Adventurer leaves NY career to walk across US

So when someone like Matt Green comes along, we shake our heads a little and wonder. Who is this young man, bearded and weather-worn, pushing a cart down a country road, mile after mile? And why would he abandon a solid career as a civil engineer — a roadway designer, ironically — to walk all the way across America?

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**You can read the entire article on this link. It is dated 5/27/10. The link may not work in a few weeks. For the complete article, please email me. **

Remember the Crocodile Dundee movie? This Matt Green is on a walkabout of sorts. Older folks may not understand why Green is doing this. Heck, my Dad doesn't know why I like to hike in the mountains. To me it's obvious. It's fun. It's outdoors. No 5 day a week desk. Fresh air, except when a car passes you. "There is excitement in discovering what's around the next bend."

But I still like to hike some of the same trails even though I wanna try new ones. I call it Wanderlust. Though I'm not too keen for 6 straight months or 3000 miles of it or doing it alone. Even though I like to enjoy my wanderlust in moderation, I can't help but envy Green a little.

What about you? If circumstances permitted (i.e. you saved money) would you like to engage in a walkabout? Hike the Appalachian Trail? Bicycle cross country? How about the Swamp Rabbit trail once it connects Greenville to the beach? That is something I can realistically see myself do.

You can follow Matt Green on his website: http://www.imjustwalkin.com

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Thanks all,
Supreme Overlord

Mr Miyagi! HELP!!

Chinese kung fu kids guard against school attacks

By K.J. Kwon K.j. Kwon Thu May 20, 6:47 am ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – Parents in Beijing are taking no chances over the safety of their children after a series of attacks on schoolchildren frightened and angered China.

A growing number of parents have turned to self-defense classes for children more used to wielding electronic games than their fists.

Six times since March, angry and apparently deranged men have attacked Chinese schoolchildren with knives and, in one case, a hammer, killing 27 people and injuring more than 80. Officials have vowed to "strike hard" against the problem and schools have added security guards, but many parents think that's not enough.

Admissions to kung fu schools in Beijing have risen by at least 20 percent since April, China state media reported.

At the Changzhen Kongfu school near Beijing's university district, more than a dozen 7- to 12-year-old children were learning martial arts techniques meant to help them escape potential danger.

"There have been many changes recently. Before, only one to two students will come to consult, but since last week, we have received about 30 inquiries," said Zhang Xiaohang, the chief kung fu instructor at the school.

"A lot of parents register their children for the self-defense class as soon as they arrive, without hesitation. Parents are putting much more emphasis on children's safety."

Zhang now teaches about 10 classes per week and instructs more than 60 kids.

For pudgy 12-year-old Deng Zhiheng, the lessons serve two purposes.

"I am a little bit fat so I want to lose some weight," he said.

"Second of all, there have been many school attacks recently and I want to know how to prevent such attacks. So it is best if I learn these skills."

The class mainly focuses on teaching children how to respond to threats calmly and react quickly.

Self-defense techniques emphasize avoiding confrontation and escaping to safety, Zhang said.

Obvious Example of Media Slanting

Why did AP have the below pic as the first pic/video in an article about Obama dissing the AZ anti illegal alien law? The video is about a drug bust. But see how at first glance it would be easy to link the pic with the article's title?

Obama ramps up criticism of Ariz. immigration law

Play Video Reuters – Mexico firm on drug crackdown

AP – President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon during a joint news conference in the Rose …

By JULIE PACE, Associated Press Writer Julie Pace, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 3 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama stepped up his criticism of Arizona's controversial immigration law Wednesday, calling it "misdirected" and warning that it has the potential to be applied in a discriminatory fashion.

For the rest of the slanted article, see: Obama Ramps

GASP! An Actor Takes Responsibility

Well well well. It's gratifying to see such a young actor take the blame on how bad a movie turned out. I thought Transformers2 did well enough. The only few bad items that come to mind are the stupid twins and the whole robot afterlife thing was too much for the average person. On paper I can see what the writer was trying to convey but this is a Xformers movie not a student film on philosophy. His performance in IJ4 was good but this is the movie that really lacked the heart the others had. And I blame this soley on the director.

Shia LaBeouf: I 'Dropped The Ball' On 'Indiana Jones' Sequel

Source: Access Hollywood Mon May 17, 2010, 6:51 pm

Shia LaBeouf told the Los Angeles Times that he shares some of the blame for the failures of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" - but he is also pointing the finger at the monkeys he was forced to swing through the jungle with.

"I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished," Shia told the Los Angeles Times' 24 Frames blog when asked about the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie while in Cannes over the weekend. "You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on [director] Steven [Spielberg]," he continued. "But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple."

The actor went on to emphasize that he believes that modern audiences are hard to fool.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Shia is not the only "Indiana Jones" star who was less-than satisfied with the movie.

"We [Harrison Ford and Shia] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either," he also told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the movie the movie that grossed over $786 million worldwide. "Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted... I'll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven."

Shia's "Indiana Jones" comments come just days after he publicly criticized "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

"When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did," he told the Associated Press on Thursday in Cannes when asked about the Michael Bay blockbuster. "There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone."

Pass The Duck Sauce - Crazy A$$ Chinese

I mean, really this is remarkable considering they have a population of 1 billion. I am surprised there weren't more attacks. Time for them to ban knives too? Thought only guns were supposed to kill people. Gotta admire that quick death sentence too. No years long death row.

BEIJING - A Chinese court sentenced a man to death Saturday for an attack on a school that wounded 29 children and 3 teachers last month.

The attack was one of five major assaults against schoolchildren in the last two months that have left 17 dead and more than 50 hurt. China has ordered tighter security at schools following another attack Wednesday, the deadliest so far. In that rampage, a man broke into a preschool with a cleaver and killed 7 children and 2 adults. The man was reportedly depressed and suicidal.

The attacks have focused attention on the consequences of ignoring mental illness in modern China, as huge economic inequalities have stoked social tension. Experts say China has failed to adequately address the mental health needs of its citizens. Last year, a study in the British medical journal The Lancet showed that 173 million Chinese, or 17.5% of the population have some form of mental problems. The vast majority -about 158 million- have never received any kind of help.

At leastthree of the recent attackers had a history of mental health problems. Two committed suicide after carrying out the attacks.

The man convicted for the first of the five school attacks, Zheng Minsheng, has been executed already. Zheng killed 8 children in the southern province of Fujian on March 23.

Does The Highlander Know About This?

Kagen Chosen by Prince Obama for Supreme Court
AP - 1 hr ago
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, declaring she would demonstrate the same independence, integrity and passion for the law exhibited by retiring Justice Paul Stevens.