Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 03:01:52 -0800 From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 11 #69 - 9 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Subscribed-Address: kma@martialartsresource.com List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Unsubscribe: , List-Help: Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: Send The_Dojang mailing list submissions to the_dojang@martialartsresource.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net You can reach the person managing the list at the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of The_Dojang digest..." <<------------------ The_Dojang mailing list ------------------>> Serving the Internet since June 1994. Copyright 1994-2004: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. 1600 members. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. Korea Hapkido European Chamionship in the UK (Ray Terry) 2. Ruminations and thoughts (J.R. West) 3. Budoseek! (FRANK CLAY) 4. =?iso-8859-1?Q?Re:_Finding_Peace?= (bsims@midwesthapkido.com) 5. sport Vs Art (David Weller) 6. Education Fever (fwd) (Ray Terry) 7. 2004 Santa Cruz Open TKD Chip (Ray Terry) 8. Re: Dutchmen (Klaas Barends) 9. Re: Tibetan Gopher MA (Power Hapkido) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net (The_Dojang) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 12:34:52 -0800 (PST) Subject: [The_Dojang] Korea Hapkido European Chamionship in the UK Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net 2nd Korea Hapkido European Chamionship in the UK Writer : Sam Bartholomew(hapkido.club@durham.ac.uk) Dear Gentlemen, Following the success last year of the 1st Korea Hapkido European Championship, this March 6th & 7th we are hosting the 2nd Korea Hapkido Federation European Championship in Teesside, UK. This year Master Kim, Beom has again organised and financed the event himself. Whilst last year, competitors traveled from only a handful of countries to participate, it is hoped that this year some fifteen European countries will be taking part. On the 7th March, following the final stages of the competition, there is to be four seminars held by the following eminent Grandmasters offering their wisdom into different areas of Hapkido: GM Bong Su Han The manner of 'DO' (Martial Art) and Yuk-Cha, basics of 'KI' GM Jin Pal Kim Skills drawn from his experience as a Bodyguard, and the dynamic kicking techniques he has passed on to famous Hong Kong movie stars such as Jackie Chan, changing the face of modern movies. GM IL HAK SONG Pressure point healer, manipulation of pressure points to promote good health. GM Deok In Kim Effective punching and attacking skills, and attacking weaknesses in the body which move throughout the day. In the past it has been very difficult to bring different Hapkido academies together at the same time, each of which wishes to sustain its' individual identity. Grandmaster Kim, Deok In, through his friendship with the other guest Grandmasters, has endeavored to do just this, and we hope that with their support the event will be a great success. In this way it is hoped that in the future, different academies may be able to share their own special knowledge with each other to enhance the art of Hapkido. I am writing to invite you to join us for the event and to ask if you would consider helping us to promote and publicise it by putting details on your website. It is hoped that in the future we may be able to organise an event to be held in Korea, and we hope that you will consider joining us in organising and attending the event. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kindest regards Sam Bartholomew Durham University Hapkido Club Captain --__--__-- Message: 2 From: "J.R. West" To: "Dojang Digest" Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 15:11:58 -0600 Subject: [The_Dojang] Ruminations and thoughts Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Friends: A couple of thoughts seem to keep echoing around in my head and I thought I would share them: 1) It seems odd to me how many people contact different organizations looking for very high rank and how few are looking for 1st dan and the knowledge to go with it. Also there always seems to be some group somewhere that will give you what your looking for if the price is right. A good rule of thumb is, the harder someone had to work to gain their rank and status, the more difficult they are going to make it for others to do the same...Obviously the converse is true as well. 2) As far as the meaning of forms is concerned: Don't have a clue, never done forms....BUT !.... My ROK brethren in the central highlands that studied TKD on a daily basis always amazed me with their ability to seemingly glide from point A to point B without so much a making a ripple in the air on their way to do mischief to "Charles" and the NVA. I guess what I'm saying is perhaps it's not in the meaning, but rather in the movement. 3) Plans for the seminar are running me crazy, and we have finally, as promised, created the "everything else just sucks!" T-shirt, and have done so without offending anyone (hopefully). Also, Dr. Kimm will be arriving on Friday, and Master Mac will be conducting a TSD seminar on Friday afternoon. I found out today that there will be a large contingent of Federal LEOs there as well, mostly FBI. 3) Anyone who uses the term "Tibetan Gopher Throwing" owes me a dollar (That's US dollar, Rudy & Geoff), and I think that the large rodent that some of you spoke of is not in the gopher family (thank God), but more likely the weasel family. J. R. West www.hapkido.com --__--__-- Message: 3 From: "FRANK CLAY" To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 13:23:58 -0800 Subject: [The_Dojang] Budoseek! Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Mr. Edwards, Let me know what post it is, and I will deal with it. I am one of the moderators, and I have not dealt with it because I have not seen it, not because I am partial to him or anyone else. The rules of Budoseek! are posted, and I was instructed to enforce them to the letter, which is my intent. You can respond to me by email if you desire. Regards, Frank frankclay@msn.com _________________________________________________________________ Create your own personal Web page with the info you use most, at My MSN. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200364ave/direct/01/ --__--__-- Message: 4 Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:21:15 -0600 (CST) From: To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] =?iso-8859-1?Q?Re:_Finding_Peace?= Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Dear Edward: ".....I promised myself I would not let this sort of silliness take my time, but then again I cannot help myself. I was watching stuff over at the Budoseek, and when ever somethingbad comes up about a guy in Fla there are always plenty of warnings about the rules et al. Heck half the post there are "read the sticky note"......" In the short term, I think the answer is a qualified "no". Like standing from a distance and watching a child tumble head-first from a shopping cart its one of those images that make grown people cringe and wince their eyes shut tight. Any thing I could have possibly said I have made of point of saying as I withdraw from each of these Nets in turn. I didn't really need the events of the last two years to tell me that I was shoveling s*** into the wind. On these Nets there is a lot of posturing and pontificating about how MA training is supposed to help us face down our demons, polish our characters and cause us to become better people. A great deal of the time the evidence is much to the contrary. How many times have you heard that people can't learn MA from a book only to have people asking about what the "best book" or tape on a subject is? How many times have you heard people talk about how certs aren't that important, but then what about the people who pay exorbitant amounts for those certs? And how about the people who pay to attend seminars and then stand on the edge of the mat and watch? The fact is that I can speak my truthes eloquently or crudely or not at all but in the end people are going to believe what makes them happy to believe and truth, accuracy, honesty and integrity often have very little to do with it. And, Ed? Theres' not a damn thing you can do about it because that the way that people want it. They want the REGARD that comes from doing the hard work and submitting to tight monitoring and narrow restrictions. Its just the attendant work and discomfort that are required that folks don't want anything to do with. At the "top of my game" I was visiting as many as eight Nets hoping to make some sort of contribution, knowing that for each person like me there were 20 or 30 of the bozo-s, maybe more. By the end of this week I will have dropped participation in yet one more Net which will leave me this and SFI, and nothing says I plan to stick with either of these. Its just a whole lot more enjoyable doing my research and writing and connecting with people off-line. So--- if you are looking for any kind of advice, my 2 cents is that you are making a mistake wasting your time in the first place. The people who are standing with one foot on each of your last two good nerves have no intention of changing, are supported by people who need or want them around and they all want things just the way they are. But in case you are thinking this is just the groanings of one more depressive ol' fart, you may want to read that letter by Master Bae in the last issue of DD--- then give it very careful thought. There are a lot of people who are thinking the same way I am who just haven't discerned a reason to share it out loud. FWIW. Best Wishes, Bruce --__--__-- Message: 5 From: David Weller Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 17:36:32 -0600 To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] sport Vs Art Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Good Old Mr. Clark asked (And I asked for it): > You gave the example of what went on at your club. But my question > would > be, is this a common event in your club? Or is it the exception? I would say this sort of training is common at our little school. Certainly not the exception. > > >> We are constantly admonished to keep our "hands up, guard >> your head". We are told that even though a punch to the face is >> "illegal" in a tournament we should not develop the bad habit of arms >> at the side (like you see so often in tourny TKD fighters). And one >> might easily find our Master's fist near our nose as a reminder. >> "illegal"... sure, In a tournament setting, but in our Dojang, you'd >> best watch your