Friday Funny: Under undress...

For those of you that have missed the Friday Funny...

 

 

           I think this is actually from the "Springbreakers" movie that is about to come out. The odd thing is that since I share my life with a brazilian lady these bikinis look rather conservative and modest to me.
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Acupressure for Self Help

            I dislike the term “Alternative Medicine”. It suggests an “either/or” or “Us and Them” mentality that is not productive. Both “sides” of the medical profession are guilty of this. Like any important issue medical care should be determined by empirical rather than emotional or historical factors. If something works, use it. That you cannot explain how something works, or that the explanations offered for how it works don’t make sense is not a reason to ignore it, but an indication that we need to learn more. Primitive man knew nothing about aerodynamics but this did not stop the birds flying.

            Acupressure is a good example of what I am talking about. Many of the traditional explanations of how it works quite frankly do not make a lot of sense. One meridian is assigned to an organ that doesn’t physically exist in the body. If we dissect the body there are no apparent meridians. Some practitioners will talk about the blood flow being different in different times of the day, but we know blood flow is not tidal but circulates. On the other hand acupressure/acupuncture could be demonstrated to be having an effect that was more than psychosomatic.

            Erle Montaigue used to tell a story of a student of his who was a surgeon. While operating on a patient one day the patient went into cardiac arrest. The surgeon stabbed his scalpel into a “energy point” on the sole of the foot and the patient’s heart started again. That the patient was unconscious and also pumped full of pain killers eliminates that this was a psychological effect. That we cannot see the meridians may simply mean that we do not know what to look for, and that they may be a number of structures that conventional anatomy regards as discrete. Many people who have experienced heart attacks have reported shooting pains along the inside of their left arm –a location that acupuncture designates as the heart meridian. Blood flow may not be tidal, but we do know the body is subject to biorhythms and that we feel more energetic at certain times of the day. Acupressure and Acupuncture gained greater acceptance in the west when it was discovered that it stimulated the body to produce endorphins –natural painkillers.

            Many decades ago when I had started my first ever full time job I brought a copy of “Acupressure Techniques Book. A Self-Help Guide” by Dr Julian Kenyon. My first job was at a research centre located in a large country estate. Many of the rolling fields around us were bright yellow with the flowers of rape (Brassica napus) and I was soon to make the unwelcome discovery that I was allergic to rapeseed pollen. I had never had any indication that I suffered from hayfever before, but all of a sudden I was clawing at my eyes. More out of curiosity than anything else I took a look at my new book. I knew Acupressure could produce endorphins, but that did not seem much help for what was a disproportionate immune response. None the less, I consulted the book and found a page on hayfever and allergies. Not expecting much I tried stimulating the points suggested. I actually did not expect this to work at all!

            The next day I had no symptoms at all. In fact I have not been subject to hayfever again in more than 25 years. Much to my surprise that one treatment was enough.

            As you may expect, I have a healthy respect for the capabilities of acupressure (pun intended). There are obviously possible effects other than endorphin production. I still have the book and still consult it on occasion.

            Many years ago my mother was experiencing considerable back pain. On certain evenings she would ask that I “do her back” and slowly and painfully lower herself to the floor to lay face down. I’d probe the relevant points between her vertebrae for a minute or so and she would then spring back to her feet like she was 20 years younger. The relief this could produce was quite dramatic.

            I don’t know if the book is still in print, but if you can find a copy by bookfinder.com consider buying one. In my own book I mention that Liver 4 is also a useful healing point. This is a point worth learning since it can be used on a number of ailments including toothache and headaches. I have nothing against using painkillers, and oil of cloves is miraculous for tooth pain but there will be times when you do not have such things handy so acupressure can be a very useful alternative.

            If you have hayfever or allergies then it will cost you nothing (other than the price of the book) to try some acupressure on yourself. Hopefully you will experience similar success to my self.

            On particular page in the book sticks in mind. In the section on haemorrhoids the author recounts on how he has witnessed haemorrhoids visibly reducing before his eyes while a point on the patient’s head was stimulated. Perhaps this section struck me since it was another example of acupressure having an effect that seemed to be more than just than of endorphins. Haemorrhoids affects millions of people, including a significant proportion of pregnant women so if there is a way that their effects can be reduced by an acupressure point on the head such information needs to be more widely circulated.

