FROM THE FKYING TAN
By BILL HOSOKAWA
Being 4(1 Not So Old
HE N^W CANADIAN
t ,      --.^.-y. ,.. - p.p.,       ,
February 18, 1955
'Some months. _ ago a friend,, let's jus: call him FJob Chan;-' hers, telephoned, to invito us to be. his gu,>ts at the annual reunion of the Jural Second (Indian Head) Division Association. So we attended. We were soon caught up in a great demonstration of ��good' chirr, camaraderie and yarn spinning which is standard operating procedure at all veteran's' gatherings. .Such � festivities seem to.be intensified in proportion to the length of time that has passed since the men put away their guns. Tin'1 vasf bulk of these'ex-soldiers,� it must be noted, were War I
''vets.' �'�:';'.:�.
Sometime during the" evening,' completely swept along by the good cheer. Hob happened to remember that oho member hadn't actually served with the Second, liut he had, been decreed eligible by virtue of . having spent some time with a Red' Cross  outfit   attached' to  the
�.'Second/That gave Hob an idea.
"Hill." he said, "while you were in Korea as a war Correspondent; you were attached to the Second Division, weren't you?"      ; .-�
"Well," I hedged, "yes and no. 1. wasn't really attached to them. Hut one hot day when I was too tired to go tin to the front I wandered down to the docks of Pusan And watched some elements of the Second come ashore. No shooting, no nothing. They walked down the gangplanks and hiked- over to some rail road"'-.oars'-. That's all there was to it. 1 couldn't even
LET'S KEEP AN EYE ON REST OF WORLD
The. Nisei may be straddled with problems peculiarly his. oSvn today, but what good can come from its solution if, at the same time, outside forces negate''the results. All aspects should be considered � even exA ternal pressures that, heretofore, shed less energy when the world appeared much bigger and peoples \vere more distant from each other. Modern invention has certainly squeezed the world into our own backyard, 'so to speak.
International politics has outgrown its early concepts of relations between neighboring countries. It envelops the. entire family of nations in one s^oop. If we seek a "better America for all Americans/' it pays to keep an eye imi the rest of the world.
� Pacific Citizen
report the event because move-, 'merit of-military units was supposed to be Secret."
"Hell," said Bob, "that's good �enough.. You were with the Second so you're eligible to become a member of our Association. Now if you'll fork over three bucks dues, we'll declare, you a buddy and full-fledged Second Division Association mart'/'.
So I forked over three bucks and became a veteran, So to speak.
The other day. Hob called, again to 'notify me of a Second Division Association meeting. He assured me all the old buddies would miss their new buddy if.he.didn't show up for his very first meeting, so that didn't leave me ..much! choice but. to attend.   1
.All the old buddies were there, all right. There was plenty of camaraderie again, and some fancy reminiscing. They talked about .landing in Brest, and the battle of Ar-gonhe forest, and Bellau Wood, and.the stinkin' red-headed major who got>to hoisting too many of them in a. French saloon while his. troops stood utside' in the bitter cold, 'and'' the day the Frenchmen came over in Spads to bomb the bridge with bombs they threw over the side out of the cockpits, and what a great bunch the marines were when they fought in the Second. All 1 knew was what I'd read in the history books.
After the war--the Big War � had been hashed Over sufficiently, the; old buddies started in . on baseball. 1 perked -up a bit, hoping; that I could add.a little; to the conversation. Then to my dismay I found they weren't interested in young sprouts like Wijlte Mays, Yogi Berra and Johnny, Antonelli. They -were not even concerned with oldtimers like Jackie Robinson or Bobby Feeler, Ruth and Gehrig? Nope, those youngsters were still in the up-start class.
But now, take Eddie Collins and Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ci-eotte; Chief Bender, Napoleon Lajoie, Ty Cobb and some of that class. Them was real ballplayers before, the rabbit ball spoiled the sport. The discussion stretched out long into the night. Eventually I had to take my leave � young fellows have to get their rest, you know.
My old buddies were still chewing away on the rag, talking about the good old days when I left for home. For. me, being fat and forty didn't seem like being <juite so old after an evening with my buddies. No sir, not old at alii      .
� Pacific Citizen
THE NEW CANADIAN
Pnbttshed on Wednesday and Saturday of each wwk mm a faedlvtna of rxprewioft and news outlet those of J*p�vne*e origin in Cajiada
^are
by CINDERELLA
A Few Damning Compliments
INHERE are certain compliments in the English.
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Language which I feel are better left unsaid. They are those diplomatic remarks which, in their very tactfulness, are damning and accusing, being superb understatements of belittlement or self-righteous tolerance.
How many times have we heard someone
speak of another individual as "0 George means well." Actually ho slur against George s character, no questioning of George's intelligence, yet that phrase says a thousand uncomplimentary things about George. It tactfully points, .out that George is a blunderer, a guy with two left hands, ten thumbs and no fingers, and a space where a brain should be. George's intentions are always good, but somehow, by some strange mechanism within his mental and physical make-up, George never quite makes the grade. There is a' condescending, superior tolerance behind the words "0 George means well."
Then there is Mary "whose heart is in the right place." That statement is no compliment at all. To me that remark has always seemed a peculiar one to make about anyone, about as interesting and as enlightening as saying, "A dog's tail is just where it should be � in the rear'*, or saying "Broccoli .is a green vegetable", or saying "Pomegranates have pips"/. They are all truthful statements of fact but they tell me nothing more than I already, know. And if we were to take full cognizance of Mary's "heart" being in the right place", what does it really mean? It sounds too pat, like a straw to be grasped when' one has nothing to say. To be referred to as a person "whose heart is in the right place" would make me feel something.like a: tump of dough, so dull that.no one can/.find words to describe me. My hands would be tied. I could, neither rise in self-defense nor beam with appreciative pride. As far as lam concerned, if a person can do no better than to tell me that "my heart is in the right place", let him remain silent.
