Shark Surfing

Would you like to get your heart rate up a bit. Try this.



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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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Get in Shape with the "Wii Fit" (Part 1) - PLEASE COMMENT BELOW

This is a real video game controller that I believe is now available.

Would you pay $300 to get in shape like this?

Click below where it says comments and write your opinion. Once 10 people have responded I'll post another video, based on this video that will definitely make you laugh. But I need your opinions first - the effect will be much better.

This is the end of the post.
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Buy Fair Trade

Here's what I learned last week about chocolate:

1. The majority of us eat chocolate at least once a week.
2. The chocolate industry is one of the biggest in the world.
3. Most people don't know how chocolate is made.
4. West African cacao farmers often employ children, pay them very little, and they work in dangerous conditions.
5. Buying Fair Trade chocolate ensures that farmers receive fair prices, workers are paid fair wages, environmental standards are followed, communities are developed, and long-term farming (rather than short-term) strategies are applied.
6. Dark chocolate is the only chocolate that has health benefits.
7. Here are some Fair Trade Chocolate and locations where they can be bought: Ah!laska: Online, Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Amano: Madagascar, Venezuela Online
Art Bars (Ithaca Fine Chocolates'): Online
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's, Chocolate: most grocery stores
Camino Cocoa: Dominican Republic Online
Chuao Bonbons: Chuao region of Venezuela Online, Whole Foods, San Diego Locations
Clif Bar: Most grocery and health food stores.
Cloud Nine: Central Mexico Online, Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Coffee-Tea-Etc.: Dominican Republic Online
Country Choice: Online, Whole Foods
Dagoba: Latin America, Carribean Online, Whole Foods
Deans Beans: Costa Rica Online, Whole Foods, List
Divine Bars: Ghana Online, U.K. Stores
Domori: Peru, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Madagascar Online
El Rey: Venezuela Online
Endangered Species: West Africa, South America Online, Whole Foods
Equal Exchange: Central and South America, Mexico Online, Whole Foods
Green and Black's: Dominican Republic, Belize Online, Whole Foods
Health by Chocolate: Online, Whole Foods
Lake Champlain: Whole Foods
Larabar: Online, Store Locator
Malagasy: Madagascar Online
Max Havelaar: Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Peru Stores all around Europe
Mayordomo: Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico Online, Whole Foods
Newman's Own Organics: Costa Rica Online, Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Nirvana Chocolates: Online
Omanahene: Ghana Online
Pamela's Products: Amazon, Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Rapunzel: Bolivia, Dominican Republic Online, Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Raw Revolution: Raw Revolution Online Store Amazon Grocery
San Francisco Chocolate Factory: Online
Santa Cruz: Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Scharffen Berger: Cote d'Ivoire Online, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's
Shaman Chocolates: Online, Whole Foods
Sojourn: Dominican Republic or Costa Rica Seattle Shop
Sunspire: Central and South America Online, Whole Foods, Henry's/Wild Oats
Sweet Earth Chocolates: Dominican Republic, Costa Rica Online
Terra Nostra Organic: Central and South America, Carribean Whole Foods
Tony's Chocolonely Slave-Free Chocolate: Netherlands, Online
Trader Joe's Fair Trade Cocoa: Trader Joe's
Yachana Gourmet "Jungle Chocolate": Equador Online, List Read more!

The Dark Side of Chocolate (Part 2)

Double click on any word to see the meaning.



In part 2, we'll look at the real price of cheap chocolate...
Children soaked in dangerous chemicals.

Etienne Babila survived two years of hard and hazardous labor in the cocoa plantations of Southern Camaroon. At 12, he was taken out of school and put to work to feed his sick parents. Now, back at school and captain of the football team, he's been given the chance of a new life but only if he can leave his village to go to secondary school.

Oway, like most villages here, relies on cocoa. It began as a forced labor camp 100 years ago when Camaroon was a German colony. Outside each hut is a hard square for drying cocoa beans. Over the generations, the labor camp has become a community. It has its own school. Primary education is officially free in Camaroon and the health clinic. But when the price of cocoa collapsed a few years ago, so did the wages of the cocoa workers. Families were forced to sell their children to the farms.

