Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Karl Marx

2007-12-15T19:47:57Z

Ceorlacyng: /* Views on Religion */

[[Image:KarlMarx.jpg|right|frame|Karl Marx]]
'''Karl Marx''' (1818-1883) was born in Prussia, educated in [[Germany]], and a writer in [[London]]. Marx was an economist who sought to set [[socialism]] and [[communism]] on, what he saw as, a scientific basis.

Marx saw "primitive" socialist thought as fundamentally a moral movement with no base in a practical science. Marx's solution was to ground an analysis of society on his principle of dialectical materialism.

[[Dialectic]] was a principle created by German philosopher [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]] which, although ferociously complex in his works, is based on the fairly straightforward conception of action and reaction. A situation arises that is less than perfect ("thesis") which provokes a reaction ("[[antithesis]]"), eventually a settlement is reached ("synthesis") which, is still far from perfect and provokes its own antithesis. Hegel saw the driving force of changes being the "Geist", variously translated as "spirit" or "mind".

Marx took the dialectic and replaced Geist with [[materialism]], at root the [[metabolism]] of man. To put it bluntly: you've got to eat!. The difference between the ideal spirit and reality translates into Marx's view that man had become [[alienation|alienated]] from his true nature. Man had been created different from animals: he is creative, this is essential to his nature. However, in modern days, man is just automatically producing: he works to earn his wage, but has no tie to the product of his labor at all. This is the alienation from his true nature. Marx proposed a solution: outlaw wages.

The necessity for material sustenance gives rise to an imperfect [[means of production]], which changes as the internal contradictions of [[thesis and antithesis]] work themselves out. A key feature of Marx's theory was his contention that [[competition]] for resources splits society into mutually antagonistic classes ("The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of [[class struggle]]s.") whilst the operation of the dialectic serves to continually reduce the numbers of classes until, in the [[Industrial Age]], society was almost wholly split between "[[bourgeoisie]]" and "[[proletariat]]".

[[Capitalism]], according to Marx, is just one system in a long series of [[economic systems]] in the world. He held that a so-called "[[capitalist society]]" had strong internal inherent tensions. In the development of capitalism, [[capital]], which Marx confuses with money or [[currency]], would be increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people. <ref>See his "Law of the Centralization of Capital".</ref> The difference in income between the poorest and richest would always increase. Through economic crises, the poor laborers could be inflamed to believe that the system would always be disadvantageous to them.

''Das Kapital'' (''Capital'') seeks to explain that the "bourgeoisie" make [[profit]]s by [[exploitation]] of the "proletariat." The exploitation arises where the value of the goods produced by workers is much more than the wages paid, and this "[[surplus value]]" is allegedly stolen from workers by the people who make it possible for them to earn a living. Marx sought to agitate class envy by alleging that the competition amongst the bourgeoisie forced them to exploit their workers as much as possible. If an individual bourgeois refused to continue the "exploitation" he would soon be forced into [[bankruptcy]] or be taken over by someone who would. The result is persistent low wages among the proletariat who, eventually, would rebel and replace the existing capitalist system with a [[socialist]]/communist system.

However, in his other works, Marx could not foretell if this fantasy would make an end to the capitalist system: he knew there are too many factors in history to make a prediction possible. He did not have a clear idea about what the next supposed stage after capitalism would be. The increasing concentration, he thought, would facilitate a [[communist]] system. In that system, however, man also would have to eliminate his "alienation." One possibility, which Marx imagined, was complete mechanization of production, so that any man could do any job<ref>Marx, K. Foundations of the Critique of Political Economy, [[Berlin]]</ref>.
In the ''Communist Manifesto'', Marx went into greater detail about how this [[revolution]] would unfold. As well as proposing an economic system, Marx also advocated [[education]] for all including women and the lower classes who at the time were without any education.

==Critique of Marxists==
[[Mikhail Bakunin]] observed how rather than discussion of issues, the tried and tested method of [[leftism]] and [[Marxism]] was spread through the art of [[character assassination]], <ref>Guy A. Aldred, ''Bakunin'', Strickland Press, [[Glasgow]], (1940). </ref> close associates of Marx were adept in the art of
{{Cquote|cowardly, odious and perfidious insinuations. They seldom make open accusation, but they insinuate, saying they "have heard - it is said - it may not be true, but', and then they hurl the most abominable calumnies in your face.}}

===Views on Religion===
Marx' view on [[religion]] is mostly based on [[Ludwig Feuerbach's]] ideas<ref>Feuerbach, L. ''The Essence of Christianity'', New York, 1957</ref>. Marx is considered very controversial in religious circles for his statement, "Religion...is the opium of the masses." This was written in his 1843 work "A Contribution to the [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right]" and expresses Marx's belief that religion offers a false palliative to assuage the suffering of "the oppressed", which in his view essentially blames [[faith]] in [[God]] as the hindrance to carrying out the Marxist program.
Oddly enough Marx wrote numerous poems, including "To the Creator Spirit"- fifty are featured on oldpoetry.com
Karl Marx is often labeled an [[anti-Semite]] or a "self-hating [[Jew]]" for statements such as, "Money is the [[jealous god]] of [[Israel]], in face of which no other god may exist", "The god of the Jews has become secularized and has become the [[god of the world]]. The [[bill of exchange]] is the real god of the Jew. His god is only an illusory bill of exchange", and "What is the worldly religion of the Jew? Huckstering. What is his worldly [[God]]? Money."

== See also ==

*[[Baldomero Ortoneda]]

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marx, Karl}}
[[Category:Political people]]
[[Category:Communists]]
[[Category:Sociologists]]

User talk:Learn together

2007-12-08T23:08:36Z

Ceorlacyng: /* ceorlacyng */

{{Welcome|sig=[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]]}}

== Clinton Revert.... ==

I jumped in since Dan was headed to bed, and tried to answer some of your questions, here: [[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:DanH#Reverts]] --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 04:58, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

:Sometimes it does seem as if they are instantly checked! It had me puzzled for a bit as well. What happens is, many regular users have a window opened here [[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Recentchanges&hidemyself=1&limit=600]] to "Recent Changes" and refresh it periodically. Also, from your "Preferences" you can enable "Watch this Page" and set a limit even on how many. Then whatever page you edit, or manually choose to "watch" will show up in your Watch List. Since Dan had previously edited the Clinton page, it was on his, undoubtedly. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 14:15, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

==Good Job==

Thank you for your excellent edits. Keep up the good work! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 15:09, 11 May 2007 (EDT)

== Jesus ==

Fantastic work on the Jesus Christ article! --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 17:00, 11 May 2007 (EDT)

== Saint Andrew ==

Fine. It is done now.

I agree to do that. If I did redirect it was because "Ian St John 11:48, 13 May 2007 (EDT)"
complain about [[Andrew]] and [[Philip]] along. I have the intention to make the six articles that are left to complete the 12 Apostles. Next time the name will be for example: "Bartholomew the Apostle".

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 18:15, 13 May 2007 (EDT)

== Highlighting Links ==

Hi

Thanks for your comment. I knew that and it's logic. For sure I agree with it.
Could be a mistake if there is one or two made by me.

Have you fixed them or do you want me to search?

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 08:38, 15 May 2007 (EDT)

Done. I hope to see you soon as a Sysop!!! --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 17:38, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Atheism ==

Just wanted to be clear that I was agreeing with you. Not sure if you were responding to me or [[User_talk:GodWarrior|GodWarrior]] when you wrote [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AAtheism&diff=163608&oldid=163593 this]. [[User:HeartOfGold|HeartOfGold]] 14:59, 16 May 2007 (EDT)

== My pleasure ==

It has been an honor. Thank you indeed.

== Edit summaries ==

I appreciate this [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Richard_Dawkins&diff=170855&oldid=166181 edit], and concur. While I also neglect make edit summaries, I want to encourage you to make use of the edit summary box. This probably sounds like the pot calling the kettle black, but I assure you that I do endeavor to follow this advice, and I encourage you to do the same. It makes reviewing edit histories of articles easier. Thanks for contributing. [[User:HeartOfGold|<big>H</big>eart<big>O</big>f<big>G</big>old]][[User_talk:HeartOfGold|talk]] 01:22, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Compliment ==
Excellent work on the Rather article.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 12:58, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Global Warming, et.al. ==

You might want to consider this [[http://www.conservapedia.com/Help:Editing_etiquette]] when making larger changes to articles. Not that I am disagreeing with your additions to the "Warming" article. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 18:19, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Request ==
Could you improve my pathetic excuse-of-an-article on [[Justinian]]? It seems he is someone you would know much about.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 18:21, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Sorry! ==

You got caught up in the removal of some other stuff! --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 21:27, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== I agree with you==
The atheism article is better as you have it. The agnostic stat is not going to be included, and the citation is not needed.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 19:47, 23 May 2007 (EDT)
::Your quality contributions to this site and especially the history articles have earned you a place in the highly coveted and extremely prestigious "Bohdan's notable Users" category. Keep up the good work.[[User:Bohdan|Богдан]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 23:07, 26 May 2007 (EDT)

== Atheism ==

What's the problem with my edit to the [[atheism]] page? --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 22:51, 28 May 2007 (EDT)

*I beleive the edit notes tell you rather directly, what?

(cur) (last) 02:55, 28 May 2007 Ed Poor (Talk | contribs | block) (→Atheist Population - '''Stop confusing "uncertain" with "agnostic'''") 
(cur) (last) 02:53, 28 May 2007 Ed Poor (Talk | contribs | block) (move up "origins" section) >br>
(cur) (last) 02:52, 28 May 2007 Ed Poor (Talk | contribs | block) ('''The term "atheism" also includes uncertainty about whether God exists or not, that is, people who never believe in God or actively deny His existence''') 

--[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 23:01, 28 May 2007 (EDT)
:Most of those weren't my edits. --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 02:10, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

I don't really see it as a tangent. "Atheist morality" is included in the page and morality is part of philosophy. In fact, I don't think you can talk about morality without being philosophical. As far as not including enough philosophers goes, I think the group I gave was pretty complete- at least as far as an Ethics101 class would go. You'll be hard pressed to find many Philosophers who base morality on religious doctrines in the last few hundred years- in fact, the entire spirit of the Enlightenment was against such thinking. Now we call those people "theologians." I'm sure there are some, but they have not had much impact. You mentioned C.S Lewis, but he is not considered a very good philosopher by anyone's standards (though "Studies in Words" was nice) and he did not put forward a rigerous study of ethics, besides "God in the Dock," which is fairly obscure. As such, I'd like to put it back. Of course, I'm new to this wiki and don't want to move in too aggressively to your space, so I thought I'd say something here. --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 02:10, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

:Don't be afraid to edit, but please realize the scope of conservapedia is to go beyond the 'ethics 101' class into meaningful and important people and viewpoints that are not represented. There were many more than a handful of philosophers in the last couple hundred years and simply removing those who invoked religion by reclassifying them as 'theologians' (as if one can't be both) is the type of slight of hand that conservapedia tries to avoid. And, I think you'll find that there are many people who take a different view on C.S. Lewis' philosophy than the one you presented. ;-) Reverts or alterations of edits are not personal attacks and please don't take personal offense. Enjoy your stay. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:26, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

Yes, I read that and found it very discouraging and narrow minded. Does this wiki make an attempt at objectivity, or is it simply a conservative partisan answer to its liberal partisan counterparts? --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 03:03, 3 June 2007 (EDT)

:Again, theologians can be philosophers. I am sorry if that understanding is too 'narrow minded' for you. To answer your second questions, yes. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 04:25, 3 June 2007 (EDT)

== Answer ==
Your contibutions have been high quality. I would support you.[[User:Bohdan|Богдан]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 13:25, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

*I have answered you on my page, but I am afraid you are not on any list I can see.....:-( --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 03:57, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Solomon ==
Hi, I checked out your [[House of David]] article and followed the first link to [[Solomon]]. In your article it gives his lifespan as 970-931 BC, whereas in the Solomon article it says 965-925 BC. I am not sure which one is correct, but figured you'd be a good person to ask to look into it. --[[User:Colest|Colest]] 16:24, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Article for your attention please==
[[Four Emperors Era]] needs work and it seems like you would know about it. [[User:Bohdan|Богдан]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 20:18, 2 June 2007 (EDT)
:nice work LT [[User:Bohdan|bd]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 23:03, 5 June 2007 (EDT)

::Glad you like it ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:04, 5 June 2007 (EDT)

== Thanks ==

correction made. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 22:50, 4 June 2007 (EDT)

:Glad I could help [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:58, 4 June 2007 (EDT)

==Sorry!==

LOL!! I'm very sorry. I just happened to be browsing the Conservapedia wanted pages and decided to make that page. I had no idea you were already making it. That is the funniest coincidence. ''':P''' --[[User:BethanyS|BethanyS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk]] 12:19, 12 June 2007 (EDT)

==Intuitive page naming==
Please try to be more intuitive when naming an article, particularly regarding people of Ancient Rome - just one of many examples is your choice of article name for '''Antonia''' ... your article is actually about [[Antonia Minor]], who also had a sister named Antonia, [[Antonia Major]]. Simply creating a page called Antonia, particularly with regard to Rome, is like creating an article called '''Bob''' or '''Smith''' and expecting ''your'' choice of subject to be the only one of any importance or significance historically or culturally. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 04:54, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
:I believe you will find that there is much literature in antiquity for Antonia Minor and little for Antonia Major. I have sought to make the Roman history section friendly and easy for those wanting quick flowing information. In that regard I've created the articles that allow quick movement back and forth in a simple form to get a feel for the interconnectedness. If it would come to a point where more obscure persons in Roman history start having their own articles, and thus there is more than one Antonia, then the format can certainly be changed, but since you are talking literally thousands of entries with many thousand more events that would also have to be entered to start including auxillary Roman figures, it would appear to be a structure that has no body.

:I also find you method of change and do not discuss to be rather rude and inappropriate for a cooperative effort. I have discussed and been involved in renaming both for articles written by others and for articles I've written. It's usually not that difficult to discuss a new direction to go and both be on the same page working together. Again, I ask you to please consider that for the future. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:51, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

::You are missing the point! If you just created each article with the correct name at the outset, then it would not matter what happened afterwards, whether further articles were created or not. It doesn't make the section more easily navigated by having only half of a name and it increases the workload later of having to fix all the links to point to the correct name. Please consider ''that'' for the future. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 12:04, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

:::I am afraid you are missing the point. This is a cooperative effort. I find you to believe that your view = the right view and all others must bend to your decisions. You are my peer, not my boss, and your views are views like any other person that should be discussed. I don't even treat my workers with the heavy handed methods that you use, and I am their boss.

:::If people come to look up things on Conservapedia you have to keep their attention quickly. Many are not going to be computer savvy and are not going to want to go through different screens picking who they want from lists imported from wikipedia of multiple entries that don't even exist on our system. We have one Antonia entry right now. It doesn't hurt to have that pop up. At least that was my view when I created it and I'm the one who spent the time to put it into Conservapedia and tie together a fluid interlocking of the people of ancient Rome at that time that allows easy look up. The key is to get ourselves up to the point where other edits will ultimately be necessary. That is my opinion. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 12:38, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

<strike>::::"I find you to believe that your view = the right view and all others must bend to your decisions." Hello Pot, meet Kettle. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 13:54, 13 June 2007 (EDT)</strike>Okay, LT, I'll try to be more considerate when editing; yell me on my talk page if you spot me getting over-enthusiastic in any particular areas. Shalom :) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 14:07, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
:Thank you, and God's blessing to you as well. I'm sure this small distraction will not keep either of us from using our talents to continue to improve conservapedia ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:20, 15 June 2007 (EDT)

*Why are two of my favorite editors arguing? Can't we get along? [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 14:02, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

:Point taken, B :) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 14:07, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

*You guys thank Bohdan profusely! I saw this earlier, and decided I was going to check back, and if it was still going, decide the arugment my way! ;-) --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 14:31, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

==Uribe Human Rights Abuses==
Ok, I will obtain several sources from mainstream media, I think the source I listed is fine but I will obtain more. Just because Uribe is conservative doesn't mean we should let him committ gross violations of human rights. Authoritarianism is wrong whether left or right. Terror doesn't have an ideology --[[User:FreedomandLiberty|FreedomandLiberty]] 11:05, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
:It's not my call as to what is an acceptable source, but a sysop has already determined that your current source is inadequate, so putting it back after removal is not going to work. Please be considerate of the forum you are editing and its standards. Thanks [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:10, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

Ok we now have CNN, Amnesty International, and the NY Times. Or is that not mainstream enough. I'll see if Fox News puts out a story on Uribe. Maybe thats the only news network "mainstream" enough.

== Contact.... ==

This user has not specified a valid e-mail address, or has chosen not to receive e-mail from other users.

Return to Main Page.

Retrieved from "http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Emailuser" --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 19:41, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

== Ralph Reed, et. al. ==

*You are making me concerned. Please don't make me concerned. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 21:48, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

::I didn't understand what you were talking about until I read the edit. My edit, as I understood it, was only for links. I did not mean to put back ridiculous information. It appears I accidentally added the links to the previous version and not the most recent. Thank you for pointing it out. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 10:52, 21 June 2007 (EDT)

== courtesy notice ==

I liked your [[Praetorian guard]] article and I have found that your articles are well written at Conservapedia. Conservapedia is experimenting with uncited templates in order to help increase the useability of our articles as a reference resource. I put a uncited template on your [[Praetorian guard]] guard and as a courtesy I wanted to let you know. Thanks for all the fine work you have done at Conservapedia. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:07, 23 June 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you for the courtesy notice Conservative. I am pleased you liked the article and I'm pleased for your kind words towards the work I have been able to contribute. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 00:49, 24 June 2007 (EDT)

== Thank you for being so gracious to my request and I have another request ==

Dear Learning together,

Thank you for your kind response to my previous request. I found another article that you had significantly contributed to and I was hoping you could squeeze in some time to cite this article: [[Marcus Aurelius]]. Again, thank you for all your contributions to Conservapedia. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 20:28, 24 June 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you again for the kind words. Unfortunately, while I have sources, I also have accumulated knowledge over time which is a bit harder to put as a reference. I've put the main sources I'm using to augment that knowledge. I'm not sure what the bibliography format should be for books as I've checked other articles and found multiple forms. Please let me know if there is an agreed upon standard that I should emulate. Thanks [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:11, 25 June 2007 (EDT)
::Sorry to come in uninvited, but that had been a problem for me too. I think I just copied the format from a different article, and kept using it. Perhaps this is a question for Mr. Schlafly. If there isn't a standard for this, I think there should be. Congratulations on your over 1000 contributions. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 23:25, 25 June 2007 (EDT)
:::It is always good to hear from you my friend. You are a great benefit to Conservapedia and I am glad to see your work is well received by so many. Everywhere I look, you are keeping on top of things. Blessings always ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:30, 25 June 2007 (EDT)
::::Thanks for the compliment LT. Your work is greatly appreciated. Have a look here. This article seems like one for you to make: [[Amoz]]. perhaps you would want it? I could always try it if your too busy. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 00:37, 26 June 2007 (EDT)
:::::I've expanded Amoz, although there wasn't much to put. The Bible doesn't say anything about him except as a title for Isaiah "son of Amoz". [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:40, 26 June 2007 (EDT)

== John the Baptist ==

You reverted Jinka's edits on the John the Baptist article. I have undone your reversion and protected the article. Before the article is unprotected, we need to have a discussion on the article's talk page, and I believe it should start with your reply to Jinkas. [[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] [[User_talk:Crocoite|Talk]] 11:03, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

:The usual protocol when a revert is done is to keep the old version until a discussion in talk can create concensus. Your decision to revert and protect is questionable. The information stated as fact is Mormon doctrine and believed only by the Mormon Church. To state it as fact was and is inappropriate. I do not question your religious beliefs, but if articles are going to be changed to present your church's views as fact when they are not supported by a single other Christian denomination, then we will have problems. I have not noted you doing this in the past, and I hope this is merely a misunderstanding and will not be part of a new trend. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:27, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

:::"Historically, only until recently have Mormons wanted to be called Christians, preferring not to be included with Christian denominations which Joseph Smith said were, "all wrong...all there creeds were an abomination in his sight, and that those professors (Christians) were all corrupt." (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:18-19)
:::In the past Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) have preferred to be called "saints." However, in the recent years the LDS church has spend millions in an intense public relations campaign aimed at moving their church into the mainstream of Christianity. The political and economic benefits of Mormons being included in the mainstream of Christianity are obvious. Further, for Mormons to be accepted as traditional Christians would greatly aid in their proselyting the members of Christian denominations into the LDS church. This is why the LDS church is trying so hard to present themselves as Christians and trying to overcome the stigma of being a cult." [http://www.bible-truth.org/arelds.htm]

:::"The god of the Mormons is not the God of the Bible. To the Mormons, Jesus, is the first born son of an exalted "man" who became the god of this world. According to LDS church teaching, their god was first a man who became a god. The man-god of Mormonism was then made the god of this world because of his good works on another planet somewhere out in the Universe. He "earned" godhood, and was thus appointed by a counsel of gods in the heavens to his high position as the god of planet Earth. The Mormon god of this world was a man, like all men on earth. This is what the celestial marriage and the temple vows are all about. LDS men, by doing their temple work, are striving for exaltation by which they too shall one day become gods. Their wives will be the mother goddesses of "their" world and with their husband will produce the population of their world. This is the Mormon doctrine of "eternal progression."

:::Note the following quote is from the Mormon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 123, made by the LDS Apostle Orson Hyde:

:::"Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, a mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point were He is.""[http://www.bible-truth.org/arelds.htm]

:::I'm sorry, but Mormonism ''isn't'' Christianity, and editing Christian articles to present the Mormon doctrine is just plain wrong. Sorry, but thast's the way it is. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 11:35, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

::::I'm not going to question Crocoites deeply held religious beliefs or how he would define himself. But when a choice is made to push those beliefs to overlay mainstream Christian thought and act like it is a natural part of the Christian understanding, then I have a problem. I am pleased to have you as an ally in this Fox. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:43, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

*Can I express how truly disappointed I am in your actions? Here you need partners, colleagues, not an ally. To be in a leadership position here, or anywhere, one needs to rise above their personal beliefs, and build consensus. Shutting others out of that process builds distrust. Now you see where this has all gotten you, eh? The question now is, what will you be willing to do to repair the damage done to your reputations... --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 17:29, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

::I am sorry Terry, but I stand by my actions. The choice to lock the article by a sysop when there was no edit war in place and after himself reverting back to the questionable edit set this off. One common theme that came across from the talk section was that no one who commented believed the locked version was appropriate as written. If left to the natural editing process, myself and the original contributor would have come to an article that pretty much matches what is there now, and without the hassle. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:16, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

*So there was no need for your posting to Rob, et.al. was completely unnecessary, wasn't it? I wouldn't continue to stand by your inappropriate actions for too long. You know I have been supportive, as I have with Fox, but you both have severely tried me in your poor judgements in handling this. Way too divisive. Way too strident and alarmist. You always have the option with me, you know, to email or IM, otherwise my posts are public, but just as candid. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 18:40, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

::That is correct; there was no need to post to anyone and it would not have occurred, until the article was improperly reverted and locked with an inappropriate edit in place. I tried talking to Crocoites; I got nowhere. I said I'd take it up to Andy; he said go ahead. Instead of going for the top, I decided to go to the sysop level, and my solicitations for extra input were done in good taste, not 'the sky is falling'. Let's not forget either that during the entire time Crocoites has never tried to defend his actions, only stated he is going to leave because he's personally hurt.

::As you know Terry, I am in a leadership position in the "real" world. We expect people to defend actions that they take, or else don't take them. In the case of a mistake, admit it, and move on. I've seen the "I'm hurt" argument in place of constructive explanation. It doesn't fly. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:29, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

*Since Crocoite is a Sysop, the next level would have been Andy. You can keep talking all you want about what you think is "right" according to how you think, how you believe, but my point here is what was right for CP. Now, I expect you to be repairing this. Perhaps a writing plan? I will wait to hear from you. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 20:03, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

::If I didn't think it was right for CP Terry, I wouldn't have done it. Junior High kids coming to CP would have thought that was a natural part of John the Baptist. There was no indication that it had any difference in weight or belief from the earlier Biblical sections. I've found there is a higher tier of sysops based on their time, experience, and editing privileges. Even now my friend, you tell Bodhan, who is a sysop, that you have dibs on me for a project even after he asked me first. And you know what, none of us will question that because you are deferred to for your greater experience and time on CP. I don't know what you mean below about showing I can contribute for the greater good. I have over 1200 edits over a large spectrum of topics. Day by day even I'm not sure which directions I'll be taken. I'm not sure what part of the body of my work would not show the greater good in your sight. I'm a volunteer here contributing because I can help out, and I do. If there is some other way you feel I can be beneficial, then I'm happy to hear it, but this is your baby. You can always email me if you have specific things you wish to discuss. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 20:39, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

== Request ==

I'm not sure how much information is available on these characters, but could you go through this list of Roman emperors here [http://www.conservapedia.com/Roman_Empire] and add what you can? I would try, but I'm not very good at my Roman history. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 18:20, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

:I will be happy to help my friend. I'm afraid I've gotten behind on the things I've wanted to do. Finishing up the Emperors is on my list. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:36, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

Yes, perhaps, Bohdan, you could ask someone else, as I have prior dibs on Learn Together for a writing plan, etc. He will need to demonstate to me his ability to work for the greater good, rather than specific issues, before he can participate in what you want, my friend. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 20:04, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

== Contest ==

Could you be interested in being in the contest?

