Thursday, July 28, 2011

Sucker Punch

In the 1960s, a 20-year-old woman nicknamed "Babydoll", is institutionalized by her sexually abusive stepfather  at the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane in Brattleboro, Vermont after she is blamed for the death of her younger sister. Blue Jones, one of he asylum's orderlies, is bribed by Babydoll's stepfather into forging the signature of the asylum's psychiatrist, Dr. Vera Gorski ,Babydoll lobotomized, so she can neither inform the authorities of the true circumstances leading to her sister's death, nor reclaim her recently deceased mother's fortune. As Babydoll enters the institution, she takes note of several items that would be integral if she were to attempt an escape.
In the days prior to being lobotomized, Babydoll retreats to a fantasy world in which she is newly arrived in a brothel owned by Blue, whom she envisions as a mobster. She befriends four other dancers — Amber, Blondie, Rocket, and Rocket's older sister, Sweet Pea. Dr. Gorski is envisioned as the girls' dance instructor, informing Babydoll that her virginity would be sold to a client known as "The High Roller". Gorski encourages Babydoll to perform an erotic dance during which Babydoll fantasizes that she is in feudal Japan, meeting the Wise Man . After she expresses her desire to "escape," the Wise Man presents Babydoll with weapons. He tells her that she would need to collect five items for an escape: a map, fire, a knife, a key, and a fifth, unrevealed item that would require "a deep sacrifice". Before parting ways, he instructs her to "defend herself," and she is confronted by three demonic samurai, which she defeats. As her fantasy ends, she finds herself back in the brothel, her dance impressing Blue and other onlookers.
Inspired by her vision of the Wise Man, Babydoll convinces her friends to prepare an escape. She plots to use her dances as a distraction while the other girls obtain the necessary tools. During each of her dances, she imagines adventurous events that mirror the secretly ongoing efforts. These episodes include infiltrating a bunker protected by steam-powered World War I zombie German soldiers to gain the map (mirrored by Sweet Pea entering Blue's office and copying a map of the brothel-institution); storming an Orc-infested castle to cut two fire-producing crystals from the throat of a baby dragon (mirrored by Amber stealing a lighter from the breast-pocket of a client); and boarding a train and combating mechanized guards to disarm a bomb (mirrored by Sweet Pea stealing a kitchen knife from the belt of the brothel's cook). During the last of these fantasies, Rocket sacrifices herself to save Sweet Pea and is killed when the bomb detonates, which is paralleled in a fight between the cook and the other girls in the brothel, ending with the cook fatally stabbing Rocket.
Blue overhears Blondie relaying Babydoll's plan to Madam Gorski. After discovering the gruesome scene around the cook in the kitchen, he has the grieving Sweet Pea locked in a utility closet and confronts the remainder of the girls backstage, proceeding to "make examples" by shooting Amber and Blondie. He then attempts to rape Babydoll, but she stabs him with the kitchen knife and steals his master key. Babydoll frees Sweet Pea, and the two start a fire so that, as a result of the fire alarm, the institution's checkpoint doors unlock. The two manage to escape into the courtyard, where they find their way out to be blocked by a throng of gentlemen. Babydoll deduces that the fifth item needed for the escape is in fact herself. Despite Sweet Pea's protest, she insists on sacrificing herself by distracting the visitors, thus allowing her friend to slip away.
The scene cuts back to the asylum in which the surgeon (Hamm) has just performed Babydoll's lobotomy. The surgeon is perturbed by Babydoll's expression and starts to question Dr. Gorski as to why she authorized the procedure. It is also revealed that the happenings in her dream world also happened in the hospital (stabbing an orderly, starting a fire, and helping another girl escape). Gorski realizes that Blue has forged her signature, and summons the police, who apprehend Blue as he attempts to assault a catatonic Babydoll.
Sweet Pea is stopped by police at a bus station while in line to board a bus to Fort Wayne Indiana, but she is rescued by the bus driver, who misleads the police; he is revealed to be the Wise Man from Babydoll's fantasies.
The film ends with the screen going black and Sweet Pea saying that "you have all the weapons you need, now fight!"


The Pursuit Of Happyness

In 1981, in San Francisco, Chris Gardner invests his family's savings in portable bone-density scanners which he tries to demonstrate and sell to doctors. The investment proves to be a white elephant which financially breaks the family and as a result, his wife Linda  leaves him with their son Christopher and moves to New York. While downtown trying to sell one of his scanners, Chris meets a manager for Dean Witter and impresses him by solving a Rubik's Cube during a short cab ride. Chris does not have enough money for the cab fare and flees the cab driver into a subway station where he barely escapes the cab driver but loses one of his bone scanners in the process. This new relationship with the Dean Witter manager earns him the chance to become an intern stockbroker. Despite arriving there unkempt and shabbily dressed due to an emergency, Chris is offered the internship. Chris is further set back when his bank account is garnished by the IRS for unpaid taxes, and he and his young son are evicted. As a result they are homeless, and are forced at one point to stay in a bathroom at a subway station. Motivation drives him to find the Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, which has a homeless shelter primarily for single mothers and their children. Due to demand for the limited rooms, Chris must frantically race from his internship work early each afternoon in order to land a place in line. Chris finds the bone scanner that he lost in the subway station from a demented man who believes it to be a time machine and it is now damaged, but Chris finally repairs it. Disadvantaged by his limited work hours, and knowing that maximizing his client contacts and profits is the only way to earn the one paid position that he and his 19 competitors are fighting for, Chris develops a number of ways to make phone sales calls more efficiently. He also reaches out to potential high value customers, defying protocol. One sympathetic prospect takes him and his son to a professional football game. Regardless of Chris's challenges, he never reveals his lowly circumstances to his co-workers, even going so far as to lend one of his bosses five dollars for a cab, a sum he can't afford.
Concluding his internship, Chris is called into a meeting with his managers. His work has paid off and he is offered the position. Fighting back tears, he rushes to his son's daycare, hugging him. They walk down the street, joking with each other and are passed by a man in a business suit (the real Chris Gardner in a cameo). The epilogue reveals that Chris went on to form his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.

