Baška

Baška is a small town located on the island of Krk, in the Kvarner Bay, at the Adriatic seacoast of Croatia. The population of the municipality is 1,554 (2001), with 901 residents of Baška itself and the rest in three other villages (Batomalj, Draga Bašćanska and Jurandvor).

Baska has one of the most beautiful beaches in Croatia and on the Adriatic coast. Many sea shells and marine life are vibrant in this city. Sharks are sometimes seen in the deep waters 5-10 km away from the very frequented beach.

The historic monument Baška tablet was found in Jurandvor near Baška.

kungfu

Chinese martial arts, sometimes referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu (simplified Chinese: 武术; traditional Chinese: 武術; pinyin: wǔshù) and popularly as kungfu (Chinese: 功夫 pinyin: gōngfū), consist of a number of fighting styles that were developed over the centuries. Those fighting styles can be classified according to common themes that are identified as "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pai) or "schools" (門, men) of martial arts. Example of themes are physical exercises that mimic movements from animals or a history and training method that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends. Some styles focus on the the harnessing of qi and are labeled internal (内家拳), while others concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness and are labeled external (外家拳). Geographical association, as in northern (北拳) and southern (南拳), is another popular method of categorization. Each fighting style offers a different approach to the common problems of self-defense, health, and self-cultivation from a Chinese perspective.

tt

Tetra are species of small freshwater fish from South and Central America and Africa, belonging to the family Characidae and to its former subfamilies Alestiidae (the "African tetras") and Lebiasinidae. The characidae are distinguished from other fish by the presence of a small adipose fin between the dorsal fin and caudal fin. Many of these, such as the neon tetra, are brightly colored and easy to keep in captivity. Consequently, they are extremely popular for home aquaria.

The term tetra is not actually a taxonomic, phylogenetic term. Because of the popularity of tetras in the fishkeeping hobby, many unrelated fish are commonly known as tetras, including species from differing families. Even fish that are vastly different may be called tetras. For example, Hydrolycus scomberoides is occasionally known as the "Sabretooth Tetra" or "vampire tetra."

Although the list below is sorted by common name, in a number of cases the common name is applied to different species. Since the aquarium trade may use a different name for the same species, advanced aquarists tend to use scientific names for the less-common tetras. The list below is incomplete.

Tetra species:

tin

For other uses, see Army (disambiguation).

Map of the world of the army forms No armed forces No conscription Plan to abolish conscription within 3 years Conscription No information

An army (from Latin armata "armed (things)" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based Military of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps. Within a national military force, the word Army may also mean a field army, which is an operational formation, usually made up of one or more corps.

A standing army is an army composed of full-time career soldiers who 'stand over', in other words, who do not disband during times of peace. They differ from army reserves who are activated only during such times as war or natural disasters.

silat

ilat is a collective word for martial arts created in the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what is now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, silat was also traditionally practiced by the Malay communities of Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. As a result, silat is closely related to other Southeast Asian martial arts including krabi krabong and eskrima. Practitioners are called pesilat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao^[1]

There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws, animal-based techniques or some combination thereof. Silat schools are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSIS) from Singapore

Karate

For other uses, see Karate (disambiguation).

Karate
(空手)

Hanashiro Chōmo
Also known as	Karate-dō (空手道)
Focus	Striking
Hardness	full contact
Country of origin	Japan (Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese kenpō[1][2] and further explored in Japan)
Creator	Sakukawa Kanga; Matsumura Sōkon; Itosu Ankō; Arakaki Seishō; Higaonna Kanryō; Gichin Funakoshi
Parenthood	Chinese martial arts, indigenous martial arts of Ryukyu Islands (Naha-te, Shuri-te, Tomari-te)[1][2]
Olympic sport	2016 (Demonstration Sport)
Official website	World Karate Federation

