Ninjutsu is the ancient art of the ninjas (Aka shinobi) of Japan. It is a unique method of moving and thinking which developed our system often referred to us the art of winning. Taijustu is the basic defence method used. This method of relaxed continues body movement allows the user to create a never ending supply of effective counters to any given defence situation and is unique to Ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is a complete fighting system dealing with the Physical, mental and spiritual aspects of student development. Techniques cover locks, throws, ground fighting, multiple attacks, modern weaponry, and all types of traditional Ninjutsu weaponry. In fact in Ninjutsu, there is no restriction on the type of available technique we can add on to our taijutsu. The power of this relaxed system has to be experienced to be appreciated.
Ninjutsu did not come into being a specific, well-defined art in the first place, and many centuries passed before Ninjutsu was established as an independent system of knowledge in its own right. The Ninja, at the beginning did not use that label for themselves, they were merely practitioners of strategies that were cultural opposites of the conventional outlooks of the ruling Japanese Samurai class. Their highly illegal counter culture went underground and it was for this reason alone that the art was shrouded by centuries of mystery and deliberate confusion in Japanese history.
by Dancing with Fire December 30, 2010
Hezbollah - or the Party of God - is a powerful political and military organization in Lebanon made up mainly of Shia Muslims. It emerged with financial backing from Iran in the early 1980s and began a struggle to drive Israeli troops from Lebanon. Hostility to Israel has remained the party's defining platform since May 2000, when the last Israeli troops left Lebanon due in large part to the success of Hezbollah's military arm, the Islamic Resistance. Hezbollah's popularity peaked in the 2000s, but took a massive dent among pro-Western Lebanese people when it was at the center of a huge, destructive war with Israel following the capture of two Israeli soldiers in 2006. Hezbollah is the strongest member of Lebanon's pro-Syrian opposition bloc which has been pitted against the pro-Western government led by Saad Hariri. It has several seats in parliament and has ministers in a national unity government formed in late 2009. It also blocked the election of a new president by repeatedly boycotting sessions of parliament. The stalemate ended on 21 May 2008, when the group reached a deal with the government under which its power of veto was recognized.
Washington has long branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and has accused it of destabilizing Lebanon in the wake of Syria's withdrawal of its troops from the country following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The movement long operated with neighboring Syria's blessing, protecting its interests in Lebanon and serving as a card for Damascus to play in its own confrontation with Israel over the occupation of the Golan Heights. Hezbollah leaders have continued to profess its support for Syria, while stressing Lebanese unity by arguing against "Western interference" in the country. As well as a political clout, Hezbollah has wide popular appeal by providing social services and health care. It also has an influential TV station, al-Manar. Hezbollah's biggest test came in mid-2006, when its fighters captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack, killing a number of others. The incident triggered a fierce month-long war with Israel, which ended in a ceasefire. Having survived a massive military onslaught, Hezbollah declared victory, enhancing its reputation among many in the Arab world.
by Dancing with Fire February 20, 2011
People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs: the Soviet police and secret police from 1934 to 1943: the police from 1943-46.
NKVD - Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del
by Dancing with Fire September 06, 2012
One of Israel's intelligence agencies, noted for its expertise in wet affairs. Literally translated as "institute." Never referred to as the Mossad, but rather simply called Mossad.
Mossad launched missions, dubbed Operation Wrath of God, to track down and kill those alleged to be responsible for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
by Dancing with Fire September 03, 2012
Blue Hill Avenue focuses on the rise of the drug trade in Boston, as seen through the eyes of three childhood friends. The time is the late '70s, and Tristan (Allen Payne), Money (Aaron D. Spears), E-Bone (William Johnson), and Simon (Michael Taliferro) are all high-school pals and petty thieves on the mean streets of the city's South Side. Their antics bring them to the attention of Benny (Clarence Williams III), a charismatic drug dealer who takes the four friends under his wing. The most straight-and-narrow of the bunch, Tristan manages to keep his nefarious trade under the radar of his parents. As the years pass, however, the dealers introduce crack to their line of narcotics, and Tristan's sense of guilt over his neighborhood's demise leads to an inevitable betrayal of Benny, followed by a grisly showdown.
Blue Hill Avenue was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Director at the 2001 Urbanworld Film Festival.
by Dancing with Fire November 03, 2011
Starting in the early days of the Cold War (late 40's), the CIA began a secret project called Operation Mockingbird, with the intent of buying influence behind the scenes at major media outlets and putting reporters on the CIA payroll, which has proven to be a stunning ongoing success. The CIA effort to recruit American news organizations and journalists to become spies and disseminators of propaganda, was headed up by Frank Wisner, Allen Dulles, Richard Helms, and Philip Graham (publisher of The Washington Post). Wisner had taken Graham under his wing to direct the program code-named Operation Mockingbird and both have presumably committed suicide.
by Dancing with Fire October 28, 2013