Why America is not the greatest country in the world – The Newsroom

Jenny: Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?
Sharon: Diversity and opportunity.
Lewis: Freedom and freedom… so let’s keep it that way.
Will: The New York Jets.
Moderator: No, I’m going to hold you to an answer on that. What makes America the greatest country in the world?
Will: Well, Lewis and Sharon said it. Diversity and opportunity and freedom and freedom.
Moderator: I’m not letting you go back to the airport without answering the question.
Will: Well, our Constitution is a masterpiece. James Madison was a genius. The Declaration of Independence is, for me, the single greatest piece of American writing…
[Professor keeps staring]
Will: You don’t look satisfied.
Moderator: One’s a set of laws and the other’s a declaration of war. I want a human moment from you… what about the people? Why is America…
Will: It’s not the greatest country in the world, professor. That’s my answer.
Moderator: You’re saying…
Will: Yes.
Moderator: Let’s talk about…
Will: Fine.
[Turns to Sharon]
Will: Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paycheck, but he
[gestures to Lewis]
Will: gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn’t cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don’t like liberals? Cause they lose. If liberals are so fucking smart, how come they lose so god damn always?
Sharon: Hey!
Will: [Turns to Louis] And with a straight face, you’re gonna tell students that America is so star-spangled awesome that we’re the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The UK. France. Italy. Germany. Spain. Australia… Belgium! has freedom… 207 sovereign states in the world, like 180 of ’em have freedom.
Moderator: Alright…
Will: [Looks at Jenny] And, yeah, you… sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know. One of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending – where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies. Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the worst period generation period ever period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don’t know what the FUCK you’re talking about!… Yosemite?
[Stunned silence]
Will: … It sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws – for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advanced, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists AND the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it. It didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn’t scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed… by great men, men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

Worst Day Ever? – Chanie Gorkin

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don’t try to convince me that
There’s something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don’t last.
And it’s not true that
It’s all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be attained
Only if one’s surroundings are good
It’s not true that good exists
I’m sure you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It’s all beyond my control
And you’ll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a very good day
Now read it from bottom to top, the other way,
And see what I really feel about my day.

Tabata Workout – Stay Fit and Motivated

I was recently exposed to Tabata, a High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) workout while serving my reservist in Pasir Ris camp. The workout regime is relatively simple and does not require any equipments at all. Best of all,  it only takes 4 minutes to finish one “Tabata” cycle. However, this will be the most intense and longest 4 minutes you will ever experience, provided you do not shortchange yourself during the workout.

Why Tabata?

  • High Intensity Interval Training has larger impact on both aerobic and anaerobic systems than traditional aerobic workout
  • It’s simple and requires no weights/equipments
  • You can easily customise your own Tabata workout by mixing any exercise you desire
  • It only takes 4 minutes of your time to complete one cycle

How to Tabata?

  1. Workout as hard as you can for 20 seconds
  2. Rest for 10 seconds
  3. Repeat Step 1 & 2 for the rest of the exercises (1 “Tabata” cycle)
  4. Do as many “Tabata” cycle as possible

Tabata Workout:

  1. Squats
  2. Jumping Jacks
  3. Lunges
  4. Situps
  5. High Jumper
  6. Burpees
  7. Flutter Kicks
  8. Push Ups

For beginners, you may want to start off with 4 “Tabata” cycles and gradually increase 1 cycle at a time when your body is conditioned for higher intensity.
It is important to give your 100% for the 20secs of workout in each exercise as it would defeat the purpose of high intensity training if you don’t push yourself to the limit.
P.S. – Just for laugh:
I named the Tabata workout as the “Patapon” Workout. The word “Tabata” reminds me of the PSP game “Patapon”. I have completed the game back in my NS days. It was really fun and interesting game! On a side note, I have designed the Tabata featured image above based on some online tutorial to improve my photoshop skill.
My preferred Patapon Workout exercises as belowPatapon Workout

Patapon Workout:

  1. Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon (Squats)
  2. Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon (Jumping Jacks)
  3. Chaka-Chaka-Pata-Pon (Lunges)
  4. Pon-Pata-Pon-Pata (Crunches)
  5. Pon-Pon-Chaka-Chaka (Flutter Kicks)
  6. Don-Don-Chaka-Chaka (Burpees)
  7. Pata-Pon-Don-Chaka (Front Planks)
  8. Don-DoDon-DoDon (Push Ups)

See related post:
Workout Motivation
List of references:
What is Tabata Training?
The 4-Minute Fat-Burning Miracle Tabata Workout
List of Command Songs
How To Create Great Typographic Wallpaper In Photoshop

Jack Ma advice on how to be successful in Life

Before 20 Years Old:

Be a good student. The way to entrepreneur, just learn some experience.