noggin. > > It seems to me from our statement that you are admonished to keep your > hands > up, unlike "tourney TKD fighters" your school is somewhat different in > the > curriculum than other clubs. If so then perhaps your club is not > indicative > of other TKD clubs. If so then perhaps your answer (above) only > represents > your club and not that of other KKW schools? >> >> Yes, it in no way answers for what goes on at other schools. I have little experience with other schools so I'd be remiss if I tried to answer for what goes on there. I do know from attending tournaments that we probably train a bit differently than other schools, at least that is my impression, although what I see at a tournament might differ greatly form a common class .. just can't say. I will say I like the way we are trained and that is why I have trained every week with the same instructor for the past ten years. I also teach a class once a week... tonight in fact! I hope this answers your questions. Have a groovy day, dave --__--__-- Message: 6 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net (The_Dojang) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:16:25 -0800 (PST) Subject: [The_Dojang] Education Fever (fwd) Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Forwarding... Education Fever: Society, Politics, and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea, by Michael J. Seth. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2002. 305pp. ISBN: 0-8248-2534-9 reviewed by Matthew Shapiro University of Southern California mattheas@usc.edu The role of a well-educated populace continues to be a common research subject within the social sciences. In terms of economics, political science, and sociology, increases in education have been shown to bolster economic development and politically mobilize the public. The South Korean case, with its rapid economic growth since the 1960s and the shift to democratization in the 1980s, is a strong example supporting this claim. What has been lacking among such studies thus far, however, is a detailed and comprehensive examination of the causal mechanisms that led to the rapid expansion of education in South Korea. Michael J. Seth takes up this task in his comprehensive study of the South Korean education system, claiming that it was South Korea's "education fever" - or preoccupation with formal schooling - which propelled Korea's educational development. The central claim of the book is that South Korea's education fever resulted from the complex interaction of traditional Confucian attitudes and new egalitarian ideas introduced from the West. Combining both historical and thematic content, Seth effectively addresses the dynamics of such interaction, utilizing government reports, secondary literature, periodicals, and, with great effectiveness, the discourse of National Assembly debates on South Korean educational policy. Since "opinions on education are easy to obtain" from a populace greatly concerned with education (7), more than sixty interviews with teachers and education officials were conducted. Given that first-hand accounts of colonial and mid-twentieth century education policy are becoming increasingly scarce, Seth's interviews may be the only such accounts to ever be published in English. >From the sôdang of the early Chosôn period to the current education system, the Korean mindset has been imbued with the belief that education and examination preparation represent the potential for social access and status selection. This standard, however, has changed over time with increases in, first, the influences of the Japanese colonial occupation and, later, the U.S. Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK). The limited access to education during Japanese colonial rule impeded education development and growth in general, but led to the adoption of particular practices such as teacher authority and class bonding. Following liberation, there was widespread interest in new educational opportunities under the authority of the USAMGIK, partially due to the fact that "the power of educationŠ corresponded [with Koreans'] traditional beliefs in the transformational value of formal learning" (49). Focusing only upon South Korea in the post-independence period, Seth meticulously outlines the tumultuous debate concerning the educational system. Two issues - whether to maintain the multi-track, elitist system and whether or not to decentralize educational authority - were discussed among pro-American and/or nationalist education organizations. The divisions between liberal and conservative pedagogues were not always distinct, given that all educators emphasized the moral component of education and viewed education as a means to produce a prosperous and strong nation. Nevertheless, the formal debate between members of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Education (MOE) resulted in a multi-track, single secondary school system. Decentralization of educational authority, the second issue of the debate, had never been a part of Korean political policy and challenged the nation's traditions. The MOE claimed that local autonomy would produce more appropriate community-ba! sed education and develop a sense of national consciousness through popular participation. Seth then analyses the particulars of each government's policy. He