Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Keith Ellison

2007-09-02T21:34:13Z

GWisHero: sorry, capslock was on - also shorten

[[Image:Ghfigkm67.jpg|right|thumb|Keith Ellison]]
[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] '''Keith Ellison''' is the first [[Muslim]] to serve in the [[United States Congress]]. He represents the 5th Congressional District of [[Minnesota]]. Born in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], he converted to [[Islam]] while in college. Ellison is quite controversial due to his past ties with the radical [[Nation of Islam]]; he has also been accused of having had "involvement" in anti-Semitism.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091000951.html</ref> In 2007, Mr. Ellison compared the [[Bush Administration]] to [[Nazi]] [[Germany]]. <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289157,00.html</ref>

It is traditional for newly-sworn members of the [[House_of_Representatives|House of Representatives]] to repeat their oaths with their hand on a [[Bible]] or simply the constitution for photographers<ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/story/206/story_20604_1.html</ref>. When Ellison was ceremonially "sworn-in," he used a [[Quran]] that once belonged to [[Thomas Jefferson]].<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8MEPKIG0&show_article=1</ref> This cause some controversy do to opposition from [[Dennis Prager]] and Senator [[Virgil Goode]]. Their opposition led to controversy in the aftermath of the event. The [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]] called for Prager to be removed from the council that oversaw the [[U.S. Holocaust Memorial]]. Other members of the Memorial Council also voiced support for his removal. In the end the council's executive committee issued a resolution that has been seen as "distancing" the Council from Prager's remarks.<ref name="J. Besser">{{cite news|title=U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council distances itself from Prager|author=James Besser | date=2006-12-22|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=17007| publisher=The Jewish Journal|accessdate=2006-12-22}}

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
http://ellison.house.gov/

[[Category:United States Representatives]]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Ellison, Keith}}

Keith Ellison

2007-09-02T21:32:35Z

GWisHero: more about controversy with quaran - also fixed bible line, once before this a jewish represenative chose to just place her hand on the constitution

[[Image:Ghfigkm67.jpg|right|thumb|Keith Ellison]]
[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] '''Keith Ellison''' is the first [[Muslim]] to serve in the [[United States Congress]]. He represents the 5th Congressional District of [[Minnesota]]. Born in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], he converted to [[Islam]] while in college. Ellison is quite controversial due to his past ties with the radical [[Nation of Islam]]; he has also been accused of having had "involvement" in anti-Semitism.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091000951.html</ref> In 2007, Mr. Ellison compared the [[Bush Administration]] to [[Nazi]] [[Germany]]. <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289157,00.html</ref>

It is traditional for newly-sworn members of the [[House_of_Representatives|House of Representatives]] to repeat their oaths with their hand on a [[Bible]] or simply the constitution for photographers<ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/story/206/story_20604_1.html</ref>. When Ellison was ceremonially "sworn-in," he used a [[Quran]] that once belonged to [[Thomas Jefferson]].<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8MEPKIG0&show_article=1</ref> This cause some controversy do to opposition from [[Dennis Prager]] and Senator [[Virgil Goode]]. Their opposition led to controversy in the aftermath of the event. The [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]] called for Prager to be removed from the council overseeing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial. Some members of the Memorial Council like [[Ed Koch]] were ALSO vocal in advocating his removal. In the end the executive committee of the council issued a resolution that has been seen as "distancing" the Council from Prager's remarks.<ref name="J. Besser">{{cite news|title=U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council distances itself from Prager|author=James Besser | date=2006-12-22|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=17007| publisher=The Jewish Journal|accessdate=2006-12-22}}

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
http://ellison.house.gov/

[[Category:United States Representatives]]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Ellison, Keith}}

Avoirdupois pound

2007-09-02T21:21:14Z

GWisHero: redirect

#REDIRECT [[Avoirdupois Pound]]

Pounds

2007-09-02T21:20:15Z

GWisHero: fix

'''Pounds''' (abbreviated '''lb''' or '''lbs''') are the [[United States customary units]] tool for measuring [[weight]]. Although pounds can vary depending on where they are used, its most common form is the [[French]] [[avoirdupois pound]] (which was adopted by the United States and later abandoned by France in favor of the [[Metric System]]) - which equates 1 pound to 16 [[ounces]] or 0.45359237 [[kilogram]]s.<ref name="CalculateOunces">{{cite web|url=http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/ounces-to-pounds.htm|title=Ounces to Pounds conversions|work=[http://www.metric-conversions.org/ metric-conversions.org/]|accessdate=2007-09-02|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref><ref name="EncyclopediaKiloGs">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pound.html|quote=1 lb avdp is equal to 0.45359237 kg|format=HTML|language=English|work=Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition|date=2007|accessdate=2007-09-02|title=pound}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}

