Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 16:26:45 -0800 (PST) From: Thomas Bolling To: Jean Kodama Subject: your great WKA page -- SUBSCRIBE! Dear Jean: How are you? I hope all's well with you for this great new year thus far. Taking a hint from Don Seto, I just revisited your great WKA page (which has a link on both my own Martial Arts and Ways page at http://weber.u.washington.edu/~kendo/budo.html and also on my Women's Studies page at http://weber.u.washington.edu/~kendo/women.html) and I discovered that you now have a "subscribe to WKA" feature on there. So YES! please subscribe me to your page (and I hope you don't mind that I have those links to it...) I was so excited when Lisa first told me the organization was forming, and then when its own home page appeared...! And the link to it from Jae's great SCKF page... As you know, I'm a big time enthusiastic supporter of the WKA, and my dream is that it cover the whole USA... or why not Canada, too?! Speaking of Canada, are you coming to the Vancouver Taikai this Saturday? Or to Steveston? Maybe Steveston for sure, right...? Hope to see you there. Meantime, if there's anything I can do to support the WKA either in the Kenyu, or whatever here in PNKF, you'll let me know, won't you? Also, when you do develop a logo, I'll be very eager to display it on my /budo.html page along with those of AUSKF and PNKF! I'll put WKA right there next to them...! OK, see you soon, Jean, and take care. Tom P.S.= I just checked my address list for the Kenyu Online, and I don't think you've been getting that from me, so I am adding you immediatly! I'm going to send you the current issue (with a neat article by Omoto Sensei), and you'll get it automatically from now on. If you'd like back issues, I have about a year's worth I'd be glad to send you, if you don't have them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 20:16:08 -0800 From: Jean Kodama To: Thomas Bolling Subject: Re: your great WKA page -- SUBSCRIBE! Hi Tom, Happy New Year! > ... a link on both my own Martial Arts and Ways page at > http://weber.u.washington.edu/~kendo/budo.html and also on my Women's > Studies page at http://weber.u.washington.edu/~kendo/women.html) I took a peek a your many interesting links. My goodness, you're certainly into a lot of neat stuff! Of course I don't mind the links, but I think any true feminists will be disappointed that we're not very radical in the WKA :-). We just wanted an excuse to hang out together and think of fun stuff to do, hopefully for both guys and girls. The intended audience for the web page is specifically SCKF women, to try to cut down on snail mail requirements. I hope it's not too boring for the rest of you! > As you know, I'm a big time enthusiastic supporter of the WKA, and my > dream is that it cover the whole USA... or why not Canada, too?! I continue to be surprised when I find people with very strong feelings about our group (we've gotten both positive and negative). We're much more laid back than that! Right now our goals are very modest - basically to provide mutual support and to have fun. We strongly want to avoid politics of any kind. If other women in kendo have the same goals, it'd be great to form some sort of informal alliances or whatever. We're sort of seeing how it goes (leading by example rather than pushing from behind). In retrospect maybe we should have picked a less generic name... Anyway, the web page seems like a good way to let others know what we're up to. Anyone reading it can see that we're into kendo and social activities, not politics! We purposely don't have officers other than a treasurer, which we need to keep track of our funds. > Speaking of Canada, are you coming to the Vancouver Taikai > this Saturday? Or to Steveston? No, I've just joined a new start-up company and I can't afford the time, especially since I'm going to spend 3 weeks in Japan for 10WKC and family travel. > Also, when you do develop a logo, I'll be very eager to > display it on my /budo.html page along with those of AUSKF and PNKF! > I'll put WKA right there next to them...! Right now the "men with eyes" design is leading. I'll let you know the final winner. I'll be using it for the web page, of course. > P.S.= I just checked my address list for the Kenyu Online... > If you'd like back > issues, I have about a year's worth I'd be glad to send you I just saw Kenyu for the first time from the SCKF page - very well done! I would be interested in back issues, if it's not too much trouble, or let me know if they're available online. Thanks for your enthusiastic support! Jean Kodama ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 01:30:27 -0800 (PST) From: Thomas Bolling To: Jean Kodama Subject: WKA, Kenyu, true feminists Dear Jean: I got your message some hours ago.... thanks! I got those back issues of Kenyu dispatched your way, then got bogged down in stuff at the old reference desk where I was working till about 11:00 tonight. Anyway, I knew you'd figure out that I'd received yours, at least.... > I