REPRISE: The Best Introduction You Will Hear All Year
SteveNOTE: Today is July 4th Independence Day in the USA and that means only one thing - The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest! Back in 2016, I was watching the annual contest and witnessed not only some unreal feats of eating but also became more appreciative and even awed by the contest Master of Ceremonies, George Shea. Shea is a fantastic showman and his 2016 intro of legendary eater Joey Chestnut was equally the stuff of legend and as in 2016 I was writing about just about anything that interested me, I featured Shea here on the blog. So here it is again from 2016.
Have a great holiday weekend!
From July 5, 2016
This is the best speaker/performer/sportsman introduction that you will hear all year - maybe ever.
It comes to us courtesy of the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest held on July 4th and delivered by Master of Ceremonies George Shea, as he introduced competitive eating legend, and former champion Joey Chestnut.
Forgive the very shaky quality of the video embedded below (email and RSS subscribers click through), as it was recorded by me with my phone from a DVR replay of the event.
Trust me, you want to give this a minute and a few seconds to watch/listen.
Here's the full text of the intro, in case the dodgy audio was tough to decipher:
Two years ago on this stage he asked his girlfriend to marry him. And then last year one week before the contest the wedding was called off. And then on the 4th of July he lost the title of World Champion. And he was beaten and he was broken and he was alone. And nothing that he owned had any value, and his thoughts had no shape and no meaning. And the words fell from his mouth without sound. And he was lost and empty-handed, standing like a boy without friends on the school yard. But then he remembered that he is Joey Chestnut. And there is a time for pain and there is a time for punishment. A time for doubt and a time for dominance. A time for forbearance and a time for fury. And there is never, ever a time for submission. Ladies and gentlemen, the former champion of the world here to take back what was once his - Joey Chestnut!
Did that bring chills down your spine, or what?
Awesome.
Why write about this, or bring attention to it at all?
Because it is a perfect example of someone, (Shea), going the extra, extra mile. It is a master class in combining facts, context, emotion, and excitement to make his audience interested in and excited about what is about to happen.
Because it is an amazing 1:15 showing a person (Shea) at the absolute top of his game. And not for nothing, shortly after this introduction, Chestnut went on to reclaim his Nathan's Hot Dog Champions title, (and Mustard Belt).