X-Men First Class

At a German concentration camp in occupied Poland in 1944, scientist Dr. Schmidt observes young Erik Lensherr bend a metal gate with his mind when the child is separated from his parents. In his office, Schmidt orders Lensherr to similarly move a coin on a desk, and kills his mother when the child cannot. In his grief and anger, Lensherr's magnetic power manifests, killing two guards and destroying the room, to Schmidt's delight.
At a mansion in Westchester County, New York, young telepath Charles Xavier meets homeless young shape-shifter Raven. Overjoyed to meet someone else "different" like him, he invites her to live with his family.
In 1962, an adult Lensherr is tracking down Schmidt to take revenge. In England, Oxford University graduate Xavier is publishing his thesis on mutation; Raven, now his foster sister, lives with him. In Las Vegas, CIA agent Moira MacTaggert follows US Army Colonel Hendry into the Hellfire Club, where she sees Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, and Azazel. After Shaw threatens Hendry, Azazel disappears with the officer; moments later Hendry is in the War Room, advocating that the US install nuclear missiles in Turkey. Shaw later kills Hendry, revealing himself as Schmidt and demonstrating the energy-absorbing mutant power that has de-aged him.
MacTaggert, seeking Xavier's advice on mutation, convinces him and Raven to join her at the CIA, where they convince Director McCone that mutants exist and Shaw is a threat. The unnamed "Man in Black Suit", another CIA executive, sponsors the mutants and invites them to the CIA's secret "Division X" facility. Xavier locates Shaw, arriving in time to stop Lensherr, who had attacked Shaw, from drowning as Shaw escapes. Xavier brings Lensherr to Division X, where they meet young scientist Hank McCoy, a prehensile-footed mutant whom Xavier inadvertently outs as a mutant. McCoy, developing a bond with Raven, promises her he will find a way to normalize their appearance. Xavier uses a mutant-locating device, Cerebro, to find and recruit mutants for training to stop Shaw. He and Lensherr find stripper Angel Salvadore; taxi driver Armando Muñoz who takes the code name Darwin; Army prisoner Alex Summers, who calls himself Havok; and Sean Cassidy, who dubs himself Banshee. Raven takes the name Mystique. She also dubs Charles "Prof. X" and Erik "Magneto."
When Frost meets with a Soviet general in the USSR, Xavier and Lensherr capture her. Meanwhile, Azazel, Riptide and Shaw attack Division X, killing everyone but the young mutants and offering them the chance to join him. Angel accepts; when Darwin tries to fight back, Shaw kills him. With the facility destroyed, Xavier takes the mutants to train at his family mansion. McCoy devises protective uniforms and a stealth jet. In Moscow, Shaw compels the general to have the Soviet Union install nuclear missiles in Cuba.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, US President John F. Kennedy institutes a blockade to stop a Soviet freighter from moving the nuclear missiles to Cuba. Shaw, wearing a helmet that foils Xavier's telepathy, accompanies the Soviet fleet to ensure the missiles arrive, trying to trigger World War III and achieve mutant ascendency. Raven goes to seduce Lensherr, who convinces her to embrace her nature as a mutant. Later, McCoy offers Raven his cure for her appearance, but she refuses. The cure backfires on McCoy, rendering him a leonine beast. Though ashamed of his new appearance, he pilots the mutants and MacTaggert to the blockade line. In an ensuing battle with Shaw, Lensherr takes the helmet for himself, allowing Xavier to immobilize Shaw. Despite Xavier's objections, Lensherr kills Shaw by forcing the Nazi coin through his brain, thus avenging his murdered mother, and displays his body to the mutants.
Fearing the mutants, the fleets fire their missiles at them. In a struggle, Xavier keeps Lensherr from destroying the fleets with the missiles, but when MacTaggert fires at Lensherr, a deflected bullet hits Xavier in the spine. Lensherr, remorseful, leaves with Mystique, Angel, Riptide and Azazel. A wheelchair-bound Xavier and the mutants return to the mansion, where he intends to open a school. MacTaggert promises never to reveal his location and they kiss; at the CIA later, she says she has no clear memory of recent events. Lensherr, in a uniform with the helmet and calling himself Magneto, breaks Frost from confinement.

green lantern....

Millions of years before the Earth was formed, a group of beings called the Guardians of the Universe used the green essence of willpower to create an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps They split the universe into 3,600 sectors, with one Green Lantern per sector. One such Green Lantern, Abin Sur of Sector 2814, defeated the fear-essence being Parallax and imprisoned him in the Lost Sector on the ruined planet Ryut. However, in the present day, Parallax escapes from his prison. Six months later, after killing four Green Lanterns and destroying two planets, Parallax attacks Sector 2814 and mortally wounds Abin Sur, who escapes and crash-lands on Earth. The dying Abin Sur commands his ring to find a worthy successor on the planet.
Ferris Aircraft test pilot Hal Jordan is chosen by the ring and transported to the crash site, where Abin Sur appoints him a Green Lantern, by telling him to take the lantern and speak the oath. At home he says the oath of the Green Lanterns while under trance from the glow of the lantern. After he gets attacked while leaving a bar Jordan swings to punch one of his attackers, letting out a huge fist of green energy, afterwards Jordan is whisked away to the Green Lantern Corps home planet of Oa, where he meets and trains with Tomar-Re and Kilowog. He encounters Corps leader Sinestro, who is not pleased that a human—which is primitive compared to other species—has become a Green Lantern. With Sinestro seeing him as unfit and fearful, Jordan quits and returns to Earth, keeping the power ring and lantern.
Meanwhile, after being summoned by his father Senator Robert Hammond  to a secret government facility, scientist Hector Hammond performs an autopsy on Abin Sur's body. A piece of Parallax inside the corpse inserts itself inside Hammond, mutating the scientist and giving him telepathy and telekinetic powers, at the cost of his sanity. After discovering that he was only chosen due to his father's influence, Hammond resentfully attempts to kill his father by telekinetically sabotaging his helicopter at a party. However, Jordan uses his ring to save the senator and the party guests—including his childhood sweetheart, Ferris manager and fellow test pilot Carol Ferris, who later recognizes Jordan under the suit and mask. Shortly afterward, Jordan encounters Hammond, who succeeds in his second attempt to kill his father by burning him alive. Both Jordan and Hammond realize Parallax is on his way to Earth.
Back on Oa, the Guardians tell Sinestro that Parallax was once one of their own, until he desired to control the yellow essence of fear, only to become the embodiment of fear itself. Believing the only means to fight fear is by fear itself, Sinestro requests for the Guardians to forge a ring of the same yellow power, preparing to concede Earth's destruction to Parallax in order to protect Oa. However, Jordan appears and tells Sinestro not to use the yellow ring and for the Corps to help him protect his planet from Parallax's imminent invasion. They deny his request, but allow Jordan to return and protect his home planet.
Upon returning to Earth, Jordan saves Ferris from being injected with Parallax's essence by Hammond. Parallax then arrives, consuming Hector's life force for failing to kill Jordan, and then wreaking havoc on Coast City. Jordan lures Parallax away from Earth and toward the Sun, using the Sun's gravity to pull and disintegrate the entity. He loses consciousness after the battle, but is saved by Sinestro, Kilowog, and Tomar-Re before the entire Green Lantern Corps congratulates him for his bravery. Sinestro tells Jordan he now bears the responsibility of protecting his sector as a Green Lantern. Sometime later when he is alone, Sinestro, still in possession of the yellow ring, places it on his finger, causing his green suit to change to yellow.