            The relevant point is GV-20. This is on the centreline on the top of the head, intersecting a line drawn up from the angle of the jaw and through the apex of the ear. Press down on this point and rock your fingers forwards to stimulate. Usefully this point can be stimulated in any social situation. Kenyon’s book also includes a number of other points that might have an effect. While researching this post I also came across this video on a point for relief of haemorrhoid pain. Not tried this myself but worth experimenting with.  

If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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African Throwing Knives

I wrote this article a couple of decades ago for the Thrower list. Back then there was very little on the internet about African Throwing Knives.

African Throwing Knives

Miss Summers kindly models for us with a hammer and a Southern form of African Throwing Knife.

“African throwing knife” is a confusing term since most of these are not anything we'd call a knife, and "throwing iron" is sometimes used. The weapons are mainly used in Northern and Central Africa.

Problem is that many of them are never used as missiles or even weapons, but have symbolic/ ritual/ magical functions.

Using the African words is of little use since every tribe has a different name for them. The terms “Hunga Munga”, “Thrombash” and “K'pinga” are possibly the best known.

Throwing forms usually have an uncovered grip section or just a cord or lizard hide wrap. At least some of these knives have an aerodynamic "D" shaped section.

A typical northern form of knife is about 30" long and shaped like an "f" of sometimes an "?". The "knife" is carried sloped over the shoulder, sometimes in a sheath that holds three. These weapons have been used by both cavalry and infantry, and seem to have been the main reason leg armour was adopted for African war horses.

I've seen it claimed that many of these knives are used as general purpose tools for jobs such as clearing brush or butchering game. You can see these things as being awkward for some jobs and good for others and it is usually noted that many of these knives obtained for collections show no signs of the wear or resharpening you'd expect. On the other hand, man will often use the tool to hand rather than the tool for the job (I remember a nice photo in the Pitt-Rivers Museum of a guy making a pair of sandals with his spear edge).

Southern forms of knives are shorter (c 18" or less) and proportionally broader. Shape is more varied, resembling "Y", "r", "K" or branching antler-like shapes.
The elite warriors of certain tribes would carry four of these hanging on the inside of their shields.
When thrown vertically at the top of a shield they are said to somersault over and drop down onto the foe's head.
When thrown horizontally they can be bounced off the ground to take out the foe's ankles beneath his shield.
Being able to jump suddenly was a required skill of a warrior!

FEEDBACK
I think Phil was referring himself to an African throwing knife called "'Mbum", a middleway between the axe and the knife. Otherwise to particular "Taliks" used by Tahuas to kill the mices of the desert; or the throwing knives used by Ballegs and Vahims' tribes......

Grisonio

There's a name for these in every dialect of the North and Central Africa -not heard those ones though. Thrombash, Hunga Munga and K'pinga are some of the better known terms. If the desert tribes are using what I'm thinking of they'll be about 30" long -lot of knife for a mouse

Phil

(Lee Fugatt) writes:
....kill mouses?? Prego Grisonio but I would love to see some one pick off a mouse with a throwing knife!!! I miss grey squirrels about half the time and kinda good at throwing stuff. Ain't saying it can't be done but I'd sure to see it!! Lee

Tahuas'tribes are nomads who live hunting preys like mice, locusts, lizards, scorpions, snakes and coleoptera, perhaps the only animals of the desert, if we exclude the more and more rare "fennec" (little-fox). Their life depend on their throwing-skill and during hunting period they cannot miss the target. When that happens, -- (and IMO it happens very seldom) -- they can only say: "#@$+§*%!! bye bye dinner..." @=^)
Lee, they are "professional throwers" and don't waste their time playing with squirrels and bambi.... @=^D

Grisonio

P.S. = Hey Phil, one of the throwing-weapons used by mouse-hunters of Central Africa is like this...

'MBUM" (Maybe you know it by a different term)

is bound by a short rope utilized to set it in rotary motion.

How big is this thing and is it made of metal? It looks a lot like a southern throwing iron, though I'd expect a northern form to be in use in desert regions. When you say the rope sets it in a rotary motion -do you mean a rope is wound around to spin it like a top, or just a cord wrap handle?

