bilingual teachers and we asked you if you'd like to learn a new language.
91% of you said yes, that speaking another language would be cool.
And another 9% said that you don't know which language you'd like to learn.
I think I'm with the majority on this one.
Knowing another language would be awesome.
As a matter of fact, I'm studying Tagalog.
Tagalog is one of the languages spoken in the Philippines, and it's the language that my mom grew up speaking.
October is Filipino American History month, and I couldn't let this month pass by without sharing a little bit of my Filipino culture.
Tinikling is a traditional Filipino dance where dancers jump and step between two bamboo sticks, careful to not let the bamboo hit their feet.
I'm not an expert in Tinikling, but I'd like to introduce you to some Northeast Ohioans who are.
(pencil scratching) (upbeat music) The dancers are members of the Philippine American Society of Ohio, PASO for short.
PASO's Amy von Lenden is the dance instructor.
- You'll see the dancers jump, turn, hop, skip through the bamboo sticks, and the point is to not get their feet caught.
(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Von Lenden grew up in northeast Ohio learning traditional Filipino dances and made lifelong friends doing it.
- We didn't all go to the same schools, we're different ages, but Filipino dance in our culture was really our common denominator.
(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] She says she doesn't want these cultural traditions to go away.
- People have said to me, pass on the torch, keep the legacy alive.
All we have are these traditions and the history that our ancestors have brought with them to the US.
So it's important to share that with not only Filipino kids, but, you know, their classmates in school and to make sure that people know we're here.
- [Gabriel] So she's teaching the dances to younger generations, including Angela Madamba.
- It started off, my grandma kind of forced me into it, but then over the years I really started liking it and I feel like really close to my culture when I do this dance and other dances, other Filipino dances.
And it's nice because I get to make other Filipino friends and just be around my culture.
It's really fun.
(upbeat music) (Planet Earth boings) - Special thanks to the Philippine American Society of Ohio for teaching me some Tinikling steps.
Well, that's a wrap for today's episode of NewsDepth.
We'll be back next week, but until then, you can always stay in touch with us because we always want to hear from you.
You can send a letter at 1375 Euclid Avenue.
That's Cleveland, Ohio zip code here, 44115, and you can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.
Plus, you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.
Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.
Thank you for joining us.
I'm Gabriel Kramer.
We'll see you right back here next week.
Happy Filipino American History Month.
(upbeat music) (Planet Earth boings) - [Announcer] NewsDepth is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.
(soft music)