took a peek a your many interesting links. Thanks...! > My goodness, you're > certainly into a lot of neat stuff! Well, it's true I love lots of things.... especially things that are kind of playful, life affirmative, and not too serious. > Of course I don't mind the links, but I think any true feminists will > be disappointed that we're not very radical in the WKA :-). Are those the "true" ones? They'll just have to be disappointed, then! Personally, I think all us Kenshi are definitely radical in the formal sense of the word, because we are working at the roots and foundations of our lives. Those activists who are into judging others -- and us -- are their own concern, not ours.... In other words, I'm an ardent feminist, and you wonderful WKA people are a tremendous inspiration and source of pride to me. > We just > wanted an excuse to hang out together and think of fun stuff to do, > hopefully for both guys and girls. That's the motivation I have for everything that I do! Including "work" and whatever else.... certainly Kendo. > The intended audience for the web page is specifically SCKF women, to > try to cut down on snail mail requirements. I hope it's not too boring > for the rest of you! OK.... "hope it's not too boring" is the kind of thing I'm always saying about the Kenyu, too. But I guess it doesn't take much to amuse died-in-the-wool Kendo people... > I continue to be surprised when I find people with very strong feelings > about our group (we've gotten both positive and negative). Well, I'm not surprised about the strong feelings, Jean. BUT I can't identify with the negative, though... what kinds of objections did people raise? I mean, what could be wrong with a friendship group like this? > We're much > more laid back than that! Well, of course I know you are. What I was responding to (and what I'm hearing from PNKF women, for example) is just the hunger that I know is out there for such a fellowship... not at all the thought that YOU guys had to, or set out to, provide it. But you have pointed the way, and I know that Kendo women from all over the place -- and their fellow travelers -- LIKE what you are doing. I was just "wishing"... > Right now our goals are very modest - > basically to provide mutual support and to have fun. Yes... and what wonderful goals those are. > We strongly want > to avoid politics of any kind. Right! Likewise, Jean! I couldn't agree with you more... > If other women in kendo have the same > goals, it'd be great to form some sort of informal alliances or > whatever. That's what I'm talking about, too.... > We're sort of seeing how it goes (leading by example rather > than pushing from behind). I like it! I'm reminded that the word "education" [from e + ducere] suggests "drawing out" or "drawing forth" or "pulling by attraction" -- never "laying on" or "pushing"... Ideally, people are "drawn into" Kendo in the first place, not shoved... > In retrospect maybe we should have picked > a less generic name... Maybe.... but I rejoice in it, because it's the very broadness of that name which has given Kendo women all over the place hope, I think. They feel "I could be in that, too..." > Anyway, the web page seems like a good way to let others know what > we're up to. Anyone reading it can see that we're into kendo and > social activities, not politics! Likewise! Boy, I wish that would be what comes across in my pages, too! Politics is such a "male mind" kind of thing, anyway, isn't it? > We purposely don't have officers > other than a treasurer, which we need to keep track of our funds. Wow, how great! > > this Saturday? Or to Steveston? > > No, I've just joined a new start-up company Oh, that sounds interesting. Congratulations. > and I can't afford the > time, especially since I'm going to spend 3 weeks in Japan for 10WKC > and family travel. Well, I'm glad you'll be going to 10WKC! That's great... But Steveston will be nice... all the Team Canada and Team USA people have registered for it, according to Ray. There'll be some hot Kendo... All of your WKA Team people will be there, anyway, won't they? > Right now the "men with eyes" design is leading. I'll let you know > the final winner. I'll be using it for the web page, of course. OK. Yes, I'll probably just grab a copy off of your page, once it's on there... > I just saw Kenyu for the first time from the SCKF page - very well > done! Thanks.... > I would be interested in back issues, if it's not too much > trouble, or let me know if they're available online. The web page one is just the current one. As far as digital issues, they only go back about a year. For the first nine or so years it was paper only (looking something like the web page one), and it still comes out in paper each month, handed out to Kenshi to hang on their fridges... > Thanks for your enthusiastic support! Well, it's from the heart, Jean. If there's ever anything specific I could do to support the WKA, please let me know right away, OK? Meantime, all the best, always. Talk with you soon, and take care. Tom