Ounces

2007-09-02T21:17:51Z

GWisHero: redirect again

#REDIRECT [[US Customary System of Units#Ounce (force)]]

Ounce

2007-09-02T21:17:25Z

GWisHero: redirect

#REDIRECT [[US Customary System of Units#Ounce (force)]]

Metric system

2007-09-02T21:16:18Z

GWisHero: let's just put them at the top

The [[metric system]] is a system of measurement developed during the [[French Revolution's]] anti-relgious [[The Cult of Reason|Cult of Reason]]<ref>However, according to researcher Pat Norton, the system was described a century earlier by Englishman John Wilkins. [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/15/1978802.htm Australian Broadcasting Corporation], 15 July 2007 (retreived 15 July 2007.)</ref> and based on permanent natural standards rather than on royal decrees. [[Joseph Lagrange]] headed the Revolutionary weights-and-measures committee that developed it and set its initial definitions.

Traditional systems of measurement all used standard lengths of parts of the human body, or standard distances that a human might walk. The metric system, by contrast, initially used the [[earth]] itself as the ultimate standard.

In 1878 the [[United States]] signed the treaty called the ''Convention du Mètre.'' Since then, ''both'' the metric system and the [[United States customary units]] (miles, inches, pounds, etc.) have had legal status in the US. US Customary units are in fact defined by reference to metric units; that is, legally, an inch is ''defined'' to be exactly 25.4 millimeters.

In international scientific usage, the ''Convention du Mètre'' is superseded by the conventions of the [[International System of Units]]. However, many of the conventions of the metric system survive, including definitions of units that are not, strictly speaking, SI.

== Definitions ==
All measurement systems must start with one basic unit. For the metric system, this unit is the ''meter''. Every other named unit of the metric system had a definition that depended upon it.

=== Prefixes ===
All base units of the metric system have ''prefixes'' that multiply, or divide, the unit by various factors of ten (or alternatively, a thousand). They are:<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Chemistry''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref><ref>[http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/common.html Common metric prefixes]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! The prefix:
! Abbreviated:
! Multiplies the unit by:
|-
| atto-
| a
| 10-18
|-
| femto-
| f
| 10-15
|-
| pico-
| p
| 10-12
|-
| nano-
| n
| 10-9
|-
| micro- ([[Greek]] ''small'')
| μ
| 10-6
|-
| milli- ([[Latin]] ''one thousand'')
| m
| 10-3
|-
| centi- (Latin ''one hundred'')
| c
| 10-2
|-
| deci- (Latin ''ten'')
| d
| 10-1
|-
| deka- (Greek ''ten'')
| da
| 101
|-
| hecto- (Greek ''one hundred'')
| H
| 102
|-
| kilo- (Greek ''one thousand'')
| k
| 103
|-
| mega- (Greek ''large'')
| M
| 106
|-
| giga- (Latin ''gigantic'')
| G
| 109
|-
| tera- (Greek ''wonder'')
| T
| 1012
|}

Other, related systems (see below) use the same prefixes to multiply their units.

=== Length ===
The base unit of length, and originally the unit from which all other definitions flowed, is the [[meter]]. The original definition was "one ten-millionth the distance from the equator to the north pole." Lagrange's surveyors computed this distance (probably using a variation on Eratosthenes' tropical-shadow experiment) and inscribed it on a metal bar that they kept at the weights-and-measures headquarters building in Sèvres, [[France]].

But this artifact, being made of metal, tended to expand and contract. Centuries later, when the scientific community realized what had happened, the task of re-standardizing all meter sticks to the equator-to-pole-times-10-7 definition was judged too onerous. Therefore the meter was redefined. At first it was defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red line in the excitation spectrum of [[krypton]]-86. Today it is defined as 1⁄299,792,458th of a light-second.

The meter in all its multiples replaces all other units of measurement, long and short. Long distance is measured in the meter multiplied by a thousand--the kilometer. Short distances are measured in centimeters--or millimeters, or micrometers, or however small one needs to measure them.

=== Volume ===
The base unit of volume is the ''liter''. Originally this was the volume of a cube that was one ''decimeter'' on an edge. Today the definition has changed, but only because the definition of ''length'' has changed, while the definition of ''mass'' (see below) has not. To understand what a standard liter is today (and why it is no longer exactly equal to one thousand cubic centimeters), one must turn to the definition of the unit of:

=== Mass ===
The base unit of mass is the ''gram''. Originally a gram was the mass of one cubic centimeter (see above), then called a ''milliliter'', of [[water]]. The Lagrange committee fashioned an artifact exactly one thousand times as heavy as this--the volume, in short, of one liter of water--and stored this permanently at Sèvres.

