Click below to read the text of the video.The whole total external environment.
We treat it as an enemy. We try to beat it into submission.
And if we do that, comes Disaster.
-Alan Watts (influenced by Asian Buddhist Philosophy)Help me somebody.
There's no escape from it.
He so low, you can't get under him; he's so wide you can't get around him; he's everywhere!
Help me somebody.
-Anonymous black preacher
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This week: Destruction and Reconstruction
Musical Warm-up: Images of Myanmar
Natural Disasters
MB talks with Matthew about working with Habitat for Humanity, an organization committed to stopping poverty housing all over the world. The cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China destroyed millions of homes. Habitat for Humanity is taking action to organize teams to rebuild homes and lives. Lack of housing, lack of food, and lack of clean drinking water is in Myanmar is turning out to be more devastating than the cyclone. Take the quiz below to learn why...
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Why are gas prices increasing?
I'm often asked this question by friends and family. I sometimes answer them by reminding them of the little sign that pops up in the local coffee shop from time to time. It usually says something like, "Due to a poor coffee bean harvest, the price of coffee beans has gone up." So your morning cup of coffee will cost you a few pennies more. We throw an extra nickel or two on the counter but usually don't think twice about it.
Gasoline prices really aren't much different. The main ingredient, crude oil, is traded on the same commodity exchanges that those coffee beans are. And when demand for any commodity is greater than supply, the price goes up. As you see in the news, many oil producing countries are facing an uncertain future. Unfortunately, those concerns translate into higher crude oil prices. In fact, oil prices have tripled since 2000. Then, adding complexity, refined gases and other fuels are also commodities trades on the same floor as coffee and crude oil.
Demand for gas in the US and Canada has continued to grow despite the fact that refineries across North America are running flat out. While there is no shortage, there is little room in the system to meet the excess demand. In short, that is largely why the price of gasoline has gone up in the past few years. But instead of putting a little cardboard sign on the counter announcing the price, we think it's important to put the price on the big signs out front.
Well it may be hard to believe but there's a lot more money to be made selling a cup of coffee than by selling a liter of gasoline. That bigger profit makes it easier for the coffee shop to absorb increases in the price of coffee beans than for crude oil. But think about it, has the price of your morning cup of coffee ever gone down?
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Manhattan Farmers
After taking the Rising Food Prices Quiz, a reader writes:
Developing countries could benefit from producing their own biofuels but they will need assistance to do it. First, they need the infrastructure for mass production (farming equipment, techniques, education, processing tools, etc.). If, in addition to producing their own food energy, they can also sell to foreign markets without having to pay high tariffs then biofuels can have a positive effect.
I definitely agree. It doesn't make any sense for the US (and other developed countries) to be spending tax dollars to subsidize "farmers" who are already millionaires living in Manhattan. Click here to see the map of how many there are. Obviously, a little money in the direction of those eating mud cookies would have a greater impact.
Even better, how about a subsidy for English teachers?
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#887: Musical Warm-up
ELLLO music videos and podcasts of interviews can also be found here. Click the subscribe button to automatically receive updates in iTunes. It's free! This song is based on interview #887.
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Dirt Cookies
This week, Brian talks about the Canada's strong economy. Other countries have not been so lucky. Here are the effects of rising food prices in Haiti:
It's lunch time in one of Haiti's most desperate slums, but because of rising food prices, some of the poorest can't even afford a daily plate of rice. Instead...
they are taking desperate measures to fill their bellies. This mother and her toddler now rely on a traditional Haitian remedy for hunger pangs: cookies made of dried yellow dirt. The remedy has long been used by pregnant women and children as an antacid and source of calcium. But now cookies made of dirt, salt, and vegetable shortening have become a regular meal for some. Food prices are up as much as 40% on some Caribbean islands after floods from last year's hurricane season damaged crops. Because of that, Caribbean leaders held an emergency summit to discuss cutting food taxes and coming up with ways to reduce the islands dependance on imports. Haitian doctors say those that rely on the cookies are at risk from malnutrition. And officials warn that dirt can contain deadly parasites or toxins.
