Articles written by Matt Lau

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About me - Matt Lau

"Born and raised in Hawaii-and yet remarkably articulate." New York Globe

"A genuinely nice guy that refuses to finish last." Boston Tribune

"An inventive and witty comic genious that can deliver an insightful message about life that can wake you up and make

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Education > Educational Philosophy Education (or lack thereof): America is getting dumber: 1 of 64
Lack of competition always leads to a drop in performance. When there was only one method of delivering mail, the U.S. Postal Service was a horribly inefficient means. When there was only one telephone company, there was no advancement in phone technology. Now the United States education system is reaping the rewards of a lac... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Sports News & Opinion (Other) Should drug use get a professional sports athlete banned for life?: 1 of 21
Should drug use get a professional sports athlete banned for life? What a ridiculous question. Here are a few more hypothetical questions to consider:Should drug use get a politician banned for life? Should drug use get a teacher banned for life? How about a rock star, or a model, or a minister, or a firefighter, or a soldier... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Who are you to judge others?: 8 of 152
How many platitudes have you heard about not judging people? Point a finger at someone else and you have three pointing right back at you. Glass houses, throwing stones. Judge not lest ye be judged.First of all, criticizing or condemning someone else is almost always a form of self-aggrandizing. "He did this, which I would ne... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values How to become a better person: 14 of 192
There is an American Indian proverb in which the wise men say that within our hearts are two wolves. One wolf represents fear, hatred, jealousy, rage, sorrow, doubt... all the negative emotions. The other wolf represents joy, love, forgiveness, peace of mind, and all the positive emotions. Both wolves battle constantly in our... More..
Jobs & Careers > Self-Employment Tips on being a self-employed professional: 1 of 13
Being self-employed comes with a certain measure of freedom at the expense of the security of a nine-to-five job with medical benefits. Because of this security, there was a massive shift away from self-employment (about 80% around 1900) to masses of people becoming corporate wage earners (about 90% around 2000). Now with the... More..
Hobbies & Games > Role Playing & War Games How to choose a race and class in Dungeons and Dragons: 1 of 12
When creating a Dungeons & Dragons character, race and class are usually the first decisions that need to be made by the player. Those two decisions alone greatly define the role your character plays in an adventuring group and determines a lot of basic information about her. In fact, if you are the new player sitting down at... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Why I play role-playing games: 5 of 53
Why do I play role-playing games?It's the only place where I can unleash arcane forces, travel to other dimensions, ride mystical beasts into battle, collect artifacts of power, unravel deadly mysteries, smite the forces of darkness, and slam down a Mountain Dew.You know, the usual Saturday afternoon.Role-playing games are a ... More..
Hobbies & Games > Role Playing & War Games Dungeons and Dragons tips: How to choose feats: 1 of 8
Feats were the greatest innovation of 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons. These special abilities or maneuvers really allow you to custom build your character with options that just didn't exist in previous versions of the game. In 1st and 2nd edition, there was really very little difference between two 10th-level fighters; But w... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Setting Life Goals Never give up: How to keep your dreams alive: 14 of 95
Wake Up and DreamWithout dreams; without goals; without visions and expectations for our future, we are essentially left with what the world decides we get to have. The greatest detriment to most peoples success, is that they have no plan for success. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it.Why are dreams important? Because by... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Should the US pull out its troops regardless of whether Iraq is ready to defend its people?: 28 of 164
A brief history of the Vietnam warNorth Vietnam attacks South Vietnam (our ally). President Kennedy (D) sends US troops to War, with the support of the New York Times and the Washington Post. US troops begin dying. The New York Times and the Washington Post declare the Vietnam War unwinnable.President Johnson (D) inherits the... More..