(men yelling) (fire flaring)
(stately music)
- They don't take Bitcoin.
The Subway doesn't take Bitcoin.
How am I gonna get home?
Ahh!
(goat bleats)
(upbeat rock music)
What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Breakdown.
I'm your host, Luke Mones.
Happy July 4th weekend.
Sorry to interrupt, Luke.
It's time for The Comments Section
from me, you.
Tommy Loika commented, "Butter my biscuit, Luke."
You got it.
Mr. Loika, I will butter your biscuit.
Isn't it nice to have a buttered biscuit?
Mr. Loika, I hope I'm buttering the biscuit
to your satisfaction.
MakyYT! wrote, "Hi, whoever is seeing this comment,
"I hope you have an amazing day.
"If stuff isn't going good, it will get better.
"Have an amazing day.
"You're beautiful and awesome."
Wow, that's really nice.
Thank you.
And that was The Comment Section.
Luke?
Take it away.
Be safe, please don't blow your hand off with a firework.
Okay?
First up, we're exploring the world of cryptocurrency
as I try and go 48 hours exclusively paying for everything
with Bitcoin.
Let's take a look.
(suspenseful music)
(energetic instrumental music)
I've been hearing a lot about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency,
but I don't know what those words mean
and I know nothing about that whole world,
so for the next 48 hours,
I'm going to spend only using my crypto wallet.
That means no cash,
no cards.
I'm gonna survive on Bitcoin in New York City for two days.
Let's go.
Do you accept Bitcoin?
You don't?
Yeah?
- Nah. - Oh, you don't?
Okay, thanks.
- No, I'm sorry, we don't.
- [Luke] Bitcoin?
- No, sorry.
- Do you guys accept Bitcoin?
- [Employee] Uh, no.
- [Luke] No? Okay.
No, okay, thank you.
- [Lauren] Hey, Luke?
Luke, do you want to go to the Bitcoin Center?
- [Narrator] Bitcoin Center NYC is a community space
dedicated to the education and promotion of Bitcoin
where they also lend support
for the local Bitcoin community.
The center puts on various events and programs
to encourage people to learn about cryptocurrency.
- No, I appreciate that, but no, thanks.
I'm fine.
I'll find food on my own.
Really.
I'll figure out the Bitcoin thing.
All good.
Do you accept Bitcoin?
- No, sorry.
- I'll find someplace.
Hello.
(horn honking) I know.
- Oh my God, we don't do Bitcoins.
- No.
Cash or credit.
- Okay, thank you. - You're welcome.
(woman laughs quietly)
- I am getting kind of hungry.
Kava?
Oh, food.
- [Narrator] Kava is a Polynesian root drink
known for anti-anxiety and sedating effects.
While newer to the United States,
it is consumed socially all over the world
and has been consumed in the South Pacific islands
for over 3,000 years.
Also, it's not technically food.
It's a beverage.
(sultry jazz music)
- So, we have three different type of traditional kavas.
We always recommend staring off
with one of the kava specialties.
- You don't sell snacks?
- No, we don't.
I mean, we have pineapple. (laughs)
- Okay, how many Bitcoins for a pineapple?
A whole pineapple.
- A whole pineapple.
I don't think I can do that.
- You can't do that?
(woman's laugh echoing)
Could I have a punch in the face?
- Yes.
- Ah, thank you.
- No problem. - Oh, looks great.
(sultry jazz music) (slurping pineapple)
Oh my God.
- So, that's going to be $25.
- Here we go.
Look at that.
We did it.
Thank you so much.
- Any time. (hands slap)
- To Bitcoin.
(loud swallowing)
Do you accept Bitcoin?
No, okay.
Okay, let me guess.
Sorry, we don't do that.
Please leave the store.
- I do not accept Bitcoin.
- Do you know anyone who does?
- [Man In Hat] Mm.
- Do you have any food?
- No.
(upbeat jazz music)
- I haven't had much luck finding anyone in New York
who accepts Bitcoin,
so this is, yeah,
this is like an oasis,
a Bitcoin oasis for me.
- I totally understand,
'cause whenever we talk about Bitcoin,
it seems that not too many people know about it.
Some people are actually afraid of it.
They think it's something illegal.
And I think by us accepting this form of payment,
we make it real
and it's perfectly legitimate.
We like the traditional aspect of life,
but we also like the progressive aspect of life,
and new technology,
just new ways of doing anything, we embrace it.
(bright jazz music)
- I'll ring it up.
Hold on one moment.
- [Luke] Thank you.
- And...
- Great.
Do you take Bitcoin?
- No, we don't.
- I am so hungry.
