SVA

South Vietnamese Army; another name for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).

The South Vietnamese Army (SVA) had been financed by America throughout the late 1950’s, 1960’s and as a result of Vietnamization, to an even greater degree from 1970 to 1975.

by Dancing with Fire June 24, 2011

Erik Erikson

After spending some time traveling throughout Europe, Erik Erikson studied psychoanalysis from Anna Freud and earned a certificate from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. Erikson moved to the United States in 1933 and was offered a teaching position at Harvard Medical School. In addition to this, he also had a private practice in child psychoanalysis. Later, he held teaching positions at University of California at Berkeley, Yale, San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, Austen Riggs Center, and Center for Advanced Studies of the Behavioral Sciences. He published a number of books on his theories and research, including Childhood and Society and The Life Cycle Completed. His book Gandhi's Truth was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a national Book Award.

Erik Erikson was the guy who came up with the Stages of Devlopment:

1) Infancy: Birth to 18 Months - Ego Development Outcome: Trust vs. Mistrust

2) Early Childhood: 18 Months to 3 Years - Ego Development Outcome: Autonomy vs. Shame

3) Play Age: 3 to 5 Years - Ego Development Outcome: Initiative vs. Guilt

4) School Age: 6 to 12 Years - Ego Development Outcome: Industry vs. Inferiority

5) Adolescence: 12 to 18 Years - Ego Development Outcome: Identity vs. Role Confusion

6) Young adulthood: 18 to 35 - Ego Development Outcome: Intimacy and Solidarity vs. Isolation

7) Middle Adulthood: 35 to 55 or 65 - Ego Development Outcome: Generativity vs. Self absorption or Stagnation

8) Late Adulthood: 55 or 65 to Death - Ego Development Outcome: Integrity vs. Despair

by Dancing with Fire September 06, 2011

Battojutsu

Battojutsu is a sword-based Japanese martial art. Generally, schools which style themselves "battojutsu ryu" emphasize the perfection of Tameshigiri cutting technique, as opposed to iaido ryu which tend to focus on drawing/sheathing, or kenjutsu ryu which stress dueling ability. "Battojutsu" or "iaijutsu" can also refer to the concept of drawing and striking in a single motion. Batto/iaijutsu techniques often involve drawing the saya (scabbard) back and the sword forward, allowing the wielder to begin and complete the cut faster than would otherwise be possible, generally half to three quarters of a second. Historically, battojutsu was developed around the mid-15th century, around the advent of the uchigatana (a type of Japanese sword). The saki-zori curvature (more curved near the tip, as opposed to koshi-zori, curved near the hilt) of uchigatana aided greatly in iaijutsu because it allowed the strike to begin before the blade had completely left the sheath.

The term battojutsu was used during the Warring States Period, while the term iaijutsu was developed slightly later in the period as evidenced by its more philosophical name. Since martial styles generally did not have intercourse because they were enemies (among other reasons, including geographic isolation), what one style (ryu) might call iaijutsu is what another style with similar movements would call battojutsu. The term iaido was not used until the end of the beginning of the 20th century, when it was first coined by Nakayama Hakudo, and therefore should not be confused with battojutsu. Battodo is another similar word and simply means the "way" of drawing the sword, while Battojutsu the "art" of drawing the sword.

by Dancing with Fire May 13, 2011

Hasta luego

(Spanish) See you later.

In isolation, hasta literally means "until" or "to."

Hasta luego compadre.

by Dancing with Fire June 28, 2013

Product of the environment

It means that the person you are is a direct result of how you grew up. The "environment" you were brought up in influenced the decisions you make now. Your environment makes you who you are.

So for example, product of the environment implies that if one grows up in a home full of domestic violence, one of the children in that home may become violent as well when they have a family of their own. If someone grows up in the hood, that person may become a gangster. If somebody grows up in a descent home that is filled with good resources (computer, good books, television, radio, etc.), then they are more likely to become successful. If somebody grows up in a Christian home, they will most likely become a Christian. If somebody grows up in the Middle East or in a home with Muslim parents, they are more likely to be Muslim.

by Dancing with Fire June 18, 2011

Raytheon

A major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007. Raytheon is the world's largest producer of guided missiles.

Established in 1922, the company reincorporated in 1928 and adopted its present name in 1959. The company has around 72,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of approximately $25 billion. More than 90% of Raytheon's revenues were obtained from military contracts and, as of 2012, it was the fifth-largest military contractor in the world, and is the fourth largest defense contractor in the United States by revenue. Their headquarters is in Waltham, Massachusetts.

by Dancing with Fire May 28, 2013

Food, Inc.

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