My Comment about the book "What Should I do"....

This book tells us that the writer need to choose between stay at his place now or go and find another place that suitable for him……..I don’t really know what me should do right now….it’s all about choosing the right decision….Should I stay or go…what if I stay??...what did I get??....stay here until finish my study even though being hated by the lecturer because over clever….stay here, study hard and get nothing because fail or pass, u still can continue and  take the subject…..stay here and be a toy to other student….stay here but all student doesn’t like you….stay here and become a sources of people laugh…..stay here and be victim of the situations …stay here without pocket  money and  the college department always asked money from student….stay here with all the clown in the class who laughing until 1 km and u still can hear…..stay here with the all the slow student who is hard to accept what the lecturer teach in front ………how about I I go????......what did I get????.......go and get peace at other places…….go where people can accept our own self……go and leave all the bitch at this college…….go from the unfair lecturer who always wrong when doing decision……..go from the student who is a backstabber…….go from all the assignment that is really nonsense….go from all the bad situations at this college…..go and find place where all the student are open minded…..go and find a place where people are more friendly and not arrogant….go and fined a place where all the student do their assignment alone and without ask helping from other student…..go and find a place where u can study with peace……go and get an experience that people at college cannot get….go at one place where u don’t want to the place……many choices I can do…but is it the true one……or the wrong one…..only me and God know………

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

my comment about book....Persons...

this book tells us about a persons....which i mean every single person who live at this earth.....the writer is trying to figure out what kind of persons are we actually...regarding at his own opinion,some people do have their ability to do something or to see something...but some people has their own weaknesses which also make them hard to move to everywhere.....some people may change when they found something that really important in his life....if in a past times, they were your friend but it changes immediately when their found something that really important to him...such as girlfriend....why??....its actually being ask to them....they are the one who need to answer that question....is there something that we do that hurts them or???.......they just think that we are the toy for them who can be throw away using their own like.....there are also people who pretend to be ur friend just want to succeed...and when times come...they screw you just like people called it....the backstabber.....i do found some people who are actually like this....their actually a really good actor and actress if in this part.....do they know what friend meaning….why. Suddenly they do that….it is really unacceptable which will cause a conflict between friend….i do know one persons who has a same attitude like both of the situation like I mention just now….they do exist and its in from of me…..the persons I called it agayo…..its funny..but its suit him…because he like to show people that he actually really good in terms of doing anything….but its isn’t…..he actually the backstabber who willing to leaves his or her friend when found somebody that he like which I mean a girl….its really annoying….he pretend to be our friend but now….he our enemy….he thing that he good at doig all when alone…but yet..its still…No….why???....because backstabber will never achieve anything what they want because they is a survivor…they are loser who hide when something come in front of them…..yeahhhh…..

synopsis of the priest.....

PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is set in an alternate world -- one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend, a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.....for me the Priest is a great story because its has many fighting scene that be looking to the audience....other than that, its also a good story because its same level...i mean the starring and the bad has a same level of their strongestness.....

My Opinion & about transfomers 3

transfomers 1 & 2 is a great story for me but....for this transformers 3...i think it has a little bit boring...maybe its because the story plot is too long and ironhide being killed by the backstabber, Sentinel......this story begin when the ship that only survive from the cybertron planet crashed into the moon....U.S and Russia knows about it and send their own representatives to the moon.....Optimus Prime was really angry when they did'nt tell him about that things and suggest to go back tothe moon....thier found sentinel who was died at the ship ang bring him back to life by using the matrix....but who never know that some thing maybe changes when sentinel killed ironhide and betray the autobots for its own self....he suggest to bring back cybertron planet by using earth as the places.....actually sentinel had already had a deal with megatron that they will co-operate to bring back their own planet but insists that only optimus can bring sentinel back to alive....andmegatron knows that only sentinel can activated the machine......at the end of the story...sam and his friend including the team of autobots succeed to killed starscream,shockwave,sentinel and also megatron and bring back the peae to the earth.....

my opinion & a little bit about kung fu panda 2.....

this story was really good...its makes me to watch it three time....until now, when i saw the poster....i remember the character and also the plot... this story tell us about being believe on what we have...the story begin when.... Lord Shen, heir of the clan that ruled Gongmen City in China, sought to harness the power of  as a weapon with which to rule the entire country. When he learned from the court's goat soothsayer that "a warrior of black and white" would one day defeat him, Shen assumed she was referring to the giant pandas and had them exterminated to avert the prophecy. Shen's parents were horrified at this atrocity and exiled Shen, who swore revenge.
Years later, Po is living his dream as the Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, the Furious Five, but is told by Master Shifu  that he has yet to achieve inner peace. While fighting off a pack of wolf bandits who have been stealing refined metal for Lord Shen, Po is distracted by a symbol on the head wolf's  armor, which causes Po to have a flashback of his mother and allows the wolves to escape. Po asks his goose father, Mr. Ping, where he came from, but all Ping can tell him is that he found Po as an infant in a radish crate and adopted him.

their masters shifu, receives a news that a master of thundering rhino had being killed by a new weapon shen long that is a cannon. po and the five has been asked to go there to save the gongmen city from shen long and also to save the kungfu martial arts from gone....at the end they succeed to kill shen long and sve the gongmen city....also shown that po original father knows that his son is still alive......

my opinion about the terminal

I just watch this movie at class during my English lesson . For me this movie are good because it has its own meaning and it teach us to be a good citizen while at other country. this movie in the beginning show one man that being arrest by the American airport police. the reason is that his country which name is khazorkia was change the management and all the people from that country cannot go out for vacation to another country. so, as he already at America, he need to follow all the command from the america management. his passport and ticket was taken by the police and he need to be at the airport area only. While he was on the airport, many things had happen that force him to learn english language. he must work to get extra money to buy food to eat and desperate to find a place to live until he take the gate 37 as his home. he also need to share the goverment toilet as he also need to take shower everyday. his attitude was change because he need to help himself.....until he found one woman which is the stewardess. he begin to fall in love to that woman but the woman already have its own boyfriend....the story ended with he got the signature of the saksafon player and he is on his way go back to his country.....thank you....