A pioneering projects by the U.N.'s International Labor Organization has begun to document the extent of child labor. Well over a quarter of a million children in the 5 main cocoa producing countries of West Africa. 200,000 of them in Cote D'Iviore alone. Tens of thousands here in Camaroon. A quarter of child laborers are illiterate. The ILO project has also documented the dangers. Machete cuts, young bodies crippled from carrying massive loads, poisoning by pesticides. Parents and farmers are aware that the chemicals are toxic but these children are given no protective clothing, apparently no advice on how to avoid exposure to the spray. We were asked not to identify the children or the farmer they were working for.

Julius Fomboh run a development agency which has been working with the child labor project. He asks Etienne to show him the pesticides the children use.

"What is this?"
"It is Gamelin 20?"
"Do you know what Gamelin 20 is?"
"Yeah, it is used for spraying."
"Did anybody ever tell you that it was dangerous to use?"
"Yeah, my father told me that if I am using it that I should be very careful because it is poisonous."
"It is poisonous. And when you are using it, do you use anything to protect yourself to cover..."
"How old were you when you started using the Gamelin 20 spray?"
"Around 12 years to 13 years.

Gamelin 20 contains the insecticide Lindane, a potent organic chlorine. The makers say that used in accordance with their instructions, it should not cause problems. But those instructions include wearing a mask to avoid contact with the eyes and clothing to protect the skin. An overdose and cause permanent nervous damage. Children are more sensitive to its effects.

"When you use the Gamelin Spray, do you feel some itchiness in your eyes?"
"Yes. It's very stinky."
"Very stinky. When you inhale it, it's stinky. So when you do that, what do you do? When you go home, what happens?"
"Just (????)"

He mixes Gamelin with a powder, a fungicide called Ridimil. This is officially classified as moderately toxic. The makers, Advartis, say users should wear gloves, a face mask, boots, and protective clothing. Etienne has none of these nor do any of the other children we filmed spraying the trees. Julius is shocked.

"Etienne, this is very, very interesting because I've read about this, heard about this but I've never had the chance to see it happen. A small young man, a child actually, spraying, I think its surprising for me. How do you feel in doing all this?"
"It's difficult but we do it just to earn a living."
"So you are doing it just to earn a living. That's really, really, really serious."
"Have you seen other children doing this? In other farms around the area working like this?"
"Many children are doing it."
"Can we say there are up to 100?"
"Yes."
"100 childremn, more than 100 children in the farms doing this."

The ILO estimates that more than 152,000 children are employed spraying pesticides and Camaroon, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire.


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Sparrrrrrrrooooooow!

This is the end of the post. Don't click below.

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The Dark Side of Chocolate (Part 1)

Double click on any word to see the meaning.



They start young in the West African cocoa farms. This girl who has been put to work clearing weeds with a machete, Cutlass (?), she's just 5 years old, one of tens of thousands of child laborers here in Camaroon.

Etienne Babila survived two years on the farms. He was rescued thanks to a child labor project, run by the International Labour Organization, ILO. Now he's showing Julius Fonboh, who has been working on the project, exactly what he went through.

Click below to read the rest of the transcript...

While many of his friends are still laboring in the cocoa plantations, Etienne is back at school again learning to read and write and now full of ambition. "I think that to be a medical doctor is good. Or, to be a judge. Because, if I be a judge, I will like to judge any parents that is sending children to the farm." "That sounds very, very interesting Etienne."

Etienne was taken out of school when he was 12. Both of his parents were ill. He had to become the family's breadwinner. He was strong. He could earn up to 3 dollars a day in the cocoa farms next to his village. But without an education, this is all he would ever do for as long as he survives snake bites, machete wounds, and most dangerous of all according to doctors, exposure to the highly toxic pesticides used to drench the cocoa pods.

This is Camaroon's main cocoa producing area. One of the site in 5 West African countries selected by the ILO for the first major attempt to tackle to scandal of child labor in the cocoa farms. Most of the world's chocolate is made from West African cocoa and the ILO estimates that nearly 300,000 school age children work in dangerous condition to produce it. For Julius Fomboh, the exploitation of child labor, taking children out of schools to do adults work in hazardous conditions, is a violation of human rights.

"It's really serious, children working on the farms. It's really, really serious. I think it's worse than slave trade because at least adults can protect themselves but children, their response is not like adults."

