Reviewed briefly: "The Stick and Cane in Close Combat" (Tom Lang, 2006)

One of the most thoughtfully written and nicely illustrated "how to" books I've seen in a long time, "The Stick And Cane In Close Combat: Jointlocks, Takedowns and Surprise Attacks" is about how to use a stick, staff or cane as leverage in grappling. It's a compendium of jointlocks and takedowns, basically, from the practical to the fanciful, with only passing reference to the short, sharp shot (the best way to fight with a stick is to hit somebody with it, usually.)

A little knowledge of anatomy and physics is a *truly* dangerous thing. I am far from an expert martial artist, but Mr. Lang certainly is, and it appears to me that at least some of these techniques would remain completely accessible/available to older people who might have reduced strength, range of motion, or even balance.

It turns out that Tom Lang is an instructional designer and medical/technical writer, in his day job.  No wonder the book reads so well!

Related links:

Jointlocks and Takedowns with the Stick and Cane (Tom Lang)

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Reviewed briefly: "I'm New Here," Gil Scott-Heron (2010)

4 out of 5 stars (* * * *)

\He sounds like forty miles of bad road, but Gil Scott-Heron, the hard-living New York Poet who once taught us that The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, is back with a recording that poignantly examines rebuilding your life, even if you have to start from scratch.

Audio and video here:

• I'm New Here (2010)
• Video for Me and the Devil (single released 22 Feb 2010)

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OpenSourceSodaPop.com is gonna take you down to the soda fountain for a malted

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Americana/alt.country playlist for Bunny

And anyone else who's interested.

Lyle Lovett: "Lyle Lovett" (debut album), "Pontiac," "It's Not Big It's Large" (with the Large Band) - a good introduction is "Anthology Vol 1, Cowboy Man", but there are no bad songs on the early albums and damn few on the later ones; it's worth buying the full albums in my view. 

Steve Earle: God, anything really. But especially "Guitar Town" and "Transcendental Blues."

Townes van Zandt: Anything and everything.  A good introduction is "Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, TX" - there are some compilations but I don't like the looks of them.

Willie Nelson: Anything and everything.  A good introduction is the recent comprehensive box set.  Just buy it. :-)

Guy Clark. The alt.country singer-songwriter's singer-songwriter.  Anything.  His last couple of records ("Dublin Blues," "Some Days The Song Writes You") are solid as they come.

Joe Ely - both as a solo artist and with The Flatlanders.  Look for an anthology.

Robert Earl Keen - another member of the Texas smart-country set.   "The Party Never Ends" is canonical.

Buddy and Julie Miller: If you buy just one record, buy this one: "Written In Chalk".

T-Bone Burnett: Producing more than performing these days, but proves that Christian Rock does not have to be "I found God and lost my talent."  He writes heartbreakingly beautiful songs.

John Prine - all of it.

Emmylou Harris - all of it pretty much.

Lucinda Williams - all of it, but especially "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road."

Tift Merritt - a good introduction is "Live in Birmingham" (England, not Alabama)

 

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Eisenhower Interstate System in the style of H.C. Beck's London Underground Diagram

Eisenhower Interstate System in the style of H.C. Beck's London Underground Diagram
Originally uploaded by Senex Prime.

This is just lovely information design. Sadly, the link to purchase poster-sized prints appears to be broken.