Could you join Team 1? [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:Team_contest/Team_one Here]
Thanks. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:31, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

:I would be honored my friend. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:43, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

Ok, in my next turn you will be in. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:53, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

:Whoops, sorry, I didn't understand what was occurring and simply placed myself on your team. Please forgive my oversight. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:55, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

Please visit: [[Conservapedia:Team contest|Basis]]

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 23:51, 6 July 2007 (EDT)

Please contact me by my E-Mail. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 16:33, 7 July 2007 (EDT)

Excellent work. Congratulations. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 23:12, 16 July 2007 (EDT)

Good work. Keep going. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 02:55, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

Please visit:

[[Team1:Players]]

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 09:31, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

Excellent work. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 10:49, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

Welcome back... --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 00:33, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks Joaquin, both for the "Excellent work" and the "Welcome back" ;-) I have a few things I need to do, but I still intend to add many more contributions before it ends. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 00:38, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

Good work, my friend. Team 2 is not far from us. I think we still have a chance to win. Keep pushing. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 19:33, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

----

We have two articles that are in a good position in Google:

[[Andrew Mellon]] 76 among 142 000.

[[Fruits of the Holy Spirit]] 14 among 37 500.

Do you think you could help to improve them in order to get a better ranking?

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 12:11, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

Thank you. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 15:58, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

==Scotland==
I agree with your reasoning and have unlocked Scotland. [[User_talk:Geo.plrd|Geo.]][[User_talk:Geo.plrd|Complain!]] 17:21, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
:Thank you, I appreciate it. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 17:24, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

== turkey ==

That may not be an "official" reason, but it is most certainly a reason for protest. Can we put it back in? [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 21:17, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
:Look at it now and tell me if its better. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 21:32, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
::Yes, I think that's much better ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:41, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

== French and Indian Wars ==

Hey, I've done a basic cleanup on the two articles. I'm about to head out of town for the rest of the week, so I don't have time at the moment to do much more, so if you have the time and the inclination you might want to give them some attention. --[[User:Colest|Colest]] 14:02, 3 July 2007 (EDT)

==Falklands==

Hi LearnTogether. I just reworded your update to the Falklands article a bit so that it reads better, let me know if you don't like it. Note that many of the Argentinian casualties were sailors, not soldiers. 655 is the official number, do you have a source that says its called into question? I couldn't find one (after not very long looking, I have to admit). Thanks [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 17:03, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

:You have a fine edit Feret and I'm glad you added your input. I have no problem with it. The question as to casualties is the source itself - the Argentine government at the time which wildly misled its people as to the course of the war and had a very vested interest to keep the numbers low after losing to Great Britain. It's a bit like trusting Hamas casualty numbers. Peace to you, and may you continue to make many fine edits. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 17:15, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

== Division by zero ==

You can divide by zero, but the calculation is effectively meaningless as the answer returned is always infinity. This is why calculators and Excel display an error message when asked to perform this function. Hope this helps. --[[User:Marshall|Marshall]] 19:23, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

== 1500 ==

I hope after the Contest you would have 3000. :) --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 17:56, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

:I'll try my best my friend. ;-) Best wishes to everyone in the contest, but either way Conservapedia wins. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:03, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

You need to make a new page for Contest Personal Record. Take a look [[User:Joaquín Martínez/Contest|here]].

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 18:20, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

I already thought of that. You have blocking privileges.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 19:29, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

: Thank you Andy ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:57, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

==Team page==
Try it now LT; if it still bounces you, yell Joaquin - I'm slipping away for a couple of hours of kip ;) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 21:19, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks Fox, you're the man! ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:33, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

Sorry, I haven't been contributing much lately. I've been very busy with work, family issues and Toastmasters. I would appreciate your input on the new section at the Team 1 contest page. --[[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] 12:28, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

:You have it, and any contributions are appreciated. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 00:37, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

==Welcome template==
<nowiki>{{welcome|sig=~~~~}}</nowiki>

[[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 04:40, 11 July 2007 (EDT)

== Stlphotog ==

[[Lutheran Church]] is also copied from a Wikipedia article. More info is on Aschafly's talk page. [[User:AManInBlack|AManInBlack]] 13:13, 12 July 2007 (EDT)

:I am surprised because it is not especially well written, but thank you. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]]
::He did a rather poor job of concealing his plagiarism; it is partially rephrased or summarized in places. [[User:AManInBlack|AManInBlack]] 13:15, 12 July 2007 (EDT)
:::I've rewritten the article. Hopefully now it is unique to Conservapedia. Thank you again for catching this violation and your efforts on following through. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:45, 12 July 2007 (EDT)

== request for help ==

Can you help me with the footnote section of [[evolution]]. Right now 1/2 the footnotes are just bare links. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 13:32, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

:I am sorry my friend, but that article is protected to people like me. ;-) Best wishes though, it's looking better all the time. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:27, 18 July 2007 (EDT)

== "The Earth and Its Peoples A Global History." ==

Why not just post the book in its entirety instead of the 81 - and counting - three sentence fragments from it you've posted so far? [[User:PFoster|PFoster]] 23:37, 16 July 2007 (EDT)

:I'll be happy to answer you... when you have taken the time to show that you wish to improve Conservapedia by making 81 new entries of your own. Peace. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:41, 16 July 2007 (EDT)
::He was a troll/sock and won't be making ''any'' new entries! [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 02:22, 18 July 2007 (EDT)

:::Somehow I didn't think that would be his cup of tea. ;-) Thank you my friend! [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:24, 18 July 2007 (EDT)

==Thanks==

Thanks! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 10:34, 18 July 2007 (EDT)
==I see==
You're working on the LXX, I started [[Latin Vulgate|Vulgate]], should we be thinking of adding a category such as '''Bible versions'''? [[User_talk:U2| U2]] 13:28, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

:I think that's a good idea. Put it as a subcategory under Bible. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:30, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
::Go right ahead, I can't even find the list for categories! [[User_talk:U2| U2]] 13:41, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
:::Done ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:18, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
::::That was a good idea. I protected the 2000 election because of walter repeated false changes. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 14:33, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
:::::Thank you my friend. ;-) I was hoping I wouldn't have to block him. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:35, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

== question ==

I don't know how to copy and download pics to Conservapedia. Can you show me how to do it? If I am not able to understand your directions can you download some pictures for me? [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:40, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

==defaultsort==

Thanks for your work default sorting entries! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:04, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

:You're welcome Dan. ;-) I kind of came across them by accident, but when I see them I try to clean them up. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:06, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

== I didn't ==

I didn't copy from Wikipedia or any place against policy.--'''[[user:FellowChristian16|Fellow]]Christian[[user_talk:FellowChristian16|16]]''' 23:37, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

== Winners ==

Congratulations. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 08:20, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:Congratulations! We won! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 11:11, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:Did they give any totals my friend? Where can we check them up? Thanks! [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:13, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

::Good question...I'll see what I can find and get back to you asap! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 11:14, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:::Thank you Deborah ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:16, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

Congrats! I just looked at recent changes and it looks like it's NE Patriots night... --[[User:Tash|Tash]] 23:32, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:Hey, you did all the work Tash! As I'm putting in the sorts, I can't believe how much effort you put into filling out bios on so many players! ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:33, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

Renoir:

Done. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 15:41, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

==take page v. user page==

When both pages are blank, don't you think you are getting worked up over nothing? Honestly - the user hasn't made any indication of how he wants his castle to be utilized. You're making assumptions for him, which seems to intrude heavily into his autonomy. --[[User:TGlennRet|TGlennRet]] 02:01, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

::Unless you have been given express permission, one way is right and one is wrong. It's not getting worked up. It's trying to help you understand Conservapedia rules and etiquette. Other wikis are into that sort of trampling each other thing, but here we try to be respectful and civil. I'm sure if he requests his user page to be used, that no one will have a problem with that. Another point that you may wish to consider is to avoid 'ping-pong' conversations, we try to keep the writing on one talk user page. If you had responded to me on your page, I would have seen it just as well with the fuller context. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:06, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

== Categories, Etc. ==

*You might want to check this out: [[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Philip_J._Rayment#Wikilinking_of_dates]] I would like your thoughts as well, particularly in regard to the categories and wanted page list, via IM or email, at first, until we build some direction. Perhaps I can even compel you, Aziraphale, BrianCo and Mr. Rayment into a productive chat session! :p --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 16:19, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

== Block powers? ==

Please take a look at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Religion&diff=250801&oldid=250328 this]. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:19, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you for your astute eye. He has been removed. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:22, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

::Not sure if [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Was_the_European_colonization_of_the_Americas_good_for_the_native_people%3F&diff=prev&oldid=250808 this] is a problem, but the user changed another user's comments on a talk page. (I reverted the change, but keep an eye on the guy.) {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:23, 26 July 2007 (EDT)
:::Same page, earlier [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia%3AWas_the_European_colonization_of_the_Americas_good_for_the_native_people%3F&diff=250799&oldid=211259 edit] also problematic. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:24, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

[[User:MichaelaHunt]] is vandalizing. Could you also protect a few pages for me? [[User:PheasantHunter/FullSig]] and [[User:PheasantHunter/TestTalk]]. thanks. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:37, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

*LT, please refer all requests from PheasantHunter to me, okay? He is very adept at playng the system, and that is exactly what he has been doing. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 05:02, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:TK, I'd appreciate it if you brought such gossip and innuendo to me before posting it on other users tal pages. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 12:00, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

==My Niger edits==

Just for the record, that was a screw up on my part, not an attempt at vandalism. I meant to end the white house website with .gov, not .org...I had no idea that parody site even existed. As a school librarian, I'm plagued by the white house .com site, which is a porno site. I will be more careful in the future. [[User:Maestro|Maestro]] 10:17, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:All of us can make mistakes. I'm sure if you have good strong edits in the future that it will long be forgotten. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 12:18, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

==Final Scores==

Well...it's taken a while, and I hope it's not too late, but I finally have the final scores. In the end, it came out 9618 for Team1 and 5384 for Team2. And you may want to know, the judge particularly said you and Fox "worked your tails off and made a Team 1 victory." ([[User talk:DeborahB.]], "Scores") So thanks for all your help! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 23:38, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you, it was an honor working with everyone. I'm glad I could help my team... and of course Conservapedia ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 01:16, 27 July 2007 (EDT)

== [[France]] ==

Hi,

I changed again the formulation of the sentence about expats; I think "have left France" sounds like a definitive choice and is not an appropriate formulation.

Regards,[[User:Sporean|Sporean]] 12:47, 29 July 2007 (EDT)

==Default Sort==

Just curious to know what the "Default Sort" thing you're putting on the pages is doing...thanks! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 19:56, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

:Hi Deborah. It changes how they're alphabetized. So an entry for Bill Clinton, instead of showing up under the "B"'s, can show up under the "C"'s, for Clinton. Hope that helps. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:58, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

::Yes, it does...thanks! I just kept seeing it and figured it had something to do with the proper way to do names (last, then first) but I just didn't know how. [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 20:01, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

==Recent Edits==
I changed them cause they were inaccurate. That's all. I'll get permission next time I am gonna change somefink.

:No harm done, it's just a good habit to get into to discuss them in the talk section first. Thank you for taking the time to respond. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 01:40, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

== Categories ==

Bill, Andy asked me to take charge of the categories. Therefore I would respectfully ask you to refrain from reverting my edits, placing them. Okay? Is there some problem that made it impossible for you to communicate with me directly before doing so? There is a special Sand Box page I emailed you about, where ANY new categories are supposed to be discussed first. --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 06:53, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

:Actually my friend, I don't have an email with the sandbox page. Please send it to me. By the way, that wasn't a new category. I had noticed that there was both a "Probability and Statistics" and a "Statistics" category. I was attempting to consolidate based upon what already existed. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 12:10, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

*Just go to my user page, click the link there....happy to have another aboard! --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 14:45, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

::I am happy to help my friend. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 15:52, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

== Hey ==

Thanks for the welcome.

I look forward to contributing to conservapedia, especially on the heated topics of creationism & devilution.

--[[User:Rolloffle|Rolloffle]] 14:44, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

==Categories==

Good catch. [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Percival_Lowell&action=markpatrolled&rcid=282250] --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 14:53, 8 August 2007 (EDT)

== Are You My Mommy? ==

Or, at least, my "handler?" After the other night where you said TK told you come talk to me, I wasn't sure who to go to with stuff. On the off chance that you are, would you please take a look at [[User:Aziraphale/categories]]? That's where I post issues that, as a non-sysop, I can't fix. (And no, that wasn't a subtle hint, me no want-y the sysop-y :p) There's a template and a few categories that need a-fixin' at this point.

If you're not the person for me to talk to, please just let me know. I don't actively try to ruffle feathers. Thanks! [[User:Aziraphale|Aziraphale]] 19:44, 16 August 2007 (EDT) ''<-...you're gonna break some eggs...''

*Hey, don't make me send some of the boys around to "talk to you" okay? If I am sending someone to talk to you, it was simply because I was tied up, and like the man said, I agreed with his request, and asked him to save me some time, is all....because I was tied up, ya know? If I was gonna give you a handler, it would be more like the Jazzman, or Big Ed. Oh, by the way, how's the family doin? :p If you are wanting me to look at something, I need a message, see? I ain't a mind reader, or organized enough to go lookin, see? That's all. See? --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 20:29, 16 August 2007 (EDT)

::If, however, you HAD passed me off to a handler, bothering you with this would have defeated the purpose. By doing it this way, the worst case scenario is that I ask a guy a question to which the answer is "no," and then I would go and ask you. By doing it your way, the worst case scenario was irritating you with something that you had already taken care of. Risk management, baby! [[User:Aziraphale|Aziraphale]] 20:45, 16 August 2007 (EDT) ''<- never concentrate your troops in Australia...''

*Unfortunately, LT isn't a Sysop, however...but maybe sometime soon....--[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 22:05, 16 August 2007 (EDT)

: ooOOOOooooohhhh... well ''that's'' a whole different kettle of fish. [[User:Aziraphale|Aziraphale]] 10:43, 17 August 2007 (EDT) ''<-that's all I've got to say about that...''

== Thanks ==

Thanks for the welcome. I like your user name. Can you tell me how to use the descriptive labels on your user page? I'd like some.-[[User:Baruch|Baruch]] 23:31, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

you look like someone who knows how all this works ;) how do I put boxes on my own page? Todd

:Hi Todd. I'd like find some boxes you like on someone's page, and copy and paste the template to your own page. That's all I did - nothing fancy. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 22:38, 22 August 2007 (EDT)

I'm sorry to bother you, but where do you find the template? That must sound hopelessly dumb to you, but is it a link, or is it code? Also, how do I sing posts like you guys? I'm very new to this stuff. thanks! Todd16

:They're templates. If you go to my user page and edit it, you'll see templates that I use. That's where the boxes on the right come from. They start with {{ [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 22:45, 22 August 2007 (EDT)
;I see, thanks! --[[User:Todd16|Todd16]] 22:59, 22 August 2007 (EDT)

::Best wishes to you Todd. Have fun! There's lots of room for new articles or article growth. BTW, when you are finished typing your response on talk pages, type the tilda key ~ 4 times. That will do an automatic name and date signoff. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:42, 23 August 2007 (EDT)

== Scoring a try in rugby ==

Hey Learn Together, how are you? I see you reverted my change to the rugby section of the [[football]] article. Not sure what you're trying to say, but it looks like you think that simply carrying the ball across the line gets you a try in rugby? It really doesn't! The player has to touch the ball onto the ground. In fact this rule can cause lengthy video referee consultations when multiple camera angles are used to determine whether the player got the ball on the ground or not.[[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 19:58, 7 September 2007 (EDT)

:Hi, me again. [http://www.irb.com/mm/Document/LawsRegs/0/070110LGLAW09red_662.pdf This] may help. [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 00:04, 8 September 2007 (EDT)

::Well, I can give you a simple answer. If I reverted the rugby section then I was mistaken. I thought I was in the American Football area. Please feel free to put back if the section was dealing with rugby. Sorry. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 01:28, 8 September 2007 (EDT)

:::A-ha! No problems, I already reverted it. :-) I'll also go and make the corresponding point in the American Football section. [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 02:16, 8 September 2007 (EDT)

== St. Peter ==

Yes I agree, thanks.

How about collaborating in [[Conservative Links]]? That is a nice task for you. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:14, 10 September 2007 (EDT)

:Per your request my friend, I have given my input. Hope you like it. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:53, 10 September 2007 (EDT)
::Done --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 18:29, 10 September 2007 (EDT)

==Contest==
How about joining us on team one (to be named) in the contest?--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 19:49, 22 September 2007 (EDT)

:It would be an honor to be on a team where you are captain. Count me in. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 20:58, 23 September 2007 (EDT)

Great! We're going to need you--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 10:48, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

::The contest begins today( Sep. 28) at noon, please check out our [[Conservapedia:Team Airborne|team page]]. Thanks, --[[User:Tash|Tash]] 08:51, 28 September 2007 (EDT)
== Rocker1973 ==

Can you block this user? He is doing some sort of vandalism that messes up pages badly. Look at http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Larry_Craig&diff=299153&oldid=289755 . http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=National_Rifle_Association&diff=299171&oldid=299152 shows how it works. [[User:SkipJohnson|SkipJohnson]] 16:50, 24 September 2007 (EDT)
:Thank you for noticing this and for your prompt revisions. He has been removed. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:58, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

*Beat me by 30 seconds! But I did block the IP range of all his proxies. --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 16:59, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

::I just help sweep the streets my friend; you're the one who comes through and paves it. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 17:01, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

*Better get a warranty if I do any paving! :p --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 17:28, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

==Contest Points==
Great job raking up points yesterday!! <s>I'm trying to get a accurate tally of yesterdays points for Team Airborne and I'm wondering when you were planning on recording a tally of your points for yesterday. If you want me to help record them for you, i would be happy to help (I'm recording Ed Poor's points right now since he dislikes the recording precess).</s> Keep up the good work!--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 17:01, 29 September 2007 (EDT)

:I've created a page ([[User:Learn together/Contest2]]) to record your points, and have recorded yesterdays on it. Please feel free to update and change as needed.Thanks!--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 17:43, 29 September 2007 (EDT)

== Urgent Matter... ==

Please contact me if you are around.... --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 04:32, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

== Sanford Ransdell Article ==

I wrote the Sanford Ransdell article. I was told that I could bring material that I wrote over to Conservapedia. If that's not the case then I apologize. [[User:Dwain|Dwain]] 09:39, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

:LearnTogether, yes Dwain is the originator of numerous WP articles, and we'd be happy to have his original, uncensored versions here. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 12:06, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

::::No problem gentlemen. I help to guard the site based on the information on hand. If there's more than I am aware of and you have the situation covered then that's fine. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:32, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

== [[Alchohol]] ==

It is a very nice article, but it's spelled incorrectly. It's ok, it has to happen to everyone sometime, right? ;-) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:27, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks for catching it. I followed the link from the Abby Hoffman article and created it, but didn't catch that it was spelled wrong. I've corrected it in the Hoffman article as well. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:44, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

==Counting Contest Points==
If you could total your [http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Learn_together/Contest2 contest points] for today that would be great (doesn't have to be exact to the .9999)- I have my SAT's on Saturday so I'm kind of running short on time and want to get some editing in tonight. Great job racking up points!! Thanks--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 20:03, 2 October 2007 (EDT) ([http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia_talk:Team_Airborne#Point_System here's] a link to the points guide)

:Sure Tash, and thanks for doing this for me as the contest has gone alone. Good luck on your SAT's. I'll need to leave shortly myself, so I won't be able to tabulate it until tomorrow. Hopefully that won't hurt anything. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 20:09, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

==Points==
What's with all the red links in your edits for day seven? They don't show having been deleted. :{ --[[User:BethanyS|Beth]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 14:23, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:I'm still editing the page Bethany. Hopefully they'll be fixed up soon. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:25, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

The contest is over since 12:00 noon. You shouldn't be counting the ones after that. BTW great contest. Really exciting.--[[User:BethanyS|Beth]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 14:28, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:Yes, it was lots of fun. Hope you guys all enjoyed it. ;-) But don't worry Bethany, I'm not counting new ones, I'm just organizing the ones I did. ;-) I dump my day's work, then I move them line by line to where they should be. Sometimes its quicker for me to just retype them, so case errors can pop it. All the red should be gone now for day 7. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:39, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

I also notice that [[Justice Joseph Story]] is after 12:00.--[[User:BethanyS|Beth]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 14:35, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:My last edit was after 12:00, but I had earlier ones the same day. I'm only counting the early ones. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:39, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

::Great job man! You pushed us over the victory line...--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 14:58, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:::Hey, you got your first victory! ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:51, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

==Bush National Guard==

So was Dan Quayle. The difference is, Quayle actually reported for duty and caught hell, while Bush missed most of his training and didn't catch nearly the flak. [[User:Maestro|Maestro]] 16:20, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

:Part of the Dan Quayle article shows the double standard used against him that was not applied to others, especially those who came directly afterwards. Quayle was filleted for serving in the guard instead of fighting in Vietnam -- then along comes Bill Clinton. After 8 years of Clinton who didn't fight in Vietnam or serve in the National Guard, the bar was set pretty low. Bush at least spending some time in the guard was a step up. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:31, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

*Maestro, you are merely repeating, nazi like, the '''BIG LIE'''. Bush, according to all documentation not presented by Dan Rather, missed nothing much, and was fully flight qualified. It is open to speculation only as to how "officially" sanctioned his doing his flight quals elsewhere was, but I can tell you from personal experience, it was quite normal to do so. And that fact has also been reported nationally, but ignored amongst the hype. Please try to remember the original allegations were not that he wasn't fully trained or qualified, but that his connections allowed him to take that training in other places. Later it was minipulated, spun into his actually not receiving the necessary training. That has been completely, and factually disproved. That is why Rather was <s>fired</s> allowed early retirement. --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 20:24, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

== My friend ==

Where are you? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 15:15, 5 November 2007 (EST)

:I am here my friend; I have just been very busy. Hope you are doing well and God's blessing to you. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:04, 8 November 2007 (EST)

==Contest==
Hello Learn Together - given that in the last contest you were one of the top two contributors - you have been made a captain in the [[Contest3|newest contest]]. The tentative starting date is Friday the 9th, and it runs for 7 days. Pick as many people as you want for your team - however, only the top 7 contributors will actually count (and it's best if you keep your team number to bellow 10 to ensure equality). If you are unable or unwilling to be the captain - please get back to me as soon as possible so we can inform the next candidate. Thanks so much - and good luck!--[[User:Iduan|I]][[User_talk:Iduan|Duan]] 22:40, 7 November 2007 (EST)

:Thank you Iduan, I am flattered you have chosen me as captain for the next team contest. Unfortunately, I am very busy at this time and I feel I would not be able to do the position justice for Conservapedia or those who would join my team. In fact it was only dumb luck that I happened to sign on today and look. Really, Tash put in the most effort in the last contest even with his SAT test coming up at that time, including helping to tabulate our scores. May I recommend, especially after his strong showing in the last contest as captain to bring our team to a razor thin victory margin, that you see if Tash would be willing to take up the gauntlet.

:Again, thank you [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:10, 8 November 2007 (EST)
:: Nice to have you IN. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 16:55, 9 November 2007 (EST)

:::I can't let TK down. ;-) I'll do the best I can for you guys. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:58, 9 November 2007 (EST)

::::Ready? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:26, 11 November 2007 (EST)

:::::Where is the list of your points? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 10:15, 13 November 2007 (EST)

::::::I haven't tabulated it yet my friend. Don't worry, they won't be going anywhere. ;-)

Congratulations, great work. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 20:58, 18 November 2007 (EST)

==Contest2==
Hey Learn together! I'm so glad you could participate in the contest - even if you couldn't be a captain (and I'm even more glad that you're on my team!) So one of the first questions for our team is what our team name should be. If you have any ideas just get word out to TK, thanks (and remember: we're using a Machiavellian policy towards this contest: We must win - no matter what. lol, good luck!)--[[User:Iduan|I]][[User_talk:Iduan|Duan]]00:02, 10 November 2007 (EST)

Team Name: <big>'''Supply Siders'''</big> --[[User:TK|şyŝoρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 16:55, 11 November 2007 (EST)
:Team page: [[Conservapedia:Team Supply Siders]] --[[User:Iduan|I]][[User_talk:Iduan|Duan]] 17:02, 12 November 2007 (EST)

==Nice assist==

[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=A_Beautiful_Mind&curid=51139&diff=332837&oldid=332785&rcid=359995] --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 16:17, 12 November 2007 (EST)

:Thanks Ed, I just couldn't resist ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:17, 12 November 2007 (EST)

==Dewey==

Why is Dewey blocked? [[User:Lukecorlando|Luke]]

:He's highlighting all "goat" entries. That's a tonuge-in-cheek move that a site whose goal is to vandalize CP takes pride in. The last edit to Vitamin C had goat highlighted in about 10 different places. Think of it as a calling card to say "gotcha". Look through his edit history before being blocked and you'll see what I'm talking about. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:28, 12 November 2007 (EST)

== [[Panzerschreck]] ==

Check out the first two paragraphs of this article: direct WP copy/paste. I was going to recommend it for deletion, but since you edited it (and since the rest seems OK) I didn't want to screw you out of a couple contest points. Now instead you have an opportunity to gain some points :) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:53, 13 November 2007 (EST)

:Thank you. The information appears to be a factual straight forward description, at least in the first paragraph. It all seems to be pertinent. Even if it matches WP, I don't view it the same as copying large quantities. I changed the second paragraph, where more individual style could be seen. BTW, if you really find an article that's unsalvageable, don't hesitate to have it deleted. The contest is to make CP better, so losing a couple of points to delete something that doesn't belong is no skin off my back. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:24, 13 November 2007 (EST)

::Actually I was on the fence about deleting, but I didn't want to step on any toes. Competition's fierce! :) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 21:44, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Thanks for cleaning up my edits ==

I think I've got it now, I appreciate the help.-[[User:MexMax|MexMax]] 18:14, 13 November 2007 (EST)

:Yes, you've really got down the categories, the default sort, and the name form with the edits you're doing. Good job! Some of us will bold the name as well. With the entries that you have, I'm doing some form cleanup too. That's strictly up to the individual. Here is an example [[Philip_Pendleton_Barbour]]. Please note what I do is not a requirement or even expected. I just personally think it looks better that way. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:14, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Jellyfish ==

Thanks for the recategorizations. However, I think that jellyfish should probably be recategorized, because the second sentence of the article says that they aren't actually fish. I'm not sure what the best category is, because I haven't looked at how the animal articles are really organized, but I thought I'd see if you had any suggestions. Thanks! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 03:14, 14 November 2007 (EST)

:Unfortunately, not really. Perhaps a category for "Sea Creatures" might be appropriate. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:17, 14 November 2007 (EST)

*Invertebrates?

