“Conscientious Objector” by Edna St. Vincent Millay [w/ Audio]

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I shall die, but
   that is all that I shall do for Death.
 I hear him leading his horse out of the stall;
 I hear the clatter on the barn-floor.
 He is in haste; he has business in Cuba,
   business in the Balkans, many calls to make this morning.
 But I will not hold the bridle
   while he clinches the girth.
 And he may mount by himself:
 I will not give him a leg up.

Though he flick my shoulders with his whip,
   I will not tell him which way the fox ran.
 With his hoof on my breast, I will not tell him where
   the black boy hides in the swamp.
 I shall, die, but that is all that I shall do for Death;
  I am not on his pay-roll.

I will not tell him the whereabout of my friends
   nor of my enemies either.
 Though he promise me much,
   I will not map him the route to any man's door.
 Am I a spy in the land of the living,
   that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city
  are safe with me; never through me Shall you be overcome.

Swamphens [Haiku]

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swamphens strut
 at water’s edge, and
  i’m a farmboy again.

Last Hurrah [Haiku]

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late afternoon sun
 catches yellow bloom clusters:
  the day’s last hurrah.

DAILY PHOTO: North Thailand Farmland

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BOOKS: “Judo Unleashed!” by Neil Ohlenkamp

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Judo Unleashed!: The Ultimate Training Bible for Judoka at All Levels (Revised and Expanded Edition)Judo Unleashed!: The Ultimate Training Bible for Judoka at All Levels by Neil Ohlenkamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

Release Date: July 9, 2024

This is a new and revised edition of a book that has been on the market for many years. It provides an overview of the sport and martial art of judo, with particular emphasis on the competitive version of the art. It does discuss the self-defense philosophy and approach of judo in broad brushstrokes, but the techniques that are discussed (and shown) individually are the competition-legal ones. The book does take a no-nonsense approach and focuses on a straight-forward delivery of the most crucial information for a general reader.

The book’s organization is as one would expect of a martial arts guide: an introductory overview, a detailed breakdown of the techniques by type (i.e. throwing, grappling, groundwork,) and a brief closing (i.e. “where do we go from here”) section. Among the book’s useful features is that Ohlenkamp often tells the reader which judoka were particularly noted for their adeptness with a given technique as he presents said technique. This gives the reader wanting a little more insight the opportunity to do some internet research for video clips of that particular judoka doing the technique in question.

The book has a large number of color photos that are clear and present the gist of each technique in mid-action. It also has extensive appendices discussing rules and the formally accepted techniques of Kodokan Judo.

I found this book useful and would recommend it for those interested in judo, whether as a potential student or to compare and contrast it with other grappling sports / martial arts.

View all my reviews

“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [w/ Audio]

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The tide rises, the tide falls,
 The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
 Along the sea-sands damp and brown
 The traveller hastens toward the town,
          And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
 But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
 The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
 Efface the footprints in the sands,
          And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
 Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
 The day returns, but nevermore
 Returns the traveller to the shore,
          And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Lakeside Leaves [Haiku]

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lakeside leaves are 
 turning and dropping, but
  no floaters remain.

Yielding to the Flow [Free Verse]

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A slender leaf
   floats downstream.

Its tip touches 
   a stouter leaf,
     sending the
     slender leaf 
     spinning.

The leaf continues to 
    twist as it drifts,

Making it seem spastic,
   but it neither rushes
     nor dawdles.

It matches the flow,
   letting gravity &
     currents do all the work.

It races only when it
    plunges through
     a narrow channel,

But it downshifts just as
      effortlessly as the
      stream widens.

The leaf's action is
   unforced, yielding to
     energy imparted upon it.

Killing Bliss [Free Verse]

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I found bliss.

And cooked it on the
   simmer setting 
     of my soul --

That vacant hole that
   I let swell with color 
      and light.

My only worry was that
   it would flash fry all 
      that I am.

But one worry is enough
   to kill the joy, 
     to kill everything vibrant 
     & reckless within.

The bliss was quenched,
    and it steamed & sizzled,
      and all I could hear was its
      deafening sound.

DAILY PHOTO: Ulsoor Lake Elephants

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