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Zombie a.k.a Undead

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        zombie is a creature that appears in books and popular culture typically as a reanimated dead or a mindless human being. They are among the lower forms of the undead, and often appear in large numbers. No one is certain about the origins of these pathetic and horrible things.

Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodoo, which told of the people being controlled as laborers by a powerful wizard.

Zombies became a popular device in modern horror fiction, largely because of the success of George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.  Today, the modern zombie serves as a generic term that encompass a large variety of different undead-or-not creatures.

You want to know more about the origin of zombies, the possible causes and how to stay alive in case of a Zombie Apocalypse?

Definition of zombies

Zombies have been confused with many other monstrous creatures. Monstrous will try to make a clear distinction between the different entities that proceed from death.

To study the zombie as a creature, it is important to understand exactly what a zombie is. First, we need to differentiate between two common terms used for zombies, Undead and Zombie.

Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies. Undead are featured in the legends of most cultures and in many works of fantasy and horror fiction. A zombie is a dead person that is brought back to life through a curse (voodoo, necromancy) or a mutation and has recovered some vital functions like movement.

They are speechless, near-mindless, possessing little reasoning power, though many can perform automatic movement and "remembered behaviors" from their mortal existence.

Zombies are omnipresent in the folklore of Haiti, where they are created by voodoo, an African type of black witchcraft. More recently, zombies films have exposed new theories according to which man-made virus or genetic experiments are held responsible for the creation of zombies. Such films put a strong emphasis on flesh and blood: rotting bodies and their attendant maggots, as well as the still-warm gore resulting from savage, often cannibalistic attacks upon the living.

Types of zombies

The first approach of a zombie taxonomy that aims to classify zombie types is by studying the possible origins of zombies.

Two kinds of zombies exists in modern popular culture: one created by voodoo resulting in a spell-bound near dead state, and cannibal creatures created by scientific experimentation of strange chemicals on living humans (as popularized by a series of films on the "living dead" theme).

Zombies can also be classified according to their physical and mental characteristics. There are the slow zombies and the new breed of fast zombies found in 28 days later or Zombieland. Purists will argue that the latter are not technically zombies but infected living humans.


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Aikido & Hapkido

Aikido
       
    Aikido is considered to be a non-aggressive style, as the Aikido student does not instigate the attack. The basic principle of Aikido is “Do not fight force with force”. Aikido uses very few punches and kicks. Instead, the attackers force is redirected into throws, locks and restraining techniques. Size, weight, age and physical strength differences of the opponents play only a small role, as the skilled Aikido practitioner is able to redirect the attackers energy, keeping his attacker in a constant of unbalance.
AikidoTo be effective, Aikido takes longer to learn than most other martial arts. Aikido can be practiced to a late age because this martial art does not rely on flexibility, muscle speed, or strength. Thus it has become especially popular with women and senior citizens.

Aikido training teaches the use of several martial arts weapons such as Tento, Jo and Bokken. There is also a sport style of Aikido named Tomiki Aikdo.

Origin of Aikido: Japan
Founder of Aikido: Morihei Ueshiba 1883-1969
Popularised by: Movie star Steven Seagal, the first Western person to open an Aikido school in Japan.




Hapkido


Hapkido is a Korean martial art, and combines techniques from Karate, Aikido and Judo. It also draws influence from other native Korean martial arts. Characteristic for Hapkido are the wrist locks and throws that can look quite spectacular. Hapkido uniforms are available in white and black and have a characteristic diamond pattern.

Developed in the 1940s and 50s, its founder Grandmaster Choi had learned martial arts first in Japan, in a school of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, an ancient form of Jujutsu that was practiced mostly by Samurai.
On Choi’s return to Korea, he added many techniques to defend against particular types of attacks, and borrowed heavily from other styles. The name of what is known as Hapkido today changed several times, and famous students of Choi such as Ji Han Jae continued to develop the art and were instrumental in bringing Hapkido to the west, where it was taught to FBI and other US government agencies.
hapkido bruce leeDuring this time Ji Han Jae met Bruce Lee, who was very impressed with the techniques of Hapkido. Ji Han Jae coached Bruce Lee, who then went on and incorporated certain aspects of Hapkido into the development of his own emerging style, Jeet Kune Do.

Origin of Hapkido: Korea
Founder of Hapkido: Yong Shui Choi (also known as Choi Yong Sul)
Popularised by: Grandmaster Ji Han Jae (Founder of Sin Moo Hapkido) in the unfinished “Game of Death” movie by Bruce Lee

Martial Arts Ninjutsu

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        Ninjutsu is the practised art of the Ninja. Ninjutsu is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes stealth in movement and camouflage. Ninjas were a group of mercenaries in feudal Japan who were trained in stealth and the martial arts and employed as spies, saboteurs, or assassins.

The two oldest styles of Ninjutsu that are still practiced today are Iga Ryu and Koga Ryu. Ninja are skilled in a variety of martial arts including Judo, Jujutsu and swordsmanship. Ninja use a shorter sword than the Samurai and prefer to carry it strapped to their back. As well as these martial arts they are skilled in a variety of Ninja weapons - such as the shuriken (throwing star), throwing knives, stick fighting, and chain arts.

The Ninja originally were also experts at disguise and concealment, which enabled them to gather information or act as assassins for Japanese warlords. This was work that others, such as the Samurai - who were bound by their strict code of Bushido - were reluctant to perform.

Ninjutsu went through an incredible boom period in the mid eighties due to the emergence of famous Ninjutsu instructors, such as Stephen Hayes. Ninjutsu still remains popular the world over.

Origin of Ninjutsu: Japan

Ninjutsu founded: Around 900 years ago

Popularised by: Dr Masaaki Hatsumi, 34th grandmaster of Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu and Stephen Hayes

Karate Martial Arts

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         Karate translates, as is generally accepted, to Empty Hand in Japanese. Karate is a martial art that uses weaponless techniques such as punching and kicking to overcome the opponent. Typically, fighters wear a white Karate Uniform (Gi) and a belt that indicates their skill level and rank.

