Recently on the popular blog BoingBoing, there were several entries making reference to two articles posted on EJMAS about a series of self-defence techniques with a walking stick originally printed in Pearson's Magazine in 1901.
While I suppose any relatively positive appearance in popular media about (Western) martial arts is a good thing, I still couldn't help but cringe when Cory Doctorow mentioned that these techniques allowed you to "kick someone's ass" with an umbrella.
Although, when they start teaching samurai-aerobics (e.g. in New York you can take "FORZA!", which is described in their literature as: "Italian for 'strength and power.' Also known as Samurai sword training, the one-hour class is a super-charged workout that blends elements of two Japanese Sword Fighting techniques--Kendo and Aikijujitsu. Intermediate-advanced levels.") fashioned after The Last Samurai and Kill Bill, I suppose arming yourself with an umbrella is at least a credible option.
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