[[Joseph Lagrange|Lagrange]]'s committee also proposed a unit of mass caled the ''grave'', to be equal to one thousand grams. But the [[French Revolution|Revolutionary]] government rejected this name as sounding too much like the [[German]] word ''graf'', translated as ''comte'' or [[count]] in French. Therefore, the artifact at Sèvres would be called a kilogram instead--and that artifact has that name to this day.

Mass never changes. But in addition to the prototype meter changing its length over time, scientists later realized that water has different densities at different [[temperature|temperatures]].

Today, the standard [[kilogram]] is kept at the International Bureau of Standards headquarters in Sèvres. It remains today the only generally accepted unit of measurement based on an artifact. But the definition of the liter has now changed, and is no longer dependent on the length of the meter. Today, one liter is defined as the volume of one kilogram of water at four degrees [[Celsius]]. One milliliter is simply one-thousandth of this, and one milliliter of water at this temperature weighs one gram. But to say that one liter is "one thousand cubic centimeters" is no longer correct, simply because the definition of length has changed, while that of mass has not.

== Relation to other systems of measurement ==
The [[International System of Units]] borrows some definitions and concepts from the metric system--most notably the meter and the kilogram--and adds other definitions of other quantities, most notably [[time]], [[force]], [[amount of substance]], plane [[angle]], solid angle, and [[luminous intensity]]. The liter ''is not'' the unit of volume in that system, however, but liter is accepted for use with the SI.

In addition to the International System (or in French, ''Systèm International'', or SI for short), scientists have invented other systems of measurement that include units of time, force, [[energy]], and electric charge. The most popular are the meter-kilogram-second and centimeter-gram-second systems.

Various governing authorities have established conversion ratios to assist people in converting between the metric system and other, more traditional units of measurement. The definitions of US Customary units in the United States is an example of this.

== References ==
<references/>

== See Also ==
* [http://creationwiki.org/Metric_system Metric system] by [[CreationWiki]]
* [http://www.essex1.com/people/speer/metric.html Metric system] by Essex1.com
* [http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/ The United States Metric Association]

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Unit of measure]]

Grams

2007-09-02T21:14:35Z

GWisHero: fix redirect

#REDIRECT [[Metric system#Mass]]

Grams

2007-09-02T21:13:59Z

GWisHero: fix

#REDIRECT [[Gram#Mass]]

Pounds

2007-09-02T21:13:24Z

GWisHero: i'm being slow today

'''Pounds''' (abbreviated '''lb''' or '''lbs''') are the [[United States customary units]] tool for measuring [[weight]]. Although pounds can vary depending on where they are used, its most common form is the [[French]] [[avoirdupois pound]] (which was adopted by the United States and later abandoned by France in favor of the [[Metric System]]) - which equates 1 pound to 16 [[ounces]] or 0.45359237 kilo[[grams]].<ref name="CalculateOunces">{{cite web|url=http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/ounces-to-pounds.htm|title=Ounces to Pounds conversions|work=[http://www.metric-conversions.org/ metric-conversions.org/]|accessdate=2007-09-02|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref><ref name="EncyclopediaKiloGs">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pound.html|quote=1 lb avdp is equal to 0.45359237 kg|format=HTML|language=English|work=Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition|date=2007|accessdate=2007-09-02|title=pound}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}

Pounds

2007-09-02T21:12:54Z

GWisHero: fix

'''Pounds''' (abbreviated '''lb''' or '''lbs''') are the [[United States customary units]] tool for measuring [[weight]]. Although pounds can vary depending on where they are used, its most common form is the [[French]] [[avoirdupois pound]] (which was adopted by the United States and later abandoned by France in favor of the [[Metric System]]) - which equates 1 pound to 16 [[ounces]] or 0.45359237 kilo[[grams]].<ref name="CalculateOunces">{{cite web|url=http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/ounces-to-pounds.htm|title=Ounces to Pounds conversions|work=[http://www.metric-conversions.org/ metric-conversions.org/]|accessdate=2007-09-02|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref><ref name="EncyclopediaKiloGs">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pound.html|quote=1 lb avdp is equal to 0.45359237 kg|format=HTML|language=English|work=Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition|date=2007|accessdate=2007-09-02}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}

Pounds

2007-09-02T21:11:37Z

GWisHero: link and references

'''Pounds''' (abbreviated '''lb''' or '''lbs''') are the [[United States customary units]] tool for measuring [[weight]]. Although pounds can vary depending on where they are used, its most common form is the [[French]] [[avoirdupois pound]] (which was adopted by the United States and later abandoned by France in favor of the [[Metric System]]) - which equates 1 pound to 16 [[ounces]] or 0.45359237 kilo[[grams]].<ref name="CalculateOunces">{{cite web|url=http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/ounces-to-pounds.htm|title=Ounces to Pounds conversions|work=[http://www.metric-conversions.org/ metric-conversions.org/]|accessdate=2007-09-02|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref><ref name="EncyclopediaKiloGs">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pound.html|quote=1 lb avdp is equal to 0.45359237 kg|format=HTML|language=English|work=HighBeam Encyclopedia|date=2007|accessdate=2007-09-02}}</ref>

Pound

2007-09-02T21:04:10Z

GWisHero: small

:''Perhaps you were looking for the [[pounds|system of measurement]]?''
The '''pound sterling''' is the [[currency]] of the [[United Kingdom]], the counterpart of the dollar in the [[United States]], and its symbol is £. However, the pound is worth more than a dollar, with the conversion rate fluctuating around 2 dollars to a pound as of the end of 2006.