The development of Karate began in Okinawa, an island south of Japan. Okinawans travelled to China, where they learnt the Chinese martial arts. On their return to Okinawa they set about blending their own martial arts (initially simply called Te, “Hands”) with what they had learnt in China and called it To-De, Chinese Hands.

From this, 4 main styles of Karate developed - Goju Ryu, Shorin Ryu, Uechi Ryu and Shorei Ryu. Gichin Funakoshi, who trained under several Okinawan Karate masters, developed his own style of Karate that he named Shotokan.

Funakoshi introduced Shotokan to Japan in the early 20th century. Other Okinawan masters soon followed him - Chojun Miyagi with Goju Ryu and Kenwa Mabuni with Shito Ryu. From these masters many new styles were soon developed. For example Kyokushinkai by Mas Oyama, Goju Kai by Gogen Yamaguchi, Wado Ryu by Hinonori Ohtsuka.

There are now hundreds of different styles of karate across the world, but all
can be traced back to the original four from Okinawa.

Origin of Karate: Okinawa

Karate was founded in the 16th century and formalised into different styles in the early 20th century.

Karate is currently popularised by:

Wushu Martial Arts

Martial Arts are traditional Chinese sports which have developed over a long historical period. In order to survive the extremely hostile environment, our primitive Chinese ancestors learned some primary means of attack and defence such as leaping, tumbling and kicking. Moreover, they generally knew how to fight with weapons made from stones and wood or bare-hand fighting. This is considered to be the origin of martial arts.

The movements in martial art include kick, boxing, wresting and seizing, which are performed by rules. Sects of martial arts are various. Generally speaking, Shaolin Sect and Wudang Sect are the two most famous sects. As the old Chinese saying goes 'In the north, Shaolin Kungfu is primarily recommended. While in the south, Wudang Kungfu is especially valued.' Both of them lay emphasis on the external practice for Jing (genuine energy), Qi (vital energy) and Shen (spirit) and internal practice for muscle, bone and skin.

 Shaolin Martial Arts
Shaolin Martial Arts
Shaolin Martial Arts
Being an important part of Chinese traditional martial arts, Shaolin martial arts are considered to be the authentic Chinese kungfu. Originally, Shaolin Kungfu was developed from the Shaolin Temple, in the region of Song Mountain. While cultivating in the thick forest of the high mountains, monks created a set of body-building exercises by learning the postures of flying, jumping and running from birds, beasts and fish. Gradually, these body-building exercises developed into a sort of boxing through long practice and improvement, which is generally called 'Shaolin boxing'.
Shaolin martial arts include boxing, stick art, spear art, sword art and so on. Shaolin boxing is strong and powerful. It is a combination of attack and defence thus making it practical for real fights. Stick art played an important role in wars. It can not only defeat the enemy and achieve victory, but also improve health and promote longevity. Spear is regarded as the king of the ancient weapons. Spear arts are various, including Shaolin spear, Yezhan spear, Lanmen spear and so on. Sword arts have a far-reaching influence on the Shaolin martial arts. The vigorous sword dance brings people a wonderful aesthetic feeling.
 See Videos of Shaolin Kung Fu

 Wudang Martial Arts
Tai Chi Quan Performance
Tai Chi Quan Performance
Wudang martial arts are greatly related to the Chinese native religion - Taoism. It is said that Zhang Sanfeng, a Taoist who lived in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) created Wudang martial arts. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) saw the formal popularity of Wudang Kungfu. In order to promote Wudang Taoism all over China, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty assembled 300,000 civilian workers to build 33 Taoist complexes in Mt. Wudang. It took them 13 years to finish the whole construction. Wudang Kungfu emphasizes the strengthening of bones and muscles and internal cultivation, and encourages the use of softness to conquer the unyielding. It doesn't advocate attack but at the same time it is hard to defeat.
Shadow boxing, Bare-hand fighting in six steps, Wuji boxing are all types of Wudang Kungfu. Wudang Sword is regarded as Wudang's priceless treasure. Taiji Sword, Liuhe Spear, Baihong Sword are also famous Wudang weapons.
The basic Wushu spirit is to value martial arts while at the same time upholding virtue;  this has been advocated by martial arts performers from generation to generation. Chinese martial arts are just like a knowledgeable teacher from whom people can learn a lot in order to survive in this complicated world.

Nuclear Weapon

      
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      A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission ("atomic") bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 20,000 tons of TNT. The first thermonuclear ("hydrogen") bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 10,000,000 tons of TNT.

A modern thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than 2,400 pounds (1,100 kg) can produce an explosive force comparable to the detonation of more than 1.2 million tons (1.1 million metric tons) of TNT. Thus, even a small nuclear device no larger than traditional bombs can devastate an entire city by blast, fire and radiation. Nuclear weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and their use and control has been a major focus of international relations policy since their debut.

Only two nuclear weapons have been used in the course of warfare, both by the United States near the end of World War II. On 6 August 1945, a uranium gun-type device code-named "Little Boy" was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on 9 August, a plutonium implosion-type device code-named "Fat Man" was exploded over Nagasaki, Japan. These two bombings resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 Japanese people—mostly civilians—from acute injuries sustained from the explosions. The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender, and their ethical status, remain the subject of scholarly and popular debate.

Since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing purposes and demonstrations. Only a few nations possess such weapons or are suspected of seeking them. The only countries known to have detonated nuclear weapons—and that acknowledge possessing such weapons—are (chronologically by date of first test) the United States, the Soviet Union (succeeded as a nuclear power by Russia), the United Kingdom, France, the People's Republic of China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. In addition, Israel is also widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it does not acknowledge having them. One state, South Africa, has admitted to having previous fabricated nuclear weapons in the past, but has since disassembled their arsenal and submitted to international safeguards.


Types of nuclear weapons
There are two basic types of nuclear weapon. The first type produces its explosive energy through nuclear fission reactions alone. Such fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs or atom bombs (abbreviated as A-bombs), though their energy comes specifically from the nucleus of the atom.
In fission weapons, a mass of fissile material (enriched uranium or plutonium) is assembled into a supercritical mass—the amount of material needed to start an exponentially growing nuclear chain reaction—either by shooting one piece of sub-critical material into another (the "gun" method) or by compressing a sub-critical sphere of material using chemical explosives to many times its original density (the "implosion" method). The latter approach is considered more sophisticated than the former and only the latter approach can be used if the fissile material is plutonium.