Before 30 Years Old:

Follow somebody. Go to a small company. Normally in a big company it’s good to learn processes. You’re a part of a big machine. But when you go to a small company, you learn the passion, you learn the dreams, and you learn how to do lots of things at any one time. So before 30 years old, it’s not which company you go, it’s which boss you follow. It’s very important. A good boss teaches you differently.

From 30 to 40 Years Old:

You have to think very clearly if you want to work for yourself. If you really want to be an entrepreneur.

From 40 to 50 Years Old:

You have to do all the things that you are good at. Don’t try to drop into the new area, it’s too late. You may be successful, but the rate of dying is too big. Think about how to focus on things that you’re good at.

From 50 to 60 Years Old:

Work for the young people. Because young people can do better than you. So rely on them, invest on them, making sure that they are good.

Over 60 Years Old:

Spend time on yourself, on the beach, sunshine, it’s normally too late for you to change. This is my advice to young people: At 25-years old, make enough mistakes. Don’t worry. You fall, you stand up. Enjoy it. Enjoy the show.

Jack Ma on Regrets:

I regret a lot of things. I regret that I meet the Media. I regret that I speak in the public. Because I could have my own privacy. I regret that I work so hard and spend so little time with my family. If I have another life, I would never do things like this. And my wife said: “You do not belong to me. You belong to Alibaba.” But, in all, Life is so short. It’s all about experience. People seek different views. Some people think you’re rich, you’re successful. But you’re not! Some people say this guy does not have money and he’s a terrible guy. Maybe not! So everybody choose his or her own life. We have a lot of problems that people never thought of. Because running a company for 34,000 young people, operating a company for more than 500 million people. If 1% of the 500 million people are bad guys, you got 5 million bad guys. So it’s a headache. But it’s too late to regret. Forget about regret. Think about I have another 10-20 years to go. So enjoy the show, enjoy the ride. You’re the same.
See Related:
Advice from Jack Ma on Life and Entrepreneurship
Jack Ma’s vision for Alibaba
The Value of Honour – Jack Ma

Workout Motivation – Tough times don't last, tough people do

Most people are aware of the health benefits of having a regular workout regime but often lack the discipline and motivation to stick to their training schedule. Procrastination and excuses start to kick in, and soon,  they simply just stop trying.
When a new hot and trending workout video (such as INSANITY workout) is shared online, people might get excited and try it out for awhile. However, the enthusiasm simply wore off over time, and they are back to their sedentary lifestyle.
Do you find yourself making yearly resolution to go the gym or keeping to a run schedule, and find yourself breaking them a few months later, giving yourself excuses and procrastinating from time to time.
Therefore, it is important to identify the “Why” of keeping fit and healthy instead of just focusing on “How” to keep fit and healthy. For me, the “Why” is simply because it just feels so right and logical to stick to an exercise regime. Exercise is an excellent way to destress and keeps one focused and energised. Although it feels kind of sucky for the first few months, your body will get used to the body aches and sore feet over time. You will start to feel more refreshed each day and also feel good about yourself.
Find out your “Why” and craft out a flexible exercise regime to fit into your schedule. For a start, drag someone for a jogging session once a week. Slowly build up your endurance and be disciplined. Suffer either the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret.
Keep pushing hard until you get it!

Below are some of motivational quotes and images to keep you going:

EXERCISE - Some motivation required
EXERCISE – Some motivation required

Better sore than sorry
Better sore than sorry

No rest is worth anything except the rest that is earned
No rest is worth anything except the rest that is earned

I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.
I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.

Running is the greatest metaphor for Life, because you get out of it what you put into it.
P.S. If you are in Singapore and need a jogging/running buddy, feel free to drop a comment and I will be happy to arrange a jogging/running session.
See related post:
Tabata Workout – Stay Fit and Motivated

Your Daily Dose of Motivation