The pound is by far the oldest currency in the world still in existence, having been introduced by King Offa of [[Mercia]], ruler of [[England]], around the year 790 AD. The term 'pound' referred to the fact that it was a pound in weight of silver, divided into 20 shillings, with each shilling divided into 12 silver pence (which were themselves further subdivided into farthings, of which there were 4 to the penny; for even smaller amounts the farthings were also sometimes divided into 'fourth-farthings'). Since that time the pound has remained remarkably stable, but over the centuries a certain amount of inflation has occurred, to the effect that a pound in 790 AD would have the buying power of about 38 pounds today. This compares very favorably with other world currencies such as the [[German Mark]] which underwent billion-fold inflation in a space of just a few years in the 1920s and had to be scrapped altogether.

Today, the pound remains the third most important currency in the world in terms of international reserves, after the Dollar and the Euro, and ahead of the Yen.

[[Category:Currency]]

Pound

2007-09-02T21:03:47Z

GWisHero: added a 'see-also'-esque deal

:''Perhaps you were looking for the [[pounds|system of measurement]]?''
The '''pound sterling''' is the [[currency]] of the [[United Kingdom]], the counterpart of the dollar in the [[United States]], and its symbol is £. However, the pound is worth more than a dollar, with the conversion rate fluctuating around 2 dollars to a pound as of the end of 2006.

The pound is by far the oldest currency in the world still in existence, having been introduced by King Offa of [[Mercia]], ruler of [[England]], around the year 790 AD. The term 'pound' referred to the fact that it was a pound in weight of silver, divided into 20 shillings, with each shilling divided into 12 silver pence (which were themselves further subdivided into farthings, of which there were 4 to the penny; for even smaller amounts the farthings were also sometimes divided into 'fourth-farthings'). Since that time the pound has remained remarkably stable, but over the centuries a certain amount of inflation has occurred, to the effect that a pound in 790 AD would have the buying power of about 38 pounds today. This compares very favorably with other world currencies such as the [[German Mark]] which underwent billion-fold inflation in a space of just a few years in the 1920s and had to be scrapped altogether.

Today, the pound remains the third most important currency in the world in terms of international reserves, after the Dollar and the Euro, and ahead of the Yen.

[[Category:Currency]]

US Customary System of Units

2007-09-02T20:57:46Z

GWisHero: increase intro

: ''This article describes US Customary units. For instructions on how to convert between US Customary and metric units, see [[English and Metric Units]].''

The '''United States Customary System of Units''' (or more commonly within the [[United States]] - '''standard units''') are units of measurement. It is one of two primary systems of measurement - with the more popular being the [[Metric System]], which is favored internationally due to its simplicity.

As a matter of law, all US Customary units are defined in terms of their [[Metric system|metric]] counterparts.

== Length ==
The units of length in the US Customary system are the inch, the foot, the yard, and the mile.

=== Inch ===
One inch was originally the length of three [[barley]] corns, which form a distance approximating the breadth of the bridge of an adult human's nose. Today the inch is defined in terms of the centimeter.

=== Foot (length) ===
The US Customary foot, originally the length of an adult human foot, has a length of twelve inches. In fact, the US Customary foot is much longer than the average length of a human foot today, although some persons have feet that measure longer than this.

=== Yard (length) ===
The yard, originally the length measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the third finger with the arm fully outstretched, is defined as thirty-six inches, or three feet.

=== Mile (statute) ===
The statute mile, originally intended to approximate the length of a [[Rome|Roman]] mile, is defined as 5,280 feet.

=== Mile (nautical) ===
The ''nautical'' mile, or the distance on the sea corresponding to one minute of latitude at or near the equator, is defined as 6,080 feet. The nautical unit of speed is the ''knot'', which is one nautical mile per hour.

=== Supplementary Units ===
The classical English system has several other units of length that are found in Elizabethan-era literature:

* The ''fathom'' is the length of a rope held between two outstretched arms. It is defined as six feet. It may be used as a unit of depth at sea, but the usual unit of depth at sea is the foot.
* The ''rod'' is the length of a queue of sixteen persons. By convention, the rod is defined as five and one-half yards, or sixteen and one-half feet. 320 rods would therefore make a mile.
* The ''furlong'' is one-eighth of a mile, or 40 rods. It is close in length to the Roman stadium, which was one-eighth of a Roman mile.
* The ''chain'', one-eightieth of a mile or 66 feet. It is used in land measure and on the railways.