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Wii Fit (Part 2)
Well...not many comments, but I hope you all already watched part 1 below. This parody changed my opinion about the Wii.
The makers of Wii Sports now give you a little white thing that you stand on. Introducing Wii Fit. For far too long video consoles have limited themselves to being fun and entertaining.
With Wii Fit, the sky is the limit as you explore exciting new exercises like, Leaning Side to Side. With amazing graphics and engaging game play, you'll love Leaning Side to Side with Nintendo's Wii Fit.
And don't miss Sticking Out Your Leg. With over 8 hours of solid game play, Sticking Out Your Leg is fun for both young and old. But when you finish that, try sticking out your other leg.
Wii Fit combines the perfect balance of barely moving and doing mundane (boring)things. But the practical applications of Wii Fit go far beyond working out. Don't want to invest $3.19 on a hula hoop? Why not pick up a Wii for just $300? Enjoy the same fun but in the comfort of your living room without that annoying plastic hoop.
Instead of having your kids go outside to play and get exercise, why not have them stand right in front of the TV? You'll save that money on soccer registration and the whole family will enjoy Watching Things Fly at Your Head.
If you found Dance Dance Revolution's hot sound tracks and exciting game play to be a bit too much, we think you'll enjoy Wii Fit's Step Up On The White Thing game. With this exciting but simple game title, all you have to do is step up and get down.
Nothing says fun to kids like a good graph or chart. That's just one way that Wii Fit is taking family's out of their back yard and putting them back in front of their television with exciting titles like Roll The Ball in the Hole. The Wii Fit looks great with anything from Ikea. Standing in one place has never been more fun than with Nintendo's Wii Fit.
Find out today why people all over the world think they are getting exercise with that little white thing you stand on. It's simple, it's easy, and you don't have to do anything. Wii Fit.
In case there was any confusion, this is NOT a real commercial for the Wii Fit. It's pure sarcasm.
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Pumping Iron
In case you haven't seen it yet, this week's ELLLO content features an article about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Click here to see it.
And here is a clip from one of his early movies that launched him into the spotlight:
Double click on any word to see the meaning.
Ok Lou. No, no. Listen, when you come out here and you are out here, alright, they're all waiting for you, they want to see what you've got, they've never seen you before. You tense your legs, right?
You look at the crowd, they are all looking at you Lou, flash bulbs are going to go off and everything. Then you put your arms like this - you look at your arms, like you are admiring, right? You are admiring what you are going to show them and then you go, "Boom!" Like you are saying, "take a look at this hunk of man." Ok? You try it.
Look up, that's right. That's it. No, no, down here Lou. I told you, look at your arms. Both arms. That's it. 'At a boy! Now hold that pose because remember, your arms are bigger than Arnold's and they want to see them, right? These people have never seen your arms before - they have seen Arnold's. So hold that pose awhile and I say in this pose, just tilt your body a little because there's people on this side of the theatre and this side of the theatre. They want to see you. So just tilt your body just slightly like this, right? Try that Lou. 'At a boy.
You have to do everything possible to win, you know, no matter what. At the day of the contest if he comes in his best shape and he is equally as good as I am of if, let's say, he's a few percent better than I am. I spend together with him one night. I go downstairs and I book us together in a room, you know, to "help him" for tomorrow to "help him for tomorrow's contest". And that night, he will never forget. I will mix him up. He will come so ready to South Africa, so strong, but by the time the night is over, the next morning, he will be ready to lose. I mean I will just talk him into that. It's no problem to do, you know. And so all those things, you know, are available. So if they are available you might as well use them. That's why it doesn't matter if he comes in shape or out of shape. If he comes out of shape then it's less hassle for me, you know. And if he's in shape...fine. I hope he is.
But you couldn't pull this with Franco, could you? Franco is pretty smart.
Franco is pretty smart, but Franco is a child. And when it comes to the day of the contest, I am his father. He comes to me for advice so it's not that hard for me to give him the wrong advice.
