Definitions by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫
Yakuza
Yakuza (also known as gokudo) are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The term Yakuza comes from a Japanese game, Oicho-Kabu (played with hanafuda or kabufuda cards). The worst hand in the game is a set of eight, nine and three. In traditional Japanese forms of counting, these numbers are called Ya, Ku and Sa, thus the origin of the word yakuza. The yakuza took this name because the Ya-Ku-Za hand requires the most skill (at judging opponents, etc.) and, obviously, the best luck in order to win. The name was also used because it signified bad fortune, presumably for anyone who went up against the group. Despite uncertainty about the single origin of Yakuza organizations, most modern Yakuza derive from two classifications which emerged in the mid-Edo Period: tekiya, those who primarily peddled illicit, stolen or shoddy goods; bakuto, those who were involved in or participated in gambling. During the formation of the yakuza, they adopted the traditional Japanese hierarchical structure of oyabun-kobun where kobun (lit. foster child) owe their allegiance to the oyabun (lit. foster parent). In a much later period, the code of jingi (justice and duty) was developed where loyalty and respect are a way of life. The alleys and streets of Shinjuku are a popular modern Tokyo Yakuza hangout.
Yubitsume, or the cutting of one's finger, is a form of penance or apology. Upon a first offence, the transgressor must cut off the tip of his left little finger and hand the severed portion to his boss. Sometimes an underboss may do this in penance to the oyabun if he wants to spare a member of his own gang from further retaliation. Its origin stems from the traditional way of holding a Japanese sword. The bottom three fingers of each hand are used to grip the sword tightly, with the thumb and index fingers slightly loose. The removal of digits starting with the little finger moving up the hand to the index finger progressively weakens a person's sword grip. The idea is that a person with a weak sword grip then has to rely more on the group for protection—reducing individual action. In recent years, prosthetic fingertips have been developed to disguise this distinctive appearance. Many Yakuza have full-body tattoos. These tattoos, known as irezumi in Japan, are still often "hand-poked," that is, the ink is inserted beneath the skin using non-electrical, hand-made and hand held tools with needles of sharpened bamboo or steel. The procedure is expensive and painful which can take years to complete.
Yakuza by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 3, 2009
Product of the Environment
An expression that states that people may behave or act a certain way as a result of the environment they live in. So for example if someone lives in a poverty stricken area and cannot get a job, they may become a thief. If someone grows up in an environment such as Communist China, that person may become a Communist himself.
“You hear it in the strength of my voice and in my rhythm, Now you know, how I was livin, It happened to me, like it happened to Serch, Prime Minister Pete Nice`ll kick the verse, in Bed-Stuy with my boy, Kiwai Height, The K to A Kingston, Wednesday night, To the Empire, show slammin, Open for Dana, crew flammin, Mouth open wide, or listening, Dumb dope with a forty in my system, Unprotected but respected for my own self, Cause of talent, no shade, or nothin else, A time of tension, racially fenced in, I came off (and all the brothers blessed him), I left more than a mark, I left a dent, Cause I'm a product of the environment.” – Pete Nice of 3rd Bass (Hip Hop Group)
Product of the Environment by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 2, 2009
Third Eye
The third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna (brow) chakra in certain Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. In New Age spirituality, the third eye may alternately symbolize a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply-personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is often associated with visions, clairvoyance (which includes the ability to observe chakras and auras), precognition, and out-of-body experiences, and people who have allegedly developed the capacity to utilize their third eyes are sometimes known as seers.
In Hinduism and Buddhism, the third eye is a symbol of enlightenment (moksha and nirvana). In the Indian tradition, it is referred to as the gyananakashu, the eye of knowledge, which is the seat of the 'teacher inside' or antar-guru. The third eye is the ajna chakra (sixth chakra) also known as brow chakra or brow centre. This is commonly denoted in Indian and East Asian iconography with a dot, eye or mark on the forehead of deities or enlightened beings, such as Shiva, Buddha, or any number of yogis, sages and bodhisattvas. This symbol is called the "Third Eye" or "Eye of Wisdom," or, in Buddhism, the urna. In Hinduism, it is believed that the opening of Shiva's third eye causes the eventual destruction of the physical universe.
Third Eye by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 2, 2009
Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu is traditionally believed to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy considered to be a prime example of Taoist thinking. Sun has had a significant impact on Chinese and Asian history and culture, both as an author of The Art of War and through legend. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Sun's The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society, and his work has continued to influence both Asian and Western culture and politics.
Sun Tzu by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 1, 2009
Antoine Henri Jomini
Jomini was a major general in the Napoleonic’s army and later in the Russian army of Alexander I, and one of the most celebrated writers on the Napoleonic art of war. He also organized the militia of the Helvetic Republic. He published a total of 27 books on modern warfare. His most significant of works was his 1838 Précis de l'art de la guerre (Summary of the Art of War). According to the historian John Shy, Jomini "deserves the dubious title of founder of modern strategy.” He suggested 4 fundamental rules for when in battle: one, move one’s forces to bear upon the enemy’s most important points and disrupt communications without placing one’s own force in a vulnerable position; two, instead of bringing one’s own forces to bear all the enemy’s force, concentrate on just one part of the enemy’s force; three, determine the decisive point of the battlefield and the enemy’s force to maneuver one’s forces against it; and four, when concentrating mass upon decisive points, do so quickly and in a well timed and coordinated maneuver. One of the key principles to Jominian thought was the idea of maintaining the initiative. If a general had control of his forces, he could force his opponent to react to his wishes achieving a strategic initiative.
"Logistics comprises the means and arrangements which work out the plans of strategy and tactics. Strategy decides where to act; logistics brings the troops to this point." - Antoine Henri Jomini
Antoine Henri Jomini by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 1, 2009
Karl von Clausewitz
Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier, military historian, a prominent thinker, and a military theorist. He is most famous for his military treatise Vom Kriege, translated into English as On War. He stated that warfare is a human activity and therefore it is imperfect, thus it cannot be broken down into a narrow set of rules. He also stated that war and battle are filled with the unexpected. He called these unplanned variables and surprises, "friction.” Only the general who had the genius for flexibility and strategy could minimize the impact of friction, but not completely. He suggested that war was not end itself, but rather a means to an end. Clausewitz also believed that the more serious the objective, the more serious the soldier’s mindset would become, resulting in more violence and bloodshed during a battle. One of his central themes is focusing on the opponents “center of gravity.” The center of gravity could be the enemy’s armed forces, or it could be public opinion depending on the nature and objectives of the war. Just like Jomini, Clausewitz preferred the offensive instead of the defensive. He also said that the best general was the one who remained calm during the chaos of a battle.
Karl von Clausewitz by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 1, 2009
Karl Marx
Karl Marx was a German philosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist, and revolutionary whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. Marx summarized his approach in the first line of chapter one of The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” He believed that the roots of human misery lay in class conflict, the exploitation of workers by those who own the means of production. Social change, in the form of the overthrow of the capitalists by the workers (proletariat), was inevitable from Marx’s outlook. Although Marx did not consider himself as a sociologist, his ideas have influenced many sociologists today, especially conflict theorists.
"Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks." - Karl Marx
Karl Marx by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ November 23, 2009