notes that the Rhee administration initially focused on primary education as a means to satisfy the basic requests of the populace. Primary education also afforded Rhee the means to "instill loyalty to the new state" and socialize the nation's youth "into good citizens of the Republic of Korea" (81). At the same time, because only two out of five college graduates found jobs requiring university degrees, the MOE's efforts to promote vocational and technical education conflicted with public perceptions about the purpose of schooling. Essentially, this marked the beginning of a tug-of-war between the MOE and the public over education policy that would continue up to the present. The promotion of secondary education during the Park regime expanded the size of the student populace. Coupled with Park's attempts to coordinate education policy with economic strategy in the form of mandated vocational and technical education, competition increased among students and fueled the intensity of South Korea's education fever. Continued opposition from the populace enabled "educational expansionŠ to be propelled by public demand" (118). That is, resistance from parents, teachers, and school administrators prevented major changes in Korean education until the Yushin phase of the Park regime. Even then, reforms such as sequential development and a uniform national curriculum were implemented with seeming intent, but "the details of educational policy tended to be made ad hoc and were subsequently often modified or abandoned" (130). Park was successful, however, in limiting enrollment in higher education, effectively preventing an oversupply of higher degree holders. Such efforts fostered a preoccupation with university entrance examinations. Seth states: "If the main purpose of South Korean education has been status, then it has been the entrance examinations that have been the key mechanism in that process" (140). Much like the state's previous attempts to dictate educational policy, societal pressures and the weight of tradition have prevented the establishment of a consistent examination policy. Seth also considers the inherent contradiction of assigning rank (via examination result) in a society where egalitarian ideals were strong. To maintain a semblance of balance and equality among students, specific policies were developed, such as teacher rotation and a lottery system to assign students to public and private schools. By the time Chun took power in 1980, the aggregate costs of college examination preparation were astronomical, particularly in the form of private tutoring. To counteract the overarching impacts of the examination, the state began to control the college entrance system by instituting a new College Entrance Achievement Test and requiring that a student's high school grade point average represent thirty percent of the basis for college entrance. The subsequent Roh regime also attempted to make changes to alleviate the distortions in education created by the examination system, as did the Kim Dae Jung government. All of these efforts, however, were to no avail, as "the public was committed to [examination hell], and until the state lifted all the quotas on college freshmen, the feverish competitionŠ would continue" (171). The final two chapters of _Education Fever_ address themes relevant for Korea and other nations that have shifted from authoritarian to democratic systems. First, Seth considers the function of education as a means of state control. During the Rhee regime, the compulsory membership of all secondary and higher education students in the Student Defense Corps helped legitimize the fledgling South Korean state. Yet, the long periods of time spent consolidating "anti-Communist thought" left students ill prepared for examinations. Moreover, the military and ideological training of students did not conform to goals of acquiring social status via educational achievement. Only after Park's assassination were students and teachers able to initiate change, eventually manifesting itself in the largest demonstrations in South Korea's history in 1987 and successfully thwarting Chun from transferring power to Roh without formal elections. But it was the Declaration of Educational Democrati! zation in May 1986 that detailed the goals of the "democratic education movement." Specifically, the education administration was decentralized, greater autonomy was awarded to individual schools in decision-making, and a curriculum closer to the tenets of democratic society was instituted. For all of Education Fever's robust historical presentation, the book is lacking in three respects. First of all, Seth should have employed the comparative method of analysis more often to highlight the distinctiveness of the Korean case. When he does, such as in his comparison of the Korean Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and its American counterpart (175), deep insight into the nature of the transfer of Western ideals is offered. Secondly, Seth's statements regarding the plausibility of correlating institutional factors and development are too open-ended. In one case, he concludes that "[i]t is probably impossible to measure the impact of military drills, political indoctrination, and mass student rallies on the nation's development, but certainly the militancy of student radicals and radical