Les Perras's podcast

Hi and welcome to the English Listening World podcast episode number 394. This podcast is for listening practice. I have 35 words and expressions highlighted in today's story for you to get practice listening to. In particular, the expression 'as … as' is repeated. I will put the full list of highlighted words in the description below. Today's episode is about Peter and his question about New York. # Questions 1. What did Peter love to read about? 2. Why did Henry Hudson explore the Hudson river? 3. Who settled by the Hudson river first? 4. How did the English get New York? 5. Why was the Erie Canal important? ## Peter's Question Once upon a time, there was a boy named Peter who lived in a small town. Peter had big dreams. He loved to read about faraway places, especially New York City. Peter was fascinated by how big and bustling the city was, and he wanted to know how it became so enormous. Peter's grandfather, Grandpa Joe, loved to tell stories. One summer evening, Peter asked, "Grandpa, how did New York City get so big?" ## Henry Hudson Grandpa Joe smiled and began his tale. "Well, Peter, it all started a long time ago with a Dutch explorer named Henry Hudson. He sailed as far as he could up a river that is now called the Hudson River. He thought it was a passage to Asia, but it was not. However, he discovered a beautiful land and a good place for a new city." Peter listened eagerly. "Then what happened?" ## The Dutch "The Dutch liked the place and decided to settle there," Grandpa Joe continued. "They called it New Amsterdam. As time went on, more people from different places came to New Amsterdam because it was such a good spot for trading. They brought goods from Europe and traded them for furs with the Native Americans. The city grew as much as it could to keep up with all the new people and businesses." Peter's eyes widened. "But how did it become New York?" ## The English "Ah," Grandpa Joe said, "in 1664, the English captured New Amsterdam and renamed it New York, after the Duke of York. From then on, New York City grew even faster. It became a melting pot, where people from all over the world came to start new lives. Immigrants arrived with dreams as big as yours, Peter. They built houses, shops, and roads, as far as the eye could see. The city spread out, building skyscrapers and bridges." Peter imagined the bustling city with people from everywhere speaking different languages and building tall skyscrapers. "What made it keep growing?" ## The Canal "Many things," Grandpa Joe replied. "The city was built on a good harbor, making it the perfect place for ships to bring goods from around the world. As the economy grew, so did the city. The Erie Canal was built in the 1820s, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. This made it easier for people and goods to move west. Then, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, New York became the entry point for millions of immigrants arriving through Ellis Island." Peter was amazed. "Did people come from everywhere?" ## Growing "Yes," Grandpa Joe said, nodding. "They came from Europe, Asia, and many other places. They brought their cultures, foods, and ideas, making New York City a vibrant and diverse place. The city grew upwards with tall buildings, and outwards as much as it could, with new neighborhoods and boroughs being added. The construction of the subway system allowed people to travel easily, which helped the city expand even more." Peter smiled, imagining all the people working together to build the city. "So that's how New York City got so big." "Yes, Peter," Grandpa Joe said, patting his grandson's head. "New York City grew because of its good location, the hard work of its people, and the dreams of those who came to make a better life. Just like you have big dreams, so did the people who built New York. And as long as there are dreamers like you, the city will keep growing and changing." Peter went to bed that night dreaming of the bustling streets,...

Hi and welcome to the English Listening World podcast episode number 393. This podcast is for listening practice. I have 29 words and expressions highlighted in today's story for you to get practice listening to. In particular, the expression 'as … as' is repeated. I will put the full list of highlighted words in the description below. Today's episode is about Eddie and an unusual math contest. # Questions 1. How much did Eddie love math? 2. What was different about the math contest? 3. Who came to the contest with Eddie? 4. Eddie remembered his Dad's words. What were they? 5. What kind of problem was the last problem? ## The Great Golfing Math Contest Eddie loved math as much as he loved his bike. He was a fifth grader who could solve math problems as fast as he could ride his bike down the hill near his house. When Eddie heard about the Great Golfing Math Contest, he knew he had to join. ## The Setup The contest wasn't just any math competition. It combined two of Eddie's favorite things: math and golfing. The rules were simple. Each math problem was like a hole in golf. The faster and more accurately you solved it, the fewer strokes you got. The winner was the one with the least strokes at the end of the contest. Eddie practiced as much as he could. He solved math problems in the morning, during lunch, and even before bed. As far as he was concerned, the more he practiced, the better his chances of winning. ## The Contest The day of the contest arrived. Eddie sat in front of the computer with other kids from different schools. His best friend, Mia, cheered from the audience. "You got this, Eddie!" she shouted. The first problem appeared on the screen. It was a tricky multiplication problem, but Eddie's fingers flew over the keys. He solved it in no time and moved on to the next. He was in the lead! ## Keep Cool As long as Eddie stayed focused, he knew he could win. But the problems got harder, and Eddie started to feel the pressure. He remembered what his dad always told him, "Try as hard as you can to keep your cool. You can do it!" Eddie took a deep breath and tackled the next problem. It was a division problem with a remainder. Eddie smiled. He was good at these. He quickly found the answer and moved on. He could see the finish line ahead. ## Last Question In the final round, Eddie faced his toughest problem yet: a word problem that involved both addition and subtraction. He read it carefully, making sure to understand every detail. As much as he wanted to rush, he knew that accuracy was more important. He solved the problem with just a few seconds to spare and entered his answer. Eddie's heart pounded as he waited for the results. The judge announced the winners, starting from third place. Eddie held his breath. ## The Winner When they announced his name as the first-place winner, Eddie couldn't believe it. He had won! Mia ran over and gave him a high-five. "I knew you could do it!" Eddie received a shiny trophy and a new set of golf clubs. But the best part was knowing that all his hard work had paid off. As long as he stayed determined, Eddie knew he could achieve anything. That night, Eddie went to bed with a big smile on his face. He had won the Great Math Golfing Contest, and he couldn't wait for the next challenge. # Answers 1. How much did Eddie love math? He loved math as much as he loved his bike. 2. What was different about the math contest? This contest combined two things Eddie loved, math and golf. 3. Who came to the contest with Eddie? Eddie's best friend Mia came with him and cheered for him from the audience. 4. Eddie remembered his Dad's words. What were they? His Dad said, "Try as hard as you can to keep your cool." 5. What kind of problem was the last problem? The last problem was a word problem with addition and subtraction.

