The following is an excerpt from Og Mandino’s incredible book, “Mission: Success!” It’s a gripping novel, and the book tells an incredible story inspired by the author’s true experiences as a flying officer with the Eighth Air Force in England during World War II.… Read More
NOT-FOR-PROFITS: Top Ten Things You Need to Do After You Gain Tax-Exempt Status
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
Congrats! I’m assuming you just received your tax-exempt letter from the IRS. Here are the next things you need to do, if you haven’t already.… Read More
My Acorns Update: $549.66
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
As promised, here is another of my Acorn Investment App updates. What started at $0 in August 2017, and then went to $75, and finally surpassed $300 is now nearly at $550! … Read More
大熊猫奇遇记 (Memories of a Happy Encounter With a Giant Panda)
by Claire Hanbing Lu in Canada
Chinese Fluency Project Program Assistant, Break Diving, Inc.
(If you need help understanding, use an online translator tool, or use Pleco’s Live Character Reader)
大熊猫奇遇记
我最喜欢的动物,就是大熊猫了。熊猫既是珍稀动物,也是中国的国宝。
熊猫刚出生只有150克左右重。相当于妈妈体重的千分之一。但是,过了一个月以后,熊猫的体重可达2公斤,过三个月后,体重可达5、6公斤重了。等小熊猫四、五个月大时,熊猫妈妈就会教小熊猫爬树、洗澡、游泳剥食等本领。长大成年以后每天要吃20公斤的箭竹,有时它们也会捕捉竹林里的竹鼠“美餐一顿”哦!我第一次见到熊猫时,它们因四肢较短所以行动缓慢。但毛茸茸的面孔上却嵌着一对乌黑发亮的眼睛。那两个黑眼圈,近看就像蘸足了墨汁写的一个“八”字;远看又像戴了一副墨镜,再加上一身墨墨黑黑的毛,更显得美丽可爱,使我从此抵抗不了它们的魅力。
它们之中有些是馋嘴鬼,有些是懒家伙,有些是乖孩子,还有些是小调皮。它们有时两腿一蹬翻了个身;有时憨态可掬的走起路来;有时又笨拙的吃着美味的竹子,模样十分惹人喜爱。管理员叔叔阿姨们一来,那些馋嘴鬼们便争先恐后地扑了上去,争夺那些美味的竹纤维营养饼。有些人被大熊猫们搂着腿寸步难行,还有些人更是被大熊猫们扑倒在地上,引起大家一片笑声。
许多人都不知道大熊猫是生物界的活化石,其实它们在地球上至少生存了八百万年!特别有意思的是以前大熊猫主要是以吃肉为生的,因为生存环境的关系,它们迫不得已改变了饮食习惯,改吃草木植物为主。
并且,半个世纪以来,“熊猫外交”都是中国外交的独特方式之一。1972年,大熊猫“玲玲”和“兴兴”被赠送给美国,引起巨大的轰动。动物园开放首日就有两万多人前来参观,可谓是空前的景象。2015年,习近平主席访问美国时,夫人彭丽媛和奥巴马总统夫人米歇尔共同为新生的大熊猫幼崽取名为“贝贝”。大熊猫是我们的好朋友。为了保护这一标志性物种,我们必须开展有效的防范措施、并处理新出现的威胁。
Break Diving, Inc.… Read More
The Best Way to Learn the Basics of Any Foreign Language
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
Founder of Break Diving’s Fluency Project
Speaks English, Chinese, French, Italian, and some German, and other languages
1. First off, the app Duolingo does not teach you the basics of a foreign language! … Read More
How to Become Fluent in Any Foreign Language
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
First, let me get one thing straight: you don’t need to be a child to learn a language, or to become fluent in a language. … Read More
Three New Break Diving Petitions For You to Sign
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
As some of you know, I have been having wonderful success with Change.org, and in particular, a petition I started as an individual to change the name of the Cuomo Bridge back to its original historical name, the Tappan Zee. … Read More
Uno Stimolante Viaggio Nel Passato.