A major challenge in all nuclear weapon designs is to ensure that a significant fraction of the fuel is consumed before the weapon destroys itself. The amount of energy released by fission bombs can range from the equivalent of less than a ton of TNT upwards of 500,000 tons (500 kilotons) of TNT.

The second basic type of nuclear weapon produces a large amount of its energy through nuclear fusion reactions. Such fusion weapons are generally referred to as thermonuclear weapons or more colloquially as hydrogen bombs (abbreviated as H-bombs), as they rely on fusion reactions between isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium). However, all such weapons derive a significant portion, and sometimes a majority, of their energy from fission (including fission induced by neutrons from fusion reactions). Unlike fission weapons, there are no inherent limits on the energy released by thermonuclear weapons. Only six countries—United States, Russia, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, France and India—have conducted thermonuclear weapon tests. (Whether India has detonated a "true", multi-staged thermonuclear weapon is controversial.)


The basics of the Teller–Ulam design for a hydrogen bomb: a fission bomb uses radiation to compress and heat a separate section of fusion fuel.


Thermonuclear bombs work by using the energy of a fission bomb to compress and heat fusion fuel. In the Teller-Ulam design, which accounts for all multi-megaton yield hydrogen bombs, this is accomplished by placing a fission bomb and fusion fuel (tritium, deuterium, or lithium deuteride) in proximity within a special, radiation-reflecting container. When the fission bomb is detonated, gamma and X-rays emitted first compress the fusion fuel, then heat it to thermonuclear temperatures. The ensuing fusion reaction creates enormous numbers of high-speed neutrons, which can then induce fission in materials not normally prone to it, such as depleted uranium. Each of these components is known as a "stage", with the fission bomb as the "primary" and the fusion capsule as the "secondary". In large hydrogen bombs, about half of the yield, and much of the resulting nuclear fallout, comes from the final fissioning of depleted uranium.

By chaining together numerous stages with increasing amounts of fusion fuel, thermonuclear weapons can be made to an almost arbitrary yield; the largest ever detonated (the Tsar Bomba of the USSR) released an energy equivalent of over 50 million tons (50 megatons) of TNT. Most thermonuclear weapons are considerably smaller than this, due to practical constraints arising from the space and weight requirements of missile warheads.

There are other types of nuclear weapons as well. For example, a boosted fission weapon is a fission bomb which increases its explosive yield through a small amount of fusion reactions, but it is not a fusion bomb. In the boosted bomb, the neutrons produced by the fusion reactions serve primarily to increase the efficiency of the fission bomb. Some weapons are designed for special purposes; a neutron bomb is a thermonuclear weapon that yields a relatively small explosion but a relatively large amount of neutron radiation; such a device could theoretically be used to cause massive casualties while leaving infrastructure mostly intact and creating a minimal amount of fallout.

The detonation of any nuclear weapon is accompanied by a blast of neutron radiation. Surrounding a nuclear weapon with suitable materials (such as cobalt or gold) creates a weapon known as a salted bomb. This device can produce exceptionally large quantities of radioactive contamination.

Most variation in nuclear weapon design is for the purpose of achieving different yields for different situations, and in manipulating design elements to attempt to minimize weapon size.

Pulau Sipadan

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      Acknowledged as one of the best diving and unique spots in Southeast Asia, Pulau Sipadan is located off the small coastal town of Semporna on Sabah's eastern coast. Just 15 feet from the beach, the water turns indigo blue as the sea drops abruptly to 2,850ft deep! It is rather      awe-inspiring. Myriad of colorful tropical fish swim in the warm water near the surface whereas huge groupers nose about. Moreover, the water gets so dark that one would not really know what lurks below. This famous feature won Sipadan island a "Best Beach Dive in the World" award in 1993.
The sea is overflowing with marine life. The main attraction for divers is the rich and unique variety of corals both soft and hard. Reef fish of every shape and hue can be found in these waters. Colorful butterfly fishes, angel fishes, damsel fishes of electric blue and bright orange colors inhabit the coral reefs, thus adding to the splendor of the underwater havens.

Between April and September, the Green and Hawksbill turtles will come ashore in droves to nest in the soft golden sands of Sipadan. When you dive during this time, you are bound to encounter these harmless denizens of the deep.
A beautiful white-sand beach fringes Sipadan but the real beauty of this island is in its waters. The season for diving is from mid-February to mid-December. Visibility ranges from 60 feet to over 200 feet. Several dive spots have even been identified and given exotic names after the variety of corals and marine life that are unique to these spots. There is the "Hanging Gardens", the "Barracuda Point", and the exciting "Turtle Cavern".

Professional diving companies operate on the island, complete with water, electricity, food, drinks, and comfortable accommodation for an unforgettable experience. To get there, one can take the 45-minute boat ride from Semporna.

A little bit about facebook

         Facebook (stylized facebook) is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. As of January 2011, Facebook has more than 600 million active users. Users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics. The name of the service stems from the colloquial name for the book given to students at the start of the academic year by university administrations in the United States to help students get to know each other better. Facebook allows anyone who declares themselves to be at least 13 years old to become a registered user of the website.
Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. The website's membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over.

A January 2009 Compete.com study ranked Facebook as the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users, followed by MySpace. Entertainment Weekly included the site on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying, "How on earth did we stalk our exes, remember our co-workers' birthdays, bug our friends, and play a rousing game of Scrabulous before Facebook?" Quantcast estimates Facebook has 135.1 million monthly unique U.S. visitors in October 2010. According to Social Media Today, in April 2010 an estimated 41.6% of the U.S. population had a Facebook account.

Tsunami a.k.a Big Wave

What is a Tsunami

A tsunami is a very long-wavelength wave of water that is generated by sudden displacement of the seafloor or disruption of any body of standing water.  Tsunami are sometimes called "seismic sea waves", although they can be generated by mechanisms other than earthquakes.  Tsunami have also been called "tidal waves", but this term should not be used because they are not in any way related to the tides of the Earth.  Because tsunami occur suddenly, often without warning, they are extremely dangerous to coastal communities.


