Casper's posterous

light at the end of the tunnel...

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 03:58:39 -0700

my undergraduate studies are drawing to a close. had a bloody wicked time so far. just a couple more papers to write and then i'll have completed my BA in Political Economy.

here's the main reason I have not been online as much recently:

[final] diss - Chinese Foreign Direct Investment into the EU - Trick or Treat?.pdf Download this file

any comments or feedback on my dissertation are very welcome.

---

Casper Oppenhuis de Jong

嘉仕博

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Photos for Hudson River Adventure 2010

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:59:00 -0800

via vintageflying.com

how could one not like private aviation after seeing this. USA must be one of the best countries to fly in. wonder when china will further open up its airspace to let more aviators marvel at its stunning landscape.

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on podcasts (and deleting my entire itunes library)

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:15:00 -0700

three days ago i accidentally deleted my entire music collection. no backups. no restoring. no excuses. just sheer stupidity. perfect.

it took me 5 years to compile that collection. when i realised i had deleted everything, i felt one good boost of anxiety. and then i realised i had just freed up 50gb+ on my harddrive. perfect.

80% of the songs had a play count of 1 or 0. i rarely used itunes in the first place. spotify has a much wider collection. empty itunes library restored my focus. perfect.

one thing i did use itunes for regularly: podcasts. those were also all gone. but some twitter friends quickly filled that library with recommendations. perfect.

here's a quick overview of awesome podcasts. mostly politics, culture and current affairs.

- The Economist
- Freakonomics Radio
- BBC World Service Documentaries
- Monocle
- The Moth
- New Yorker: Out Loud
- New Yorker: Political Scene
- NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
- NPR: World Story of the Day
- PRI: Selected Shorts
- PRI's The World
- Sinica
- Slate: Culture gabfest
- Slate Political gabfest
- Stuff You Should Know
- Thomas Crampton
- WNYC Radiolab

all available from the itunes store. updated regularly, to function as my personal radio station. perfect.

(massive thanks to @kaiserkuo for supplying the majority of this list!)

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Help Casper Get to Asia for the Summer!

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:27:00 -0800

Beloved followers & followees,

After 2 amazing years of travelling and working in China, I'm currently studying in the United Kingdom for my BA in Political Economy at the University of Birmingham.

To put my enthusiasm for Asia to good use I'm looking for an internship for upcoming summer (June-September), preferably in/around China. Would any of you have any leads/ideas for me?

I've attached my CV for you to have a gander. Maybe something crazy/awesome springs to mind. Please know that I'm a skilled coffee/photocopy maker. :)

The person that offers the winning lead will be awarded copious amounts of beer/tea/串儿!

Thanks for your time!

Best wishes,

@casperodj
Casper Oppenhuis de Jong
嘉仕博

casperodj [at] gmail [dot] com

[pdf] CV Casper Oppenhuis de Jong 180210 - blog.pdf Download this file

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Beijing selling China to the world

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:38:55 -0800

2009-12-01 07:37:25.0Jin Zhu and Ding Qingfenadvertisement,CNN,Made in China,MOC11020263Foreign and Military Affairs2@webnews/enpproperty-->

The government has started a global charm offensive aimed at getting more consumers to reach for "Made in China" products.
The groundbreaking ad campaign is seeking to boost the image of Chinese goods around the world.
The initiative is believed to be the government's first foray into branding, something experts are hailing as "a PR breakthrough".
The Ministry of Commerce said the initiative was designed to promote Chinese-made products "in a fair and objective way".
The campaign started on Nov 23 with a 30-second spot on CNN International, CNN US and CNN Headline News, the ministry said in a statement.

