Shackled by the Neck Dispute
The Long Neck Karen Tribe are forced to work in a human zoo, but smelly, hippy backpackers think it’s great.
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Body Conditioning and Hardening for Fighters
Shihan Mike told us to put a pad into our belt, which would partially soften the blows to the abdomen. When he said “start” my partner started punching me in the stomach with his bare hands. He didn’t stop until the signal was given, two minutes later.
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Getting My Butt Handed to Me
Forget the black belt tests. How do you grade yourself? After all, the only grading that matters is the one you give yourself.
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My Malaysian Masters
One of the very special aspects of my relationship with Guru Mazlan is that he has never agreed to teach his style to a non-Muslim before. I feel very honored. And we both agree that his teaching me sends a signal of inclusion to the different races and religions of Malaysia and to the world.
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ALG Khmer Language Picture Story
Linguist and author Antonio Graceffo uses ALG concepts to learn Khmer language through picture stories. The pictures and an English retelling of the story create a context to make the foreign language input comprehensible. There is no actual translation, but there is contextualization.
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My Monkey Has a Problem
The monkey is one of countless species of animals that makes Malaysia an incredible adventure destination. And the lesson I learned from Sheung Di and his girlfriend’s adopted baby is: all species of humans and animals can coexist peacefully. Maybe Sheung Di will even learn to speak Monkey language.
Read MoreLearning A Language Through Another Foreign Language
Studying a foreign language through the medium of another foreign language appears to have a number of benefits.
Read MoreWrestling with the Vietnamese Language
You can’t learn a language in twenty minutes a day. One hour a week won’t get it. To truly learn a difficult language, such as Vietnamese, will take a dedicated student two years. The more listening you do, the better and faster you will learn.
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Muay Thai Chaiya: It’s nothing like Muay Thai
I recently discovered Muay Thai Chaiya, which I train with Kru Lek. It is an ancient form of Muay Thai, a codified martial arts fighting system, which students learn step-by-step from the ground up.
Read MoreA Tale of Two Merchants: Manufacturing Doesn’t Make Money, Sales Does
A college business professor once dazzled his class by reducing the world’s myriad businesses to a single sentence: “All companies do one of two things; they make or sell a product or service.” For years, I thought this guy was a genius, until I started working in the financial sector.
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