Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584– 1645) was a Japanese swordsman and samurai famed for his duels and distinctive style. He became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age.
He was the founder of the Niten-ryū style of swordsmanship and the author of ‘The Book of Five Rings,’ a book on strategy, tactics, and philosophy that is still studied today.
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Musashi
Urban Downhill
Downhill biking (DH) is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds (seeded from slowest to fastest), on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders are timed with equipment similar to that used in Downhill skiing. The placing is determined by the fastest times to complete the course; races are often won by margins of under a second.
As the name of this discipline implies, downhill races are held on steep, downhill terrain with no extended climbing sections, resulting in high speed descents with extended air time off jumps and other obstacles. Portugal is the host country of a Unique variety of down hill races, the Urban Down Hill, known as the ‘Lisbon Down Town,’ held annually in May. The ‘Cerro Abajo’ race in Valparaiso, Chile is another annual urban downhill event.
Alleycat races
An Alleycat race is an informal bicycle race. Alleycats almost always take place in cities, and are often organized by bicycle messengers. The informality of the organization is matched by the emphasis on taking part, rather than simple competition. Many Alleycats present prizes for the last competitor to finish (sometimes known as Dead Friggin’ Last or DFL).
The first race to be called ‘Alleycat’ was held in Toronto in 1989. Regularly organized Alleycats can be found in cities across North America, Europe and Asia. Many smaller cities with no cycle messenger population are also home to alleycats run by the burgeoning urban cyclist subculture.
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Weasel War Dance
The weasel war dance is a colloquial term for a behavior of excited ferrets and weasels. In wild animals, it is speculated that this dance is used to confuse or disorient prey. In domestic animals, the war dance usually follows play or the successful capture of a toy or a stolen object.
It consists of a frenzied series of sideways and backwards hops, often accompanied by an arched back, hissing noises, and a frizzy tail. Ferrets are notoriously clumsy in their surroundings during their dance and will often bump into or fall over objects and furniture. Although the weasel war dance may make a ferret appear frightened or angry, they are often just excited and are usually harmless to humans.
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions are a set of four treaties of international law. They were formulated in Geneva, Switzerland. All of the four treaties are about humanitarian issues. The first treaty was the product of Swiss activist, Henri Dunant in 1859. The documents require that all states who sign them create national laws to make violations of the Geneva Conventions a crime.
The first Convention, adopted in 1864, was devoted to care for the injured in battle, and required medical teams on the battlefield to provide aid to enemy combatants. The Second Convention, adopted in 1949, expanded the scope of the first treaty to marine battles. The Third Convention, adopted in 1929, addressed the treatment of prisoners of war. The Fourth Convention, adopted in 1949, expanded the scope of the third convention to include civilians. Later conferences have added text that forbids certain methods of warfare.