:I was hoping for something that would get all the water creatures in one place to make it easy for our viewers. I'm sure we'll think up something. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:34, 14 November 2007 (EST)

==Points==
Could you possibly record your points since November 12, 12:00 in the afternoon? If you could that would be great! --[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 11:24, 14 November 2007 (EST)

???--[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 11:31, 14 November 2007 (EST)

:I'll see what I can do. It takes me a bit longer than you guys since in the past I've displayed each individual article under the scoring categories. I'm really not looking forward to that. ;-0 [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:37, 14 November 2007 (EST)

::OK! Sorry if I was annoying...I just want to know what I'm up against! ;P --[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 11:40, 14 November 2007 (EST)

==KGB==
Very good question, and not without several problems. We actually ran into this in WP also, and they have not satisfactorily resolved it, either.

For our purposes here, the basic division is between Case Officer and an agent. Speaking broadly, the Case Officer is the intelligence professional who is usually a citizen of the same nation that the Intelligence organization is subordinate to. An "Agent," in most cases would be a witting contact of the Case Officer. A "Source" can be unwitting, that is to say, intelligence information can be gleened from an unwitting, unsuspecting source, and then passed through an agent to the case officer. Also, a Source can be witting, too. That is to say, perhaps it is just a one-time passing of information, or perhaps under extraordinary ciricmstances a relationship can be formed between a Case Officer or Agent with a witting Source, whose information can be deemed bona fide & trustworthy, but the Source is just unwilling or incapable of forming an Agent-Principal relationship because of risk of exposure, etc.

I hope that doesn't clear it up, huh? [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 21:46, 14 November 2007 (EST)

:Actually it does Rob, thank you. It let's me know that there is a differentiation and I should stay away. ;-) I wasn't sure if they were the same thing and you had just started using a different category later. I'm glad you're the one trying to classify them and not me. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:50, 14 November 2007 (EST)

::For the most part, here in CP, the bios in KGB are Soviet citizens who were KGB Case Officers, & the "agents and sources" are mostly US citizens, with a few Brits, Germans, and maybe one or two Japanese right now. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 22:11, 14 November 2007 (EST)

*So my answer, on your talk page, Rob, was incorrect? Or can the individuals in KGB, top category be moved off to individuals? Or do we need a new category created? --[[User:TK|şyŝoρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 22:14, 14 November 2007 (EST)

== block and delete needed ==

Just look at the recent changes. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 16:09, 16 November 2007 (EST)
:That should earn you a few points! [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 16:10, 16 November 2007 (EST)
::Thanks to your heads up approach Bohdan, we stopped him ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:12, 16 November 2007 (EST)

== removal of copy righted material ==

I have removed a few additions you made as they were cut and pasted of material under copyright.
hope you don't mind.--[[User:JBuscombe|JBuscombe]] 14:21, 18 November 2007 (EST)

:Your removal is unwarranted. The source is cited and not directly copied. I am flattered though that I am being sought out by you guys. Why should TK and Andy get all of the fun? ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 15:53, 18 November 2007 (EST)

== Re-directs..... ==

Please ask before re-directing articles! We prefer to move them, Bill, rather than create double-redirects that need others to fix them later. Thanks. --[[User:TK|şyŝoρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 20:51, 20 November 2007 (EST)

==His Dark Materials==
Hi, I'm a new Conservapedia editor, and I noticed that you recently edited [[His Dark Materials]]. As you can see on my user page, [[User:JK899|JK899]], working on this article is my primary goal on this site. I am extending an offer to you to help me achieve the goals regarding the books on my user page. If you are interested, tell me on my discussion page. [[User:JK899|JK899]] 19:03, 4 December 2007 (EST)

Thanks for the reply. I agree with you on what will be the site's reaction to the books , and I know the article will probably receive heavy vandalism after I work on it. I want to state the facts of the book that are impossible to refute, like the plot and the definite constrasts with the stated beliefs of the major religions. I personally don't see the books as being anti-Christian (mostly against using blind faith instead of knowledge), but I won't say that anywhere and will definitely include links to arguments of people who say it is anti-Christian.

Concerning editing other articles, I'll make minor edits of course, but no real major changes until after I get Dark Materials finished. This is on account of me having just read the books and the facts being fresh in my mind.

I'll post the plot section today, and hopefully you'll see it and inform me of what changes I should make. Thanks for being so civil. Usually the only theists I encounter online are raving, opionionated jerks. Guess I've been looking in the wrong places. [[User:JK899|JK899]] 16:45, 5 December 2007 (EST)

== Team ==

Hi there

I am just planing to make a team to update, at the Main Page, the "Article of the month". Could be you, Crocoite and me. I am sure Andy will approve it. Agreee? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 09:39, 8 December 2007 (EST)

==Ceorlacyng==

I take it that you are referring to the following recent reverts

1.Heading in France article "Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys"- the substantive content to this heading was not reverted.
Originally I wanted to put the Rumsfeld quote in the Rumsfeld section , but it is locked. I am unaware of the derivation of "cheese-eating" , but the French involvement in World War II bears out the latter part, especially in the actions of Vichy in fighting harder against the Allies than they ever fought for them, even in places such as Madagascar and Syria, where there were no other Axis forces. The bulk of the "Free French" were in the Foreign Legion or colonial troops (such as the Tahitians who fought in the Western Desert campaign.The French Resistance would have been described by the Germans as a gang of Communists and gangsters. The fact that this was true has been obscured by Allied propaganda promoting Colonel De Gaulle as a more significant figure than he was. Even the French troops evacuated from Dunkirk wanted to go back and fight against the British.

2. UK relations with USA regarding UK radar stations supporting "son of Star Wars".
I think I should start a separate article on this. The bare facts are that the missile defense system designed to put down incoming (Russian)ICBMs requires a radar picket outside this "umbrella"- which is in the UK. Consequently, should the Russians ever wish to do this the first thing they have to do is hit the radar station. An good comparison is the role played by HMS Sheffield in the Falklands- which was sunk by the Argentine Air Force. Now I do not blame the Americans for this - their actions are entirely rational, (should they wish to carry out such a program), but what motivates Gordon Brown's Government has never been stated. Unless there is a some kind of pressure or bribe involved a willingness to invite a pre-emptive strike on your own country for no apparent reason is almost beyond parody. Hence my contribution was really entirely serious but perhaps a separate entry would clarify this.

[[User:Ceorlacyng|Ceorlacyng]] 18:07, 8 December 2007 (EST)

User talk:Learn together

2007-12-08T23:07:50Z

Ceorlacyng: /* Team */

{{Welcome|sig=[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]]}}

== Clinton Revert.... ==

I jumped in since Dan was headed to bed, and tried to answer some of your questions, here: [[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:DanH#Reverts]] --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 04:58, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

:Sometimes it does seem as if they are instantly checked! It had me puzzled for a bit as well. What happens is, many regular users have a window opened here [[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Recentchanges&hidemyself=1&limit=600]] to "Recent Changes" and refresh it periodically. Also, from your "Preferences" you can enable "Watch this Page" and set a limit even on how many. Then whatever page you edit, or manually choose to "watch" will show up in your Watch List. Since Dan had previously edited the Clinton page, it was on his, undoubtedly. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 14:15, 8 May 2007 (EDT)

==Good Job==

Thank you for your excellent edits. Keep up the good work! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 15:09, 11 May 2007 (EDT)

== Jesus ==

Fantastic work on the Jesus Christ article! --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 17:00, 11 May 2007 (EDT)

== Saint Andrew ==

Fine. It is done now.

I agree to do that. If I did redirect it was because "Ian St John 11:48, 13 May 2007 (EDT)"
complain about [[Andrew]] and [[Philip]] along. I have the intention to make the six articles that are left to complete the 12 Apostles. Next time the name will be for example: "Bartholomew the Apostle".

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 18:15, 13 May 2007 (EDT)

== Highlighting Links ==

Hi

Thanks for your comment. I knew that and it's logic. For sure I agree with it.
Could be a mistake if there is one or two made by me.

Have you fixed them or do you want me to search?

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 08:38, 15 May 2007 (EDT)

Done. I hope to see you soon as a Sysop!!! --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 17:38, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Atheism ==

Just wanted to be clear that I was agreeing with you. Not sure if you were responding to me or [[User_talk:GodWarrior|GodWarrior]] when you wrote [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AAtheism&diff=163608&oldid=163593 this]. [[User:HeartOfGold|HeartOfGold]] 14:59, 16 May 2007 (EDT)

== My pleasure ==

It has been an honor. Thank you indeed.

== Edit summaries ==

I appreciate this [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Richard_Dawkins&diff=170855&oldid=166181 edit], and concur. While I also neglect make edit summaries, I want to encourage you to make use of the edit summary box. This probably sounds like the pot calling the kettle black, but I assure you that I do endeavor to follow this advice, and I encourage you to do the same. It makes reviewing edit histories of articles easier. Thanks for contributing. [[User:HeartOfGold|<big>H</big>eart<big>O</big>f<big>G</big>old]][[User_talk:HeartOfGold|talk]] 01:22, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Compliment ==
Excellent work on the Rather article.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 12:58, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Global Warming, et.al. ==

You might want to consider this [[http://www.conservapedia.com/Help:Editing_etiquette]] when making larger changes to articles. Not that I am disagreeing with your additions to the "Warming" article. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 18:19, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Request ==
Could you improve my pathetic excuse-of-an-article on [[Justinian]]? It seems he is someone you would know much about.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 18:21, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== Sorry! ==

You got caught up in the removal of some other stuff! --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 21:27, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

== I agree with you==
The atheism article is better as you have it. The agnostic stat is not going to be included, and the citation is not needed.[[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 19:47, 23 May 2007 (EDT)
::Your quality contributions to this site and especially the history articles have earned you a place in the highly coveted and extremely prestigious "Bohdan's notable Users" category. Keep up the good work.[[User:Bohdan|Богдан]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 23:07, 26 May 2007 (EDT)

== Atheism ==

What's the problem with my edit to the [[atheism]] page? --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 22:51, 28 May 2007 (EDT)

*I beleive the edit notes tell you rather directly, what?

(cur) (last) 02:55, 28 May 2007 Ed Poor (Talk | contribs | block) (→Atheist Population - '''Stop confusing "uncertain" with "agnostic'''") 
(cur) (last) 02:53, 28 May 2007 Ed Poor (Talk | contribs | block) (move up "origins" section) >br>
(cur) (last) 02:52, 28 May 2007 Ed Poor (Talk | contribs | block) ('''The term "atheism" also includes uncertainty about whether God exists or not, that is, people who never believe in God or actively deny His existence''') 

--[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 23:01, 28 May 2007 (EDT)
:Most of those weren't my edits. --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 02:10, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

I don't really see it as a tangent. "Atheist morality" is included in the page and morality is part of philosophy. In fact, I don't think you can talk about morality without being philosophical. As far as not including enough philosophers goes, I think the group I gave was pretty complete- at least as far as an Ethics101 class would go. You'll be hard pressed to find many Philosophers who base morality on religious doctrines in the last few hundred years- in fact, the entire spirit of the Enlightenment was against such thinking. Now we call those people "theologians." I'm sure there are some, but they have not had much impact. You mentioned C.S Lewis, but he is not considered a very good philosopher by anyone's standards (though "Studies in Words" was nice) and he did not put forward a rigerous study of ethics, besides "God in the Dock," which is fairly obscure. As such, I'd like to put it back. Of course, I'm new to this wiki and don't want to move in too aggressively to your space, so I thought I'd say something here. --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 02:10, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

:Don't be afraid to edit, but please realize the scope of conservapedia is to go beyond the 'ethics 101' class into meaningful and important people and viewpoints that are not represented. There were many more than a handful of philosophers in the last couple hundred years and simply removing those who invoked religion by reclassifying them as 'theologians' (as if one can't be both) is the type of slight of hand that conservapedia tries to avoid. And, I think you'll find that there are many people who take a different view on C.S. Lewis' philosophy than the one you presented. ;-) Reverts or alterations of edits are not personal attacks and please don't take personal offense. Enjoy your stay. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:26, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

Yes, I read that and found it very discouraging and narrow minded. Does this wiki make an attempt at objectivity, or is it simply a conservative partisan answer to its liberal partisan counterparts? --[[User:ThunderBunny|ThunderBunny]] 03:03, 3 June 2007 (EDT)

:Again, theologians can be philosophers. I am sorry if that understanding is too 'narrow minded' for you. To answer your second questions, yes. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 04:25, 3 June 2007 (EDT)

== Answer ==
Your contibutions have been high quality. I would support you.[[User:Bohdan|Богдан]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 13:25, 29 May 2007 (EDT)

*I have answered you on my page, but I am afraid you are not on any list I can see.....:-( --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 03:57, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Solomon ==
Hi, I checked out your [[House of David]] article and followed the first link to [[Solomon]]. In your article it gives his lifespan as 970-931 BC, whereas in the Solomon article it says 965-925 BC. I am not sure which one is correct, but figured you'd be a good person to ask to look into it. --[[User:Colest|Colest]] 16:24, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

== Article for your attention please==
[[Four Emperors Era]] needs work and it seems like you would know about it. [[User:Bohdan|Богдан]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 20:18, 2 June 2007 (EDT)
:nice work LT [[User:Bohdan|bd]] [[User talk:Bohdan|Talk]] 23:03, 5 June 2007 (EDT)

::Glad you like it ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:04, 5 June 2007 (EDT)

== Thanks ==

correction made. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 22:50, 4 June 2007 (EDT)

:Glad I could help [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:58, 4 June 2007 (EDT)

==Sorry!==

LOL!! I'm very sorry. I just happened to be browsing the Conservapedia wanted pages and decided to make that page. I had no idea you were already making it. That is the funniest coincidence. ''':P''' --[[User:BethanyS|BethanyS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk]] 12:19, 12 June 2007 (EDT)

==Intuitive page naming==
Please try to be more intuitive when naming an article, particularly regarding people of Ancient Rome - just one of many examples is your choice of article name for '''Antonia''' ... your article is actually about [[Antonia Minor]], who also had a sister named Antonia, [[Antonia Major]]. Simply creating a page called Antonia, particularly with regard to Rome, is like creating an article called '''Bob''' or '''Smith''' and expecting ''your'' choice of subject to be the only one of any importance or significance historically or culturally. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 04:54, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
:I believe you will find that there is much literature in antiquity for Antonia Minor and little for Antonia Major. I have sought to make the Roman history section friendly and easy for those wanting quick flowing information. In that regard I've created the articles that allow quick movement back and forth in a simple form to get a feel for the interconnectedness. If it would come to a point where more obscure persons in Roman history start having their own articles, and thus there is more than one Antonia, then the format can certainly be changed, but since you are talking literally thousands of entries with many thousand more events that would also have to be entered to start including auxillary Roman figures, it would appear to be a structure that has no body.

:I also find you method of change and do not discuss to be rather rude and inappropriate for a cooperative effort. I have discussed and been involved in renaming both for articles written by others and for articles I've written. It's usually not that difficult to discuss a new direction to go and both be on the same page working together. Again, I ask you to please consider that for the future. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:51, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

::You are missing the point! If you just created each article with the correct name at the outset, then it would not matter what happened afterwards, whether further articles were created or not. It doesn't make the section more easily navigated by having only half of a name and it increases the workload later of having to fix all the links to point to the correct name. Please consider ''that'' for the future. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 12:04, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

:::I am afraid you are missing the point. This is a cooperative effort. I find you to believe that your view = the right view and all others must bend to your decisions. You are my peer, not my boss, and your views are views like any other person that should be discussed. I don't even treat my workers with the heavy handed methods that you use, and I am their boss.

:::If people come to look up things on Conservapedia you have to keep their attention quickly. Many are not going to be computer savvy and are not going to want to go through different screens picking who they want from lists imported from wikipedia of multiple entries that don't even exist on our system. We have one Antonia entry right now. It doesn't hurt to have that pop up. At least that was my view when I created it and I'm the one who spent the time to put it into Conservapedia and tie together a fluid interlocking of the people of ancient Rome at that time that allows easy look up. The key is to get ourselves up to the point where other edits will ultimately be necessary. That is my opinion. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 12:38, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

<strike>::::"I find you to believe that your view = the right view and all others must bend to your decisions." Hello Pot, meet Kettle. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 13:54, 13 June 2007 (EDT)</strike>Okay, LT, I'll try to be more considerate when editing; yell me on my talk page if you spot me getting over-enthusiastic in any particular areas. Shalom :) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 14:07, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
:Thank you, and God's blessing to you as well. I'm sure this small distraction will not keep either of us from using our talents to continue to improve conservapedia ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:20, 15 June 2007 (EDT)

*Why are two of my favorite editors arguing? Can't we get along? [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 14:02, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

:Point taken, B :) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 14:07, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

*You guys thank Bohdan profusely! I saw this earlier, and decided I was going to check back, and if it was still going, decide the arugment my way! ;-) --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 14:31, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

==Uribe Human Rights Abuses==
Ok, I will obtain several sources from mainstream media, I think the source I listed is fine but I will obtain more. Just because Uribe is conservative doesn't mean we should let him committ gross violations of human rights. Authoritarianism is wrong whether left or right. Terror doesn't have an ideology --[[User:FreedomandLiberty|FreedomandLiberty]] 11:05, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
:It's not my call as to what is an acceptable source, but a sysop has already determined that your current source is inadequate, so putting it back after removal is not going to work. Please be considerate of the forum you are editing and its standards. Thanks [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:10, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

Ok we now have CNN, Amnesty International, and the NY Times. Or is that not mainstream enough. I'll see if Fox News puts out a story on Uribe. Maybe thats the only news network "mainstream" enough.

== Contact.... ==

This user has not specified a valid e-mail address, or has chosen not to receive e-mail from other users.

Return to Main Page.

Retrieved from "http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Emailuser" --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 19:41, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

== Ralph Reed, et. al. ==

*You are making me concerned. Please don't make me concerned. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 21:48, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

::I didn't understand what you were talking about until I read the edit. My edit, as I understood it, was only for links. I did not mean to put back ridiculous information. It appears I accidentally added the links to the previous version and not the most recent. Thank you for pointing it out. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 10:52, 21 June 2007 (EDT)

== courtesy notice ==

I liked your [[Praetorian guard]] article and I have found that your articles are well written at Conservapedia. Conservapedia is experimenting with uncited templates in order to help increase the useability of our articles as a reference resource. I put a uncited template on your [[Praetorian guard]] guard and as a courtesy I wanted to let you know. Thanks for all the fine work you have done at Conservapedia. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 19:07, 23 June 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you for the courtesy notice Conservative. I am pleased you liked the article and I'm pleased for your kind words towards the work I have been able to contribute. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 00:49, 24 June 2007 (EDT)

== Thank you for being so gracious to my request and I have another request ==

Dear Learning together,

Thank you for your kind response to my previous request. I found another article that you had significantly contributed to and I was hoping you could squeeze in some time to cite this article: [[Marcus Aurelius]]. Again, thank you for all your contributions to Conservapedia. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 20:28, 24 June 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you again for the kind words. Unfortunately, while I have sources, I also have accumulated knowledge over time which is a bit harder to put as a reference. I've put the main sources I'm using to augment that knowledge. I'm not sure what the bibliography format should be for books as I've checked other articles and found multiple forms. Please let me know if there is an agreed upon standard that I should emulate. Thanks [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:11, 25 June 2007 (EDT)
::Sorry to come in uninvited, but that had been a problem for me too. I think I just copied the format from a different article, and kept using it. Perhaps this is a question for Mr. Schlafly. If there isn't a standard for this, I think there should be. Congratulations on your over 1000 contributions. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 23:25, 25 June 2007 (EDT)
:::It is always good to hear from you my friend. You are a great benefit to Conservapedia and I am glad to see your work is well received by so many. Everywhere I look, you are keeping on top of things. Blessings always ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:30, 25 June 2007 (EDT)
::::Thanks for the compliment LT. Your work is greatly appreciated. Have a look here. This article seems like one for you to make: [[Amoz]]. perhaps you would want it? I could always try it if your too busy. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 00:37, 26 June 2007 (EDT)
:::::I've expanded Amoz, although there wasn't much to put. The Bible doesn't say anything about him except as a title for Isaiah "son of Amoz". [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:40, 26 June 2007 (EDT)

== John the Baptist ==

You reverted Jinka's edits on the John the Baptist article. I have undone your reversion and protected the article. Before the article is unprotected, we need to have a discussion on the article's talk page, and I believe it should start with your reply to Jinkas. [[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] [[User_talk:Crocoite|Talk]] 11:03, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

:The usual protocol when a revert is done is to keep the old version until a discussion in talk can create concensus. Your decision to revert and protect is questionable. The information stated as fact is Mormon doctrine and believed only by the Mormon Church. To state it as fact was and is inappropriate. I do not question your religious beliefs, but if articles are going to be changed to present your church's views as fact when they are not supported by a single other Christian denomination, then we will have problems. I have not noted you doing this in the past, and I hope this is merely a misunderstanding and will not be part of a new trend. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:27, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

:::"Historically, only until recently have Mormons wanted to be called Christians, preferring not to be included with Christian denominations which Joseph Smith said were, "all wrong...all there creeds were an abomination in his sight, and that those professors (Christians) were all corrupt." (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, 2:18-19)
:::In the past Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) have preferred to be called "saints." However, in the recent years the LDS church has spend millions in an intense public relations campaign aimed at moving their church into the mainstream of Christianity. The political and economic benefits of Mormons being included in the mainstream of Christianity are obvious. Further, for Mormons to be accepted as traditional Christians would greatly aid in their proselyting the members of Christian denominations into the LDS church. This is why the LDS church is trying so hard to present themselves as Christians and trying to overcome the stigma of being a cult." [http://www.bible-truth.org/arelds.htm]

:::"The god of the Mormons is not the God of the Bible. To the Mormons, Jesus, is the first born son of an exalted "man" who became the god of this world. According to LDS church teaching, their god was first a man who became a god. The man-god of Mormonism was then made the god of this world because of his good works on another planet somewhere out in the Universe. He "earned" godhood, and was thus appointed by a counsel of gods in the heavens to his high position as the god of planet Earth. The Mormon god of this world was a man, like all men on earth. This is what the celestial marriage and the temple vows are all about. LDS men, by doing their temple work, are striving for exaltation by which they too shall one day become gods. Their wives will be the mother goddesses of "their" world and with their husband will produce the population of their world. This is the Mormon doctrine of "eternal progression."

:::Note the following quote is from the Mormon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 123, made by the LDS Apostle Orson Hyde:

:::"Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, a mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point were He is.""[http://www.bible-truth.org/arelds.htm]

:::I'm sorry, but Mormonism ''isn't'' Christianity, and editing Christian articles to present the Mormon doctrine is just plain wrong. Sorry, but thast's the way it is. [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 11:35, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

::::I'm not going to question Crocoites deeply held religious beliefs or how he would define himself. But when a choice is made to push those beliefs to overlay mainstream Christian thought and act like it is a natural part of the Christian understanding, then I have a problem. I am pleased to have you as an ally in this Fox. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:43, 28 June 2007 (EDT)

*Can I express how truly disappointed I am in your actions? Here you need partners, colleagues, not an ally. To be in a leadership position here, or anywhere, one needs to rise above their personal beliefs, and build consensus. Shutting others out of that process builds distrust. Now you see where this has all gotten you, eh? The question now is, what will you be willing to do to repair the damage done to your reputations... --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 17:29, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

::I am sorry Terry, but I stand by my actions. The choice to lock the article by a sysop when there was no edit war in place and after himself reverting back to the questionable edit set this off. One common theme that came across from the talk section was that no one who commented believed the locked version was appropriate as written. If left to the natural editing process, myself and the original contributor would have come to an article that pretty much matches what is there now, and without the hassle. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:16, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

*So there was no need for your posting to Rob, et.al. was completely unnecessary, wasn't it? I wouldn't continue to stand by your inappropriate actions for too long. You know I have been supportive, as I have with Fox, but you both have severely tried me in your poor judgements in handling this. Way too divisive. Way too strident and alarmist. You always have the option with me, you know, to email or IM, otherwise my posts are public, but just as candid. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 18:40, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

::That is correct; there was no need to post to anyone and it would not have occurred, until the article was improperly reverted and locked with an inappropriate edit in place. I tried talking to Crocoites; I got nowhere. I said I'd take it up to Andy; he said go ahead. Instead of going for the top, I decided to go to the sysop level, and my solicitations for extra input were done in good taste, not 'the sky is falling'. Let's not forget either that during the entire time Crocoites has never tried to defend his actions, only stated he is going to leave because he's personally hurt.