?P1 1 critics
caught
'"-"ance
The* there it the word which oft** U|L iiv any eritkai'�uy, use3 by" gentl who want to say something kind in \ What they would be forced to say if Vv truthful. The word is "adequate". I hav' myself using it too; What could be more da-.v.rv-or less complimentary than to say a m>i*ieia-'' or actor's performance "was adequate''. In th~ one kind word the critic side-steps -k tru.t' drops a tolerant glance like a gracious dr^'-i at a social tea, and leaves the perform .r Corr.. pletely out in the cold To be blasted, who?^-heartedly for an unusual interpretation w^ r least give the performer the chance t dofend' his performance;, to be singled out for >r v,.rV 'cutting remarks would even spur him ;><>,, ^ ter; and to be1 told outright that his p was rank and impossible might even, run, turn out to be a great favor for : '*vir-artistic firmament and the performer.. P.� t.y simply stale that a performer is adequate is to pass too lightly over 'something, which' .ha.* involved a great dealof time, of -self-'disciplnnr ztA even moments of self-torture � in the samHisrht manner as one would say "0 dear, there's a fiv" upon seeing a housefly climbing up one's window pane. To label an artistic perfonnaiiee.'as adequate, a man's intelligence as adequate, a man'; capacity for work as adequate, Ss.avgrnciousk' dropped crumb to mollify the. recipient, ar.d a> unsatisfying to the recipient as if the critic had not seen him at all.
There is another compliment, which infers everything but what is spoken. It is the retort which says "0 yes, he's nice".followed.by a full -stop, with no attempt at further elaboration. "Nice" used in. a- complimentary way, covers lT multitude of sins. As far as I am concerned, thero are hundreds of adjectives Which would servo better and are preferable to "nice". But. quite apart from the proper or improper use of - the word, in my experience, if a person responds to any enthusiastic comment on my part regarding another with "0 yes, she's nice" followed by a full stop, I can be pretty sure that such a comment is made with, definite mental reservation?, all of theni "not nice". It is a polite way of saying "I like Mary but . . ."� And the important word; is "but". ..'-;'/�'' ,      .
These tactful phrases which we all throw around � when one thinks about them � can be pretty damning and unkind;
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A IK I DO
(Continued. from Page One)
� $;* per months, .$�?.. per year mil. Po*t office Dept.. Ottawa.
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degrees without losing balance.
This basic requirement enables an "aiki" man to upset his opponent's balance- without losing his at the instant of contact.
Also essential is the training on the art of falling. Unlike in judo, an aiki man does not fall flat on his back: instead he somersaults gracefully on one hand, elbow and shoulder. .--, When an aiki man falls, he Hoes not actually fall, but he merely rolls once to get on his feet again.
Weapons Also Used
Although aikido appears to.be. most remarkable when demonstrated by a bare-handed expert, he can also employ any of the weapons � sword, spear, etc^ � according to the same basic principles.
As in the cases of jiujitsu and karate, the origin of aikido cannot be traced to any particular master in any particular period."One theory has .it, however, that it was a secret art handed down through generations of the Minaraotos, one of the two major military- clans of medieval Japan. Like a secret weapon of the modern age, the closely gnarded art was taught only to members of the elan � a fart that accounts for its
relative obscurity.       '.
Even.after the Meiji Restoration when feudalism was abolished, aikido remained little known publicly. During the war, the Japanese Army made it a compulsory training program for. the much-feared military police. And Mr. Hirai was made . aikido instructor.
Until the end of the war, Mr. Hirai was the only "Hanshi" (highest title for expert) of the Butokukai. a national organization for the promotion bf Samurai arts.  ' "�
Called by GHQ
After the war, on the basis of his "merit" of having been aikido instructor for the notorious kempei, Mr. Hirai was called by the Public Safety Section, GHQ, SCAP, to disclose hi* techniques. Subsequently GHQ officials formulated a system of self-defense and disarming assailants which is now being taught to New York police, according to Mr. Hirai.
Compared with other Japanese arts of self-defense, aikido is definitely the most superior. J**do, for instance, is an excellent form of physical exercise, but it is not designed to be practical.
A judo expert can use his
skill only by first getting -a hold on an opponent by the sleeve, lapel, etc. But when he faces an assailant with a knife, his usual approach amounts to asking for the worst because he leaves himself wide open.
Throwing Technique
One salient feature of aikido, in particular contrast to judo, is that it discourages "hold" techniques, the fine point being "to. throw your opponent by letting him take a hold on you."
Karate is a highly lethal art of attack and defense, and its techniques are confined to hit-ing and kicking. A skilful aiki man can not only return.a karate man effective blow? but also' throw him.
A judo expert, pitt-d'against a boxer, usually.manages to twin. his adversary after bt'"? '�?'.':>?-. ged a few times. But ih:< not be the case with a expert, - who is - genera')';   :^ more agile. To him, a b      ? finished at  the instant two   come   into   each  r: : '-striking range.
Technically Mr. Shrrais dio is maintained by a       T named Korinkai, which a ^ into membership only per.-reliable character. The �er; system appears highly adv:.-.-.">�.<� because the proficiency at a V-v in an undisciplined person car: be quite dangeroos. (by Sar rs Kogai in Nippon Times)