== Area ==
Most US Customary units of area are the squares of the units of length. The chief exception to this is the:

=== Acre ===
One ''acre'' is 160 square ''rods''. 640 acres make a square mile.

== Weight ==
The US Customary system uses [[Avoirdupois]] weight. Effective July 1, 1959, the US Customary avoirdupois pound has been set equal to the international pound, and this in turn is based on a prototype pound in the British Exchequer.<ref name=pounddef>[http://www.sizes.com/units/pound_avoirdupois.htm Pound avoirdupois] at Sizes.com</ref> All other units of weight derive from this prototype. To be specific:

=== Pound (force) ===
One [[Avoirdupois Pound|pound]] is either the mass of the international pound (or 0.45359237 [[kilogram]]), or more properly the force that gravity exerts on this mass on the ground on [[earth]].

=== Ounce (force) ===
One ounce is one sixteenth of a pound.

=== Grain ===
The grain is 64.79891 milligrams, and by convention one pound is 7000 grains.<ref name=graindef>[http://www.sizes.com/units/grain.htm Grain] at Sizes.com</ref>

=== Ton ===
One US (or "short") ton is 2,000 pounds. An Imperial ("long") ton is 2,240 pounds. The latter is being replaced by the ''metric ton'' (tonne) of 1,000 kg, or about 2,207 pounds.

=== Supplementary Units ===
Originally the English system defined the ''hundredweight'' (abbreviated cwt) as one hundred pounds. This is slightly heavier than an ancient [[talent]].

== Mass ==
In recognition that weight, being a force, is not an acceptable substitute for the measure of mass, physicists have added a mass unit to the US Customary system: the ''slug''.

=== Slug (mass) ===
One slug is that mass which, when subjected to a force equivalent to a one-pound weight, will accelerate by one foot per second per second. Thus a pound is that force required to accelerate one slug of matter one foot per second per second. A slug would weigh thirty-two pounds on the ground, because the acceleration due to gravity at ground level on [[earth]] is thirty-two feet per second per second.

== Liquid Volume ==
=== Ounce (fluid) ===
One fluid ounce is the volume of [[water]] that weighs one ''avoirdupois'' ounce.

=== Pint ===
One fluid pint is the volume of [[water]] that weighs one ''avoirdupois'' pound. As such, it measures sixteen fluid ounces.

=== Quart ===
One quart is the volume of two pints.

=== Gallon ===
One gallon is the measure of four quarts.

== Power ==
The usual US Customary unit of power is the foot-pound per second, or that power that does, in one second, the work of exerting a one-pound force over one foot. However, by convention, the US Customary system has a much larger unit of power:

=== Horsepower ===
The ''horsepower'' (abbreviated hp) is the power that an average [[horse]] could exert. One horsepower is 550 foot-pounds per second. Engines and motors often have their power rated in horsepower, as a direct measure of the size of a team of horses that would be required to match that engine or motor for power.

[[Category:Unit of measure]]

== References ==
<references/>

United States customary units

2007-09-02T20:57:09Z

GWisHero: last time

#Redirect [[US Customary System of Units]]

United States customary units

2007-09-02T20:56:40Z

GWisHero: fix

#Redirect [[US customary system of units]]

United States customary units

2007-09-02T20:56:12Z

GWisHero: shoot - the article was already created, appologies

#Redirect [[US customary units]]

Metric system

2007-09-02T20:55:16Z

GWisHero: fix link

The [[metric system]] is a system of measurement developed during the [[French Revolution's]] anti-relgious [[The Cult of Reason|Cult of Reason]]<ref>However, according to researcher Pat Norton, the system was described a century earlier by Englishman John Wilkins. [http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/15/1978802.htm Australian Broadcasting Corporation], 15 July 2007 (retreived 15 July 2007.)</ref> and based on permanent natural standards rather than on royal decrees. [[Joseph Lagrange]] headed the Revolutionary weights-and-measures committee that developed it and set its initial definitions.

Traditional systems of measurement all used standard lengths of parts of the human body, or standard distances that a human might walk. The metric system, by contrast, initially used the [[earth]] itself as the ultimate standard.

In 1878 the [[United States]] signed the treaty called the ''Convention du Mètre.'' Since then, ''both'' the metric system and the [[United States customary units]] (miles, inches, pounds, etc.) have had legal status in the US. US Customary units are in fact defined by reference to metric units; that is, legally, an inch is ''defined'' to be exactly 25.4 millimeters.

In international scientific usage, the ''Convention du Mètre'' is superseded by the conventions of the [[International System of Units]]. However, many of the conventions of the metric system survive, including definitions of units that are not, strictly speaking, SI.