I don't know how much longer I can do this.
This is torture.
All right, that's it.
I'm going home.
Day One is over.
You know, better luck tomorrow, I guess.
- [Lauren] See you tomorrow, Luke.
All right.
End of Day One.
So, I'm trying to think about tomorrow.
- They don't take Bitcoin.
They don't take Bitcoin.
The subway doesn't take Bitcoin.
How am I gonna get home?
Ahh!
(bright music)
(bike bell ringing)
- [Lauren] Hey, buddy.
- Hey.
- [Lauren] Hey, so, good news.
We found you a pizza place in Queens.
- In Queens?
- [Lauren] Yeah, they'll take Bitcoin up there.
- Ah, I give up.
Let's just go to the Bitcoin center.
Can we?
Can you take me there?
This is an interesting question.
Do you always use cryptocurrency,
or right now, do you use other forms of payment?
'Cause I for the last 48 hours
have only been using cryptocurrency.
(Nick laughs)
(Hamdan laughs)
(Nick and Hamdan laugh)
Tell me.
What is Bitcoin?
What is blockchain?
What is crypto?
(eraser thuds)
- [Nick] So, Bitcoin is a ledger.
- [Narrator] This guy is a financial wizard.
Luke barely understood what he was talking about.
So, for those who are like Luke,
cryptocurrency is a digital currency
that is not run through any government,
mainstream bank, or centralized system,
but rather through a decentralized system
that remains stable through extensive cryptography.
The value of cryptocurrency is determined
by the people using it
instead of a government or national treasury.
Bitcoin is the most widely used form of cryptocurrency.
The blockchain is a decentralized network
on which users collectively keep the values
of cryptocurrency consistent and honest
through a shared ledger of digital information.
- That person had X amount in the ledger,
in the book.
And, yeah, let it go through.
- We approve.
(Nick grunts)
Do you worry that the financial institutions of the world,
the banks,
the major corporations,
are afraid of you or that they're gonna come after you?
- You know, the thing is,
we don't really have a chance to opt in or opt out
of the system.
We have to be part of the system.
We have to use the dollar.
We have to pay taxes just by living in this country,
and Bitcoin suggests an alternative version of affairs
where we're able to live in this country,
to contribute and to build great technologies
and to be incredible patriotic, ethical citizens.
At the same time, we don't have to use the dollar.
We can use a much more innocent currency
than a lot of the centralized currencies
that are run by these governments around the world,
in my opinion.
- This answer makes me want to take
all my money out of the bank
and pour gas on it and burn it like The Joker.
- You should just buy Bitcoin with it.
- That's true, I should.
Why would I just burn it?
I should just buy Bitcoin.
- Don't be a Joker.
You saw what happened to that guy.
(emotional music)
I had an immensely difficult time these last 48 hours,
but here's what I learned.
Cryptocurrency
could really change the world.
It could be the future,
but the future isn't quite here yet.
(emotional music)
(upbeat rock music)
Next up, the story of a flamethrower expert blowing minds
and creating actual fire
at a massive World War II reenactment.
Let's take a look.
(suspenseful music)
(fire flaring)
(quirky jazz music)
- We've always had three principles,
and those principles are
I don't work with losers.
Principle number two is I only work with the best.
And principle number three
is always deliver...
(men whooping)
more than you promised,
and if possible, more than they expected.
I think I became the flamethrower expert because--
- Is that the flamethrower?
- Yes, it is.
It was a big challenge.
World War II Marine Corps.
Nobody had done it before.
Three flamethrowers will take out one bunker, all at once.
- How long does this...
- 65, 70 feet is good.
- Oh, okay.
- I found out little things like
it's the most powerful handheld weapon.
One quick burst and the crowd parts.
- [Man] There you go, we can do that.
- It was the only thing the Japanese were afraid of.
It was a Marine Corps weapon.
So, your 30 riflemen would give you covering fire.
This is like, the biggest thing of the year for me
because I'm working with the Marines.
I'm not a Marine.
I am a volunteer historian,
but with my military background family,
I really enjoy working with the Marine Corps.
(fire flaring)
(crowd gasping)
- We planned to have flamethrowers all along.
We knew that was the thing
that was gonna just take people's breath away.
(fire flaring) (men yelling)
And we finally got a phone number
for this guy named Charlie Hobson.
Charlie didn't know me from Adam,
but I got on the phone with him.
I said, hey, this is Eric Junger from Parris Island.
We're up here doing this event.
We really need flamethrowers.
This guy canceled on us.
Can you help us out?
- Marine Corps, right there behind the corsair.
- He dropped everything he had,
threw stuff in his car, and drove down here.