Related readings:
MOC urges to promote service trade in economic recovery
China suffers from protectionism: MOC
China's MOC sets conditions on GM-Delphi deal
MOC: Anti-dumping probes 'based on facts'
Made-in-China light rail train taps European market
The ad, which carries the hook "Made in China: Made with the world" shares the message "co-operation and participation" and highlights the fact that Chinese companies work with overseas firms to produce quality products.
In the ad, a series of goods with the "Made in China" label are shown being made with the help of top foreign firms.
An MP3 player is described as "Made in China with software from Silicon Valley". A fashion shoot includes clothes labeled "Made in China with French designers". And a refrigerator bears the text "Made in China with European styling".
The campaign "reflects the Chinese firms' attitude and aspiration of strengthening cooperation with other countries to provide quality goods for foreign consumers", the statement said.
Chen Na, a press secretary with the China Advertising Association of Commerce, said the campaign was commissioned by the ministry with participation from four industry groups.
The four groups are the China Advertising Association of Commerce, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles.
The ad, which was created by DDB Guoan in Beijing, has been in development for months. The agency won the account last year.
China is known as the "world's factory". It is the planet's largest manufacturer of more than 210 industrial products.
"Chinese products can be found everywhere in the world now. However, some do not have a good reputation. The task of promoting the brand is imminent," said Huang Shengmin, dean of the Advertising Department of Communication University of China.

via chinadaily.com.cn

China Daily's take on the recent 'Made In China' campaign by the Chinese government. I doubt this 'global charm offensive' is going to make a difference. Does not in any way change the position China is in; razor thing margins and no innovation. It just tries to justify it by pointing the finger at others.

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China Spreads Aid in Africa, With a Catch

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:30:37 -0700

The New York Times interestingly reported about China's attempts to (financially) recolonize Africa, right after I have had some interesting talks about this last weekend. These neoimperialistic tendencies of China are nothing new, but easily scare viewers that are new to this show.

I personally believe that 'The West' has waited to long to help - and in the end; benefit from - Africa. We have let Rwanda happen. And not to mention Sudan. The Chinese have another approach to the problem that we call Africa: stop seeing it as a problem. Start seeing the opportunities and reap them.

China Spreads Aid in Africa, With a Catch (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/world/africa/22namibia.html

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Free work the way to go?

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:22:43 -0700

2 very interesting pieces on how to secure (career) opportunities through doing free work.

Free work can offer job seekers and entrepreneurs(-to-be) great skills and contacts. I personally see this as more of a way to go than internships or placements.

How to Get a Job Without Experience (Harvard Business Review)

Recession-Proof Graduate (Charlie Hoehn)

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Hammer Pant

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:08:00 -0700

One of those classic internet/YouTube/marketing memes.

Everyone happy, clean hit & run, brilliant footage. Me likes.

(h/t @techfader)
Casper Oppenhuis de Jong
嘉仕博

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Michael Wolf in Hong Kong

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:16:11 -0700

http://www.photomichaelwolf.com/intro/index.html

photography speaks a language that needs no translation.
michael wolf happens to be fluent in that language.

persistent volatility in pictures from a culture that's hard to capture.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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TechCrunch Article on Sequoia/Zhang Fan

Sun, 17 May 2009 04:07:44 -0700

Is Sequoia China in Trouble?

from TechCrunch by Sarah Lacy

(via @niubi)

BEIJING, CHINA– Starbucks is a franchise in China that worked. The company opened locations at the bottom of all the major tourist hotels and downtown areas where returning Chinese, expats and business people traveling to China would pop in for some familiarity and to hold meetings, much like they do in the U.S. For people hoping to mix with that crowd, Starbucks became something of an aspirational brand in China. Tea was what your parents drank; a latte was something exotic and western.

No one thought Starbucks would work in China, but it did. Sequoia Capital, however, is not Starbucks.

There are a few ways to set up venture activity in China. One is to become a limited partner for a local firm. Another is to relocate an existing partner to build an office. The most common is to hire well-known, connected investors already in China, and Intel Capital, which has been investing in China longer than almost anyone, is one of a few farm systems for that. Typically this is known as the “franchise model.” The hired China partners operate under the Kleiner Perkins or Sequoia brand name and typically share the same limited partners, but the funds themselves are separate. In exchange for that name and fund raising advantage, the Valley firms take a healthy chunk of the carry.

It seemed like the best of all strategies a few years ago. These firms want experts but don’t necessarily want to slow down or meddle in their deal making. But the cachet of the top Valley brands only goes so far over here. In 2008 Kleiner Perkins’ China partnership exploded, with two of its four partners quitting in a dispute that was far more contentious than a lot of Valley media reported at the time. In a week of touring China’s start-up scene, I’ve barely heard the KPCB brand mentioned at all. Now, it seems it’s Sequoia’s turn for some humble China pie.

