Sept. 8, 2026

The Squidpocalypse closed the highway

Show Notes
Transcript

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls unless consumers opt in, with fines up to 75,000 euros per illegal call and limited exceptions for consent or existing contracts. Dale “Graybeard” Sanders, 91, became the oldest person to complete the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail, finishing Aug. 31 after 71 falls, injuries, and a hospital visit, encouraged by his wife and supporters. UC San Francisco researchers found a frog protein, saxiphilin, that prevented and reversed lethal saxitoxin poisoning in mice, offering hope for an antidote to paralytic shellfish poisoning. A Tulsa high school tradition has seniors cheer freshmen into kissing parents or grandparents goodbye, begun in 2001 to replace pranks. In Rhode Island, a trailer spill dumped squid onto a road—no injuries—prompting a cleanup and the joking label “squidpocalypse of ’26.”

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WEBVTT

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Oh, you're going to love this one. Hi, I'm Johnny

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Mac with five good news stories. Good news if you're

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in France. France has banned unsolicited telemarketing calls under a

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new law. Businesses generally cannot make sales calls to consumers

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unless the person has agreed in advance to receive them. Now,

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I could see there being a problem in the States

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that it'll probably be one of those things that like,

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you know, there was a 195 page terms of services.

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And on page 84, there's one paragraph saying, hey, click

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the box. You agree for us to call? I'm sure

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that's what would happen in the States. But in France,

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instead of telling consumers, if you don't want us to

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call you, put your number on this list. Businesses now

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have to start with the assumption that you don't want

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to be called. Government officials estimate about three quarters of

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people in France had been receiving at least one unsolicited

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call every week, with many getting several. You ever one

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of those days when your phone doesn't stop? You just

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want to like punch somebody? An individual making illegal calls

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can face a fine of up to 75,000 euros per call.

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There are some exceptions, though. You can still voluntarily agree

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to marketing calls, and companies that already have a contractual

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relationship with you may be able to contact you with

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certain offers. Yeah, you just know over here people would

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totally abuse this. Congratulations to Dale Greybeard Sanders, who has

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become the oldest person to complete the Appalachian Trail again.

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Greybeard is 91. and reached the summit in Maine on

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August 31st, finishing a 2,193-mile journey that began nearly a

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year earlier. At the summit sign, he paused to pray

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and thanked the people who helped him get there. Dale

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Greybeard Sanders had previously held the record in 2017 when

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he was 82, but then his friend MJ completed the

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trail at age 83 in 2021. Greybeard planned his comeback.

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This time was a lot tougher. He counted 71 falls

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along the way, including six serious tumbles. Injuries, a hospital visit,

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moments of doubt tested his determination. Doctors cleared him to

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continue following a pinched nerve. He considered stopping. His wife said,

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you should finish. There was plenty of kindness along the

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trail as well. Supporters brought treats. Fellow hikers cheered him

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on and thousands followed his progress online. Knowing that his

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efforts encourage other people, Greybeard said that became more important

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to him than reclaiming the title. This guy's awesome. On

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his 87th birthday... He set out on an 87-day trip

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to paddle the entire Mississippi River. I love this guy.

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Good news for people like me. A frog protein offers

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hope for treating shellfish poisoning. A protein found naturally in

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frogs could help scientists develop an antidote to a dangerous

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toxin found in contaminated shellfish. Researchers at UC San Francisco

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found the protein called saxophilin. Love that name there. Saxophilin

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prevented and reversed otherwise lethal saxotoxin poisoning in mice. Saxitoxin

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is produced by certain algae and can accumulate in shellfish.

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Eating contaminated shellfish can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, which attacks

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the nerves and muscles and can interfere with breathing. Saxifilin

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acts like a molecular sponge, binding tightly to the toxin

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before it can reach its targets. Mice given saxifilin before

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or alongside the toxin were protected from poisoning. The mice

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say thank you. Well, I'm not so thankful for poisoning them,

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but at least... Move on, John. Okay. In Tulsa, there's

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a tradition... Kiss your parents. As freshmen arrive for their

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first day of school, older students gather in the parking

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lot with a simple demand. Give your mom, dad, or

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grandparent a goodbye kiss before heading inside to the school.

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For teenagers hoping to look cool, an audience of cheering

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seniors adds a little embarrassment. The tradition began in 2001

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when seniors decided to replace the school's freshman pranks with

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a kinder welcome. The goodbye kiss became a shared rite

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of passage, with each graduating class reminding newcomers, you gotta

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do it too. All right, John, why were you late

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for work this time? It was the squidpocalypse. You see, boss,

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a trailer was carrying squid to a processing facility in

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Rhode Island, and the trailer detached and tipped over as

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the driver negotiated a turn. A bunch of the squid

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spilled across the roadway, leaving piles of squid baking in

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the summer sun. Of course, this being five good news stories,

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nobody was injured, no other vehicles were involved. But the smell,

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oh boy, boss, the smell. Crews brought in heavy equipment

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and a dump truck to clear the mess. Police responded

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shortly before 9.30 in the morning. The intersection was closed

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until 5.15 p.m. Once the road was clear, the PD

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found some humor, dubbing it the Squidpocalypse of 26 and

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joking that the spill had put slippery when wet to shame.

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Those are your five good news stories for today. Have

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a great day.