Physical Characteristics of Tsunami
All types of waves, including tsunami, have a wavelength, a wave height, an amplitude, a frequency or period, and a velocity. 
  • Wavelength is defined as the distance between two identical points on a wave (i.e. between wave crests or wave troughs). Normal ocean waves have wavelengths of about 100 meters.  Tsunami have much longer wavelengths, usually measured in kilometers and up to 500 kilometers.
 
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  • Wave height  refers to the distance between the trough of the wave and the crest or peak of the wave.
  • Wave amplitude - refers to the height of the wave above the still water line, usually this is equal to 1/2 the wave height.  Tsunami can have variable wave height and amplitude that depends on water depth as we shall see in a moment
  • Wave frequency or period - is the amount of time it takes for one full wavelength to pass a stationary point.
  • Wave velocity is the speed of the wave. Velocities of normal ocean waves are about 90 km/hr while tsunami have velocities up to 950 km/hr (about as fast as jet airplanes), and thus move much more rapidly across ocean basins. The velocity of any wave is equal to the wavelength divided by the wave period.
V = l/P
Tsunami are characterized as shallow-water waves. These are different from the waves most of us have observed on a the beach, which are caused by the wind blowing across the ocean's surface. Wind-generated waves usually have period (time between two successive waves) of five to twenty seconds and a wavelength of 100 to 200 meters. A tsunami can have a period in the range of ten minutes to two hours and  wavelengths greater than 500 km.  A wave is characterized as a shallow-water wave when the ratio of the water depth and wavelength is very small. The velocity of a shallow-water wave is also equal to the square root of the product of the acceleration of gravity, g,  (10m/sec2) and the depth of the water, d. 
The rate at which a wave loses its energy is inversely related to its wavelength. Since a tsunami has a very large wavelength, it will lose little energy as it propagates. Thus, in very deep water, a tsunami will travel at high speeds with little loss of energy. For example, when the ocean is 6100 m deep, a tsunami will travel about 890 km/hr, and thus can travel across the Pacific Ocean in less than one day.
As a tsunami leaves the deep water of the open sea and arrives at the shallow waters near the coast, it undergoes a transformation. Since the velocity of the tsunami is also related to the water depth, as the depth of the water decreases, the velocity of the tsunami decreases. The change of total energy of the tsunami, however, remains constant.
Furthermore, the period of the wave remains the same, and thus more water is forced between the wave crests causing the height of the wave to increase. Because of this "shoaling" effect, a tsunami that was imperceptible in deep water may grow to have wave heights of several meters or more. If the trough of the tsunami wave reaches the coast first, this causes a phenomenon called drawdown, where it appears that sea level has dropped considerably.  Drawdown is followed immediately by the crest of the wave which can catch people observing the drawdown off guard. When the crest of the wave hits, sea level rises (called run-up).  Run-up is usually expressed in meters above normal high tide.  Run-ups from the same tsunami can be variable because of the influence of the shapes of coastlines.  One coastal area may see no damaging wave activity while in another area destructive waves can be large and violent. The flooding of an area can extend inland by 300 m or more, covering large areas of land with water and debris. Flooding tsunami waves tend to carry loose objects and people out to sea when they retreat. Tsunami may reach a maximum vertical height onshore above sea level, called a run-up height, of 30 meters. A notable exception is the landslide generated tsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958 which produced a 60 meter high wave.
Because the wavelengths and velocities of tsunami are so large, the period of such waves is also large, and larger than normal ocean waves.  Thus it may take several hours for successive crests to reach the shore.  (For  a tsunami with a wavelength of 200 km traveling at 750 km/hr, the wave period is about 16 minutes).  Thus people are not safe after the passage of the first large wave, but must wait several hours for all waves to pass. The first wave may not be the largest in the series of waves. For example, in several different recent tsunami the first, third, and fifth waves were the largest.

How Tsunami are Generated
There is an average of two destructive tsunami per year in the Pacific basin. Pacific wide tsunami are a rare phenomenon, occurring every 10 - 12 years on the average.  Most of these tsunami are generated by earthquakes that cause displacement of the seafloor, but, as we shall see, tsunami can be generated by volcanic eruptions, landslides, underwater explosions, and meteorite impacts.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes cause tsunami by causing a disturbance of the seafloor. Thus, earthquakes that occur along coastlines or anywhere beneath the oceans can generate tsunami.  The size of the tsunami is usually related to the size of the earthquake, with larger tsunami generated by larger earthquakes.  But the sense of displacement is also important.  Tsunami are generally only formed when an earthquake causes vertical displacement of the seafloor.  The 1906 earthquake near San Francisco California had a Richter Magnitude of about 7.1, yet no tsunami was generated because the motion on the fault was strike-slip motion with no vertical displacement.  Thus, tsunami only occur if the fault generating the earthquake has normal or reverse displacement.  Because of this, most tsunami are generated by earthquakes that occur along the subduction boundaries of plates, along the oceanic trenches.  Since the Pacific Ocean is surrounded by plate boundaries of this type, tsunami are frequently generated by earthquakes around the margins of the Pacific Ocean.

Examples of Tsunami generated by Earthquakes

Although the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is by far the best well known and most deadly (and will be featured in a video in class), we here discuss other disastrous tsunami generated by earthquakes.


Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanoes that occur along coastal zones, like in Japan and island arcs throughout the world, can cause several effects that might generate a tsunami.  Explosive eruptions can rapidly emplace pyroclastic flows into the water, landslides and debris avalanches produced by eruptions can rapidly move into water, and  collapse of volcanoes to form calderas can suddenly displace the water. 
The eruption of Krakatau in the Straights of Sunda, between Java and Sumatra, in 1883 generated at least three tsunami that killed 36,417 people.  It is still uncertain exactly what caused the tsunami, but it is known that several events that occurred during the eruption could have caused such tsunami.
  • A large Plinian eruption column blasted pumice and ash up to 40 km into the atmosphere.  This Plinian eruption column likely collapsed several times to produce pyroclastic flows, any of which could have generated a tsunami.
  • A loud explosive blast was heard as far away as Australia.  This blast was likely caused by a phreatic explosion that occurred as a result of seawater coming in contact with the magma.  The explosion could have generated at least one of the tsunami.
  • At some point during the eruption a caldera formed by collapse of the volcanic island.  Areas that were once more than 300 m above sea level were found 300 m below sea level after the eruption.  The sudden collapse of the volcano to form this caldera could have caused one or more tsunami.
  • Earthquakes were felt throughout the eruption.  Any one of these submarine earthquakes could have caused a tsunami.
One of the tsunami had a run-up of about 40 m above normal sea level.  A large block of coral weighing about 600 tons was ripped off the  seafloor and deposited 100 m inland.  One ship was carried 2.5 km inland and was left 24 meters above sea level, with all of its crew swept into the ocean.