== Definitions ==
All measurement systems must start with one basic unit. For the metric system, this unit is the ''meter''. Every other named unit of the metric system had a definition that depended upon it.

=== Prefixes ===
All base units of the metric system have ''prefixes'' that multiply, or divide, the unit by various factors of ten (or alternatively, a thousand). They are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! The prefix:
! Abbreviated:
! Multiplies the unit by:
|-
| atto-
| a
| 10-18
|-
| femto-
| f
| 10-15
|-
| pico-
| p
| 10-12
|-
| nano-
| n
| 10-9
|-
| micro- ([[Greek]] ''small'')
| μ
| 10-6
|-
| milli- ([[Latin]] ''one thousand'')
| m
| 10-3
|-
| centi- (Latin ''one hundred'')
| c
| 10-2
|-
| deci- (Latin ''ten'')
| d
| 10-1
|-
| deka- (Greek ''ten'')
| da
| 101
|-
| hecto- (Greek ''one hundred'')
| H
| 102
|-
| kilo- (Greek ''one thousand'')
| k
| 103
|-
| mega- (Greek ''large'')
| M
| 106
|-
| giga- (Latin ''gigantic'')
| G
| 109
|-
| tera- (Greek ''wonder'')
| T
| 1012
|}<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Chemistry''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref><ref>[http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/common.html Common metric prefixes]</ref>

Other, related systems (see below) use the same prefixes to multiply their units.

=== Length ===
The base unit of length, and originally the unit from which all other definitions flowed, is the [[meter]]. The original definition was "one ten-millionth the distance from the equator to the north pole." Lagrange's surveyors computed this distance (probably using a variation on Eratosthenes' tropical-shadow experiment) and inscribed it on a metal bar that they kept at the weights-and-measures headquarters building in Sèvres, [[France]].

But this artifact, being made of metal, tended to expand and contract. Centuries later, when the scientific community realized what had happened, the task of re-standardizing all meter sticks to the equator-to-pole-times-10-7 definition was judged too onerous. Therefore the meter was redefined. At first it was defined as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red line in the excitation spectrum of [[krypton]]-86. Today it is defined as 1⁄299,792,458th of a light-second.

The meter in all its multiples replaces all other units of measurement, long and short. Long distance is measured in the meter multiplied by a thousand--the kilometer. Short distances are measured in centimeters--or millimeters, or micrometers, or however small one needs to measure them.

=== Volume ===
The base unit of volume is the ''liter''. Originally this was the volume of a cube that was one ''decimeter'' on an edge. Today the definition has changed, but only because the definition of ''length'' has changed, while the definition of ''mass'' (see below) has not. To understand what a standard liter is today (and why it is no longer exactly equal to one thousand cubic centimeters), one must turn to the definition of the unit of:

=== Mass ===
The base unit of mass is the ''gram''. Originally a gram was the mass of one cubic centimeter (see above), then called a ''milliliter'', of [[water]]. The Lagrange committee fashioned an artifact exactly one thousand times as heavy as this--the volume, in short, of one liter of water--and stored this permanently at Sèvres.

[[Joseph Lagrange|Lagrange]]'s committee also proposed a unit of mass caled the ''grave'', to be equal to one thousand grams. But the [[French Revolution|Revolutionary]] government rejected this name as sounding too much like the [[German]] word ''graf'', translated as ''comte'' or [[count]] in French. Therefore, the artifact at Sèvres would be called a kilogram instead--and that artifact has that name to this day.

Mass never changes. But in addition to the prototype meter changing its length over time, scientists later realized that water has different densities at different [[temperature|temperatures]].

Today, the standard [[kilogram]] is kept at the International Bureau of Standards headquarters in Sèvres. It remains today the only generally accepted unit of measurement based on an artifact. But the definition of the liter has now changed, and is no longer dependent on the length of the meter. Today, one liter is defined as the volume of one kilogram of water at four degrees [[Celsius]]. One milliliter is simply one-thousandth of this, and one milliliter of water at this temperature weighs one gram. But to say that one liter is "one thousand cubic centimeters" is no longer correct, simply because the definition of length has changed, while that of mass has not.

== Relation to other systems of measurement ==
The [[International System of Units]] borrows some definitions and concepts from the metric system--most notably the meter and the kilogram--and adds other definitions of other quantities, most notably [[time]], [[force]], [[amount of substance]], plane [[angle]], solid angle, and [[luminous intensity]]. The liter ''is not'' the unit of volume in that system, however, but liter is accepted for use with the SI.

In addition to the International System (or in French, ''Systèm International'', or SI for short), scientists have invented other systems of measurement that include units of time, force, [[energy]], and electric charge. The most popular are the meter-kilogram-second and centimeter-gram-second systems.