::As you know Terry, I am in a leadership position in the "real" world. We expect people to defend actions that they take, or else don't take them. In the case of a mistake, admit it, and move on. I've seen the "I'm hurt" argument in place of constructive explanation. It doesn't fly. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:29, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

*Since Crocoite is a Sysop, the next level would have been Andy. You can keep talking all you want about what you think is "right" according to how you think, how you believe, but my point here is what was right for CP. Now, I expect you to be repairing this. Perhaps a writing plan? I will wait to hear from you. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 20:03, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

::If I didn't think it was right for CP Terry, I wouldn't have done it. Junior High kids coming to CP would have thought that was a natural part of John the Baptist. There was no indication that it had any difference in weight or belief from the earlier Biblical sections. I've found there is a higher tier of sysops based on their time, experience, and editing privileges. Even now my friend, you tell Bodhan, who is a sysop, that you have dibs on me for a project even after he asked me first. And you know what, none of us will question that because you are deferred to for your greater experience and time on CP. I don't know what you mean below about showing I can contribute for the greater good. I have over 1200 edits over a large spectrum of topics. Day by day even I'm not sure which directions I'll be taken. I'm not sure what part of the body of my work would not show the greater good in your sight. I'm a volunteer here contributing because I can help out, and I do. If there is some other way you feel I can be beneficial, then I'm happy to hear it, but this is your baby. You can always email me if you have specific things you wish to discuss. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 20:39, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

== Request ==

I'm not sure how much information is available on these characters, but could you go through this list of Roman emperors here [http://www.conservapedia.com/Roman_Empire] and add what you can? I would try, but I'm not very good at my Roman history. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 18:20, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

:I will be happy to help my friend. I'm afraid I've gotten behind on the things I've wanted to do. Finishing up the Emperors is on my list. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:36, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

Yes, perhaps, Bohdan, you could ask someone else, as I have prior dibs on Learn Together for a writing plan, etc. He will need to demonstate to me his ability to work for the greater good, rather than specific issues, before he can participate in what you want, my friend. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 20:04, 29 June 2007 (EDT)

== Contest ==

Could you be interested in being in the contest?

Could you join Team 1? [http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:Team_contest/Team_one Here]
Thanks. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:31, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

:I would be honored my friend. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:43, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

Ok, in my next turn you will be in. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:53, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

:Whoops, sorry, I didn't understand what was occurring and simply placed myself on your team. Please forgive my oversight. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:55, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

Please visit: [[Conservapedia:Team contest|Basis]]

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 23:51, 6 July 2007 (EDT)

Please contact me by my E-Mail. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 16:33, 7 July 2007 (EDT)

Excellent work. Congratulations. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 23:12, 16 July 2007 (EDT)

Good work. Keep going. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 02:55, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

Please visit:

[[Team1:Players]]

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 09:31, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

Excellent work. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 10:49, 13 July 2007 (EDT)

Welcome back... --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 00:33, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks Joaquin, both for the "Excellent work" and the "Welcome back" ;-) I have a few things I need to do, but I still intend to add many more contributions before it ends. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 00:38, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

Good work, my friend. Team 2 is not far from us. I think we still have a chance to win. Keep pushing. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 19:33, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

----

We have two articles that are in a good position in Google:

[[Andrew Mellon]] 76 among 142 000.

[[Fruits of the Holy Spirit]] 14 among 37 500.

Do you think you could help to improve them in order to get a better ranking?

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 12:11, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

Thank you. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 15:58, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

==Scotland==
I agree with your reasoning and have unlocked Scotland. [[User_talk:Geo.plrd|Geo.]][[User_talk:Geo.plrd|Complain!]] 17:21, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
:Thank you, I appreciate it. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 17:24, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

== turkey ==

That may not be an "official" reason, but it is most certainly a reason for protest. Can we put it back in? [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 21:17, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
:Look at it now and tell me if its better. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 21:32, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
::Yes, I think that's much better ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:41, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

== French and Indian Wars ==

Hey, I've done a basic cleanup on the two articles. I'm about to head out of town for the rest of the week, so I don't have time at the moment to do much more, so if you have the time and the inclination you might want to give them some attention. --[[User:Colest|Colest]] 14:02, 3 July 2007 (EDT)

==Falklands==

Hi LearnTogether. I just reworded your update to the Falklands article a bit so that it reads better, let me know if you don't like it. Note that many of the Argentinian casualties were sailors, not soldiers. 655 is the official number, do you have a source that says its called into question? I couldn't find one (after not very long looking, I have to admit). Thanks [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 17:03, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

:You have a fine edit Feret and I'm glad you added your input. I have no problem with it. The question as to casualties is the source itself - the Argentine government at the time which wildly misled its people as to the course of the war and had a very vested interest to keep the numbers low after losing to Great Britain. It's a bit like trusting Hamas casualty numbers. Peace to you, and may you continue to make many fine edits. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 17:15, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

== Division by zero ==

You can divide by zero, but the calculation is effectively meaningless as the answer returned is always infinity. This is why calculators and Excel display an error message when asked to perform this function. Hope this helps. --[[User:Marshall|Marshall]] 19:23, 8 July 2007 (EDT)

== 1500 ==

I hope after the Contest you would have 3000. :) --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 17:56, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

:I'll try my best my friend. ;-) Best wishes to everyone in the contest, but either way Conservapedia wins. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:03, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

You need to make a new page for Contest Personal Record. Take a look [[User:Joaquín Martínez/Contest|here]].

--[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 18:20, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

I already thought of that. You have blocking privileges.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 19:29, 9 July 2007 (EDT)

: Thank you Andy ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:57, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

==Team page==
Try it now LT; if it still bounces you, yell Joaquin - I'm slipping away for a couple of hours of kip ;) [[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 21:19, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks Fox, you're the man! ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:33, 10 July 2007 (EDT)

Sorry, I haven't been contributing much lately. I've been very busy with work, family issues and Toastmasters. I would appreciate your input on the new section at the Team 1 contest page. --[[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]] 12:28, 14 July 2007 (EDT)

:You have it, and any contributions are appreciated. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 00:37, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

==Welcome template==
<nowiki>{{welcome|sig=~~~~}}</nowiki>

[[Image:User Fox.png]] [[User:Fox|Fox]] ([[User talk:Fox|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Fox|contribs]]) 04:40, 11 July 2007 (EDT)

== Stlphotog ==

[[Lutheran Church]] is also copied from a Wikipedia article. More info is on Aschafly's talk page. [[User:AManInBlack|AManInBlack]] 13:13, 12 July 2007 (EDT)

:I am surprised because it is not especially well written, but thank you. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]]
::He did a rather poor job of concealing his plagiarism; it is partially rephrased or summarized in places. [[User:AManInBlack|AManInBlack]] 13:15, 12 July 2007 (EDT)
:::I've rewritten the article. Hopefully now it is unique to Conservapedia. Thank you again for catching this violation and your efforts on following through. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:45, 12 July 2007 (EDT)

== request for help ==

Can you help me with the footnote section of [[evolution]]. Right now 1/2 the footnotes are just bare links. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 13:32, 15 July 2007 (EDT)

:I am sorry my friend, but that article is protected to people like me. ;-) Best wishes though, it's looking better all the time. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:27, 18 July 2007 (EDT)

== "The Earth and Its Peoples A Global History." ==

Why not just post the book in its entirety instead of the 81 - and counting - three sentence fragments from it you've posted so far? [[User:PFoster|PFoster]] 23:37, 16 July 2007 (EDT)

:I'll be happy to answer you... when you have taken the time to show that you wish to improve Conservapedia by making 81 new entries of your own. Peace. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:41, 16 July 2007 (EDT)
::He was a troll/sock and won't be making ''any'' new entries! [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 02:22, 18 July 2007 (EDT)

:::Somehow I didn't think that would be his cup of tea. ;-) Thank you my friend! [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:24, 18 July 2007 (EDT)

==Thanks==

Thanks! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 10:34, 18 July 2007 (EDT)
==I see==
You're working on the LXX, I started [[Latin Vulgate|Vulgate]], should we be thinking of adding a category such as '''Bible versions'''? [[User_talk:U2| U2]] 13:28, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

:I think that's a good idea. Put it as a subcategory under Bible. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:30, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
::Go right ahead, I can't even find the list for categories! [[User_talk:U2| U2]] 13:41, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
:::Done ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:18, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
::::That was a good idea. I protected the 2000 election because of walter repeated false changes. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 14:33, 19 July 2007 (EDT)
:::::Thank you my friend. ;-) I was hoping I wouldn't have to block him. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:35, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

== question ==

I don't know how to copy and download pics to Conservapedia. Can you show me how to do it? If I am not able to understand your directions can you download some pictures for me? [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 15:40, 19 July 2007 (EDT)

==defaultsort==

Thanks for your work default sorting entries! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 23:04, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

:You're welcome Dan. ;-) I kind of came across them by accident, but when I see them I try to clean them up. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:06, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

== I didn't ==

I didn't copy from Wikipedia or any place against policy.--'''[[user:FellowChristian16|Fellow]]Christian[[user_talk:FellowChristian16|16]]''' 23:37, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

== Winners ==

Congratulations. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 08:20, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:Congratulations! We won! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 11:11, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:Did they give any totals my friend? Where can we check them up? Thanks! [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:13, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

::Good question...I'll see what I can find and get back to you asap! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 11:14, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:::Thank you Deborah ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:16, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

Congrats! I just looked at recent changes and it looks like it's NE Patriots night... --[[User:Tash|Tash]] 23:32, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

:Hey, you did all the work Tash! As I'm putting in the sorts, I can't believe how much effort you put into filling out bios on so many players! ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 23:33, 24 July 2007 (EDT)

Renoir:

Done. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 15:41, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

==take page v. user page==

When both pages are blank, don't you think you are getting worked up over nothing? Honestly - the user hasn't made any indication of how he wants his castle to be utilized. You're making assumptions for him, which seems to intrude heavily into his autonomy. --[[User:TGlennRet|TGlennRet]] 02:01, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

::Unless you have been given express permission, one way is right and one is wrong. It's not getting worked up. It's trying to help you understand Conservapedia rules and etiquette. Other wikis are into that sort of trampling each other thing, but here we try to be respectful and civil. I'm sure if he requests his user page to be used, that no one will have a problem with that. Another point that you may wish to consider is to avoid 'ping-pong' conversations, we try to keep the writing on one talk user page. If you had responded to me on your page, I would have seen it just as well with the fuller context. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:06, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

== Categories, Etc. ==

*You might want to check this out: [[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Philip_J._Rayment#Wikilinking_of_dates]] I would like your thoughts as well, particularly in regard to the categories and wanted page list, via IM or email, at first, until we build some direction. Perhaps I can even compel you, Aziraphale, BrianCo and Mr. Rayment into a productive chat session! :p --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 16:19, 25 July 2007 (EDT)

== Block powers? ==

Please take a look at [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Religion&diff=250801&oldid=250328 this]. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:19, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you for your astute eye. He has been removed. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:22, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

::Not sure if [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Was_the_European_colonization_of_the_Americas_good_for_the_native_people%3F&diff=prev&oldid=250808 this] is a problem, but the user changed another user's comments on a talk page. (I reverted the change, but keep an eye on the guy.) {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:23, 26 July 2007 (EDT)
:::Same page, earlier [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia%3AWas_the_European_colonization_of_the_Americas_good_for_the_native_people%3F&diff=250799&oldid=211259 edit] also problematic. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:24, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

[[User:MichaelaHunt]] is vandalizing. Could you also protect a few pages for me? [[User:PheasantHunter/FullSig]] and [[User:PheasantHunter/TestTalk]]. thanks. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 02:37, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

*LT, please refer all requests from PheasantHunter to me, okay? He is very adept at playng the system, and that is exactly what he has been doing. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 05:02, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:TK, I'd appreciate it if you brought such gossip and innuendo to me before posting it on other users tal pages. {{User:PheasantHunter/FullSig}} 12:00, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

==My Niger edits==

Just for the record, that was a screw up on my part, not an attempt at vandalism. I meant to end the white house website with .gov, not .org...I had no idea that parody site even existed. As a school librarian, I'm plagued by the white house .com site, which is a porno site. I will be more careful in the future. [[User:Maestro|Maestro]] 10:17, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:All of us can make mistakes. I'm sure if you have good strong edits in the future that it will long be forgotten. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 12:18, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

==Final Scores==

Well...it's taken a while, and I hope it's not too late, but I finally have the final scores. In the end, it came out 9618 for Team1 and 5384 for Team2. And you may want to know, the judge particularly said you and Fox "worked your tails off and made a Team 1 victory." ([[User talk:DeborahB.]], "Scores") So thanks for all your help! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 23:38, 26 July 2007 (EDT)

:Thank you, it was an honor working with everyone. I'm glad I could help my team... and of course Conservapedia ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 01:16, 27 July 2007 (EDT)

== [[France]] ==

Hi,

I changed again the formulation of the sentence about expats; I think "have left France" sounds like a definitive choice and is not an appropriate formulation.

Regards,[[User:Sporean|Sporean]] 12:47, 29 July 2007 (EDT)

==Default Sort==

Just curious to know what the "Default Sort" thing you're putting on the pages is doing...thanks! [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 19:56, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

:Hi Deborah. It changes how they're alphabetized. So an entry for Bill Clinton, instead of showing up under the "B"'s, can show up under the "C"'s, for Clinton. Hope that helps. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:58, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

::Yes, it does...thanks! I just kept seeing it and figured it had something to do with the proper way to do names (last, then first) but I just didn't know how. [[User:DeborahB.|DeborahB.]] 20:01, 30 July 2007 (EDT)

==Recent Edits==
I changed them cause they were inaccurate. That's all. I'll get permission next time I am gonna change somefink.

:No harm done, it's just a good habit to get into to discuss them in the talk section first. Thank you for taking the time to respond. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 01:40, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

== Categories ==

Bill, Andy asked me to take charge of the categories. Therefore I would respectfully ask you to refrain from reverting my edits, placing them. Okay? Is there some problem that made it impossible for you to communicate with me directly before doing so? There is a special Sand Box page I emailed you about, where ANY new categories are supposed to be discussed first. --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 06:53, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

:Actually my friend, I don't have an email with the sandbox page. Please send it to me. By the way, that wasn't a new category. I had noticed that there was both a "Probability and Statistics" and a "Statistics" category. I was attempting to consolidate based upon what already existed. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 12:10, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

*Just go to my user page, click the link there....happy to have another aboard! --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 14:45, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

::I am happy to help my friend. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 15:52, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

== Hey ==

Thanks for the welcome.

I look forward to contributing to conservapedia, especially on the heated topics of creationism & devilution.

--[[User:Rolloffle|Rolloffle]] 14:44, 2 August 2007 (EDT)

==Categories==

Good catch. [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Percival_Lowell&action=markpatrolled&rcid=282250] --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 14:53, 8 August 2007 (EDT)

== Are You My Mommy? ==

Or, at least, my "handler?" After the other night where you said TK told you come talk to me, I wasn't sure who to go to with stuff. On the off chance that you are, would you please take a look at [[User:Aziraphale/categories]]? That's where I post issues that, as a non-sysop, I can't fix. (And no, that wasn't a subtle hint, me no want-y the sysop-y :p) There's a template and a few categories that need a-fixin' at this point.

If you're not the person for me to talk to, please just let me know. I don't actively try to ruffle feathers. Thanks! [[User:Aziraphale|Aziraphale]] 19:44, 16 August 2007 (EDT) ''<-...you're gonna break some eggs...''

*Hey, don't make me send some of the boys around to "talk to you" okay? If I am sending someone to talk to you, it was simply because I was tied up, and like the man said, I agreed with his request, and asked him to save me some time, is all....because I was tied up, ya know? If I was gonna give you a handler, it would be more like the Jazzman, or Big Ed. Oh, by the way, how's the family doin? :p If you are wanting me to look at something, I need a message, see? I ain't a mind reader, or organized enough to go lookin, see? That's all. See? --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 20:29, 16 August 2007 (EDT)

::If, however, you HAD passed me off to a handler, bothering you with this would have defeated the purpose. By doing it this way, the worst case scenario is that I ask a guy a question to which the answer is "no," and then I would go and ask you. By doing it your way, the worst case scenario was irritating you with something that you had already taken care of. Risk management, baby! [[User:Aziraphale|Aziraphale]] 20:45, 16 August 2007 (EDT) ''<- never concentrate your troops in Australia...''

*Unfortunately, LT isn't a Sysop, however...but maybe sometime soon....--[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 22:05, 16 August 2007 (EDT)

: ooOOOOooooohhhh... well ''that's'' a whole different kettle of fish. [[User:Aziraphale|Aziraphale]] 10:43, 17 August 2007 (EDT) ''<-that's all I've got to say about that...''

== Thanks ==

Thanks for the welcome. I like your user name. Can you tell me how to use the descriptive labels on your user page? I'd like some.-[[User:Baruch|Baruch]] 23:31, 17 August 2007 (EDT)

you look like someone who knows how all this works ;) how do I put boxes on my own page? Todd

:Hi Todd. I'd like find some boxes you like on someone's page, and copy and paste the template to your own page. That's all I did - nothing fancy. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 22:38, 22 August 2007 (EDT)

I'm sorry to bother you, but where do you find the template? That must sound hopelessly dumb to you, but is it a link, or is it code? Also, how do I sing posts like you guys? I'm very new to this stuff. thanks! Todd16

:They're templates. If you go to my user page and edit it, you'll see templates that I use. That's where the boxes on the right come from. They start with {{ [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 22:45, 22 August 2007 (EDT)
;I see, thanks! --[[User:Todd16|Todd16]] 22:59, 22 August 2007 (EDT)

::Best wishes to you Todd. Have fun! There's lots of room for new articles or article growth. BTW, when you are finished typing your response on talk pages, type the tilda key ~ 4 times. That will do an automatic name and date signoff. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 02:42, 23 August 2007 (EDT)

== Scoring a try in rugby ==

Hey Learn Together, how are you? I see you reverted my change to the rugby section of the [[football]] article. Not sure what you're trying to say, but it looks like you think that simply carrying the ball across the line gets you a try in rugby? It really doesn't! The player has to touch the ball onto the ground. In fact this rule can cause lengthy video referee consultations when multiple camera angles are used to determine whether the player got the ball on the ground or not.[[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 19:58, 7 September 2007 (EDT)

:Hi, me again. [http://www.irb.com/mm/Document/LawsRegs/0/070110LGLAW09red_662.pdf This] may help. [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 00:04, 8 September 2007 (EDT)

::Well, I can give you a simple answer. If I reverted the rugby section then I was mistaken. I thought I was in the American Football area. Please feel free to put back if the section was dealing with rugby. Sorry. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 01:28, 8 September 2007 (EDT)

:::A-ha! No problems, I already reverted it. :-) I'll also go and make the corresponding point in the American Football section. [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 02:16, 8 September 2007 (EDT)

== St. Peter ==

Yes I agree, thanks.

How about collaborating in [[Conservative Links]]? That is a nice task for you. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:14, 10 September 2007 (EDT)

:Per your request my friend, I have given my input. Hope you like it. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:53, 10 September 2007 (EDT)
::Done --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 18:29, 10 September 2007 (EDT)

==Contest==
How about joining us on team one (to be named) in the contest?--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 19:49, 22 September 2007 (EDT)

:It would be an honor to be on a team where you are captain. Count me in. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 20:58, 23 September 2007 (EDT)

Great! We're going to need you--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 10:48, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

::The contest begins today( Sep. 28) at noon, please check out our [[Conservapedia:Team Airborne|team page]]. Thanks, --[[User:Tash|Tash]] 08:51, 28 September 2007 (EDT)
== Rocker1973 ==

Can you block this user? He is doing some sort of vandalism that messes up pages badly. Look at http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Larry_Craig&diff=299153&oldid=289755 . http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=National_Rifle_Association&diff=299171&oldid=299152 shows how it works. [[User:SkipJohnson|SkipJohnson]] 16:50, 24 September 2007 (EDT)
:Thank you for noticing this and for your prompt revisions. He has been removed. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:58, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

*Beat me by 30 seconds! But I did block the IP range of all his proxies. --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 16:59, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

::I just help sweep the streets my friend; you're the one who comes through and paves it. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 17:01, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

*Better get a warranty if I do any paving! :p --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 17:28, 24 September 2007 (EDT)

==Contest Points==
Great job raking up points yesterday!! <s>I'm trying to get a accurate tally of yesterdays points for Team Airborne and I'm wondering when you were planning on recording a tally of your points for yesterday. If you want me to help record them for you, i would be happy to help (I'm recording Ed Poor's points right now since he dislikes the recording precess).</s> Keep up the good work!--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 17:01, 29 September 2007 (EDT)

:I've created a page ([[User:Learn together/Contest2]]) to record your points, and have recorded yesterdays on it. Please feel free to update and change as needed.Thanks!--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 17:43, 29 September 2007 (EDT)

== Urgent Matter... ==

Please contact me if you are around.... --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|Ṣρёаќǃ]] 04:32, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

== Sanford Ransdell Article ==

I wrote the Sanford Ransdell article. I was told that I could bring material that I wrote over to Conservapedia. If that's not the case then I apologize. [[User:Dwain|Dwain]] 09:39, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

:LearnTogether, yes Dwain is the originator of numerous WP articles, and we'd be happy to have his original, uncensored versions here. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 12:06, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

::::No problem gentlemen. I help to guard the site based on the information on hand. If there's more than I am aware of and you have the situation covered then that's fine. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:32, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

== [[Alchohol]] ==

It is a very nice article, but it's spelled incorrectly. It's ok, it has to happen to everyone sometime, right? ;-) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:27, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks for catching it. I followed the link from the Abby Hoffman article and created it, but didn't catch that it was spelled wrong. I've corrected it in the Hoffman article as well. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 13:44, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

==Counting Contest Points==
If you could total your [http://www.conservapedia.com/User:Learn_together/Contest2 contest points] for today that would be great (doesn't have to be exact to the .9999)- I have my SAT's on Saturday so I'm kind of running short on time and want to get some editing in tonight. Great job racking up points!! Thanks--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 20:03, 2 October 2007 (EDT) ([http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia_talk:Team_Airborne#Point_System here's] a link to the points guide)

:Sure Tash, and thanks for doing this for me as the contest has gone alone. Good luck on your SAT's. I'll need to leave shortly myself, so I won't be able to tabulate it until tomorrow. Hopefully that won't hurt anything. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 20:09, 2 October 2007 (EDT)

==Points==
What's with all the red links in your edits for day seven? They don't show having been deleted. :{ --[[User:BethanyS|Beth]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 14:23, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:I'm still editing the page Bethany. Hopefully they'll be fixed up soon. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:25, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

The contest is over since 12:00 noon. You shouldn't be counting the ones after that. BTW great contest. Really exciting.--[[User:BethanyS|Beth]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 14:28, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:Yes, it was lots of fun. Hope you guys all enjoyed it. ;-) But don't worry Bethany, I'm not counting new ones, I'm just organizing the ones I did. ;-) I dump my day's work, then I move them line by line to where they should be. Sometimes its quicker for me to just retype them, so case errors can pop it. All the red should be gone now for day 7. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:39, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

I also notice that [[Justice Joseph Story]] is after 12:00.--[[User:BethanyS|Beth]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 14:35, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:My last edit was after 12:00, but I had earlier ones the same day. I'm only counting the early ones. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:39, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

::Great job man! You pushed us over the victory line...--[[User:Tash|Tash]] 14:58, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

:::Hey, you got your first victory! ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:51, 5 October 2007 (EDT)

==Bush National Guard==

So was Dan Quayle. The difference is, Quayle actually reported for duty and caught hell, while Bush missed most of his training and didn't catch nearly the flak. [[User:Maestro|Maestro]] 16:20, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

:Part of the Dan Quayle article shows the double standard used against him that was not applied to others, especially those who came directly afterwards. Quayle was filleted for serving in the guard instead of fighting in Vietnam -- then along comes Bill Clinton. After 8 years of Clinton who didn't fight in Vietnam or serve in the National Guard, the bar was set pretty low. Bush at least spending some time in the guard was a step up. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:31, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

*Maestro, you are merely repeating, nazi like, the '''BIG LIE'''. Bush, according to all documentation not presented by Dan Rather, missed nothing much, and was fully flight qualified. It is open to speculation only as to how "officially" sanctioned his doing his flight quals elsewhere was, but I can tell you from personal experience, it was quite normal to do so. And that fact has also been reported nationally, but ignored amongst the hype. Please try to remember the original allegations were not that he wasn't fully trained or qualified, but that his connections allowed him to take that training in other places. Later it was minipulated, spun into his actually not receiving the necessary training. That has been completely, and factually disproved. That is why Rather was <s>fired</s> allowed early retirement. --[[User:TK|şŷŝôρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 20:24, 17 October 2007 (EDT)

== My friend ==

Where are you? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 15:15, 5 November 2007 (EST)

:I am here my friend; I have just been very busy. Hope you are doing well and God's blessing to you. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:04, 8 November 2007 (EST)

==Contest==
Hello Learn Together - given that in the last contest you were one of the top two contributors - you have been made a captain in the [[Contest3|newest contest]]. The tentative starting date is Friday the 9th, and it runs for 7 days. Pick as many people as you want for your team - however, only the top 7 contributors will actually count (and it's best if you keep your team number to bellow 10 to ensure equality). If you are unable or unwilling to be the captain - please get back to me as soon as possible so we can inform the next candidate. Thanks so much - and good luck!--[[User:Iduan|I]][[User_talk:Iduan|Duan]] 22:40, 7 November 2007 (EST)

:Thank you Iduan, I am flattered you have chosen me as captain for the next team contest. Unfortunately, I am very busy at this time and I feel I would not be able to do the position justice for Conservapedia or those who would join my team. In fact it was only dumb luck that I happened to sign on today and look. Really, Tash put in the most effort in the last contest even with his SAT test coming up at that time, including helping to tabulate our scores. May I recommend, especially after his strong showing in the last contest as captain to bring our team to a razor thin victory margin, that you see if Tash would be willing to take up the gauntlet.

