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♫ Highway to Hell ♫'s definitions

Dharma

Dharma is sometimes a generic term for religious thought and practice.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 29, 2010
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Totemism

The recognition of a special relationship between a human group or an individual and a class or species of animals, plants, or inanimate objects. The ritual relationship is usually seen as mandated by superhuman forces for the mutual benefit of the human and the totemic objects.
Totemism is a system of belief in which man is believed to have kinship with a totem or a mystical relationship is said to exist between a group or an individual and a totem. A totem is an object, such as an animal or plant that serves as the emblem or symbol of a kinship group or a person. The term totemism has been used to characterize a cluster of traits in the religion and in the social organization of many primitive peoples. Totemism is manifested in various forms and types in different contexts, especially among populations with a mixed economy (farming and hunting) and among hunting communities (especially in Australia); it is also found among tribes who breed cattle. Totemism can in no way be viewed as a general stage in man's cultural development; but totemism has certainly had an effect on the psychological behaviour of ethnic groups, on the manner of their socialization, and on the formation of the human personality.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 1, 2010
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Five Pillars of Islam

1) Iman (Faith) - "There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God."

2) Salah (Prayer) - Salah is the name for the prayers that are performed 5 times a day, and are a direct link between the worshiper and God.

3) Zakah (Almsgiving) - An important principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word "Zakah" means both "purification" and "growth."

4) Sawm (Fasting) - Every year in the month of "Ramadan," all able Muslims fast from dawn until sundown; abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations with their spouses. Muslims fast for the pleasure of Allah. There are also a lot of charitable deeds. Muslims may feed a needy neighbor, feed the poor, etc. It sets them on a spiritual level because they are unable to eat or drink. So by fasting, they are not only pleasing Allah, but can also obtain a feel for people less fortunate than their selves.

5) Hajj (Pilgrimage) - The pilgrimage to Makkah (also spelled Mecca); the hajj; is an obligation only for those physically able to do so. Even so, over 2 million people perform a pilgrimage to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe. After a Muslim has carried out their pilgrimage, they have taken a step closer to God by visiting His house, the first house of worship on Earth.
The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life: faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad; establishment of the daily ritual prayers; self-purification through fasting; and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are physically and financially able to go.
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Shi'ite

A member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs.
Anyone who is a Shi'ite wants the leadership of the caliph to stay within Muhammad's family lines. However, anyone who says there is no God, but Allah, and that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah, is a Muslim.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ May 25, 2010
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Shiki

Rights attached to parcels of land (shoen) in Japan.
Shiki is pronounced SHEE-kee.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 7, 2011
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Mara Salvatrucha

The Mara Salvatrucha gang originated in Los Angeles and has spread to Central America, other parts of the United States, and Canada. It is commonly abbreviated as MS, Mara, and MS-13. There is some dispute about the etymology of the name. The most common belief is that the word "Mara" refers to the Spanish word for "gang", and "Salvatrucha" (which is Spanish slang) for "Salvadoran army ant". Alternatively, it is suggested that "Salvatrucha" refers to the Salvadoran peasant guerrillas, the source of much of the gang's early manpower. The number 13 is homage to the Los Angeles gang "Los Emes" or "The Ms"(M being the thirteenth letter of the alphabet). The gang was set up in Los Angeles in 1980's by Salvadoran immigrants in the city's Pico-Union neighborhood. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans. Their activities have caught the eye of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who in September 2005 initiated wide-scale raids against suspected gang members, netting 660 arrests across United States. ICE efforts were at first directed towards MS-13, in its Operation Community Shield. In May 2005, ICE expanded Operation Community Shield to include all transnational organized crime groups and prison gangs. ICE's Operation Community Shield has since arrested 7,655 street gang members.
In the United States, the gang's strongholds have historically been in the American Southwest and West Coast states. Membership in the U.S was believed to be as many as about 50,000 as of 2005. MS-13 criminal activities include drug smuggling and sales, arms trafficking, auto theft, carjacking, home invasion, assault, aggravated assault, assault on law enforcement officials, drive-by shootings, contract killing and murder. Many Mara Salvatrucha members cover themselves in tattoos. Common markings include "MS," "Salvatrucha," the "Devil Horns," the name of their clique, and other symbols. A December 2007 CNN internet news article stated that the gang was moving away from the tattoos in an attempt to commit crimes without being noticed. Members of Mara Salvatrucha, like members of most modern American gangs, utilize a system of hand signs called "clicks" for purposes of identification and communication. One of the most commonly displayed is the "devil's head" (formed by extending the index and little fingers of the hand while tucking in the middle and ring fingers with the thumb), which forms an 'M' when displayed upside down. This hand sign is similar to the same symbol commonly seen displayed by heavy metal musicians and their fans. Founders of Mara Salvatrucha borrowed the hand sign after attending concerts of heavy metal bands.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ December 22, 2009
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Ukiyo-e

A Japanese art movement that flourished from the 17th to the 19th century. It produced paintings and prints depicting the everyday life and interests of the common people.
Ukiyo-e is the Japanese woodblock print genre of art, literally, "Pictures of the floating world."
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 27, 2011
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