Various governing authorities have established conversion ratios to assist people in converting between the metric system and other, more traditional units of measurement. The definitions of US Customary units in the United States is an example of this.

== References ==
<references/>

== See Also ==
* [http://creationwiki.org/Metric_system Metric system] by [[CreationWiki]]
* [http://www.essex1.com/people/speer/metric.html Metric system] by Essex1.com
* [http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/ The United States Metric Association]

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Unit of measure]]

Standard units

2007-09-02T20:54:36Z

GWisHero: redirecting Standard units to United States customary units

#REDIRECT [[United States customary units]]

United States customary units

2007-09-02T20:54:02Z

GWisHero: new article

'''United States customary units''' (or more commonly within the [[United States]] - '''standard units''') are units of measurement. It is one of two primary systems of measurement - with the more popular being the [[Metric System]], which is favored internationally due to its simplicity.

Pounds

2007-09-02T20:50:55Z

GWisHero: new article

Benjamin Watson

2007-09-02T20:45:19Z

GWisHero: links

[[Image:PatsBenWatsonTE.JPG‎ |thumb|190px|Ben Watson.]]
'''Benjamin Watson''' is a [[National Football League]] tight end for the [[New England Patriots]]. He was born on [[December]] 18, [[1980]] in Norfolk, [[Virginia]]. He is 6-3 and weighs 255 [[pounds]]. Benjamin wears number 84 with the Patriots. Majored in [[finance]] at the [[University of Georgia]].

== High School Football Career ==
Benjamin Watson attend Northwestern High School in [[Rock Hill]], [[South Carolina]]. As a senior he caught 31 passes for 515 yards and five touchdowns. Also in his senior year he was named to the South Carolina All State team.

== College Football Career ==
In 1999 Watson attended [[Duke University]] and played football for Duke but transfered himself in 2000 to the [[University of Georgia]]. At Georgia he established himself as one of college football most athletic tight ends. In his total career at the [[University of Georgia]] (2001 -2004, he was forced to sit out 2000 in accordance with NCAA rules for switching schools) he had 73 receptions for 945 yards and seven touchdowns.

== NFL Career ==

In 2004 the [[New England Patriots]] drafted Benjamin Watson in the first round of the [[2004 NFL Draft]]. He was not expected to be picked in the first round and was thought to at the highest have middle second round value so the selection took many sports columnist and draft experts by surprise. Because Watson and the Patriots couldn't work out a deal before training camp started, Ben ended up holding out of coming to training camp until August 16, 2004 when he ended his 18 day holdout and agreed to a six year 13.5 million dollar deal. Watson started the first game of the regular season vs the [[Indianapolis Colts]] and had 2 receptions for 16 yards in the first half but was injured in the game and later was put on the injure reserved list for the rest of the 2004 season.

The 2005 season was a better year for Watson as he successfully returned from an keen injury and played in 15 games and started 9. His total regular season statics for 2005 were 29 receptions for 441 yards and 4 touchdowns. His best week came in week nine vs the Miami Dolphins when he caught three passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown was a amazing driving catch just on the edge of the endzone. That touchdown put the Patriots four points ahead with under two minutes left in the game. He finished the 2005 season with total of 37 passes caught for 441 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the postseason Wildcard weekend game vs the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] Watson an great game with 5 receptions for 91 yards and 1 touchdown. He also had an amazing catch and run on a screen play for 63 yards in the second half. The Patriots won the game 28 to 3.... The next week in the Divisional Playoff game matchup with the [[Denver Broncos]], Watson didn't catch a pass but he did almost make perhaps what could have been one of the top plays in NFL history. With the Patriots trailing by four points and at the Denver 7 yard line New England quarterback [[Tom Brady]] was intercepted by Broncos cornerback [[Champ Bailey]]. While Bailey (one of the fastest players in the NFL) ran back the interception Watson started chasing him starting about 35 yards behind. At about the three yard line Watson amazingly caught up with Bailey and forced him to fumble the football. The football appeared to roll into and out of the endzone (in which case would have been a Denver touchback and the Patriots football) but there wasn't clear proof on film that the ball did in fact go into and roll out of the endzone so Bailey was ruled out of bounds at the one yard line and the Broncos scored a touchdown on the next play. The Patriots ended up losing the game 13 to 27.

In 2006 with the loss of both of the Patriots top two receivers ([[Deion Branch]] and [[David Givens]]) Watson assumed the role of number one target of Tom Brady. He carried the burden quite well. Although he missed the last three games of the 2006 season, Watson started 13 out of the 13 games that he played in. In those games he compiled 49 receptions for 643 and 3 touchdowns. In the 2006 postseason he caught 10 passes for 81 yards. He is currently under contract until the year 2010 with the Patriots.