:Again, thank you [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:10, 8 November 2007 (EST)
:: Nice to have you IN. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 16:55, 9 November 2007 (EST)

:::I can't let TK down. ;-) I'll do the best I can for you guys. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:58, 9 November 2007 (EST)

::::Ready? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 14:26, 11 November 2007 (EST)

:::::Where is the list of your points? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 10:15, 13 November 2007 (EST)

::::::I haven't tabulated it yet my friend. Don't worry, they won't be going anywhere. ;-)

Congratulations, great work. --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 20:58, 18 November 2007 (EST)

==Contest2==
Hey Learn together! I'm so glad you could participate in the contest - even if you couldn't be a captain (and I'm even more glad that you're on my team!) So one of the first questions for our team is what our team name should be. If you have any ideas just get word out to TK, thanks (and remember: we're using a Machiavellian policy towards this contest: We must win - no matter what. lol, good luck!)--[[User:Iduan|I]][[User_talk:Iduan|Duan]]00:02, 10 November 2007 (EST)

Team Name: <big>'''Supply Siders'''</big> --[[User:TK|şyŝoρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 16:55, 11 November 2007 (EST)
:Team page: [[Conservapedia:Team Supply Siders]] --[[User:Iduan|I]][[User_talk:Iduan|Duan]] 17:02, 12 November 2007 (EST)

==Nice assist==

[http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=A_Beautiful_Mind&curid=51139&diff=332837&oldid=332785&rcid=359995] --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 16:17, 12 November 2007 (EST)

:Thanks Ed, I just couldn't resist ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:17, 12 November 2007 (EST)

==Dewey==

Why is Dewey blocked? [[User:Lukecorlando|Luke]]

:He's highlighting all "goat" entries. That's a tonuge-in-cheek move that a site whose goal is to vandalize CP takes pride in. The last edit to Vitamin C had goat highlighted in about 10 different places. Think of it as a calling card to say "gotcha". Look through his edit history before being blocked and you'll see what I'm talking about. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:28, 12 November 2007 (EST)

== [[Panzerschreck]] ==

Check out the first two paragraphs of this article: direct WP copy/paste. I was going to recommend it for deletion, but since you edited it (and since the rest seems OK) I didn't want to screw you out of a couple contest points. Now instead you have an opportunity to gain some points :) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 13:53, 13 November 2007 (EST)

:Thank you. The information appears to be a factual straight forward description, at least in the first paragraph. It all seems to be pertinent. Even if it matches WP, I don't view it the same as copying large quantities. I changed the second paragraph, where more individual style could be seen. BTW, if you really find an article that's unsalvageable, don't hesitate to have it deleted. The contest is to make CP better, so losing a couple of points to delete something that doesn't belong is no skin off my back. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 14:24, 13 November 2007 (EST)

::Actually I was on the fence about deleting, but I didn't want to step on any toes. Competition's fierce! :) [[User:HelpJazz|Help]][[User talk:HelpJazz|Jazz]] 21:44, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Thanks for cleaning up my edits ==

I think I've got it now, I appreciate the help.-[[User:MexMax|MexMax]] 18:14, 13 November 2007 (EST)

:Yes, you've really got down the categories, the default sort, and the name form with the edits you're doing. Good job! Some of us will bold the name as well. With the entries that you have, I'm doing some form cleanup too. That's strictly up to the individual. Here is an example [[Philip_Pendleton_Barbour]]. Please note what I do is not a requirement or even expected. I just personally think it looks better that way. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 19:14, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Jellyfish ==

Thanks for the recategorizations. However, I think that jellyfish should probably be recategorized, because the second sentence of the article says that they aren't actually fish. I'm not sure what the best category is, because I haven't looked at how the animal articles are really organized, but I thought I'd see if you had any suggestions. Thanks! [[User:DanH|DanH]] 03:14, 14 November 2007 (EST)

:Unfortunately, not really. Perhaps a category for "Sea Creatures" might be appropriate. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:17, 14 November 2007 (EST)

*Invertebrates?

:I was hoping for something that would get all the water creatures in one place to make it easy for our viewers. I'm sure we'll think up something. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:34, 14 November 2007 (EST)

==Points==
Could you possibly record your points since November 12, 12:00 in the afternoon? If you could that would be great! --[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 11:24, 14 November 2007 (EST)

???--[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 11:31, 14 November 2007 (EST)

:I'll see what I can do. It takes me a bit longer than you guys since in the past I've displayed each individual article under the scoring categories. I'm really not looking forward to that. ;-0 [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:37, 14 November 2007 (EST)

::OK! Sorry if I was annoying...I just want to know what I'm up against! ;P --[[User:BethanyS|~BCS]][[User talk:BethanyS|Talk2'''ME''']] 11:40, 14 November 2007 (EST)

==KGB==
Very good question, and not without several problems. We actually ran into this in WP also, and they have not satisfactorily resolved it, either.

For our purposes here, the basic division is between Case Officer and an agent. Speaking broadly, the Case Officer is the intelligence professional who is usually a citizen of the same nation that the Intelligence organization is subordinate to. An "Agent," in most cases would be a witting contact of the Case Officer. A "Source" can be unwitting, that is to say, intelligence information can be gleened from an unwitting, unsuspecting source, and then passed through an agent to the case officer. Also, a Source can be witting, too. That is to say, perhaps it is just a one-time passing of information, or perhaps under extraordinary ciricmstances a relationship can be formed between a Case Officer or Agent with a witting Source, whose information can be deemed bona fide & trustworthy, but the Source is just unwilling or incapable of forming an Agent-Principal relationship because of risk of exposure, etc.

I hope that doesn't clear it up, huh? [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 21:46, 14 November 2007 (EST)

:Actually it does Rob, thank you. It let's me know that there is a differentiation and I should stay away. ;-) I wasn't sure if they were the same thing and you had just started using a different category later. I'm glad you're the one trying to classify them and not me. ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 21:50, 14 November 2007 (EST)

::For the most part, here in CP, the bios in KGB are Soviet citizens who were KGB Case Officers, & the "agents and sources" are mostly US citizens, with a few Brits, Germans, and maybe one or two Japanese right now. [[User:RobSmith|Rob Smith]] 22:11, 14 November 2007 (EST)

*So my answer, on your talk page, Rob, was incorrect? Or can the individuals in KGB, top category be moved off to individuals? Or do we need a new category created? --[[User:TK|şyŝoρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 22:14, 14 November 2007 (EST)

== block and delete needed ==

Just look at the recent changes. [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 16:09, 16 November 2007 (EST)
:That should earn you a few points! [[User:Bohdan|Bohdan]] 16:10, 16 November 2007 (EST)
::Thanks to your heads up approach Bohdan, we stopped him ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 16:12, 16 November 2007 (EST)

== removal of copy righted material ==

I have removed a few additions you made as they were cut and pasted of material under copyright.
hope you don't mind.--[[User:JBuscombe|JBuscombe]] 14:21, 18 November 2007 (EST)

:Your removal is unwarranted. The source is cited and not directly copied. I am flattered though that I am being sought out by you guys. Why should TK and Andy get all of the fun? ;-) [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 15:53, 18 November 2007 (EST)

== Re-directs..... ==

Please ask before re-directing articles! We prefer to move them, Bill, rather than create double-redirects that need others to fix them later. Thanks. --[[User:TK|şyŝoρ-₮K]][[User_Talk:TK|/Ṣρёаќǃ]] 20:51, 20 November 2007 (EST)

==His Dark Materials==
Hi, I'm a new Conservapedia editor, and I noticed that you recently edited [[His Dark Materials]]. As you can see on my user page, [[User:JK899|JK899]], working on this article is my primary goal on this site. I am extending an offer to you to help me achieve the goals regarding the books on my user page. If you are interested, tell me on my discussion page. [[User:JK899|JK899]] 19:03, 4 December 2007 (EST)

Thanks for the reply. I agree with you on what will be the site's reaction to the books , and I know the article will probably receive heavy vandalism after I work on it. I want to state the facts of the book that are impossible to refute, like the plot and the definite constrasts with the stated beliefs of the major religions. I personally don't see the books as being anti-Christian (mostly against using blind faith instead of knowledge), but I won't say that anywhere and will definitely include links to arguments of people who say it is anti-Christian.

Concerning editing other articles, I'll make minor edits of course, but no real major changes until after I get Dark Materials finished. This is on account of me having just read the books and the facts being fresh in my mind.

I'll post the plot section today, and hopefully you'll see it and inform me of what changes I should make. Thanks for being so civil. Usually the only theists I encounter online are raving, opionionated jerks. Guess I've been looking in the wrong places. [[User:JK899|JK899]] 16:45, 5 December 2007 (EST)

== Team ==

Hi there

I am just planing to make a team to update, at the Main Page, the "Article of the month". Could be you, Crocoite and me. I am sure Andy will approve it. Agreee? --[[User:Joaquín Martínez]], [[User talk:Joaquín Martínez|talk]] 09:39, 8 December 2007 (EST)

==ceorlacyng==

I take it that you are referring to the following recent reverts

1.Heading in France article "Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys"- the substantive content to this heading was not reverted.
Originally I wanted to put the Rumsfeld quote in the Rumsfeld section , but it is locked. I am unaware of the derivation of "cheese-eating" , but the French involvement in World War II bears out the latter part, especially in the actions of Vichy in fighting harder against the Allies than they ever fought for them, even in places such as Madagascar and Syria, where there were no other Axis forces. The bulk of the "Free French" were in the Foreign Legion or colonial troops (such as the Tahitians who fought in the Western Desert campaign.The French Resistance would have been described by the Germans as a gang of Communists and gangsters. The fact that this was true has been obscured by Allied propaganda promoting Colonel De Gaulle as a more significant figure than he was. Even the French troops evacuated from Dunkirk wanted to go back and fight against the British.

2. UK relations with USA regarding UK radar stations supporting "son of Star Wars".
I think I should start a separate article on this. The bare facts are that the missile defense system designed to put down incoming (Russian)ICBMs requires a radar picket outside this "umbrella"- which is in the UK. Consequently, should the Russians ever wish to do this the first thing they have to do is hit the radar station. An good comparison is the role played by HMS Sheffield in the Falklands- which was sunk by the Argentine Air Force. Now I do not blame the Americans for this - their actions are entirely rational, (should they wish to carry out such a program), but what motivates Gordon Brown's Government has never been stated. Unless there is a some kind of pressure or bribe involved a willingness to invite a pre-emptive strike on your own country for no apparent reason is almost beyond parody. Hence my contribution was really entirely serious but peerhaps a separate entry would clarify this.
[[User:Ceorlacyng|Ceorlacyng]] 18:07, 8 December 2007 (EST)

Talk:Conservative Party (UK)

2007-12-06T23:08:15Z

Ceorlacyng: /* The UK is not England. */

Aren't there any disambiguation pages on Conservapedia??? --[[User:Redblue|Redblue]] 08:45, 9 April 2007 (EDT)

does this have any factual basis?

As a British person living in the US, I can only say that the two last paragraphs of the first section of this article certainly don't represent matters the way most British people would see it. [[User:Britinme|Britinme]] 22:08 9 April 2007 (EDT)

== guns ==

''It also benefit from a much-publicized slaughter in Scotland of 16 children and a teacher in 1996 by Thomas Hamilton, who used four handguns and several hundred rounds of ammunition. Gun control was enacted afterwards and the entire United Kingdom, horrified by the massacre, moved to the left politically.''

This is just - well nonsense, this has never been mentioned as a significant fact by any serious politician commentatory. --[[User:Cgday|Cgday]] 12:34, 10 April 2007 (EDT)

=="Liberal conservatism"==

''Since the early 2000s, the Conservative Party leaders have softened its conservative stance on social issues and this may have hurt its popularity with voters. While the successful elected leaders of the Republican Party in the United States tend to be conservative on social issues, liberals have enjoyed greater power in the British Conservative Party, and that may explain its weaker performance in elections.[Citation Needed]''

This is almost diametrically opposite to the truth. Particularly since David Cameron - a self-declared "liberal conservative" - became leader of the Conservative party, their support in the country has risen dramatically. See the full text of his speech at last September's Conservative Party conference: [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/speeches/story/0,,1869970,00.html] and recent polls: [http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/reviews/2007/Guardian%20-%20Jan/guardian-jan-2007.asp] [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,2016791,00.html] [[User: Britinme|Britinme]] 12:50 10 April 2007 (EDT)

* The article says that Cameron is "centrist" and cites his support of the NHS as one of the reasons for this description. The NHS (as a concept) receives almost universal support in the UK from every point on the political spectrum. The implication that thre are less moderate Conservatives who are against nationalised health care in principle is ludicrous. [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 23:16, 16 June 2007 (EDT)

* It also suggests that Cameron's belief in global warming is a "centrist" policy and not traditionally Conservative. Again, not true. The Tory government was pushing for action on global warming as early as 1992. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1500642,00.html] [[User:Ferret|Ferret]] 23:30, 16 June 2007 (EDT)

== The UK is not England. ==

''Economic difficulties, including a dispute over whether England should join the currency of the European Union, hurt the Conservative Party further.''

I would like to point out to those who contribute to this site, that the United Kingdom should NOT be refered to as England.

England is only one of the four constituant nations which make up THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND. The others being the Kingdom of Scotland, the Principality of Wales, and the province of Northern Ireland.

If our American cousins are contributing to the site, could they please refer to the UK as the UK or Britain. Please only use England when refering to England as it demeans Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish British citizens. [[User: Alcatraz|Alcatraz]] 15:16 19 April 2007 (BST)

==High Unemployment==

When Margaret Thatcher came to power unemployment was an election issue, standing at 500,000 plus. In what sense can increasing it to 3,000,000 plus be termed "turning it round" ?
[[User:Ceorlacyng|Ceorlacyng]] 18:08, 6 December 2007 (EST)

France

2007-12-06T22:57:42Z

Ceorlacyng: /* Relations with the United States */

{{Country
|map =France rel94.JPG
|name =''République Française''
|flag =Flag of France.png
|arms =Armoirie France.png
|capital =Paris
|capital-raw =
|government =Republic
|government-raw =
|language =French
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Nicolas Sarkozy
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =François Fillon
|pm-raw =
|area =260,558 sq mi
|pop =64,102,140 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =$1.871 trillion (2007)
|gdp-year =
|gdp-pc =$30,100 (2007)
|currency =euro
}}
'''France''' (Official title: ''French Republic''/''République Française'') is a country in Western [[Europe]].

==People==
Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade, travel, and invasion. Three basic European ethnic stocks--Celtic, Latin, and Teutonic (Frankish)--have blended over the centuries to make up its present population. France's birth rate was among the highest in Europe from 1945 until the late 1960s. Since then, its birth rate has fallen but remains higher than that of most other west European countries. Traditionally, France has had a high level of immigration. More than 1 million Muslims immigrated in the 1960s and early 1970s from North Africa, especially Algeria. About 85% of the population is Roman Catholic, 10% Muslim, less than 2% Protestant, and about 1% Jewish. In 2004, there were over 6 million Muslims, largely of North African descent, living in France. France is home to both the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe.

Education is free, beginning at age 2, and mandatory between ages 6 and 16. The public education system is highly centralized. Private education is primarily Roman Catholic. Higher education in France began with the founding of the University of Paris in 1150. It now consists of 91 public universities and 175 professional schools, including the post-graduate Grandes Ecoles. Private, college-level institutions focusing on business and management with curriculums structured on the American system of credits and semesters have been growing in recent years.

The French language derives from the vernacular Latin spoken by the Romans in Gaul, although it includes many Celtic and Germanic words. Historically, French has been used as the international language of diplomacy and commerce. Today it remains one of six official languages at the United Nations and has been a unifying factor in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean.

==Government==
The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by public referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly strengthened the powers of the executive in relation to those of Parliament. Under this constitution, presidents have been elected directly for a 7-year term since 1958. Beginning in 2002, the presidential term of office was reduced to 5 years. The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties. Traditionally, presidents under the Fifth Republic have tended to leave day-to-day policy-making to the Prime Minister and government; the five-year term of office is expected to make presidents more accountable for the results of domestic policies.

The president can submit questions to a national referendum and can dissolve the National Assembly. In certain emergency situations, with the approval of parliament, the president may assume dictatorial powers and rule by decree. The main components of France's executive branch are the president, the prime minister and government, and the permanent bureaucracies of the many ministries. Led by a prime minister, who is the head of government, the cabinet is composed of a varying number of ministers, ministers-delegate, and secretaries of state. Parliament meets for one 9-month session each year. Under special circumstances the president can call an additional session.

Under the Constitution, the legislative branch has few checks on executive power; nevertheless, the National Assembly can still cause a government to fall if an absolute majority of the total Assembly membership votes to censure. The Parliament is bicameral with a National Assembly and a Senate. The National Assembly is the principal legislative body. Its deputies are directly elected to 5-year terms, and all seats are voted on in each election. Senators are chosen by an electoral college and, under new rules passed in 2003 to shorten the term, serve for six years, with one-half of the Senate being renewed every three years. (As a transitional measure in 2004, 62 Senators were elected to 9-year terms, while 61 were elected to 6-year terms; subsequently, all terms will be six years.) The Senate's legislative powers are limited; the National Assembly has the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two houses. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament. The government also can declare a bill to be a question of confidence, thereby linking its continued existence to the passage of the legislative text; unless a motion of censure is introduced and voted, the text is considered adopted without a vote.

A distinctive feature of the French judicial system is that the Constitutional Council protects basic rights when they might be potentially violated by new laws and the Council of State protects basic rights when they might be violated by actions of the state. The Constitutional Council examines legislation and decides whether it conforms to the constitution. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, it considers only legislation that is referred to it by Parliament, the prime minister, or the president. Moreover, it considers legislation before it is promulgated. The Council of State has a separate function from the Constitutional Council and provides recourse to individual citizens who have claims against the administration. The Ordinary Courts--including specialized bodies such as the police court, the criminal court, the correctional tribunal, the commercial court, and the industrial court--settle disputes that arise between citizens, as well as disputes that arise between citizens and corporations. The Court of Appeals reviews cases judged by the Ordinary Courts.

Traditionally, decision-making in France has been highly centralized, with each of France's departments headed by a prefect appointed by the central government. In 1982, the national government passed legislation to decentralize authority by giving a wide range of administrative and fiscal powers to local elected officials. In March 1986, regional councils were directly elected for the first time, and the process of decentralization continues, albeit at a slow pace.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President--Nicolas Sarkozy
*Prime Minister--François Fillon
*Foreign Minister--Bernard Kouchner
*Ambassador to the United States--Pierre Vimont (pending accreditation)
*Ambassador to the United Nations--Jean-Marc Rochereau de la Sablière

===Political Conditions===
Since his inauguration in May 2007 as France's sixth president under the Fifth Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy focused his first months in office on improving the performance of France's economy through liberalization of labor markets, higher education and taxes. In the April 22, 2007 first round of presidential elections, Sarkozy, the leader of the center-right, union for a popular Movement (UMP) party, placed first; Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal placed second; centrist François Bayrou placed third; and extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen placed fourth out of a field of 12 candidates. Sarkozy prevailed in the May 6, 2007 second round, defeating Royal by a 53.06% to 46.94% margin. Royal's loss marked the third straight defeat for the Socialist candidate in presidential elections.

President Sarkozy assumed office on May 16, 2007, the last day of Jacques Chirac's official term. Sarkozy named François Fillon Prime Minister. Jean-Louis Borloo, the second highest ranking figure in the government, presides over an expanded Ministry of Environment.. Legislative elections held on June 10 and 17, 2007 gave the UMP a large parliamentary majority. Current key ministers include: Jean-Louis Borloo, Ecology and Sustainable Planning; Michèle Alliot-Marie, Interior; Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Affairs; Christine Lagarde, Economy; Brice Hortefeux, Immigration; Rachida Dati, Justice; and Hervé Morin, Defense.

In electing Nicolas Sarkozy, French voters endorsed the wide-ranging program of reforms--including market-oriented social and economic reforms--that were the focal point of Sarkozy's campaign, implicitly giving him the green light to try and implement these reforms quickly, and allowing a way forward for overcoming France's 2005 rejection of the EU constitutional treaty. By embracing a figure long tagged as "pro-American," French voters also expressed their desire to renew trust in the U.S.-France relationship. During the campaign Sarkozy often ended his stump speeches--evoking Martin Luther King--by calling for a "French dream" of social equality, social mobility, and equal opportunity; and his first speech as President-elect assured his "American friends" that they could rely on France's friendship.

Shortly after taking office, President Sarkozy went to work on a series of reforms to address mounting pressure for short- and long-term restructuring, including reduced government spending, flexibility in the implementation of the 35-hour work week, more labor-market flexibility, less taxation, and further privatization and liberalization of the business sector. French and EU analysts stress that longer-term measures must focus on reducing the future burden of ballooning public pension and health care budgets, as well as reducing labor-related taxes. Government action to initiate such reforms may have contributed to the center-right's poor showing in 2004 regional and European Parliamentary elections, and continues to spark periodic strikes and work stoppages throughout France.

===Foreign Relations===
A charter member of the United Nations, France holds one of the permanent seats in the Security Council and is a member of most of its specialized and related agencies. France is also America's oldest ally; French military intervention was instrumental in helping Britain's American colonies establish independence. Because many battles in which the United States was involved during World War I and World War II took place in France, more American soldiers have been killed on French soil than on that of any other foreign country.

France is a leader in Western Europe because of its size, location, and large economy, membership in European organizations, strong military posture, and energetic diplomacy. France generally has worked to strengthen the global economic and political influence of the EU and its role in common European defense. It views Franco-German cooperation and the development of a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) with other EU members, as the foundation of efforts to enhance European security.

France supports Quartet (U.S.-EU-Russia-UN) efforts to implement the Middle East roadmap, which envisions establishment of a Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, France supports the involvement of all Arab parties and Israel in a multilateral peace process.

Since 2003, France has supported four UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Iraq, including UNSCR 1546, which laid out a timetable for Iraq's political transition and reaffirmed UNSC authorization for a Multinational Force in Iraq, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, to stabilize the country. France contributed to the 230 million euro EU contribution to Iraq reconstruction in 2003. After the Iraqi Interim Government took power, France agreed to substantial debt relief and offered police training to Iraqi security forces. In 2006, France and the U.S. collaborated closely to create a consensus in the UN to adopt UNSCR 1696 demanding action from Iran to end its enrichment-related and preprocessing activities.

France continues to play an important role in Africa, especially in its former colonies, through aid programs, commercial activities, military agreements, and cultural impact. In those former colonies where the French presence remains important, France has supported political, military, and social stability. France maintains permanent military bases in Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, and Senegal, and has maintained a long-term military presence in Chad. An attack on French forces in Côte d'Ivoire in 2004 led to the departure of thousands of French nationals from that country. France responded to the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire by dispatching Operation Unicorn, which has worked with UN forces to help stabilize Côte d'Ivoire. France has also deployed forces to Togo (in support of Operation Unicorn in Côte d'Ivoire) and to the Central African Republic, where French forces have assisted government forces in deterring rebel elements. France with EU partners, participated in an international military operation (EUFOR) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2006, which played an important presence during in elections that year in the D.R.C. France was instrumental in organizing the June 2007 ministerial conference on Darfur and has shown leadership in increasing international interest and involvement in Chad and the Central African Republic, both of which are affected by the crisis in Darfur.

France has extensive political and commercial relations with Asian countries, including China, Japan, and Southeast Asia as well as an increasing presence in regional fora. France is seeking to broaden its commercial presence in China and will pose a competitive challenge to U.S. business, particularly in aerospace, high-tech, and luxury markets. In Southeast Asia, France was an architect of the 1991 Paris Accords, which ended the conflict in Cambodia.

===Relations with the United States===
Relations between the United States and France are active and cordial. Mutual visits by high-level officials are conducted frequently. Bilateral contact at the cabinet level has traditionally been active. France and the United States share common values and have parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues. Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes relations between the two countries.

France is one of NATO's top three troop contributors. The French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors to the NATO Response Force (NRF). France is keen to build European defense capabilities, including through the development of EU battle-group sized force packages and joint European military production initiatives. Defense Minister Morin supports development of a European defense that must complement, not compete with, NATO, which remains at the core of transatlantic security. French resistance, however, to efforts to reinforce NATO's reach beyond the North Atlantic region remain a source of contention.

France is a close partner with the U.S. in the war on terror. It cooperates with the U.S. to monitor and disrupt terrorist groups and has processed numerous U.S. requests for information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. French security and intelligence services have rounded up hundreds of extremists in the past year. The French judiciary has upheld the pre-trial detainment of the four French former Guantanamo detainees. France is a strong partner in multiple non-proliferation fora and is a key participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative. Through the "EU3" (France, the U.K., and Germany), France is working to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

=="Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys"==

France opposed the use of force in Iraq in March 2003 and did not join the U.S.-led coalition that liberated the country from the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein with whom they, like other countries had close economic ties, especially in the supply of nusclear technology. Widely referred to as "cheese eating surrender monkeys" in the US, Donald Rumsfeld famously quipped that "going to war without the French is like going on a duck hunt without an accordion".