Phil

Yeah, it is a sort of "ascia-falcetto" or double-scythe, but only one of the blades is sharpened. It is supplied with another short blade, a cutting tooth, near the bone handle. Length: approximately 16 cm. (blade) + 9 cm. (handle)
The cord is very short and bound near the tip of the handle. About its utilization, IMO, the African Mbum can be considered a middleway between the medieval Kusari-Gama of Okinawa and the prehistoric Bola Perdida of Peru. A similar throwing-weapon, without cord, is utilized in Central Africa by Kotos. Hope this helps.

Grisonio

Indeed it does -what part of Africa did you say these mouse hunters were from again? This thing is smaller than a Central African (southern) thrower and way smaller than the northern forms -plus you have the additional action of the cord to whirl it by -there seems to be a real shortage on decent information on African throwing blades.

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The Books

Battlefield Wrestling

            Continuing in a medieval theme from the last post today I will write about a related topic, that of wrestling. If we look back at the history of wrestling we in fact see two related forms. The first form is the type that you are most likely familiar with, that of unarmed wrestling. Unarmed wrestling is common to many cultures. Many males, particularly the younger ones seem to have an inherent  urge to compete. Numerous outlets for such feelings have been created, but one of the most common seems to have been wrestling. Wrestling was a non-lethal way for men to compete with their peers or neighbours, let off steam and establish pecking orders. Most varieties are designed so there is very little risk of serious injuries that might prevent an individual working and keeping his family fed. This is by no means restricted to humanity, of course. If we look at nature we see that most intra-species competitions between males are non-lethal, and many of them involve some test of strength such as head-butting or wrestling.

            The second form of wrestling is more serious and is best described as “Battlefield Wrestling”. As personal body armour became more effective longer and/or heavier hand weapons were needed to penetrate it. The use of the horse in warfare determined that longer weapons were preferable so that both mounted and unmounted warrior could reach his enemy. But what happened if you weapon still failed to penetrate an enemy’s armour, or that the press of battle placed you so close to an enemy that neither of you could use your polearms to good effect. One answer to this common problem was battlefield grappling techniques. In both Japanese and European medieval warfare we have accounts of warriors throwing down their long weapons and grappling an armoured enemy. I’m sure that if I looked I would find the same tactics used in China, Korea, the middle east and other cultures that used body armour.

            If an enemy is armoured many of the targets we would hit in normal combat are protected. Kicks and hand blows will mainly be used to unbalance a foe. Throws, and to a lesser extent locks will be used to get an enemy into a position from which he cannot defend himself. He can then be bound for ransom or interrogation or killed.

            One still has the problem of penetrating that armour, and this was why the dagger was such an important part of a warrior’s equipment. In Europe battlefield daggers often had long, stiff but narrow blades. Often such blades were unedged and of triangular, square or diamond cross-section. A variety of designs such as the rondel and eared dagger were developed and it seems obvious that these were intended to facilitate an “ice-pick” hold and a powerful thrusting action. The long narrow blade could be slipped through the eyehole of a visor or slipped through a narrow gap between the plates or a weak point such as the armpit. A knight’s dagger is often called a “Misericorde”, a word that means mercy. While one theory is that it got this name from being used to euthanize the badly wounded it is just as likely that this would be the plea of a grappled enemy who say the weapon about to be used.

            In Japan the grappler’s primary weapon was the “Yoroi Doshi”. The Yoroi Doshi was a straight or nearly straight double or single edged knife optimized for thrusting. Some are up to half an inch thick at the spine. The Yoroi Doshi was edged since taking an opponent’s head was a fundamental part of japanese warfare. While the name means “Armour Piercer” it was probably often slipped between plates or into the eye. The Yoroi Doshi was worn on the left side, edge upwards but some warriors realized the danger of being caught in a grappling situation and unable to reach their weapon, so carried multiple daggers. A variant of Yori Doshi was the Metazashi with the fittings reversed so it was worn on the right. Other weapons might also be used in grappling. Kubizashi were sharp spikes used to label an enemy’s head. Since a samurai carried several of these they would have been used as weapons too. Weapons such as the Hachiwara (a clubbing and parrying weapon) had a point that seems well suited for slipping between armoured plates. Supposedly the small hook on this weapon near the hilt could be used to lever back a helmet to break the neck, and this would probably be most practical if in a grappling situation.

            That wrestling and grappling was a battlefield tactic explains why medieval fight manuals such as Talhoffer show some of his combatants holding daggers in his depictions of wrestling.

         If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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