teachers may in part be attributed to their training and experience in school" (223). The lack of substantiation or elaboration detracts from the conclusiveness of Seth's other point! s. A final issue, and the greatest shortcoming of Education Fever, is the absence of a methodological discussion of the terms "democratic education" and "American educational theory." The two are used in conjunction and, at times, interchangeably. An explanation of what Seth means by "democracy" at the outset of the book would have yielded greater clarity for his argument. Without such an explicit definition, readers must make their own determination about the meaning of "democratic education" in Seth's usage at least until the end of the book, when the term is expressed as "a decentralization of educational administration, the granting of greater autonomy to individual schools in decision making, and a modification of the curriculum so that it conformed to the norms of a democratic society" (230). At the same time, the only sustained explanation of "American educational theory" is a light treatment of Deweyism (68). What we are ultimately left to assume is that American educat! ional theory is less about the desire to give a child more freedom and responsibility, thus promoting individualism, and more about the decentralization of controls upon the education bureaucracy. Irrespective of these points, Education Fever presents a critical and complex set of issues in South Korea's history with real verve. The book is particularly useful for its integrated presentation of Korea's development, and, in this respect, has the potential to attract not only historians, but also audiences from education, economics, political science, and sociology. For those entering one of these related areas of study, numerous prospects for future research exist. Scholars of education, for example, may focus upon the function of foreign universities in the South Korean education system, sociologists and political scientists can consider the cyclic nature of student movements and the function of education in the political transition, and economists may dwell on South Korea's attempts to bolster its research and development sectors. Whatever the case, Seth's findings are genuinely captivating and prompt careful reflection for Korean Studies specialists as well as the c! asual observer. Citation: Shapiro, Matthew 2004 _Education Fever: Society, Politics, and the Pursuit of Schooling in South Korea_, by Michael J. Seth (2002) _Korean Studies Review_ 2004, no. 02 Electronic file: http://koreaweb.ws/ks/ksr/ksr04-02.htm --__--__-- Message: 7 From: Ray Terry To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net (The_Dojang) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:48:33 -0800 (PST) Subject: [The_Dojang] 2004 Santa Cruz Open TKD Chip Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net 2004 Santa Cruz Open Tae Kwon Do Championship March 27, 2004 Held at Aptos High School 7301 Freedom Blvd Aptos, California 95003 For more info call 831.476.5555 or http://www.santacruzopen.com. --__--__-- Message: 8 Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 10:20:32 +0800 From: Klaas Barends To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] Re: Dutchmen Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net In the end, what it all comes down to is this: You all practice a truly Dutch Martial Art, so you have to join a Dutch Org. For this matter I have personally founded The One And Only Original Dutch Martial Art Federation (tm), and I expect you all to join this federation and bow down to me. If not, I will have my team of lawyers sue your *$#$%#* Of course you will get a nice certificate for your efforts, which I will let my secretary personally sign for you. Amen. -- mvg. Klaas Barends http://www.hapkido.nl/ --__--__-- Message: 9 Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 11:14:47 +1100 From: Power Hapkido To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] Re: Tibetan Gopher MA Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Hi all, I hope this post finds you I have not had the best of luck in posting in the DD. I am a Hapkido student here in a lonely part of Australia and I have heard about this martial art called Tibetan Gopher Throwing (or tossing I think it depends on translation from ancient Aztec) and I am seeking a instructor here in Australia can anyone recommend one?????? The more I read I believe my Dutch heritage will do me well in TGT. Regards John Baade "To further clarify the Dutch connection with the dreaded Tibetan Gophers, it should be noted that this connection is a direct result of the Dutchmen's zest for trade with the East. The value of the Tibetan critter was such that the Dutch wanted to bring it to back Europe, where the art of Gopher tossing was fast becoming popular in the 1400s." ----- Original Message ----- From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Date: Friday, February 13, 2004 6:50 am Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 11 #68 - 17 msgs --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang http://the-dojang.net Old digest issues available @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com Copyright 1994-2004: Ray Terry and http://MartialArtsResource.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of The_Dojang Digest