As he says, it's also economic nonsense. A sound economy can not be built on the back of a child.
"When did you start using the machete in the field?"
"Around 12 years."
"Can we see?"
"How do you get treatment?"
"I go to the house and tie it with cloth, just like that."
"And you don't go to the hospital?"
"No."
"That's very, very sad. Your parents, is it because they have no money to take you to the hospital or they just don't feel that they should take you to the hospital?"
"There was no money."
"What about your hand? You are comfortable when handling...?"
"And the treatment is the same?"
"Yes."

Etienne is showing Julius how the pods are opened, when children appear through the trees with heavy sacks on their heads. There is a distinction between what the ILO describes as child work, helping out with light tasks after school, and the expoitation of cheap labor. As a United Nations organization, the ILO is committed to eliminating child labor worldwide. When the cocoa project began, workers from local organizations, spent time talking to parents and farmers, about what was necessary and acceptable and what was simply, exploitation. In Etienne's village and elsewhere, the committe came to agree that children should stay at school for as long as possible, that they should be protected, and that child labor was not a solution to their problems. Etienne was among the first to be rescued.
"Can you tell me how it happened that you stopped working in the farm and you went to school."
"I was in the house one day when some people came. They said that they are angels. They said that they are fighting for children. Like that they should not be working in the cocoa farm, they should go to school. I told them that I am one of them. So they identified me and I said that I would like to go to school. So then they give me all that I needed and I started going to school."

For Etienne to return to school, his family had to find another way of making money. The solution, with the help of the ILO's cocoa project, their very own restaurant. And this is today's lunch.

"Ok this is stew and about how many people will eat this?"
"20 people."

Rachel, Etienne's mother, was given help by the cocoa project to start the restaurant. She charges 250 African francs, about half a US dollar, for a bite of spicy chicken stew and plantains. 20 customers a day will give her a profit of around 3,000 francs, or 6 US dollars - enough to pay the rent, feed her family, and keep Etienne at school.

Rachel explains that her husbands has suffered from epilepsy since childhood so he has never been able to work full-time though he does brew palm wine which they now sell in the restaurant. When she fell ill, a few years ago, there was no one to provide for the family. Etienne, she says, was the strongest, so it was he who had to go to work.

They had to stop Elienne going to school, she says, so that he could earn money on the farm and support them all. But now she is pleased that she is back in class. I'm very happy with Etienne she says. I want him to go on with further education so that he can be a better person.

I the ILO's child labor project, has succeeded in sending 50 children back to school in this one small village, well over 1,000 throughout Camaroon, and 11,000 in the 5 countries covered througout the project. Etienne is catching up on 2 years of lessons and his teachers say he is doing well writing and speaking English and French - necessities in this bilingual country. He is doing so well, he wants to stay on at school but that is now in doubt. Despite its success, the 3 year project has ended. Far from becoming a judge, Etienne may have to return to the cocoa field.

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Is Chocolate Health Food or Junk Food?

Long but informative.

Comprehension Questions
The cocoa (cacao) bean is native to what area of the world?
How is white chocolate made?
How did the Aztecs prepare cocoa?
How much chocolate does the average American eat in one year?
Why don't most Americans receive the health benefits of chocolate?
What does an inverse relationship between sugar and cocoa?
What kind of chocolate can give you health benefits?
What are the disadvantages of eating chocolate?
Why does cacao contain theobromide and caffeine?
How many teaspoons of sugar are in a candy bar?
1 chocolate bar equals how much fruit?

Click below to check your answers

The cocoa (cacao) bean is native to what area of the world?
Central America
How is white chocolate made?
Just cocoa butter - no cocoa
How did the Aztecs prepare cocoa?
Almost like coffee. They made Xocolatl, or "bitter water"
How much chocolate does the average American eat in one year?
2 pounds of chocolate
Why don't most Americans receive the health benefits of chocolate?
Because 92% like milk chocolate which doesn't have antioxidants
What does an inverse relationship between sugar and cocoa?
If the cocoa percentage goes down, the sugar level goes up. Conversely, if the cocoa percentage goes up, sugar goes down.
What kind of chocolate can give you health benefits?
Dark chocolate that is not processed with alkali
What are the disadvantages of eating chocolate?
It's addictive, high calorie, high fat, high sugar
Why does cacao contain theobromide and caffeine?
They are bitter and it protect the plant from being eaten
How many teaspoons of sugar are in a candy bar?
About 7
1 chocolate bar equals how much fruit?
1 apple, 1.5 oranges, and a cup of strawberries
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Farm to Market: Chocolate

Comprehension Questions:
1. Where does chocolate come from?
2. When was chocolate discovered?
3. Where does cacao grow?
4. What countries are the main producers?
5. How much chocolate will one cacao fruit produce?
6. Why do lizards hang around during the cacao harvest?
7. What other products go through a fermentation process?
8. Why are the beans put in machines?
9. Why are the beans roasted?
10. What does the winnower machine do?
11. What determines the color and sweetness?

Click below to check your answers

Comprehension Questions:
1. Where does chocolate come from?
Cacao seeds from the cacao tree.
2. When was chocolate discovered?
2,000 years ago
3. Where does cacao grow?
In tropical climates
4. What countries are the main producers?
Ghana, Madagascar, Venezuela, (US) Hawaii
5. How much chocolate will one cacao fruit produce?
7 candy bars
6. Why do lizards hang around during the cacao harvest?
Cacao tastes sweet.
7. What other products go through a fermentation process?
Yoghurt, Cheese, Coffee, Pickles, Wine
8. Why are the beans put in machines?
To shake off dirt and dust.
9. Why are the beans roasted?
It releases the flavor and the smell
10. What does the winnower machine do?
It takes off the shell and grinds the beans into nibs (small pieces)
11. What determines the color and sweetness?
The amount of milk and sugar added
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Uncensored Cuba

Changes in Cuba since Raul Castro has taken over for his brother Fidel:

Double click on any word to see the meaning.

Only a month has passed since ordinary Cubans won the right to own computers, and the government still keeps a rigid grip on Internet access.

But that hasn't stopped thousands from finding their way into cyberspace. And a daring few post candid blogs about life in the communist-run country that have garnered international audiences.

Yoani Sanchez writes the "Generacion Y" blog and gets more than a million hits a month, mostly from abroad - though she has begun to strike a chord in Cuba. On her site and others, anonymous Cubans offer stinging criticisms of their government.

But it isn't simple. To post her blog, Sanchez dresses like a tourist and slips into Havana hotels with Web access for foreigners. It costs about $6 an hour and she can't afford to stay long given the price and the possibility someone might catch her connecting without permission.

Click below to read the full article.

It's a testament to the ingenuity and black-market prowess Cubans have developed living on salaries averaging $20 a month, with constant restrictions and shortages.

The connections Cuban bloggers are making with the outside world via the Internet are irreversible, said Sanchez, who this month won the Ortega y Gasset Prize for digital journalism, a top Spanish media award.

"With each step we take in that direction, it's harder for the government to push us back," she said.

On an island where many censor themselves to avoid trouble, Sanchez says Generacion Y holds nothing back.

"It's about how I live," she said. "I think that technically, there are no limits. I have talked about things like Fidel Castro, and you know how taboo that can be."

But she added that "there are some ethical limits. I would never call for violence, for instance."

Since taking over from his ailing brother Fidel in February, Raul Castro has lifted bans on Cubans buying consumer electronics, having cell phones and staying in luxury tourist hotels.

While the changes have bolstered the new president's popularity, most simply legalized what was common practice. In a typically frank recent posting, Sanchez noted that many Cubans already had PCs, cell phones and DVD players bought on the black market.

"Legally recognizing what were already facts prospering in the shadows is not the same as allowing or approving something," she wrote. Cuba's leaders are responding to the inevitable, "but they won't soothe our hunger for change."

Authorities have made no sustained effort to stop Sanchez's year-old blog, though pro-government sites accuse her of taking money from opposition groups.

Only foreigners and some government employees and academics are allowed Internet accounts and these are administered by the state.

Ordinary Cubans can join an island-wide network that allows them to send and receive international e-mail. Lines are long at youth clubs, post offices and the few Internet cafes that provide access, but the rest of the Web is blocked - a control far stricter than even China's or Saudi Arabia's.

Still, thousands of Cubans pay about $40 a month for black market dial-up Internet accounts bought through third parties overseas or stolen from foreign providers. Or they use passwords from authorized Cuban government accounts that hackers swipe or buy from corrupt officials.

Sanchez said so many Cubans read her blog that fans stop her on the street.

Generacion Y takes its title from a Cuban passion for names beginning in Y. It offers witty and biting accounts of Cubans' everyday struggles against government restrictions at every turn.

Some of the bloggers hew to the belief that openness is the best answer to official surveillance.

"By signing your name, giving your opinions out loud and not hiding anything, we disarm their efforts to watch us," Sanchez wrote on her blog.

On a blog called "Sin EVAsion" ("Without Evasion"), Eva Hernandez dared to mock "Granma," the official Communist Party newspaper, for taking its name from the American yacht that brought Castro and his rebels back to Cuba from Mexico to launch their armed rebellion in 1956.

"Cuba is the only country in the world whose principal newspaper, the official organ of the Communist Party and the official voice of the government, has the ridiculous name 'granny,'" she wrote. Piling on the heat, she added that the name "perpetuates the memory of that yacht that brought us so much that is bad."

Generacion Y is maintained by a server in Germany, and Sanchez says the Cuban government periodically attempts to block her site within Cuba, though the problem is always cleared up within hours.

Administrators of the "Petrosalvaje" site also claim to struggle with government-imposed limits. A recent post called uncensored Internet access a "virtual raft" - a reference to the rafts on which Cubans flee to the United States.

The government is also into blogging - maintaining dozens of sites dedicated to promoting the island's image overseas.

"Raul needs time," reads a post on Kaosenlared.net, a forum based in Spain. "We are confident, calm and staying united in favor of the direction of our revolution." It is signed Rogelio Sarforat and was apparently posted from Cuba.

Reynaldo Escobar, Sanchez' husband and a former journalist for official media, now uses his own blog to criticize the government. He said Cuba pays supporters to flood the Internet with positive opinions.

He says he knows of nobody who would spend money to go on the Web and defend the system. "Everyone who argues in favor of the government is paid to do so, or does so because they have been asked to," he said.

On the Net: (Spanish only)

Generacion Y: http://www.desdecuba.com/generaciony/

My Island at Midday: http://isla12pm.blogspot.com )

Potro Salvaje: http://www.desdecuba.com/potro/

Click here for the original article.
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Musical Warm-up

Here's the song and the music video I made for this week and two trivia questions about it:
1. Can you recognize what part of Mexico most of these photos are from?
2. Do you know the two latin musical styles that are featured in the song?
Click on comments below to post your answer.

Teachers: use this song with interview #885: Beaches. Page 1 of the free, downloadable lesson plan has some ideas about how to use it in class.

For the full interview and accompanying lesson, go to elllo.org lesson #885 (it should be updated now or within an hour or two).

This is the end of the post.
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Sabrina's Tortillas

This week Diego talks about Cancun, Mexico which is in the Yucatan peninsula. Here's a wonderful recipe from that area.


Double click on any word to see the meaning.

Last winter, Christmas time to be precise, I'm in Merida, the Yucatan, Mexico. And I say to my friend of mine, David Sterling, who runs a cooking school down there - great place, great guy, expat New Yorker - "Take me somewhere good." That's what you always say, right? So we barter, we negotiate. He says, "Wait until Sunday morning. I'm going to take you to have tacos made by Sabrina."

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Sunday morning, beautiful day, we go down to the square, and people of all ages are dancing. And off to the side, in the midst of this kind of chaotic, loud, wonderful scene, is Sabrina. She runs up to David, "Oh David!" and proceeds to make us these unbelievable tacos.

So this one is poblano chiles, chiles poblano, corn, potatoes, onions, that's pretty much it. We start by roasting the chiles. So these have had the skin removed. These two haven't. You can use a knife for this but evidently I'm not going to. Pull the cap off, brush out as many of the seeds as is practical. Again, if you leave a few behind, it's not a big deal. Cut these into strips and the strips are now known as rajas, which I believe means rags and they go into our onions. Since we are running a little behind since our onions are doing so well and my rajas are taking awhile I'm going to add the potatoes which are ordinary baking potatoes, boiled, you could bake them if you wanted to until pretty soft and then cubed. Those go in here. We going to now put in a couple of cups of corn. In the summer you can use fresh corn, this is frozen. Now this is done. Sabrina brings this to the market pretty much in this state and keeps it warm. What she does when you come up to her and you say, "I'd like a taco with poblanos and potatoes," is spreads a little lard on a tortilla - corn tortilla of course which is all they use in the Yucatan. Spread a little lard on the tortilla and heat it until it blisters. We eschewed the lard...we don't have any lard so we're using vegetable oil. She said that was ok. She probably did not say that was ok. I was told she said it was ok. Anyway, it's ok. You want to heat the tortilla until it browns lightly on both sides and then I'll show you how to serve. Like crepes, like pancakes, like almost anything you cook on a grill, the first one is usually not perfect - you've got to get the temperature right. That's a little too hot. Not bad though. So then just a scoop of the filling - maybe a scoop and a half, a little bit of crema, you can use salsa rojo (red salsa), green salsa, some crumbled cojita cheese. A little bit of sour cream (or crema), some cilantro.

So it was a great trip. Thanks to David who really knew what was going on. Thanks to Sabrina who was running one of the best places in town. As usual, you have to ask a local and you have to be willing to go anywhere to find the best stuff, which this is.

I'm making these tonight.

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Put your geography skills to the test

Another brilliant educational game that also benefits people who have nothing to eat. Click here to play.


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You think you can type fast?

Type racer!
Race against other people on line while you type sentences from literature, movies, and songs. Addictive, educational, and fun!





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Two Birds with One Stone

Free Rice! For each vocabulary word you get right, one grain of rice is donated to the UN World Food Program. Improve your vocabulary AND help people.
Click here to play.


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ELLLO Faces

A class of four lovely women in Vina De Mar, Chile sent by Alan Steele, the director of CCI.

Follow Alan's lead and send us a picture of your class, or at least a view from your window.

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Back in Colorado

I made it back safely from New York but I brought an ear infection back with me. I've got an appointment with the doctor tonight to see if I can relieve the pressure from my ear. I guess it's not healthy for me to be away from the computer for long periods of time.

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Good News for Hard Core Gamers

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Welcome back gamers and investors, getting a first look at tomorrow's must have video games today. Innovation is the name of the game at the industry's biggest show of the year. First, check out the share of the big gamers higher across the board today. CNBC's Jim Golman is at the conference today in San Francisco.

Hey Maria, good afternoon to you. Last year, with the painful upgrade cycle for consoles, you would think this industry was all about "game over" but the message here is clear: it's more like "game on".

Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, forcing a 28 million dollar a year electronic gaming business into its most wrenching upgrade cycle ever but volatility, well, that could mean opportunity.

"We're seeing more interest in the investment side of the world. We're seeing more casual games on handhelds, the PC, on the console."

Intel, AMP, HP, Motorola, Nokia, all the big boys are here with 15,000 attendees trying to get a sneak peak at what's coming next in gaming.

"The headset works by detecting your brain waves." Yeah! Brain waves like this -- a new generation of games controlled by your brain. Emotiv systems using electoencephalography to turn brain waves into commands that control the action on the screen three years in development. "Being able to interact with a game by using your thoughts or the game understanding how you feel is a way for those experiences to be more personal and more enjoyable as a result."

A fast growing trend this year: consumer created online video games played on special new websites, using new software from Microsoft building on XBox Live and Sony and its new little big planet online game service, YouTube and MySpace meet the gamers.

"We saw it with music. We saw it in movies. But the key is you have to enable people with easy to use tools and we provide the very best tools for people to use. If you don't have those tools, you really can't spur that creativity."

The push toward mobile and casual gaming is also gaining steam. Mobile gaming is a rapidly growing part of the market. Electronic Arts, Activision, all the major publishers, well, they are looking a different publishing platforms, while the console wars continue to rage. When we look at the cell phone side, we are really excited about casual gaming as opposed to immersive gaming on the cell phones -- games that you can pick up and play, play with other people for the more social, casual side.

Generating big time interest in Glu Mobile. Going public any day now, trying to become the Electronic Arts of the mobile gaming world. Quality, accessibility, and price. So the games have really improved in quality since I've been in the industry. For three years, the games have improved exponentially.

...which might be the rallying cry for the entire electronic gaming industry.

Yeah, the kind of good news for game developers, game players, game sellers, and investors looking for a bright spot in tech. Maria, back to you.

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Unplugged in New York

I'm flying to New York City tomorrow morning. For the first time in about 2 years, I'm going to avoid the computer for 4 days in a row. I'm not sure if I will survive without it but I'm going to try. Hold me!

I'll be back on Sunday.

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