Karate (空手^?) (Japanese pronunciation: [kaɽate] ( listen), English: /kəˈrɑːtiː/) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) from indigenous fighting methods called te (手, literally: "hand"^?) and Chinese kenpō.^[1][2] Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands (karate chop). Grappling, locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes are taught in some styles.^[3]

Karate developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom prior to its 19th century annexation by Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Ryukyuans. In 1922 the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. Keio University became the first Japanese university to open a dojo (training hall); by 1932, all Japanese universities had a dojo. In this era of nationalism, the Japanese name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") – both of which are pronounced karate – for political reasons and to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style.^[4][5] After the second world war, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there.^[6]

The martial arts movies of the 1960s and 1970s served to greatly increase its popularity, and the word karate began to be used in a generic way to refer to all striking-based Oriental martial arts. Karate schools began appearing across the world, catering to those with casual interest as well as those seeking a deeper study of the art.

Shigeru Egami, Chief Instructor of Shotokan Dojo, opined "that the majority of followers of karate in overseas countries pursue karate only for its fighting techniques...Movies and television...depict karate as a mysterious way of fighting capable of causing death or injury with a single blow...the mass media present a pseudo art far from the real thing."^[7] Shoshin Nagamine said "Karate may be considered as the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training and one's own creative efforts." ^[8]

For many practitioners, karate is a deeply philosophical practice. Karate-do teaches ethical principles and can have spiritual significance to its adherents. Gichin Funakoshi ("Father of Modern Karate") titled his autobiography Karate-Do: My Way of Life in recognition of the transforming nature of karate study.

Today karate is practiced for self-perfection, for cultural reasons, for self-defense and as a sport. In 2005, in the 117th IOC (International Olympic Committee) voting, karate did not receive the necessary two thirds majority vote to become an Olympic sport.^[9] Web Japan (sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) claims there are 23 million karate practitioners worldwide.^[10] A karate practitioner is called a karateka.

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Taekwondo

Taekwondo (태권도; 跆拳道; Korean pronunciation: [tʰɛkwʌndo]) is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae (태, 跆) means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon (권, 拳) means "to strike or break with fist"; and do (도, 道) means "way," "method," or "art." Thus, "taekwondo" may be loosely translated as "the way of the foot and fist" or "the way of kicking and punching."

Taekwondo is the world's most popular martial art in terms of the number of practitioners.^[1] Its popularity has resulted in the varied development of the martial art into several domains: as with many other arts, it combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy. Taekwondo is also used by the South Korean military as part of its training.^[2] Gyeorugi (pronounced [ɡjʌɾuɡi]), a type of sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000.

Formally, there are two main styles of taekwondo. One comes from the Kukkiwon, the source of the sparring system sihap gyeorugi which is now an event at the summer Olympic Games and which is governed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). The other comes from the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). There is also a more recent form called Songham Taekwondo or the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) and other variations of it such as STF (Songham Taekwondo Federation) and WTTU (World Traditional Taekwondo Union).^[3]

Separate from the various taekwondo organizations, there have been two general branches of taekwondo development: traditional and sport. The term "traditional taekwondo" typically refers to the martial art as it was established in the 1950s and 1960s; in particular, the names and symbolism of the traditional patterns often refer to elements of Korean history. Sport taekwondo has evolved in the decades since then and has a somewhat different focus, especially in terms of its emphasis on speed and competition (as in Olympic sparring), whereas traditional taekwondo tends to emphasize power and self-defense. The two are not mutually exclusive, and the distinctions between them are often blurred.

Although there are doctrinal and technical differences between the two main styles and among the various organizations, the art in general emphasizes kicks thrown from a mobile stance, employing the leg's greater reach and power (compared to the arm). The greatest difference between various styles, or at least the most obvious, is generally accepted to be the differing styles and rules of sport and competition. Taekwondo training generally includes a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes and may also include various take-downs or sweeps, throws, and joint locks. Some taekwondo instructors also incorporate the use of pressure points, known as jiapsul, as well as grabbing self-defense techniques borrowed from other martial arts, such as Hapkido and Judo.