Landslides

Landslides moving into oceans, bays, or lakes can also generate tsunami.  Most such landslides are generated by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.  As previously mentioned, a large landslide or debris avalanche fell into Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958 causing a wave with a run-up of about 60 m as measured by a zone completely stripped of vegetation.

Underwater Explosions

Nuclear testing by the United States in the Marshall Islands in the 1940s and 1950s generated tsunami.

Meteorite Impacts

While no historic examples of meteorite impacts are known to have produced a tsunami, the apparent impact of a meteorite at the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago near the tip of what is now the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, produced tsunami that left deposits all along the Gulf coast of Mexico and the United States.


Tsunami Safety Rules
In case you are ever in an area where there is a threat of tsunami, I have downloaded the following tsunami safety rules from the  West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center Home Page:  http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/safety.htm
  • A strong earthquake felt in a low-lying coastal area is a natural warning of possible, immediate danger. Keep calm and quickly move to higher ground away from the coast.
  • All large earthquakes do not cause tsunami, but many do. If the quake is located near or directly under the ocean, the probability of a tsunami increases. When you hear that an earthquake has occurred in the ocean or coastline regions, prepare for a tsunami emergency.
  • Tsunami can occur at any time, day or night. They can travel up rivers and streams that lead to the ocean.
  • A tsunami is not a single wave, but a series of waves. Stay out of danger until an "ALL CLEAR" is issued by a competent authority.
  • Approaching tsunami are sometimes heralded by noticeable rise or fall of coastal waters. This is nature's tsunami warning and should be heeded. 
  • A small tsunami at one beach can be a giant a few miles away. Do not let modest size of one make you lose respect for all.
  • Sooner or later, tsunami visit every coastline in the Pacific. All tsunami - like hurricanes - are potentially dangerous even though they may not damage every coastline they strike. 
  • Never go down to the beach to watch for a tsunami! WHEN YOU CAN SEE THE WAVE YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO ESCAPE. Tsunami can move faster than a person can run!
  • During a tsunami emergency, your local emergency management office, police, fire and other emergency organizations will try to save your life. Give them your fullest cooperation.
  • Homes and other buildings located in low lying coastal areas are not safe. Do NOT stay in such buildings if there is a tsunami warning.
  • The upper floors of high, multi-story, reinforced concrete hotels can provide refuge if there is no time to quickly move inland or to higher ground.
  • If you are on a boat or ship and there is time, move your vessel to deeper water (at least 100 fathoms). If it is the case that there is concurrent severe weather, it may safer to leave the boat at the pier and physically move to higher ground.
  • Damaging wave activity and unpredictable currents can affect harbor conditions for a period of time after the tsunami's initial impact. Be sure conditions are safe before you return your boat or ship to the harbor.
  • Stay tuned to your local radio, marine radio, NOAA Weather Radio, or television stations during a tsunami emergency - bulletins issued through your local emergency management office and National Weather Service offices can save your life.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

          After some time, Austin decided to become a professional wrestler and enrolled at the wrestling school run by Chris Adams, whose school was run out of the Dallas Sportatorium where he was wrestling for World Class Championship Wrestling. Austin made his debut in World Class in 1989 under his real name, but was later given the name "Steve Austin" by Memphis-area booker Dutch Mantel. Austin's run in Memphis was part of the merger between World Class and the Continental Wrestling Association out of Memphis, with the combined company known as the United States Wrestling Association. Austin would eventually return to Dallas and feud with Adams, with Percy Pringle and Jeannie Adams (Adams' real-life former wife and Austin's girlfriend at the time) as his valets. It was during this time Austin adopted the "Stunning" nickname that followed him to WCW.

Austin left WCCW after its final folding in 1990 and signed with WCW the next year. He was originally paired with a valet named Vivacious Veronica but was later joined by Jeannie Adams as "Lady Blossom". Austin defeated Bobby Eaton for the WCW World Television Championship on the June 3, 1991, just weeks after his debut. In late 1991, Austin joined Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance. Austin lost the WCW Television Championship to Barry Windham in a two out of three falls match on April 27, 1992. He regained the title from Windham on May 23, 1992.

Austin enjoyed a second lengthy reign before losing to Ricky Steamboat on September 2, 1992. The Dangerous Alliance disbanded shortly thereafter. At Halloween Havoc, he replaced Terry Gordy, teaming with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams to wrestle Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham for the unified WCW and NWA World Tag Team title. The teams wrestled to a thirty minute time limit draw.

In January 1993, Austin formed a tag team with Brian Pillman known as The Hollywood Blonds. The Blonds won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on March 3, 1993, defeating Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas. The Hollywood Blonds held the title for five months. At Clash of the Champions XXIII the Blonds faced Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a two out of three falls tag Team title match. Flair and Anderson defeated the Blonds, but were not awarded the title as one fall had been determined by a disqualification. At Clash of the Champions XXIV, Austin and Pillman were scheduled to defend the title against Anderson and Paul Roma. An injured Pillman, however, was replaced by Steven Regal. Austin and Regal lost to Anderson and Roma. With Pillman still injured, Austin joined Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable. After Pillman returned, Austin betrayed and defeated him in a singles match at Clash of the Champions XXV.

At Starrcade, in a two out of 3 falls match, Austin defeated Dustin Rhodes in two straight falls to win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Austin lost the title to Ricky Steamboat on August 24, 1994. Austin was scheduled to face Steamboat in a rematch for the title at Fall Brawl, but Steamboat was unable to wrestle due to a back injury, and Austin was awarded the title by forfeit. His second reign ended just minutes later when he lost to Steamboat's replacement, Jim Duggan in a match that lasted thirty-five seconds. Austin unsuccessfully challenged Duggan for the United States Championship at Halloween Havoc 1994 and Clash of the Champions XXIX. After returning from a knee injury in early 1995, Austin took part in a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight title, where he defeated Duggan via count out in the first round, but lost to Randy Savage in the quarterfinals.

Championships and accomplishments
  • Texas Wrestling Federation
    • TWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The California Stud
Austin being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame