Jan. 25, 2026

The World Cheese Champion

Show Notes
Transcript

Johnny Mac hares five uplifting news stories: a baby fur seal wanders into a New Zealand bar, a dog with a world-record tongue, Switzerland's effort to get yodeling recognized by the UN, rare blooming of palm trees in Rio de Janeiro, and a Swiss Gruyère crowned World Cheese Champion. Each story highlights unique and heartwarming events from around the world.

5 Good News Stories is a daily podcast with five positive, uplifting news stories to brighten your day. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network

John also hosts Daily Comedy News

Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! For Apple users, hit the banner which says Uninterrupted Listening on your Apple podcasts app.

Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:09.359
Caalaroga shock media A seal walks into a bar. No,

2
00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:11.560
it's not a joke, it's Johnny Mack with five good

3
00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:15.560
news Stories. A bar, New Zealand shared their security footage

4
00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:19.280
from their camera. A baby fur seal walked into the

5
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:23.239
Spring for in the Meadows, a craft beer place Bella,

6
00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:25.600
The owner said, everybody was pretty shocked. A lot of

7
00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:27.359
people thought it was a dog at first, because we're

8
00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:29.679
a dog friendly establishment. Of course, it was a mix

9
00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:31.920
of shock, excitement and everything all at once. The seal

10
00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:33.920
hung out in the bar for about twenty five minutes.

11
00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:37.560
They eventually lured the seal into a dog crate using

12
00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:41.000
salmon from the bar's pizza special. Apparently you can get

13
00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:43.920
pizza with salmon on it in New Zealand. The seals

14
00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:47.280
picked up by the conservation rangers and released on Rabbit Island,

15
00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:50.159
an island considered safe for seals due to the absence

16
00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:54.359
of dogs. Speaking of dogs, a dog earn the Guinness

17
00:00:54.359 --> 00:00:57.560
World Record when his tongue was measured at seven point

18
00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:01.240
eighty three inches long. Ozzys a French mastiff and bull

19
00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:05.200
mastiff mix belonging to Angela and family. Interesting phrasing on

20
00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:08.599
the record here longest tongue on a living dog at

21
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.200
seven point eighty three inches. This blew away the record

22
00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:13.400
of Rocky the Dog, whose tongue was five point four

23
00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:16.239
to six inches. Angela said he always had a tongue

24
00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.040
that sticks out of his mouth ever since he was born.

25
00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:20.040
But there's nothing medically wrong with him. We've had him

26
00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:21.640
looked at a couple times by a vet and there's

27
00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:24.319
no dental issues or anything. It's just a long tongue.

28
00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:26.319
She says. It's funny for his tongue to be the

29
00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:27.920
way it is. He doesn't really lick a lot. He

30
00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:29.760
doesn't give kisses. He gets in your face and kind

31
00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:31.719
of loves and rubs noses, but he doesn't really lick

32
00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:35.840
a lot of stuff. Switzerland hopes to have yodeling recognized

33
00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:40.480
by the United Nations. Switzerland currently counts twelve thousand yodlers

34
00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:43.760
lifting their way through the styles distinctive topsy turvy, up

35
00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.959
and down melodies across seven hundred and eighty yodling clubs.

36
00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.719
Marcus says this is important for the future. The singing

37
00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:54.640
is part of our culture, Switzerland's identity. It's a means

38
00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:58.120
of communication between one mountain and another. Evon is part

39
00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:00.480
of the choir and says there it requires time practice.

40
00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:05.040
Yodeling will be examined for inclusion on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural

41
00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:09.080
Heritage List. We'll let you know what happens. Some palm

42
00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.800
trees in Rio de Janeiro flowered for the first and

43
00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:15.120
only time in their lives decades after being planted in

44
00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.879
the sixties. Towards the end of their life, which can

45
00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:20.159
span between forty and eighty years, the palm tree sends

46
00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:23.960
up a central plume crowded with millions of small, creamy

47
00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.800
white blossoms that rise above the leaves. Originating from southern

48
00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.120
India and Sri Lanka, the palm can reach up to

49
00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:32.919
ninety eight feet tall and can produce around twenty five

50
00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:35.919
million flowers when blossoming. Hopefully we got some new trees

51
00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:42.599
out of this. And congratulations to the new World Cheese champion. Oh,

52
00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:44.280
we got a lot of German words in here that

53
00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:47.719
I'm going to buscher all right. A Swiss griare beat

54
00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:50.479
out more than five thousand rivals from forty six countries.

55
00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:55.719
The eighteen month volder Foltigeen Special won the title at

56
00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:58.120
the World Cheese Awards, which are held in the Swiss

57
00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:01.000
capital of Bern. Grand final judge Perry said it was

58
00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:03.120
the kind of cheese that would make people get excited

59
00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:05.159
about cheese. It's a big old cheese. There is a

60
00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.840
lot going on. The texture is beautiful. It's flinty as

61
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:09.639
you break it apart. This crystal line in there, so

62
00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:13.240
it's so delicate, it's massive makes an impact. Fifty two

63
00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.159
hundred and forty four cheeses were tasted by an international

64
00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:18.560
jury of two hundred and sixty five experts made up

65
00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:22.080
of cheesemakers, chefs, buyers, sellers and journalists from more than

66
00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.840
forty countries. One of the judges said, first of all,

67
00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:27.000
we're looking at the visual appearance of the cheese, how

68
00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:29.360
it looks like from the inside and the outside. The

69
00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:31.719
second step is the nose, so all the aromas the

70
00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:33.560
cheese is actually giving us. And then it comes down,

71
00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:38.199
of course too the flavor. The French judge said cheese

72
00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.120
must be balanced in terms of taste, aroma and flavor.

73
00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:44.439
Shouldn't be two eights or too young. Cheese is always

74
00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.319
a question of harmony. That's why good cheeses are often

75
00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.319
those with a long tradition. Those are your five good

76
00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:52.639
news stories for today. You have an awesome day,