It’s no secret Mike Mortiz has been traveling back-and-forth to China a great deal, and he’s fond of telling reporters that’s because of all the opportunity. I asked him at Kenshoo’s recent US launch party about the unique challenges of investing in China versus the US, Europe or Israel. He said he wasn’t trying to stonewall on the answer, but that all venture investing was just hard, no one place more than another.

Really? Several sources in China and Silicon Valley have confirmed Moritz has been in China this week addressing Sequoia’s so-called “China Problem.” In February, one of Sequoia China’s founding partners, Zhang Fan, resigned due to “personal reasons.” I’ve now talked to close to twenty sources in the venture scene in Beijing and Shanghai who say those “reasons” were that Zhang was well known for taking bribes, kickbacks and other unethical behavior. People are fond of pointing out that Zhang’s biggest hit was Asia Media Company, which later had to de-list from the Tokyo Stock Exchange under a scandal. Whether it’s true or not, he certainly didn’t do Sequoia’s brand any favors here.

That left the other founding managing director at the helm, the highly respected Neil Shen, who founded Ctrip.com, the so-called “Expedia of China,” and Home Inns & Hotels Management. I’ve talked to several VCs and entrepreneurs in China who say Shen is a prickly guy but his deal judgment is unparalleled in the country. He’s even a bit of a hero to some entrepreneurs. But unfortunately, Shen too is in hot water. U.S. firm Carlyle Group is suing Shen for more than $200 million in damages for allegedly blocking a Carlyle deal in a Chinese medical research firm. Said one person close to Sequoia in China, “Moritz will have to fire him. He has no choice.”

If that’s the case, it may not be obvious at first. Venture capitalists tend to fire partners gradually and quietly. Frequently they’re still given offices and assistants as they phase out of decision making.

Even the widespread speculation could be a big blow for Sequoia, which at one point seemed to be one of the better-adapted Valley names here. It still employs two other managing directors and several more vice presidents and associates in China, but for many Chinese entrepreneurs Shen represented the brand as much as Moritz does in the U.S. There are few China investors with solid operating experience, particularly in the Internet.

And it can’t be good news for Sequoia’s limited partners who haven’t taken too kindly to Sequoia’s pressure to make them invest in not only China, but in other unproven Sequoia funds aimed at India and later stage U.S. companies, according to very wide-spread reports and my own reporting.

Player hating is part of human nature, so it’s no surprise that other Valley investors have whispered with glee that the once-dominant Sequoia seems distracted by all this. The competition’s biggest fear: Moritz solves the problems and Sequoia starts to focus on what it does well again.

(Sequoia did not respond to a detailed request for comment or clairification of this story and has a long-standing policy of not commenting on the firm’s internal matters.)

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Sino Solid - Vol VI

Tue, 05 May 2009 14:12:00 -0700

Hi there,

It took me a couple of weeks to get around writing the next update. Hope to get back into this tradition. :)

Working hard on expanding and improving this weekly China update. Therefore, it is crucial you send me your feedback on it. Expect a small survey next week with more specific questions.

Let's go:

Economics & Business

China Stocks ‘Bubble’ Ready to Burst, Galaxy Says (Bloomberg)

China is at risk of a stock market “bubble” that may burst as investor confidence in the nation’s economic recovery weakens and bank lending slows, according to China Galaxy Securities Co., the nation’s largest brokerage.

If China loses faith the dollar will collapse (Financial Times)

Emerging economies such as China and Russia are calling for alternatives to the dollar as a reserve currency. The trigger is the Federal Reserve’s liberal policy of expanding the money supply to prop up America’s banking system and its over-indebted households.

Ernst & Young Cuts Staff In China (ChinaCSR)

Ernst & Young, one of the world's biggest auditing companies, is reportedly encouraging 20% of its staff in China to leave the company.

