Is anything sexier than ancient Chinese philosophy? If sex sells, sex can sell philosophy. The Chinese Aunt, which you see above, is a compendium of ancient fables from Lao-Tsi (aka Lao Tse, Lao Tsu, Laosi, and so forth), the man known as the father of Chinese Daoism. This pulp-style 1960s collection has a bit more visual oomph than those crinkly parchments from the sixth century B.C., and rightly so, because the thing must be just filled with sex. We haven’t read it yet, but we have it right here, and, skipping ahead to where the sexy parts must be, we come to a quote from the Master that says, let’s see, “You know who you are and you know what you want.” True enough—we want some Daoist sex action. Explosions too, if we can get them. After all, the Chinese did invent gunpowder. Skipping ahead again, we find another quote, which goes, “You cannot reflect in streaming water.” Very instructive. We’ll ponder that later. Skipping to the end, because that’s where the climax with all the sex and gunfire and explosions must be, we find another saying from the Master: “When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Okay, clearly this could take a while. We’ll get back to you after the weekend.
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1985—Theodore Sturgeon Dies
American science fiction and pulp writer Theodore Sturgeon, who pioneered a technique known as rhythmic prose, in which his text would drop into a standard poetic meter, dies from lung fibrosis, which may have been caused by his smoking, but also might have been caused by his exposure to asbestos during his years as a Merchant Marine. 1945—World War II Ends
At Reims, France, German General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms, thus ending Germany's participation in World War II. Jodl is then arrested and transferred to the German POW camp Flensburg, and later he is made to stand before the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg Trials. At the conclusion of the trial, Jodl is sentenced to death and hanged as a war criminal. 1954—French Are Defeated at Dien Bien Phu
In Vietnam, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which had begun two months earlier, ends in a French defeat. The United States, as per the Mutual Defense Assistance Act, gave material aid to the French, but were only minimally involved in the actual battle. By 1961, however, American troops would begin arriving in droves, and within several years the U.S. would be fully embroiled in war. 1937—The Hindenburg Explodes
In the U.S, at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the German zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg catches fire and is incinerated within a minute while attempting to dock in windy conditions after a trans-Atlantic crossing. The disaster, which kills thirty-six people, becomes the subject of spectacular newsreel coverage, photographs, and most famously, Herbert Morrison's recorded radio eyewitness report from the landing field. But for all the witnesses and speculation, the actual cause of the fire remains unknown.
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