== Iraq Trip ==
On March 3, 2007 Ben Watson and three other NFL players embarked on a 13 day USO tour to meet and entertain United States armed forces in [[Kuwait]], [[Iraq]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. Watson after the trip was completed described it as life changing experience <ref>http://www.patriots.com/news/index.cfm?ac=latestnewsdetail&pid=24578&pcid=41</ref>.

==References==
<references/>
==External Links==
* [http://www.nfl.com/players/benjaminwatson/profile?id=WAT311042 NFL Stats]
* [http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=28448 Patriots Bio]
* [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/6791/ SI Bio]
* [http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/ben_watson Draft Bio]
* [http://www.houstonprofootball.com/draft/2004/prospects/watsonb.html Texans Ben Watson Draft Bio]
'''USO Tour Links'''
* [http://www.patriots.com/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=24386&pcid=43 Iraq Trip: Part One of the series]
* [http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/03/23/watson_visits_some_patriots/ Boston Globe Article]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Benjamin}}

[[Category:New England Patriot Players]]

Collusion

2007-09-02T20:43:58Z

GWisHero: grammar

'''Collusion''', in [[economics]], is an attempt to not compete or to reduce output. It is [[illegal]] under the [[Sherman Act]].

[[Category:Economics]]

Michael Dukakis

2007-09-02T20:42:49Z

GWisHero: listsing George H.W. Bush first, as he was the main victor

'''Michael Dukakis''' was former [[Massachusetts]] [[governor]], who ran for [[President of the United States]] in 1988 as a [[Democrat]]. After obtaining the party's nomination, he lost to [[President George H.W. Bush]] and Bush's running mate [[Dan Quayle]] in the election. His running mate was [[Lloyd Benson]], who later became [[Secretary of Treasury]] under [[President Bill Clinton]].

[[Category:Political people]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dukakis, Michael}}

Vampire: the Masquerade

2007-09-02T20:35:18Z

GWisHero: clean up

''''Vampire: The Masquerade''' is a role-playing game created by White Wolf, set in the World of Darkness (or what is currently known as the Old World of Darkness, or OWoD.)

== Setting ==
The World of Darkness is described as a world very similar to our own, with subtle differences. Everything is darker, grittier. Despair is a little more prevalent, joy and innocence a little more rare. Crime and divorce rates are just the slightest bit higher, and the idea that "things that go bump in the night" may be lurking around every corner is not as far-fetched as it is in our world. As it should be - in the World of Darkness, vampires, werewolves, mages, wraiths, and changelings are all real. They may be lurking in the darkest woods or guarding arcane secrets in forgotten temples - or working as a bouncer at your favorite nightclub.

== Game Play ==
Tabletop play usually consists of a group of 2-6 players and one Storyteller (or ST.) The players assume the roles of vampires (usually) within the World of Darkness, with abilities represented numerically on a character sheet. The ST describes the situations the player characters (PCs) find themselves in, as well as acting the roles of all non-player characters (NPCs). (In this, the ST functions in much the same way as a Dungeon Master or Game Master in other role-playing games.)

Tabletop play usually takes place around a large table or other flat surface (hence the name). While the style of play encourages conflict resolution through role-play (i.e., players talking things out and negotiating solutions while remaining in-character), some interactions (including, but not limited to, violence or the use of supernatural "Disciplines") are resolved through rolling 10-sided dice.

Live-action role play (or LARP for short) usually has at least one (sometimes more than one) storyteller, and any number of players. The primary difference between LARP and tabletop play is that in LARP, actions are acted out rather than merely described. (Physical contact and any representation of real weapons is strongly discouraged by White Wolf.) Some characters and groups may also incorporate costumes, props, or scenery to enhance the experience. A secondary difference is that in LARP, much of the conflict is expected to come from other players rather than storyteller-created plots.

Conflict resolution in a Vampire: the Masquerade LARP varies according to the group, but White Wolf has published a companion system called Mind's Eye Theater (MET) that replaces dice rolls with the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (although other methods, such as drawing stones of three different colors, has been used as well.)

== Game Concepts ==
=== Vampires ===
=== Clans ===
==== Camarilla ====
*Brujah
*Gangrel
*Malkavian
*Nosferatu
*Toreador
*Tremere
*Ventrue
==== Sabbat ====
*Lasombra
*Tzimisce
==== Independents ====
*Assamite
*Followers of Set
*Giovanni
*Ravnos
=== Humanity ===
=== Disciplines ===
*Animalism
*Auspex
*Celerity
*Chimerstry
*Dementation
*Dominate
*Fortitude
*Obfuscate
*Obtenebration
*Potence
*Presence
*Protean
*Quietus
*Serpentis
*Thaumaturgy
*Vicissitude

== Recent Developments ==
{{stub|section}}
==Organizations ==
{{stub|section}}
[[category:games]]