Chinese listed companies net profit up 450% in Q1 (People's Daily)

The combined net profit of all the 1,624 listed companies in the Chinese mainland hit 203.8 billion yuan (about 30 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter, up 450.39 percent from the last quarter in 2008, reports from the country's two main exchanges showed Monday.

Politics & International Relations

China’s Graduates: One Word– Engineering (Wall Street Journal)

The rising ranks of China’s unemployed college graduates are reaching critical levels just as the country suffers its worst economic slump in two decades, and creating enough jobs for them has become a national priority.

China's 'black jails' uncovered (Al Jazeera)

Local officials in China are using secret "black jails" to imprison citizens who threaten to report corruption to central authorities, an Al Jazeera investigation has revealed.

The 90th Anniversary of May Fourth (China Geeks)

These student protests-turned-riots in Beijing in 1919 became a symbol for those struggling to strengthen China, and the name “May Fourth” became shorthand for a cultural movement that lasted over half a decade and gave birth to some of China’s finest writers, artists, and scholars.

China Forces Dozens of Mexican Travelers Into Quarantine (Wall Street Journal)

The A/H1N1 flu outbreak is leading to a potential diplomatic row between China and Mexico, as Chinese health authorities round up and quarantine scores of Mexicans -- only one of whom is thus far reported to be sick -- as they fly in on business and holiday trips.

Make it an amazing week!

Best wishes,

Casper Oppenhuis de Jong

嘉仕博

http://www.twitter.com/casperodj

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Vol V - Sino Soap Opera

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:49:00 -0700

Hi there,

Sorry for the delay in updating you! Had to write over 10,000 words for university and had to celebrate actually achieving that goal. :)

Without further ado, this update should get you up to date with what's happening on and about the Chinese internets:

Development of China Microfinance

As microfinance grows rapidly throughout the developing world, one of the largest microfinance markets still remains widely untapped. Today, approximately five hundred million rural and tens of millions of urban Chinese do not have access to credit. Compared to the rest of the developing world, Chinese microfinance is a recent phenomenon and has developed slowly. This article details the development of poverty alleviation in China, more specifically microfinance, from 1979 through 1996.

Wokai

China Unicom Finally Signs iPhone Contract With Apple

Just days after China Unicom denied rumors of a deal, new reports in Chinese media state China Unicom has finally reached an agreement with Apple to introduce Apple's 3G iPhone into China and the two companies will formally announce the news on May 17, the World Telecommunication Day.

ChinaTechNews

South Africa: Uproar over visa refusal for Dalai Lama

The South African government has denied the Dalai Lama a visa to attend a Peace Conference that will be held in South Africa. The government decision has sparked an uproar online on Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

Global Voices

Safer Battery Technology Gives China an Edge in Developing Affordable Electric Cars

China’s government is beefing up support for the development of “new energy” cars, because it thinks China can use electric vehicle technology to leapfrog into the forefront of the global auto industry.

Wall Street Journal

Racism in China

Recently, browsing through the Chinese blogs in my favorites list, I came across a rather surprising imagea mockup of “evolution” in several different countries parodying the classic from-monkey-to-man evolution image found in high school textbooks. The reason it was posted in China is that the “evolution” line leads to a picture of a crab with watches on (an internet meme), but the first thing that would strike any American looking at the image would be that Africa’s evolution line ends without evolving beyond apes.

ChinaGeeks

What makes Chinese art Chinese?

An old advertising slogan proclaims, "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's" (rye bread). Now it develops that an artist doesn't have to be Chinese, or even live in China, to make Chinese art. He or she can even be Jewish.

Philly

China quake school toll stirs grim findings, anger

China's effort to erase public anger over the many schools destroyed by a vast earthquake last year is facing a new campaign for answers and troubling findings that classrooms suffered far worse than government offices.

Reuters

China's Attempts to Modernize Ethnic Uighurs' Housing Creates Discord

Left behind are piles of brick and rubble, houses without roofs and hurt feelings. It is the most recent fault line to develop between Chinese rulers and Xinjiang province's majority ethnic Uighur population, a Turkic-speaking people who have long chafed under Beijing's rule and who worry that their culture is slowly disappearing.

Washington Post

Beefed it up a bit for you. Any thoughts, feedback and ideas are always welcome! Hope to announce some exciting new ideas in the near future.

