just bought "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley,Ron Powers today.
A movie based on this book is being worked on right now by Clint Eastwood. looking forward to it.

I may pick that up...just to learn more about the Native American Ira Hayes. I'm taking a break from the meditation, Asian history, buddism and going for something closer to home. Back to Native American studies for awhile, and reading 'On the Rez.'

He was a man of few words. The book is deep and sad, but not depressing. I couldn't put it down when I started it. I'll never view this image quite the same after reading.
http://www.estatevaults.com/lm/images/%20Iwo%20Jima.jpg

Piece from: The Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought

"In the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), in order
to attract distinguished scholars from other states to
his own, King Wei of Qi ordered the construction of a
grand mansion for their accommodation outside the gate
of Ji (also name Jixia) at the capital, Linzi. Then a
plate bearing “Jixia Palace of Learning” was put up,
so that those scholars could lecture or hold debates
there in a free atmosphere.

King Wei’s son King Xuan had a special liking for men
of letters and itinerant strategists who traveled
about trying to persuade state rulers to accept their
ideas and service. He treated them as honored guests,
and built a number of magnificent houses to be given
to some of the well-known scholars.

In those days, about a thousand people came to the
Jixia Palace of Learning. This made it the center of
contemporary scientific and cultural research.
Scholars of the Confucian school, the Taoist school,
the Legalist school, the Logician school, the Mohist
school, the school of Positive (Yang) and Negative
(Yin) Forces, political strategists, eclectics,
agronomists and military strategists met here and
debated with one another. Besides giving lectures,
these people wrote pamphlets and treatises to
propagate their viewpoints and refute those of others.
Thus, a situation of free academic discussion was
brought about. It was under such historical conditions
that The Book of Mencius, The Book of Zhuangzi, The
Book of Mozi, The Book of Xunzi, The Book of Hanfeizi,
and essays of exponents of other schools were written.

The famous thinker Mencius, who lived at that time,
often led his disciples on lecture tours to propagate
that Confucianist doctrine of “benevolence.” On their
arrival at Jixia Palace of Learning, they were warmly
received by King Xuan of Qi who thereafter often
consulted Mencius on the proper ways of governing a
country and its people.

One day, King Xuan said to Mencius, “I have heard that
when King Wen of Zhou staked out a piece of land a
full seventy li in circumference for purpose of
hunting, his people considered it not big enough. I
have now got mine which is no more than forty li
round, yet my people are complaining a lot. People are
really getting unreasonable nowadays.” To this Mencius
replied, “Though King Wen of Zhou staked out that much
land, the common people were free to cut and gather
fuel or go hunting there. King Wen shared the land
with his people, that was why they considered it
small. On my arrival at Qi, I heard that the common
people are forbidden to enter Your Highness’ hunting
grounds, and poaching would be punished by
decapitation. Though you have enclosed only a
relatively small piece of land, it is of no benefit to
them. So isn’t it natural for them to think it too
large?” King Xuan felt that there was much sense in
Mencius’s words, so he decided to let the people use
the land together with him.

Zhuangzi of the Taoist school was against the doctrine
of humanity and decorum advocated by Confucianists.
Therefore, he wrote the following story. On a dark
moonless night, two Confucian scholars went
grave-robbing for jewelry. They went on digging till
it was about dawn and were upset for having found
nothing valuable. Nevertheless, they still quoted
lines from their poetry books in the way of talking.
The senior scholar looked about and asked in verse,
“Day is beginning to break in the east, and how are
matters now?” the junior scholar replied in a similar
manner while busy stripping the clothes off the dead
person, “The undressing of the deceased reveals a
jewel in the mouth.” On hearing this, the senior one
said hastily, “Oh, hurry! Take it out.” Then he began
to chant an ancient poem, “Green is the wheat that
grows on the southern hillside; those who worked not
when alive, have no right to keep jewels in their
mouth when dead.” When the song was finished, the two
of them set to work immediately. One grabbed hold of
the dead man’s hair, while the other prized open the
mouth vigorously with a knife and carefully retrieved
the jewel. Though only a joke, this story exposes and
criticizes the hypocrisy of Confucianists who may
appear to be very learned and polite but actually care
little about decorum.

As different schools of thought confronted one
another, debates grew more and more intense, and
people’s minds more and more active. Hanfeizi put
forward a new legalist theory on the basis of the
actual conditions of the development of society. He
used the words parasite to designate all the Confucian
scholars, political strategists so fond of
high-falutin talk, clever strategists who went about
selling their ideas, those how eschewed military
service and the miserly merchants of his day. He
criticized those who refused to adapt themselves as
society changed and developed, comparing them to the
foolish man in the fable who waited by a tree for
hares to come and dash themselves against the trunk.

The free debating of different schools of thought
promoted the development of ideology and culture in
ancient China. Nowadays, people often use the proverb
“Let a hundred schools of thought contend” to describe
the free discussion of different schools thought and
contending ideologies."

"Remark: In the second last paragraph, it mentioned a
man-and-hare fable. The story is as follows: One day,
a man goes hunting. When he wanders about the forest,
suddenly he sees a hare running out of a bush. The
latter runs so quick that dashes herself against a
trunk. The man is so amazing, and then he fetches up
the dead body and goes home. On the other day, he goes
hunting again. He sits near the trunk where the hare
dashed herself against yesterday, waiting for the
miracle happening again…Like Aesop’s Fables, the
Chinese ancient fables have a long history and still
shining with wits."

'Buddha's Warrior's: The Story of the CIA-backed Tibetian Freedom Fighters, the Chinese Invasion, and the Ultimate Fall of Tibet' -- by Mikel Dunham

An amazing story of fighting monks, bloody resistance and where the CIA were actually the good guys.

SCORE!!!
I went to Half priced books today. I found a 1975 edition of Korean Karate Free Fighting Techniques by Sihak Henery Cho. It is in great condition and still in the box. I paid $7.50....SCORE!!!

SWEET!!! Good for you Oldman!

Hey I have question that is sort of on topic. I hope all you literary geniuses can help me out.

Is it my imagination, or at one time wasn't there a Curious George book where the little monkey was doing Judo or something? I distinctly recall seeing CG in a gi of some sort.

If any of you know of this, please tell me where/how I could get a copy.

Thanks,

Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George

There's a list on there of all of his books. None of them mention MA's, but it may be a small part of one of the books. Your best bet may be a library or bookstore if nobody else here can help.

Bu,
I'll see if I can get the hook up. My wife is an author and was a chilrens librarian for a number of years.

I recall the image, and seem to associate it with space. After looking through the available books tonight at B&N, I think it might be "Curious George Gets a Medal" or "Curious George and the Rocket".