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Yesterday was the official Brisbane Zombie Walk. During our parkour training session I was lucky enough to snap off the following picture. You can find more photos here, and a short BBC article about the event here.

The health benefits of a soy-rich diet have been well documented. However, more recent research has also demonstrated the dangers of a high soy intake - specifically in relation to cancer and soy's oestrogen-mimicking capability. From the article -

1. "High soy consumption may accelerate tumour growth and interfere with conventional medicine used to treat cancer."
2. "Men with prostate cancer are also being told to avoid it because it could irritate the male hormone androgen."
3. "Men may be affected too, as soy may reduce fertility by increasing phytoestrogen levels." (more info)
   
4. Soy contains high levels of phytic acid, a substance which can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc. Zinc is needed for proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for a healthy reproductive system.

As usual, you can find more information on soy over at the wiki page.

In a related article [2], the link between protein supplements and muscle growth has just been given a boost by Australian scientists. In a 10 week trial, the scientists found that individuals "who consumed the [protein] supplements immediately before exercising with weights gained much more muscle and strength than those who took the same supplements at other times of the day."

As some of you may know, I took up rock climbing about a month before heading off to Scandinavia. On the night of my going away party we decided to hit the wall for one last climb. Below are my two favourite shots that NFG took of me that evening.

Handstand on the wall (click to enlarge)

 Climbing at Kangaroo Point (click to enlarge)

As some of you know, for the last ten months I've been practising parkour. I've now reached the stage where I'll be uploading media from some of my exploits. You can check out some of the clips already on YouTube. The following ones [1, 2, 3, 4] are a just couple of 5 second shorts of me (the first is my favourite). I plan to release a proper 2 minute video sometime over the next six months. For now be content with the magic of my friend Tox.

For much of this year, the Brisbane scene has been lucky enough to have along photographer NFG, our good friend, gaming guru and author [2]. A number of NFG's photos have now made it into the media, such as the local Family nightclub magazine, and Acclaim Magazine [3m PDF]. Below is a shot of me, snapped by NFG. The move is called a Flag, and you typically hold it anywhere from 3 to 10 seconds. Generally performed at heights (illustrated here by Kamikaze, another Brisbane traceur), this is a more artistic shot. When I finally get the gallery up and going you'll be able to find a whole lot more parkour photos from the Brisbane scene.

You've probably seen it around the city, typically a group of young males jumping over railings, leaping off walls, and diving over tables. It's called Parkour, a new extreme sport which emphasises flow in the freedom of movement through the urban sprawls. The BBC news is running a front-page exclusive on the practice, and includes a written piece, a photo journal and a flash animation illustrating some of the basic moves. If it looks interesting, then check out the Australian Parkour scene over at pkaus.com. Organising regular jams, training talk and other matters all get discussed in the forum. Maybe I'll catch you around the Brisbane scene sometime.

I believe the attraction of Parkour lies in the dualistic nature of the human condition: predator and prey. Through this exists the primitive mechanism known as fight or flight. While numerous sports throughout history have popularised fight, Parkour is perhaps the first Western sport to focus purely on flight. In later weeks you'll be able to read more about this when I release my Parkour think piece.

Introduction