Ru Zi Ke Jiao

Who’s on your team? Watch this video and learn about the value of teamwork, and what just a few, commited people can accomplish when they dedicate themselves towards achieving something remarkable.

Pay close attention to all of the words that are displayed in this video; you should be familiar with ALL of this vocabulary. You really only need to watch the first 3 minutes. However, this video does offer proof of what I’ve been writing about, things like this.

Illini Prosthetics Team – Commercial from Illini Prosthetics on Vimeo.

One of the teammates was just awarded a USD $30,000 prize from MIT.

Just yesterday I wrote about the 100+ million Chinese who are suffering from hookworms. If you missed that post – and if you love China – then please go read it now. I’ll wait.

See that? You could form a team and conquer this problem. Some day, some one will. Why not you? Greatness is calling you. How can I be so sure? You’re here, aren’t you?

Think about it this way: What if it were you? What if, instead of the wonderful life you’ve been given, you were one of the 100 million, ignorant and suffering. Would you appreciate some help? GO. DO. LIVE.

Are you a heretic? Unless you’re planning on leading people into the past, you’d best learn to be. At least a little. Because the future belongs to the heretics. Always has. Always will. Don’t trust me, THINK!

You can choose to add subtitles in any of 16 languages – just click the “View Subtitles” writing immediately to the right of the play arrow. (It’s on the bottom left-hand side of the video box.)
Please let me know (via comments) if the video isn’t shown in China and I’ll do my best to upload it to YouKu.

If you’re interested in marketing in general, and especially if you’re interested in marketing as it relates to the publishing industry, then this video is for you.
If you’re interested in public speaking and presentation, then Seth is also worth watching. Take, for example, how he begins his talk with a story. Stories are important, so learn to become a storyteller.
If marketing or publishing aren’t your things, you still should watch the video – consider it a good way to practice for TOEFL. And remember, if you’re watching to improve your English, it’s not important that you catch everything. It is important that you don’t quit.

[NOTE: If the video doesn’t show in China, leave me a message in the comments section and I will do my best to get it uploaded to YouKu.

T-Mobile (one of America’s wireless phone carriers) has created an interesting marketing campaign, appropriately titled “Life’s for Sharing“. And it nicely illustrates the future of advertising. Because traditional advertisers are fighting a losing battle in the war for my – or your – attention. There are simply too many interesting things for me to spend my attention on, for me to waste any of my time (read attention) on something that bores me.
Can you imagine this happening in China? In Shenzhen?

The blue one, or the red one?

If you’re interested in Business or Leadership, then I recommend that you read Blue Ocean Strategy. Apparently I’m not the only Chinese who thinks it’s a great book. The following comes from Blue Ocean Strategy’s website (www.blueoceanstrategy.com):
“Blue Ocean Strategy named most influential book in China (in Chinese) – China Book Business Report, December 31, 2009
China’s leading book review journal ‘China Book Business Report’ reports that Blue Ocean Strategy has been selected for two prominent national book lists. – The 600 Most Influential Books in the History of the People’s Republic of China 1949-2009 & The 300 Most Influential Books in the three Decades of China’s Reform and Opening to the Outside World 1979-2009 in the category of ‘Economics and Finance’…”

NASH: I’ve read this book and whole-heartedly endorse it. Read it in either Chinese or English, but read it.

This is a REMARKABLE video – simply stunning. It uses two of the great levers of life (fear and love) to motivate people to ________. (Try and guess its message as you watch.) Are you interested in film, marketing or business? If you are, pay extra attention. Or maybe you’re not interested in those things. That’s okay, but you still need to understand marketing because you have to be able to market yourself, you know, BRAND YOU. Watch and let this video’s creativity inspire you.
The ad was produced by a British organization called Sussex Safer Roads Partnership. Pay attention to the artistry, the music, the use of slow motion, the close-ups, they really nailed this video.

If you’ve ever seen Star Trek, then you probably marveled at some of the handheld medical equipment of Dr. McCoy. This isn’t science fiction, it’s real, here and now.

Angioplasty is a medical procedure – an invasive operation – that has traditionally been performed through the patient’s groin. This newer version allows for an even speedier recovery, by entering the body through the wrist. Simply amazing.

Public Service Ads are commonly referred to by their acronym, PSA’s. Wherever they run, be they “on the air” (television & radio) or in print (newspapers, billboards, etc…) they usually occupy space that is donated – because they have traditionally been for the public good. However, as time progresses, they have become politicized. The following is but one example. Underneath the video, you’ll find my analysis of some useful lessons that this videos demonstrate.

Useful Lessons

First, using celebrities to advance your cause. Second, in most of the world, INCLUDING China, government leaders are influenced by public opinion. PSA’s of this sort are a proactive means of influencing both (public opinion and government leaders). Third, note the way the ad calls for DIRECT ACTION – no beating around the bush here. They basically say “DO THIS!” And finally, they’re running an integrated viral campaign. Note their website: www.ThisIsOurMoment.org and their appeal for social networking of their idea. As Seth Godin says, Ideas that spread, win.

I really like the editing of this MV (music video). I also enjoy trying to guess the storyline simply from watching the video, as I can’t understand the French lyrics. This type of editing – multiple views of the same thing, shown on the screen at the same time – was popularized on TV by the series, 24. The name of the artist is STROMAE, and the MV is Alors on danse. ENJOY! Leave a comment and tell me what you like and dislike about this video. What would you do differently?

By the way, many westerners like to dance like that. But so what? Many westerners also like to take drugs that cause them to act less intelligently, you know, stupider.

…to live in the Digital Age? It’s going to take a completely different set of skills than the ones that your parents needed, or that they even understand.

A short while ago I wrote about you being stuck in the wrong age. Your school was designed in the Agricultural Age, to turn farmhands into factory workers for the Industrial Age. That’s why CONTROL at school is absolutely essential: walk in straight lines; raise your hand for permission to go to the restroom; learn by repetitive motions. You thought you were learning the content, when you were really learning how to do repetitive work, a la the factory. Oh yeah, and how to mindlessly follow instructions. How ludicrous that we still cling to such ideas, when we’ve clearly left the Industrial Age, and have blown right through the Information Age and now are fully ensconced in the Digital Age.

For the past 5 years or so, I’ve been arguing that we need to change not just how we teach, but what we teach. Google’s V.P. said that what they’re really looking for when they hire are people with these characteristics and skills: Teamwork; Communication; Risk-Takers; Creative Problem Solving and Self-learning.

The picture above is a screenshot of www.hiremeheadblade.com and yes, he got the job. He didn’t stop with his custom built website, he also made a video. He SHOWED the company that not only was he serious about them, but that he was a good fit for them as well.

The news article, Turning to video to help you land a dream job that reported the story added:

“Clearly, shaving your head in a YouTube video — or doing a video at all — may not be right for every job or job candidate, especially since so many people don’t feel that comfortable in front of a camera. But you may be asked to talk to a camera soon whether you like it or not. Video services like Skype and HireVue are being used more and more by employers as a way to check out job candidates.”

“While some hiring managers shun the often amateurish mini movies, others rave about them.”

“It’s virtually impossible to get an impression of someone from a résumé, and videos have saved us so much time in the screening process,” said Heather Logrippo, owner of Distinctive Homes magazine. So many people look great on paper, she said, but when they show up for an interview, they don’t match what they put down in their résumé and cover letter. “It allows us to see how a candidate articulates themselves, dresses, communicates, nonverbal signals come across well, and we don’t have to go through an entire interview process, like a bad date, if our first impression is unfavorable,” Logrippo said.”

NASH: For me, the video itself wasn’t all that good – just a bald guy shaving the stubble off his head. But then again, I don’t work for a company that has designed a product just for that. And we’re just at the beginning of Digital Age. Competition for jobs will ensure that things get better quickly. The question for you is, will you be ready?

“We’re not only a scientifically illiterate nation, we’re a scientifically intolerant nation.”
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35412035#35406458

The issue under discussion is vaccinations and autism. Once upon a time, more than a decade ago, there was a ’scientific’ study done – and published by The Lancet - that showed a connection between the two. However, just last week, The Lancet took the highly unusual step of retracting the published study, saying that it no longer had confidence in the integrity of the study.

This topic reminds me of the philosophical question, “what’s the difference between a man who can’t read and a man who doesn’t read?”

And this entire, sad and sorry episode just goes to show, once again, that YOU are the ultimate person responsible for yours and your family’s well-being. Not the government, not some scientific publication, just you.

What you don’t know about something is more important than what you know about it. Here’s one more piece to the puzzle that is America.

For Pascal, and of course, the rest of you, my REMARKABLE Princes and Princesses of China.

There is SO MUCH good stuff in just the first 3:30 of this video (if you’re too pressed for time to watch the entire 18 minutes.) Pay close attention to where she learns to love to read. What is it that accomplishes this? Eva wasn’t afraid to ask ’silly’ questions. She hadn’t yet learned what wasn’t possible. Could this be, nay, THIS IS the reason that Einstein said that he regretted his own formal education.

As Chinese, you need to see how America’s MSM (mainstream media) presents China. “Know thine enemy better than one knows thyself” – Sun Tzu from The Art of War. Two videos because they’re two parts.

ALWAYS THINK….BOTH VIDEOS CONTAIN SOME INACCURACIES – as would be expected.

This music video – We Are All Connected – was made by using software commonly referred to as auto-tune. It contains clips Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, The History Channel’s Universe series, Richard Feynman’s 1983 interviews, Neil deGrasse Tyson’s cosmic sermon, and Bill Nye’s Eyes of Nye Series, plus added visuals from The Elegant Universe (NOVA), Stephen Hawking’s Universe, Cosmos, the Powers of 10, and more. It is a tribute to great western minds of science, intended to spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through the medium of music.
Watch similar videos here:SymphonyOfScience.com

What’s America doing with all those U.S. dollars that China keeps giving, er, loaning us? Here’s what:
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35247110#35247211

That’s right, we’re tearing down perfectly good, but 34 year old stadiums and building newer, larger, more luxurious ones. And why not? When the time comes to repay China, all America has to do is to add a few zero’s to the printing presses, 6 to be exact. That way, instead of printing one dollar bills, we’ll be printing ONE MILLION DOLLAR bills. It’ll be easy to “honor” our debt this way. Suckers!

You could be remarkable. The only thing that is stopping you, is you! Let go of fear. So what if you fail? Don’t worry about failing, worry about not trying. That is the real failure.

President Obama met with the opposition party (the Republicans) yesterday and prefaced his remarks thusly:

A person, party or government confident of its positions has nothing to fear from open debate. On the contrary, its essential. Remember, none of us, is as smart as, all of us.

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO AGAIN. President Obama’s words are as wise as any ever proffered.

Watch this video to learn about the new retail concept in America, a store called iGrow. URL:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35142638#35142638

Ask yourself this question: Would you ingest a drug that would make you smarter? (I’ve placed my answer at the bottom of this post because I don’t want to prejudice your thinking. After you’ve determined your own answer, then go ahead and read mine.)

Another question: Would you ingest a drug that would make you stupider? I’ll go ahead and answer here as I’m fairly confident that you are Ru Zi Ke Jiao – you’re here, aren’t you? – “NO WAY!”

So let’s talk about marijuana. Everything you need to know about marijuana can be found in this list of common nicknames (in no particular order): cannabis, ganja, pot, grass, dope, weed, skunk and Mary Jane. Oh, I almost forgot, and ’shit’. (I’m not kidding.)

The reason that ‘dope’ is used to describe marijuana is because it makes its users dopey. As in stupid acting. As in stupider.

In America, we’re embracing the stupid. Don’t trust me, think. What does it say of a country when so many of its citizens use a drug to make themselves stupider? Would you loan money to such a person? Would you be surprised when they didn’t pay you back? (Don’t worry, America is going to pay China back, I promise. With printed paper – U.S. dollars – in demoninations of one million dollars or higher. Of course, the money will be worth less, pun intended. I digress.)

You can read here about how dope “hinders the memory and movement of the user’s brain.”

Would I take a drug to make myself smarter? I’m pretty sure that I would, but only if it made me significantly smarter.

And that is Today’s Question: Would you take a drug to make yourself smarter? Stupider? (Please use the comment section to answer.)

Learning to speak a language – any language – isn’t all that hard. Just think about it, children all over the world, and throughout history, have learned their “native” tongue. No one is born fluent in anything other than cry and scream – and even when babies make those sounds they aren’t conscious actions.

The secret as to why children learn to speak so much more easily than adults is actually two secrets. First, they are motivated. (Interest is the best teacher.) The infant wants to learn as a way of having his needs fulfilled. The young children (like those in this video), they want the praise of adults (their parents, teachers). The bottom line is all about their WANTING to learn.

The second secret is that most youngsters haven’t yet learned shame. In other words, they’re not embarrassed by their mistakes, which affords them the freedom to practice. And since oral communication improves greatly with practice, they quickly improve. Enjoy the video, it’s less than a minute.

The best way to prevent war is to always be ready to fight – and win. When China was attacked by Japan in the late 1930’s, China wasn’t strong enough to defend herself. In other words, weakness invites the bad guys to attack. Today, Japan wouldn’t dream of attacking China, because China is simply too strong. This is a great thing. Being strong, keeping the peace, through strength, is what this post is all about. If you’ve learned this lesson, no need to watch the three videos, unless you’re into military strength, or just want to improve your English comprehension.

On April 12, 2009 U.S. Navy Seal sharpshooters performed a spectacular rescue of a merchant ship captain being held hostage by Somali pirates off the coast of Saudi Arabia. You can read the entire story here. URL:http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30131277#30189266

And here are two recent videos of U.S. Navy Seal training.
U.S. Navy Seals – Part IURL:http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30189254#35056568

U.S. Navy Seals – Part IIURL:http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30189254#35077311