Despite differences over Iraq, the U.S. and France continue to cooperate closely on many issues, most notably the global war on terrorism, efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and on regional problems, including in Africa, Lebanon, and Kosovo. On Iraq, the French agreed to generous debt relief for Iraq in Paris Club negotiations and have accepted the establishment of a NATO training mission there.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, France seeks robust U.S. engagement in the peace process. France is working to contain the Hamas-led challenge to the Palestinian Authority. President Sarkozy, like his predecessor, President Chirac, is committed to keeping France in supportive relations with Israel.

The U.S. and France have worked closely to support a sovereign and independent Lebanon, free of Syrian domination, having fought with uncharacteristic tenacity to keep the British out in World War II, but without success.
The U.S. and France co-sponsored in September 2004 UNSCR 1559, which called for full withdrawal of Syrian forces, a free and fair electoral process, and disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. In the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February 2005, the U.S. and France reiterated calls for a full, immediate withdrawal of all Syrian troops and security services from Lebanon. France also co-sponsored UNSCR 1701 and was one of the leading countries in Europe working to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 by committing 2,000 troops to UNIFIL-plus. Strong French backing led to adoption of UNSCR 1757 establishing a Special Tribunal for Lebanon to prosecute the perpetrators of the Hariri assassination and other killings of critics of Syria's interference in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Kouchner is working hard to help competing Lebanese political factions agree to a framework for governing the country in accordance with the country's constitution and free from external interference. France also participates in the U.S. Broader Middle East and North Africa initiative.

Trade and investment between the U.S. and France are strong. On average over $1 billion in commercial transactions take place between France the U.S. every day. In 2006 U.S. exports to France totaled over 24.2 billion euros and U.S. imports from France were valued at 37.1 billion euros. France is the eighth partner for total trade of goods (imports plus exports) and the tenth-ranked supplier worldwide to the U.S. and its 10th largest customer. The U.S. is France's third-ranked supplier and its fifth largest customer. There are approximately 2,300 French subsidiaries in the U.S., providing more than 481,100 jobs and generating an estimated $178 billion turnover. U.S. companies in France employ about 603,400 French citizens. The U.S. is the top destination for French investments worldwide.

==Security Issues==
French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national independence, nuclear deterrence, and military sufficiency. France is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and has worked actively with Allies to adapt NATO, internally and externally, to the post-Cold War environment. However, in 1966, the French withdrew from NATO's military bodies while remaining full participants in the alliance's political councils. In December 1995, France announced that it would increase its participation in NATO's military wing, including the Military Committee. France remains a firm supporter of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other efforts at cooperation.

Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated in a variety of peacekeeping/coalition efforts in Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often taking the lead in these operations. France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a professional military that will be smaller, more rapidly deployable and better tailored for operations outside of mainland France. Key elements of the restructuring include reducing personnel, bases, and headquarters and rationalizing equipment and the armament industry. French active-duty military in June 2007 numbered about 350,000 (including Gendarmes), of which nearly 34,000 were deployed outside of French territory. France completed the move to all-professional armed forces when conscription ended on December 31, 2002.

France places a high priority on arms control and non-proliferation. After conducting a final series of six nuclear tests, the French signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. France has implemented a moratorium on the production, export, and use of anti-personnel landmines and supports negotiations leading toward a universal ban. France is an active participant in the major supplier regimes designed to restrict transfer of technologies that could lead to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group (for chemical and biological weapons), the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Missile Technology Control Regime. France participates actively in the Proliferation Security Initiative, and is engaged with the U.S., both bilaterally and at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to curb nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) proliferation from the D.P.R.K., Iran, Libya, and elsewhere. France has joined with the U.S., Germany, and the other three permanent members of the UN Security Council to offer a package of incentives and disincentives to Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities. France has also signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention. France maintains a color-coded security system, similar to that of the U.S., consisting of yellow, orange, red and scarlet threat levels.

==Economy==
With a GDP of approximately $2 trillion, France is the sixth-largest economy. It has substantial agricultural resources, a large industrial base, and a highly skilled work force. A dynamic services sector accounts for an increasingly large share of economic activity and is responsible for nearly all job creation in recent years. GDP growth was 1.1% in 2003, after two years of steady decline from 3.9% in 2000. GDP growth was 1.7% in 2005, down from 2.5% in 2004 (2000 price basis).

Government economic policy aims to promote investment and domestic growth in a stable fiscal and monetary environment. Creating jobs and reducing the high unemployment rate through recovery-supportive policy has been a top priority. French unemployment dropped from a high of 12% to 8.7% in the late 1990s, and after hovering around 10% during the 2000s, unemployment slipped once again to 8.0% in July 2007. France joined 10 other European Union countries in adopting the euro as its currency in January 1999. Since then, monetary policy has been set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. On January 1, 2002, France, along with the other countries of the euro zone, dropped its national currency in favor of euro bills and coins.

Despite significant reform and privatization over the past 15 years, the government continues to control a large share of economic activity: Government spending, at 53.5% of GDP in 2006, is among the highest in the G-7. Regulation of labor and product markets is pervasive. The government continues to own shares in corporations in a range of sectors, including banking, energy production and distribution, automobiles, transportation, and telecommunications.

Legislation passed in 1998 shortened the legal work week from 39 to 35 hours for most employees effective January 1, 2000. Recent assessments of the impact of work week reduction on growth and jobs have generally concluded that the goal of job creation was not met. The former administration introduced increasing flexibility into the law, returning the country to a de facto (if not de jure) 39-hour work week in the private sector. Under President Nicolas Sarkozy's impetus, overtime work will be exempt from income taxes on October 1, 2007, a move to encourage work and to increase work duration.

Membership in France's labor unions accounts for approximately 5% of the private sector work force and is concentrated in the manufacturing, transportation, and heavy industry sectors. Most unions are affiliated with one of the competing national federations, the largest and most powerful of which are the communist-dominated General Labor Confederation (CGT), the Workers' Force (FO), and the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT).

France has been very successful in developing dynamic telecommunications, aerospace, and weapons sectors. With virtually no domestic oil production, France has relied heavily on the development of nuclear power, which now accounts for about 80% of the country's electricity production.

===Trade===
France is the second-largest trading nation in Western Europe (after Germany). France ran a $33.7 billion deficit in 2006. Total trade for 2006 amounted to $1,013.5 billion, over 45% of GDP 75.0% of which was with EU-24 countries. In 2003, U.S.-France trade in goods and services totaled $80.3 billion. U.S. industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines, electronic components, telecommunications, computer software, computers and peripherals, analytical and scientific instrumentation, medical instruments and supplies, broadcasting equipment, and programming and franchising are particularly attractive to French importers. Total French trade of goods and services was $1,001 billion in 2006.

Principal French exports to the United States are aircraft and engines, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals, cosmetics, and luxury products. France is the ninth-largest trading partner of the United States.

===Agriculture===
France is the European Union's leading agricultural producer, accounting for about one-third of all agricultural land within the EU. Northern France is characterized by large wheat farms. Dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple production are concentrated in the western region. Beef production is located in central France, while the production of fruits, vegetables, and wine ranges from central to southern France. France is a large producer of many agricultural products and is expanding its forestry and fishery industries. The implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Uruguay Round of the GATT Agreement resulted in reforms in the agricultural sector of the economy. Continued revision of the CAP and reforms agreed under the Doha round of World Trade Organization (WTO) will further change French agriculture. France remains Europe's strongest opponent of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and often assumes an agricultural position at the EU Council to promote this policy.

France is the world's second-largest agricultural producer, after the United States. However, the destination of 70% of its exports is other EU member states. Wheat, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy products are the principal exports. The United States, although the second-largest exporter to France, faces stiff competition from domestic production, other EU member states, and third countries. U.S. agricultural exports to France, totaling $464 million in 2003, consist primarily of soybeans and products, feeds and fodders, seafood, and consumer oriented products, especially snack foods and nuts. French agricultural exports to the United States are mainly cheese, processed products, and wine. They amount to about $3.327 billion (2006) annually.

==History==
France was one of the earliest countries to progress from feudalism to the nation-state. Its monarchs surrounded themselves with capable ministers, and French armies were among the most innovative, disciplined, and professional of their day. During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), France was the dominant power in Europe. But overly ambitious projects and military campaigns of Louis and his successors led to chronic financial problems in the 18th Century. Deteriorating economic conditions and popular resentment against the complicated system of privileges granted the nobility and clerics were among the principal causes of the French Revolution (1789-94). Although the revolutionaries advocated republican and egalitarian principles of government, France reverted to forms of absolute rule or constitutional monarchy four times--the Empire of Napoleon, the Restoration of Louis XVIII, the reign of Louis-Philippe, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III. After the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the Third Republic was established and lasted until the military defeat of 1940.

World War I (1914-18) brought great losses of troops and materiel. In the 1920s, France established an elaborate system of border defenses (the Maginot Line) and alliances to offset resurgent German strength. France was defeated early in World War II, however, and was occupied in June 1940. In July, the country was divided into two: one section being ruled directly by the Germans, and a second controlled by the French ("Vichy" France) and which the Germans did not occupy. German and Italian forces occupied all of France, including the "Vichy" zone, following the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942. The "Vichy" government largely acquiesced to German plans, namely in the plunder of French resources and the forceful deportations of tens of thousands of French Jews living in France to concentration camps across Europe, and was even more completely under German control following the German military occupation of November 1942. Economically, a full one-half of France's public sector revenue was appropriated by Germany. After 4 years of occupation and strife, Allied forces liberated France in 1944.

France emerged from World War II to face a series of new problems. After a short period of provisional government initially led by Gen. Charles de Gaulle, the Fourth Republic was set up by a new constitution and established as a parliamentary form of government controlled by a series of coalitions. French military involvement in both Vietnam and Algeria combined with the mixed nature of the coalitions and a consequent lack of agreement caused successive cabinet crises and changes of government.

Finally, on May 13, 1958, the government structure collapsed as a result of the tremendous opposing pressures generated by four years of war with Algeria. A threatened coup led the Parliament to call on General de Gaulle to head the government and prevent civil war. Marking the beginning of the Fifth Republic, he became prime minister in June 1958 and was elected president in December of that year. Also resulting from the Algerian conflict, were decades of increased immigration from the Maghreb states, which functioned to change the composition of French society.

Seven years later, for the first time in the 20th Century, the people of France went to the polls to elect a president by direct ballot. De Gaulle won re-election with a 55% share of the vote, defeating François Mitterrand. In April 1969, President de Gaulle's government conducted a national referendum on the creation of 21 regions with limited political powers. The government's proposals were defeated, and de Gaulle subsequently resigned. Succeeding him as president of France have been Gaullist Georges Pompidou (1969-74), Independent Republican Valery Giscard d'Estaing (1974-81), Socialist François Mitterrand (1981-95), neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac (1995-2007), and Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-present).

While France continues to revere its rich history and independence, French leaders are increasingly tying the future of France to the continued development of the European Union. France was integral in establishing the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and was among the EU's six founding states. During his tenure, President Mitterrand stressed the importance of European integration and advocated the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on European economic and political union, which France's electorate narrowly approved in September 1992. The center of domestic attention soon shifted, however, to the economic reform and belt-tightening measures required for France to meet the criteria for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) laid out by the Maastricht Treaty.

Jacques Chirac was reelected as president in 2002, and National Assembly elections were held the same year. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S., France has played a central role in the war on terrorism. French forces participate in Operation Enduring Freedom and in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan. France did not, however, join the coalition that liberated Iraq in 2003. In October and November 2005, three weeks of violent unrest in the largely immigrant suburbs focused French attention further on their minority communities. Also in 2005 French voters disapproved the EU constitution in a national referendum. More recently in the spring of 2006, students protested widely over restrictive employment legislation.

In May 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected as France's sixth president under the Fifth Republic, signaling French approval of widespread economic and social reforms, as well as closer cooperation with the United States.

{{License|license = This work is in the [[public domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.| source = [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm]}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:EU Members]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:France| ]]

France

2007-12-06T22:55:49Z

Ceorlacyng: /* Relations with the United States */

{{Country
|map =France rel94.JPG
|name =''République Française''
|flag =Flag of France.png
|arms =Armoirie France.png
|capital =Paris
|capital-raw =
|government =Republic
|government-raw =
|language =French
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Nicolas Sarkozy
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =François Fillon
|pm-raw =
|area =260,558 sq mi
|pop =64,102,140 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =$1.871 trillion (2007)
|gdp-year =
|gdp-pc =$30,100 (2007)
|currency =euro
}}
'''France''' (Official title: ''French Republic''/''République Française'') is a country in Western [[Europe]].

==People==
Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade, travel, and invasion. Three basic European ethnic stocks--Celtic, Latin, and Teutonic (Frankish)--have blended over the centuries to make up its present population. France's birth rate was among the highest in Europe from 1945 until the late 1960s. Since then, its birth rate has fallen but remains higher than that of most other west European countries. Traditionally, France has had a high level of immigration. More than 1 million Muslims immigrated in the 1960s and early 1970s from North Africa, especially Algeria. About 85% of the population is Roman Catholic, 10% Muslim, less than 2% Protestant, and about 1% Jewish. In 2004, there were over 6 million Muslims, largely of North African descent, living in France. France is home to both the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe.

Education is free, beginning at age 2, and mandatory between ages 6 and 16. The public education system is highly centralized. Private education is primarily Roman Catholic. Higher education in France began with the founding of the University of Paris in 1150. It now consists of 91 public universities and 175 professional schools, including the post-graduate Grandes Ecoles. Private, college-level institutions focusing on business and management with curriculums structured on the American system of credits and semesters have been growing in recent years.

The French language derives from the vernacular Latin spoken by the Romans in Gaul, although it includes many Celtic and Germanic words. Historically, French has been used as the international language of diplomacy and commerce. Today it remains one of six official languages at the United Nations and has been a unifying factor in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean.

==Government==
The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by public referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly strengthened the powers of the executive in relation to those of Parliament. Under this constitution, presidents have been elected directly for a 7-year term since 1958. Beginning in 2002, the presidential term of office was reduced to 5 years. The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties. Traditionally, presidents under the Fifth Republic have tended to leave day-to-day policy-making to the Prime Minister and government; the five-year term of office is expected to make presidents more accountable for the results of domestic policies.

The president can submit questions to a national referendum and can dissolve the National Assembly. In certain emergency situations, with the approval of parliament, the president may assume dictatorial powers and rule by decree. The main components of France's executive branch are the president, the prime minister and government, and the permanent bureaucracies of the many ministries. Led by a prime minister, who is the head of government, the cabinet is composed of a varying number of ministers, ministers-delegate, and secretaries of state. Parliament meets for one 9-month session each year. Under special circumstances the president can call an additional session.

Under the Constitution, the legislative branch has few checks on executive power; nevertheless, the National Assembly can still cause a government to fall if an absolute majority of the total Assembly membership votes to censure. The Parliament is bicameral with a National Assembly and a Senate. The National Assembly is the principal legislative body. Its deputies are directly elected to 5-year terms, and all seats are voted on in each election. Senators are chosen by an electoral college and, under new rules passed in 2003 to shorten the term, serve for six years, with one-half of the Senate being renewed every three years. (As a transitional measure in 2004, 62 Senators were elected to 9-year terms, while 61 were elected to 6-year terms; subsequently, all terms will be six years.) The Senate's legislative powers are limited; the National Assembly has the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two houses. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament. The government also can declare a bill to be a question of confidence, thereby linking its continued existence to the passage of the legislative text; unless a motion of censure is introduced and voted, the text is considered adopted without a vote.

A distinctive feature of the French judicial system is that the Constitutional Council protects basic rights when they might be potentially violated by new laws and the Council of State protects basic rights when they might be violated by actions of the state. The Constitutional Council examines legislation and decides whether it conforms to the constitution. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, it considers only legislation that is referred to it by Parliament, the prime minister, or the president. Moreover, it considers legislation before it is promulgated. The Council of State has a separate function from the Constitutional Council and provides recourse to individual citizens who have claims against the administration. The Ordinary Courts--including specialized bodies such as the police court, the criminal court, the correctional tribunal, the commercial court, and the industrial court--settle disputes that arise between citizens, as well as disputes that arise between citizens and corporations. The Court of Appeals reviews cases judged by the Ordinary Courts.

Traditionally, decision-making in France has been highly centralized, with each of France's departments headed by a prefect appointed by the central government. In 1982, the national government passed legislation to decentralize authority by giving a wide range of administrative and fiscal powers to local elected officials. In March 1986, regional councils were directly elected for the first time, and the process of decentralization continues, albeit at a slow pace.

===Principal Government Officials===
*President--Nicolas Sarkozy
*Prime Minister--François Fillon
*Foreign Minister--Bernard Kouchner
*Ambassador to the United States--Pierre Vimont (pending accreditation)
*Ambassador to the United Nations--Jean-Marc Rochereau de la Sablière

===Political Conditions===
Since his inauguration in May 2007 as France's sixth president under the Fifth Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy focused his first months in office on improving the performance of France's economy through liberalization of labor markets, higher education and taxes. In the April 22, 2007 first round of presidential elections, Sarkozy, the leader of the center-right, union for a popular Movement (UMP) party, placed first; Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal placed second; centrist François Bayrou placed third; and extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen placed fourth out of a field of 12 candidates. Sarkozy prevailed in the May 6, 2007 second round, defeating Royal by a 53.06% to 46.94% margin. Royal's loss marked the third straight defeat for the Socialist candidate in presidential elections.

President Sarkozy assumed office on May 16, 2007, the last day of Jacques Chirac's official term. Sarkozy named François Fillon Prime Minister. Jean-Louis Borloo, the second highest ranking figure in the government, presides over an expanded Ministry of Environment.. Legislative elections held on June 10 and 17, 2007 gave the UMP a large parliamentary majority. Current key ministers include: Jean-Louis Borloo, Ecology and Sustainable Planning; Michèle Alliot-Marie, Interior; Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Affairs; Christine Lagarde, Economy; Brice Hortefeux, Immigration; Rachida Dati, Justice; and Hervé Morin, Defense.

In electing Nicolas Sarkozy, French voters endorsed the wide-ranging program of reforms--including market-oriented social and economic reforms--that were the focal point of Sarkozy's campaign, implicitly giving him the green light to try and implement these reforms quickly, and allowing a way forward for overcoming France's 2005 rejection of the EU constitutional treaty. By embracing a figure long tagged as "pro-American," French voters also expressed their desire to renew trust in the U.S.-France relationship. During the campaign Sarkozy often ended his stump speeches--evoking Martin Luther King--by calling for a "French dream" of social equality, social mobility, and equal opportunity; and his first speech as President-elect assured his "American friends" that they could rely on France's friendship.

Shortly after taking office, President Sarkozy went to work on a series of reforms to address mounting pressure for short- and long-term restructuring, including reduced government spending, flexibility in the implementation of the 35-hour work week, more labor-market flexibility, less taxation, and further privatization and liberalization of the business sector. French and EU analysts stress that longer-term measures must focus on reducing the future burden of ballooning public pension and health care budgets, as well as reducing labor-related taxes. Government action to initiate such reforms may have contributed to the center-right's poor showing in 2004 regional and European Parliamentary elections, and continues to spark periodic strikes and work stoppages throughout France.

===Foreign Relations===
A charter member of the United Nations, France holds one of the permanent seats in the Security Council and is a member of most of its specialized and related agencies. France is also America's oldest ally; French military intervention was instrumental in helping Britain's American colonies establish independence. Because many battles in which the United States was involved during World War I and World War II took place in France, more American soldiers have been killed on French soil than on that of any other foreign country.

France is a leader in Western Europe because of its size, location, and large economy, membership in European organizations, strong military posture, and energetic diplomacy. France generally has worked to strengthen the global economic and political influence of the EU and its role in common European defense. It views Franco-German cooperation and the development of a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) with other EU members, as the foundation of efforts to enhance European security.

France supports Quartet (U.S.-EU-Russia-UN) efforts to implement the Middle East roadmap, which envisions establishment of a Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, France supports the involvement of all Arab parties and Israel in a multilateral peace process.

Since 2003, France has supported four UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Iraq, including UNSCR 1546, which laid out a timetable for Iraq's political transition and reaffirmed UNSC authorization for a Multinational Force in Iraq, at the invitation of the Iraqi government, to stabilize the country. France contributed to the 230 million euro EU contribution to Iraq reconstruction in 2003. After the Iraqi Interim Government took power, France agreed to substantial debt relief and offered police training to Iraqi security forces. In 2006, France and the U.S. collaborated closely to create a consensus in the UN to adopt UNSCR 1696 demanding action from Iran to end its enrichment-related and preprocessing activities.

France continues to play an important role in Africa, especially in its former colonies, through aid programs, commercial activities, military agreements, and cultural impact. In those former colonies where the French presence remains important, France has supported political, military, and social stability. France maintains permanent military bases in Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, and Senegal, and has maintained a long-term military presence in Chad. An attack on French forces in Côte d'Ivoire in 2004 led to the departure of thousands of French nationals from that country. France responded to the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire by dispatching Operation Unicorn, which has worked with UN forces to help stabilize Côte d'Ivoire. France has also deployed forces to Togo (in support of Operation Unicorn in Côte d'Ivoire) and to the Central African Republic, where French forces have assisted government forces in deterring rebel elements. France with EU partners, participated in an international military operation (EUFOR) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2006, which played an important presence during in elections that year in the D.R.C. France was instrumental in organizing the June 2007 ministerial conference on Darfur and has shown leadership in increasing international interest and involvement in Chad and the Central African Republic, both of which are affected by the crisis in Darfur.

France has extensive political and commercial relations with Asian countries, including China, Japan, and Southeast Asia as well as an increasing presence in regional fora. France is seeking to broaden its commercial presence in China and will pose a competitive challenge to U.S. business, particularly in aerospace, high-tech, and luxury markets. In Southeast Asia, France was an architect of the 1991 Paris Accords, which ended the conflict in Cambodia.

===Relations with the United States===
Relations between the United States and France are active and cordial. Mutual visits by high-level officials are conducted frequently. Bilateral contact at the cabinet level has traditionally been active. France and the United States share common values and have parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues. Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes relations between the two countries.

France is one of NATO's top three troop contributors. The French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors to the NATO Response Force (NRF). France is keen to build European defense capabilities, including through the development of EU battle-group sized force packages and joint European military production initiatives. Defense Minister Morin supports development of a European defense that must complement, not compete with, NATO, which remains at the core of transatlantic security. French resistance, however, to efforts to reinforce NATO's reach beyond the North Atlantic region remain a source of contention.

France is a close partner with the U.S. in the war on terror. It cooperates with the U.S. to monitor and disrupt terrorist groups and has processed numerous U.S. requests for information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. French security and intelligence services have rounded up hundreds of extremists in the past year. The French judiciary has upheld the pre-trial detainment of the four French former Guantanamo detainees. France is a strong partner in multiple non-proliferation fora and is a key participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative. Through the "EU3" (France, the U.K., and Germany), France is working to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

France opposed the use of force in Iraq in March 2003 and did not join the U.S.-led coalition that liberated the country from the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein with whom they, like other countries had close economic ties, especially in the supply of nusclear technology. Widely referred to as "cheese eating surrender monkeys" in the US, Donald Rumsfeld famously quipped that "going to war without the French is like going on a duck hunt without an accordion".

Despite differences over Iraq, the U.S. and France continue to cooperate closely on many issues, most notably the global war on terrorism, efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and on regional problems, including in Africa, Lebanon, and Kosovo. On Iraq, the French agreed to generous debt relief for Iraq in Paris Club negotiations and have accepted the establishment of a NATO training mission there.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, France seeks robust U.S. engagement in the peace process. France is working to contain the Hamas-led challenge to the Palestinian Authority. President Sarkozy, like his predecessor, President Chirac, is committed to keeping France in supportive relations with Israel.

The U.S. and France have worked closely to support a sovereign and independent Lebanon, free of Syrian domination, having fought with uncharacteristic tenacity to keep the British out in World War II, but without success.
The U.S. and France co-sponsored in September 2004 UNSCR 1559, which called for full withdrawal of Syrian forces, a free and fair electoral process, and disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. In the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February 2005, the U.S. and France reiterated calls for a full, immediate withdrawal of all Syrian troops and security services from Lebanon. France also co-sponsored UNSCR 1701 and was one of the leading countries in Europe working to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 by committing 2,000 troops to UNIFIL-plus. Strong French backing led to adoption of UNSCR 1757 establishing a Special Tribunal for Lebanon to prosecute the perpetrators of the Hariri assassination and other killings of critics of Syria's interference in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Kouchner is working hard to help competing Lebanese political factions agree to a framework for governing the country in accordance with the country's constitution and free from external interference. France also participates in the U.S. Broader Middle East and North Africa initiative.

Trade and investment between the U.S. and France are strong. On average over $1 billion in commercial transactions take place between France the U.S. every day. In 2006 U.S. exports to France totaled over 24.2 billion euros and U.S. imports from France were valued at 37.1 billion euros. France is the eighth partner for total trade of goods (imports plus exports) and the tenth-ranked supplier worldwide to the U.S. and its 10th largest customer. The U.S. is France's third-ranked supplier and its fifth largest customer. There are approximately 2,300 French subsidiaries in the U.S., providing more than 481,100 jobs and generating an estimated $178 billion turnover. U.S. companies in France employ about 603,400 French citizens. The U.S. is the top destination for French investments worldwide.

==Security Issues==
French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national independence, nuclear deterrence, and military sufficiency. France is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and has worked actively with Allies to adapt NATO, internally and externally, to the post-Cold War environment. However, in 1966, the French withdrew from NATO's military bodies while remaining full participants in the alliance's political councils. In December 1995, France announced that it would increase its participation in NATO's military wing, including the Military Committee. France remains a firm supporter of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other efforts at cooperation.

Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated in a variety of peacekeeping/coalition efforts in Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often taking the lead in these operations. France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a professional military that will be smaller, more rapidly deployable and better tailored for operations outside of mainland France. Key elements of the restructuring include reducing personnel, bases, and headquarters and rationalizing equipment and the armament industry. French active-duty military in June 2007 numbered about 350,000 (including Gendarmes), of which nearly 34,000 were deployed outside of French territory. France completed the move to all-professional armed forces when conscription ended on December 31, 2002.

France places a high priority on arms control and non-proliferation. After conducting a final series of six nuclear tests, the French signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. France has implemented a moratorium on the production, export, and use of anti-personnel landmines and supports negotiations leading toward a universal ban. France is an active participant in the major supplier regimes designed to restrict transfer of technologies that could lead to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group (for chemical and biological weapons), the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Missile Technology Control Regime. France participates actively in the Proliferation Security Initiative, and is engaged with the U.S., both bilaterally and at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to curb nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) proliferation from the D.P.R.K., Iran, Libya, and elsewhere. France has joined with the U.S., Germany, and the other three permanent members of the UN Security Council to offer a package of incentives and disincentives to Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities. France has also signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention. France maintains a color-coded security system, similar to that of the U.S., consisting of yellow, orange, red and scarlet threat levels.

==Economy==
With a GDP of approximately $2 trillion, France is the sixth-largest economy. It has substantial agricultural resources, a large industrial base, and a highly skilled work force. A dynamic services sector accounts for an increasingly large share of economic activity and is responsible for nearly all job creation in recent years. GDP growth was 1.1% in 2003, after two years of steady decline from 3.9% in 2000. GDP growth was 1.7% in 2005, down from 2.5% in 2004 (2000 price basis).

Government economic policy aims to promote investment and domestic growth in a stable fiscal and monetary environment. Creating jobs and reducing the high unemployment rate through recovery-supportive policy has been a top priority. French unemployment dropped from a high of 12% to 8.7% in the late 1990s, and after hovering around 10% during the 2000s, unemployment slipped once again to 8.0% in July 2007. France joined 10 other European Union countries in adopting the euro as its currency in January 1999. Since then, monetary policy has been set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. On January 1, 2002, France, along with the other countries of the euro zone, dropped its national currency in favor of euro bills and coins.

Despite significant reform and privatization over the past 15 years, the government continues to control a large share of economic activity: Government spending, at 53.5% of GDP in 2006, is among the highest in the G-7. Regulation of labor and product markets is pervasive. The government continues to own shares in corporations in a range of sectors, including banking, energy production and distribution, automobiles, transportation, and telecommunications.

Legislation passed in 1998 shortened the legal work week from 39 to 35 hours for most employees effective January 1, 2000. Recent assessments of the impact of work week reduction on growth and jobs have generally concluded that the goal of job creation was not met. The former administration introduced increasing flexibility into the law, returning the country to a de facto (if not de jure) 39-hour work week in the private sector. Under President Nicolas Sarkozy's impetus, overtime work will be exempt from income taxes on October 1, 2007, a move to encourage work and to increase work duration.

Membership in France's labor unions accounts for approximately 5% of the private sector work force and is concentrated in the manufacturing, transportation, and heavy industry sectors. Most unions are affiliated with one of the competing national federations, the largest and most powerful of which are the communist-dominated General Labor Confederation (CGT), the Workers' Force (FO), and the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT).

France has been very successful in developing dynamic telecommunications, aerospace, and weapons sectors. With virtually no domestic oil production, France has relied heavily on the development of nuclear power, which now accounts for about 80% of the country's electricity production.

===Trade===
France is the second-largest trading nation in Western Europe (after Germany). France ran a $33.7 billion deficit in 2006. Total trade for 2006 amounted to $1,013.5 billion, over 45% of GDP 75.0% of which was with EU-24 countries. In 2003, U.S.-France trade in goods and services totaled $80.3 billion. U.S. industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines, electronic components, telecommunications, computer software, computers and peripherals, analytical and scientific instrumentation, medical instruments and supplies, broadcasting equipment, and programming and franchising are particularly attractive to French importers. Total French trade of goods and services was $1,001 billion in 2006.

Principal French exports to the United States are aircraft and engines, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals, cosmetics, and luxury products. France is the ninth-largest trading partner of the United States.

===Agriculture===
France is the European Union's leading agricultural producer, accounting for about one-third of all agricultural land within the EU. Northern France is characterized by large wheat farms. Dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple production are concentrated in the western region. Beef production is located in central France, while the production of fruits, vegetables, and wine ranges from central to southern France. France is a large producer of many agricultural products and is expanding its forestry and fishery industries. The implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Uruguay Round of the GATT Agreement resulted in reforms in the agricultural sector of the economy. Continued revision of the CAP and reforms agreed under the Doha round of World Trade Organization (WTO) will further change French agriculture. France remains Europe's strongest opponent of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and often assumes an agricultural position at the EU Council to promote this policy.

France is the world's second-largest agricultural producer, after the United States. However, the destination of 70% of its exports is other EU member states. Wheat, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy products are the principal exports. The United States, although the second-largest exporter to France, faces stiff competition from domestic production, other EU member states, and third countries. U.S. agricultural exports to France, totaling $464 million in 2003, consist primarily of soybeans and products, feeds and fodders, seafood, and consumer oriented products, especially snack foods and nuts. French agricultural exports to the United States are mainly cheese, processed products, and wine. They amount to about $3.327 billion (2006) annually.

==History==
France was one of the earliest countries to progress from feudalism to the nation-state. Its monarchs surrounded themselves with capable ministers, and French armies were among the most innovative, disciplined, and professional of their day. During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), France was the dominant power in Europe. But overly ambitious projects and military campaigns of Louis and his successors led to chronic financial problems in the 18th Century. Deteriorating economic conditions and popular resentment against the complicated system of privileges granted the nobility and clerics were among the principal causes of the French Revolution (1789-94). Although the revolutionaries advocated republican and egalitarian principles of government, France reverted to forms of absolute rule or constitutional monarchy four times--the Empire of Napoleon, the Restoration of Louis XVIII, the reign of Louis-Philippe, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III. After the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the Third Republic was established and lasted until the military defeat of 1940.

World War I (1914-18) brought great losses of troops and materiel. In the 1920s, France established an elaborate system of border defenses (the Maginot Line) and alliances to offset resurgent German strength. France was defeated early in World War II, however, and was occupied in June 1940. In July, the country was divided into two: one section being ruled directly by the Germans, and a second controlled by the French ("Vichy" France) and which the Germans did not occupy. German and Italian forces occupied all of France, including the "Vichy" zone, following the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942. The "Vichy" government largely acquiesced to German plans, namely in the plunder of French resources and the forceful deportations of tens of thousands of French Jews living in France to concentration camps across Europe, and was even more completely under German control following the German military occupation of November 1942. Economically, a full one-half of France's public sector revenue was appropriated by Germany. After 4 years of occupation and strife, Allied forces liberated France in 1944.

France emerged from World War II to face a series of new problems. After a short period of provisional government initially led by Gen. Charles de Gaulle, the Fourth Republic was set up by a new constitution and established as a parliamentary form of government controlled by a series of coalitions. French military involvement in both Vietnam and Algeria combined with the mixed nature of the coalitions and a consequent lack of agreement caused successive cabinet crises and changes of government.

Finally, on May 13, 1958, the government structure collapsed as a result of the tremendous opposing pressures generated by four years of war with Algeria. A threatened coup led the Parliament to call on General de Gaulle to head the government and prevent civil war. Marking the beginning of the Fifth Republic, he became prime minister in June 1958 and was elected president in December of that year. Also resulting from the Algerian conflict, were decades of increased immigration from the Maghreb states, which functioned to change the composition of French society.

Seven years later, for the first time in the 20th Century, the people of France went to the polls to elect a president by direct ballot. De Gaulle won re-election with a 55% share of the vote, defeating François Mitterrand. In April 1969, President de Gaulle's government conducted a national referendum on the creation of 21 regions with limited political powers. The government's proposals were defeated, and de Gaulle subsequently resigned. Succeeding him as president of France have been Gaullist Georges Pompidou (1969-74), Independent Republican Valery Giscard d'Estaing (1974-81), Socialist François Mitterrand (1981-95), neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac (1995-2007), and Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-present).

While France continues to revere its rich history and independence, French leaders are increasingly tying the future of France to the continued development of the European Union. France was integral in establishing the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and was among the EU's six founding states. During his tenure, President Mitterrand stressed the importance of European integration and advocated the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on European economic and political union, which France's electorate narrowly approved in September 1992. The center of domestic attention soon shifted, however, to the economic reform and belt-tightening measures required for France to meet the criteria for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) laid out by the Maastricht Treaty.

Jacques Chirac was reelected as president in 2002, and National Assembly elections were held the same year. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S., France has played a central role in the war on terrorism. French forces participate in Operation Enduring Freedom and in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan. France did not, however, join the coalition that liberated Iraq in 2003. In October and November 2005, three weeks of violent unrest in the largely immigrant suburbs focused French attention further on their minority communities. Also in 2005 French voters disapproved the EU constitution in a national referendum. More recently in the spring of 2006, students protested widely over restrictive employment legislation.

In May 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected as France's sixth president under the Fifth Republic, signaling French approval of widespread economic and social reforms, as well as closer cooperation with the United States.

{{License|license = This work is in the [[public domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.| source = [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm]}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:EU Members]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:France| ]]

John Major

2007-12-06T22:39:50Z

Ceorlacyng:

{{Prime Minister
|image=John Major.jpg
|seq=72
|term_start=November 29 1990
|term_end=May 2 1997
|party=Conservative Party
|previous=Margaret Thatcher
|next=Tony Blair
|birth_date=March 29 1943
|birth_place=Carshalton
|spouse=Norma Major
|spouse2=
|religion=[[Anglican]]
}}
'''Sir John Major''', KG, CH, PC (March 29 1943) was the [[Prime Minister]] of [[the United Kingdom]] from November 1990 to May 1997, succeeding [[Margaret Thatcher]] and succeeded by [[Tony Blair]].
He is the son of a circus performer, Charles Hawtrey.
Major was elected leader of the British [[Conservative Party]], and hence Prime Minister, following the resignation of [[Margaret Thatcher]]. He was a relatively unknown figure at the time, but he was seen by many, including Lady Thatcher herself, as being firmly on the right of centre (or, at least, as being more conservative then his relatively [[liberal]] main opponent, [[Michael Heseltine]], the man who had brought Lady Thatcher down). He subsequently disappointed many in his party by pursuing relatively [[centrist]] policies, and by appointing Heseltine as his Deputy Prime Minister. A particular source of contention was his support for the [[Maastricht Treaty]] and the integration of Britain with the [[European Union]] that it brought about. Lady Thatcher criticised Major's European policy both publicly and in private.

Following the Conservatives' surprise victory in the 1992 general election, the popularity both of the party and of Major himself fell dramatically, particularly after a financial crisis in September 1992 known as [[Black Wednesday]], in which the [[Pound]] was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). Major's approval ratings remained in the doldrums for the remainder of his term in office, and in the May 1997 general election the Conservatives suffered one of their heaviest defeats in history against the newly revamped Labour Party of [[Tony Blair]]. Major was subsequently replaced as Prime Minister by [[Tony Blair]] of the [[Labour Party]] and as leader of the Conservative Party by [[William Hague]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Major, John}}
[[Category:United Kingdom Prime Ministers]]

United Kingdom

2007-12-06T22:05:17Z

Ceorlacyng: /* Relations with the United States */

{{Country
|name =''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''
|map =United kingdom rel87.jpg
|flag =Union_jack.jpg
|arms =UK Royal Coat of Arms.png
|capital =London
|capital-raw =
|government =Constitutional Monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =English
|king =
|queen =Elizabeth II
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Gordon Brown
|pm-raw =
|area =94,526 sq mi
|pop =60,587,300 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =$2.006 trillion
|gdp-year =2006
|gdp-pc =$35,051 (2006)
|currency =Pound Sterling
|idd =
|tld =
}}

The '''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''', generally called the '''United Kingdom''' or the '''UK''', is a sovereign [[state]] north west of mainland [[Europe]]. It consists of [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]], which occupy the island of Great Britain, and [[Northern Ireland]] on the island of Ireland. It attained its current form in 1922 after most of [[Ireland]] was granted independence (although the current name 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was not adopted until 1927), but its origins can be traced back at least to 1603, when England and Scotland came to be ruled by a single monarch (James I of England and VI of Scotland). England and Scotland were formally united under a single parliament, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain, on [[1 May]] [[1707]].<ref>Murdoch, Alexander, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/96/96282.html England, Scotland, and the Acts of Union (1707)], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, Jan 2007, accessed 1 May 2007</ref>

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Its current [[head of state]] is Queen [[Elizabeth II]], and its [[head of government]] is Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]].

[[nationalism|Nationalist]] movements of significant importance exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, seeking to dissolve the United Kingdom and to win independence for their respective territories. At the present time, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own legislatures.

The United Kingdom has the fifth largest economy in the world, and is a member of the [[European Union]], [[NATO]] and the [[United Nations]]. The UK's values, culture and institutions were spread throughout many parts of the world during the period of the [[British Empire]], and the UK's contributions to world culture include the English language, the [[parliament|parliamentary]] form of government, the [[Church of England|Anglican]] (or Episcopalian) Church, a tradition of personal liberty, and the common-law legal system.

==Name==
The '''United Kingdom''' is the shorter name of the state composed of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has existed since 1801, though in 1922 most of Ireland won its independence, and its formal name changed accordingly. The official name is ''The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. The adjective associated with the United Kingdom is "[[British]]".

* '''Great Britain''' is often used by Americans as a synonym for the UK, but it more properly refers to the largest island in the United Kingdom which contains [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. As a result this term can cause offence in [[Northern Ireland]].
* '''Britain''' is used (without the adjective "Great") as a synonym for the United Kingdom as a whole.<ref>number10.gov.uk - [http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page823.asp Countries within a country] - Website of the British Prime Minster.</ref>
* '''England''' is the largest of the four components of the United Kingdom.

==Anthem==
The ''de facto'' national anthem of the UK is currently ''[[God Save the Queen]]''. When [[Queen Elizabeth II]] dies or abdicates, her son [[Prince Charles]] will become [[King]], and the anthem will become "God Save the King", with the other words remaining the same (apart from obvious changes in gender pronouns). This same melody is also sung by [[American]] schoolchildren (with different words) as "My Country, 'Tis of Thee".

The constituent nations of the UK have come to have their own anthems. In the case of Wales, this is ''[[Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau]]'' (''Land of My Fathers''), and for Scotland it is ''[[Flower of Scotland]]''. England does not have its own distinctive anthem in the same way, but at sporting events in which England is competing as a separate nation, [[Edward Elgar]]'s patriotic song ''[[Land of Hope and Glory]]'' is sometimes used (although ''God Save the Queen'' is most commonly used). In Northern Ireland, the two opposing Protestant and Catholic communities respectively use ''God Save the Queen'' and ''Amhran na bhFiann'', the Irish national anthem. ''Londonderry Air'' is often used as the anthem for Northern Ireland competitors in sporting events.

It should be noted that ''God Save the Queen/King'' is only the national anthem by long usage, since about 1745. It has never been declared so officially.

==People==
The United Kingdom's population in 2004 surpassed 60 million--the third-largest in the European Union. Its overall population density is one of the highest in the world. Almost one-third of the population lives in England's prosperous and fertile southeast and is predominantly urban and suburban--with about 7.2 million in the capital of London, which remains the largest city in Europe. The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99%) is attributable to universal public education introduced for the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900. Education is mandatory from ages 5 through 16. About one-fifth of British students go on to post-secondary education. The Church of England and the Church of Scotland are the official churches in their respective parts of the country, but most religions found in the world are represented in the United Kingdom.

A group of islands close to continental Europe, the British Isles have been subject to many invasions and migrations, especially from Scandinavia and the continent, including Roman occupation for several centuries. Contemporary Britons are descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the 11th century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences were blended in Britain under the Normans, Scandinavian Vikings who had lived in Northern France. Although Celtic languages persist in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the predominant language is English, which is primarily a blend of Anglo-Saxon and Norman French.
*Population (2007 est.): 60.8 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.275%.
*Major ethnic groups: British, Irish, West Indian, South Asian.
*Major religions: Church of England (Anglican), Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), Muslim.
*Major languages: English, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic.
*Education: Years compulsory--12. Attendance--nearly 100%. Literacy--99%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate (2007 est.)--5.01/1,000. Life expectancy (2007 est.)--males 76.23 yrs.; females 81.3 yrs.; total 78.7 years
*Work force (2007, 31.1 million): Services--80.4%; industry--18.2%; agriculture--1.4%.

===Religious Beliefs===
According to the 2001 [[Census]] the religious make-up of the UK at that time was:

{| border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3
|+'''Religions in United Kingdom'''
!Belief
!Thousands
!Proportion
|-
|Christian ||42,079 ||71.6
|-
|No Religion ||9104 ||15.5
|-
|Muslim ||1591 ||2.7
|-
|Hindu ||559 ||1.0
|-
|Jedi Knight ||390 ||0.7
|-
|Sikh ||336 ||0.6
|-
|Jewish ||267 ||0.5
|-
|Other ||179 ||0.3
|-
|Buddhist ||152 ||0.3
|-
|Pagan & Wicca ||40 ||0.1
|-
|Total religious ||45,163 ||76.8
|-
|No answer ||4289 ||7.3
|}
The answers were distorted by an internet campaign just prior to the census, that claimed that if at least 50,000 people stated their religion as 'Jedi Knight' it would be officially classified as a religion. This was not true, though the Office of National Statistics does aggregate very small religions into the 'Other' category whereas a religion of 50,000 would be itemised separately. This separate listing does not constitute any form of official recognition.

Two of the four states of the United Kingdom, England and Scotland, have official state religions. The [[Church of England]] is the official religion of England and the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland is the official religion of Scotland. The (Anglican) Church of Ireland was [[disestablished]] in 1871 and the (Anglican) Church of Wales was disestablished in 1920, whereupon it was renamed the [[Church in Wales]].

===Crown Dependencies===
A number of the smaller [[British Isles]], most importantly [[Jersey]], [[Guernsey]] and the [[Isle of Man]] are 'British Crown Dependencies' and not members of the UK. Their governments are independent of that of the UK other than foreign and defence policy (the UK government retains the legal power to overrule the governments of the Dependencies, but this power has not been exercised since 1967), and they are not members of the [[European Union]].

==Sports and Pastimes==
Many of the most popular [[sport]]s in the world today were developed or codified in the UK. These include [[soccer]], [[cricket]], [[Rugby (Sport)|rugby]], [[tennis]] and [[golf]]. The UK is represented in international competitions by the individual nations (such as in soccer, cricket and rugby) and by the whole of the UK in other sports (such as [[athletics]], golf and tennis). While not possessing the recent sporting success of countries such as Australia, the UK remains a major sporting force both in competition and the administration of sport. Certain venues have their own distinct and historical recognition and host a number of international competitions. These include Wimbledon for tennis, Silverstone for motor racing, and St Andrews for golf.

Domestic sport is dominated by soccer with one of the strongest and most popular leagues in the world - the Premier League of England. Teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are well known sports club brands and maintain followings across the world. Cricket and both codes of rugby also have strong and popular domestic leagues. Other popular sports include snooker, rowing, darts, horse racing, and motor racing. These most popular sports are well covered by both the print press and TV.

Some sports notable for being more popular in other countries such as American football and basketball have small but dedicated followings.

==Government==
''See also [[British politics]]''

The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution. The equivalent body of law is based on statute, common law, and "traditional rights." Changes may come about formally through new acts of Parliament, informally through the acceptance of new practices and usage, or by judicial precedents. Although Parliament has the theoretical power to make or repeal any law, in actual practice the weight of 700 years of tradition restrains arbitrary actions.

Executive power rests nominally with the monarch but actually is exercised by a committee of ministers (cabinet) traditionally selected from among the members of the House of Commons and, to a lesser extent, the House of Lords. The prime minister is normally the leader of the largest party in the Commons, and the government is dependent on its support.

Parliament represents the entire country and can legislate for the whole or for any constituent part or combination of parts. The maximum parliamentary term is 5 years, but the prime minister may ask the monarch to dissolve Parliament and call a general election at any time. The focus of legislative power is the 646-member House of Commons, which has sole jurisdiction over finance. The House of Lords, although shorn of most of its powers, can still review, amend, or delay temporarily any bills except those relating to the budget. The House of Lords has more time than the House of Commons to pursue one of its more important functions--debating public issues. In 1999, the government removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to hold seats in the House of Lords. The current house consists of appointed life peers who hold their seats for life and 92 hereditary peers who will hold their seats only until final reforms have been agreed upon and implemented. The judiciary is independent of the legislative and executive branches but cannot review the constitutionality of legislation.

The separate identities of each of the United Kingdom's constituent parts are also reflected in their respective governmental structures. Up until the recent devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, a cabinet minister (the Secretary of State for Wales) handled Welsh affairs at the national level with the advice of a broadly representative council for Wales. Scotland maintains, as it did before union with England, different systems of law (Roman-French), education, local government, judiciary, and national church (the Church of Scotland instead of the Church of England). In addition, separate departments grouped under a Secretary of State for Scotland, who also is a cabinet member, handled most domestic matters. In late 1997, however, following approval of referenda by Scottish and Welsh voters (though only narrowly in Wales), the British Government introduced legislation to establish a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly. The first elections for the two bodies were held May 6, 1999. The Welsh Assembly opened on May 26, and the Scottish Parliament opened on July 1, 1999. The devolved legislatures have largely taken over most of the functions previously performed by the Scottish and Welsh offices.

Northern Ireland had its own Parliament and prime minister from 1921 to 1973, when the British Government imposed direct rule in order to deal with the deteriorating political and security situation. From 1973, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, based in London, was responsible for the region, including efforts to resolve the issues that lay behind the "the troubles."

By the mid-1990s, gestures toward peace encouraged by successive British governments and by President Clinton began to open the door for restored local government in Northern Ireland. An Irish Republican Army (IRA) cease-fire and nearly 2 years of multiparty negotiations, led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, resulted in the Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998, which was subsequently approved by majorities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Key elements of the agreement include devolved government, a commitment of the parties to work toward "total disarmament of all paramilitary organizations," police reform, and enhanced mechanisms to guarantee human rights and equal opportunity. The Good Friday Agreement also called for formal cooperation between the Northern Ireland institutions and the Government of the Republic of Ireland, and it established the British-Irish Council, which includes representatives of the British and Irish Governments as well as the devolved Governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Devolved government was reestablished in Northern Ireland in December 1999.

The Good Friday Agreement provides for a 108-member elected Assembly, overseen by a 12-minister Executive Committee (cabinet) in which unionists and nationalists share leadership responsibility. Northern Ireland elects 18 representatives to the Westminster Parliament in London. However, the five Sinn Fein Members of Parliament (MPs), who won seats in the 2004 election, have refused to claim their seats.

Progress has been made on each of the key elements of the Good Friday Agreement. Most notably, a new police force has been instituted; the IRA has decommissioned its weapons, and the security situation in Northern Ireland has normalized. Since 2002, when the last devolved government was suspended, the British Government, with Irish and U.S. support, continued to push Northern Ireland's main parties towards a power-sharing agreement. In October 2006, intense negotiations led to the St. Andrews Agreement, which set up a Transitional Assembly, as the precursor for the return of devolved government. Parties were given until March 26, 2007 to work out arrangements for a power-sharing agreement. As part of these negotiations, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) insisted that Sinn Fein endorse policing structures, a key U.S. objective as well.

In a historic move, Sinn Fein's general membership finally agreed to support policing in late January 2007. New assembly elections were held on March 7, returning the unionist (Protestant) DUP and nationalist (Catholic) Sinn Fein again as the two largest parties. While party leaders Ian Paisley (DUP) and Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein) did not reach agreement on power-sharing in time for the March 26 deadline, they did hold a historic joint meeting that day. At the meeting, they agreed to begin a power-sharing government on May 8 with Paisley as First Minister and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein as Deputy First Minister. On May 8, 2007 Paisley and McGuinness took their oath of office in the presence of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, and a bipartisan U.S. presidential delegation headed by Special Envoy Paula Dobriansky, who was accompanied by Senator Ted Kennedy.

While most attributes of government have been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, responsibility for security and justice remains in the hands of the Parliament in Westminster. The St. Andrews Agreement envisioned devolution of policing and justice by May 2008. Other outstanding issues relate to continued paramilitary activities. While the IRA has completely decommissioned its weapons and is no longer considered a terrorist threat, a few loyalist (Protestant) paramilitary groups have thus far refused to stand down or decommission. While one large loyalist paramilitary group recently announced it has placed its weapons "out of use", it has not formally decommissioned them. There is also some concern about dissident republican groups who are believed responsible for a number of fire bombs in November 2006 around Northern Ireland.

The United States also is committed to Northern Ireland's economic development, and through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) almost $462 million was obligated to the International Fund for Ireland from 1986 to 2006. The fund provides grants and loans to businesses to improve the economy, redress inequalities of employment opportunity, and improve cross-border business and community ties.

===Principal Government Officials===
*Head of State--Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
*Prime Minister (Head of Government)--The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, MP
*Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs--The Rt. Hon. David Miliband, MP
*Ambassador to the U.S.--Sir David Manning
*Ambassador to the UN--Sir Emyr Jones Parry, KCMG

===Political Conditions===
Tony Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister ever to win a third consecutive term when he was re-elected on May 5, 2005. Labour has a 67-seat majority in the House of Commons. The Conservative (Tory) Party and Liberal-Democrats (LibDems) form the major opposition parties. Blair stepped down as Prime Minister in June 2007. Labour Party leader Gordon Brown succeeded him. The main British parties support a strong transatlantic link, but have become increasingly absorbed by European issues as Britain's economic and political ties to the continent grow in the post-Cold War world. Prime Minister Brown is expected to continue Blair's policy of having the United Kingdom play a leading role in Europe even as the United Kingdom maintains its strong bilateral relationship with the United States. Britain's relationship with Europe is a subject of considerable political discussion in the United Kingdom.

===Membership in the European Union===
The [[Conservative Party|Conservative]] government of [[Edward Heath|Sir Edward Heath]] took the UK into the [[European Union]] in 1973. The [[Labour Party]] under [[Harold Wilson]] won the 1974 general elections and due to splits within the party, called the only national [[referendum]] asking the people if they wanted to stay in the Union. The "yes" vote won by a margin of approximately two to one. The Labour and Conservative parties have since had deep divisions over Union membership. Labour's 1983 manifesto promised to leave the Union, and whilst the Conservative party have never pledged to leave the Union, a growing band of "Eurosceptics" threatened to tear the party apart in the 1990s. All three major parties wish to stay in the Union although disagree over the level of integration, but smaller parties such as the UK Independence Party and the Referendum Party campaigned on the single issue of sovereignty being lost to the Union.

==Defense and Foreign Relations==
The United Kingdom is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and is one of NATO's major European maritime, air, and land powers; it ranks third among NATO countries in total defense expenditure. The United Kingdom has been a member of the European Community (now European Union) since 1973. In the United Nations, the United Kingdom is a permanent member of the Security Council. The U.K. held the Presidency of the G-8 during 2005; it held the EU Presidency from July to December 2005.

The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, promoting Britain's wider security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. The 37,000-member Royal Navy, which includes 6,000 Royal Marine commandos, is in charge of the United Kingdom's independent strategic nuclear arm, which consists of four Trident missile submarines. The British Army, consisting of approximately 99,200 personnel, the Royal Air Force, with 42,000 personnel, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, are active and regular participants in NATO and other coalition operations. Approximately 9% of the British Armed Forces is female, and 4% of British forces represent ethnic minorities.

The United Kingdom stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., and its military forces are part of the coalition force in Afghanistan. The U.K. force in Afghanistan will increase to 7,700 by the end of 2007. U.K. forces are primarily based in the Helmand region, where they are on the front line in the war against continued Taliban operations. In addition, the U.K. has contributed more than £500 million to Afghan reconstruction--the second-largest donor after the U.S. The U.K. was the United States' main coalition partner in Operation Iraqi Freedom and continues to have more than 5,000 troops deployed in Iraq to help stabilize and rebuild the country. Under UN Security Council Resolution 1483, the U.K. also shared with the United States responsibility for civil administration in Iraq and was an active participant in the Coalition Provisional Authority before the handover of Iraqi sovereignty on June 28, 2004. Britain's participation in the Iraq war and its aftermath remains a domestically controversial issue.

===Relations with the United States===
The United Kingdom is one of the United States' closest allies, and British foreign policy emphasizes close coordination with the United States. Bilateral cooperation reflects the common language, ideals, and democratic practices of the two nations. Relations were strengthened by the United Kingdom's alliance with the United States during both World Wars, and its role as a founding member of NATO, in the Korean conflict, in the Persian Gulf War, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The United Kingdom and the United States continually consult on foreign policy issues and global problems and share major foreign and security policy objectives.

The United Kingdom is the fifth-largest market for U.S. goods exports after Canada, Mexico, Japan, and China, and the sixth-largest supplier of U.S. imports after Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany. U.S. exports of goods and services to the United Kingdom in 2006 totaled $92 billion, while U.S. imports from the U.K. totaled $93 billion. The United States has had a trade deficit with the United Kingdom since 1998. The United Kingdom is a large source of foreign tourists in the United States. In 2005, 3.4 million U.S. residents visited the United Kingdom, while 4.2 million U.K. residents visited the United States.

Such is the closeness of the Atlantic alliance that by permitting the use of Menwith Hill radar station for the US Strategic Defense Initiative, the British Government has signalled its willingness to invite a nuclear strike upon Britain and its possible obliteration in order to protect the USA.

The United States and the United Kingdom share the world's largest foreign direct investment partnership. U.S. investment in the United Kingdom reached $324 billion in 2005, while U.K. direct investment in the U.S. totaled $282 billion. This investment sustains more than 1 million American jobs.

==Economy==
The United Kingdom has the fifth-largest economy in the world, is the second-largest economy in the European Union, and is a major international trading power. A highly developed, diversified, market-based economy with extensive social welfare services provides most residents with a high standard of living. Unemployment and inflation levels are amongst the lowest within the European Union.

Since 1979, the British Government has privatized most state-owned companies, including British Steel, British Airways, British Telecom, British Coal, British Aerospace, and British Gas, although in some cases the government retains a "golden share" in these companies. The Labour government has continued the privatization policy of its Conservative predecessor, particularly by encouraging "public-private partnerships" (partial privatization) in such areas as the London Underground. The economy of the United Kingdom is now primarily based on private enterprise, accounting for approximately four-fifths of employment and output.

London ranks alongside New York as a leading international financial center. London's financial exports contribute greatly to the United Kingdom's balance of payments. Ratings agencies rank the United Kingdom's banking sector as one of the strongest in the world and its banks are amongst the most profitable in the G-8. It is a global leader in emissions trading and is home to the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). It is also a government priority to make London the leading center of Islamic finance.

The United Kingdom is the European Union's only significant energy exporter. It is also one of the world's largest energy consumers, and most analysts predict a shift in U.K. status from net exporter to net importer of energy by 2020, possibly sooner. Oil production in the U.K. is leveling off. While North Sea natural gas production continues to rise, gains may be offset by ever-increasing consumption. North Sea oil and gas exploration activities are shifting to smaller fields and to increments of larger, developed fields, presenting opportunities for smaller, independent energy operators to become active in North Sea production.
*GDP (at current market prices, 2007 est.): $1.93 trillion.
*Annual growth rate (2006 est.): 2.8%.
*Per capita GDP (2006 est.): $31,800.
*Natural resources: Coal, oil, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica.
*Agriculture (1.1% of GDP): Products--cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables, cattle, sheep, poultry, fish.
*Industry: Types--steel, heavy engineering and metal manufacturing, textiles, motor vehicles and aircraft, construction (5.2% of GDP), electronics, chemicals.
*Trade (2006 est.): Exports of goods and services--$468.8 billion: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco. Major markets--U.S., European Union. Imports of goods and services--$603 billion: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, foodstuffs. Major suppliers--U.S., European Union, Japan.

===Currency===
The currency of the United Kingdom is the [[Pound|Pound Sterling]], commonly called Pound and written £ or GBP, divided into 100 New Pence (now commonly just called pence or 'p'). Traditionally the UK had a complicated triple currency structure of 20 [[shilling|shillings]] to the Pound and 12 "old pence" (represented by a "d") to the shilling, making a total of 240 pence to the Pound. This system was abandoned in 1971 due to difficulties with computerised accounting systems, in favour of the current [[decimal]] system.

The UK was one of the three [[European Union]] nations (along with [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]]) not to join the [[Euro]]. Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are permitted to print their own banknotes, as long as they keep an equivalent amount of sterling in reserve.

==History==
The Roman invasion of Britain in 55 BC and most of Britain's subsequent incorporation into the Roman Empire stimulated development and brought more active contacts with the rest of Europe. As Rome's strength declined, the country again was exposed to invasion--including the pivotal incursions of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in the fifth and sixth centuries AD--up to the Norman conquest in 1066. Norman rule effectively ensured Britain's safety from further intrusions; certain institutions, which remain characteristic of Britain, could develop. Among these are a political, administrative, cultural, and economic center in London; a separate but established church; a system of common law; distinctive and distinguished university education; and representative government.

====Union====
Both Wales and Scotland were independent kingdoms that resisted English rule. The English conquest of Wales succeeded in 1282 under Edward I, and the Statute of Rhuddlan established English rule 2 years later. To appease the Welsh, Edward's son (later Edward II), who had been born in Wales, was made Prince of Wales in 1301. The tradition of bestowing this title on the eldest son of the British Monarch continues today. An act of 1536 completed the political and administrative union of England and Wales.

While maintaining separate parliaments, England and Scotland were ruled under one crown beginning in 1603, when James VI of Scotland succeeded his cousin Elizabeth I as James I of England. In the ensuing 100 years, strong religious and political differences divided the kingdoms. Finally, in 1707, England and Scotland were unified as Great Britain, sharing a single Parliament at Westminster.

Ireland's invasion by the Anglo-Normans in 1170 led to centuries of strife. Successive English kings sought to conquer Ireland. In the early 17th century, large-scale settlement of the north from Scotland and England began. After its defeat, Ireland was subjected, with varying degrees of success, to control and regulation by Britain.

The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was completed on January 1, 1801, under the name of the United Kingdom. However, armed struggle for independence continued sporadically into the 20th century. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 established the Irish Free State, which subsequently left the Commonwealth and became a republic after World War II. Six northern, predominantly Protestant, Irish counties have remained part of the United Kingdom.

====British Expansion and Empire====
Begun initially to support William the Conqueror's (c. 1029-1087) holdings in France, Britain's policy of active involvement in continental European affairs endured for several hundred years. By the end of the 14th century, foreign trade, originally based on wool exports to Europe, had emerged as a cornerstone of national policy.

The foundations of sea power were gradually laid to protect English trade and open up new routes. Defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 firmly established England as a major sea power. Thereafter, its interests outside Europe grew steadily. Attracted by the spice trade, English mercantile interests spread first to the Far East. In search of an alternate route to the Spice Islands, John Cabot reached the North American continent in 1498. Sir Walter Raleigh organized the first, short-lived colony in Virginia in 1584, and permanent English settlement began in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. During the next two centuries, Britain extended its influence abroad and consolidated its political development at home.

Great Britain's industrial revolution greatly strengthened its ability to oppose Napoleonic France. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the United Kingdom was the foremost European power, and its navy ruled the seas. Peace in Europe allowed the British to focus their interests on more remote parts of the world, and, during this period, the British Empire reached its zenith. British colonial expansion reached its height largely during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Queen Victoria's reign witnessed the spread of British technology, commerce, language, and government throughout the British Empire, which, at its greatest extent, encompassed roughly one-fifth to one-quarter of the world's area and population. British colonies contributed to the United Kingdom's extraordinary economic growth and strengthened its voice in world affairs. Even as the United Kingdom extended its imperial reach overseas, it continued to develop and broaden its democratic institutions at home.

====20th Century====
By the time of Queen Victoria's death in 1901, other nations, including the United States and Germany, had developed their own industries; the United Kingdom's comparative economic advantage had lessened, and the ambitions of its rivals had grown. The losses and destruction of World War I, the depression of the 1930s, and decades of relatively slow growth eroded the United Kingdom's preeminent international position of the previous century.

Britain's control over its empire loosened during the interwar period. Ireland, with the exception of six northern counties, gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1921. Nationalism became stronger in other parts of the empire, particularly in India and Egypt.

In 1926, the United Kingdom, completing a process begun a century earlier, granted Australia, Canada, and New Zealand complete autonomy within the empire. They became charter members of the British Commonwealth of Nations (now known as the Commonwealth), an informal but closely-knit association that succeeded the empire. Beginning with the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, the remainder of the British Empire was almost completely dismantled. Today, most of Britain's former colonies belong to the Commonwealth, almost all of them as independent members. There are, however, 13 former British colonies--including Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and others--which have elected to continue their political links with London and are known as United Kingdom Overseas Territories.

Although often marked by economic and political nationalism, the Commonwealth offers the United Kingdom a voice in matters concerning many developing countries. In addition, the Commonwealth helps preserve many institutions deriving from British experience and models, such as parliamentary democracy, in those countries.

== See also ==

*[[British politics]]
*[[June 2007 UK terror attacks]]

== Notes ==

<references/>

[[Category:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]
[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:EU Members]]

Joan of Arc

2007-12-05T00:09:43Z

Ceorlacyng:

[[Image:396px-Joan of arc miniature graded.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Painting, c. 1485. The only known portrait for which she sat has not survived, so all depictions of her represent artistic license. (Centre Historique des Archives Nationales, Paris, AE II 2490)]]

'''Joan of Arc''' (Jeanne d'Arc) (Domremy in Champagne, [[France]] 1412 - Rouen, France 1431) was a girl who, at the age of seventeen, believed she had been called by God to lead the French army which went on to defeat the English at the siege at [[Orleans]] in 1430. She was later captured by the English, burned at stake as a [[heretic]] in 1431, and was canonized by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in 1920 and is accordingly known today as St. Joan.

''Joan of Arc'' is the English translation of the French name ''Jeanne d'Arc.'' Her name was spelled in a variety of ways; she herself signed her first name as "Jehanne" on some letters.<ref>[http://www.brynmawr.edu/Library/exhibits/jehanne/contemporary.html Contemporary accounts of Joan of Arc], Bryn Mawr college library</ref> She is also known as "the Maid of Orleans" and "La Pucelle" (French for "the maid").

Relics thought to be those of Joan of Arc were recently proved to be a nineteenth century forgery involving the remains of an Egyptian mummy. <ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2050361,00.html Joan of Arc holy relics are fake]</ref> The survival of her organs was thought to be a miracle, since contemporary historical records describe how she was burned three times to ensure nothing remained.

Her story has inspired numerous works of art, notably [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s 1923 play ''Saint Joan'' (considered one of his greatest plays) and Mark Twain's novel ''Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc'' (largely forgotten but believed by Twain to be his best work). Both are sympathetic and admiring depictions. In contrast, in Shakespeare's play ''Henry VI, Part 1,'' the character "Joan La Pucelle" is depicted as she was generally viewed by the English at the time: as a witch and sorceress who was justly executed.

== Trial ==

''As regards the official record of the trial, which, so far as the Latin version goes, seems to be preserved entire, we may probably trust its accuracy in all that relates to the questions asked and the answers returned by the prisoner. These answers are in every way favourable to Joan. Her simplicity, piety, and good sense appear at every turn, despite the attempts of the judges to confuse her.'' <ref> [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm Joan of Arc]</ref>

Trial of condemnation lasted from February 21st until May 23rd, 1431. She was burnt at the stake in [[Rouen]]'s market square, having been sold to the English by the French. She has since become a French national icon and representative of French steadfastness in times of war, despite also being apparently psychotic.

== Quotations ==
[[Image:Joan of Arc.jpg|right]]

*"I place trust in [[God]], my creator, in all things; I love Him with all my heart."
*"Gentle Dauphin, I am called Joan the Maid (Jehanne la Pucelle)"
*"In God's name, the soldiers will fight and He will grant victory."
*"I trust in my Judge, who is the King of Heaven and Earth".

== External links ==

*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm St. Joan of Arc] Catholic Encyclopedia
*[http://www.stjoan-center.com/ Saint Joan of Arc Center] Albuquerque, N. M.
*[http://www.maidofheaven.com/ MaidOfHeaven.com] Dedicated to telling the true story about Saint Joan of Arc
*[http://archive.joan-of-arc.org/joanofarc_short_biography.html biography]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Military Commanders]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:French People]]
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:European History]]

Edward Heath

2007-12-04T22:48:09Z

Ceorlacyng:

'''Sir Edward Heath''' (1916-2005) was the [[Conservative Party|Conservative]] [[Prime Minister]] of the [[United Kingdom]] from 1970 to 1974.

Heath's electoral victory in 1970 was something of a surprise, as the incumbent [[Labour Party]] was comfortably ahead in the polls. Some have attributed the sudden souring of public opinion to [[England]]'s defeat in the soccer [[World Cup]] the week before, or, perhaps more plausibly, to some bad economic figures that emerged during the election campaign.

Heath's most lasting achievement was to lead the UK into the [[EEC]] (later the [[EU]]) in 1973. His tenure, however, was blighted by industrial unrest, including a devastating miners' strike. This resulted in the famous 'three-day-week', in which commercial consumption of electricity was limited to three days per week, with the exception of essential services.

In early 1974, Health called an election on the slogan "Who rules Britain?", the subtext being "Who rules Britain: the elected government or the miners' unions?". This election, held in February, produced a "hung Parliament", in which no single party held a majority. Minor parties such as the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] and the [[Liberals (UK party)|Liberal Party]] refused to form a coalition with the Conservatives, and Heath accordingly resigned. Labour's [[Harold Wilson]] returned as Prime Minister, and won a small overall majority of three seats in a further election in October 1974.

Heath was challenged for the Conservative leadership by [[Margaret Thatcher]] in 1975. To the surprise of many, Thatcher emerged victorious from the leadership contest, and Heath remained on bad personal and political terms with Thatcher for many years afterwards. When she was forced to resign as Prime Minister in 1990, Heath called his office and, using a phrase made famous by Thatcher in the [[Falklands War]], said: "Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!".

Heath remained an MP until 2001, and was generally perceived as being firmly on the left of the Conservative Party. (The maverick Labour politician [[Tony Benn]] claims that Heath once told him that he, Heath, was politically to the left of Labour's [[Tony Blair]].) He died in 2005.

He was, perhaps, rare among career politicians in having a significant personal 'hinterland'. He was an accomplished musician (the organ being his instrument of choice) and yachtsman, competing internationally for Great Britain in his yacht Morning Cloud III even while Prime Minister. He had served in the Royal Artillery during the Second World War, rising to the rank of Colonel; the war, and the years before the war (when, as a student, he had travelled around Germany, even attending a Nuremberg rally, experiences which had appalled him) helped shape his political and social attitudes.

His personal relations with colleagues and others were more problematic. His personal mannerisms were somewhat cold and aloof, possibly a defense mechanism for a man from the lower middle class, a grammar school boy, mixing, both at Oxford and later in the Conservative Party, in emvironments dominated by the upper middle and upper classes of former public (US: private) schoolboys. During the party leadership campaign in 1975, he declined to canvass personally: that, and previous snubs to party colleagues, almost certainly contributed largely to his defeat. His hauteur was unsoftened by his private life. He never married, though throughout his life he kept by his bed the photograph of a woman to whom he had been attached.
Recent claims by a British Conservative London Assembly member that Heath was advised in the 1950s to stop seeking sex in men's public lavatories (Brian Coleman writing in the New Statesman Magazine) has been denied by his successor in his constituency Derek Conway, who succeeded Heath in 2001. The British Conservative party has been seeking to reposition itself regarding homosexuality, which may motivate this original allegation, although it is difficult to see what knowledge either protagonist would have of events of 50 years previously.

[[Category:United Kingdom Prime Ministers|Heath, Edward]]

Edward II

2007-12-04T22:29:02Z

Ceorlacyng:

EDWARD II (1284-1327), king of [[England]] (1307-1327) had all the physical attributes of his father but few of the mental and emotional requirements for kingship. He was good-looking and athletic, and seemingly intelligent, however his sporting skills did not extend to the knightly arts; and his cultural pursuits were for his own entertainment rather than any endowment to the realm.

[[Edward I]] had had a sense of duty and a belief in the importance of good governance and the importance of the feudal system. His son showed more interest in a series of favourites (and a strange interest in the work of artisans and craftsmen) than the interests of the realm. This (whether homosexually inspired or not) and his complete lack of political nous were to lead to his downfall. The state of the realm at his succession was no help. Huge debts and the unfinished war in Scotland needed proper attention.

The year after his succession, his marriage to Isabella, the daughter of Philip IV of France, brought optimism that peace with France would follow. However Edward gave far more attention to certain favourites than he did to his wife (although she was to bear him four children).

*Piers Gaveston was a boyhood friend of Edward’s – the son of a Gascon knight at his father’s court. On his succession Edward granted him the Earldom of Cornwall and gave other undeserved favours. His arrogant ways, and unwarranted control of royal patronage, annoyed the nobles who managed to have him exiled in 1309 and 1311. He was finally killed by the king’s opponents in 1312.

*Hugh Despenser was a fervent supporter of the king who, with his son, became his close companions after the death of Gaveston. Although forced into exile in 1321 he was able to return the following year, and was created Earl of Winchester. He was captured by men loyal to Queen Isabella and executed in 1326; his son a few days later.

The political turmoil brought on by Gaveston and his death had allowed the situation in Scotland to deteriorate. In 1306 Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick (who had earlier supported then turned against William Wallace), had had himself crowned King of the Scots. He and his followers were defeated by English and he was forced into hiding; but the death of Edward and the subsequent ineptitude of Edward II had allowed him to regain and then consolidate his power. He still had control of only parts of Scotland though. In 1312-4 Robert made use of English disunity to attempt the takeover of more of Scotland. In 1314 he besieged Stirling Castle. A major English force, led by Edward, marching to relieve the castle, was resoundingly defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn.

In 1324 hostilities broke out in France. Edward sent his Queen and his eldest son to Paris to negotiate with the French Isabella took the opportunity to gain support to raise an army to invade England. She also took a lover, Roger Mortimer, one of Edward’s alienated barons. In 1226 she landed in England to receive immediate support from many of the barons, and the City of London. Edward was captured in Wales, and formally deposed by Parliament in January1327. He died, almost certainly murdered, in Berkeley Castle in September 1327. He was killed by having a white hot poker pushed up his rectum, ostensibly in order not to leave any marks on the exterior of his body, but possibly an expression of the earthy medieval sense of humour which characterises [[Chaucer]]'s Miller's Tale, referring to Edward's brazen homosexuality.

Isabelle and Mortimer took the reins of power, ostensibly in the name of the fourteen year-old Edward III.

References:
• The Oxford Companion to English History
• The Plantaganet Encyclopedia

[[Category:United Kingdom Monarchs]]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Edward 2}}

Talk:Alfred the Great

2007-12-02T20:59:43Z

Ceorlacyng:

May I respectfully request that something be done about the Category "UK Monarchs"? It is just plain wrong to have someone who died 900 years before the creation of the United Kingdom(and who was not even king of a united England included in this Category. I have moaned about this elsewhere, and if able to edit the Category page I would do so. The British Royalty website has the monarchs listed under "England" up to the Stuarts and UK for Stuarts to the present.

The articles I am doing on the medieval kings I am categorising as Monarchs of England. May I suggest that there be three categories: Anglo-Saxon, England and UK; each cross linked with the others? I intend doing a list of the Kings of the Scots. That will make even more of a mockery of the "UK' tag before 1603. I am going to copy this onto the Category page. Sorry to be a boor, but.....[[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 19:39, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

*This is an encyclopedia, therefore your personal opinion, or mine, means nothing. These [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great] & [http://www.mirror.org/ken.roberts/king.alfred.html] seem to indicate he was King of England, as the term is known now. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 19:48, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

:: TK, I think AlanE is referring to the fact that Alfred the Great could not have been a UK Monarch, since the United Kingdom wasn't formed until ~900 years after his reign. He would fall under the "Anglo-Saxon Monarchs" category suggested above. --[[User:Colest|Colest]] 20:03, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

*Yes, I understand. However this is an encyclopedia, and the category is assigned to make searching by users who might not be that well versed in history. Does that help further explain? :-) --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 20:36, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

11 June 2007 (EDT)

:: TK, I think AlanE is referring to the fact that Alfred the Great could not have been a UK Monarch, since the United Kingdom wasn't formed until ~900 years after his reign. He would fall under the "Anglo-Saxon Monarchs" category suggested above. --[[User:Colest|Colest]] 20:03, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

Thank you, Colest. TK, this is not an opinion thing - it is a matter of historical accuracy. There is no encyclopedia or reference book I have ever read that has ever had a pre-Stuart monarch in the same context as "UK". It's like listing a seventeenth century colonial governor of one of the Thirteen States under "US Governors". Whoops...I meant Colonies, not States

I recently added to the UK Monarchs page the kings and queens of England from 1066 to 1603. Might I suggest that that page be extended to include the Anglo-Saxon kings (there are three lines of them I think) and the Scottish monarchs. The page could be "British Royalty", with redirects going to it. It would have the lists with dates etc. I am willing to spend some time on this over the next few days. I do know my way around this subject. But it isn't about me. Its about the veracity of CP.[[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 20:47, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

*I am willing to discuss this with you AlanE. You can email me through CP mail, use my AIM, or post on my talk page, or link me to the discussion page where you want to work. --[[User:TK|Sysop-TK]] [[User_talk:TK|/MyTalk]] 21:54, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

ThanksTK. I have just posted on the Category Uk Monarchs discussion page. I will get back to you....but I now have family commitments. (It's early afternoon, here).[[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 23:03, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

Oh! Yes! I should have said this before anything else. I enjoyed the Article. [[User:AlanE|AlanE]] 23:06, 11 June 2007 (EDT)

I understood that the illnes Alfred had was Crohn's Disease. But other Anglo Saxon Kings could be described as not "flawed"- I would suggest Ethelbert, Ethelred I (i.e. not the Unready, Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund the Magnificent, Eadred and Edmund Ironsides. The rest were, with the possible exception of Edwy the Fair.[[User:Ceorlacyng|Ceorlacyng]] 15:59, 2 December 2007 (EST)