Pot Calling the Kettle Black

An expression that is said when one accuses another person of that which they are equally guilty of.

Many years ago, people used to cook over an open flame using copper kettles and iron pots. The copper kettles were usually polished after every use whereas the iron pots were not and remained blackened from the soot from previous cookings. Well someone got the idea that if the iron pot were alive and it looked at a nearby copper kettle, it would see a black image. The iron pot believes it sees the image of the copper kettle when in reality, because the copper kettle was polished, what the iron pot was seeing was a reflection of itself. This symbolic phrase became associated with hypocrisy. An accuser blames someone else for having a fault when the accuser has the same fault.

Joe accuses Mark for not keeping his house clean when in reality, Joe has a messy house. Therefore, Joe is guilty of "the pot calling the kettle black".

by Dancing with Fire June 24, 2011

Sinn Fein

An Irish political and cultural society founded about 1905 to promote political and economic independence from England, unification of Ireland, and a renewal of Irish culture. It now constitutes the political branch of the Irish Republican Army.

Sinn Fein was founded by Arthur Griffith in 1905. Its current president is Gerry Adams.

Slogan: "Building an Ireland of Equals"
Ideology: Left-wing nationalism

by Dancing with Fire September 03, 2012

Eskrima

Eskrima, Arnis and Kali refer to a class of Filipino martial arts that emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, blades and improvised weapons. Although training starts with weapons, empty hand techniques, trapping and limb destruction are also core parts of these arts as the weapon is considered merely an extension of the body. Eskrima and Arnis are the most common among the many names often used in the Philippines today to refer to these arts.

The teaching of the basic skills in Eskrima are traditionally simplified. With limited time to teach intricate moves, only techniques that were proven effective in battle and could easily be taught en masse were used. This allowed villagers, generally not professional soldiers, a measure of protection against other villages, as well as foreign invaders. This philosophy of simplicity is still used today and is the underlying base of escrima. Because of this approach, escrima and the Filipino martial arts in general are often mistakenly considered to be "simple". However, this refers only to its systematization, not effectiveness. To the contrary, beyond the basic skills lies a very complex structure and a refined skillset that takes years to master.

by Dancing with Fire December 30, 2010

Free Syrian Army

An armed mob of mercenaries and hoodlums with ties to Al-Qaeda.

American 1: It's great to see people rise up against their oppressors man. The U.S. should help the Free Syrian Army at all costs!

American 2: What are you, a fool? We have a $16 trillion debt to worry about and you want to spend more money to aid these Syrian rebels who we know nothing about? U.S. intervention will be viewed by the Arab world as occupation - not liberation. For once, lets stay out of everyone else's problems and think of ways to improve our own country. All of our efforts in the Middle East have only put radical jihadists into power.

by Dancing with Fire April 10, 2013

Ranchera

A type of traditional Mexican music.

Ranchera is very similar to Mariachi.

by Dancing with Fire December 10, 2012

Libertarian

Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence.

Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

by Dancing with Fire January 04, 2013

Aikido

Ai, harmony. ki, spirit or energy. do, the path or the way. Aikido is the way of harmonizing the spirit. Aikido developed in the 1920s and 1930s as a synthesis of jujitsu, sword-, and spear-fighting. The founder, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), combined the joint locks and throws of jujitsu with the body movements of sword- and spear-fighting. He ultimately settled on the name Aikido in 1942 to stress the deeper spirital foundation of the discipline. Ueshiba was a follower of new Japanese religion called Omotokyo, which mixes neo-Shintoism with socio-political idealism to create a harmonious "heavenly kingdom on earth." While this specific religious aspect does not influence Aikido as practiced by most Aikidoka, there at least two fundemental tenents: (1) a commitment to peaceful resolution of conflict whenever possible and (2) a commitment to self-improvement through aikido training.

The techniques of Aikido are circular in nature, and are not designed to stop attacks or to conflict with them. Instead, aggressive motions are converted into circular movements that render attackers helpless. Aikido techniques allow the attacker's movements to continue and complete themselves naturally, so that the attack is diverted and redirected harmlessly. The Aikidoist is trained not to cripple, but to apply various wrist and joint locks, pins, and unbalancing throws to neutralize aggressors without serious injury to either the aggressor or the Aikidoist. The movements are like the motions of a sphere which rolls effortlessly along, joining mind and body.

by Dancing with Fire December 30, 2010