From: takin&kanoknuan@stuck-in-a-wheelchair.org   
      
   "Ron Thompson"  wrote in message news   
   > Quote:   
   >   
   > I am a very vocal advocate of canes for self-defense. As an older man, I   
   > can walk with a cane anywhere and not even be looked at twice. I've   
   > brought canes onto airplanes, into foreign consulates, courtrooms, and   
   > even nightclubs where people were scanned for weapons prior to entry. I   
   > don't walk with a limp, nor do I lean on the cane for support when   
   > walking. It is simply there as part of my movement. Especially when   
   > walking through rough neighborhoods in the Philippines, S.Florida, L.A.,   
   > or NY, the Thai/Myanmar border, or even Paris or Singapore late at   
   > night.   
   >   
   > That said, I have studied (and taught) several different Oriental   
   > martial arts for 25 years, as well as being the Fencing Master for the   
   > Rutland Fencing Society for 12 years. This does NOT make me 'superman,'   
   > nor do I have any delusions that I will be victorious in every combat   
   > situation. And if a 30-year old street hood pulls a Glock and asks for   
   > my money, while standing 5 feet away, he gets all I have in my wallet.   
   > (I don't keep much cash in my wallet though. It's in a special pocket   
   > sewn into the waistband of my pants.) It is with this background that I   
   > chose a cane as my usual defense weapon.   
   >   
   >   
   > As for choice of canes, I have several depending on my needs at the   
   > time. But they all share the common feature of being lightweight. I do   
   > not care for a heavy hardwood cane or weighted walking stick. (My style   
   > of usage depends on speed and maneuverability rather than power.) I have   
   > collapsible aluminum canes that telescope down to 15", folding canes   
   > that go down to 12", and my favorites... rattan canes, both thick and   
   > thin. The thicker one has a small lead weight drilled into the crook   
   > just to balance the cane better when it is being held 'below' the crook.   
   > I want the tip to 'almost float,' just being ever so slightly tip heavy   
   > when held this way.   
   >   
   >   
   >    
   >   
   > But as a caveat, please understand that simply carrying a cane is NOT   
   > self-defense. Fighting isn't magic, and wearing Ninja tabi and carrying   
   > shiriken do not automatically make you a Ninja. Any weapons system takes   
   > training with a good instructor and lots of practice. And if you STOP   
   > practicing, you lose your skills quickly. However, stick fighting as a   
   > practical system of self-defense in the modern world makes more sense   
   > than, say, nunchaku or chain whip. "Sticks" can be found everywhere, as   
   > umbrellas, brooms, canes, pointers, tree branches, and even as small   
   > devices in pencils, chop sticks, a screwdriver (double duty here...) But   
   > they ALL require training and practice. And user discretion...   
      
      
   **Apart from a cane and a tripod for self defence, Steve is also quite keen   
   on cheap CD's.   :-)   
      
      
   --   
   "I like cheap CD's for that [slashing]. The cheap ones snap in two and leave   
   razor sharp edges and a point at each end, but are still allowed onto planes   
   as carry-on. Fit right into the same open pocket as my reading material." -   
   Steve 'The Slasher' Kramer   
      
      
      
      
   >   
   >   
   > Steve Kramer   
   > Osaka, Japan   
   > One year, four weeks, 11 hours, 26 minutes and 57 seconds. 11804   
   > cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,065.75. Life recovered: 5 weeks, 5   
   > days, 23 hours, 40 minutes.   
   >   
   >   
   > --   
   > "The real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new lands,   
   > but in seeing with new eyes!"   
   >   
   >   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)