It was just amazing,
and from that point on,
Charlie's been side-by-side with us.
Got it broken out with the three different flamethrowers.
I'll be on the rifle squad.
The assault squad will have Chris
and Jimmy.
We put this amazing show together,
and it's just like it all clicks.
(gun fires)
(men shout)
(gun fires) (crowd applauds)
(plane engine humming)
(stately orchestral music)
(plane engines humming)
(men shouting)
- The vets don't talk about being in war.
They don't want to talk about it
They want to forget it.
War is awful, and not knowing when you're going to get shot,
it's horrendous.
If more people knew how bad it was,
there'd be a lot less wars.
Are we glorifying warfare here?
I mean, we're celebrating the veteran.
We're showing the cool weapons.
We're showing flamethrowers.
War was a lot of fun.
No, it wasn't.
And I think the biggest mistake we could make
was to glorify war.
(gentle music)
I'm proud to work with the Marines.
It's a real honor, and it's fun.
It's interesting.
I enjoy talking to the people,
and I really believe we need to teach history to our kids
so they understand that freedom isn't free.
It's very expensive.
A lot of people gave their lives.
(upbeat rock music)
- There's a longer version of that story coming soon,
so subscribe here or check out our website for updates.
Next up, those war heroes aren't the only ones who serve.
Stephanie Officer has the story
about a herd of helpful goats in New York City.
Let's check it out.
(bright music)
- [Crowd] Five, four, three,
two, one.
(cheering)
- Here they come.
These 25 goats traveled from upstate New York
to spend the summer working in New York City.
It's the first time a project like this
has ever taken place in Manhattan.
Simply put, they'll go around the park
grazing on all the bad stuff
like the poison ivy, pests,
and vines that block out sunlight.
Because goats could eat 25% of their body weight,
that means they'll be pulling their weight.
They're being called summer interns.
Are you getting paid appropriately
for being a summer intern?
Do you like the food?
No, no?
Just, okay.
That's fair.
You'd rather nibble on yourself than talk to me?
Also fine.
Okay, no.
And that's that.
- Here with us now is our own Stephanie Officer.
Welcome, Stephanie.
- Hey, Luke.
- [Luke] So, what was it like covering that goat event?
- Smelly.
It stunk so bad,
but, I mean, they're really cute.
Who doesn't like goats?
- Stephanie?
It's time for goat facts.
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- In this are facts about goats that neither of us
have ever seen before.
- Ever.
- Will you do the honors?
- Fun.
Did you know, Luke, that goats do not have teeth
on their upper jaw?
- [Luke] That's not, really?
- Yeah, how do they chew the stuff, then?
- Are these goat lies?
What is this?
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- One of the more remarkable species of goats
is the myotonic goat,
better known as the fainting goat.
(Stephanie gasps) Because of a genetic quirk,
when they get excited or startled,
the goats' muscles freeze up,
causing them to topple over.
They remain totally conscious
and their muscles return to normal,
which sounds like the goat wrote this goat fact.
You know, it's like, oh, actually, it's not really fainting.
I'm conscious.
I'm just pretending to faint.
I'm not scared at all.
(goat bleats)
- Goats can jump over five feet high.
Did you know that?
- That's, no.
That's crazy.
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- Oh, how 'bout this one.
Abe Lincoln's sons had two goats
that lived in the White House with them,
so these were indoor goats.
- Wow.
- That's pretty impressive.
- What's living in the White House now?
(Luke laughs)
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- Despite the stereotype about goats being willing
to eat anything,
they are actually very picky eaters.
Goats have very sensitive lips,
which they use to mouth things
in search of clean and tasty food.
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- Oh, goats have four stomachs.
- [Stephanie] Oh.
- We knew that.
- [Stephanie] We were right.
- [Goat] Goat facts.
- And our final goat fact.
- The final goat fact.
- Of the inaugural goat facts.
- Goat pupils are rectangular.
This gives them vision for 320 to 340 degrees
compared to humans with 160 to 210 degrees around them.
Goats are also thought to have excellent night vision.
(Luke laughs)
- Cool.
- I thought this goat was being shady to me at the park,
but I realized that its eyes were on the side of their head.
I just thought it was giving me attitude.
- Brooklyn, you thought he was turning away from you,
but in reality, he was like,
all right, let's have a conversation.
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- Well, now we know that that goat
was actually being polite.
- That was goat facts.
- Goat facts.
- Goat facts. - Goat facts.
- Thanks to you guys for watching,
and thanks to Stephanie Officer for joining us.
We'll see you next time on The Breakdown.
(pulsing rock music)