Kenpo is a Japanese Martial Arts form. However, unlike Karate, its origins are linked back to China and still have very strong influences from Chinese systems. The name, "kenpo," also sometimes spelled "kempo," is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character "chuan" and "fa." Literally translates, it means "the method of the fist/hand." This seems to be a very close translation into Chinese of what "karate-te-do" means and might have come about as a means to bridge a language divide between the two countries.
Within Kenpo, there are many variations to the art. Of the more well-known systems include: Kosho-ryu, Shaolin Kenpo, Kajukenbo, Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo, and Ed Parker's American Kenpo Karate. Kenpo has a very strong presence in Hawaii, the home base for many of the systems under Kenpo that exist today in the United States. Throughout each of the histories of the different groups there are strong signs of the continued merging of both Chinese and Japanese influences. Many people have studied Kenpo, one of the most famous is Elvis Presley, the King. Presley became acquainted with Ed Parker in 1960 and formed a friendship that lasted his lifetime. This was not Presley's first exposure to Martial Arts, nor would it be his last.
by Dancing with Fire December 30, 2010
An outstanding documentary from 2008 about the unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
They're not saying "don't eat meat" but just to be aware of what you are consuming. The point is that, the government and organizations that are supposed to be keeping us safe, are the ones who are knowingly letting us eat tainted, infected beef, corn, spinach, peanut butter, etc...when you spend money on McDonalds and other things like it, you are continuing to support an incredibly harmful institution. Vegetarian or not, Food, Inc. is a great film.
by Dancing with Fire July 19, 2011
The name given to President Richard Nixon's policy of gradually returning the primary responsibility for conducting the war to the South Vietnamese. As U.S. troops withdrew, South Vietnamese forces were increased in size and recieved additional training and equipment. Southern forces focused on both offensive operation and defensive measures taken to protest villages.
Vietnamization was used to encourage the South Vietnamese to take more responsibility for fighting the war. It was hoped that this policy would eventually enable the United States to withdraw gradually all their soldiers from Vietnam.
by Dancing with Fire June 29, 2011
Sambo was invented by the Soviets during the time just after the Revolution in Russia, and was seen as an example of the Socialist dream to reinvent traditional arts on a scientific model. Sambo is similar in many ways to Judo and Jujutsu, but is also said to incorporate traditional Russian wrestling techniques as well. The man generally credited with teaching and introducing Sambo in Russia was Vasili Oschepkov, who was also one of the first Russians to learn Judo. Oschepkov taught these techniques to Russian Special Forces and Commandos during the period between the two World Wars.
The name “Sambo” derives from an acronym in Russian which means “combat without weapons.” These techniques were used by soldiers initially and gradually formed a sport sanctioned by the Soviet Union as beneficial to the people’s movement and a shining example of Socialist advances. The Soviets promoted the sport Sambo through Eastern Block sporting events in the manner that Judo was being practiced competitively internationally. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the sport retained its popularity and tournaments in Russia, and began to have more of an international influence, as its teachers were then able to freely travel and teach Sambo abroad. Sambo is one of only four forms of wrestling practiced in international competitions, the others being Freestyle Wrestling, Greco Roman Wrestling, and Judo. Sambo was also used by elite Soviet troops and KGB agents in the Cold War for hand to hand combat techniques.
by Dancing with Fire March 03, 2011
Shin Bet is one of three principal organizations of the Israeli Intelligence Community, alongside Aman (military intelligence) and the Mossad (foreign intelligence service).
by Dancing with Fire April 23, 2013
Religion has many meanings and it can be difficult to agree upon an operational definition. A definition can involve: 1) religion is human involvement in what is considered the realm of the sacred; 2) It is expressed in thought, action, and social forms; 3) It is expressed in ritual; 4) It constitutes a total system of symbols with deep meanings; 5) It is a path of ultimate transformation. The practice of religion is a fundamentally human activity, leading scholars to questions why this should be so. One of the founders of anthropology, Sir Edward B. Tylor argued that religion originated in animism, (from anima, “spirit”) from the experiences of ancient peoples in death and dreams. Then, Sir James Frazer collected a massive amount of data from ancient and indigenous cultures and argued that religion originated in magic. Later, Sigmund Freud argued from psychoanalysis that God is a projection of a father-figure growing out of the human need to feel secure and the feelings of love-hate-fear we feel. Karl Marx argued it exists as a means of social control and pacification.
Religions & Beliefs: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Bahá’í Faith, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism (Daoism), Confucianism, Falun Gong, Shinto, Shugendo, Tenrikyo, Seicho-no-Ie, PL Kyodan (Church of Perfect Liberty), Aum Shinrikyo, Oomoto, Shinbutsu Shugo, Cao Dai, Cheondoism, Mandaeism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Rastafari, Wicca, Neo-Paganism, Thelema, New Age, Unitarian Universalism, Satanism, Atheist, Agnostic, Heaven’s Gate (UFO Suicide Cult), Scientology.
by Dancing with Fire March 17, 2011
Those times when you use your bathtub to heat your sink. A lot of times when one washes their hands at the sink and turns the water on hot, nothing but cold water comes out of the faucet. By letting the water in the bathtub run for about 10-15 seconds, the water heats up. Then you turn off the water in the bathtub, run your water on hot at the sink, and in a couple of seconds, you have hot water running at the sink.
Normally when the Bathtub Sink Effect is not done, you can run the sink water for minutes and get nothing but cold water even though you have it on hot.
by Dancing with Fire December 13, 2010