a season for all things.

One of the most popular literary archetypes* begins To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. While it may seem cliché at this point I think it offers an important insight to the ever changing needs we have as people. The ability to appropriately address the omnipresent need for situational analysis is part of what being a mature person is about, but I believe there are many cues that can be taken from our environment.

kung-fu college?

What martial arts enthusiast hasn’t dreamed of studying their art full time? It is a popular fantasy and one that many indulge for limited periods with intensive studies in Asia. I am now living in Cambodia and recently spoke with a Texan who is living in a Bokator school, practicing 8-10 hours a day. When he goes home in a couple weeks he will have been here for 8 months and received the equivalent of a black belt. Well, for those of you uninterested in racking up skymiles, there’s a new option, I present to you the University of Bridgeport’s BA in Martial Arts Studies.

new breaking record.

Reuters recently reported on a Malaysian Kung-Fu practitioner setting a new record for coconuts broken with his index finger. The report and video are here. Mr. Ho's breaking 4 coconuts in 30 seconds has set a new record which he hopes will be entered into the Guiness Book.

why shaolin doesn't impress me.

Anyone who’s practiced martial arts, or watched more then one Kung-Fu flick has heard of the Shaolin Temple. Most believe it to be the “birthplace of martial arts,” and revere it as some sort of holy site for all practitioners. While it is certainly a significant site of development, and I would love to join the throngs of tourists who flock to it, I remain thoroughly unimpressed by its current incarnation.

r.i.p. david carradine.

If you had not already heard, David "Kwai Chang Kaine" Carradine passed away in Bangkok on Wednesday. Here is an early report from the AP. The rumor mill is claiming it was a case of auto-erotic asphyxiation.