Cheerios,

Casper Oppenhuis de Jong

嘉仕博

http://www.twitter.com/casperodj

P.S.: PDF file added for an extra visual 'touch'.

Vol V 26:3:2009.pdf Download this file

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Reasons why people who work with computers have so much spare time...

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:07:19 -0700

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Weekend Brunches

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:09:18 -0700

Left Shanghai for Chengdu little under a year ago. And a couple of months ago I left Chengdu for the United Kingdom.

Obviously, there are numerous things I miss from China. One being the Sunday brunches with my friends at places like Sasha's/萨莎.

That really struck me when the New York Times ran this piece about extravagant brunches in New York on the weekends:

'For decades the New York brunch has been far more than just a meal. It is an institution, an event that can start in midmorning and continue until late afternoon, a ritual in which eggs Benedict are routinely washed down by a seemingly endless stream of mimosas and Bloody Marys.'

Funny how the especially the expats in Shanghai managed to create a similar environment and standard. Of course the brunches were not as extravagant as the New York versions, they were extravagant nonetheless.

One sobering fact in China then hits you when you step outside the Westin/Sasha's/Four Season's to grab a cab though. Upbeat street vendors greet you and your cab drivers never fails to make you laugh with some funny English quotes. These people rarely make more a month than what I just paid for a bottle of champagne. A humbling aftertaste remains.

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Vol. IV - Sino Synopsis

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:34:12 -0700

Hi there,

Here's the newest version of my weekly overview of what's happening on- and offline, in and around China. Feel free to spread this information, comment on it, or just let me know how you are doing.

Make it a good week!

China’s Leaders See a Calendar Full of Trouble

The Chinese place enormous emphasis on anniversaries and dates, one more reason that 2009 is shaping up as a very stressful year for the nation’s rulers. Besides navigating an economic crisis that has rendered millions jobless, the government must steer the country through a sheaf of symbolic dates, some auspicious, some portentous, all — the leaders seem to think, anyway — potential triggers for public unrest.

New York Times

Beautiful, haunting photos from a forgotten Shanghai amusement park

Intriguing photo series by Asiaeyes depicting an old and forgotten Shanghai amusement park.

Neocha

Wu Bangguo (吴邦国): China ‘Will not Have Democracy’

Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which is currently meeting in Beijing, said today that China will never adopt Western-style democracy.

Excerpts from major international news sources.

China Digital Times

U.S. says Chinese vessels harassed Navy ship

According to the Pentagon, five Chinese ships “shadowed and aggressively manoeuvred in dangerously close proximity” to the USNS Impeccable, an ocean surveillance vessel operating 75 miles south of the Chinese island of Hainan in international waters.

Reuters

Boating on Quake Lake Coming Soon

Beichuan County, worst hit by last year's Sichuan earthquake, will be opened for tourists. 200,000 people already visited over Spring Festival. What's next?

People's Daily

Explore: China [documentary]

With a population of 1.4 billion, the People’s Republic of China is vitally important to the planet. China’s rapid growth impacts the environment locally and globally. In a world affected by globalization, China embodies the phenomenon in both positive and negative ways. China’s modern society provides a better life for many but also brings with it a loss of cultural tradition and natural resources.

Link TV

China's complicated internet culture

The Chinese internet is lots more complicated than you think. CNN and Harvard veteran Rebecca MacKinnon ventured out to you give you a peek into the interesting online world in China.

My Heart's in Accra

Greetings,

Casper Oppenhuis de Jong

嘉仕博

http://www.twitter.com/casperodj

P.S.: PDF file is added as attachment. Same links, better layout.

P.S.S.: Sorry for the delay. University duties are starting to call...

Vol IV 10:3:2009.pdf Download this file

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Vol. III - Sassy Sino Stuff

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:41:00 -0800

Hi there,

How was your week? Thanks for all the feedback and replies! Keep them coming!

Here's another overview of some slick China stuffs from around the internets. As a little treat I have added a fancy pdf file with the links as well.