di Imane Kouza, madrelingua italiana e studentessa all’istituto tecnico J.Sansovino in Italia (by Imane Kouza, native Italian speaker and high school student in Italy, at J.Sansovino Technical Institute)
Oggi voglio fare un viaggio nel tempo e ritornare nel passato, precisamente ai tempi della mia infanzia.… Read More
Español / Spanish Language Resources
Compiled & recommended by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving’s Fluency Project
Estoy estudiando español y espero que estos recursos te ayuden!
An ever growing list of hand-picked tools tested and approved by Fluency Project founder Monroe Mann:
APPS/aplicaciones
- Larousse Spanish Dictionary
- Trivia Crack (Intermediate to Advanced)
- Living Language Spanish (Beginner to Advanced)
- Memrise
- Brainscape
- Audible Spanish Audiobooks
- Radios Spain
- News in Slow Spanish
- Busuu
- Duolingo (good to get you started)
- Setting Up Anki for Foreign Language Vocabulary Fluency – The Fluency Project Way
BOOKS/libros
- Assimil Spanish (I ADORE THIS SERIES, FOR EVERY LANGUAGE)
- Living Language Spanish (beginner to advanced)
- Collins Easy Learning Spanish Conversation
- Collins Easy Learning Spanish Grammar
- Collins Easy Learning Spanish Vocabulary
WEBSITES/sitios web
- Yabla Spanish at Yabla.com
Deutsch / German Language Resources
Compiled & recommended by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving’s Fluency Project
Ich studiere Deutsch und ich hoffe diese Ressourcen helfen Ihnen!
An ever growing list of hand-picked tools tested and approved by Fluency Project founder Monroe Mann:
APPS/applications
- Larousse German Dictionary
- Trivia Crack (Intermediate to Advanced)
- Living Language German (Beginner to Advanced)
- Memrise
- Brainscape
- Audible German Audiobooks
- Radios Deutsch
- News in Slow German
- Radio Germany
- Busuu
- Duolingo (good to get you started)
- Setting Up Anki for Foreign Language Vocabulary Fluency – The Fluency Project Way
BOOKS/livres
- Assimil German (I ADORE THIS SERIES, FOR EVERY LANGUAGE)
- Living Language German (beginner to advanced)
- Collins Easy Learning German Conversation
- Collins Easy Learning German Grammar
- Collins Easy Learning German Vocabulary
WEBSITES/sites
- Yabla German at Yabla.com
非常好听的歌!Joyce Chu 的 “好想你” Great song!
你看!这首歌非常好听非常好看!
P.S. You will love this song even if you don’t understand the song. But as a tip, ‘hao xiang ni’ means I really miss you. Thanks to Break Diving member Elijah Cannon for sharing this with us in the community!… Read More
Best Halloween Costume Ever
Shot by Claire Hanbing Lu
Break Diving Member and Volunteer in Canada
(c) 2017 by Claire Hanbing Lu, used with permission via a perpetual non-exclusive license to Break Diving, Inc. for any and all legal purposes.
Break Diving, Inc. is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization.… Read More
Français / French Language Resources
Compiled & recommended by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving’s Fluency Project
Je suis un étudiant de français et j’espère que ces ressources vous aideront.