The next time it is your job to introduce someone for a speech or a presentation you'd do well to watch Shea's introduction of Chestnut a few times to find some inspiration.
And the next time I get introduced for a presentation, I am going to demand that George Shea gets the job.
Reader Comments (3)
Ahh that is great thank you ! Good for special needs too ! Ivery like it!
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數學補習 - 2018DSE Maths 考法大改? 思考能力變得更重要數學補習 - 2018DSE Maths 考法大改? 思考能力變得更重要
之前提到考評局出卷難咗，個人認為原因之一是封殺補習名師所謂神技。原因之二是以前幾何圖形題目在DSE明顯變少了。咁問題係點解要變番多?幾何有咁重要嘛?這可能要說到考數學的宗旨。(我不是什麼老一派，最憎什麼以前要考所以而家要考呢啲低b邏輯)
討論真正數學是什麼對大部分人來說是沒有意義的，因為好多人考完DSE都唔會再用。所以實際一點說考數學是為了什麼，而按這個標準/討論基礎下看看考評局出卷有無達到呢個目標好了。
考DSE數學宗旨有兩個。本意是考核學生的基本運算能力、套用已有知識能力、邏輯思考能力 (這是其他科都沒有的)；另一個是實際意義上要分類或界定有以上能力的人入大學，亦同時反映工作的基礎能力(例如某些政府工作要求DSE 數學level 最低要求是3)。
基本運算能力是對數字、圖形、數據的認知，普通計算題目/DSE part A(1) 經常遇見，就是基礎數學知識。
套用已有知識能力是對公式的應用，在不同情況下都可以靈活運用。就好似老闆俾咗上次單生意個template 你，你識唔識套用番喺今次個deal上面咁。DSE份卷其實好多都屬於考呢類能力嘅題目。
邏輯思考能力是判斷文字、圖形關係對錯、解難時判斷先後次序關係的一種關聯能力。呢部分好多人唔明係咩意思。
先舉個文字關係的例子: If ab is positive, then a and b must be positive. (True/ False)。句子裡面If ..., then ...以及must 都是邏輯用詞 (還有and/ or/ nor 之類都是)。好多時學生就會篤幾個a 同b嘅數字俾我，跟住就話上面句句子無錯呀，例如1 x 2 = 2 。呢啲我哋稱為以偏概全(其實有更準確嘅名，不過廢事嚇親你)，因為句子的基礎係乘埋 = 正數，可以負乘負都係正，亦即是a, b 並不一定是正。反之， If a and b are positive, ab must be positive. 呢句就正確了。如果計數流於運算，呢類題目你會覺得頭爆，什至反倒說計數就計數，理呢啲做咩，即是話你只有基本運算能力，沒有邏輯。
咁咩判斷先後次序咩關係又係咩?通常會反映喺圖形問題上。就係處理題目時著眼點應該係哪條邊或者哪隻角先、哪條邊哪隻角後，以及為什麼要是這個次序?這個部分是連所有教科書都做得不足的，因為它們都只提供答案，沒有解釋為何著眼點是這處開始，那裡收結。常見老師教學生搵到全幅圖都畫花晒，所有角所有邊都搵晒，就係搵唔倒答案。就是因為大家都無一個清晰的思路，或者叫一個Plan 去搵答案!!!!!!好彩搵倒答案嘅又會話，做倒就得啦，使咩知點解。呢啲全部都反映倒一個人的解難能力與態度，記住重點並不是條幾何題目本身，而是你如何看待解難中的過程，同埋會唔會檢討、總結、歸納方法去令自己有更大機會解決下一條難題。
(幾何邏輯關係算是我最強的範籌，其他都很強的，但相較起來，幾何能力比其他人真的強太多了。我自己亦有自己一套解說方法，尤其是圓形，我膽敢說沒有一條考評局出的幾何題目(實際上是所有題目，包括以前啲pure maths)是需要無中生有的方法，全部都可以解釋點解要咁做。今年啲人話好難嘅圖形MC我全部都係心算就出答案啦XDD)
而我認為問題就出在邏輯思考能力這裡!!! (講咗咁耐終於去到重點......) DSE由2012至2018年，paper 1 section B基本上都沒有圓形證明題，除了2016年最後一條的part a。其他topics可以取而代之嗎? log, transformation of graphs, Equations of circles，大多數都是運算類型題，就連equation of circles 有的些微關係亦被神技封殺了XDD。3D算是有少許考到考生的思路，但題目分數所限，條題目成日都有啲欲言又止嘅感覺。permutation, combination & probability 其實本意是考邏輯，但奈何題目難度相差什遠，未考到有關邏輯的部分已經全軍覆沒，老師都未識教何況學生。既然咁多障礙，解決方法就是: 1. 將最後一條考 circles, 3D或超難的probability 2. 將paper 2 變成圖形專利/Which of the following must be true 之類 3. 引入一課邏輯學(上網睇其實好似196X年香港有試過引入【新數學】有談及Set Theory在當時中一定唔知高中教授，但之後消失咗)。
第3點是不可能的了，剛剛轉制不久。第1點其實算正常，但probability在現況下很多時都是全世界炒晒變得沒意義，3D、circles 長駐最後一條其實是可以的，雖則神技令好多3D題目都唔知點出好。考評局今年選擇了第2點，其實我2014年就已經估2015年打後會唔會圖形題都係會好難用來分人，點知係2018年先來玩到有點盡。我覺得呢個係加埋封神技嘅雙重效應。
好，咁大嘅改動又會唔會令考DSE數學嘅實際意義 (分人入大學或作為衡量一個人基礎能力的其一標準) 失去咗呢?
再講啦
(續)
Shea is a brilliant showman, and his introduction of legendary eater Joey Chestnut in 2016 was legendary in its own right. Since I was writing about pretty much anything in 2016 that intrigued me, I included Shea in this blog post.
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