American Backpacker, Michael Matsushita, killed in London

Missing New Yorker now presumed dead

Friend: Missing American had 'zeal for life'

For some reason it doesn't bother me as much when some redneck from Arkansas gets killed in something like this. But when it's some guy that I could have met in a bar or guesthouse in Vietnam, in Cambodia or where ever, it feels like a real loss. It's sort of sad that I can be that parochial, caring more for someone that's more like me and that I would get on with, but it's okay to acknowledge that. And while it's sad when anyone loses their life, it strikes me as especially sad when it's someone who was really out there exploring the world and themselves. It's a real loss.