An ever growing list of hand-picked tools tested and approved by Fluency Project founder Monroe Mann:
APPS/applications
- Larousse French Dictionary
- Trivia Crack (Intermediate to Advanced)
- Living Language French (Beginner to Advanced)
- Memrise
- Brainscape
- Audible French Audiobooks
- Radios France
- News in Slow French
- Radio France
- Busuu
- Duolingo (good to get you started)
- Larousse Dictons
- Plango
- Larousse Citations
- Collins En-Fr
- Le Journal – Le Figaro
- 7 Jours Sur La Planète (AWESOME — Intermediate to Advanced)
- Setting Up Anki for Foreign Language Vocabulary Fluency – The Fluency Project Way
BOOKS/livres
- Assimil French (I ADORE THIS SERIES, FOR EVERY LANGUAGE)
- Living Language French (beginner to advanced)
- Collins Easy Learning French Conversation
- Collins Easy Learning French Grammar
- Collins Easy Learning French Vocabulary
- Speaking Better French by Rosenthal
- Any books by Frédéric Lenoir (Advanced)
- Anything by CLE International
WEBSITES/sites
- Yabla French at Yabla.com
Italiano/Italian Language Resources
Compiled & recommended by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving’s Fluency Project
Sono uno studente d’italiano e spero che troviate questi strumenti utili.
An ever growing list of hand-picked tools tested and approved by Fluency Project founder Monroe Mann:
APPS/applicazioni
- Italian Dictionary by Language Learning Pack
- Trivia Crack (Intermediate to Advanced)
- Living Language Italian (Beginner to Advanced)
- Memrise
- Brainscape
- Audible Italian Audiobooks
- Radios Italia
- News in Slow Italian
- Radio Italy
- Busuu
- Duolingo (good to get you started)
- Setting Up Anki for Foreign Language Vocabulary Fluency – The Fluency Project Way
BOOKS/libri
- Assimil Italian (I ADORE THIS SERIES, FOR EVERY LANGUAGE)
- Living Language Italian (beginner to advanced)
WEBSITES/siti
- Yabla Italian at Yabla.com
My Acorns Update: $242.66
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
As promised, here is another of my Acorn Investment App updates. What started at $0, and then went to $75, and finally surpassed $100 is now nearly at $300!… Read More
Don’t Say “Thanks.”
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
Yes, you read the title correctly.
I want you to stop saying “Thanks” and “Thank you” to others.
WHAT?!
Yes, that’s precisely what I want you to stop doing.… Read More
The “How To Become Rich” Reading List
by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: I am not rich, but I do know one thing: I know how to make it happen, and I’m working my butt off to get there! … Read More
More Inspiring Quotes, Chinese Fortunes, and Horoscopes
Compiled by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving, Inc.
The following are real Chinese fortunes, newspaper horoscopes, and generally inspiring quotations I have encountered over the years. This is Volume Two! 😀 I hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me on my life’s journey:
… Read More“You will grow in awareness.
汉语/Chinese Language Resources
Compiled & recommended by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT
Founder & Executive Director, Break Diving’s Fluency Project
我是一个学习汉语的美国人。我用这些工具为了提高我的汉语。
An ever growing list of hand-picked tools tested and approved by Fluency Project founder Monroe Mann:
APPS/app
- Pleco Dictionary & Character Scanner (Beginner to Advanced)
- Trivia Crack (Intermediate to Advanced)
- Living Language Chinese (Beginner to Advanced)
- Memrise
- Brainscape
- Hanzi Sticky Study (For HSK Test Study)
- The Chairman’s Bao
- Chinese Radio
- Radio Chinese Plus
- China Radio
- Open Sky Archive
- Chinese Radio Seattle
- Setting Up Anki for Foreign Language Vocabulary Fluency – The Fluency Project Way
BOOKS/书
- Developing Chinese listening, reading, and writing courses
- Road to Success textbook series
- Boya Chinese textbook series
- Living Language Chinese (Great to start with)
- Assimil Chinese (I ADORE THIS SERIES, FOR EVERY LANGUAGE)
- Chinese Breeze Graded Readers
- HSK Test Syllabi – HSK1 – 6 (The Commercial Press)
- Learn Characters with Ms.
Growing Up At RCA in NYC (Radio Corporation of America)
by Dan Manzano
Project Manager, Inventor, Artist, Actor, Acting Coach, Singer, Voice Over Artist, Comic, & Fitness Trainer, and… Break Diver!