Hi and welcome to the English Listening World podcast episode number 392. This podcast is for listening practice. I have 26 words and expressions highlighted in today's story for you to get practice listening to. In particular, the expression 'as … as' is repeated. I will put the full list of highlighted words in the description below. 'Today's episode is about Jack and his golf tournament. # Questions 1. Why did Jack go to the golf course every weekend? 2. How did Jack feel at the start of the tournament? 3. What happened on the first few holes? 4. Where did something amazing happen? 5. How many times did Jack hit the ball on the final hole? ## Jack's Favorite Sport Jack loved golfing. He wasn’t the best golfer at his club, but he always enjoyed the game. Jack practiced as much as he could. Every weekend, he was at the golf course, swinging his club and aiming for that perfect shot. ## The Tournament One sunny Saturday morning, Jack decided to enter a local golf tournament. It was a big event, and many good golfers were participating. Jack was nervous, but he wanted to try his best. At the tournament, Jack was paired with three other golfers. They were all very good, and Jack felt a bit intimidated. However, he remembered his father’s advice: "As long as you try your best, you’ve already won." ## Rough Start The first few holes were tough. Jack’s shots were not as good as he wanted them to be. He hit the ball into the sand trap twice and even into the water once. But he didn’t give up. He kept telling himself, "As long as I can hit the ball, I’ll keep going." ## Turnaround On the ninth hole, something amazing happened. Jack lined up his shot, took a deep breath, and swung his club. The ball flew through the air, straight and true. It soared over the trees and landed just a few feet from the hole. Jack couldn’t believe it. He had never hit a shot that well before. His friends cheered, and Jack felt a surge of confidence. For the rest of the game, Jack played better than he ever had. Each shot seemed to be better than the last. He still wasn’t perfect, but he was improving with every swing. By the time they reached the eighteenth hole, Jack was tied for second place. ## The Final Hole The final hole was a long one. Jack knew he needed a great shot to stay in the game. He lined up his ball, took another deep breath, and swung with all his might. The ball sailed through the air, going as far as he could see. It landed on the green, just a few feet from the hole. Jack’s heart was pounding as he walked up to take his final putt. He carefully lined up his shot, aimed, and gently tapped the ball. It rolled smoothly across the green and dropped into the hole. Jack had done it! He finished the tournament with one of his best games ever. ## Proud Although he didn’t win first place, Jack was very proud of himself. He had come a long way and played as hard as he could. Jack knew he would keep practicing and getting better. After the tournament, Jack’s friends congratulated him. One of them said, "Jack, that was amazing! I've never seen you play so well." Jack smiled and replied, "As long as I keep trying my best, I know I’ll keep getting better." And with that, he looked forward to the next game, ready to face any challenge that came his way # Answers 1. Why did Jack go to the golf course every weekend? He went to practice golf because he loved golfing. 2. How did Jack feel at the start of the tournament? He felt intimidated. He thought the other golfers were much better than he was. 3. What happened on the first few holes? He had a rough start and did not hit the ball where he wanted to hit it. 4. Where did something amazing happen? Something amazing happened on the ninth hole. The ball landed just a few feet from the hole with one hit. 5. How many times did Jack hit the ball on the final hole? On the final hole Jack hit the ball twice. He was very happy.

Hi Welcome to the Extensive English Listening podcast of English Listening World. This episode’s story is about a grown woman and her teddy bear, and her fears. This is episode 391, and I’ll start with pre-listening questions. Think about the questions while you listen. Try to answer them for fun, too. The answers to the questions are at the end of the video. ## Questions 1. Janet was lucky because her parents could pay for her apartment. Why was she nervous? 2. What did Janet discover in her room as she was packing? 3. What did one of her new friends major in at school? 4. How did her friend react to the teddy bear? 5. How are teddy bears helpful to people? ## Moving Out Janet was facing a big challenge. She had just finished high school and was accepted into a university. The problem was the university was in another city. She had to move out of her parent's house and into her own apartment. She was lucky because her parents could pay the rent. On the other hand, she was very nervous because this would be her first time living on her own. ## Teddy Bear When she packed her things, she discovered her old Teddy Bear in her chest. She immediately decided to take it with her. She could not throw it out. She realised she still had an attachment to it. On the other hand, she was a bit embarrassed by her feelings. She did not want other people to know about this. ## New Friends After a few weeks at the new university, she had started to make friends. She went out with them to cafes, or to play sports. One of her new friends was a psychology major, and they often talked about psychology. She often went to her friend's apartment to visit and chat. ## Discovery After a while, they were talking, and she suggested they go to her friend's apartment. Her friend said, "No, this time, let's go to your apartment." Janet felt a pang of nervousness. She immediately worried that her friend might discover the Teddy Bear. But on the other hand, she couldn't say no without arousing suspicion. Sure enough, when they got to her apartment, she had left the Teddy Bear out, and she could not rush to hide it before her friend noticed it. "Wow! You have a Teddy Bear. That's so cool!" ## Acceptance Janet was surprised. "You mean, you don't think it's totally childish of me to keep it? " "No way, said her friend. First of all, I read a study where they found there was no link between keeping teddy bears and emotional intelligence. And second, if it helps you to sleep better or cope with problems that's ten times better than some other solutions, like drugs or alcohol. I think you must be very mature, in fact. " ## Relief Janet was so relieved, and also surprised to hear this. She felt tighter with her friend than ever before. She also felt a lot more secure. She decided that keeping her Teddy Bear was the best decision she had made in a long time. She also decided not to keep it a secret anymore. ## Questions 1. Janet was lucky because her parents could pay for her apartment. Why was she nervous? Janet felt nervous because this was her first time to live on her own. She had to learn how to take care of herself. 2. What did Janet discover in her room as she was packing? She discovered her old Teddy Bear from when she was a child. She realised how much she still cared for it. 3. What did one of her new friends major in at school? One of her friends majored in psychology. That was very interesting to Janet, but at the same time, a little scary. Janet thought her friend might see her weaknesses because she studied psychology. 4. How did her friend react to the teddy bear? Her friend thought keeping the teddy bear was a great idea. It was a source of strength for Janet, and also showed that Janet was strong because she was not ashamed of keeping the teddy bear. 5. How are teddy bears helpful to people? They can help people fall asleep, and they can help people cope with life’s problems better by acting as a silent companion.

Hi. This is English listening practice. I’m gonna give you some questions before I tell the story. Then I’ll tell the story. At the end I’ll answer the questions. Try to answer the questions yourself for fun. The story is about Tom and his troubles, his struggle and his discovery . # Questions 1. What was troubling Tom? 2. What did he do about it? 3. Why did he travel to India? 4. Why did he learn Sanskrit? 5. What did he find? ### Tom was Troubled When Tom was a boy, he was happy. He grew up in a middle class family, with lots of toys, good food and a very comfortable house to live in. By the time he got into high school, however, he began to feel concerned. He felt his comfort was unfair. He saw other people with less than him, but they were sometimes better people in his mind. After high school, he went to university, but he was too distracted by his problems and he could not focus on his studies. He quit university, got a job, and volunteered to help homeless people in his city. ### Started Meditation At the volunteer organisation, he met a girl called Sandy. They talked about the unfairness they saw. She told him that she meditated a lot to help her understand the unfairness in the world. Tom decided he would try this. He began to meditate. It was a good experience for him and he started meditating more and more. Then there came a point when his meditation teacher said he could not help Tom anymore. If Tom wanted to learn more, he had to go to India to find a more advanced teacher. ### Travelled to India Tom packed his few things and travelled to India to find a teacher. When he got there, he looked for a few weeks and then found a teacher. Tom's meditation became deeper and deeper. Finally the teacher said he could not help Tom anymore. If Tom wanted to learn more, then he had to read the ancient scripts. They were called the Upanishads. ### Learned to Read Sanskrit The problem was, the Upanishads were originally written in Sanskrit, and the translated versions did not make sense to Tom. He decided he had to learn Sanskrit, and he started right away. It took him years to learn but finally he was able to read the ancient Upanishads in Sanskrit. ### Came Home To Understand What Tom discovered in the scripts was like a map. Tom realised that it was a map inside him. He did not need to be in India. Using the map he discovered in the Upanishads, he could continue his meditation back home in Philadelphia. He went home, and his father welcomed him back. Before long Tom found the answers he was looking for and decided to return to his studies in University with a much clearer mind. # Answers 1. What was troubling Tom? He felt guilty. He was from an upper middle class family, and he was comfortable but he saw people in trouble around him. It bothered him. 2. What did he do about it? At first he volunteered to help the homeless people. He met a girl who taught him about meditation. 3. Why did he travel to India? He found that meditation was helpful but he wanted to go deeper. 4. Why did he learn Sanskrit? He learned about ancient texts about meditation. They were the Upanishads. He wanted to read them in the original language which was Sanskrit. 5. What did he find? When he read the texts, he realised some of them were describing a map inside himself. If he just followed the map, he could find the answers he was looking for.

Hi, this is a listening practice podcast. It’s a story. The story is about John. In this episode, I have included some questions. If you like, you can listen to find the answers to the questions. I will include the answers at the end of the video. Pre-listening questions 1. John was going to Japan. What was one thing John wanted to do in Japan? 2. What surprised and shocked John when he saw the map near the temple? 3. Why did John think there must be a mistake? 4. What did the man working at the shrine tell John? 5. What is the difference between a swastika and a Manji? ### the trip John was ==excited==. He ==just got off== the phone to book his tickets to Japan. He thought the trip was going to be great. He was going to hear ==real Japanese== spoken by Japanese people. He was going to visit the old temples. He was going to eat ==fresh sushi==, and if he was lucky, he was going to see ==cherry blossoms==. But, he was ==in for== a big ==surprise== when he got to Japan. ### arrival and shock After arriving in Japan, John ==checked in== to his hotel. When he arrived at the hotel, he was ==doubly happy==. He saw the ==torii gates== nearby. That meant there was a shrine close to his hotel. After dinner, he ==went for== a short walk. He ==got to== the shrine ok and there were some signs in front. He ==went to== look at the signs. One of them was a map. He looked at the map. John was ==puzzled== by what he saw. Then he was ==shocked==. He could not believe it. Here he was in ==modern day Japan== looking at a map that had ==swastikas== on it! ## troubled He ==went back== to the hotel, thinking he had made a mistake. Then he thought about history. The Japanese and the Germans were ==historically connected== during World War II. Could they be ==keeping such a connection alive==? He had trouble sleeping that night. He thought this ==must all be a mistake==. ### confusion The next day he woke up and ==thought about== the swastikas at breakfast. The suddenly he felt better. He thought that Japan today is ==fully modern== and has ==renounced== all war and violence. These people surely would not preserve a swastika in memory of World War II. This must be a ==simple mistake==. He was about to find the ==answer==. ### resolution John went back to the shrine. He looked at the map again. There was ==no mistake==. There were ==lots of== small swastika marks on the map. He went in the ==shrine compound==. There was a small line in front of ==what looked like== a temple shop. They sold candles and books and ==good luck amulets==. John lined up. When he came to the front of the line he ==asked the person in the shop if== he could speak English. The man said yes. John ==asked about== the swastikas. The man smiled and gently replied that those were ==not swastikas==. He said they were called Manji and had been used in Japan for thousands of years. They ==represent good luck== and also temples, the man added. John thanked him for his help and bought a ==good luck amulet==. ### mixed feelings John felt better but he still had a nagging feeling. The swastika had been ==desecrated== by the Nazis. How could they keep it on the maps in Japan after that? Then he took a closer look at it. He looked at the swastika on his smart phone. He ==suddenly realised== that they were different! They were like ==mirror images== of each other. They ==swirled in opposite== directions! Finally John began to relax. After that, John had a wonderful vacation in the ==land of the rising sun==. Answers to the questions 1. John was going to Japan. What was one thing John wanted to do in Japan? He wanted to hear real Japanese spoken, he wanted to visit some shrines, and he wanted to eat fresh sushi. 2. What surprised and shocked John when he saw the map near the temple? He was surprised and shocked to see swastikas on the map by the shrine. 3. Why did John think there must be a mistake? He thought Japan was a modern country and modern countries mostly look down on the swastika....

Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 388. This podcast is for listening practice. I have over 50 words and expressions highlighted in today's story for you to get practice listening to. In particular, the expressions 'keep going' and 'once or twice' are repeated. I will put the full list of highlighted words in the description below. 'Today's episode is about Anna and her discovery in New Zealand. Anna was sweating. She had just arrived in New Zealand for the first time and she was alone. She had to prove to her father that she was strong enough to take over the family business. She could not go home until she had proof. ## The beach She did not know what to do in New Zealand, or how to prove she was strong. She had nothing better to do so she went for a walk on the beach. After twenty minutes or so, she saw something unusual up ahead. She walked over to it and picked it up. It was a bottle with something inside. She took it out and discovered that it was a map of some sort. She went back into town and went to a cafe to sit down and look at it. After about ten minutes she thought maybe it was a treasure map. She took it to the library and searched many maps of New Zealand. She found the place the map was showing. She still had to find a way to prove she was strong, but until she got an idea, she decided to investigate the map further. ## the forest and first discovery She got off the bus near the place on the map. The map said to go into the forest. She did not like forests. They were full of insect and wild animals. But her curiosity drove her. She wondered what kind of treasure she might find. Walking through the forest was very difficult. There were many plants and the things she hated most: insects. But she kept going. She got lost once or twice, but with her compass, she could find the way. She thought maybe this forest adventure could help her prove her strength. As she was walking through the forest she found a box. It was very old. There was a key inside it. She took the key and kept going. ## mountains and second discovery The forest opened up and in front of her was a large mountain range. The map said she had to go into the mountains. She started to climb. It was easy at first, but soon it became difficult. But she kept going. If she fell, it would be the end of the story. In fact, she slipped once or twice but she caught herself and did not fall. Finally, shegot to the top of the mountain. She saw a funny spot on the mountain on the other side. The map said she should go there. ## cave and third discovery She went down the mountain and up the other side. It took her hours to get there. Finally she got to the funny spot on the mountain and discovered that it was a cave. She went inside the cave. There were many twists and turns. But she kept going. She finally found a large room in the cave. On the other side was a great big chest. She went to the chest. She tried to open it, but it was locked. Then she remembered that she had a key. She took the key out and tried it on the lock. It worked! The chest sprang open and there was a treasure inside. There was too much to carry out all at once so she took just a small portion of the treasure and put it in her pockets. Then she started the long trip back to the road. ## final discovery When she finally got back to her hotel room in the city, she was exhausted. But at the same time, she felt great. She had overcome her fears. She had faced the unknown. She had kept going even though it was hard. And she had found the treasure. The problem was, on her way back she had lost the map in the forest. She could not go back to the treasure. But it did not matter. She discovered a new treasure inside herself: The power to keep going and not give up. Plus, she could prove she was strong to her father because she had some of the treasure in her pockets. Anna decided it was time to go home.

Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 387. This podcast is for listening practice. I have over 25 words and expressions highlighted in today's story for you to get practice listening to. In particular, the expression 'never forget' is repeated. I will put the full list of highlighted words in the description below. 'Today's episode is about Julia and her promise to climb Mt Everest. Julia had to climb Mt Everest. Her father had climbed it. Her mother had ==encouraged== her. Then her job ==got in the way==. Now she had put it == on the back burner==s too long...Now she could feel her power going down. And then she thought of her father. She would ==never forget== his smile. She HAD to climb Mt Everest before the ==window closed forever==. ## Twenty years Ago Julie was climbing with her father. She loved climbing with him. He had a ==mind for business==. Business climbs, he used to call them. When you climbed with him, you==didn't waste time==. She thought she had all the time in the world with her father. She would ==never forget== his smile. She didn't know what was coming. ## Bad news One day, her father came back from climbing Mt Everest. He told her all about the climb. She was so excited. But now he was sick. the doctors said that there was ==nothing they could do==. There was nothing SHE could do. Well, ==there was one thing== she could do. She ==promised== her father that she would climb Mt Everest. He smiled at that. She would ==never forget== his smile. But before she could climb Mt Everest ==another story happened== in her life. ## Work She got a job. She loved her work. Her work ==was everything to her==. She put her whole life into it. The problem was that it was ==eating up her life==. She could feel her power going into her work as the years went by. She was very successful, but there was ==_something Missing_==. Her promise to her father. She had to find a way to ==solve her problem==. ## The Offer Then the way found her. Her work was her company. She started the company ==all by herself==. Now it was big and successful. Other people noticed it. One day, a man came to her office. He ==offered== to buy her company. She said no. Then she thought about it. Then she spoke to the man. She ==got to know him==. Then she ==got to trust him==. Then she said yes. She tought of her father. She would ==never forget== his smile. Finally she could ==move on== to her Promise. ## And Now After selling her company she had money. She started climbing a lot. Now after twenty years, ==her climber's mind returned==. She did the business climbs. Now she was ==applying for== the permit to climb the tallest mountain in the world! This was going to ==seal her promise==. She had already begun training. and the team was getting put together too. Julia knew she would fulfil her promise to her father.

Jerry had to write a report. He had to choose a famous person, and write about them from a different angle. If he got a good mark, he could pass this course, but if he got an average mark, he might fail. He had to write very good. That meant he had to write something original. He was very bad at being original. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras Podcast episode number 386. This episode is about Einstein. ## Einstein was Great Jerry thought that Einstein was great. Not writing about his greatness would miss the point. Jerry did NOT want to miss the point. So he started off his essay saying that Einstein was the man of the century according to Time magazine. But why was Einstein great? Jerry read and read. but the more he read, the more confused he got. He could not explain why Einstein was so great without explaining Einstein's ideas. And Jerry could NOT understand his ideas! He began to panic! He started sweating and breathing fast. He worried that he was going to fail this course. Then he got an idea. ## Einstein's Shortcomings Jerry decided to write about why Einstein was NOT that great. Then he could say something that made sense. And then it hit him: this was ORIGINAL! Jerry was almost crazy with happiness. He could pass the course. so then he started to look for reasons why Einstein was not that great. And he looked. And he looked. Then the nervousness began to creep up. They proved Einstein was right with this experiment. then they proved he was right again with that experiment. And then another. Jerry began to feel fear again. Einstein was a great thinker and they just kept proving he was right. How could Jerry find a shortcoming? Just as he was starting to feel down, he noticed a small comment in one of the articles. This might save his life! ## Personal life Jerry read that Einstein's personal life was not very good. SO, Jerry decided to search more. AND He found that Einstein got married two times. AND THEN he discovered that the FBI watched Einstein for years and years. Did the FBI think Einstein was **BAD**? On TOP of all this, Jerry found things saying that Einstein was a bad father. He wrote once that he wished his son had never been born! What kind of father was that? Einstein was not very good with personal relationships, it seemed. Then Jerry read that Einstein might have had Asperger's syndrome. This could explain why Einstein had more personal problems than many people. ## Weak Points So Einstein had weak points after all! He did not make much money even though he was famous. He lost money in investments. He got divorced, and in fact he had lots of girlfriends through his life. Jerry's essay was getting more and more interesting. ## Result Jerry wrote his essay. He did not write any explanation of Einstein's ideas. He wrote that despite being famous for his scientific ideas, the private side of his life was not very good. In a sense, Jerry wrote in his essay, Einstein's life was kind of balanced. He had a wonderful public life and not so wonderful private life. The result was a very good score on his essay. Jerry felt so relieved! Now he could pass his course, and he would not have to take it over again. What's more, Jerry got a sense of confidence that he could write and he could be original!

Monica was devastated. The people from her party left five minutes earlier. But her party was a flop. They said her cooking tasted like it was made from a recipe. She wanted to go to bed and cry all night. The worst thing was: She HAD cooked from recipes. That was the moment she decided to become a good cook. On her way to becoming a good cook, she had four turning points and made a surprising decision at the end. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast, episode number 385. Today’s episode is centred on recipes. ## Bad Food Monica’s food wasn’t bad per se. It just wasn’t GOOD. It was uninspired. It was insipid. But that was just the beginning. She thought, if cooking from recipes was a bad thing, then she would learn to cook without a recipe. She started right the next day. She opened the fridge and got out some things to cook. The first thing was chicken. Then some vegetables. After that she looked around her kitchen for some seasonings. Thirty minutes later, she sat down to eat it. THIS was bad food. Now Monica had her second realisation: she needed a PLAN. ## Amazing Food The second time she started cooking, she had a plan. She thought about the flavours that she liked. She got all her seasonings out. She cooked with a vigour. She was inspired. She added a little this and a little that. These seasonings were her favourites. This time she would make a masterpiece. When she finally sat down to eat it, she couldn’t believe it. This time it was amazingly bad. It was so bad, in fact, that she could not eat it. She had to waste the food. She felt just as bad as the day of her party. In fact, for a while, Monica thought about quitting. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She thought, “”I’m being a drama queen. I’ve only cooked twice without a recipe.” She took a short walk and decided the best thing was to take cooking lessons. ## Cooking Lessons Monica felt so nervous going to the cooking class. She thought cooking class was for other people but not for her. But she pushed herself into the class and started learning. She was in for a surprise. They taught some really good things in that class. She didn’t learn just how to cut vegetables. She learned how to use eggs. She learned how to combine flavours. She learned different ways to mix, layer and present food. She was very impressed. But the thing that surprised her the most, shocked her, in fact, was this: She could see patterns. The food that she was cooking was very similar to the recipes that she remembered using. She started to rethink the cooking school idea, and cooking in general. ## Hello Recipes! Monica thought quite a bit about the cooking school. She thought “I’m learning all these cooking principles and I am cooking things that are just like my recipes. Why not just use the recipes?” That was when she decided a few things. The first thing she decided was that she did not need cooking school. And the second thing she decided was that she did not need to listen to other people’s opinions about what makes a good cook. She decided to keep her life simple and just use recipes.

This Extensive English Listening story is about a watermelon crime, and Jonathan. Listen to the story as Jonathon has misadventures with watermelons and discovers the watermelon crime. At the end, you’ll find out how watermelons can be dangerous. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras Podcast episode number 384. This episode is about watermelons and the watermelon crime. ## Carved Watermelon Project Jonathon wanted to make a carved watermelon like he saw on youtube and facebook. You know, the kind where they make a cute animal or maybe a completely red watermelon ball. He didn’t know how watermelons could be dangerous. So Jonathon went online to find a good guide to buying watermelons. The online guides said to check the colour of the watermelon, tap it, and look for a yellow spot. ## The First Watermelon He went to the store and found one just like they said online. It was big, and green and looked ripe. It had a nice yellow spot on the bottom. He knew the yellow spot meant that it had been sitting getting ripe for a long time and was probably gonna be really sweet. You won’t believe what he found with this watermelon. He took it home and invited a friend to come over and carve it up with him. His idea was to also take videos and photos while they were making it. They cut it open and to his surprise there was a great big hollow spot inside it. His friend said that it was not good for doing the watermelon carving. He took a photo of it and sent it to his mom. She responded quickly, telling him to not eat it. It was probably contaminated and could be dangerous. He was disheartened but decided to listen to his mother. After all, she had years of knowledge, especially about food. She safely cooked for him all his life. But he was in for a surprise with the next watermelon. ## The second Watermelon The second watermelon was super red. He cut it open and he thought, wow! I bet it’s really sweet. He was lucky this time too. His friend was with him, and said he read that super red watermelons were dangerous. He got a tissue and touched the watermelon. The tissue turned red. His friend said, “Yup! It’s no good. I read that if the tissue turns red it’s bad for you, it’s got some chemicals in it.” By the time he got to the third watermelon he had learned a few signs to look for. He found one that looked good. But he knew what to do with the watermelon before eating it. ## The Third Watermelon In the store the melon looked fine. He took it home and his friend said, “Let’s cut it open to check it right now!” But Jonathon decided to wait a few days after he brought it home. That was because he read that if something bad happened to the watermelon, you might not know it right after buying it but if you waited a few days, you could tell if it was safe. On the third day there was some foam on part of the watermelon. He looked really carefully at it and found a small hole in the centre of the foam, and the foam was coming out of the hole. Indeed when he cut the melon open the inside was no good. It had been injected with a chemical that was causing the watermelon to ferment after a few days. That was causing the foam. He was lucky he did not eat it. Jerry had learned that some people put the chemicals into the watermelon with a needle, and it can be difficult to find when you buy it. Jonathan decided to wait until next year and then grow his own watermelons so he could be sure they were good.

Watch this video to learn how one kind of scam system is working. Don’t be scammed, and don’t spend your money on scams. Learn how by watching now. I’ll teach about this scam using a story about a guy named Jerry. I’m gonna tell you about a bootcamp scam that he got mixed up with. I’ll tell you about three steps in the scam: the initial Fear, the FOMO, and the offer. Finally, I’ll tell the close of the story where Jerry finds a better way. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 383. Today’s topic is data science. Jerry decided to change careers. He heard that the job prospects were pretty good and the salaries were great, so he decided to become a data scientist. But he didn’t know where to start. He was a bit nervous but not nearly as nervous as he would become later. So he did some basic research. ## Decisions The first thing he found was there were several branches of data science to choose from. There was data analytics, data mining, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. He couldn’t decide right at the start, but he heard that the basics were all the same anyway. Then he realised he didn’t know where to study the basics. So he searched online and he found a webinar. It sounded great. One good thing was they had the webinar at a good time so he could join it easily. But even better was that the webinar was free. He thought this was very tempting but it was not as tempting as the offer he would hear later. He put his name on the list and soon he got the invitation link in the mail so he could join the webinar. ## Initial Fear In the first twenty minutes Jerry began to feel quite nervous. The webinar host talked about what you had to learn to become a data scientist. The host made him worry that if he didn’t learn the things they said, he would not get a good job, and maybe not even get a job. But that was not all. ## FOMO Then in the next twenty minutes he became even more nervous. The host made it sound like he would be lucky if he could get the right training. He worried that he might miss his opportunity to enrol in the course that they said he needed. He felt that if he did not get in that course, he couldn’t get a job. He had a fear of missing out. ## The Offer Near the end of the webinar, he began to feel excited. They said that although the course was super expensive and high quality, he could get in. What was even better, he could join the course for a very cheap price if he signed up right away. He thought this was a great offer but his friend was going to tell him something different. ## The Warning Just before the course ended, he got a text message from a friend. Jerry told him about this great course, and the friend warned him… it’s a scam! Jerry did not believe it at first, but the friend asked him three questions. He asked Jerry if he felt fear, if he felt FOMO, and if the offer sounded really really good. When Jerry thought about the answers, he realised he was getting sucked into the scam. Then he backed out at the last moment. ## The Better Way He talked with his friend that night. They did a bit more research and found a way better way to become a data scientist. He decided to pick up programming first and get a simple programming job. While he did the programming job, he could take online courses about statistics and business analysis. After those courses he could start to study Machine Learning. That would be a safer and cheaper way to get into the data science career. He felt he just dodged a bullet.

Let me tell you a story about Tyler, his search for the perfect supplement and his relieving discovery. But first we need to know a bit more about Tyler. You see Tyler had a lot of problems. He had mood swings. He was not very happy at his work. He had trouble with his weight. And he was a bit suspicious of authority. Because of these problems, Tyler decided to find supplements that could help him. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode 382. This episode is about a fictional character called Tyler and his search for supplements. ## Mood Swings Tyler felt great most of the time. His friends and colleagues thought he was a bit intense. He had a lot of energy and enthusiasm. But then there were times when he slowed down. He had a heavy spirit, and low motivation. Tyler noticed this himself and it worried him. Yet he distrusted authorities and did not ask for advice. Instead he started to research supplements. He thought there might be a supplement that could help him. He tried one for a month but nothing changed. Then he tried another for a few months. He found a change in his moods, but there was another change that concerned him. ## Weight After two months on his second supplement, Tyler noticed that he had really put on weight. In fact, he had put on 5 kilograms in about a month! This was very concerning. He thought about diets, but his eating habits had not changed that much. Instead, he began to look for new supplements. Indeed, there were supplements to help almost anything, including losing weight. He found a few supplements and decided to try them. He wasn’t worried about using supplements yet. It wasn’t long before he felt he had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. ## Sleepless Tyler had brought his mood swings down a little bit. Then after gaining weight, he took a supplement to help lose weight. Indeed, his weight gain stopped but after two weeks, he realised that his quality of sleep was pretty low. He woke up tired and irritable almost everyday. It was amazing how it correlated so well with the weight loss supplements. Although he was getting nervous about supplements, which I’ll get to in a few moments, he was still convinced by many of the marketing claims that he had read. ## Yet More He found a new supplement that promoted good restful sleep. He started taking the new supplement right away. Once again, the promise of the supplement was fulfilled and he got better sleep. He also was drowsy during the day. He was talking about it with one of his colleagues. The colleague asked him where he did his research. Then he and his colleague made the connection. Many of the research sites he used were getting financial support from the supplement companies! He was shocked and dismayed. After a few weeks of soul searching and deep thinking, he made a decision. ## The Reason for Supplements Tyler did not trust authorities. He did not want to go to doctors and get medicine which he felt was unnatural. The whole reason he was using supplements was because he felt they were ‘natural’. Now, he decided to continue searching for natural solutions but without supplements. He quit using all the supplements right away. He adopted a simple balanced diet and regular exercise. ## Relieving Discovery This is where Tyler made his relieving discovery. By eating a simple balanced diet and doing moderate regular exercise, he was able to achieve all the goals he wanted using supplements. His mood swings were moderate and natural. His body weight stabilised at an appropriate level, and he got good sleep every night.

I’m going to tell you the story of George and his quirky and suspicious search for the best earphones. Along the way, I want you to pick up some new vocabulary that I used in this story. Hi, and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 381. Today’s episode is about earphones, told as a story about George. ## Gain and Loss A couple of weeks ago, George got himself a new smartphone. He was pretty happy with it but about a day after getting it, he lost his earphones. Now, George likes to think he is a very intelligent consumer but he overlooks one thing: he is a bit neurotic but I’ll tell you more about that later. Anyway, he noticed that earphones were becoming pretty stylish. He wanted to get earphones with great style to complement his personality. ## Styles He looked at some of the wireless earphones first. He thought they would be great because they looked so convenient. He did a bit of research on them and then found one of his fears was true: they were easy to lose. He had already lost one pair of earphones. As I said, he was a bit neurotic, and he thought if he got wireless earphones he would lose them too. So he started looking at wired bud earphones. ## Buds He soon found a problem with the bud earphones. It wasn’t that they were too small to be stylish. In fact, he rather liked the minimalist style of the bud earphones. The problem wasn’t that they didn’t fit well. His last earphones were bud earphones and he knew they fit well. And it wasn’t the cost. Most of the bud earphones he was looking at were pretty reasonable. The problem was infection. The bud earphones fit right inside the ear canal. He read that as the popularity of bud earphones increased, so did the incidence of ear infections. There was no hard proof that the bud earphones caused infection. But in fact, some hearing aids that fit in the ear canal have been proven to change the ear canal flora and increase the risk of infections. Like I said, George was a bit neurotic. This was enough to provoke his anxieties, and George stopped shopping for bud earphones. He confirmed his fears when he read about hearing loss. ## Hearing Loss George read that sounds of 80 decibels or higher can cause hearing loss. The higher the volume the faster you lose your hearing, he read. And earbud earphones are like fire hoses pumping the sound directly into your ear. So he looked for a solution to prevent hearing loss. One of the better ideas he found was the bone conduction earphones. They don’t even put the sound in your ear. They conduct the sound into your hearing centre through the bones in your skull. George also realised they were safer because of this: if he had bone conduction earphones,he could still hear things in his environment like cars or signal sounds or other people talking. This safety feature was a big plus for George. ## Big Style But George didn’t buy the bone conduction earphones. He thought there had to be some drawback, some problem. Then he found it. Hi fi sound aficionados did not like them because the quality of sound was lower. George discovered that these high quality sound fans only used headphones to listen to their favourite music. George’s neurotic thinking made him feel if he got bone conduction earphones, he would suffer from poor quality sound. The headphones were not quite as safe as the bone conduction earphones, but they were safer than bud earphones. And almost like a bonus for George, headphones were making a stylish comeback. That was it. George found the answer to his problems and bought the headphones. He felt good.

What’s the Best Drink? What's the best drink you can have for just about any occasion you can think of? I'm going to tell you the story of my search for the best drink, my experiences along the way and my surprising discovery at the end. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 380. This podcast is actually about a kind of tea but we'll talk about lots of drinks. ## My Childhood When I was a child there were a lot of drinks that I liked. Coke was good but I also like ginger ale quite a bit and 7UP as well. you'll notice that they're all fizzy sweet drinks. I also really enjoyed Kool-Aid. In fact I might even say Kool-Aid topped the list when I was a child except that my mom almost never made it. When I went into my tweens I got hooked on juices. I had started to become aware that fizzy drinks weren't really healthy. I wanted healthy drinks and juices were being touted as very healthy back then. The problem with juices was that after you drank them, ironically you started to get more thirsty. Also, they were quite expensive. My mom didn't want to buy as much juice as I wanted to drink. It was limited to one glass in the morning. And I was about to take up a new hobby. ## Climbing In my late teens I took up rock climbing and Mountaineering. I always wanted to carry a drink with me, naturally and I went hunting for a good drink. There was a new kind of Kool-Aid on the market that didn't have sugar. It was cheap, very light, and really tasty. At least, it was tasty for a while. I only drank it on the weekends when I was climbing but after a while I got tired of the taste. It was too strong. I wanted something simpler. My favourite drink now is very simple but before I tell you what it is, I have to explain why I had to find it. ## Simpler It wasn’t long before I found powdered iced tea. This was wonderful. Since it was a powder I could add a little or a lot and make the taste just the way I like it. The flavour was much simpler, too, and there was no choice of flavour. Just iced tea. The problem was that it had a lot of sugar in it. Then after a few years, I couldn’t find it in the stores anymore. But by then I have moved on to a very surprising simple drink. ## Moving On I was climbing in the high mountains regularly. Sometimes I did not have the iced tea mix with me, so I began to drink the fresh water running off the snowfields and glaciers. I discovered this was truly the best drink there was. Soon I stopped using the iced tea mix. I only drank the water I found in the mountains. It was truly delicious. But after I moved to Japan, I discovered a problem with the fresh mountain water. ## The Problem with Fresh Mountain Water I had moved to Japan, and I wanted to get a refreshing drink. I went with some friends to the convenience store. There were drinks in Japan of course. They were pretty good, too and they were very interesting. There was Calpis water (a milk derivative drink) and Pocari Sweat. Then ilohas drinks came out with several flavours. I enjoyed them… they were better than green tea, which is okay but not that great in my books. But my search for a drink in Japan showed me the problem with Fresh mountain water. You could only get it in the high mountains in Canada! I had to make due with artificial flavours for a few years but… Do I still drink them? ## Do I still Drink Them? I was drinking these bottled drinks to quench my thirst. Then I noticed something. One bottle is not that much but two or three a day began to look expensive to me. My wonderful wife came to the rescue one day, introducing me to Barley tea. Barley tea is perhaps the best drink there is outside of the fresh mountain water from Canada. You can make it strong or weak. You can buy it ready-made. You can drink it hot or cold. And the best part? You never get sick of it. It is basically calorie free and rich in antioxidants which are associated with good health.

What’s the common point between pianos and motorcycles? Today I’m gonna talk about their similar point and it might surprise you, but first I have to introduce a guy called Alpheus Babcock because his invention is the link to motorcycles. Hi, and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 379. Today’s episode is about pianos, motorcycles and Alpheus Babcock. ## The problem Pianos were invented around 1700 and they took the music world by storm. Except there was a problem with them: they were difficult to hear. If you played in a small room with a small audience it was fine. But you could not use them to accompany an orchestra. The other instruments would drown out the piano. The problem was the strings. To make the larger sounds, you needed to pull the strings tighter and tighter. Eventually, you had to pull them so much that they broke the frame of the piano. This brings us to our main character. ## The Inventor Alpheus Babcock enjoyed making pianos and organs. He and his brother formed a company to make organs right from the start. He wanted to make better pianos for the musicians. It was the start of the industrial revolution and new materials were coming on hand. He noticed that some other piano makers were using iron braces in the frames of the pianos; This improved the sound, but not enough for him. Then inspiration struck. He decided to make his frames completely from iron. This had two main benefits. Before I say what they are, we have to take a quick look at motorcycles. ## Motorcycle Engines The engine of a motorcycle is a finely tuned thing. It may just look like a big piece of iron but there's a lot of science in the engine. You see, the pistons are stroking back and forth several thousand times per minute. The engine has to be very very hard to withstand that for years. This is one of the qualities of the cast iron engine: It is very hard. Yet, interestingly, it has another quality at the same time: it is flexible. The cast iron can expand and contract with the range of temperatures to prevent warping and changing size or shape. So what about the piano frame? I said that it has two main benefits. # The Two Virtues Coming back to the cast iron frame of the piano, Babcock was lucky to discover that it had two virtues. First, it was strong. He could pull the strings far, far tighter than on a wooden frame. In fact, he could even use steel strings and pull them even tighter. This was the first sound boost. The sound coming off the strings was much more robust. But in addition to the strength, the cast iron frame had a second, more subtle quality. The core of the cast iron frame was slightly flexible. This meant that the vibrations from the string were passed into the frame. Then the frame itself began to vibrate and make the sound even larger. Now the modern performance piano was born. ## The Common Points So what do motorcycle Engines and pianos have in common? It is the cast iron that is used in them. It is the same industrial quality cast iron in each one. That's because the qualities that make grey cast iron good for motorcycle engines are the same qualities that make it good for pianos. The hard strength and the subtle flexibility.

Why are Chameleons Tricky Pets? I love chameleons. But even if you love them, they are still tricky pets. I'm going to tell you why chameleons are so tricky to keep. First we have to look at the cages. I'll tell you two features of cages that are necessary and if you don’t have them, Your chameleon could be in trouble. Then we'll talk about chameleon friends and why you want to have only one chameleon. Then I’m gonna talk about some of their behaviours that make them tricky to keep. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 378. Today I’m talking about why chameleons are so tricky to keep. ## The Problem with Fresh Air The first trick is getting the fresh air just right for your pet chameleon. Keeping a cage well ventilated for just about any pet that needs a cage is a really good idea - except for chameleons. What's the big deal? Well, you need the ventilation because these animals need to get fresh air. You and your chameleon will feel nothing but grief If you put them inside an unventilated cage, they could die from that. They need a high humidity and high moisture environment. And it has to be constant. It can't be changing, or you're gonna stress your chameleon. Stress is very bad for chameleons. That spells grief for you and your chameleon So you need to get a special cage with special ventilation techniques to keep it warm and moist for your buddy. Otherwise it’s gonna feel stress. And speaking of stress, let's take a look at another stressor for these tricky animals. ## Special Cage Size Once you get it warm and moist, you have to make it safe for your chameleon buddy. They love to climb trees. It makes them feel safe. If they're not up high in the tree, they're gonna feel a lot of stress. If you want to keep a chameleon as a pet, you need to make a special cage that's tall so that it can have branches and leaves up high to crawl on. And you shouldn't put the cage on the floor, because, even though it's up on a branch, it’s still kind of low down. Now before I talk about some quirky behaviour of Chameleons, Let’s talk about their social life a bit. ## Social Life To introduce chameleon social life, let me tell you a story. I found a guy who got a chameleon as a pet. Then somebody in his family gave him another chameleon pet as a gift. At first he was really happy. He thought this was cool. He put them in the cage. He checked the cage: Warm: check Humid: check High: check But his chameleons were definitely very unhappy. They were greyish. There were a few times when he even saw them fighting with each other. These guys were just bad neighbours, and they felt stress being in the same cage together. That's how chameleons are. They're like lone wolves. They don't want friends, and they don't want close neighbours. Don't put them together in the same cage. It's a bad idea. ## Don’t Force it There was another guy on the Internet who wrote about some of his experiences with keeping a chameleon as a pet. He said that when he picked up the chameleon it didn't move. He said at the beginning he thought that was a happy chameleon. In his mind, it was just content to sit on his hand. Finally he discovered that if chameleons don't move at all, It's a bad sign. It means they are feeling stressed. That's one way chameleons respond to stress. They stay really still. If you pick up your chameleon and it stays really still, then you know that it's not happy, it's feeling stressed. So pick it for just a little bit of time each day, until it gets used to you.

Who Discovered the Americas First? This is an old question, and everyone thinks they know the answer, but today I want to give you a different answer. Along the way, we’ll take a look at the mystery of the Polynesians, a sideways view of sweetpotatoes, and one of my childhood heroes, Thor Heyerdahl, along with some DNA studies. ## The Polynesian Mystery Before we get into the sweet potatoes, let me tell you a short story. A few years ago, I flew to Guam. As I looked out the window on the vast open sea below me, I wondered, how did the first people get to the remote Pacific islands? Polynesians are remarkably similar in their genetics, language and culture despite being separated by thousands of kilometres of open ocean. Also, they didn’t have compasses or sextants to navigate with. The polynesians didn’t have a written language. So, how could we find the answer to these mysteries? The answer to the Polynesian mystery of navigation starts with the guy I’m gonna tell you about next. ## Thor Heyerdahl My mind wandered and then I remembered as a kid hearing about a guy called Thor Heyerdahl. He was an explorer who thought the Polynesians got to the islands just by floating there on big rafts. He proved this was possible by making a big raft which he called Kon-Tiki and floating from South America to an atoll called Raroia in French Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific ocean. They did it in 101 days, so they proved it was possible. At this point, you might ask, what does this have to do with sweet potatoes or discovering the Americas? On the way to answering that question, first we have to see the big problem with Thor’s idea. ## The Genetic Problem The problem with Thor’s idea was that he thought the Polynesians came from South America. Today, modern genetic evidence points overwhelmingly to southeast Asia as the origin of the Polynesian people. But we can’t simply say they started there and that’s that. You see, there is some genetic evidence of American people’s genes in the Polynesian people. They carry partly indigenous American genes. Then there’s the whole question of the sweet potatoes. ## Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are an ancient crop that was first domesticated by humans 5000 years ago in Central and South America. But at the same time, sweet potatoes are a staple food among many polynesian people. They have been eating sweet potatoes for at least 700 years. There’s archeological evidence to prove this. So how did they get the sweet potatoes? And further, the quechua word for sweet potato is Kumar. The word for sweet potato across Polynesia is uncannily similar. So this brings us to the BIG Question. ## Who Discovered the Americas first? Well, this is a great question, but it’s also a silly one. It’s silly because, obviously, the Indigenous people first discovered the Americas. But it is still interesting because that was a long long time ago, and we like to know who has re-discovered the Americas since then. Of course, there is Christopher Columnbus. Then there are the slightly controversial voyages made by some Norse peoples, including Leif Ericson. But It seems likely that polynesian peoples arrived on the western shores of South America quite a bit earlier than those two explorers. We can’t say conclusively when or where they made contact but that they made contact seems almost certain, and it’s extremely likely they did so before any Europeans.

In this video we are going to explore the history of El Dorado and I'm going to tell you where it is, along with some of the stories about it. Along the way I'll tell some stories about the Conquistadors, a very special Conquistador called Quesada and the mysterious Muisca tribe and their secret gold ceremony. Hi, my name is Les Perras and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 376. This episode, naturally, is about El Dorado. ## The Conquistadors When Spanish conquistadors arrived in South America naturally, they came in contact with lots of the indigenous people of South America. They were quite impressed with these people because they had gold. Of course the conquistadors loved gold. That was one of the targets that they were travelling for. When they talked to the people, they asked where they got the gold from and of course, lots of stories came out of that. Usually the people did not find the gold themselves. Rather, they traded for the gold with other tribes. This is perhaps the origin of the El Dorado myth. The myth said there was some place out there that is full of gold, and the streets are made of gold and the people wear gold. ## The Conquistador who found El Dorado There were many conquistadors, but there is one main conquistador associated with El Dorado. He was searching for El Dorado, because he wanted to get rich just like the rest of them. On the other hand, he was one of the best educated conquistadors in South America at the time. He wasn't a very good fighter, but he was a great explorer. In fact, due to his explorations, he was able to found the capital city of Colombia, which is modern day, Bogotá. Along the course of his adventures, he was able to track down some of the rumours of mysterious tribes that had vast amounts of gold… So much gold, in fact that they could cover their leader in gold. This conquistador was called Quesada. Not only did he found Bogota, but he was also responsible for discovering the Muisca tribe of people and the famous lake, where they held their secret ceremony. ## Muisca and the Secret Ceremony The people of the Muisca tribe thought gold was special. Not special in the let's get rich and get lots of gold sense. They felt gold had the power to bring balance and harmony back to the tribe and the world. Gold was essential to their secret ceremony to initiate a new leader of the tribe. When the old leader of the tribe died, they needed to find a new leader, but they couldn't just call him the leader. They needed the blessing of the people in the tribe and the blessing of the gods. They had a secret ceremony to initiate their new leader. This was a long ceremony, but the ending was out on a lake. That lake was Lake Guatavita. The Muisca would cover their leader in flakes of gold which they could get by trading with many different tribes around them. They would float the leader out onto the lake on a barge with torches in each corner. The supporters would offer gold statues to the gods by throwing them into the lake, and then the people of the tribe would shout their approval and they had a new leader. ## Where is El Dorado? Guatavita is the best candidate for the actual location of any place that could be called El Dorado. Of course the myths and rumours of El Dorado were so exaggerated that no place on earth could be El Dorado. But if any place could be El Dorado this was it because this was the origin of many of those stories. However, the conquistadors spent their lives searching for this place. As a result of that the meaning of El Dorado has come to change. El Dorado is a quest. It's a quest for happiness, material, success, and for some love.

Are you worried about hackers? I’ve studied computers. I’ve studied programming. I run my own server. I thought I knew about computers. I felt secure. I was wrong. Hi welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 375. Today's episode is about hackers and online safety. Listen to some common sense advice about physical security with computers, and, more importantly, mental security. Then hear about the close call that I had on the internet. ## Your Connection Maybe the simplest and first thing you should do is make sure that you have a safe connection to the Internet. If you go to a coffee shop, it's best not to use their Wi-Fi. If you have to use their Wi-Fi first do a bit of research and learn about VPN. Then go out and purchase a subscription to a VPN. I won't tell you about VPN here but they can save you a lot of problems if you're browsing outside your home. ## Your Passwords Almost everybody says to make good passwords. I have to agree here. The problem is everybody tells me they can't remember their passwords. Probably the simplest solution to that is to make your password. A short sentence. The sentence should have unusual words in it, make a picture in your mind, and have a number. An example would be "I like three chocolate hotdogs". The sentence is not too long, it has a number in it, and a strange combination of words which most people would not think of. At the same time it's easy to remember. ## Save Your Data If you're using your computer for just browsing, then you probably don't have much to worry about. But if you are creating files on your computer, make sure you save your data and back it up regularly. A great place to back it up is on some kind of storage that is separate from your computer. Maybe it's a hard disk or a USB or even cloud storage but the USB is probably the best. Leaving files on your computer should be safe but you never know. So back them up and then erase them from your computer from time to time. ## Suspicious Emails Be very very careful and wary of suspicious emails. If you don't know the person who sent you this email, why do you need to read it? Personally, I treat unsolicited emails as junk mail. And the junk mail I get in my real mailbox goes straight into the garbage. The unsolicited emails go straight into the garbage or spam. ## I was Almost HACKED! This is where I had a problem. I got an email from a friend. At least I thought I got an email from a friend. I use Google mail and when I saw the mail it had my friend's name on it. Furthermore, it had my friend's photo attached as a little icon beside the email. I thought I was safe. My friend is kind of a strange person. I read the email and I thought this is a bit strange, but then again, my friend is a bit strange. Perhaps owing to my friend's eccentric personality I wasn't surprised when he was asking for help in terms of money. I did a little bit of checking in my email correspondence with him, and he was quite quick to reply. This is the second point that should've set off a red flag. He was asking for money and second he was responding very quickly. My problem was I wanted to please my friend. That's my weakness. I don't like saying no to a friend who needs a bit of help or assistance. Plus I saw his photo and his name on the email so it should be OK, right? Well after about six or seven email exchanges the red flag finally started flapping in my face. I then looked at the exact precise email address that he was sending the email from. This was a new and different address from my friend's regular email address. I sent an email to my friend on his regular email address rather than just responding. My friend indicated that he had not sent me any emails that day or that week. That was the instant I knew that I was dealing with a hacker. I simply stopped communicating. I am very happy to say I did not part with my money, and I did not get ripped off. But on the other hand, it was a very close call. Hackers might not hack into...