Prothais South Africa - Probably in an hour or two we have a chance to see our room.
Can I just ask you one question that usually we ask. What was...must your...special woman look like and your favorite...?
It really doesn't matter, you know, I like them with black hair, with brown hair, with red hair, with big breasts, with little breasts, big ass, little ass, you know, if the personality is great and if they are charming...
I can't wait to get out in the sun. Look at that sun out there.
We ordered it for you.
Watch out now Lou. Get ready. Holy cow! Hold them up. 'At a boy Lou. That's a good shot. Tense your muscles Louie. Pull in your stomach.
Sometimes people ask you advice, if you think they are being arrogant or misusing the sport of bodybuilding, you give them kind of pranksterish advice and that once happened in a Mr. Munich contest I believe?
I think it was 8 years ago. Some fella came to me in the gym and said, "I want to win Mr. Munich, you know, and I am a perfect poser and I have a fantastic body and I just want to learn a new posing routine, something way out, which nobody expects." So I said, "Well let me see the posing routine you have right now." Well when the guy took his clothes off and posed for me, he looked like nothing number one, and his posing was bad so I mean I think he was just crazy, you know? So I thought, well ok, if he thinks that he is the best poser I'm going to pull a little trick on him. And so that's what I did. I told him, I said, "Listen, I have a new posing routine from America," I said, "I have correspondence with all the top athletes in America and so on." And I told him that the new thing is that he has to scream while he is posing." And he looked and me and he says, "Wow! That's a new idea." He says, "They will really come out impressive when you go out on stage and you scream, people can't miss you. They will look at screaming, you know, that's it." So I taught him how to scream. At first, you know, I was with him, I oiled him up, with really heavy oil and everything. So I was standing there in the shower room and I taught him how to do it, you know, the higher your arms go up, the higher you make a screaming noise. The lower your arms come down when you are posing, the lower your voice, like, "Ahhh! Ohhh!" You know, this kind of a thing. Well, I practiced with him for around two hours - spent of lot of time on developing his new posing routine. He mastered it very well. He was screaming really loud and, you know, high and low. And he went to the Mr. Munich contest. And I told him when he walks out he has to scream loud too, you know, run out, "Ahhh!" And so he did and obviously people weren't ready for that at all. You know, so he went out there, he screamed loudly, went through three or four poses with some loud screaming and they carried him off the stage. They threw him out. They thought the guy was totally nuts.
I'm shaking really but I think when I get there I'll forget about it.
When I get there, I'll be even more nervous.
I'm not nervous at all. Thank you. Jesus Christ.
Take it easy Arnie.
What can I say? You guys are psyching me out here early in the morning.
We're trying to calm you down. Lay down in the bus in the back.
Hey Lou. Is this the master plan here this morning?
Be on guard.
Hey, I'm here now for six days and nobody invited me for breakfast. This morning they say, "Come for breakfast with us Arnold. Come. Have nice breakfast." He's talking about pumping up, he's talking about psyching me out. She's talking about my mother.
You're the king of kings Arnold.
He's rubbing it in. How are you doing Lou? How are you doing?
Good.
You look kind of (????) today?
I'm a little tired - trying to wake up.
They don't come nicer than you Arnold.
I'm a nice guy.
I wouldn't turn my back on you within 500 yards.
He doesn't trust me, why is that?
...early on so we could relax and enjoy the country.
Oh, we should have it in a month for him. He not even in shape yet. I mean, he didn't get the timing right I'm telling you. A month from now would have been perfect for you. But then I get bigger too so you know...What the hell, let's get it over with and if you retire this year, you just never head to Olympia or you head twice to Mr. Universe, what the hell.
That's amazing, can you imagine the feeling I have. Six times Mr. Olympia.
You could go on forever.
It blows my mind when I think about it. I called my mother yesterday already and I said, "I won." She said, "Congratulations Arnold." Why don't we go and you go help him pump up.
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