BlowUp 5

For those unfamiliar with Blow Up, it is Neocha’s flash webzine dedicated to independent youth culture in China. It’s released every few months (or so) and has only one (strict!) rule: all of its content (pictures, music, text, animation, etc.) are 100% original creative works put together specifically for Blow Up. This is not zhuanzai’d content.

56minus1

China’s Answer to a Crime Includes Amateur Sleuths

As they awaited their fates in holding cell No. 9 of the Puning County jail, Li Qiaoming and a half-dozen fellow inmates played “elude the cat,” a Chinese hide-and-seek that might be better described as Marco Polo without the pool. Mr. Li put on a blindfold, groped for quarry and soon was lying on the floor with a fatal head injury.

New York Times

The History of Chinese Character Misuse

If you ever wanted to know when first misuse of Chinese character ever started in Western culture, I may just have the answer for you.

Hanzi Smatter (note: absolutely legendary website displaying the use and abuse of Chinese in the West.)

Volunteers put the Economist into Chinese

Every day, Chinese fans produce unauthorized translations of Western pop culture products and put them online, like subtitled episodes of "Heroes" or the final Harry Potter novel. But a group calling itself the Eco Team has picked a more cerebral target: the British newsweekly The Economist.

International Herald Tribune

Chinese Bidder of Looted Sculptures Refuses to Pay, With Netizen Reactions and Photos

Last week, two bronze heads formerly located at the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) were sold at a Christie's auction in Paris. Now the Chinese bidder refuses to pay, causing an online stir among Chinese netizen.

China Digital Times

Some Arab traders call China home

Remove the big neon Chinese characters on the restaurant and shopfront signs and you could be in Dubai.

The National

And last, but certainly not least. My buddy Adam Schokora put together a sweet list of Chinese sneakerz:

Chinese retro sneaker evolution

56minus1

- Gmail creator Paul Buchheit

Casper Oppenhuis de Jong

嘉仕博

http://www.twitter.com/casperodj

Vol III 2:3:2009.pdf Download this file

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Kaiten (conveyor) sushi time in Japan

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:12:44 -0800

Epic filmmaking while on your holidays. Love it. :)

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Wall-painted Animation

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:30:55 -0800

This is one awesome animation made entirely with/as graffiti. Chapeau!

(hat tip @ajschokora)

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Is humanitarian intervention really humanitarian?

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:50:00 -0800

I'm currently working on an academic piece about humanitarian intervention in international relations. And this subject has given substantial food for thought.

‘Humanitarian’ has been defined as ‘concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare.’ (Oxford Dictionary) or ‘involved in or connected with improving people's lives and reducing suffering’ (Cambridge Dictionary). Generally these definitions and dictionaries point us in the direction of ‘human welfare’ or ‘bettering humans’ well-being’.
But exactly whose ‘human welfare’ is promoted?
And who decides that someone’s life needs to be improved or someone’s ‘suffering’ needs to be abated?
Is it up to the helper or the helped to define this and call for help?
And what to do when the perception of neediness of the needy differ significantly?
Is anyone’s life ever to be put at risk in order to ensure others’ safety and well-being?

A striking example of 'successful' humanitarian intervention are the UN mission undertaken by Dutch General Patrick Cammaert in a.o. the Congo, Eritrea and Ethiopia. He however subscribes to the belief that using active force (instead of waiting until you're fired at) against the militants has been and can be very fruitful.
But fruitful in whose eyes?
In our neoliberal pro-America freedom eyes?
Or in the eyes of the family members of soldiers that died in battle?
Or as in the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'?
These claims openly defy all our moral, religious and cultural standards, yet saved the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.
Is losing one finger to keep your arm a proper consideration?
Is killing 10 to save a 100 a proper consideration?
Should safety, dignity and military intervention be dependent on democratic procedures?
Is there any human being that is - or will ever be - in the position to make these calls?

Whether your name is Ban Ki-moon, Barack Obama or Patrick Cammaert: I doubt that these decisions make you sleep better at night.

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Heineken Commercials

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:39:14 -0800

via youtube.com

Why are all the Heineken commercials always so flippin' brilliant? More general even, most beer commercials and ads are pretty epic. How do they do that? Is it the combination creative minds + beer = cool ads?

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